Metropolis

Chaos reigned. Fires burned across the city as civilians fought one another with murderous intent. Bodies lay scattered across the streets.

From the top of a skyscraper, Thena, Terra, and Nina watched the destruction unfold.

“What’s going on down there?” Thena asked, her fists clenching. “How can you even stop something like this?”

“You can’t,” Nina replied calmly, “not unless you eliminate the source.”

“Do you know who the source is?” Thena asked.

“I have an idea who it might be,” Nina said quietly.

Terra pulled off her mask and took a deep breath. “This thing is really stuffy. I can barely breathe in it. Anyway… is this some kind of mind control?”

“Not exactly,” Nina explained. “It’s a passive ability of who i think it is,he can twist perception and judgment of all those around him. Everyone down there thinks they’re fighting monsters. They don’t realize they’re attacking innocent people.”

A thunderous crash suddenly echoed through the air, followed by the sound of shattering glass. The three of them turned just in time to see a blur slam into the building across from them.

As the dust cleared, two familiar figures came into view.

“Is that… Mom?” Thena asked softly.

“Apparently,” Nina replied.

“We have to stop them,” Thena said urgently. “Or at least stop whoever’s causing this.”

“Didn’t you just hear what Aunt Nina said?” Terra snapped. “If we get close, we’ll end up like them!”

Thena paused. “Oh… right.”

“I don’t think I’d be able to resist it either,” Nina admitted grimly. “And if I lost control in a city like this…”

“Yeah,” Terra muttered, “that wouldn’t be pretty.”

Nina stepped forward, eyes locked on the chaos below. “Still… we can’t just stand here. Let’s see what we can do.”

Meanwhile, On the opposite end of Metropolis…

“What’s the plan, Constantine?” Jason asked, turning toward him.

Constantine rubbed his face tiredly.

“I hate to ask, mate… but can you keep him busy while I figure something out?”

Jason exhaled slowly.

“At least you’re asking this time.”

He stepped forward and raised his voice.

“Gone, gone the form of man,

Arise the demon, Etrigan!”

A pillar of hellfire erupted around Jason, swallowing his body completely. The flames twisted violently before collapsing inward.

When the fire cleared…

Etrigan stood in his place.

“So Constantine calls again, like a greedy wanton,” Etrigan sneered. “Forever begging favors, never paying debts.”

“Save the bloody rhymes and get it done,” Constantine shot back.

“Tch. Killjoy,” Etrigan muttered.

Hellfire erupted from his mouth, spilling into his palm. The flames solidified, shaping themselves into a massive infernal sword.

With a powerful leap, Etrigan launched himself into the air and landed atop Destiny’s glowing barrier.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward.

Etrigan raised his blade and began hammering down relentlessly, each strike exploding with demonic fire.

Destiny turned calmly toward him.

“Ahh… Etrigan,” he said smoothly. “I have had many years to contemplate your poetic sense of justice.”

Crimson energy gathered in Destiny’s right hand.

He thrust it forward.

A devastating beam of condensed power tore through the air.

Etrigan crossed his sword in front of him just in time.

The beam slammed into the blade.

BOOOOOOM!

The resulting shockwave shattered windows across nearby skyscrapers. Cars flipped. Debris was hurled through the streets.

Below, Constantine and Boston ducked behind cover, shielding their eyes from the blinding light.

On the advancing side of the battlefield, Nina, Thena, and Terra were forced to halt, raising their arms to block the intense flash.

Etrigan was blasted backward.

Flames exploded outward as Jason was violently separated from the transformation.

Both bodies crashed into the street below, sending cracks spider-webbing through the pavement,unconscious.

Constantine and Boston crouched beside Jason. Constantine placed two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. Relief washed over him when he confirmed Jason was alive.

“Congratulations, my friend,” Constantine said with a faint smirk. “You’ve finally beaten the curse… just not at a good time.”

“Now what do we do?” Boston asked, glancing toward the distant threat.

“Call for help.”

Boston frowned. “I don’t know about you, man, but I don’t have anyone in mind at the moment.”

“Well, I happen to know someone,” Constantine replied, reaching into his coat. He pulled out Max’s kunai and clasped his hands together, beginning to chant. With a sharp motion, he flung it to the ground. In a sudden whoosh, Max appeared before them in the middle of the stretch, still in his black shorts. He rubbed his eyes and spoke in a sleepy, annoyed voice:

“Bad timing Constantine. What do you want?”

“Not exactly my first choice, but I’m running out of options,” Constantine admitted.

Boston pointed toward the distant figure of Destiny. “Yeah, buddy. We need your help dealing with that guy.”

Max glanced at Destiny, then back at Constantine. “You’re really pushing it, Constantine. But… since we made a pact, fine.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Constantine said firmly. “If Destiny becomes too powerful, even you won’t be safe from him.”

Max hummed softly, narrowing his eyes.

In the next instant, he vanished.

He reappeared directly in front of Destiny and drove a punch straight into his shield before the so-called god could even react.

BOOM!

Nearby windows shattered as a violent pressure wave tore through the streets. Destiny was hurled backward, crashing into the road and carving a deep trench through the asphalt before finally coming to a halt.

Before he could even regain his bearings, a glowing yellow sphere came screaming toward him.

It slammed into his shield and detonated violently, engulfing him in a roaring explosion.

Below, Constantine and Boston were forced to dive for cover as debris rained down around them. Smoke and dust swirled through the air, obscuring everything.

When the smoke finally cleared…

Destiny floated there unharmed,even his shield had fully regenerated.

He slowly rose to Max’s level, eyes burning with fury. “You would dare strike a god?!”

Raising his right hand, Destiny unleashed a crimson beam straight at Max.

Max didn’t even flinch.

He lifted his palm casually. The beam stopped mere centimeters from his hand, scattering uselessly against an invisible gravity barrier that warped space around his body.

Then Max vanished again.

He reappeared behind Destiny and drove a brutal kick into his back, launching him skyward. Before Destiny could react, Max appeared above him and smashed his shield downward with another kick, sending him plummeting once more.

Max didn’t stop.

He blinked beside Destiny and kicked his shield sideways.

Then again.And again.

Each strike came faster than the last, building momentum as cracks spiderwebbed across the shield’s surface.

Realizing the danger, Destiny roared in desperation and gathered his energy. A massive explosion erupted in the sky, bathing the entire city in a crimson glow. The blast forced Max back just long enough for Destiny to breathe,and begin repairing his defenses.

But it was already too late.

A green aura suddenly flared into existence.

Max appeared directly in front of Destiny, his fist already inside the shield.

CRACK.

The barrier shattered completely.

Max’s punch continued forward, slamming into Destiny’s abdomen. Destiny’s eyes went wide as his body folded inward, saliva spraying from his mouth as the air was violently forced from his lungs.

In one smooth motion, Max grabbed Destiny by the throat with his left hand. With his right, he ripped the glowing red crystal embedded in Destiny’s chest free and crushed it in his palm.

Then Max placed his hand against Destiny’s abdomen, rapidly condensed a Ki blast, and shoved it point-blank into his body.

Releasing his grip, Max allowed the blast to carry Destiny away.

Destiny was launched like a missile, streaking across the sky for several kilometers before slamming into the ocean.

A second later, massive yellow sphere of energy erupted from the impact site. It expanded violently, then collapsed inward before detonating again, lighting up the horizon and turning the night sky into daylight for several seconds before vanishing.

Max deactivated the Gates, the green aura surrounding his body fading away as his power settled. He descended calmly from the sky, landing beside Constantine, Etrigan, Batman, and Boston, who stood around Jason,his body weakening as the old wound had reopened and started to bleed once more.

Without a word, Max walked over and knelt beside Jason. He hovered his hand above the injury, and a soft green glow spread across the wound. Slowly, steadily, the damaged flesh knitted itself back together. When the light faded, the injury was gone.

Max straightened and spared Batman a brief, unreadable glance before turning to Constantine.

” we should be even now.”

Constantine exhaled and nodded. “Yeah. You’re officially off the hook.”

Satisfied, Max bent his knees and blasted into the sky,headed towards the top of a skyscraper we he could feel familiar presences.

Silence lingered for a moment.

Boston finally broke it, staring at the empty sky. “So… that’s Max. Never thought I’d actually get to meet him in person.”

End of Chapter .

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