Gotham turned into a warzone, claw marks on the streets, bodies, fire, monsters prowling. The ground pulsed in places where Querehsha’s growth had taken root, veins of toxic green crawling through the streets, choking the air with a sickly haze.

And still... the fighting didn’t stop.

Superman had returned to the field, still weakened, still carrying the remnants of poison in his veins, but he was moving anyway, he didn’t want to rest. Every strike he threw had that same relentless intent, even if his breath came a little heavier than before now. A massive beast attacked him, jaws wide enough to swallow a car whole, and Clark met it head-on, catching both jaws with his hands and forcing them apart with a strained exhale before snapping them sideways and hurling the carcass through a swarm of flying insectoids.

"Keep them off the evacuation routes! We cannot let these monsters leave this area!" he shouted.

Nearby, Kara moved like a storm given form. Even with the lingering effects of kryptonite and toxin still clawing at her system, she refused to slow down too. Her heat vision carved through a cluster of armored beetle-like creatures, melting through chitin and flesh alike before she dropped from the sky and drove her fist through the torso of a massive war-beast, the impact splitting the ground beneath them.

"Is that all you’ve got?!" she snapped, breath sharp, eyes burning.

Beru who was following her, flying right next to her raised both of his hands trying to get her to rest and stop fighting "Please my Queen, you shouldn’t...".

Not far from her, Wonder Woman spun through a large number of towering insect creatures, her blade flashing in arcs of silver as limbs fell away from bodies in clean, decisive strikes. Her lasso snapped out, wrapping around a flying creature and dragging it violently into the ground before she crushed its skull beneath her heel.

"There is really no end to them!" she called, voice unwavering.

Green Lantern constructs filled the air, Hal Jordan and John Stewart working in tandem, massive constructs of energy slamming into the incoming tide, holding them back where numbers alone should have overwhelmed them.

Cyborg’s cannon fire echoed from a distance, cutting down wave after wave, while Shazam crashed through a group of beasts in a burst of lightning, laughing even as the pressure mounted.

But even with all of that...

It wasn’t enough.

The monsters kept coming, they were relentless.

And then

Something changed, it was so sudden, but the beasts hesitated.

The insects faltered mid-flight, their movements stuttering as if something had suddenly seized control of their instincts. A low, uneasy ripple passed through the entire invading force, like a silent command had been issued across all of them at once.

Martian Manhunter hovered above the battlefield, his eyes narrowing focusing his telepathic senses.

"...This is new.." he murmured.

The creatures weren’t retreating, but they weren’t the same anymore.

Before he could voice it the sky darkened, but it wasn’t night time.

It darkened with shadows.

They came out of nowhere, a wave of darkness pouring into the battlefield from above, silent at first, then deafening as they descended.

Massive forms hit the ground with enough force to crack it open.

Giants, towering shadows landed among the invading beasts and immediately began tearing them apart, their massive limbs crushing entire packs of wolves and war-beasts beneath sheer weight and power.

And then came the Marshals.

Doom was the first to land.

His massive body crashed into the ground like a falling meteor, sending a shockwave through the surrounding battllefield before he rose, violet lightning crackling violently across his body as his eyes burned with overwhelming hostile intent.

He attacked, and everything in his path ceased to exist.

A single swing of his arm erased a line of insect creatures in a burst of shadow and energy, their bodies disintegrating before they even hit the ground.

H’El descended next, landing with grace that contrasted sharply with the devastation around him. His gaze swept across the battlefield once, before his eyes turned red and unleashed a precise burst of heat vision that cut through a swarm of airborne creatures.

Galatea followed, she smashed straight into the warcats and dragging one across the ground before launching it into another with enough force to turn both into mush.

And then,

Igris, he simply appeared, one moment he was far away, the next, he stood at its center of the chaos, his blade moved in clean arcs, everything in front of him... fell apart, monsters losing their limbs and heads without realizing.

Behind them, the legion followed.

Thousands, tens of thousands.

An army that didn’t tire, didn’t bleed and didn’t fear, they surged forward, colliding with the invading forces and immediately turning the tide.

For the first time since the gate had opened,

The monsters were really being pushed back.

.

.

.

For a moment...

The defenders were stunned.

A hunter, standing amidst the chaos, lowered his weapon slightly, staring at the overwhelming display.

"...What the hell... is that...?"

Another one laughed in disbelief.

"No way... that’s real?... I heard those were only rumors... And that the shadow lanterns were the only exception.."

High above, Hal Jordan blinked, watching as an entire section of the battlefield was cleared in seconds.

"...Okay," he muttered. "I’m officially not the biggest gun in the room anymore."

John Stewart crossed his arms slightly, watching the precision, the coordination, the sheer scale of the Shadow legion.

"That’s some power," he said quietly. "I can’t get used to it."

Wonder Woman smiled as she cut down another creature.

"He has returned."

Superman hovered for a moment, taking it all in, the shadows, the Marshals, the impossible shift in momentum.

A breath escaped him, "...Arthur."

Even Kara, mid-fight, paused just long enough to glance upward, a grin breaking through despite everything.

"Why is everyone even surprised..." she muttered under her breath.

.

.

.

Martian Manhunter’s eyes softened slightly as he watched the tide turn.

Then he reached out with his telepathy.

"Batman," he said calmly, even as the battlefield roared beneath him. "I assume Arthur is back."

Then Bruce’s voice came through, steady as ever.

"Yes."

Martian Manhunter nodded faintly, watching as another wave of monsters was crushed beneath the advancing shadows.

"He might have an answer to the gate so once he is there, you should all retreat our work is done." Bruce continued. "And I’ll handle the rest I’m on my way back from the Fortress of Solitude, Superman flew off immediately after waking up even though I told him to rest but no matter... Ivy is en route guided by Robin. She’ll deal with the root system and the toxin spread."

J’onn’s gaze shifted toward the horizon, toward where the corruption had already begun creeping beyond the city, stretching outward.

"...They’ll need to be quick," he said. "It’s spreading into the ocean now... and you weren’t exaggerating. This is a global threat."

Bruce didn’t respond immediately.

But when he did,

"I know, good thing we were prepared."

.

.

.

Even with the arrival of the shadow legion tipping the balance, the sheer number of creatures pouring from the Gate kept the pressure relentless.

Until a presence settled over Gotham, one by one, heads turned toward him.

Hunters who had been mid-swing paused without realizing it. A man with blood running down his face lowered his blade just enough to glance upward.

"...What the hell is that..."

Above them all, near the towering Gate, a man stood suspended in the air.

Clad in shadow-forged armor, the edges of the armor bled into the air like smoke, like darkness refusing to stay still. His hair, longer now, pale as ash, moved softly in the wind, and his eyes burned violet.

But with a steady, terrifying calm.

For a moment, even the monsters hesitated.

On the front lines, Superman slowed mid-flight, his gaze was fixed on this man. Relief written all over his face.

"...He really is here."

Not far from him, Kara hovered in place, chest rising and falling as she stared at Arthur.

"So the other two Monarch are... I was not worried at all." she muttered crossing her arms, though the warmth in her voice gave her away.

Wonder Woman lowered her blade slightly, eyes narrowing as she looked at him.

"It seems there is power in him now... much more than before."

Hal Jordan glanced up, blinking.

"...Okay, I’m always glad he’s on our side."

Martian Manhunter watched in silence for a moment before speaking, "There he is... He looks... a bit different."

.

.

.

Arthur didn’t even acknowledge the battlefield.

His gaze was fixed entirely on the Gate.

The massive, swirling tear in reality before him, still vomiting out creatures in endless waves, he hovered beside it, close enough that the violent currents of energy brushed against his armor,

And did nothing.

For a moment, he simply watched it, then he raised his hand slowly.

His voice carried, heard by everyone who needed to hear it.

"I could wait," he said, tone almost thoughtful, "kill everything that crawls out of you... and let you collapse on your own."

He paused for a moment, like he was actually considering it.

Then a small exhale. "But we’ve had enough noise for one day."

His fingers flexed slightly.

"Let’s end this."

The Gate reacted instantly.

The moment his will touched it, the entire structure trembled, violently. The swirling energy destabilized, collapsing as if something had just seized control of it from the inside.

The Gate imploded, its massive form shrinking in on itself with terrifying speed. Creatures still pouring out of it didn’t even have time to react, they were caught mid-emergence.

Split and severed, erased as the space they occupied simply ceased to exist.

The closing force generated a shockwave that rippled outward, flattening debris, scattering the remaining monsters, and forcing even the strongest fighters to brace themselves against it.

Then, there was silence. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Where the Gate had stood...

There was nothing now.

For a few seconds, no one moved.

A hunter dropped to his knees, staring at the space where the Gate had been, his weapon slipping from his hand.

"...It’s gone..."

Another let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

"He... he just... closed it so simply..."

Hal Jordan blinked again, slower this time.

"...I’m sorry... what? He could do that? Where was he all this time?"

Superman hovered in place, eyes still locked on Arthur.

A small, genuine smile tugged at his lips.

"...That makes things a lot easier."

Arthur lowered his hand, only then did he glance down at the battlefield, at what remained.

/-\

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