The moment the Gate vanished, the battlefield didn’t end but what had once been a desperate defense became an execution.

Arthur descended slowly, the remaining beasts surged forward in one last chaotic wave. Giant wolves with fractured bone armor, insect monstrosities dripping with venom, hulking abominations that had taken entire squads of hunters to bring down, now all of them turned instinctively toward a single point.

Toward Arthur.

A hunter, bloodied and barely standing, stared as a massive S-class beast, a horned monstrosity that had torn through an entire formation minutes ago, charged straight for Arthur.

"MOVE!" the man shouted hoarsely.

Arthur didn’t. He didn’t even raise his voice.

He simply looked at the charging beast and that was all.

The shadows beneath his feet exploded outward like blades, hundreds of razor-thin tendrils erupted from the ground in a violent surge, slicing through the incoming wave with so much brutality. The beasts didn’t even get the chance to roar. Their bodies were carved apart, torn into fragments that scattered across the battlefield in a storm of black and crimson.

The horned S-class didn’t even reach him.

It was reduced to pieces before its front claws touched the ground.

And Arthur kept walking.

Another wave descended from above, winged insect horrors, thick with armor and poison, creatures that had forced even high-ranking hunters to retreat.

Arthur glanced up once.

Then he moved his hand, and a massive spear of condensed shadow formed above him, that made the air tremble. He didn’t throw it with force.

He released it.

It dropped, and a section of the sky itself seemed to collapse as the attack punched through the swarm, obliterating hundreds of creatures in a single instant. The shockwave rippled outward, catching more in its wake, tearing them apart as if they had never been meant to exist in the first place.

Hunters who had struggled against even one of those creatures stood frozen.

"...That... that thing..." one of them whispered, staring at the empty sky where the swarm had been.

"...He just wiped them out..." another said, voice unsteady with fatigue.

Even the Justice League paused, watching as Arthur continued forward, the battlefield clearing with every step he took.

Superman exhaled slowly.

"...He is clearly much stronger than before."

Wonder Woman’s grip tightened slightly on her sword, her eyes locked on Arthur with a warrior’s recognition.

"He has grown."

.

.

.

Within minutes...

It was over, the last beast fell.

The final insect was crushed beneath shadow or steel.

And silence, true silence settled over Gotham for the first time since the Gate had opened.

Arthur stood at the center of it all.

Surrounded by corpses and By ruin.

By the remains of an army that during their emergence threatened the world.

He looked at them for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"...This will be useful."

His voice wasn’t loud.

"Arise."

The ground answered.

Darkness spread across the battlefield, crawling over bodies, seeping into wounds, into broken limbs and shattered remains.

And one by one,

The shadows rose.

A hunter stumbled back, eyes widening in pure disbelief as the corpse of a beast he had barely survived fighting began to rise again as a shadow, its form twisting.

"...No way..."

More followed.

Dozens. Hundreds. Then thousands.

Creatures that had moments ago been enemies now stood again, silent, obedient, their eyes glowing faintly with that same violet light.

A woman dropped her weapon entirely, staring at the growing army.

"...He’s...they are becoming like the rest who helped us..."

A man beside her swallowed hard.

"...They’re his now..."

Even seasoned heroes didn’t hide their reaction.

Hal Jordan let out a low whistle.

"That’s still terrifying to witness."

John Stewart didn’t disagree.

"Well, that’s my first time seeing it in person," he said quietly.

Martian Manhunter watched in silence, but there was no fear in his eyes.

Then, as suddenly as they had risen...

The shadows receded.

The entire army dissolved, pulled back into Arthur’s own shadow like it had never existed at all.

The battlefield was empty again.

Arthur turned.

And only then did he seem to notice the eyes on him.

Kara landed beside him, boots touching the ground with a soft impact. She looked around briefly, the scattered hunters, the distant helicopters hovering in the sky, cameras pointed directly at them.

"...Arthur," she said, lowering her voice slightly, though there was amusement in it. "You know that you’ve got an audience right? A big one."

Arthur glanced past her, finally acknowledging them.

The hunters, the League members, and even the world watching from afar.

He didn’t look concerned.

"Oh," he said simply. "You shouldn’t be out here Kara, I even ordered Beru to keep you away from fighting.."

Kara raised a brow.

"And let you have all the fun?"

He gave a small smile. "Stubborn as ever... Well then to answer your concern, the justice league already knows what I can do, and the people who remember what happened during the blackest night. And if they didn’t..." his gaze flicked briefly toward the helicopters "...they do now, it doesn’t matter to me, there is more important things to worry about now."

Behind them, the last traces of his shadow armor faded, dissolving into nothing as his appearance shifted back to something far more... human and casual. Almost ordinary if not for what happened moments ago.

"...It’s over," he said. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Kara crossed her arms slightly, glancing toward the creeping growth still spreading in the distance.

"Not entirely. That toxin, That woman’s spell or whatever it’s still active."

Arthur followed her gaze.

"It won’t be for long."

"You’re counting on Bruce?"

Arthur huffed lightly.

"I left him my best minds and everything he needed to know. If anyone can figure it out, it’s him."

Kara nodded, then glanced back at him.

"And those monarchs, I assume we won’t hear from them anymore."

Arthur’s expression didn’t change.

"Of course."

He paused.

"...But that wasn’t all of them."

Before Kara could respond,

A familiar presence descended beside them.

Superman landed with a soft impact, his posture steady despite the lingering strain in his body. There was a tiredness to him, but also relief.

"Arthur."

A small smile formed on his face.

"Good to see you back."

Arthur looked him over once, noting the subtle signs, the stiffness, the lingering weakness.

"You don’t look so great."

Clark let out a short laugh.

"Yeah... that poison was no joke."

He rubbed the back of his neck slightly.

"They knew exactly what to use against me. Kryptonite too. And... they said some things I didn’t quite understand."

Arthur’s gaze sharpened slightly.

"We’ll talk about it later."

Clark nodded.

"I figured you’d know."

Then his smile returned.

"They almost had me... but we held out, with Kara’s help, and your shadows... Bruce too... we managed."

Arthur gave a small nod.

"Even though we were prepared..."

His gaze shifted briefly across the battlefield, the fallen hunters, the damage, the cost.

"...We still lost people."

His voice lowered slightly.

"I should’ve left more Marshals behind."

Kara shook her head immediately.

"No."

Her tone was firm.

"You had your own war to fight."

She stepped a little closer, "If we can’t protect our own world while you’re gone... then what’s the point of any of us being here?"

Arthur didn’t answer right away.

.

.

.

Not far from them, a group of hunters stood frozen, watching the exchange.

One of them leaned slightly toward another, his voice barely above a whisper.

"...That’s him, isn’t it? The shadow guy... I saw him in metropolis during that space zombies invasion."

Another shook his head slowly.

"So, these shadow lanterns belong to him."

A younger hunter, eyes still wide, stared at Arthur.

"He killed everything... turned them into his army... that’s necromancy, I wonder if there are hunters out there with the same kind of power."

"...And Superman’s just standing there talking to him like they’re teammates," someone added.

Then, quieter,

"...Is he even from Earth?"

No one answered.

.

The Gate was gone, but the damage lingered in ways that steel and stone alone couldn’t explain. Across entire districts, the ground had split open from growth of thick, pulsating roots had erupted from beneath the city, crawling over streets, wrapping around buildings, cracking asphalt. Veins of sickly green ran through them, glowing faintly, releasing a low, poisonous haze into the air.

It was an infestation and at the center of one of the worst affected zones in the city, she appeared.

A swirl of green and earth folded inward, and Poison Ivy stepped out from it as if the plants themselves had welcomed her. Beside her, already waiting, stood Robin with a gas mask, his cape shifting slightly in the toxic wind as he turned toward her.

Activating the comm in his ear, "We’re in position," he said. "Ivy’s here. We’re proceeding."

Then the calm, steady voice of Batman answered.

"Understood. Time is critical, do what you must."

Robin nodded slightly, even though Bruce couldn’t see it.

"Yeah," he muttered, then cut the channel.

For a moment, there was only the sound of the roots shifting, expanding slowly across the broken streets.

Ivy didn’t look at him at all, her eyes were already on the growth around them.

"...So this is what you’re so desperate about," she said softly, stepping forward.

Robin crossed his arms slightly, watching her.

"Batman said you’d understand it."

She let out a small, almost amused breath.

"Of course he did."

Only then did she glance at him, green eyes sharp.

"And he intends to keep his word, I assume?"

Robin didn’t hesitate.

"Of course, Ivy, no prison for you, and no Arkham. If you help us fix this, and you will walk freely."

Ivy studied him for a moment, checking the sincerity behind his words.

"...You sound very confident," she said lightly.

Robin shrugged.

"Batman doesn’t make deals he can’t keep, and he trusts you."

There was a flicker of something in her expression that wasn’t exactly trust, but close enough to it.

"...How reassuring," she murmured, before turning her attention back to the sprawling, unnatural growth.

She stepped closer, crouching slightly as her fingers brushed against one of the thick, pulsing roots.

The moment she touched it, her expression changed.

"...How strange..." she said curiously.

Robin tilted his head slightly.

"Strange how? What did you find out?"

Ivy’s fingers traced along the vein, feeling the flow of whatever foreign energy pulsed through it.

"It’s... familiar," she said slowly. "The structure, the growth pattern, the way it spreads... it mimics my work."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"But it’s not mine."

She stood, glancing around as if seeing the entire system at once.

"It’s crude in some places. Overgrown even and excessive." she said with a smile. "But this is so effective, if I leave this it will surely kill everyone."

Robin let out a breath.

"Can you stop it?"

She looked back at him, that smirk sharpening just a little.

"Oh, please."

There was almost offense in her tone now.

"It’s like someone tried to copy my handwriting and forgot I invented the language."

Robin blinked.

"...So that’s a yes?"

She straightened fully, brushing a strand of red hair over her shoulder.

"It’s not just easy," she said, almost lazily. "It’s insultingly easy."

Robin exhaled.

"Well... that’s reassuring."

Ivy rolled her eyes slightly.

"Don’t thank me yet."

She took a few steps forward, positioning herself at the center of the largest cluster of roots.

Then she glanced back over her shoulder.

"Step back, boy."

Robin didn’t even comment on that.

He moved away.

And just as he did,

There was a familiar distortion in the air,

Three figures appeared beside them as if they had always been there.

Superman landed lightly, alongside, Kara Zor-El.

And between them,

Arthur.

Ivy noticed them immediately.

Her gaze lingered for just a second longer on him than the others.

"...Well," she said, "This just keeps getting more interesting."

She straightened slightly, placing a hand on her hip.

"I have an audience, and not just any audience."

Her eyes flicked between them.

"Aliens. Gods. And..." her gaze settled briefly on Arthur again, something thoughtful in her expression, "...whatever you consider yourself to be."

Superman stepped forward slightly instead, "We’re counting on you Ivy."

/-\

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