Injustice: The Path To Hell (DC Comics)

Sunday 6th September, 18:05.

Bialya,

Bialyan Desert.

Surging forward, his Water-Bearers shifting into long, gleaming swords, Aqualad sliced through the air with practised fluidity, striking against the claws. Esau's gaze sharpened, lips pulling back into a snarl as his tails twitched in anticipation before he charged forward to meet Aqualad's approach head-on.

Esau started with a sweeping roundhouse kick, his foot cutting through the air with incredible speed. Aqualad ducked, dodging under it just in time and retaliating with an upward slash of his water sword aimed at Esau's side. But one of Esau's tails snapped down, coiling around the blade with thick, bristling fur that bit into the surface. He tugged on the sword, forcing Aqualad forward as Esau lashed out with a brutal knee to his gut.

Before Esau could land the blow, however, Superboy was there, charging into the fray. He closed the distance rapidly, planting his feet firmly and delivering a powerful haymaker that collided with Esau's jaw, snapping his head and sending him straight into the ground with a boom. Esau slid across the ground creating a deep trench formed by his body and Superboy seized the opportunity as Esau pushed himself to his feet. A fierce cross hit Esau square in his ribs, lifting him into the air.

Esau managed to recover though, claws extending to full length as he was launched into the air, intercepting Superboy's follow-up. He landed deftly and then sprang toward the clone of Superman with renewed fury, tails swinging downward forcing Superboy to sidestep and as Esau closed the distance, came with a spinning hook kick aimed at his midsection. But Aqualad stepped in, deflecting Esau's leg with a water shield, twisting around to deliver a swift elbow to Esau's exposed back.

Growling, Esau stumbled, tails flicking out in irritation as he spun, swinging his arms around to swipe at Aqualad with extending claws forcing the Atlantean to step back. Yet Superboy came in once more, their seamless teamwork beginning to show its strength as every time Esau attempted to focus on one of them, the other stepped in, disrupting his rhythm and cutting off his attacks with precise, powerful counters. Their combined effort forced the mindless Esau to be put completely on the backfoot as his eyes burned with rage coming at them with immense rage.

Undeterred, Aqualad and Superboy launched a series of coordinated attacks, their movements synchronised as they worked in tandem to keep Esau on the defensive. Aqualad lunged forward with a thrust of his water sword aiming for Esau's torso who twisted to avoid the blade. But as he shifted his weight, Superboy was already moving in, landing a brutal jab to Esau's side. The impact reverberated through him, causing Esau's footing to falter briefly.

Esau retaliated, his claws and tails swiping out in different angles and directions, slicing through the air in fierce arcs, but Aqualad was there, arms tensing as he swung his water swords, deflecting each strike though the force sent him sliding backwards. Just as Esau moved to follow up, Superboy's fist connected with his side once again forcing Esau to stagger but he managed to brace himself before the strike landed.

Despite this, an opportunity presented itself as Aqualad went low, a water tendril sweeping low and taking out Esau's legs. The blond leapt to avoid the sweep, but as he landed, Superboy was ready, delivering a swift cross to his jaw that sent him once more into the ground. Yet his claws extended and his tails lashed out defensively to keep his two teammates at bay. They retreated momentarily, but their brief success was evident—they had managed to temporarily put Esau on the backfoot.

The respite was short-lived.

Esau unleashed a guttural roar, the sound ripping through the air and sending a shockwave that forced Aqualad and Superboy to brace themselves. The force of the roar still pushed them back, but they recovered quickly, determined not to lose their momentum.

Using this moment to charge, Esau came at them with incredible speed, closing in on Aqualad with a sequence of attacks. Her started with a high kick, forcing Aqualad to duck, then followed immediately with a brutal downward slash of his claws that the Atlantean barely parried. Before Aqualad could recover, Esau's tails lashed out, thick bristles of fur cutting into Aqualad's shin but Superboy intervened, striking the tail with a powerful blow that freed his teammate.

The pair regrouped, steeling themselves as they launched themselves at Esau once more. They knew they had to maintain the pressure, aware that any moment of hesitation would allow Esau to recover and retaliate with full force. Esau seemed to be ready for them though, even in his mindless state the instincts ingrained into his body through countless life-and-death battles guided him even without conscious thought.

He surged forward, coming at them with a whirlwind of motion and brutal, cutting attacks targeting them both with equal force, each strike fuelled by raw power. His tails swooped low and high, whipping around with such force they smashed and cut through the ground, each one breaking the sound barrier. Claws retracted and extended seamlessly as they cut and pierced the air, as he came at them with punches, kicks and elbows, his relentless speed and aggression forcing them to take a step back, suddenly growing more powerful.

Miss Martian sensed their struggle as she floated through the air, her body cloaked in invisibility intervened, telekinetic hands grasping chunks of ground uncovered by sand. She launched them at Esau to disrupt his rhythm who ducked under one rock and sliced through another with his tail, but the brief distraction was enough.

As another tail came down upon Superboy who had blocked a powerful spinning backkick with his guard, Kid Flash appeared and pushed him just out of range of the tail. Meanwhile, Batgirl and Robin, positioned at a distance threw smoke bombs that momentarily obscured Esau's vision giving Superboy and Aqualad a chance to regroup.

Snarling, Esau let out a roar that dispersed the smoke instantly, but Aqualad and Superboy were already upon him, having timed their charge perfectly for when the roar had passed over them. There was a moment, just after where Esau's guard had lowered and they came upon him, Aqualad aiming for his midsection while Superboy came for his head. Sidestepping Aqualad's thrust, Esau twisted and parried Superboy's punch, but he was off-balance enough for Aqualad to seize the moment.

Planting his foot firmly, he shifted his Water-Bearers into a large hammer, shifting its direction sharply from a straight thrust to a swing to the side that slammed into Esau's side and lifted him into the air. Superboy though having been parried, jumped up after him, landing a cross to Esau's stomach that catapulted him to the ground.

Esau managed to land in a crouch, feet scrapping across the ground as he was carried backwards through sheer force, using his claws to help slow his speed. It's then, as his tails twitched in anger, one began to glow and in a sudden, eerie burst, it detached from his body and formed into a solid clone—a perfect replica, both possessing only a singular tail.

The eyes of everyone widened in shock, no one had expected or been prepared for this.

That's when the clones lunged at them, each possessing the same ferocity as the original.

As Aqualad defended against the clone, the original charged at Superboy.

"Now he's got clones?" Kid Flash's voice echoed through the telepathic link, surprise evident in his tone.

The cloned moved in seamless coordination with the original Esau, creating a constant rhythm that made it nearly impossible for Aqualad and Superboy to predict their next moves. Individually they were slower and weaker than the pair, but their teamwork was far greater than either Superboy or Aqualad. But both were an exact copy of one another, possessing the same instincts, abilities and fighting style. They could easily cover for one another's openings and come together in a relentless combined assault.

For a moment, Aqualad and Superboy managed to work together, combining their efforts to land a powerful series of counterattacks that briefly pushed Esau back. Kaldur blocked a swipe from one clone, sidestepping the follow-up and slamming his water hammer into its torso while Superboy grabbed the original in a fierce grip, before throwing him into the clone.

The two collided in midair, thrown to the ground but as the duo went to press the assault, Esau retaliated with a roar, the shockwave halting their movements. He and the clone then regrouped, launching toward the pair and forcing them to fight on the defensive once more.

"Artemis, now!" Robin's voice cut through the telepathic link.

From her perch, Artemis loosed two arrows in rapid succession. The first exploded at Esau and his clone's feet, sending a cloud of sand into the air. The second, two foam arrows, struck their shoulders, expanding into a thick, sticky substance meant to bind him. Though trapped, both snarled furiously, tails and claws tearing through the foam with ease. Yet before they could advance, Miss Martian's telekinesis wrapped around their limbs, holding him in place.

"I've got them," Miss Martian said, her voice strained as she hovered above the battlefield, her translucent form flickering in and out of visibility. Their muscles flexed against her hold, their raw power pushing against her telekinetic grip before the clone's head snapped up and stared at where Miss Martian was despite being invisible. Then both tails swung around, cutting through the air, forcing Miss Martian to move, this act weakening her hold on them allowing the two to break free.

"KF!" Batgirl's sharp command was followed by Kid Flash darting toward Esau and the clone. They responded claws swinging out, but he weaved around them before circling the pair, his speed creating a vortex of sand that swirled around Esau. The roar that followed from the pair clashed against the vortex and while Kid Flash was flung into the air, the roar was contained by the vortex. Aqualad, thrown forward by Superboy, landed directly in front of the pair.

He rolled to his feet, hammer swinging up and smashing into the underside of the original chin, throwing him backwards as he then brought it down on the clone who blocked the strike, knees buckling. Superboy himself leapt forward, tackling the original midair, the two colliding with the ground in a brutal contest of strength that saw Superboy emerge the victor, pinning Esau momentarily. Landing two unanswered heavy punches was all Superboy managed to accomplish before digging his tail into the ground managed to throw Superboy into the air with a violent twist.

Artemis, from a distance, launched explosive arrows to distract the original, allowing Superboy to recover and launch himself back at Esau landing a solid kick to his chest that sent him sprawling. Meanwhile, Batgirl and Robin coordinated smoke bombs and flashbangs, momentarily blinding the clone to give Aqualad an opening.

The battlefield was chaos. Esau's original form and his clone moved with terrifying coordination, their ferocity forcing the team to push themselves to the brink. Miss Martian strained to restrain the clone, her telekinetic grip holding it in place just long enough for Aqualad to land a decisive blow with a water-formed mace, shattering its chest and causing it to dissipate into energy.

The original Esau let out a furious roar, the shockwave scattering the team once more. But this time, they were ready. Kid Flash darted in, grabbing Aqualad and pulling him out of harm's way. Superboy countered with a devastating punch to Esau's jaw, the impact reverberating across the desert.

"Now!" Aqualad shouted.

Miss Martian lifted Esau with her telekinesis, pinning him midair as Artemis fired a foam arrow that encased his limbs. Superboy lunged forward, driving Esau into the ground with a thunderous slam, hands raising up as he clasped them together over his head. With a shout, Superboy swung them down, bringing them down onto Esau's head.

Esau growled, face beginning to heal from the strike, a second tail beginning to form once more and seeing this, Superboy did the same again. There was a pause, but the tail kept forming and Superboy came down upon Esau for a third time and then a fourth and finally on the fifth, Esau's body slumped. The second tail nearly fully formed disappeared along with the first, his eyes rolling back into his head.

The desert fell silent, the team's heavy breathing the only thing breaking the silence as they looked upon their unconscious teammate and leader.

None of them said anything, there were no words to give.

They had succeeded, but it had by no means been easy.

-X-

Sunday 6th September, 18:10.

Bialya,

Bialyan Desert.

"Report back to the Elder." A figure spoke, looking out over the Bialyan Desert from a ridge many miles away from where the team had finished their battle. "He has claimed One Tail of power though failed in his quest for the Second."

Beside the cloaked figure, the small, shadowy figure of Ignotus nodded its head. "A shame. The Elder had high hopes for him, but then again the power we desire would not be so prized if it was so easy to claim." Though he spoke, the figure beside Ignotus did not say a word, its figure absent of any discernible signature or mark, not even a Roman Numeral as worn by all Apostles to indicate rank. "I will leave one of my Seeds with you."

"Report only to the Elder." The figure replied sharply, Ignotus only smiling as it began to melt into the ground.

"Of course."