Injustice: The Path To Hell (DC Comics)

Thursday, 1st October, 18:50

Arkansas,

Bayou Bartholomew.

{"Now!"}

Aqualad was the first to act, unleashing a torrent of water from his Water-Bearers. It crashed into Count Vertigo and Black Adam, sweeping Vertigo off his feet and carrying him away.

Black Adam, however, didn't move an inch. The water slammed against his chest, rolling off him as if it were nothing. His golden lightning crackled around him, briefly evaporating the water on contact. His gaze flicked toward Aqualad—calm and indifferent, yet entirely dismissive.

That was all the opening Esau needed.

With an explosion of speed, Esau blitzed forward, closing the gap in an instant between him and Black Adam. His fist hammered into Black Adam's jaw, forcing the ancient warrior's head to the side. The second blow—a powerful hook—actually made him stumble back.

Not hesitating, Esau followed up immediately. His tail whipped forward, aiming to wrap around Black Adam's arm and restrict his movement.

It never landed.

Before Esau could even react, Black Adam's hand shot out, catching his tail in mid-air. Esau's instincts screamed at him to move, but Black Adam ripped him forward with monstrous strength, twisting his body mid-pull and then came the punch. A single, devastating strike buried itself into Esau's ribs.

The shockwave tore through his body, Esau barely able to register the pain before he was rocketed out of the air, a blur of motion as he crashed through tree after tree, snapping thick trunks like twigs. He finally hit the ground with bone-shattering force, dirt and debris erupting around him.

Everything hurt.

His breathing was ragged, each inhale sharp with pain—his ribs definitely broken. Even with his healing factor working overtime, Esau knew it would take minutes to fully recover. Minutes he did not have.

His mind snapped into focus.

He didn't even follow up.

Looking up through blurry vision, Esau saw Black Adam descending slowly, landing lightly on the ground—not even fazed.

That alone told him everything.

Black Adam didn't see him as a threat.

"This is not a fight you can win," the warrior mused, approaching with a deliberate slowness, arms clasped behind his back. "But I am curious—what are the limits of your power?"

Esau exhaled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His vision sharpened and his body tensed, claws digging into the ground in preparation.

"When I figure that out," he muttered, "you'll be the first to know."

Then he moved.

Esau exploded forward with blinding speed, his fists swinging in a relentless flurry. Each strike seamlessly leading into another, never letting up, keeping Black Adam on the back foot.

His tail snapped forward, trying to strike Black Adam with the force of a cannon.

But Black Adam caught it again.

This time, Esau expected it.

The bristles on his tail sharpened, the appendage wrapping around the hand tightly. Using the grip as leverage, Esau swung his entire body weight, twisting mid-air to deliver a brutal heel-kick to Black Adam's temple. The impact finally made Adam take a step back.

For the first time, Black Adam's expression shifted—from mild curiosity to faint intrigue. Esau barely had time to land before lightning surged around Black Adam's body.

Then came the counterattack.

Black Adam didn't charge nor did he rush.

He simply stepped forward and swung his fist. Esau dodged but the air pressure alone sent him skidding backwards. Before he could recover, Black Adam was on him.

A palm smashed into Esau's chest, sending him flying back—before lightning erupted from Adam's fingertips, the bolt slamming into Esau mid-air.

Pain exploded through his nerves.

His vision flickered, his body convulsing as electricity tore through him. His healing factor struggled against the burning surge, his muscles spasming violently. He barely managed to catch himself, slamming his claws into the ground to stop his momentum. His breaths were ragged, his body aching from the sheer force of Adam's attacks.

Black Adam hovered a few feet off the ground now, watching him with detached amusement. "You fight well," Adam admitted, floating toward him, his posture calm, completely unhurried. "But you are wasting your efforts. Strength alone will not grant you victory."

Esau's claws flexed and tail lashed the ground once, like a predator assessing its prey. Then, with a deep inhale he roared.

A shockwave of sound and force erupted from his throat, tearing through the air and slamming into Black Adam, sending him hurtling backward.

Esau didn't waste a second.

He rushed forward, closing the gap before Black Adam could fully recover. He leapt, twisting mid-air to deliver a devastating axe kick but once again, Black Adam caught it.

His hand wrapped around Esau's ankle mid-strike, completely stopping his momentum.

Then came the punch.

Black Adam's fist buried itself into Esau's stomach, so deep it felt like his insides had exploded and quite possibly, they had.

His vision darkened.

He barely felt himself being hurled backward again, crashing into the ground with a force that carved a deep trench into the earth.

Everything hurt.

His mind was slipping. He couldn't move—his body refusing to respond.

'I'm blacking out.' Through the haze, he heard footsteps approaching, each one slow and methodical.

Then pressure on his chest.

Esau gasped as Black Adam's foot pressed down, applying crushing force as bones cracked.

"I remember now why your power felt familiar," Black Adam murmured, staring down at him. "You possess their power and some of their strength, but not their skill. Your ancestors would be ashamed of this… disappointment."

Esau's hands clawed at Adam's boot, gasping for air, panic rising as his ribs threatened to collapse completely.

'I'm going to die.' His vision blurred as his mind screamed at him to move. 'DO SOMETHING!'

But his body just wouldn't respond.

Esau gritted his bloodied teeth, his fingers clawing uselessly at Black Adam's ankle. His claws—sharp enough to tear through steel—couldn't even scratch him. The weight on his chest was unbearable, pressing down like a mountain, his ribs on the verge of shattering.

'Get ahold of yourself.' His vision blurred, pain threatened to pull him under, but deep inside—something stirred. 'I need to turn the tide and I can't do that with the strength I've got. I need more.'

The words repeated in his head, like a heartbeat, like a drum pounding against his skull. His breath hitched, body trembling—his mind slipping between rage and desperation.

CRACK.

Black Adam's foot pressed down again, and Esau's entire ribcage creaked under the strain. He gasped, blood bubbling up from his throat, bursting out into a fog in the air. The pain should have paralysed him. It should have broken him.

Instead, a snarl tore from his throat, his breath coming in ragged, animalistic huffs. His fangs lengthened, his claws sharpened, his tail lashed wildly against the earth, digging a trench beneath him.

His eyes burned red.

The air shifted.

A change—primal, savage, violent.

Black Adam felt it.

He stilled for a brief moment, sensing the weight in the air grow denser. His golden aura flickered, reacting to the strange, feral energy now pouring off Esau in waves.

Two whip-like tails of force burst from the ground. The first slammed into the left side of Black Adam's face, snapping his head to the side. The second followed immediately after, smashing into his jaw with bone-rattling force.

Black Adam staggered.

His footing loosened just enough and Esau's legs coiled like springs, and with a sudden burst of speed a double-footed kick struck Black Adam's chest, launching the ancient warrior backward. Adam's boots skidded against the dirt, carving deep trenches into the earth. He came to a stop, his golden lightning crackling wildly around him, his expression unreadable.

Slowly, he lifted his head—and what he saw made his brow furrow slightly. Esau was on all fours, hunched over like a beast, his shoulders rising and falling with each heavy breath. His claws dug into the earth, his tail lashing uncontrollably. His snarl was low, guttural, primal.

There was no focus in his gaze. No strategy, no tactic. Only an all-consuming ferocity.

Black Adam tilted his head, studying him. "Perhaps I misjudged you," he murmured.

Esau didn't respond.

Because Esau wasn't there.

His body moved before his mind could process it, a savage blur of motion as he lunged forward, claws outstretched, fangs bared in a furious snarl.

Black Adam barely had time to register the charge before Esau was upon him. Esau's claws raked toward his throat and Black Adam's hand shot up, intercepting the strike effortlessly. The moment Esau's claws met his palm, sparks flew.

Esau twisted mid-air, his tail whipping toward Adam's ribs and again, Adam caught it. Then came the counterattack as Black Adam's knee rocketed into Esau's stomach, his godlike strength burying the blow deep into his abdomen.

Esau didn't cry out, he didn't even so much as register the pain. His instincts overrode everything, his body responding with pure savagery. Claws lashed out again, his tail swinging wildly as his jaws snapped forward, aiming for Black Adam's throat.

Black Adam's brow furrowed slightly as he studied the sudden shift in Esau's fighting style. There was no hesitation in his movements. No calculation. No fear.

Only pure, wild instinct.

"Fascinating," Black Adam mused.

Then, with a sharp yank, he flung Esau sideways, sending him skidding across the swamp, dirt and debris exploding in all directions.

Esau didn't stop.

Before his body even hit the ground, he had already twisted, digging his claws into the earth to propel himself back toward Adam. He rebounded off the terrain like a rabid predator, his speed doubling, his movements erratic, unpredictable, almost inhuman.

Black Adam narrowed his eyes, lightning snapping around him. Esau vanished from sight—only to reappear behind him. His claws swept toward Adam's spine, but Adam didn't move. Instead, he turned at the last second, his fist crashing into Esau's ribs mid-motion.

The impact ripped the air apart.

Esau's body twisted violently, sent careening through the air. He collided with a tree, splitting it in half before rolling across the ground, carving a deep trench in the mud.

Black Adam watched carefully.

Esau should have stayed down.

He didn't.

He clawed his way up, blood trickling from his mouth, his breathing ragged—but unwavering. The beast within him refused to submit. His tail lashed violently, his body shaking, his chest heaving with adrenaline-fueled fury.

Black Adam exhaled.

"You are lost in your own instincts," he observed, stepping forward, his footsteps slow and deliberate. "Tell me—" His golden lightning surged violently, his hand rising as arcs of electricity crackled between his fingertips. "— how long until you completely forget who you are?"

Esau didn't respond.

Because Esau wasn't in control.

With a feral roar, he lunged again.

Black Adam welcomed it.