Chapter 18: Chapter 18 -[And Then There Were None][Finally]
A knock followed by a familiar voice was what made me wake up.
"Well, thank you for waking up our guest Slade" Blinking slightly I looked in front of me meeting Luthor's superior smile "Maxwell Tennyson, Brainiac's killer" The smile on his face had disappeared when he finished saying those words.
"Luthor... Where's Grodd? I thought you liked being subordinate to those who think they're superior to you." The only response he gave me was to raise his arm, letting me see a device before he pressed a button. "AAAHHHHHH!"
A powerful current of electricity ran through my body causing me great pain for several seconds, when the electricity stopped my body was only standing by some electrified metal spheres.
"You'll see that I don't have the patience I used to have. I would kill you without hesitation if we hadn't discovered your technology's backup plan if you die." A small laugh from him made me look at him while he was breathing heavily. "I'm surprised by your style. Look, you can program a self-destruction on a global scale if you are killed."
"-What...can...I...say...I'm cautious-" I was barely able to speak in pain.
"Well it doesn't matter, as impressive as your technology is, it's something else I need from you," looking to the side he continued, "Tala, if you'll be so kind."
Turning slowly I noticed the sorceress appear with a smile while her pale eyes looked at me intently.
"Of course Lex, thanks to the energy that surrounds him all your plans will be a success" Giving me one last smile Luthor left the cell where they had me "I'm sorry about that, but he must have an idea of control" looking at the sorceress I noticed how she looked at me with slight concern.
"...How do you manipulate Mana?" Smiling, she pointed her palm at me, letting me see the small symbol she had on it.
"A simple assimilation rune" The rune lit up for a second before the familiar tentacles appeared around me before I went with it "Your entire being is submerged in Mana, you can't use it but you are a battery for sorcerers."
It was somewhat worrying to notice that the energy attached to her body very easily, causing her body to acquire a slight glow that reminded me of Sunny.
"-That power, it's not a toy-" Lowering her hand she smiled at me as she approached me to gently touch my face.
"-Believe me, I know, but you don't have to worry, you just have to sleep-" A second later a soft glow forced me to close my eyes as I fell asleep again.
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Hours later…
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A hot sensation in my chest woke me up suddenly, causing me to move slightly in my place as I looked at the source of the heat, finding a red glove.
"I thought I'd have to really burn you to make you open your eyes" In front of me stood a mocking Volcana.
"Volcana...I thought you were still in prison" That was a mistake that caused her palm to increase the heat that was beginning to be painful for my skin "I-I see you're upset!"
A few seconds of pain and she lowered her temperature before smiling again after my comment.
"You're not so tough without your fire form, right? If I remember your words, a fire will never be able to match the heat of a volcano, but look now, you're nothing." Smiling, she took my face with both hands as she forced me to see her mocking smile.
"You can let me go and we'll find out" My words caused her to laugh hard for a few seconds without letting go of my face.
"I'd like to try it, but I'm not the boss here. I'll come back another time, but so you remember me." Without further ado, she kissed me hard. As the kiss continued, pain invaded my senses as the temperature of her mouth increased, hurting mine. "Yes, that's how I like it."
Letting go of me, she walked away with a smile as the burning sensation on my face forced me to close my eyes in pain.
" God...Why do madwomen like me!" calmly moving my tongue I hoped it was just a burning sensation and not burns.
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Sometime later…
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I had no idea how long I had been a prisoner, the only visitors I received were from Tala, it seemed that Volcana was forbidden to come near me, fortunately for me, Tala had not taken well to finding me with a slightly injured face.
"Good morning dear!" Listening to Tala's voice, I watched her enter accompanied by the person I least expected. "I brought help." Looking at Cheetha's fur-covered face, I noticed that I wasn't the only one surprised by Tala's new personality.
Smiling, she came over to take my face and give me a kiss on the cheek, her eyes had undergone another big change, the white color had been replaced by a very familiar violet.
"I knew you might need some company, so in addition to helping me with some machines I brought Cheetah" Separating herself she looked at the other woman with a smile "I'll go get some things, please take care of him" without further ado Tala disappeared in a violet flash.
"... Are you releasing me?" The slight movement of her eyebrows was the only answer I needed "Yes, I assumed so... Cheetha, Tala must stop, the energy she is handling is not for humans, she is changing " I didn't know if it was for the better but I couldn't help but worry about the change in the sorceress.
"I know, many have noticed it, but she dismisses it... besides, no one tries to oppose it, her increase in power is easy to notice... she is dangerous but no one knows how to stop her even if they wanted to" Walking towards some boxes she began to take out some devices.
A few seconds later while I was watching her work Tala returned with some things floating around her.
"Now, I'll need some energy" pointing at me with her hand the same rune as before appeared seconds before the Mana went towards her leaving me exhausted "Don't worry, you'll recover, your body has been full of Mana for so long that you feel the ravages of losing it, it's not lethal, so rest" starting to lose consciousness I managed to see Cheetha's slightly worried face before falling unconscious.
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Sometime later…
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"-Hey Max, come on buddy wake up-" hearing a voice faintly as I woke up, I opened my eyes finding a very disconcerting image "-How's it going buddy!" a smiling Luthor woke me up completely.
"...What are you doing Luthor?" I didn't know what he was planning but I wouldn't let my guard down in front of that madman, a look of surprise invaded his face before he smiled in a very cheerful way to my annoyance.
"-Dude, I'm not Luthor, I'm Flash!-" Blinking slightly I looked at him in disbelief at his attempt at a plan "... -Yes I know, it's hard to believe, Doctor Fate used a spell to find Grodd thanks to a connection from when he brainwashed me, however, something happened and when I realized! Bye bye hair!"
"Lex...I must say, this is your most pathetic attempt to trick me" The happy smile disappeared as soon as he heard me speak "...just, please go, let me rest before your sorceress comes back" Ignoring him I closed my eyes, sleeping was the only thing I could do in peace.
"Come on, buddy, I'm serious! I can prove it to you... let's see... Now! Remember our race!" I looked at him with one eye, slightly interested. "We'll bet five pepperoni pizzas on the first one to cross the Great Wall of China."
"Yes... I lost" Looking at him carefully I hoped he was wrong.
"Liar, neither of us won, we were evenly matched before Batman teleported us to the Watchtower, we both ended up crashing into a wall!" That made me look at him with my full attention, when he finished speaking a laugh invaded him, a very familiar one.
"...-Wally?" surprised I could hardly believe what I saw.
"Yeah, I'm glad you believe me, god you have no idea what I've been through the last few hours, first I woke up in front of several villains, then I found out I was in Luthor's body, then I found out about a robbery plan and finally... well the last bit doesn't matter" slightly embarrassed he looked at me "Fortunately I managed to find out where they had you and here I am, now I'm going to free you" walking to a console he began to check it.
"It's not that simple Wally, Tala the sorceress is in charge of my safety... she's not the same, she absorbed the Mana that Sunny left in my body... it strengthened her, but it also changed her" stopping to use the console he looked at me "... I could free myself, but I need time, that plan you mentioned... do it, take as many people as you can from here, especially Tala, and I'll free myself."
"Friend, I can't, apart from the fact that it's a big robbery, I risk being discovered!" Seeing his fear, I looked at him calmly.
"You're right, we shouldn't allow theft, but it's necessary, and I trust you, I know you'll be able to fool them" Looking at him I noticed he was undecided before he let out a sigh.
"Okay, I'll hurry everything up, I just hope you're right and that you can escape" Giving me one last look he said goodbye.
The next hour after he left I just stayed waiting, if I was lucky he would manage to take Tala, the sound of the door opening made me see Volcana enter with a smile.
"Well, Luthor took his sorceress, we have time for ourselves" Hearing those words I smiled. "What makes you happy? Did you miss me?"
"Something like that" Without further ado I transformed, alarming her so she shot a stream of flames at me "I'll repeat it, your flames can't beat me" Ignoring her fire thanks to my new form I walked towards her to hold her hands up causing her to stop.
"Damn it, you chose that form to humiliate me!" Volcana angrily increased her temperature causing her hair to turn into fire while her body turned orange.
" No... I just wanted to return the favor" Without letting go of her hands I kissed her, surprising her lightly. It took her a few seconds to return the kiss and more to notice that her temperature was decreasing. Noticing the change she tried to move away, which I didn't allow. After several seconds her body returned to normal as she lost consciousness. "We're even." Leaving her on the floor I walked towards the door.
Putting my hands on it increased my temperature causing the door to release sparks before melting without difficulty.
Going out I managed to take a few steps before an alarm sounded everywhere.
" I have to go...I can't risk it" changing shape I looked at the ceiling before shooting off at high speed going through everything without problems, at least until someone rammed me stopping me, the culprit was Bizarro "I don't have time" clenching my fist tightly I threw a punch to his side causing him to let out a moan of pain as he doubled over.
Ignoring him, I continued on my way, managing to get out into the open air. Stopping for a second to enjoy my freedom, I managed to hear a scream that made me look down at myself.
There where I had come from was Tala who looked at me with fear and sadness before some Mana bubbles appeared in her hands.
" No, it won't be that easy" Without stopping to look at her I moved away at full speed, slightly noticing some Mana tentacles stopping far from me "It's over" Seeing space I increased my speed, I had to get to the Watchtower.
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Days later…
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"Here, Ma, I'm sending you this," stopping to look at the animals on the Kent farm and looking at Kara who was offering me a glass of "freshly made" lemonade.
"Thanks, Kara" Taking the drink I noticed she was looking at me carefully "...Go ahead and ask."
"Are you sure you're okay? I mean... you were kidnapped for two weeks..." letting out a small breath I went back to see the animals.
"Tala kept me safe... the Mana she stole from me affected her without her noticing, the energy was linked to Sunny and her feelings, so she felt the same for me... but being her, she distorted the feeling, I think she wanted to keep me by her side forever..."
"I'm sorry if it bothers you to talk about it..." Coming out of my thoughts I looked at her with a smile.
"Don't worry, rest helps me and besides, it's not the first time I've been kidnapped and even though I hate it, I'm sure it won't be the last." At the last, she let out a light laugh. "...But tell me, how are you?" She stopped laughing and looked at me without understanding. "...Kara, we haven't been together very long, but I'm observant. Something's bothering you...although if you don't want to talk, that's fine?"
Kara looked at me for several seconds without speaking, so I assumed she was thinking about it, so I turned my face.
"...I feel useless" Looking at her I noticed that she was depressed "The world has Superman, Powergirl...but it doesn't need Supergirl...I don't feel like I make a difference and that frustrates me" Letting out a sigh she continued "I don't do anything for the world."
Remembering some of the conversations with Dr. Martin I thought what to say.
"...I understand what you mean, but you are also wrong, you have made a difference, you may not believe it but you must remember, of all the Kryptonians you are the youngest, you have a long way to go and I am sure that at some point you will find your place, where you will feel that you are making a change, you still have a lot to live for Kara" slightly encouraged Kara hugged me understanding what I wanted to tell her so we remained silent.
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Watchtower, days later…
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While I was finishing my training in one of the many rooms of the Watchtower, a call from Lantern surprised me.
" Max, I need to talk to you, see you in the north meeting room" Accepting the meeting I took my towel to clean my face as I left.
Several minutes later I found myself entering the meeting room meeting with Lantern and Green Arrow.
"What's wrong?" Green Arrow was the one who answered me.
"We have something for you boy" Taking out a metal cube he presented it to me.
"It's Kara's...we also gave one to Superman, we'll leave you alone" Listening to Lantern I took the cube while they left leaving me slightly intrigued.
Taking a seat I placed the cube on the table causing it to activate projecting an image of Kara which I smiled slightly at.
" Hi Max, you must have questions, well I hope I can answer them all, it all started with a trip back in time... "
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Days later, Jump City…
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"...and that's it, Kara is now where she feels she can make a change" Having dinner with Nyssa in a small restaurant in the city she was telling her what had happened in the last few days.
"I'm happy for her, she always seemed depressed, now she will have the chance to be truly happy... are you okay?" I smiled slightly and spoke.
"Yes, I'm happy for her, she's a great woman, she deserves the best and I know she'll get it in the future" Smiling, she squeezed my hand, happy with my words.
A second later a very familiar energy dome appeared next to our table.
"Omnaz, there is an emergency" Raven was worried, however, a noise caught my attention so I got up to quickly left the place, taking a surprise.
A very familiar portal had appeared over the city, through which invasion ships that I could recognize were passing, touching a small bracelet on my wrist my armor began to form on my body as I spoke.
"What do you know Raven?" the answer worried me.
"Darkseid is alive and Earth is his target" Civilians began to flee when they saw the ships because everyone recognized them.
"Raven, let the Titans focus on saving civilians, I'll take care of the ships" Transforming into Ma-El I looked at Nyssa "I'm sorry I have to go, find shelter."
Coming closer she kissed me lightly before smiling and leaving with the others while Raven disappeared.
Taking off with force, my objective was the closest ship, without crossing it I held it with my hands to push it against another ship causing an explosion that left little remains, using my heat vision I broke off several more times.
The next few seconds were the same, most of the ships were being destroyed, blowing some debris away from the streets as soon as I managed to see something trying to attack me, turning around I managed to stop a somewhat familiar axe before it split me in two.
" Hey shifter," I struggled to stop the gun as I looked at Grail's smiling face. "You have no idea how I expected this."
Without answering her and knowing that I would lose strength, I shot her with my heat vision, causing the surprise to allow me to move the gun away from me to hit her in the face, which ended up sending her flying to the ground.
Changing my form I transformed to fire a stream of green energy that hit Grail who was flying towards me, barely being stopped by my attack, aiming with my other hand I increased the power managing to stop her meters away from me.
" THIS IS NOTHING!" Two smaller but much more powerful rays pushed back my attack causing an explosion when they hit me sending me flying, however, Grail did not stop following me she attacked me with her weapon barely allowing me a moment to cover myself.
Generating energy in the cylinders of my arms, the attack caused an explosion that separated us and I was thrown to the ground. Thanks to the strength of my body I managed to move, avoiding a kick from Grail that destroyed the area while changing shape again.
Grail did not hesitate to attack me, remaining completely still a few centimeters from my hand which was generating a blue energy bubble.
"... Why now?... Why wait so long to attack?" Grail's force forced me to increase the gravity on her hundreds of times just to keep her still.
"... we were waiting for the return...of my Father...right now he is...killing your companions, I obtained the pleasure of killing you personally" Seeing how she managed to move even with the effort it cost her to speak, I increased the gravity to thousands causing her body to impact with the ground creating a crater.
" If Darkseid returns... it means I can't play it safe" Thinking about my choices I made a decision, removing all of Grail's gravity I took her by surprise causing her very impulse to move to throw her into the air at high speed while I changed my form again.
" Damn, shape-shifter te-!" My hand on her neck silenced her by both force and surprise seconds before anger took over her . "-Again-" Looking into her red eyes with my own red eyes, I tightened my grip.
" I thought I was clear, girl...this is my world, neither you nor the weaker version of me can be here" Time had changed my Darkseid transformation, now I was bigger than the original, however, my chest and legs were protected by black and red armor with two symbols, the Omnitrix and Darkseid's.
" -My Father is not weak!" Having lost her weapon, she tried to hit me in the face, so I stopped her hand without any problems, breaking her wrist, causing her to gasp.
" It is girl, he was already killed by a Kryptonian who didn't take him seriously... the only one who didn't take him seriously, it's time for a true god to occupy the throne of Apokolips " Looking at her waist I took control of the light tube "But you won't be present, it's time for your punishment girl" seeing her face full of pain I focused the energy that filled my body in my eyes in the same way as when I was Kryptonian, but with a difference, the increase in energy caused it to come out of my eyes creating a terrifying vision "-Die-".
Seeing her eyes open in surprise, I fired my rays directly at her head, noticing resistance for a few seconds before her head was evaporated.
Dropping the body to the ground I looked at the control, it was time to kill Darkseid and take my throne, no matter who tried to stop me.
However, before I could do so, a voice in the farthest part of my mind stopped me, intrigued I tried to listen to it causing me to succeed after a few seconds.
" -as…ta…no…cu…de…bast…my…body…come…back…enough…come back…my body…Enough!-" my own voice stopped me, causing the Omnitrix to return me to my human form, several meters above the ground, so without further ado I began to fall hard ending up crashing causing a small crater.
My armor saved me from dying, but it left me hurt, plus the mental exhaustion of being transformed into Darkseid was close to making me unconscious.
"... no more... I must block... that transformation... if not, I won't come back..." Hearing some noises I opened my eyes seeing how several of the parademons were pointing their weapons at me "... well, I may not have another chance..." as soon as they shot me I accepted my fate, barely being saved by a very familiar dark dome.
"How are you feeling?" Seeing Raven appear at my side I noticed that she was somewhat dirty.
"...I've been worse..." smiling slightly she touched my arm before we both disappeared while I closed my eyes.
Opening my eyes I noticed that we were on the tower island with several civilians.
"It's safe here, rest, the League is helping us" Without further ado, she disappeared leaving me with the civilians.
"Omnaz, you need help" Hearing the voice I found myself seeing a paramedic accompanied by a police officer approaching to help.
"-Yes... I think so-" I had done my part and I just hoped it had been enough.
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Hours later…
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"And that was the last I heard about the invasion, until the moment it ended I stayed with the civilians" Without armor and bandaged I was giving the other founding members a summary of my fight in Jump City.
"With the disappearance of Luthor, Darkseid, and the death of Grail, three great dangers to the Earth have been neutralized, we can only hope that they are for the best" Listening to Batman, I noticed that he did not entirely agree with what I had done with Darkseid's daughter.
Some others shared his opinion, however, no one said anything.
"The League will have to go through the parts that suffered the most damage during the invasion but we will have more than enough members in good condition, Max, you can take a few weeks off, your body and mind need it" looking at Clark I accepted without hesitation so the conversation continued on to more important things.
That same night I was having dinner with Nyssa who had unfortunately lost her clinic and apartment so she was now living at my house until she could find a place again.
"And tell me how you plan to spend these days?" I thought for a moment and replied.
"I'm going to visit someone in Gotham, help the Titans with their training, and rest as best I can." Nyssa nodded with a happy smile at the last part.
"Great, after that fight, rest is what you need most" I didn't know how, but a reporter had managed to broadcast the fight with Grial although the end of it had not been aired.
"I hope that this will reduce the appearance of criminals in the city" I hoped that the demonstration of power would make them think about coming to the city to cause problems.
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Days later…
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"Relax, I can assure you that they won't hurt you" Due to the repairs in the city, Ace's school was closed and since the Titans had work, I had invited her to come with me to Gotham.
"...Gotham was always considered dangerous by...the people who live here" Wearing a raincoat over her clothes Ace kept herself dry from the rain that fell on the city.
"Yes, I can imagine, but they are... my friends, everything is fine" Covering ourselves with an umbrella, I lightly knocked on the door of Pamela's greenhouse, knowing that she was already aware of our presence.
A second later the door opened by itself so I entered inviting Ace to follow me which she did after a moment of hesitation, guiding us to a small improvised room where they were waiting for us.
"Maxi, welcome! And you brought company!" Harley's joy slightly scared Ace so she hid slightly behind me which was noticed.
"Calm down Harley, you're scaring the girl" calmly Pamela stopped what she was doing to walk towards us and look at Ace "Calm down little one, you're not in danger here, just ignore Harley's enthusiasm" that generated a cry of indignation from the blonde.
"Look, calm down," lightly taking her shoulder, I made her come out of her hiding place, so she looked cautiously at Pamela before giving her a small greeting.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Harley but you can call me whatever you want" Surprisingly Harley greeted her more calmly from a safe distance, feeling our gazes she looked at us annoyed "What? Remember, I was a psychologist."
A few hours later while Ace was chatting quietly with Harley my attention was caught by three very familiar vines so I let myself be guided deeper into the greenhouse to a room where I got a surprise.
Hazel and Rose had increased in size, both were over five feet tall, their colors were more vivid, however, Thorn was the one who surprised me the most, she was no longer a plant, she looked more like a tree that was attached to the wall, completely taking up the surface.
"She's in her final stage of growth" Pamela's voice surprised me causing me to jump slightly "I don't know when but I know that her next stage will arrive soon" Watching her I noticed how she lightly touched Thorn's trunk.
Walking towards them, I imitated her, lightly touching the trunk, noticing how one of her vines surrounded our hands.
"This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen," Pamela laughed lightly as she listened to my comment.
"Really? After everything you've been through," Laughing lightly, I agreed with her.
When night fell in the city it was time for us to head to the hotel where we would be staying, at least that was the plan before the Titans' communicator went off.
" This is Omnaz, what's wrong Titans?" The voice that answered me made my blood run cold.
" I regret to inform you that your young apprentices are busy with my apprentice" Slade's voice sounded very amused "And since I'm bored just watching, I think it's time for the masters to face each other, see you in the city" finishing speaking he ended the call.
"...Pamela I need to ask you a favor" Looking at her I noticed that she had realized like Harley that something was up "There's something I need to fix in Jump City, please take care of Ace for me okay?" nodding she accepted so I looked at Ace who looked slightly worried "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can, they'll keep you safe."
Hesitating for a second, Ace gave me a hug which I immediately returned.
"-Take care...brother-" Smiling I squeezed my arms, a few seconds later we let go so I said goodbye to the three of them to transform into XLR8 and leave the city at full speed.
As I ran at full speed, I didn't even try to call the League, I knew why Slade had chosen this moment to attack, the League was scattered around the world, the damage caused by the recent invasion had everyone busy, Jump City had the Titans so no one from the League was in it leaving me alone against Slade.
And knowing how dangerous the man was, I had no doubt that he had made sure that the League didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
Arriving at the city, the explosions originating in the most damaged part told me where the Titans were. I only needed to find Slade. Running through the city, I had no need to find him when some gunshots stopped me.
"You got here quicker than I thought" Looking at Slade I noticed he was ready for the fight.
" You wanted me here and I think it's time we ended this" Changing to Four Arms I prepared for the fight, without hesitation Slade shot me so I dodged with a jump to break the floor and use the concrete as a shield while I tried to reach him.
[T/N: Just like Ben, Tetramands are strong but Vilgax is so much stronger.]
After several rounds of bullets, I managed to get close enough to force him to dodge me, following him I used momentum to jump transforming in the air, seeing the sword ready to cut me I stopped it with my blade to kick him throwing him to the ground.
Landing a few meters away I saw him get up without problems, throwing the splintered sword away.
"I see you've improved, you think better before facing me... but I wonder how long you'll last, I saw your wounds, a fall like that can do a lot of damage" throwing a stick at me, which I stopped with my arms to kick him, making him skid as he covered himself with it.
Attacking, he covered himself, causing him to lose his guard to give me a blow which I barely stopped with one of my legs, returning it with force, pushing him away. Without stopping, I attacked him, throwing him to the ground, and he recovered and dodged the kick that broke the concrete.
Hitting me in the face stunned me for a second which he took advantage of to attack my torso with a few blows before I could dodge it and counterattack with a knee to his head stunning him, which lasted seconds which I took advantage of to grab him by the head and give him a headbutt followed by a kick to his chest throwing him several meters away from me.
"... What do you say, do I meet your expectations?" I hated to admit it but he was right, my injuries were starting to take their toll.
"Yes, you surprise me" Throwing something to the ground blinded me for a few seconds so I barely managed to raise my arms to receive several blows with the staff eliciting grunts of pain, at least until I grabbed his leg with one of my hands stopping him.
Holding him down, I began to return each blow with force, managing to take the baton away from him before breaking his mask with a kick.
"Certainly impressive boy!" Seeing Slade's aged face I allowed myself a second to breathe as those blows had affected me a lot. "Let's finish!" Taking out another sword I pointed myself ready to continue.
We both launched into the attack, and although I had a way to stop his slashes, most of them would have passed through my blades generating small cuts in the span of seconds while the fight continued.
Dodging my attack, he jumped to spin, taking me by surprise and giving me a long cut on my chest, forcing me to give him a kick, which he covered while being thrown a few meters.
Breathing heavily, I ran my hand over the wound, noticing that it was bleeding quite a bit, so I wasn't surprised to return to my human form, noticing that the cut was still there, only lighter, but I couldn't help but fall to my knees slightly from the pain.
"Yes, you've definitely improved, but you still have a long way to go before what awaits you" Preparing his sword he began to walk towards me "Now, it's time to finish this, I have other people to take care of" hearing those words I knew he was talking about the Titans so without hesitation I transformed causing him to launch himself to attack me, raising my arm I stopped the sword without problems while Slade saw my new appearance "What the hell?"
Without saying anything a large amount of green gas was expelled from my body taking him by surprise barely managing to open his eye slightly before falling unconscious due to the anesthetic gas that had been produced, absorbing the gas as soon as I finished my body returned to my human form due to my injuries and my exhaustion.
"-This just gets worse and worse-" Taking out my communicator I called the Titans hoping someone would answer me, which happened.
" Omnaz, we can finally communicate, it's Slade, he attacked us along with Terra, we already neutralized her but!" interrupting Cyborg's scream, I spoke calmly.
" Calm down, Slade was also neutralized, I'm sending you my coordinates, I'll need medical attention and the League must be notified" Hearing a small sigh from Cyborg I continued "I'm very proud of you all, now you've earned a vacation, maybe to Tokyo, I remember that Beast Boy asks a lot to go" Cyborg's laughter and the aforementioned scream of excitement made me smile "Well, I'll wait for you guys" ending the call I allowed myself to fall seated next to Slade to recover.
Trying to ignore the pain that was invading me, I almost managed to not hear several footsteps approaching behind me, so I turned around to find a surprise, several people that I thought I would never see again were surrounding me, all of them wearing black armor with their faces covered and swords ready to attack me.
"Slade is too proud to bring reinforcements and those armors look familiar... Who are you?" The voice that answered me surprised me.
"They are my personal guard, dear." With my eyes wide open, I turned my face as I heard the sound of heels. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"…-N-Nyssa?-".
"Yes, Max, you passed your last test, it's time for us to go." Nyssa wore a black leather suit with some red details, however, what stood out the most were the arrows on her back and the short sword at her waist.
"W-What are you talking about Nyssa!?" Coming out of my surprise, anger invaded me, she knew what I hated the most so I expected a good explanation.
"I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to tell you anything, someone else will" Making a sign two men approached so I tried to move to fight only to end up face down on the ground due to my injuries "Don't fight, I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore" hearing her footsteps approaching I was barely able to lift my head before she got up and I sat down again.
"Nyssa, you better explain yourself-" she silenced me with a kiss, taking me by surprise before my mind could be at peace.
"Come on, dear, it's time to go," nodding in complete calm, I accepted her request, letting them take me without stopping to look at her. I even ignored how they took Slade because my eyes could only see Nyssa while my mind remained calm.
[T/N: F*CK! Mind control again! The Omnitrix should really have a protection function that transforms the user if their mind is in danger.]
The entire trip to a private runway my eyes could only look at Nyssa, I could tell something was wrong with me but it didn't bother me, even while they were healing my wounds my eyes couldn't stop looking at her.
"Rest dear, the flight will take a few hours, you will need the rest" Obeying I closed my eyes falling asleep in a matter of minutes being woken up in what seemed like seconds to me.
"We're here, let's go, wake up" Hearing Nyssa's voice I opened my eyes to obey her.
Being guided we got off the jet in which we had spent the last few hours, letting me feel the cold that permeated the mountain where we had arrived, taking my eyes off her for a moment to admire the castle we were going to.
Inside the castle was completely full of more people with the same black armor who greeted Nyssa respectfully, walking down the hall we ended up arriving at a very luxurious room with a large bed in the middle.
"Stay here for a moment, dear," I obeyed and watched as she walked through a door, leaving me alone in the room. After a few minutes, she returned wearing only a bathrobe while carrying some small bottles in her hands. "Here, baby."
Accepting her order, I drank the liquid from both of them without hesitation while she sat on the bed and looked at me without saying anything.
In a matter of seconds, the calm that had invaded my mind began to disappear causing me to look at Nyssa with growing annoyance.
"...-You...have a lot of explaining to do..." walking towards her I looked at her angrily "Who are you?"
"I'm Nyssa, the one who saved you along with her father, I'm the one you slowly fell in love with and the one you lived with" Getting up she hugged me without fear.
I was about to pull her away from me but for some reason, I just held her by her shoulders.
"...Who are you Nyssa?..." a slight tingling sensation invaded my body causing me to move restlessly in her arms.
"I am whoever you want me to be, dear." Nyssa tried to let go of me, but for some reason I avoided her, causing her to look at my face. "Is something wrong?"
"...I...I'm angry...I feel...t-betrayed...but" my breathing quickened rapidly as I spoke.
Closing my eyes I tried to calm down while my body was burning, which I was achieving until Nyssa's hand touched my face forcing me to look at her.
"-Calm down, I'm here, I'll help you-" Forcing me to lower my face, she kissed me, which increased the sensations in my body, after a few seconds I separated with effort.
"...W-What d-did you d-do?...I-I ca-can't take it anymore" Unable to continue I kissed her while I held her in my arms and threw us onto the bed.
[T/N: Not like this, don't end the book like this.]
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Sometime later…
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Opening my eyes slowly I looked around, the room was a mess, sitting up I looked for Nyssa without finding her, getting out of bed I found a change of black clothes waiting for me and since my clothes were in bad condition I had no choice but to use them.
Cautiously leaving the room I noticed that the hallway was deserted so I started walking, Nyssa owed me an explanation and I would have it.
My search made me notice that wherever I went I was without any men at least until I came across someone looking out a large window.
"Where is Nyssa Ducard?" Standing a few meters away from the man, I waited for him to answer.
"My daughter is resting young Max, besides she won't give you the answers you want" Slightly surprised by the words I watched as the man turned his face letting me see
"...Henri Ducard?" The man turned around and let me see him, noticing that his skin color was strangely pale. He was wearing a green suit with a cape held up by a golden rope.
"Yes, that is one of my names but I prefer to be called Ra's al Ghul, come with me and you will have your answers" Without waiting for me he began to walk so after a few seconds I followed them.
[T/N: AH, he's taking Batman's place in the Damian Wayne situation.]
"Right now we are among some hidden mountains in the Swiss Alps, my daughter brought you here because I have a proposition for you Max Tennyson" Crossing a door I found myself looking into a training room where dozens of men were practicing with weapons.
"What you see are members of the League of Assassins, we are an international organization, the best assassins in the world, we work for hire or for our main motive" looking at the assassins I spoke.
"And what is that reason?" he answered without thinking.
"Guide humanity to destroy the decadence that rules the world, the League has been tasked with destroying civilizations that have reached their worst level, rulers and leaders who only think of themselves, all for the good of humanity"
"And that's why you tried to kill me a long time ago" Looking at him I expected a good explanation.
"That I'm afraid wasn't something the League did, it was a small group of rebels who opposed my decision" Looking at me he continued "My successor" that surprised me.
"...Me? You must be joking, why would I lead a group of assassins" Turning around he looked at me calmly.
"Because you, young Max, have the tool for the League's goal," pointing at the Omnitrix, he continued, "With proper guidance, plus men added to your skills, humanity will finally be cleansed of the decadence that has held it back for hundreds of years."
"...You're crazy if you really think I would join" Ra smiled without being offended.
"But you've already proven it, you passed the tests in the best way possible, you ended the lives of those who didn't deserve it, you showed that you're willing to end the worst of humanity, you have the strength to defend the world from those who want to destroy it, it's more than obvious that you're the best to lead the League" his words made me close my eyes slightly as I remembered some things.
"-It was you, you brought the Joker to my city, what else did you cause?" His response was a simple smile that bothered me "Answer!" Taking a step towards him I ignored the swords that now surrounded me.
"No need, withdraw" the men obeyed and disappeared "They were just tests, you and one other were the only ones who deserved to be my successor, but with the latest events you have shown that you have what it takes... I have been the Leader for more than six hundred years, I will not be able to do it for much longer and the world needs a strong hand to guide it" I was not even surprised by the man's age.
"Is that why you saved my life? Or was that another test?" That wiped the smile off his face.
"No, that was lucky, I was watching you personally before the attack, then I had to look for the one who ordered it but even with my resources I couldn't find him" Looking into his eyes I hoped to know if he would tell me the reason, after a few seconds I could only let out a sigh.
"...I will not join your League...but I owe you my life" Without hesitation I transformed alerting everyone except Ra, raising my hand I protected myself with a bubble of time energy before pointing the other at the man "Now that I know who you are the League will stop you when you act, but first I will pay the debt"
A bolt hit him completely surrounding his body for a few seconds, when it finished Ra showed changes, his pale skin now had a healthy tan and his previously gray hair was completely black.
" Five hundred and seventy years were removed from your body, that will be all you will get from me, now I will leave" Driving away the assassins I changed to BigChill to fly out of the place becoming intangible.
"You continue to surprise me, you're changing everything and nothing" Looking at a corner of the room Ra continued "Did you make sure to do what I told you to?" Nyssa came out of the shadows nodding to her father.
"Yes, everything is arranged Father" Smiling slightly Ra began to walk to the middle of the room, it was time to test the benefits of his new body.
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Hours later…
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Holding Ace's hand I talked to Bruce about what happened with the League of Assassins.
" The place was deserted, nothing was found, they are effective at disappearing" I could hear the frustration in his voice "Ra's al Ghul is someone difficult to catch" When telling everything to Bruce he had explained to me that the other person to lead the League was him.
" Now we know that it is active, we just have to be aware and the League will be able to act" Something I had not told him was my payment for saving my life, I did not want to imagine how he would react but it was a decision I did not regret.
" I'll let you know if the League finds out anything, enjoy your free time," ending the call Bruce let me turn my attention back to Ace who was looking intently at the ice cream I had bought her.
"You know it would be easier if you eat it with both hands" Her response was to squeeze my hand without looking at me which made me laugh lightly "It's okay, I won't leave just be careful" Being with Ace was the only thing that kept the situation with Nyssa out of my thoughts.
An hour later we were on our way to the dock to return to Titan Island when the Omnitrix called.
" TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED, SAFEGUARD PROTOCOL ACTIVATED!" A second later I was in my Chronosapien form allowing my new senses to notice the problem, without hesitation I created a bubble of temporal energy covering myself and Ace moments before everything disappeared leaving both of us in a whirlwind of colors.
"What happened!?" Ace completely scared hugged me so I held her against my body.
" E-Everything disappeared" Looking around I noticed that time itself was starting to change affecting my powers so I hugged Ace tightly "-Calm down Ace...everything will be okay-".
"You're right about that my friend" completely relieved to hear a voice I found myself seeing a smiling Paradox "I arrived on time... well when time still exists" Entering my bubble the energy took on a blue color "You can return to your human form, it will be the best for your sister" without hesitation I returned to my human form to Ace's relief whom I carried in my arms.
"Paradox... What happened?" I got the answer but not from him, another person appeared next to us.
"Someone changed history, generating a time wave that spanned all universes" A man in blue armor sitting on a floating chair appeared behind me so I looked at him slightly worried "Calm down Max Tennyson, I am Metron and I am not a danger to you."
"Metron is telling the truth Max, he is the one who helped me travel through this universe at the beginning, over the centuries we became good traveling companions... but that doesn't matter, you should know that the change was made by a version of your friend Flash, a more powerful one" walking until he was next to Metron he continued "Your time powers began to fail because... well you are not originally from this multiverse, you were about to disappear into nothingness."
"But we can't allow that" Metron looked at me seriously "Your presence is of great help to the multiverse, that's why we decided to act, while everything restarts we will make you part of everything so that your existence is not in danger."
"I'll need some of your DNA" A slight pain in my head made me turn around to find Paradox with some of my hair in his hand while he smiled at me "With this, you will be a multiversal constant... of course, there will be consequences" knowing something about the subject I spoke.
"Different versions of me, right?" both travelers nodded, so I let out a soft sigh. "It's worth it to not disappear... How long will this take?" Metron stopped looking at me to look around us.
"Time, which does not exist yet, Paradox and I have places to be so you will not be able to stay here" Looking at Paradox he said goodbye.
"I'm sorry, he's not used to socializing with other beings, well to answer your question, I'll take you to Ben's universe, there you can be with your sister" When she was mentioned Ace trembled slightly so I tightened the hug "I'm sorry you had to witness everything but everything will be over sooner than you think."
Approaching me, he took me by the shoulder to guide me through an energy door, crossing it I slightly closed my eyes noticing the change in seconds.
"Okay, you can open your eyes" Listening to him I opened my eyes finding a familiar sight, we were in a milkshake shop parking lot in the middle of the darkness "Look for the Max of this dimension, take his address, he will help you" taking the paper he showed me I thanked him.
"Thank you so much for everything Paradox, for saving us and for bringing us here" Paradox just smiled before looking at Ace who was unsurely looking around us.
"It's the least I could do, my friend. I have a job now, take care of yourselves." With that, he disappeared, leaving us alone.
"...-Max, what's going to happen now?" smiling, I hugged Ace trying to calm her down.
"Everything will be okay Ace, trust Paradox, when you least expect it you'll be back at school and with your friends, but for now let's look for Max Tennyson" Looking at me slightly confused she spoke.
"You?" Smiling at her calmly, I spoke.
"Not exactly, let's go while we walk I'll tell you everything" Taking her by the hand we began to walk while I told her about the first adventure in this universe to calm her down, knowing that when we finished everything we would have many more when we returned home.
[T/N: AAAAAaaaaand that's all she wrote, that's the end. The Author has not written anything else for a few years now. Though this is marked as completed. I will do some research to see if anyone continued this book, but this is the official end. I loved this book and I hope you guys did as well. If you did give it one last comment, write a review to show everyone why this book was worth it, and check out my profile for more great books. EDIT: I see next week this chapter is being posted, you want me to find another good Ben 10 book and update you when I start with it?]