Max darted across rooftops, tailing the insectoid creature from the shadows. Its yellow armor glinted under the moonlight, and its wings buzzed with a mechanical hum that made his skin crawl.
Max watched as the creature dove toward the street, snatching up a woman with brutal efficiency.
"Alright, time to cut your shit," Max muttered coldly.
The Parademon shrieked as its flight path was violently reversed, yanked mid-air toward Max like a puppet on strings. With his free hand, Max conjured a black chakra rod, and the moment the creature was within reach—
Straight through the skull.
It dropped like dead weight.
Max caught the woman just in time and landed on the pavement below, gently laying her down. He slapped her cheek twice—not too hard, just enough.
She stirred awake. Then—
"AHHHHHH! Get away! GET AWAY!" she screamed in blind terror.
Max sighed and gave her two more light slaps. Her panic seemed to short-circuit as she blinked rapidly, grounding herself.
"Alright. You're safe now. Get out of here."
She didn't speak. She just ran.
Max watched her go, then muttered, "Ungrateful little bitch," before hopping back up to the rooftops. "Just my luck. I just got back from Barry's mess—and now this?"
He scanned the sky for more intruders.
A loud explosion ripped through the skyline. Max's eyes narrowed as a green blur zipped across the sky, slamming into a building.
Green Lantern. Fighting a Parademon.
Max materialized another black rod and hurled it with precision. The projectile zipped through the air, impaling the Parademon's skull in one clean hit.
Green Lantern dropped to the ground with a grunt.
"I had that covered, pal," he said as he rose. "And who're you supposed to be—Samurai Guy?"
Max didn't even blink. "It's common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name."
"Ohhh, Samurai Guy wants to be formal!" Green Lantern scoffed. "Alright, you asked for it!"
He raised his ring. A massive green train appeared and charged toward Max.
Without hesitation, Max activated Susanoo. A towering spectral warrior formed around him and caught the train mid-charge, tossing it like a toy. The glowing locomotive smashed into Lantern and hurled him through a nearby building wall.
A second later, Lantern burst back out, fists glowing, fury in his eyes.
He surged toward Max at top speed—until an invisible force struck him twice, cracking like thunder.
He was launched backward, twice as fast as he'd charged.
Max hadn't moved an inch.
Max leapt away just in time as a blast of flames scorched the rooftop he'd been standing on. He twisted mid-air and landed lightly, only to see a Parademon charging straight at him.
"Tch," Max grunted, conjuring a black rod in one hand, ready to strike.
But before he could react—
A figure cloaked in black slammed into the Parademon, pinning it to the ground with brutal force.
"What were you doing at the docks?" the man growled, choking the creature out with unrelenting grip.
Max's eyes widened slightly.
The Parademon shrieked and vomited a stream of fire toward the sky. Batman leapt off it just in time, disappearing into the shadows.
At that moment, Green Lantern burst out of the rubble behind Max. "Alright, Samurai Guy, round two!"
But his eyes widened as he spotted the Dark Knight.
He lifted his ring instinctively. "Batman? You're real?!"
"Of course he is. He's standing right in front of you," Max said dryly.
"Shut up, Samurai Guy. I wasn't asking you," Lantern snapped.
"Who said you were?" Max replied, crossing his arms.
Batman ignored the banter. "We need to go dark—turn that thing off before they see us."
"Before who sees us?" Lantern asked.
A spotlight suddenly bathed them in white light.
"This is Gotham PD! Raise your hands and surrender!" a voice barked from a helicopter above.
"Them," Max muttered.
"They don't like us," Green Lantern said with a shrug.
"No one likes a chatterbox," Max shot back.
"You got a problem with me, Samurai Guy?" Lantern said, stepping into Max's face.
Max didn't flinch. "I don't have a problem with you. You are the problem."
"Alright, break it off," Batman snapped. "We've still got that monster to catch."
He fired his grappling gun and zipped to the next rooftop.
Green Lantern pointed at Max. "This isn't over, Samurai Guy," he warned before flying after Batman.
Max exhaled and muttered, "Someone's cranky." The source of thɪs content is novelꞁire.net
Then he rose into the air himself, his body lifted effortlessly by the Deva Path, and flew after them.
They followed the Parademon across rooftops and down alleyways until it suddenly vanished into a manhole leading to the sewers.
The three landed silently around the opening.
Batman raised a finger to his lips—a signal for silence—and dropped into the darkness below.
Max followed without a word.
Green Lantern descended last, speaking as his boots hit the damp concrete.
"You guys should just let me handle this. After all, Green Lantern can do anything."
"Except keep your mouth shut, apparently," Batman muttered.
"Whoa. Someone forgot to get his fill of blood tonight," Lantern quipped.
"I'm not a vampire," Batman deadpanned.
"With the darkness, the voice, the disappearing thing—I really thought you were," Lantern said.
Max, already annoyed, cut in. "Your voice is really starting to annoy me."
"Oh yeah? Want a piece of me, Samurai Guy?"
"Shhh. I hear something," Batman said sharply.
A low growl echoed through the tunnel ahead. Dim light flickered. The Parademon stood hunched near the wall, attaching a metallic device that pulsed ominously.
Lantern's eyes widened. "Oh crap—that's a bomb! And he just armed it!"
"Lantern, wait!" Batman shouted.
The Parademon turned sharply toward them, its mechanical eye glowing red.
"For Darkseid!" it roared—and exploded violently.
Max instantly raised a hand—a pulse of gravity warped the air around him and Batman, forming a shimmering dome that deflected the fireball and absorbed the shockwave.
Lantern, singed but alive, hovered nearby, coughing.
He looked over, blinking. "For Darkseid? What the hell does that mean? Who the hell is Darkseid?"
Max's expression turned grim.
"A cosmic conqueror."
"He goes around conquering inhabited planets and turns all intelligent beings into Parademons," Max said grimly.
"Uh... what's a Parademon? And how do you even know all this?" Green Lantern asked, suspiciously narrowing his eyes.
"A Parademon is the creature you just saw," Max replied, his voice flat. "And how I know this doesn't matter."
Batman, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "What happens to the planet afterward?"
"It's terraformed—converted to match the harsh environment of his world," Max answered.
Batman's expression hardened. "Then we might be facing a full-scale invasion."
"Yes," Max confirmed without hesitation. "And what you're seeing here—this portal—is called a Boom Tube. It's a highly advanced gateway that opens a direct passage to a planet called Apokolips."
Green Lantern glanced at the fading energy trail in the air. "Let me guess—this 'Darkseid' guy lives there?"
Max nodded. "He's their leader. And we need to prepare for his arrival."
Green Lantern scoffed. "Why don't we just stop him from arriving?"
"Because there are many of these Boom Tubes already planted across the world," Max said. "His arrival is almost inevitable. What we need to do now is gather more heroes. Form a resistance.We can't face this alone."
Batman glanced sideways at Max, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully beneath the cowl. "I know just the place to start."
Max looked at him. "Metropolis?"
Batman gave a short nod.
Green Lantern sighed. "Well, this just got a lot more complicated."
Max looked up at the sky, a grim expression settling over his features.
"This is only the beginning."