Chapter 134
New York.
The dark clouds were as thick as ink, heavy and oppressive, spreading rapidly. In an instant, they expanded from Manhattan, swallowing the entire city.
The sun vanished, unable to penetrate even the faintest ray of light. New York was plunged into pitch-black darkness beneath the suffocating clouds.
Night had come—sudden, unnatural.
There had been no warning, no sign. The darkness simply appeared, looming over the city like an omen.
A chilling, malevolent aura radiated from the clouds, weighing heavily on the entire metropolis.
The oppressive presence felt like a massive hand pressing down, making hearts race with unease. People instinctively looked up, shivering as an inexplicable cold ran through them.
The once-bustling roads, filled with endless streams of traffic, flickered to life with headlights, illuminating the darkened streets.
A continuous stream of glowing headlights reflected against the city's towering steel structures, forming an unbroken line of light that stretched endlessly like a dragon slithering through the night.
If it had been after midnight, perhaps some would have admired the dazzling spectacle of lights, the unique beauty of New York's vibrant nightlife.
But it was still daytime.
And the terror creeping into people's hearts was indescribable.
"What the hell is this?"
"Is it the end of the world?"
A driver, unable to contain his fear, stuck his head out of his car window, staring up at the sky. The dark clouds stretched beyond sight, seemingly endless. From a distance, they appeared fused with the towering buildings, as if the city itself was being crushed beneath their weight.
Office workers inside skyscrapers stood frozen at their windows, staring up at the unnatural darkness. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, soaking through their expensive suits.
It was the unmistakable sensation of facing something vastly beyond their own existence.
Like a helpless creature staring into the eyes of a predator, body trembling, limbs weakening under the sheer magnitude of its power.
Even without understanding the source of the dark clouds, every instinct in their bodies screamed in fear.
The winter breeze had turned into something unnatural—no longer just cold, but carrying an eerie, spectral chill. People shuddered involuntarily, goosebumps rising as sweat poured from their skin.
The city was drowning in an inescapable sense of dread.
Just looking at the clouds made it feel like something was constricting their chests, blocking their breath.
It was suffocating.
As if the oxygen had been drained from the air itself, leaving them gasping, clutching their chests, struggling to draw even the smallest breath.
The panic was overwhelming.
Streetlights, office buildings, homes—one by one, they all began flickering on.
Dengdengdengdengdeng…
Lights surged to life in rapid succession, illuminating the streets, the skyscrapers, the entire city.
It was as if New York itself was fighting against the encroaching darkness.
A desperate attempt to resist the unknown horror in the sky.
But the light did not last.
Something even more terrifying soon followed, plunging the city into absolute despair.
The dark clouds twisted.
Swirling slowly at first, ripples forming as they contorted above the city's heart.
Then, in the very center of the storm, a vortex began to take shape.
A churning, bottomless black void.
It was as if a hole had been torn into the sky itself, revealing the abyss beyond—an endless whirlpool of corruption, filth, and absolute evil.
From within that vortex, a majestic, sinister, and suffocating presence seeped out, washing over all of New York.
Like a category 20 hurricane, an unseen force swept across the city.
Like a giant, idly waving its hand, sending a tidal wave of destruction upon the helpless creatures below.
The mere presence of this aura was enough to break the city's resistance.
One by one, every light in New York exploded.
Bulbs shattered, sparks flew, and the city that had just ignited in defiance was extinguished in an instant.
Darkness swallowed New York whole.
Flames flickered in the distance, small explosions breaking the silence. Black smoke curled into the sky, twisting into the air, carrying with it something sinister, something that stirred the very souls of those below.
The darkness did not just exist—it corrupted.
It sank into the hearts of every person in the city, feeding on their worst impulses, amplifying their bloodlust, their hatred, their greed.
New York erupted into madness.
Eyes turned red with rage.
Faces contorted with jealousy and hatred.
People screamed.
People attacked.
People killed.
The entire city descended into a riot of destruction, driven by an insatiable hunger to tear everything apart.
And yet, this was merely the smallest fraction of Trigon's power, nothing more than a whisper from beyond the veil.
And already, a single city had begun to devour itself.
"He found me."
Raven's voice was cold, her nails sharp like blades, their crimson tips dripping with blood.
She cut into Bardi's chest, slicing through veins, arteries, and muscle with surgical precision.
Her demonic blood seeped into him, mingling with his own, embedding a magic circle deep into his very cells, down to the molecular level.
By altering his blood, his essence, she made him into something else.
Something that could deceive Trigon.
A perfect copy of her presence.
At the exact moment she felt Trigon's aura descend upon the city, she froze.
Her pale face stiffened, her breath caught, and her four eyes narrowed, sharp as daggers.
"Focus."
Bardi's voice was steady.
He was standing tall, his chest split open by Raven's claws—yet already, his Kryptonian body was regenerating, sealing the wounds.
But something was different.
The veins beneath his skin turned black, a dark energy crawling through his bloodstream.
A monstrous texture spread across his body, warping the once-pristine perfection of his Kryptonian physique.
Now, he exuded pure evil—an aura darker than Raven's own.
More demonic than the demon herself.
His transformation was complete.
And the pain was unbearable.
Every second was agony, his nerves screamed, his very genes rebelling against the corruption being forced upon them.
A lesser man would have been driven insane.
His body trembled, fighting against itself. His mind resisted, forcing him to maintain the demonic transformation.
The sheer willpower it took would have broken anyone else.
But Bardi endured.
Raven, shaken for only a moment, quickly returned her focus, completing the final inscriptions.
Her sharp nails dug into his flesh one last time, cutting through his aorta, allowing the final drops of her demon blood to enter.
The spell was complete.
Bardi's entire body was now covered in dark blue veins, spreading like an intricate web beneath his skin.
Then, suddenly—
His body twisted.
His eyes widened.
A silent scream burned in his throat, his jaw clenched as his entire form contorted in pain.
Every cell in his body broke apart.
This was not physical pain.
This was spiritual destruction.
His cellular force field shattered, his Kryptonian body tearing itself apart at the seams.
This was a pain beyond flesh, beyond anything the body could endure.
Half-kneeling on the ground, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, he roared.
Low, guttural, inhuman.
Dark veins slithered across his body like living creatures.
Sweat dripped from him, melting holes into the carpet.
And in the thick, swirling black smoke that rose from his body.
Two blood-red eyes snapped open.
The magic circle inscribed on his body began to take effect. His skin, head, and forehead started to shift, his form gradually shrinking. A second pair of eyes opened on his forehead, his chest flattened, his limbs grew slender and pale—his entire body transforming into an exact replica of Raven.
The process was excruciating. Raven's heart clenched as she watched.
But in the end, Bardi endured.
When he finally stood up, Raven's face twisted with discomfort.
She was staring at herself—or rather, at a naked version of herself. A thin frame, pale crystal-like skin, a completely flat chest… The sight was far too embarrassing.
Her cheeks flushed red, but she quickly forced the feeling aside and hurriedly helped Bardi put on clothes.
Once the transformation was complete, Raven shifted into her giant raven form, merging her body and soul in perfect harmony.
She fused into the body that Bardi had just transformed into.
It was a true union, a complete integration of two beings.
This was only possible due to the half-dimensional effect of the magic circle altering Bardi's body, combined with his ironclad willpower.
Simple transfiguration magic wouldn't be enough to fool Trigon.
Only through complete fusion, exuding Raven's true presence, could they deceive him.
Inside the suite, an overwhelming evil aura spread outward.
Bardi was now indistinguishable from Raven.
He donned a cloak—now fully transformed.
Shortly after.
A sharp knock echoed from the door.
Zatara stood outside, his face tense with anxiety.
The entire city of New York was in chaos, driven mad by Trigon's presence.
And then—
A brilliant stream of light shot upward from the rooftop of the Four Seasons Hotel.
It pierced straight through the vortex in the sky, splitting the dark clouds apart.
The swirling mass of shadows ripped open, the sky above New York torn in half.
Sunlight poured through.
And with it—the riots began to subside.
***
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