chapter 23

"Do you have any ideas on how to stop him?" Superman asked, his expression serious.

I crossed my arms, considering our options. "A few. I could teleport him to the Moon—he'd suffocate and die. We could try to overload him, pump him full of energy until his body can't handle it and he explodes, but that one's risky. Or, I could just pin him down with my gravity power and let him burn through all his energy until he tires himself out."

Superman frowned. "Let's go with the third option. I'd rather not kill him."

Fair enough. I focused, activating my gravity manipulation. Parasite was instantly slammed to the ground, struggling violently as the force increased. He fired off several energy blasts in our direction, but they never reached us, curving back down before they could even come close. He roared, thrashed, and fought against the invisible pressure, but after about 30 minutes, his massive form began to shrink, his body shriveling as he drained the last of his stolen energy.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Superman muttered, arms crossed.

"Maybe, but at least no one got hurt," I replied.

We flew down, and with a flick of my wrist, I encased Parasite in a layer of ice, freezing everything except his head.

"I'm taking him with me. I think I can cure him at my base," I told Superman.

He raised a brow. "Like you did with Clayface?"

I wasn't surprised he knew. That whole situation had been all over the news and newspapers for months.

"Yeah."

With my telekinesis, I lifted Parasite's now-weakened body and teleported us straight to my base, directly into the prison section. I placed him inside one of the cells—his powers shouldn't work in here.

I teleported back to Superman, appearing beside him as he caught his breath from the fight.

"All right, he's secured," I said. "He's in one of my containment cells. While he's there, I'll do my best to find a cure for him."

Superman nodded. "That's good. I hope you manage to help him."

"Yeah, it's no problem. You want me to open a portal back to Metropolis for you?" I asked.

"I'd appreciate that," he replied.

I raised my hand and created a portal leading straight to Metropolis. Just as he was about to step through, he hesitated and turned back to look at me.

"You know, Arsenal, I respect that you're willing to help villains instead of just locking them up and forgetting about them," he said.

I shrugged. "If someone needs help, I'm going to try—villain or not. Everyone deserves a chance to change."

Superman smiled at that before stepping through the portal.

Before I could teleport back to my base, a smooth yet commanding female voice echoed from nowhere.

"I'm happy you think that way because I have a deal you might be interested in."

I barely had time to react before my vision blurred. In an instant, I found myself in a completely different place—a traditional Japanese-style room. The walls were wooden with paper sliding doors, a low table sat in the center, and soft cushions replaced chairs. The air smelled faintly of incense.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

"Language, little brother," the voice corrected me.

I turned toward the source and found myself staring at a tall, regal-looking woman. She had dark skin, long flowing white hair, and piercing golden eyes. Small curved horns adorned her head, adding to her mystique. An aura of power radiated from her, making it clear she was no ordinary being.

I frowned. 'Wait… did she just call me 'little brother'?'

She smirked. "Yes, I did. Now, take a seat."

There were no chairs, only cushions, so I sat down on one, keeping my guard up. Despite the sudden teleportation, I didn't sense any hostility from her.

'I don't feel like she wants to hurt me,' I thought. "So, who are you?"

She gave me a knowing smile. "I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to make a deal. But first, introductions—I am Vaelthrya, the goddess of heroics and dragons. And yes, I am one of your elder sisters."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh… Mom mentioned you before I got sent here. She said I might run into you one day."

Vaelthrya nodded. "She was right. I visit the DC and Marvel worlds often, but that's not why I brought you here. I have a deal for you."

I leaned forward slightly. "What kind of deal?" Then something clicked in my mind. "Wait… how are you reading my thoughts? I thought I was immune to that."

Her smirk widened. "You are immune to mind control, not mind reading."

My eyes widened. "Well, that's just great," I muttered. If I ever encountered a powerful telepath, they could potentially know everything about me—including things I'd rather keep secret. Good thing I hadn't met one until now.

"Thanks for the heads-up," I said. "I'll be more careful from now on. Now, what's this deal you want to make?"

Vaelthrya's expression turned serious. "I want you to redeem a villain from your world's order. If you succeed, I will grant you two powerful gift."

I raised an eyebrow. "Which villain?"

"Amora, the Enchantress."

I exhaled sharply. "Seriously? The woman obsessed with Thor and ruling Asgard? No way. She's beyond saving. She's manipulative, power-hungry, and ruthless. I don't like her in the slightest. In fact, if I ever ran into her, I'd probably just take her out before she had a chance to use her magic against my team—or Superman."

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline."

Vaelthrya didn't seem surprised. Instead, she simply smiled.

"I know what you're thinking," she said. "But hear me out."

I crossed my arms, giving her a skeptical look. "I'm listening."

Vaelthrya smirked, as if she had expected my reaction. "I understand your hesitation. Amora has done a lot of terrible things. But she isn't beyond redemption. In some timelines, she even fights alongside heroes. You know as well as I do that people can change under the right circumstances."

I scoffed. "Yeah, and in most timelines, she's a manipulative, power-hungry sorceress who'd rather enslave people than help them. You really want me to take that risk?"

Vaelthrya sighed, her golden eyes softening. "The true reason I want you to redeem her is because, in most universes, she's my friend. I care about her a lot. She's helped me more times than I can count. And after checking, I can tell you—your universe's Amora isn't as bad as the worst versions of her I've seen. She has a chance to change, if given the right opportunity. That's where you come in."

I paused, considering her words. A chance at redemption… It was risky, but I did say I'd help anyone, villain or not.

I exhaled sharply. "Fine. I'll try to redeem her. But if I can't—if she proves to be a threat to me or my team—I won't hesitate to take her out."

Vaelthrya gave a small nod. "That's fair. All I ask is that you try. And I'll do what I can to make sure she has the best chance at redemption."

I raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Amora is going to appear on Earth—without her powers. Just like Thor was once cast down, she will be weak and injured. That's when you step in. You will save her, and during the time it takes for her to heal, you will have the opportunity to guide her toward a different path. The injury she's sustained is no ordinary wound—it will take two years for her to fully recover. When she does, her powers will return."

I processed that information. "So I have two years to redeem her. This year's almost over, which means I'll barely have a year left soon. So I need to work fast."

"Exactly," she said.

I sighed. "Fine. Just tell me where to find her."

"She will land in Greenland today. With your sensory abilities, you should be able to find her easily."

I nodded. "Alright, I'll do what I can. But if I can't change her, I hope you won't hold it against me if I have to take her down."

Vaelthrya smiled gently. "I won't. I'll just be grateful that you tried."

I tilted my head. "By the way, what's this gift you promised?"

Her smirk returned. "I will grant you two powerful items from my personal arsenal."

I chuckled. "Good to know my sister has a sense of humor."

"The first item is an armor I created long ago," she explained. "It is unique—its right gauntlet contains the Boosted Gear, while the left has Divine Dividing. Before you ask—no, the dragons are not inside the Sacred Gears. The armor itself is forged from incredibly strong materials, but if you ever come across even stronger metals, it can absorb and integrate them into its defense. Additionally, it can shapeshift into anything you imagine—similar to Spawn's suit. It is also will be soulbound to you, meaning only you can wear it, and it has a degree of magic resistance."

I blinked. "Damn, sis. Who the hell were you fighting that made you need to create something like that?"

She chuckled. "Trust me, you don't want to know. Let's just say some Elder Gods have finally decided to leave me alone."

I shuddered at the thought. "Yeah… that's terrifying."

Vaelthrya continued. "The second gift is a sword—one crafted specifically to slay gods. Not only can it cut through their physical forms, but it also damages their very souls. I call it… God Slayer."

I stared at her, processing everything.

"Okay, yeah. Now I'm really glad I agreed to this. Those two items? Not a lot of things will hurt me."

"Oh, and here's something extra for you—just for agreeing," Vaelthrya said with a smirk before snapping her fingers.

The moment she did, my system alerted me.

"The host has gained 10 points."

I blinked in surprise. "Wow, thanks."

"No problem. Good luck."

She snapped her fingers again, and in an instant, I found myself back in the desert.

I took a deep breath, still processing everything. Not only will she give me two insanely powerful artifacts, but she also added points to my system? That meant she could directly influence it… That put her on the same level as Mom.

I shook my head. I'd think about this later. Right now, I had a mission.

Greenland.

Without wasting any more time, I took off into the sky.

Batman's POV

The Batcave was silent except for the low hum of the Batcomputer as I analyzed the DNA sample in front of me.

Ethan's DNA.

I was running tests, making sure everything checked out. It was still hard to believe he had been cured, but the evidence was right in front of me. Arsenal had actually done it.

That didn't mean I trusted him.

Arsenal is too much of a threat.

I'm grateful he saved Ethan, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a walking anomaly. A dangerous one. I still don't know where his base is, and I haven't been able to uncover his true identity. But the most alarming thing?

He seems to be gaining new powers every month.

I've gone through countless videos and surveillance footage. Every time a new month begins, he displays abilities he didn't have before. I don't know how it works, but it's concerning.

Because if he keeps evolving like this, my contingency plans will always be outdated.

Which means I'll have to keep updating them.

I turned my attention back to the monitor. Ethan was getting released from Arkham today. The doctors and therapists had deemed him stable, and the courts had agreed to reintegrate him into society.

I would be the one picking him up.

Not as Batman.

But as Bruce Wayne—his old friend.

And while I wasn't planning to pressure him, I needed answers.

If anyone could give me information on Arsenal, it was him.

Ed POV

I was in Greenland, close to a small town, waiting. Hours had passed, and boredom was creeping in fast.

Screw it. I have the points—I might as well use them now.

"System, use points."

[Activating Gacha…]

Asta's Grimoire (Black Clover – No Devil)

Waterbending (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Earthbending (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Anti-Cloning Ability

April O'Neil (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014) [Summon]

Iron Dragon Slayer Magic (Fairy Tail)

Lycan Arcadia Semblance – Clone Sending (RWBY)

Speed-o'-Sound Sonic's Abilities (One Punch Man)

Vilgax Physiology (Ben 10)

Immunity to Mind-Reading

I scanned the list and smirked.

For once, there's nothing useless here.

Asta's Grimoire: Anti-magic. Perfect for dealing with magical opponents.

Waterbending & Earthbending: Insanely versatile. If I train enough, I can learn bloodbending, metalbending, and even lavabending.

Anti-Cloning Ability: No more worrying about someone trying to clone me. That's one paranoia off the list.

Iron Dragon Slayer Magic: Basically, I can eat metal for energy and make my skin as strong as steel. Just gotta be careful around Magneto…

Speed-o'-Sound Sonic's Abilities: Enhanced speed, agility, kunai and sword skills, plus ninja stealth. Solid upgrade.

Vilgax Physiology: Increased strength, durability, reflexes, fire immunity, and laser blasts from my eyes and hands. Vilgax was a beast. Now I've got his powers.

Mind-Reading Immunity: This was probably the best of the bunch. I have a feeling my sister had something to do with this one…

April O'Neil, She's just a normal human. The only thing I can think of is letting her work at CatCo to keep an eye on Supergirl… if she even wants to.

Before I could decide how to test these new abilities, a pillar of light crashed down nearby.

That must be her.

It wasn't Asgard's Rainbow Bridge—just a straight-up crash landing.

I flew toward the impact site and saw her.

Amora, the Enchantress.

She lay in the middle of a crater, unconscious. Her clothes were torn, blood staining the fabric. A nasty wound ran along her stomach and leg.

Damn… who the hell did she fight to end up in this condition?

That was a question for later. Right now, she needed help.

I flew down, carefully scooped her up princess-style, and teleported back to the base's medical wing.

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Before I get those comments, let me explain. I think Amora can be redeemed under the right circumstances. I mean, if you watch Marvel, what if Hela got redeemed, and she's way worse than Amora, so I think there's a chance of her being redeemed.

Also, I want to think, Swikong, for the Suggestion, I really like the members you listed.