Chapter 18: The Final Reckoning
Chapter 18: The Final Reckoning
The night shattered as the Dante-monster rose from the wreckage, a towering nightmare of corrupted flesh and bone. Its grotesque head—jagged maw gaping, eyes blazing with crimson fury—snapped toward Silas and Batman.
Corrupted mana pulsed through its writhing tendrils, a dark heartbeat that shook the air. With a guttural roar, it charged, the earth trembling beneath its monstrous fury.
Silas vanished in a swirl of black smoke—[Teleportation]—reappearing mid-air as the beast's [Super Strength: Claw Strike] obliterated the concrete where he'd stood, leaving a smoking crater.
Batman threw up his energy shield, the translucent barrier cracking under the force. He skidded back, boots grinding through debris. "How many lives does this thing have?" he snarled, his voice a razor's edge.
Silas landed with a flourish, wings of shadow flaring, his crimson eyes glinting like bloodied stars. "Enough to make this fun," he shot back, smirking.
The monster's [Adaptation] had evolved—its hide shimmered with metallic gleam, [Bone Manipulation: Poison Spikes] dripping with venom that melted steel into slag. Its [Berserker Rage] surged, and it unleashed [Dark Ki Blasts] , orbs of malevolent energy screaming through the air.
[Super Speed] ignited in Silas, a blur of motion as he wove through the blasts with predatory grace. "Try harder!" he taunted, raising a hand.
[Dark Magic: Shadow Chains] erupted from the ground—tendrils of darkness snapping around the monster's legs like iron shackles.
He snapped his fingers—[Lightning Magic: Black Storm]—and jagged bolts of black electricity roared from his palm, slamming into the beast's chest with a thunderclap. It stumbled, smoke curling from its charred hide.
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Batman hurled explosive batarangs, the detonations ripping chunks from the monster's flank. "It's adapting too fast," he warned, his structural analysis lens flickering as it tracked the shifting form.
He lobbed cryo pallets, flash-freezing its left arm, then triggered explosive gel—the limb shattered in a burst of ice and shrapnel, only for [Hyper Regeneration] to regrow it in a heartbeat.
Silas drew his dark necron dagger and summoned a shadow-forged longsword, their edges blazing with [Flame Magic: Dark Inferno]. Black fire danced as he launched into [Ultra Swordsmanship], a storm of slashes and thrusts carving through armored flesh. "Then we break it faster," he said, voice cold as death. Each strike seared wounds, slowing the regeneration.
The monster roared, [Bone Manipulation: Chains] whipping toward him, but Silas vanished—[Teleportation]—reappearing behind it, driving both blades into its spine. Black ichor sprayed, sizzling on the ground.
"Show-off," Batman grunted, firing his EMP gun. The pulse disrupted the monster's ki, buying a breath. "But it's still standing."
Silas's grin widened, shadows curling around him like a living cloak. "Not for long. Watch this." He thrust a hand forward—[Barrier Magic: Shadow Dome]—a shimmering cage of darkness trapping the beast. "Stay put," he mocked, then called out
[Summoning Magic: Shadow Legion].
The air grew frigid as twenty shadow soldiers rose—wraiths in jagged armor, archers with spectral bows, berserkers wielding cruel axes. "Tear it to pieces!" Silas commanded, his voice a whip-crack of authority. The legion swarmed, arrows piercing flesh, axes hacking limbs in a relentless assault.
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The monster's fury detonated. "RAAAAGH!" Its [Corrupted Mana Pulse] erupted—a shockwave of dark energy shredding Silas's barrier and scattering his soldiers into smoke.
Batman's gadgets sparked, his sonic disturber frying in his grip. Silas winced, fragmented memories flashing—corrupted mana, a shadowed lab, a mocking laugh—but they slipped away.
The beast's [Bone Manipulation: Skeletal Armor] clinked into place, [Poison Tendrils] lashing out with venomous fury.
"You're testing my patience," Silas said, teleporting mid-air—[Teleportation]—to dodge a tendril. He countered with [Sealing Magic: Chains of Judgment], golden runes flaring, chains of light binding the monster's arms. It flexed its [Super Strength], shattering them with a roar that buckled the warehouse.
The ceiling caved, steel beams crashing as the walls exploded outward. A colossal [Shockwave] tore through Gotham, leveling the structure and hurling debris into the night sky.
Sirens screamed as GCPD squads screeched in, officers spilling out with guns trembling. Commissioner Gordon stepped forward, trench coat whipping in the wind. "What the Hell is that thing?!" he bellowed, staring at the silhouette in the wreckage.
News vans screeched behind, cameras rolling. "Live from Gotham—unprecedented chaos!" a reporter shouted, voice cracking.
Silas landed amid the rubble, wings flaring. "Civilians? Now?" He teleported beside the monster, slashing its legs with his flaming longsword in a blur of [Super Speed]. "Stay back, fools!" he barked, voice slicing through the panic.
The Batmobile roared in, engines howling as Batman gunned it toward the beast. Gatling guns unleashed a bullet storm, missiles painting the sky with fire as they blasted craters into its torso. [Bone Manipulation: Spikes] pierced the armor, but Batman kept it rolling.
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The monster's rage peaked. It slammed its fists into the asphalt—[Shockwave]—cracking the street and toppling a streetlight onto a news van. [Dark Ki Blasts] fired wildly, one flipping a GCPD cruiser skyward. Gordon dove behind a car. "Fall back! Get everyone out!" he roared. Silas teleported above the beast—[Teleportation]—voice icy. "Enough playing." [Lightning Magic: Thunder Barrage] rained down—black bolts electrifying its skeletal armor, forcing it to its knees.
Batman ejected from the Batmobile, landing beside Silas. "We're out of moves," he said, cape singed, breath ragged. "It's too damn strong. The Batmobile's reactor—nuclear core. We detonate it, this ends."
Silas arched a brow, shadows swirling. "And Gotham?"
"Clear them out. I'll handle the blast," Batman shot back, resolve unshaken. He fired his grappling hook, swinging toward the police line. "Gordon, move your men—now!" he shouted, landing hard.
Silas teleported among the officers—[Teleportation]—[Telekinesis] shoving them back with invisible force. "Run, or you're dead meat!" he snarled, locking eyes with Gordon. The commissioner hesitated, then waved his men off. "Go! Clear the damn area!"
The monster rose, its twin forms merging into a fifteen-foot titan of bone and muscle. [Hyper Regeneration] rebuilt its wounds, [Adaptation] spawning [Bone Manipulation: Serrated Blades] from its arms.
It charged, flattening cars with each step. Silas met it head-on, teleporting in a frenzy—[Teleportation]—striking with [Ultra Swordsmanship]. "You're mine, freak!" he hissed, longsword carving bone, dagger piercing flesh, [Flame Magic: Dark Inferno] erupting with each blow.
He summoned [Barrier Magic: Shadow Wall], halting its advance, then wove [Sealing Magic: Eternal Bind], golden chains tightening—only for [Super Strength] to shatter them, its roar splitting the night.
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Batman returned, Batmobile screeching beside him. "Ready?" he called, fingers flying over the reactor's overload. Silas nodded, hands weaving [Barrier Magic: Void Sanctuary]. A colossal dome of dark energy shimmered, encasing the monster and Batmobile. "This is my masterpiece," Silas said, sweat beading, voice steady. "Don't screw it up."
The monster pounded the barrier—[Super Strength]—cracks spiderwebbing across it. Batman floored the Batmobile, tires screaming as it barreled toward the beast. "For Gotham," he muttered, ejecting at the last second. Silas teleported—[Teleportation]—grabbing him mid-air and teleporting again, landing outside as the reactor hit zero.
A blinding flash swallowed the night. The Batmobile detonated in a nuclear inferno, a fireball of white-hot fury consuming the monster. The barrier trembled, Silas pouring everything into it—[Dark Magic: Shadow Reinforcement], [Sealing Magic: Mana Lock]—wings flaring as he braced against the shockwave. The explosion roared, a cataclysmic boom shattering windows blocks away, smoke pluming skyward. The monster's final scream faded into silence.
The barrier dissolved, revealing a crater of molten asphalt and twisted metal. No trace of the beast remained—[Hyper Regeneration] extinguished at last. Silas staggered, mana drained, breathing ragged. Batman swayed, exhaustion claiming him. "Did we… get it?" he rasped, collapsing, cams dead, Alfred's voice lost.
Silas caught him, slinging Batman's arm over his shoulder. "Yeah, hero. We did," he said, smirking faintly. With a final [Teleportation]—bamf!—he carried Batman from the wreckage, reappearing atop a rooftop.
Gotham sprawled below, sirens wailing, choppers buzzing. He set Batman against a vent, crimson eyes scanning the horizon. The corrupted mana lingered in his mind—a shadow of his past, whispering secrets.
To Be Continued…
(A/N: Finally its done!! Now we can move on from the action to more calm but sensual story line. If you noticed the difference in writing quality than, yes, i was exploring new ai helps. Especially, golk but i didn't like it. What do you think?)