Chapter 9
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***
«The world is going crazy," Karen said as she watched the tsunami hit the island, leaving behind nothing but water and swept away para-demons. The world was really going crazy at that moment.
That tsunami had hit Nerose Island and had only affected Apocalypse's army, but not the people who had fought desperately against them. Karen's keen hearing allowed her to pick up vibrations even through the water, and now she could hear Beast Boy shouting desperately: "Karen, where are you?!" as if she were his mom instead of a full-fledged companion.
"At least I don't have to wipe my ass," she thought, hearing more Harley beside him.
She had to plunge into a dense torrent of water that raged like a multi-headed hydra, crashing waves against each other in a furious rush, and then crashing over the choppy sea surface, drooling and roaring across the island. Nothing, not even Steppenwolf himself, could tame that wave, and Karen had a hard time as the waves whipped her from side to side before she could reach the water dome that stood near the cliff where Beast Boy and Harley were hiding, huddled together in the middle of the storm.
Breaking into the dense barrier knocked Karen off target and she barely kept her flight, nearly knocking over Harley and the others.
«Why haven't you left the island yet?! - She was outraged.
«Are you kidding me? Look around you! - Beast Boy pointed to the side.
There, in the dense streams of water, there were countless Para-demons floundering around, which Karen herself had barely passed through. It was because the sea waves mostly washed away only their enemies.
«There are steam-demons everywhere! Those things can't even use water! If we tried to escape, they'd spot us. And we've got a Starfire, by the way.
«Indeed," Karen said with sudden understanding, glancing at the unconscious Starfire. - I keep forgetting how fragile you humans are.
«Hey, this isn't about your Kryptonian narcissism, baby," Beast Boy snorted importantly, "we have problems of normal, adequate people.
And amidst his important conclusions, the dumbfounded face of a para-demon flew into the entry.
«I mean, just the most ordinary, right? - Karen asked with a sneer.
«It's all a formality.
-Yeah, look at her, Toad. That young lady doesn't give a damn about your friend Star-something. Maybe we should just leave her here and let her fly away, she's got all her strength. I don't think my ass can take any more tests, especially in these cold and extremist conditions, - Harley fixed her glasses, which she got from... where?
«Extreme," Karen said.
«It's all a formality," Harley said.
«No, it's no longer a formality," Beast Boy said.
«Shut up, smartass, before I kick your watermelon.
«We're not abandoning Starfire, but we need to get through the strong current somehow," Karen said.
«Well, then I suggest we wait until someone flushes the jolt, and then we'll slip away quietly, along with the wave," Harley said sarcastically, waving her hands.
«We won't. Because if we don't, the Para-demons won't let us escape.
«Hmph, whatever. Of course, such important Caramels with size five boobs don't need Harley Quinn's advice, because Harley Quinn is stupid, she doesn't have boobs," Harley pouted, looking at her second, and folded her arms across her chest.
«Is it okay for me to want to punch her?
«All right, but let's get down to business.
Karen listened to the sensations. There, not so far from them, just under five hundred meters away, Steppenwolf, Zatanna, and Damian stood in the magical dome that protected them from the tsunami.
«Steppenwolf and Zatanna know I'm here. And they want to use me to get Willard Light. When the wave is over, we'll be their first targets, we're unlikely to escape.
«They won't get us if we leave. There must be some way," said Beast Boy.
«He was, but the King of Atlantis has decided to leave us here as bait while his men go to sea. There's no one to save us, so we have to get out on our own.
«Is that how it turns out...?
«Once the water level drops, we'll have to run as fast as we can.
Finally, the inhabitants of Atlantis plunged into the water and began an immediate retreat. With them, the sea wave that had engulfed the island of Nerose began to subside. The water level dropped lower and lower until it finally equaled the ground level.
The cool air stroked his skin, and made Beastmaster sneeze. At the same time, the steam demons scattered by the water wave, their remnants, began to gradually rise into the air in a buzzing swarm.
«There are still a lot of survivors on the island, but we'll leave them behind," Karen said, grabbing Beast Boy in her arms with Starfire, while a giggling Harley jumped on her back. - Hold on tight, I'll try to fly as fast as I can... hopefully we'll make it.
Karen pulled herself off the ground and tore to the side, escaping the clutches of the many para-demons trying to get a hold of her.
Then a metallic rumbling sound was heard in the sky, which attracted the attention of the others. This rumble came from metal cannons that looked like scarlet fangs, with a threatening glow emanating from their muzzles. The cannons slowly extended from the hull like the bared teeth of a beast and headed towards Nerose Island. Before the others would have realized the gunfire had started, Karen sped up in horror, watching as below her, right on the ground, a bloodstained girl, still quite young, lifted her pale face into the scarlet-lit sky.
"There's no saving them now," Karen thought.
And then a magical barrier appeared in front of her, which she crashed into at full speed and let Harley and the others out of her arms.
***
Some time earlier.
John Constantine's hands trembled as he held the power that lurked in Willard Light, and he hadn't expected it to be so difficult. He would have fallen to the floor a moment later, but his hand was gripped by the palm of another man's hand, encased in a barbed glove.
«Stubborn bastard, finally! - He swore, raising his eyes to Willard Light, but instead he was staring at a tall, ominous shadow twice his size.
John saw the iron-armored giant standing before him, his eyes blazing with scarlet fire. Through the horned helmet he could see gray, dead skin that was not much different from that of a dead man.
«Ares," John said, frowning. There was a pause between them, and Constantine decided to break it," What did the important hara need from humble me?
«Because people like you need the help of the gods when faced with divine power," Ares replied, releasing Jon's hand.
The reason Ares had stopped John was because of a spell that had begun to spiral out of control. John soon realized it as the spell broke, his fingers and his soul began to cramp painfully. He'd made a mistake somewhere, perhaps when he'd thought he had the strength to defeat the curse of Trigon's daughter with a trick and, just a little, a nasty breath.
While John Constantine's body was being subjected to the curse and he was rapidly turning pale, Ares slipped an iron gauntlet into his cloak, and from the hollow pulled out a black box, mottled with golden skulls, in front of his face. And the curse restraining Jon tightened inside it.
«I always wondered if you were a madman or a genius, John Constantine. Now I see you're neither.
«No need for compliments, I'm not going to thank you anyway," John said, leaning back against the table with trembling hands. His trembling fingers immediately reached for the pack of cigarettes that had fallen... - damn you.
Ares held out his cigarette, already lit, and John grinned crookedly and lit it.
«And yet you're not shy about taking advantage of other people's gifts.
«It's not the same thing.
«Perhaps otherwise you'd be as much of an idiot as the other mages who have fallen under Darkseid's control. There's no need to show your pride, John Constantine. You know very well I've been watching you. You've been waiting for the moment I show up to give you this," Ares tossed the box to John, and he caught it.
«Is it fake?
«One of the.
What John held in his hands was one of several fake Pandora's boxes.
«This thing is capable of absorbing any magic, no matter how powerful, but the box has some drawback.
«It distorts the soul.
«You have nothing left to lose, John Constantine.
John hummed.
«I'll decide that for myself. An important asshole like you should have intervened in this conflict sooner," John said, humbling the God of War with a scornful glare, to which Ares turned blankly to the window and froze at the view of the frowning sea.
«I don't care what you think of me, mage. It's not for you to tell a god what to do," Ares remarked, rubbing his fingers against each other importantly, "I just don't want humanity to meet such a sad end.
«You're so kind, Sire God of War, I'm in awe," John said. - Even when mankind was on the verge of annihilation, the best your Allfather did was fuck innocent girls behind bushes, not forgetting to noodle around. The other gods have gone no further, you're all assholes with no balls.
«Things used to be different.
«But not now.
Ares turned, giving John a fiery stare that hid an unbridled darkness. His true motives and plans were unclear, but one thing John knew for sure was that the bastard in front of him would do everything he could to ensure that the war on Earth consumed all life.
«Don't waste your time, John Constantine. Time is running out. If you don't do what you want to do now, humanity can no longer win this hopeless war.
«Do you see a chance?
«There are always chances, but to leave Apocalypse you need to start with its Generals. Let me put it in your modern way: put your own against Darkseid's main figure, and you'll have more time before the kings and ladies come into play. Make your move with your knight, John Constantine; of the mages, you're the only one capable of facing Zatanna, and Willard Light will face the General of the Apocalypse. Canto has already proved that humanity has something to fight for," Ares grinned, and disappeared in the flames of war.
Don't disappoint me, John Constantine.
«Fuck you.
John played with Pandora's box in his fingers for a while before he pointed it toward Willard Light. The scarlet rays enveloped the young man's chest and gradually tortured his soul, but miraculously he still managed to survive.
«I underestimated your daughter, Trigon," Jon said glumly, "Any more and the boy would have died before he even realized what had happened.
The curse of Trigon's daughter overpowered his magic, and the only way out of this difficult situation was with the help of the God of War, who only hoped to prolong the war between Apocalypse and humanity.
«Damn this world and its problems.
John applied the box, and the black magic contained within Willard began to surge through his chest in black, dense waves that made John's skin begin to sting. And the spell gradually dissipated, covering the area with impenetrable darkness.
«What the hell...
A hand emerged from the darkness and wrapped a deadening grip around his palm.
«You tried to call me, but you obviously hurt the owner of the body badly. You know that's too much for a child," Will said.
«Maybe, but I can't do it without you," John said, smiling faintly, "I'll have to discuss a lot of things, and everything will be quick and to the point, just like they taught me in the army.
«How many do we have...?
«I don't know.
John pulled a certain roll of paper out of his pocket and held it out to Will. He took it and opened it, putting his palm to his lips thoughtfully.
«What do you think?
«A cipher with a couple of names.
«All he knew how to convey for a couple seconds before the space above his head collapsed.
«Right. Then we need Vanessa Wayne besides you and me.
«This girl is the only one who can hack the Apocalypse's technology right now. Apparently Batman decided to use her to get out. No wonder the little brat's been ignored all this time. No wonder Darkseid didn't notice her when he was getting rid of Luthor and the others. Except from what I hear, she's still no good.
«Let the kids grow up before you judge them," Will said.
«It's not for me, I don't like kids, too much snot, on and off," John lit a cigarette and turned away, rubbing it nervously. - This whole damn thing is definitely not for me. If the girl can't handle it, we're going to have a lot of problems.
«When the time comes, we'll know.
Will grabbed John by the sleeve of his cloak and smiled.
«Uh, wait, let's not...
***
A cold wind hit John Constantine's face, and a gray, unkind sky with countless para-demons flying overhead.
«Fuck! What the fuck did you bring me here for!
«You said it yourself, we need to bust our ass," Will grinned.
«I was talking about the guy.
«But it's about me, too.
«You're a humorist.
«Don't start. I need you, and you know why. Your girlfriend's here, isn't she? - Will glanced at John, who clucked.
«Yes, there is. She's my ex, so I don't really want to get in her face.
«I have to. She knows my weakness. You don't want me to go in there without backup, do you?
«Wouldn't you go?
Minato grinned, running a finger under his nose.
«Sick bastard," John swiped at his lips and swore, no cigarettes in his pocket, left in the Beacon, and swore again. - You know, I don't have much of a choice, either.
As they spoke, the sky began to tremble, and ships appeared in the clouds, their cannons pointed at Nerose Island. The light from the cannons was directed toward the island. An oppressive tension froze.
«So what's your plan? - John asked, "The cannons will be going off any minute, and there are too many men. Can you manage?
«Actually, I have an idea... but I don't know if it'll work," Will said, folding the seals with his hands. His body began to be covered with dense orange chakra, which gradually became clearer and took on a shape not unlike Will's other skin, and over that skin a cloak with black marks appeared.
John whistled.
«You're getting dressed up?
«This is Kurama's chakra. The fox demon from my world. I'm going to protect people with it, but there's a problem. The people of this world don't have chakra...
«However, you chose to do it.
Will nodded concentratedly.
«Because Will was already influencing people from this world with chakra like they had it.
«You mean the kid's converting chakra into general spiritual energy? - John said skeptically.
«Yes, and that's not all," Will said thoughtfully.
«The Tyrants will be there, I think they'll activate those crazy things pretty soon. Three of them. They'll be shooting at you.
«I know.
«Zatanna will catch you in the act. One slip up, and your ass will turn to dust.
«I know.
John brushed his hair back irritably.
«Argh, I don't know why I'm letting you do this. I've worked so hard to get you out of the boy's mind.
«Don't worry. I've got a trick to do," Will said, turning back to John and patting him on the shoulder. - Are you sure you don't want to come with me?
John removed Will's hand with a suspicious hum and took a step back.
«Oh, no, I'd rather stay here. So what's the trick?
«You'll find out later.
«Hey, I don't like this....
Will disappeared, leaving John alone. There was an awkward silence, and a cool breeze blew in off the coast.
«Fucking asshole.
Then there was the sound of straining air, and the cannons of the Apocalypse ships fired a countless series of volleys at the island, turning the land into flying shreds of air. No one could survive in such chaos.
Watching the smoke-blackened sky like an infernal bonfire that was consuming the entire world, John cowered on the ground where Willard Light had stood only a moment ago.
***
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