A few minutes before:
Mars:
"Brother."
"Brother, I have acquired another planet for our father's empire," Kalibak, eldest son of Darkseid, spoke with a blissful grin, arms stretched out wide.
All around him, Mars laid in ruins. Numerous Apokolips ships rained down hellfire onto what remained of their civilization as the civilians were dragged through Boom Tube portals.
His brother just raised an eyebrow as he looked around, long, white hair flowing freely while golden armour covered his form. Having a build as muscular as his older brother, Grayven just hummed as he looked back to the grinning Kalibek.
"Father told us to stay with the fleet and not attack until he commanded it."
"I've decided that my time would be better spent enlarging Father's army."
"And that is why you've decided to kill the ruler of Mars?" Grayven asked, glancing at the still body of S'turnn that laid flat on his back.
"Bah! I wanted to, but he fought well. Thus, I have decided to leave him alive."
"What of his family?"
"They've been sent through the portals."
"Good," Grayven nodded as he stepped past and glanced at the few Martians that fought back against the Parademons that tried to capture them. "With them, we now have ways to persuade him into staying in our servitude."
"You and your plans and hostages," Kalibak spoke with a scoff, making Grayven smirk before his eyes flicked to the distant blue planet in the sky.
Kalibek followed his gaze and frowned when he noticed what he was looking at, turning his frown back to his brother as he noticed his stare
"You have something you wish to say?"
"That is my priority, not yours. Turn your ambition elsewhere."
"Yet, you've already abandoned the plans. Why can I not do the same?"
"You decided to drag your feet in the Vega system and hide behind plans while I took the initiative. Is it not our father's teaching that those who can produce results are the ones who lead?"
"You have produced satisfactory results. Now, it is my turn to do the same?"
"It is not, Grayven," Kalibak growled and Grayven narrowed his eyes when he saw his brother cracking his fingers with a low grolw.
"Cease your attempts at intimidation lest you wish to end up in a healing pit," Grayven spoke with a smooth tone, hiding the hints of danger in his voice.
Kalibak just let out a mocking laugh, stepping into Grayven's personal face and meeting his gaze with a grin. "You speak of healing pits as if you have the strength to put me there, little brother. Go back to your maps and your long-term strategies. Father wants their false moon and as leader of the vanguard, I shall take it in his name."
"Father will execute you himself if your impatience ruins the trap he has laid to reclaim the Warworld."
"Father will reward the son who brings him the anomaly's head on a silver platter!" Kalibak shouted, Grayven simply wiping away the dropets of spittle that fell onto his face with a frown.
Then, he watched as his brother spun, shaking his head when Kalibak lifted the body of the Martian King and dragged it with him.
"Desaad! Open a portal directly to their surface!"
"Kalibek, wait-!" Grayven grunted as a large Boom Tube portal tore open in front of them, Kalibak leaping through with a roar as several dozens of armoured Parademons followed swiftly after him.
As the portal snapped shut, Grayven's frustration bled away and a victorious smile adorned his lips as he reached for the communication strapped to his chest.
"Desaad."
"It appears that Lord Kalibak has launched the first assault."
"As planned, Desaad. Open another portal back to Apokolips and order our approaching ships to maintain their position in the asteroid belt."
"Shall do," A Boom Tube portal opened behind him and Grayven took one last look at his surroundings before smirking and stepping through it.
"Primitive minds. So easily manipulated."
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Unity Sphere:
"All citizens of the Unity Sphere, please move to the evacuation shuttle in the central loading bay! I repeat, all citizens of the Unity Sphere, please move to the evacuation shuttle in the central loading bay!"
"Straight and right, people! Straight and right!" I ordered, stepping to the side to allow the Martians to hurry to the central loading bay. "Rae, anyone left behind?!"
"None in the lower areas," she replied, deactivating her telepathy with a grimace. "I swear, the world has something against you and I having a date."
"I think the world just has a problem with me in general," I joked and she rolled her eyes before I heard footsteps approaching.
"Friend-Chris!" Relieved at the sight of Kori, Match and Kara, I was amused for a brief moment at Kara helping Match walk despite his protests before shaking my head.
"You three okay?"
"Y-Yeah, doing great," Match grunted, though I gave him a flat stare when he winced and grabbed at the bandages around his stomach.
"Sure. Kori, help Match to the evacuation shuttle. Kara, you go with them."
"I want to go with you," Kara spoke up and I completely ignored Match's frown as I looked at her.
"You just recovered. I'd rather you rest and not jump right into battle again."
"I am a warrior of the House of El, Chris," Kara replied and I sighed at the stubborn resolve in her gaze, "and if I run now, then I won't stop running. Please, let me help."
"Chris, M'gann's reporting twelve breaches in the western sectors. The Justice League are helping her fight, but it's touch and go," Raven interjected and I looked between them before letting out a frustrated sigh.
"Fine. Match, Kori, you two get the rest of the civilians onto that transport and leave the very second the last person is on."
"Will do," Match replied with a sigh, Kori taking his arm from Kara as she floated the two of them away.
"Kara, you stay close to me and you don't just charge in at anyone. Wait until I order you to, understand?"
"I understand," she nodded and I felt slightly more at ease before turning to Raven as her eyes met mine.
"Lead us to the fight."
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Western Holding Cells:
"J'onn, left flank! Wonder Woman, three dozen approaching from the front! Flash, hit-and-run! Keep it going!"
"Gotcha, Bruce!" Flash slowed down to speak before accelerating, shooting past Diana as she slammed the body of two Parademons onto a group that charged at her.
Unsheathing the sword at her side, she raised her shield to push away a charging demon, slashing through its neck and decapitating it.
Kicking its head at another, she ducked as a batarang flew past her and exploded against its chest. The Parademon shrieked as it was sent flying back into its group and Diana nodded before Martian Manhunter flew forward.
His body became transparent for a brief moment as he flew through a Parademon, turning midway and grabbing onto its head as he fully exited its back.
With a spin, he grunted as he used its body to swat away six Parademons trying to attack him from above, tossing the one he held towards the ground where Batman used another batarang to send it back.
"They're beginning to pile up!" J'onn spoke through his telepathy, moving to the side as M'gann lifted and threw a hefty storage box that pinned three of them down.
Her body went transparent and allowed a Parademon to pass through her, relieved as Flash' lightning rushed past while pulling it with him.
The speedster landed while smashing the alien into the ground, taking off and punching out several demons before his eyes locked onto a figure that burst through the walls with a snarl and a boisterous laugh.
"Hahahaha! Champions of Earth, you fought valiantly against my servants!" Kalibak exclaimed with a grin as he stepped into the loading bay, eyes locking onto Batman's form, "and my first foe is the one that escaped my Father! Prepare yourse-!"
"Here's Paragon!" The ruler of the Unity Sphere burst through the ceiling as Kalibak looked up, meeting a TTK-enhanced fist that punched him through the floor.
To his credit, the New God recovered by the second floor and landed by the third, glaring up as Chris came flying through the hole in the ceiling with a glare.
"You tyrants and warlords got nothing else to do other than bother me?"
"You must be the so-called 'ruler' of the Warworld?"
"It's the Unity Sphere now and yes, I am."
"Bah! It matters not what you call it!" The New God grunted, making Chris narrow his eyes as the man smashed his knuckles together. "It belongs to Darkseid now, and your skull will be the cornerstone of his new palace when we turn your world to ash!"
"Yeah, yeah. 'You will suffer', 'you will regret this' and so on and on. It's always the same speech," Chris replied as he floated down, to which Kalibak's face twisted with anger.
The next moment, the Kryptonian-Human clone shot forward as Kalibak did the same, the two slamming arms first into each other. The sound was deafening as their clash tore away parts of the ship around them and Chris frowned at several parts of the flooring buckling from the shockwave.
Twisting as Kalibak tried to swing at him, he countered with a swift jab that sent the New God back towards the ground, rushing forward and throwing a high kick.
Kalibak blocked it, but the secondary shockwave of his TTK aura came through, knocking it away and smashing the New God head first into the ground.
Continuing with a grunt as he kicked him up, Chris leapt into the air and grabbed onto his arms, spinning as he flipped and lifted the New God above his head.
"Sphere! Hatch to the exit!" Chris roared as he swung down, tossing Kalibak through the hole that opened before using the suction force of the vacuum to follow after.
Kalibak reached out and tried to catch himself using the walls, but Sphere simply widened the passage as Chris crashed fists first into his chest.
Grabbing a rebreather that Sphere spat out into the tunnel, Chris clicked it onto the mask as he flew out into the darkness of space. His gaze drifted to Kalibak who had managed to catch himself on the edge of the tunnel, flipping around and landing on the edge with a wide grin.
"You think the void of space protects you from the First Son of Apokolips?!" His words were lost to the expanse of space, but the trembling of the Unity Sphere's surface told Chris all he needed to know as he narrowed his eyes.
Clenching his fist, he shot forward and Kalibak swung a wide hook, the Kryptonian clone sliding under the punch before swinging up with a hefty uppercut.
Kalibak held out his hand and blocked the attack, but the New God furrowed his brow as he felt his hand being pushed out of the way.
Leaning back to avoid the attack, his knee snapped up and smashed into Chris' chest, but the clone just grinned as he leapt with the blow while landing a heavy kick to Kalibak's head.
Both fighters were sent flying back and Chris was the first to recover, flipping over and hovering midair just as Kalibak dug his feet into the ground.
"Wonderful! The greatest champion of your puny planet is not weak! This will be a satisfying victory to add to my collection!" Chris just narrowed his eyes as he landed, rolling his shoulders before raising his fists and shifting his stance.
Kalibak grinned as he pounded his chest once and blasted forward, leaving deep footprints with each step as he charged. Waiting until his foe was just an inch shy of him, Chris smiled as he sagged and fell back, avoiding Kalibak's attempt at a grab.
His legs came up and wrapped around the New God's waist and with a heave, the world spun as Kalibak was flipped and slammed head first into the ground.
Rolling with his throw, Chris pinned his shoulders down and swung a hammer fist down, adding a powerful burst of TTK into the attack.
The results were evident as the ground cratered for hundreds of feet, completely shattering the surrounding layer of compacted moon rock.
Kalibak's face distorted with pain as he let out a soundless scream, but Chris was not done as he swung one fist after the other. Each felt heavy as he added TTK with each one, distorting the space between his knuckles and the New God's skin just split seconds before contact.
At the final punch, Chris let out a deafening roar that only he could hear, smashing it into Kalibak's nose and burying its bloodied form deep into the metal plating that made up the Unity Sphere's surface.
"Fuck, should have held back more," he whispered to himself as he knelt on Kalibak's shoulders, looking at his own bleeding knuckles and bruised fingers.
Punching Mongul had felt easier than this and that was saying something considering how tough that tyrant was.
'Still, TTK for the win,' Chris thought before his eyes widened as a hand grabbed onto his wrist, eyes locking onto the swollen left eye of Kalibak and the bloody smile on his face.
"That...is not enough!" Kalibak heaved and smashed a knee into the surprised Chris' back, who grunted as he was sent falling forward.
Rolling and twisting midair, he went to attack, but found his eyes widening as a Boom Tube portal opened in front of his path.
Unable to stop himself in time, he found himself flying through the portal and it snapped closed behind him.
"Well, I see my brother didn't do as well as I thought he would." Chris' eyes drifted to the white haired figure standing atop a floating platform in front of him.
He could see the resemblance between the figure, Kalibak and Darkseid, not lowering his guard when he raised his fists and the figure only chuckled.
"Please. Unlike you and my brother, I am not the barbaric type."
"Somehow, I don't believe you," Chris retorted, which seemed to only amuse the figure as he nodded.
"Grayven. That is my name as I thought you should know given that you won't be leaving here alive."
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Chris asked before his eyes widened and he fell forward. Barely avoiding whatever weapon whistled as it sliced through the air, he kicked back and heard a female grunt.
Twisting in the air and pushing to the side, he kept Grayven in his field of view while staring at the four new additions hovering in next to the New God.
"This is the one that stole my Kryptonian girl?"
"That is him, Granny Goodness." Chris narrowed his eyes as he heard that, staring at the elderly yet absurdly muscular woman wearing a dark blue suit under golden armour, a red cape and a headdress that had the Omega symbol on the forehead.
To her right was the woman with the horned helmet and the Kryptonite axe, who looked excited and bloodthirsty to see him as he looked to the other two.
'Yep, I don't know these two.' Chris didn't recall the blonde with the white battle armour that had a gold trim and sword in hand nor did he know the darker skinned one with her hair in a ponytail and a white whip in her left hand.
What he did know was they were definitely with the big woman and the woman with the horned helmet as all four were flying using white discs under their feet as well as the kryptonite lining the blonde's sword and the tip of the other one's whip.
"So, you're sending them to fight me?"
"They're more suited for battle than I am."
"You don't have a problem fighting us little girls, do you?" the blonde asked and the clone raised an eyebrow as the other cracked a whip with an expecting smirk.
"Perhaps he's scared we'll be rough with his punishment?"
"No need to worry, little Kryptonian boy. We'll take it easy on you...at the start," the horned-helmet woman spoke and Chris just shook my head as he kept himself afloat with his innate Kryptonian flight.
His TTK on the other hand was now free for a boost and boost himself he did, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye and landing a vicious punch that sent the blonde rocketing towards the ground.
"Ladies, these fists are rated E for everyone. Now, make a line so that we can end this ea-!" Chris dipped back as the large, elderly woman swung a fist, wrapping his leg around her outstretched arm.
Pulling her in, he spun and flung her at the axe-wielder who dipped out of the way as the one with the whip swung it at him.
Moving out of the way and catching it, he yanked her forward and she looked surprised as the kryptonite flared against his aura. Said surprise bled away and pain replaced it as his fist dug into her chest plate before she blasted towards the ground.
She was saved by the blonde with the sword, the two floating up to where the Granny and the Axe woman were floating in front of a smirking Grayven.
"You may grant the naughty boy the Wicked Hanging!" Raising an eyebrow at the Granny's shouting, he simply prepared himself as all three of the ladies grinned before the axe-wielder, most likely Barda, and the swordsman rushed him.
'Well, this is about to be fun.'
A/N: And we end it here! Yeah, I don't know what's going on with me. Am I having a stroke or something? I might be having a stroke considering how little I've uploaded.
Might go to a doctor? Probably not. It's probably just exhaustion.
Anyway, we're finally in the final stretch...for the tenth time, but this time, it's really that.
Next chapter: Apokolips Begins III.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!