The world trembled under the onslaught of winged nightmares. Across every major city, the Parademons poured from burning portals, green fire lighting up the skies. But soon, the vanguard of terror was replaced by something worse—the generals of Apokolips themselves.
They were watching the whole resistance, and decided to take on Earth's heroes themselves.
Metropolis
The city had become a war zone. Fires licked across shattered buildings, the shrieks of Parademons mixing with the roar of car alarms. Superman hovered above the street, cape whipping in the violent air, his eyes glowing red as he scanned the chaos. Beside him, Faora floated like a dark mirror, her black Kryptonian armor catching the firelight, her stance taut and soldierly.
The sound of collapsing buildings echoed like thunder across Metropolis. Superman steadied a crumbling tower on one shoulder, heat vision welding steel beams to keep it upright. Citizens fled below, panic like a living tide.
"Clark!" Faora's voice cut through the chaos. She hovered mid-air, her body marked by scratches from her earlier brawl with Parademons. Her sharp eyes pointed upward.
Then came the boom. The air split open in the middle of the avenue, a vertical tunnel of searing white light tearing reality apart. From its maw emerged a towering, broad-shouldered woman. Her pale hair was tied back severely, her armor gleamed black and red, and in her hands she clutched a rod crowned with an omega-shaped crest.
Behind her, the boom tube disgorged a squad of female warriors—each uniquely terrifying. Lashina, her electrified whips crackling with blue sparks.
Stompa, the massive brute whose armored boots were designed to crush stone.
Mad Harriet, shrieking with claws extended, her eyes wild.
Bernadeth, cold and sharp-eyed, gripping her deadly Fahren-Knife.
The Female Furies spread out across the street like wolves encircling prey.
"Well, what have we here?" Granny's voice was mocking, sharp as glass. "The great Kal-El, last son of Krypton. And… oh, a little deserter. Faora, child, did you betray your people to play house with this pretty boy?"
Faora's lips pressed thin, anger flashing in her eyes. "I serve no master. Not Zod, and certainly not you."
Clark clenched his fists. "This city's under my protection. You're not taking it. And you're sure as hell not taking her." He nodded toward Faora.
Faora smirked at the declaration, her eyes hard but her lips betraying the faintest curl. "Then let's show them, Kal-El."
Granny's staff slammed against the asphalt, sending a tremor through the ground. "Then you'll die as nothing. Furies, tear them apart!"
They hit like meteors. Stompa landed with enough force to crater the street, shockwaves rattling parked cars. Lashina's whips cracked with lightning, striking toward Faora.
Mad Harriet's claws swiped at Superman with unhinged laughter, while Bernadeth raised her deadly Fahren-Knife, the blade glowing with sickly green energy.
Lashina smirked at Faora. "Zod's little soldier girl. You can still save your life if you serve lord Darkseid."
Faora blurred forward, intercepting Lashina's whip, yanking her mid-air into a brutal knee strike. "I said—I serve no one!" she roared, throwing her into a wall.
Superman caught Mad Harriet mid-pounce, slamming her into the asphalt, but the Fahren-Knife nearly pierced his chest before he caught Bernadeth's wrist. Her strength shocked him. "Oh, Kryptonian," she hissed, "you bleed just like the rest."
He gritted his teeth, heat vision blasting inches from her face, forcing her back.
Granny watched with amusement, tapping her rod on the ground. "So much strength, so much wasted. lord Darkseid will break you both."
Her rod flared, a beam of Omega energy erupting from it, striking Superman across the chest. He staggered, the blast burning through his suit, knocking him into a skyscraper. Glass exploded outward in a shower.
Faora's eyes widened. "Clark!"
She charged Granny head-on, fists blazing, but Lashina and Stompa cut her off, whips binding her limbs while Stompa's massive boot slammed her into the pavement. Faora cried out, the ground cracking beneath her.
Superman roared back into the fight, fists swinging like hammers.
He smashed Mad Harriet into the street with one blow, turned, and intercepted Stompa before she crushed Faora again. The two titans clashed, shockwaves rippling outwards.
Faora, blood at the corner of her mouth, twisted against Lashina's bonds and snapped them, yanking the whip free and wrapping it around her foe's throat. With a furious pull, she hurled Lashina into Bernadeth, both crashing into a bus.
Together, Clark and Faora stood, battered but unbowed. He looked at her quickly. "We finish this, together."
Faora smirked, blood on her teeth. "Just try to keep up, Kal."
Lashina's whips lashed out , cracking through the air toward Clark. He dodged the first, but the second wrapped around his forearm, sending volts of electricity surging through his body.
Clark grunted, sparks dancing across his chest. He yanked hard, dragging Lashina off her feet and slamming her into a wall, breaking concrete.
Faora met Stompa head-on. The towering woman leapt into the air and slammed her boots down. The street fractured, sending cars flipping like toys. Faora absorbed the shockwave, teeth bared, before darting forward with blinding speed. She rammed her shoulder into Stompa's gut, lifting the brute off her feet and hurling her through a burning bus.
Mad Harriet shrieked and lunged at Clark, claws flashing like blades. He blocked with his forearm, her claws scraping against Kryptonian skin and leaving faint sparks.
Clark's heat vision burst to life, forcing Harriet to dodge, but she came back with rabid ferocity, slashing at his face and chest.
Bernadeth circled Faora, her blade glowing with sinister energy. Faora parried with her bare hands, moving like liquid steel, redirecting slashes and countering with bone-shattering punches.
Still, Bernadeth's strikes left shallow glowing cuts across Faora's armor, evidence that the knife could pierce far deeper than normal metal.
And through it all, Granny stood calmly in the street's center, watching with cruel amusement.
"You fight like children," she mocked. "This is the best Krypton had to offer? No wonder it burned."
Clark's eyes narrowed, rage flaring, but Granny's staff erupted with a beam of searing Omega energy, forcing him to raise his arms in defense. The blast hammered him backward through a skyscraper, the building groaning before collapsing in a rain of glass and steel.
"Clark!" Faora shouted, just before Stompa's massive fist slammed into her ribs, sending her hurtling into a bridge pillar with a deafening crack.
The Furies regrouped, circling the battered Kryptonians.
"You're finished," Granny hissed.
But slowly, the rubble shifted. Superman rose, his suit scorched, cape torn, blood trickling at the corner of his mouth—but his eyes burned brighter than ever.
Faora staggered up beside him, coughing, one hand pressed to her side. She looked at him, and for the first time since he'd met her, there was something like pride in her gaze.
Together, they surged forward. Clark smashed Lashina's whip apart with a single punch, then grabbed Mad Harriet by the scruff and slammed her into the pavement hard enough to crater it. Faora blocked Stompa's earth-shattering stomp with crossed arms, then kicked upward, breaking the woman's jaw with a sickening crack.
Granny roared in fury, leaping into the fray herself. She swung her staff with shocking speed, striking Clark across the jaw, then driving its crackling tip into his chest, sending jolts of energy tearing through him. He collapsed to one knee.
Faora darted to intercept, fists flying. She traded blow after blow with Granny Goodness, the two women a blur of fists, staff strikes, and guttural roars. Faora finally slammed a knee into Granny's gut, lifting her off her feet. Clark rose beside her, seizing the moment, and together they unleashed twin beams of heat vision.
The combined blast engulfed Granny and her staff, hurling her backward through her own boom tube. She spat blood, snarling. "You… think this is victory? Darkseid is coming!" With a burst of Omega light, she vanished, the surviving Furies dragged with her through a retreating boom tube.
The portal collapsed with a snap, leaving only scorched asphalt and silence.
The remaining Furies, battered and broken, hissed and retreated into the shadows, leaving Metropolis in ruin but standing.
Clark panted, shoulders heaving, sweat dripping down his brow. He turned to Faora, offering his hand.
She stared at it for a moment before clasping it firmly, a warrior's grip.
"That," she said softly, "was a good fight. Not bad, farm boy."
He gave her the faintest smile as he pulled her up. "Not bad yourself soldier girl."
***
Gotham
The night in Gotham was suffocating with smoke. Batman crouched atop a ruined crane, eyes scanning the docks below. He'd expected more Parademons.
Instead, a single figure stepped from the shadows, impeccably dressed in a long military coat, hands clasped neatly behind his back.
Virman Vundabar stood at the center, squat but regal in military garb, his voice amplified through sonic devices. Parademons shifted around him like disciplined soldiers.
"People of Gotham," Virman's voice boomed, "your world is weak. Surrender to the glory of Apokolips, or burn in its fires. Submit to Lord Darkseid."
Batman's lip curled beneath the cowl. "Not on my watch."He moved like a shadow, picking off Parademons one by one. Silent takedowns, explosive batarangs, chokeholds in the dark. The swarm panicked, breaking rank.
"Ah, the famous Batman," Virman said smoothly, his Germanic accent crisp. "Darkseid spoke of you. A tactician, a detective, a mortal who believes he can fight gods. Are you willing to submit?"
Batman didn't respond. His silence was answer enough.
Virman's lips curled. "Then let us see which strategist triumphs tonight."
Without warning, Parademons swarmed from the shadows—hundreds of them. Batman hurled smoke bombs, detonators, and electrified batarangs in quick succession. Explosions rocked the docks, fire blossoming as he grappled through the chaos.
But Virman never moved, his hands behind his back, calmly directing the battle like a conductor with an orchestra.
"Left flank, pin him! Rear assault, cut off his escape! Fire!"
Batman dove, rolled, and fought like a man possessed. His blades sliced wings, his fists shattered carapaces. Still, the numbers overwhelmed him. He was dragged down into the dirt, claws scraping at his armor.
Virman stepped closer, smiling coldly. "So predictable."
Then Batman triggered his contingency. His gauntlet screen lit up, and in an instant, explosives planted earlier across the dockyard detonated. The entire pier erupted in fire. Parademons screeched as flames consumed them, the shockwave hurling Virman off his feet.
Batman rose slowly, cape torn, chest heaving. He loomed over the tactical general, who now coughed blood onto the gravel.
"Predict this," Batman growled, before slamming a shock-charged fist into Virman's jaw, and jumping back as he tried to hit him.
Virman snarled. "Coward! Face me!"
Batman dropped from the rafters, cape spreading wide. His voice was cold steel. "Gladly."
Virman swung a crackling baton, but Bruce sidestepped, striking nerve clusters with surgical precision. Virman's tactics were precise, but Batman's mind was sharper. Every feint answered, every move countered.
Finally, Batman disarmed him with a bone-breaking twist, then slammed him into a control console. Sparks erupted as Virman gasped, stunned.
Batman leaned close, voice low and terrifying. "Tell Darkseid this city isn't his. It never will be."
He struck once more, knocking Virman unconscious, and vanished into the shadows as the boom tube whisked the body away.
"These portals might be connected to their home planet. If we can reverse engineer it, we might be able to send them back before the damage spreads." He thought as he made his way towards another location.
***
Fawcett City
The streets were chaos, lit by flames and broken streetlights. Shazame stood tall, sparks of magical lightning crawling across his gauntlets. Opposite him, Kanto—the master assassin of Apokolips—drew his blade with casual elegance.
Lightning split the sky as Shazame clashed with Kanto, the master assassin of Apokolips. The man in elegant dark garb wielded twin blades that hummed with energy, his movements surgical.
"You're fast," Shazame admitted, blocking strike after strike. Sparks flew as divine power clashed with alien metal.
"You are a child," Kanto said, his voice silken, mocking. "Pretending to wear the mantle of gods."
Shazame grinned. "Yeah, well… this child's about to put you in time-out."
Shazame gritted his teeth, charging forward with raw power, but Kanto danced around him, blades carving shallow cuts. Each one sizzled with poison.
Kanto blurred forward, his blade slicing the air. Shazam barely blocked, sparks erupting as metal clashed with magical aura.
The two fought across rooftops, each strike leaving shockwaves that shattered windows. Kanto's precision was flawless, every strike aimed to kill. Shazam countered with raw power, lightning bursting from his fists, frying Parademons in the vicinity.
Shazame winced, stumbling. His magic resisted the toxins, but Kanto pressed the advantage. "Darkseid doesn't want you dead yet. Consider yourself… recruited."
"Yeah, not happening." Shazame's eyes glowed. He rushed forward and grabbed Kanto. The assassin slashed across Shazam's chest, leaving a glowing cut.
But he endured bellowed, "SHAZAME!"
The lightning bolt struck, divine fury engulfing the battlefield. Kanto shielded himself, but the sheer force blasted him into a crater. When the smoke cleared, Billy stood tall, chest heaving.
"You messed with the wrong wizard, pal."
Kanto staggeredand fell , eyes burning with hatred, then vanished in a boom tube, his blades smoking.
***
Central City & Coast City
The night sky above Central City was fractured by a streak of green light, a sharp flare of emerald slicing through clouds and smoke. The streets below were chaos—cars overturned, lampposts torn down, and terrified civilians scattering in every direction.
A swarm of Parademons screeched overhead, their leathery wings beating violently, glowing yellow eyes sweeping the city for prey.
Hal Jordan, Green Lantern ,gritted his teeth as his ring pulsed with energy, erecting a shimmering barrier that shielded a group of civilians hiding in an alleyway. "Alright, folks, stay down. This isn't exactly rush hour traffic." He turned sharply, his eyes narrowing on the winged creatures above. "Okay, freaks… you want this city? You'll have to go through me."
The Parademons dove. Hal's fist tightened, and the ring responded instantly, shaping glowing green fighter jets that roared upward with blinding speed, missiles of pure willpower firing into the swarm. Explosions rocked the night as several Parademons disintegrated in green fire. But more kept coming, clawing and shrieking, diving toward him with reckless fury.
Hal cursed under his breath. "Why is it never just one? Always a damn swarm…"
Then, an electric flash ripped through the streets, lightning crackling as a red blur darted across cracked pavement.
The Parademons chasing down civilians suddenly found themselves colliding with blinding speed punches, their bodies sent crashing through walls and lamp posts before they even knew what hit them.
The red blur skidded to a halt beside Hal, forming into a man with a crimson suit, golden lightning bolt emblazoned across his chest, and a grin that carried more confidence than the situation probably allowed.
"Wow," the newcomer said breathlessly. "I was just grabbing a late-night snack after cleaning up trash, and I end up running into a bug problem the size of a horror movie."
Hal arched an eyebrow, lowering his ring slightly. "And you are?"
"Flash." The red-suited speedster gave a quick mock salute. "Fastest man alive. Who's this green glowstick?"
Hal smirked. "Green Lantern. Strongest will in the universe." He let the green glow pulse brighter for emphasis.
Flash chuckled. "Yeah, okay. Sure. Let's test that against flying alien cockroaches."
Another shriek cut through the air as the swarm regrouped, charging both of them with burning hunger. Without another word, Flash blurred into motion, circling the incoming horde at blinding speed.
His feet sparked against the pavement, lightning arcing outward as the slipstream of his run whipped up debris.
Caught in the whirlwind, several Parademons spiraled uncontrollably before being slammed into the sides of buildings.
Hal, not to be outdone, summoned a massive glowing flyswatter. "Time to clean house." With a swing that cracked the air, he smacked half a dozen Parademons into the ground with comedic force.
Flash reappeared beside him in a blink, panting slightly. "Okay… that one I didn't see coming."
"Stick with me, kid," Hal grinned. "I've got a million of these."
Together, the two fought in perfect—if unplanned—sync. Flash zipped across the battlefield, striking with pinpoint precision, knocking enemies into positions where Hal's constructs could obliterate them. Hal's ring created shields, barriers, and weapons that kept the swarm at bay, while Flash turned the battlefield itself into his weapon—cracking concrete to trip the monsters, disarming them before they could even react.
But then—the air shifted.
A heavy hum filled the city, and the streetlights flickered as though the very energy around them was being drained. The Parademons, rather than retreating, scattered suddenly, giving way to something larger.
The ground cracked violently as a hulking figure descended, his body encased in dark chitin-like armor that shimmered with green and yellow sparks. His insectoid form radiated menace—glowing compound eyes scanning both heroes with predatory focus.
Mantis had arrived.
"You are pests in Darkseid's garden," the creature hissed, its voice layered with mechanical distortion and insectile clicking. "You will be crushed beneath his will."
Flash muttered, "Great. He brought the bug zapper."
Mantis leapt forward with terrifying speed for his size, slamming into Hal with such force that his emerald shield cracked, sending the Lantern flying through the side of a skyscraper. Hal groaned, coughing through the dust as he forced his ring to stabilize the construct.
Flash zipped forward instantly, throwing a series of supersonic punches at Mantis's carapace, each strike echoing like gunfire. But Mantis barely flinched—his armored shell absorbing the blows. With a sudden swipe of his clawed arm, Mantis swatted Flash across the street, sending him tumbling through a row of parked cars.
"Okay…" Flash groaned, sitting up among the wreckage. "Definitely not a cockroach. More like… a tank with legs."
Hal re-emerged, his ring glowing brighter now, his jaw set. "Guess we're gonna need to double-team this guy."
They did. Hal constructed massive green chains that wrapped around Mantis, trying to bind him in place, while Flash raced around him at supersonic speed, creating a vortex of lightning. Sparks cascaded, tearing up the pavement and forming a storm of raw energy.
But Mantis roared, his body glowing brighter as he discharged a wave of electricity. The shockwave shattered Hal's constructs and hurled Flash across the asphalt. The two heroes slammed into the ground, groaning in unison.
"Alright…" Flash coughed, dragging himself up. "New plan. Don't get hit by the bug's personal power plant."
Hal spat out blood, lifting his ring hand again. "You run interference. I'll go big."
With a nod, Flash blurred back into motion, circling Mantis and throwing distracting strikes at every angle, never staying still long enough to be caught. Mantis snarled, swiping wildly, his claws cutting through empty air as the speedster taunted him.
Meanwhile, Hal focused. His eyes burned with willpower as the ring glowed so brightly it illuminated the entire block. A massive construct formed—an emerald battlesuit, towering over the battlefield, with gauntlets large enough to crush a bus.
"Eat your heart out, bug themed Iron Man," Hal muttered, slamming the construct's fist down onto Mantis with bone-rattling force.
The street shattered under the impact, a crater forming as the villain screeched in rage.
Flash zipped in with the finishing touch, channeling all his momentum into a single, lightning-charged punch. The blow connected with Mantis's jaw like a thunderclap, sending the massive warrior crashing unconscious into the rubble.
Breathing heavily, Hal deactivated the battlesuit, slumping slightly. "Well… that wasn't so bad."
Flash, panting beside him, grinned. "Not bad? My heart's still doing the Macarena. But hey, we actually made a pretty good team."
Hal smirked. "Don't get used to it, rookie."
The two exchanged a look—not of friendship yet, but of mutual respect. The war wasn't over. This was only the beginning.