Several minutes earlier, inside a dilapidated warehouse:
Jefferson Pierce aka; Black Lightning, was barely standing. His black suit with golden accents was torn in half a dozen places, the once-bright lightning symbols scorched and faded.
Blood seeped through cuts across his body, his broken goggles hanging off his face. His breaths came ragged, each one shaking his chest.
And across from him, untouched and completely fine, stood the Flash. Scarlet suit gleaming in the dim light of a half-collapsed warehouse, golden lightning bolts at his ears, the sharp lightning insignia glinting on his chest. Orange-red arcs of Speed Force energy crackled off his body, sizzling through the air.
"I get why you tried that EMP wave," Barry said with a calm but sharp voice. "But all it did was cut off the comms; for both of us, that is."
He took a step forward, the glow of the Speed Force buzzing brighter around him.
"First of all, any kind of electric field that's not the Speed Force itself won't affect me at all. And second; if you were aiming at my biological electric impulses? That's just… stupid. Totally different thing."
Jefferson coughed, blood flecking his lip. "Yeah, yeah. I get it… should've seen that coming." His voice was low and bitter. He didn't need another lecture. And besides, it was more for him, to sense Flash's movements through the Electro Magnetic field.
Although, one fact still bore through the haze of his pain; if Barry wanted him dead, he would already be. This wasn't even a fight; it was just The Flash stalling. Which meant one thing.
'They're waiting for Batman.' He thought. But whatever the actual reason, Jefferson knew he was one wrong twitch from being finished.
Then to their surprise, came a voice. Deep, mocking, echoing through the warehouse. "My, my. Look at the state of this timeline, Flash."
Barry froze. His eyes widened beneath the mask, pupils shrinking to pinpricks. He turned, disbelief and shock written all over his face.
The figure in yellow stepped from the shadows; he wore bright suit, blood-red lightning emblem across his chest.
Reverse-Flash. The name echoed in both the Flash's and Black Lightning's heads.
"Thawne," Barry spat, venom dripping in the single word. "No, this can't- How? You were-"
His words were cut off as Reverse Flash interjected, "Dead?" Thawne's grin was razor sharp. "That's a bit subjective for us speedsters, don't you think?" He strolled forward, hands behind his back, circling Barry like a wild cat.
"Why?" Barry demanded. "What are you doing here? This isn't your place, nor your time. You know the consequences of doing this."
Thawne chuckled, a low and cruel sound. "Coming from you? That's rich." He paused then added, "and why, you ask? Because of you, obviously."
Barry frowned and Thawne continued with a chuckle, "Barry Allen, the Flash, living it all to his fullest in this... broken world… and me, the Reverse-Flash, not here to keep you company? That'd be rude."
He edged closer, but before Barry could bolt, he felt it; something crawling up his legs. He looked down.
Rubbery, flesh-colored tendrils were already winding around his boots, up to his waist. His heart lurched, realizing what had actually happened. "No-" He moved.
But it was too late. Thawne's form twisted, warped and expanded into a stretched, grotesque sheet that snapped forward and wrapped around him.
"Plastic Man?" Barry choked out in a muffled voice.
"In the flesh- plastic, technically," Patrick's voice echoed darkly inside the cocoon.
Barry tensed, but froze as Patrick added, almost cynically, "try anything and let me remind you… I already have little tentacles slipping through most of your holes." The Flash's blood ran cold.
"As I said- most. Don't worry, I'm not that weird," Patrick continued. "But you get the idea, don't you. It wouldn't take much effort for me to yank out something… important. So, be smart and just go to sleep." Patrick spoke.
Tiny extensions of his body slid into Barry's airways, cutting off most of his oxygen supply. Within seconds, the Speedster's eyes rolled back, his body going limp inside the living prison.
Plastic Man peeled himself away, reforming into his usual lanky frame. Barry's unconscious body slumped to the ground.
Jefferson just stared, mouth half open, face twisted in shock. "Ugh," he muttered. "That's gonna take a while to get out of my head."
Patrick grinned. "You're welcome?" He paused, then shrugged. "Anyway, let's find Harley and the others. Oh, and by the way, have you met the new-"
He stopped mid speech as the warehouse shook as if an earthquake had hit, a thunderous boom rattled the walls, echoing from far away as old dust and rust rained from the ceiling.
Jefferson's eyes narrowed. "Let's find them first. We'll talk later."
Patrick gave a quick nod, his usual smirk sliding back into place. Together, they moved out of the wrecked building.
As Plastic Man and Black Lightning ran out of the warehouse, they caught sight of a massive column of dust and debris rising high above the southern edge of the city.
For a moment it stole their attention, but Jefferson quickly called Batman, reporting his status before the two turned back to their immediate task.
Back to Satoru:
Satoru stood in the center of the ground that looked like it was hit by a meteor, his grin still plastered across his face.
His right arm was still gone, his chest torn open by the earlier strike, but the bleeding had already stopped. He ruffled the back of his head like it was nothing and muttered, "Whew… that felt good."
On the far side of the crater, Diana pushed herself upright, her shield still braced in front of her. Her arm shook from the recoil.
'That attack…' she thought, her body remembering the intense repulsive force that had just hit her. Even blocked, it felt like she had taken a direct blow strong enough to rattle her bones.
She rose slowly, confusion flickering in her eyes as she looked at him. Wounded, missing a limb, yet still standing with the same cocky confidence as before.
"I see it now," Satoru said. His tone broke into a laugh, low at first, then climbing into manic hysteria. "I knew I felt something like it before. Sukuna's attack… Hehehe… hahahaha!"
He covered his face with his left hand, laughter rolling through the battlefield.
'Has he lost it?' Diana wondered, unsettled by the look in his eyes.
At the base, Batman, Oracle, and Zatanna watched the live feed silently. None of them knew what to say.
Satoru stopped as suddenly as he started. He dropped his hand, pointed at Diana, and clenched his fist.
"Round two." His amused voiced echoed through the destruction.
For the first time, Diana felt something strange cut through the fight. Admiration? She didn't know. His madness was wild, but his resilience was undeniable.
'Spirit of a true warrior,' She thought. "Then, human warrior," she said, tightening her grip on her weapons. "It's only right I answer in kind."
She dropped into her stance, then exploded forward, leaving a path of destruction in her wake. Satoru launched to meet her, his speed nearly matching hers.
They clashed head-on. He ducked under her sword, kicked her shield aside, then twisted midair to drive a heel toward her head. Diana blocked it with her forearm, the impact blasting out a shockwave that shoved them both apart.
They steadied themselves, smiling. Diana's was more subtle. Satoru's stretched wide, like a feral wild cat.
She came again, sword lunging forward before she pivoted to slam her shield into him. He slipped past the blade, deflected the shield, and answered with a rapid stream of punches; all from his single remaining hand.
The battlefield shook as they traded blow for blow. Her sword and shield clashed against his fist and foot, each impact cracking the ground and splitting the air.
Infinity still hummed around him, untouched, but Satoru's eyes weren't only on her. He was watching her sword, analyzing every strike.
'That blade.' He could feel the strange frequency emitting from it. 'An authority that negates physical rules? Almost like the Inverted Spear of Heaven. She's Zeus's daughter, isn't she? Then that's it… A divine weapon probably.'
He let one strike glance the barrier, close enough to study how it reacted. In that moment, his eyes tracked its strange glow, he pulled away, calculating everything within that fraction of a second.
Diana noticed his focus drifting onto something else, but his movements never faltered. His speed, reaction, precision, aggression; they were all still locked in.
The longer she fought him, the clearer it became. 'This man… He's dangerous.' She thought. Her objective was now more clear; it wasn't just about having a fun battle anymore.
Diana spun fast, her sword cutting the air in a deadly arc, divine magic sparking brighter around its edge, which he dodged easily, going airborne.
She shifted into a reverse grip, dropped low, then slammed her shield into the ground. And with the hand which she held the sword in reverse, she smashed her bracelet against it.
The impact unleashed a massive shockwave of sound and wind. The force ripped forward, shredding the battlefield, blowing apart stone and soil in a violent burst.
Caught midair, Satoru was thrown back hard, dragged several meters by the gale. He forced himself upright, his hand digging deep into the ground as his momentum finally broke.
When he looked up, Diana was already there. Her sword glowed brighter than ever, divine energy flaring with raw intensity. But this time, something was different.
She froze. The blade had stopped, hanging just inches from his face. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"God Killer?" she whispered, as though speaking to the weapon itself, confusion flashing across her face.
Satoru rose to his feet, his voice was clear. "Your sword."
She took a few steps back as he continued, his tone cutting through the tension. "All you need to do is visualize what you want to cut, right?"
He paused for a few then continued, "a divine weapon that can slice through anything. But since you couldn't define what my barrier was, you changed the target as a whole. Not my barrier but me." His smile softened.
Diana's eyes widened. That had been her exact thought, and it had worked. The divine blade had cut him before when she willed it to. But now… it had been stopped.
"How did I do it?" Satoru asked as if he read her mind.
He smirked, "It's simple, really. I've got a special pair of eyes, you see. I just had to read the flow of your divine magic, or whatever you call it."
Inside, his thoughts sharpened. 'It's still tricky to wire my senses to auto-defend against that kind of energy… but if I focus, I can resist it pretty easily.'
Diana's mind reeled. 'He analyzed all that, while fighting like this?' Her gaze locked onto his eyes, and for the first time, something cold pressed down her spine.
'I need to end him, now.' That thought hit her like a command, pressing her with an urgency she couldn't brush aside. She couldn't let him live.
Without another word, she vanished, blurring into motion. Satoru stood casually, his wild grin replaced with a calm, knowing smirk.
His body shifted smoothly to the side, dodging the sword as it sliced past. Diana followed with a shield strike, but he caught her wrist and flung it away. Her blade came again, only to crash against Infinity, stopped clean.
She took a leap back, but her eyes widened as she finally saw it; a glowing blue sphere hovering in front of his severed arm, cursed energy shimmering bright against her face.
The pull began immediately as the sphere dispersed. She was dragged forward by the attractive force of Limitless Blue.
Cursed energy flared off of Satoru like a blazing inferno, concentrating into his remaining hand. His fist, pulled back, fingers curling tight. In an instant, all that raging energy winked out, disappearing into silence.
Diana was helplessly pulled closer, every detail stretching into slow motion before her eyes. Satoru's right leg shifted back, his body leaning forward, coiled and ready. His fist, aimed straight at her core.
Then it happened. Cursed energy detonated at the exact fraction of a second before impact, flashing black as the space itself bent.
A crack split the air like thunder, shaking the battlefield to its core when his fist slammed into her abdomen.
Dark red and black arcs erupted from the impact, rippling outward in violent waves. The ground shattered in a web of destruction, shockwaves exploding out across the crater.
"Black Flash," Satoru muttered with completely steady but low voice. His CE output was soaring; 250% higher than anything his old self had ever achieved.
Diana's body went still, her eyes rolled white as blood poured from her mouth and nose. She was knocked out cold while her body stood still.
Satoru straightened, the bold smirk back on his face, "that's a good night."
Back at the base, everyone was on their feet, eyes locked on the screen with stunned expressions.
'Did he just knock Wonder Woman the fuck out?' Oracle and Zatanna both thought, though neither spoke it aloud.
Batman's face stayed unreadable, but his mind was already racing. 'Another demi-god level powerhouse.' Whether that was good or bad for them… only time would tell.
He glanced down at Oracle, who was hammering away at the keys, her shock written across her face.
"His energy levels," Batman muttered.
"Even though we don't know what it actually is," Oracle said quickly, "Cursed Energy he calls it, it's spiked to ridiculous levels compared to before."
Zatanna crossed her arms, still staring at the feed. "And the civilians?"
"They've rerouted with Black Lightning and Plastic Man," Oracle answered. "I've already laid out a safe path. With Patrick there, they won't face major problems."
Batman leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "I'm getting two more readings." His fingers tapped over the controls and a new feed appeared on the screen.
"Satoru," he called through the comms.
Before he could add anything, Satoru's voice came back, "Yeah, I know. I can feel them. Don't worry… I've got this."
On the battlefield, Satoru stood in front of Wonder Woman's body. She was still upright, sword and shield clutched tight even as her consciousness had gone away.
He could feel it; the surge from the Black Flash still burning inside him, his cursed energy output climbing even higher. A calm smile tugged at his lips.
Then the sky split. A colossal bolt of golden lightning crashed down on him. Satoru didn't move. He didn't even bother to dodge.
A blur shot through the air, snatching Wonder Woman away before the strike landed. 'Shazam and Cyborg, huh? And one more's coming.' Satoru thought, his eyes tracking the two figures.
"Shazam, you keep him busy. I'll take her," Cyborg called, turning midair as his systems lit up.
The man in the red suit hovered closer, muscle-bound frame wrapped in gold accents, a bright lightning emblem across his chest, white cape snapping behind him. His hood shadowed his eyes, but the electricity around him made his presence impossible to miss.
Then another bolt tore from the heavens; this one was brighter, tinged blue. It slammed into the ground alongside Shazam's.
Shazam looked up with his teeth clenched, "Black Adam." He said in a questioning tone.
"Looked like you needed some help, kid," Adam said flatly, his own black-and-gold suit gleaming with metallic edges.
Shazam reluctantly frowned, but gave a stiff nod. Both men spread out, blasting lightning from opposite sides, their twin storms crashing down on Satoru.
The battlefield shook under the relentless assault. Dust and fire filled the air until nothing could be seen. Seconds later, the strikes ended. The dust slowly drifted away. Shazam and Black Adam both narrowed their eyes.
Satoru stood exactly where he had been, untouched. Aside from the missing arm and the open wound on his chest, he looked as calm as ever. They were about to launch in again when their eyes widened.
Back at the base, Batman reached for comms. "Plastic Man, we might need-"
"Wait," Zatanna cut him off, pointing at the live feed. Everyone froze again.
Satoru raised his right stump. His cursed energy spiked higher, heat rippling in waves around him. From the severed section, a warm red glow burst outward.
Then bone and muscle began to regrow. Veins and nerves stitched themselves together in real time, flesh and skin weaving over until his arm stretched back into place.
His chest followed, skin pulling over muscle, sealing the wound as if the injury had never existed. It was like watching time itself reverse.
Why had he waited this long? Simple; he'd been too busy enjoying the fight.
Regenerative healing wasn't new to any of them, but this was different. It's speed and control, was. Watching him rebuild himself so quickly was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Shazam and Black Adam both hesitated, eyes fixed on him. Then the clouds above parted, and golden sunlight poured down, bathing Satoru as if the heavens themselves were blessing his presence.
A gentle wind brushed past his face. He closed his eyes for a second, relishing the high. His cursed energy swelled, its weight rolling outward.
The wizards stiffened. They had never felt an energy like this before. It pressed against them, heavy enough to send an involuntary chill down their spines.
Black Adam moved first. Shazam followed immediately. Both shot forward, transforming into lightning streaks; one blazing yellow, the other burning blue.
Satoru vanished. To everyone watching, it clearly looked like teleportation.
Shazam's eyes widened as he felt Satoru behind him, a hand almost brushing the back of his neck. Before contact could be made, Satoru flickered out of reach, sidestepping Black Adam's lightning-fueled punch that cracked through the space he'd just occupied.
'Instant teleportation?' Both wizards thought, a bit unsettled.
They tried a joint strike again, lightning clashing from both sides. But Satoru slipped through them easily, counters landing close enough to just brush past him.
What made it worse; a bit maddening even, was that he still hadn't used anything beyond that teleportation, his infuriating barrier and his sheer physical skill.
Shazam blurred forward, aiming to cut him off. Satoru shifted, caught his wrist, vaulted over him, and clamped onto the back of his neck. The next moment, both vanished.
They reappeared high in the sky. Shazam braced, expecting to be released; but Satoru tightened his grip and dove.
He drove Shazam downward with brutal force, their bodies tearing through the air. Hundreds of meters high, Satoru vanished again, speed multiplying several times over.
The two reappeared on the ground, Shazam's face slammed first into the earth. The impact detonated into a massive shockwave, blasting dust and rocks outward like a bomb.
'Trying to out speed him is pointless, he moves like a speedster,' Black Adam realized grimly. His magic flared, lightning crawling thick over his arms, his fists sparking with destructive force.
He charged in and Satoru slipped back, then raised his arm to block the incoming punch.
'He's stronger than her,' Satoru thought, measuring the strike. But worried? Not even close. 'Like I ever would be.' He thought with a grin.
He blinked forward and unleashed a barrage of punches. Black Adam caught and deflected the first few, but Satoru adjusted, analyzing every movement in real time.
He slipped past Adam's guard, snapped a jab into his chin, then chained together a string of rapid strikes to the face. He ended the combo with a full spinning kick, his heel cracking into the side of Adam's jaw.
Black Adam staggered back, rage burning across his face.
Shazam shook off the haze of his crash, pushing to move again; when Cyborg's voice cut sharp through their comms.
"Wait!" Shazam called out. He looked to Black Adam. "It's Cyborg. He says something happened with Superman."
Black Adam clenched his fist, lightning crawling up his arm. "Are you being serious boy… Right now?"
Shazam gritted his teeth. "It sounds urgent."
Reluctantly, he leapt into the air. Before leaving, his eyes locked on Satoru, narrowed with frustration. Satoru just shrugged, smirk tugging at his lips, like he didn't give a shit if this fight continued or not.
Black Adam wiped a thin line of blood from his mouth, smiling darkly. "Consider yourself lucky, mortal."
Satoru tilted his head. "I am, lucky. What's there to consider?"
Adam let out a low growl and blasted off into the sky, vanishing with the crackle of his magic.
Satoru exhaled, lifting his head to the open sky. The warmth of the sun washed over his face, the last traces of adrenaline still burning in his veins.
He'd managed to learn a lot today. Adapt and Evolve, that was his style, after all. 'That was fun…' he thought with a smile.
To be continued!