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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Reader mode
Mr Zoat said:
16th September 2012
21:09 GMT -5

Which wouldn't usually do very much, but between the eye damage, kryptonite radiation and concussive head trauma, he doesn't think to use his flying ability to negate their pull. Demon Superman goes down hard, face first into the rubble, which looks impressive but doesn't do anything to injure him further and makes it impossible for us to hit his eyes any further.
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Lucky. Because, just as they depicted it in the DCEU, being able to basically ignore gravity makes for quite the dangerous physical combatant. Knocked down? Just lift off a little and slide along at ankle-height! Need extra force behind a blow? Use a burst of supersonic speed to add it!

I fire another mage slayer round and wait for orders as Diana and Artemis begin to tie him up and Shadow of War settles back down on his head.

"I know that he was a great man." Atom Man floats closer, another charged shot pointing at the top of Demon Superman's head. "But would it not be kinder to kill him? If I had done this to the Fatherland, I would not thank you-"
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Better to let him decide that, once he's in his right mind again.

Overman and Superman slam into opposite sides of Demon Superman's head, the air buckling and blasting outwards at hurricane force!

Atom Man leans into it, the push of the wind fighting against his flight system.
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Not much more damage they can do to the city at this point. Amazed half the towers are still standing after all this.

"-for sparing me."

"Think it through, Atom Man. This world is a wreck. They need him alive to put it back together again."
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A feat worthy of a Super-Man.

"Ah. Cruel, but practical."

Demon Superman manages to move his right hand, scrabbling for something to push against. I fire another teleported mage slayer and Atom Man shoots the questing hand, causing visible burns to appear on the back and making it spasm and draw back.
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Ah-ah, big guy. Take your licks like a man.

"Baroness, bring in Crusader. Orange Lantern, shield him."

"Sir."
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Got to love how respectful he is, no matter who that might be talking. He's under their command, they're 'Sir'.

A red blur and then Baroness Reiter appears, carrying Crusader in both arms while he in turn carries the Spear. They're-. Heh, appropriate, on the Daily Planet ruin/throne. Crusader kneels in prayer with the Spear clasped before him while-

I transition down and erect a construct shield.
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Center of the infection, so to speak. The channels may well already be jammed wide open for his magic to flow through, because of Rakkar's actions. all they have to do is change flavours.

-Baroness Reiter twitches the twitch of someone used to moving fast who has now stopped moving.

"I've got this. You can-."
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Actual superspeed, rather than whatever emulation of it she was using before... Quite a heady sensation, isn't it? Especially since there is a Speed Force in this universe...

"I need to stay in case Crusader need to be repositioned."

I nod. "Holy water go down okay?"
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Would have been an amusing sight at superspeed: droplets of water suspended in the air as they pass out of her speed 'bubble'.

She nods, standing so that she can keep Demon Superman-

Overman and Superman fly into his head again.
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Heh. They make quite the 'Bash Brothers' pairing.

-and Crusader in view as the blue light begins to spread out across the city.

"How do you know this ritual?"
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OL has made it a point to know just about everything, after all. And for the things he doesn't know, he has experts he can call in. One of the best super-powers: The Rolodex of Knowledgeable Allies! :V

"Got possessed by an elemental, once. Met an exorcist called Father Mattias. After we had to interrupt a major summoning I made sure I knew the procedure."

"Is that common on your Earth?"
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Not as much as it could be, for which OL is no doubt thankful.

"Common? No, but it happens. How are you handling the added speed?"

Because when you've got Flash mind controlled and know the procedure for bestowing speed, what sort of ninny doesn't use it?
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So, she's running on speed borrowed from the Flash? Interesting concept. I assume it won't stick once she goes home, though.

"It works. I would be dead without it." She pauses for a moment. "Would it help if I prayed as well?"

"The words don't matter. Faith matters. If you don't have it, don't bother."
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And yes, we've already had the Nazi Christianity discussion before...

"Do you?"

"No. No faith in any benevolent higher power. I make pacts with gods I can trust as I would anyone else."
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More like business transactions, really. They get as much out of them as he does. Even his worship of Eris was a calculated choice... Which he probably wouldn't have made if he'd remembered Ploutos existed.

Probably best that I don't mention my interactions with the Host within hearing range of Crusader.

"You?"
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...Probably best not to break the faith of the only person you've got who can help cast this spell...

"Today I found out that demons are real and faith in God can ward them off."

"Alright, but I'll warn you that faith in the Source cannot be authentically combined with National Socialism. The Source does not care when you hold the Sabbath or what colour your skin is. That 'camel through the eye of a needle' stuff was right on the money."
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'Eye of a Needle', for reference. A surprisingly common concept in all the Abrahamic faiths, though used in subtly different ways by each.

"You belief something like that and you say that you don't have religious faith?"

"I can describe a belief set without holding to it myself. Though if you were wondering, the Hellenic gods don't care about those things either. Though they're more forgiving on the subject of covetousness."
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...Well, they'd have to be, after all. Given their own natures... Zeus and Apollo's various 'romantic' obsessions for a start...

The blue light spreads slowly at first, moving sluggishly over the ground tainted by demon magic. Then it finds the path that she and Crusader ran earlier and flashes along it, guided by the sanctified water splashed from his thurible. It's not literally being conducted by the water, but partially by the ideas mankind has about sacred spaces and partially by the faith Crusader José Luis Lopez has in the divine plan and his role in it.

The Lasso of Truth is binding Demon Superman's arms, now, and it looks like he's either too insensible to move or has given up on trying to break out.
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Or he's gained enough strength now to try and fight back against Rakkar...

"We will free you, Clark!"

Demon Superman raises his head at the mention of his host's name, only for Angelika to strike him in the back of the head with both feet. Atom Man also takes the opportunity to shoot him in the face, though between the low power of the shot and Demon Superman's partially regenerated demonic aura is does little but make him instinctively jerk away.
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...Who is probably in control of this form, and hopefully feeling every bit of the pain it's receiving...

Hm.

The blue light is spreading faster, and I see it as it reaches the first unconscious Marked cultists. It… Laps around them, wafting up and over their bodies for a moment before glowing and expanding with greater vigour. Their bodies seem… Perhaps more relaxed? Afterwards.
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Though not actually healed of the... Toothiness? That could be painful.

It's working.

But just in case. Railgun. Because there are three other kryptonians in close proximity, and-.
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Just in case whatever's responsible is contagious, huh? Smart man.

Overman and Superman dive in for another attack as I see Demon Superman's throat bulge.

"Caution."
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Oh, this is going to be disgusting...

Demon Superman convulses, his head thrown back as a red.. ball-shaped thing erupts from his throat and flies at Overman, talons outstretched and mouth open to bite! He fires heat vision at it, but it ignores the searing read beams as it reaches for him-.

And then my angel feather rounds hit it in the chest and head.
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Honestly surprised that works on it, but I suppose Kryptonians had their own equivalent to the Silver City, Angels and holy energies.

"Gahhhhhh!"

Golden fire envelopes… Whatever the heck it is that caused all of this. No mortal flesh to hide in any longer.
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'Such a strange fate... That we should feel such fear and doubt over so small a thing...' Not quite tiny, but in the end... It's kind of pathetic, isn't it?

"Nooo! I can still-."

Diana punches it in the bulbous chest, and it… Bursts, the few parts of its foul body not consumed by golden fire vaporising as the blue light of Crusader's spell flows over Superman's recumbent body.
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And so ends the last remnant of Krypton's Hell. A pity it caused so much harm before it went.

And I hear… Something that makes my soul shudder at the unclean feeling it evokes. I can't… Put it in words. As if some foul presence that felt itself master of the world found that it's hold were not as sure as it thought. And felt unimaginable malice for those involved in thwarting it.

And then it's quiet once more. Crusader sags, Spear falling from his grip as his spell rushes for the horizon in all directions. Superman's body shrinks, and Diana darts down to check on him.
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Now, to see if Clark survives the aftermath. Between the changes, the injuries and his own feelings...

And so the mission is accomplished... Now, the cleanup will begin. Checking to see if the world is entirely cleansed... Whether the people returned to what they once were... And making sure villains like Wolf Kreiger aren't still in the wind to make further trouble. Fortunately, a lot of that can be done via power Ring. At any rate, this Earth has been forever changed...
Old Knife said:
I wonder which demon that was. Mr Smiley face?
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As others have noted, a Kryptonian demon from their Hell. A one-issue wonder that appeared in Superman #666. Basically, it survived the destruction by metaphorically clinging to Kal-El's escape rocket, and eventually (by making deals with various Lords of Hell including Neron) got a chance to possess Superman.
In the comic, this whole universe was only glimpsed in a few pages of story, because Superman somehow foresaw this, and laid a trap with the help of the Phantom Stranger: A 'false soul' for Rakkar to corrupt without harming Kal-El. So in the end, the demon's plan failed... But he survived as a slave of the Lords of Hell.
 
Xelloss said:
Mr Zoat, I heard the British are having a competition for a new royal pudding. Will you do an orange one ? ;)
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No.
Ngamer11 said:
Are you implying that Paul has another plan wherein Earth 10 will be defenseless to another force while most of its heavy hitters are on Earth 666?
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I'm afraid most of the New Reichsmen are still on Earth 10. What I meant was that he's inclined to try and get as many collectables as he can, regardless of whether that's an optimal strategy or not. In a game you can always generate more engineers, but in real life those engineers you've ordered to rush the Construction Yard have families.
 
Chojin Patriarch said:
So, she's running on speed borrowed from the Flash? Interesting concept
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I think it first showed up with Max Mercury.

Wally was able to absorb his speed in order to stop him when he was possessed.

Chojin Patriarch said:
More like business transactions, really. They get as much out of them as he does. Even his worship of Eris was a calculated choice... Which he probably wouldn't have made if he'd remembered Ploutos existed.
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I don't think he would have gone for that.

Ploutos is a god of wealth in this story and Paul doesn't really need wealth.

Actually I think before he chose Eris one of the Amazons mentioned him.
 
Darko said:
I think it first showed up with Max Mercury.

Wally was able to absorb his speed in order to stop him when he was possessed.
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To be clear, it's an ability from the comics.

Didn't work on Hunter Zolomon because his speed comes from temporal distortion, but it works fine on everyone else and it's teachable.
 
Good news no more Demon Superman.
Bad news a completely mind broken and soul crushed superman.

Damn it lex stop doing the happy dance!

And an entire earth will need to rebuild.

No Lex we are not doing a GATE: Thus Lex corp exploited here.
and Don't you you other guys get ideas either, GATE: and thus the Nazi's occupied here isn't going to be a thing either.
 
Bud-E said:
Converting the Nazi's might make them better people. At least less prejudice.
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Fairly sure that Paul is doing what might be called a virtuous lie. There have been powered source worshipers in DC that did all sorts of things. The faith seems more important than being correct.

Of course Paul is heading that of at the pass.
 
Ganurath said:
Compare the g in "falling" from the last paragraph to the g in "thwarting" toward the end of the preceeding paragraph. It switches to the Demon!Paul font.
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I had another look and they are exactly the same... on mobile.

I booted up my PC and yes the second to last paragraph is different to the rest of the text. Good spot! I never would have realised if you hadn't mentioned it.

Edit: The Demons speech is also in the other font too.
 
Chojin Patriarch said:
because Superman somehow foresaw this,
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He saw it coming because Rakkar was so unsubtle about what he was doing that we had a couple pages of heroes linked to various forces spontaneously going "He comes for you Superman!"

And then off panel presumably went "Huh. Should probably let Clark know something spooky is coming at him."

Michael Vonica said:
I'm pretty sure the situation is that the super weak Kryptonian demon got some help possessing Superman from a more local Lord of Hell, who is now pissed at everyone.
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Pretty much.

The Lords of Hell supercharged Rakkar on the logic that a kryptonian demon would be better able to possess a kryptonian.
 
Pinklestia said:
Meh, Superman defeated a Kryptontian GODDESS once, by dunking her in Earth's sun.
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I remember her from the 90s. Cythonna. Kind of a Kryptonian goddess/yandere obsessive type.

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Chad Rao.

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Krummkreuz (part 23)
  • Threadmarks
    • 16th September 2012
    23:21 GMT -5

    "Mr Holt?"

    His company Cyberwear is the tech company version of Image Comics. No actual technological development is done by its employees. Rather, it exists to handle sales, distribution and fabrication of its owner's creative vision.

    It has very clearly seen better days.

    Something smashed the front doors apart, the hinges holding on while the doors themselves lie in the foyer. Along with a great many neatly-stacked bodies in varying states of decay whose blood has been used to draw demonic sigils on the floor and walls. Mr. Holt is an omnidisciplinary genius and it appears that his genius extended itself to demon magic.

    "Mr Holt?"

    The intercom crackles.

    "Lantern."

    "I can't find you with all these wards up. Where are you?"

    "Why?"

    "So I can fix your arms and legs."

    The lift doors clank open and Mr. Holt clunks out, supported by a bodged but solid looking mechanical frame.

    "I'll say again." His mask makes it hard to tell what his exact expression is, but his voice sounds like a man who's been through the wringer. Which, obviously, he has. "Why?"

    His wounds are bound with some sort of elasticised bandage, each of the spikes I saw go into him having either vanished back to hell or been physically removed.

    "Because everyone's been through the same thing as you, and we need someone intelligent enough to put things back together." I raise my left hand slightly, hesitantly pointing my ring at him. "Lex Luthor is confirmed dead, and I haven't been able to find out what happened to Batman."

    "Put a gun in his mouth when he started changing." He shakes his head. "I just assumed it was a telepathic attack. I shielded this place against-." He cuts himself off. "Yeah. It makes sense. It's going to have to be me." He looks at my ring. "Is it going to hurt?"

    "No."

    An orange beam connects us, his body showing the same signs of extreme stress as the various cultists I've patched up in addition to the Glasgow grin and puncture wounds. When the light fades he checks the movement of his hands and then triggers the 'unlock' mechanism on his frame.

    "Parallel universe?"

    "Two different parallel universes. Diana and Crusader are from this one, Superman and I from Universe Sixteen and the rest from Universe Ten."

    "I recognized some of them from Axis Amerika. Is that a parallel where villains are heroes?"

    "Um."

    "Oh. So what the hell-?" He shudders at his own choice of words. "What are they doing here?"

    "Wolf Krieger was trying to expand onto their Earth. They know nothing about magic or parallel universes. They're just here to fix the problem at its source."

    "Nazis are playing nice?"

    "It's…"

    "You went with what you could get."

    "In a decent civilisation, you can remain a reasonably moral individual by just doing what everyone around you is. For someone born in a world ruled by fascists, it takes… Effort, most people won't make, in order to become better than you were raised to be."

    "True, but if they go right back-. We're in no condition to rehabilitate them here, even if they wanted to stay."

    "I know." I shake my head. "I'm just here to dump information on you to get you up to speed. I'll be talking through our ongoing 'rehabilitation' efforts with their Superman."

    "What happened with our Superman?"

    "Hasn't regained consciousness since we got the demon possessing him out of him and destroyed it. Any idea what happened to him?"

    Mr. Holt shakes his head. "It was an actual demon?" I transmit the recording to his mask. His stance changes slightly as he gets confirmation. "A parasite. All of this…"

    "With my parallel it was time travellers." I give what I hope is a sympathetic shrug. "Not quite this bad, but we lost a few countries."

    "What's the global picture?"

    "Morgan le Fay now rules Britain, and she's got things somewhat under control. The Marked were attacking her fortifications but that's not an issue any longer and she probably doesn't need help. Zandia has some religious organisation who was able to keep everyone safe."

    …

    "What about everywhere..?" He realises. "Else."

    "That's it. Everywhere else… The more urban, the worse things are. I'm sure-."

    Alert.

    "Ah. Mister Richard Swift has returned to Opal City. I was hoping that he'd recover. It appears that Crusader's spell worked on even individuals with unusual physiology."

    "So all the supervillains who survived are back in action."

    "Yes, but all of the ones who used their powers for theft just became irrelevant. There's no economy. Even superhuman warlordism-."

    "Would actually stabilise things. And probably keep regular people out of the line of fire." He sighs. "I had to burn my T-Spheres to avoid memetic contamination."

    "You can just say 'magic'."

    "That's imprecise." He looks around. He's not just seeing the bodies for the first time, but he's showing me that he's looking. "I knew these people. When I cut them up, they were happy to be used like that. What did this, I can't think of anything more evil. And I'm not even going to be able to bury them. We don't have time. I'm going to have to drag them outside and cremate them."

    "No. I'll handle that. You need to get started on your T-Spheres."

    He stares for a few moments longer, then nods.

    "How long can you stay for?"

    "At the moment, the Nazis are still on-task, hunting down Wolf Krieger and other villains who might be able to make a portal to Earth Ten. But that won't remain the case for long, and I can't leave them unsupervised. Call it three days."

    He nods. "Do you have a spare power ring?"

    "I can make rings, but orange rings are memetic hazards too. I've gone crazy a few times using it, but-."

    Alert! Will detected!

    A green power ring flies in through the open door.

    "But it looks like that's been taken care of."
     
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