Kaldur still carried the weight of the Hour of Chaos.
He had been unable to help due to the pillars of fire.
That would not happen again.
The trident Joseph had given him erased that weakness entirely.
"Stand down, Atlantean."
Black Lightning raised his hands as arcs of electricity crackled between his fingers.
Kaldur allowed himself a single breath.
Then he moved.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught glimpses of the battlefield—
Artemis weaving through a storm of arrows, her Darkstar Exo-Mantle blazing as twin plasma cannons intercepted every shot from Green Arrow and Huntress midair. She pressed forward carefully, deliberately holding back—but the demons controlling them knew it. They exploited her restraint, stepping into danger without fear, forcing her to hesitate.
Nearby, Arsenal faced the same dilemma against Mister Terrific and The Question, his attacks powerful but measured, unwilling to cross the line.
Further still—
Robin flipped through a Boom Tube as Batman pursued relentlessly, wielding a Mother Box and confiscated Apokoliptian weaponry.
And in the distance—
Zatanna clashed with Zatara, magic tearing through the air as father and daughter dueled.
Kaldur refocused.
The Trident of Lucifer flared in his grasp—hellfire and lightning spiraling together in violent harmony.
"I cannot."
Black Lightning struck first.
A surge of electricity roared forward—
Kaldur answered.
Hellfire met lightning—
—and the collision detonated across the battlefield.
**
Not far away—
Etrigan was being driven back.
Icon advanced relentlessly, each strike carrying immense, controlled power. Even for a demon of Etrigan's caliber, it was overwhelming.
"You are Lord Trigon's grandson. Yield, and he will welcome you with open arms," Icon said.
Etrigan snarled, skidding across the ground.
"Thy strength is great, thy will unbent—
Yet hell's own fire is far from spent—"
Icon didn't let him finish.
A punch slammed into Etrigan's jaw, sending him crashing through shattered stone.
Before Icon could press the advantage—
A green blur dropped from the sky.
The Green Powerpuff Girl—Buttercup.
"Back off, horn-head. I've got this."
She cracked her knuckles—
—and vanished.
What followed was a blur of motion.
Punch.
Kick.
Impact after impact landed faster than the eye could follow.
Icon tried to respond—blocked one, maybe two—
Then Buttercup accelerated.
Her fists became a storm.
She drove him into the ground with a final, brutal combo that cratered the earth beneath him.
Silence.
Dust settled.
Icon lay unconscious—face bruised, body still.
Buttercup landed lightly, then flexed her tiny arms with a grin.
"Look at these muscles. This is what fighting's all about!"
Etrigan stared at her.
"…A curious ally, fierce and small—
A tempest wrapped in childlike thrall."
A dark portal opened nearby.
Raven stepped through.
Her expression hardened as she approached Icon's body.
Four red eyes flared across her face.
Dark energy surged—
An enormous astral raven formed around her, its wings spreading wide before it dove—
Passing through Icon's body in a single, fluid motion.
A shriek echoed—
Then silence.
The demon was gone.
Before anything else could happen—
Phantom Stranger appeared, his cloak sweeping through the air as he lifted the unconscious Icon.
They vanished in an instant.
Etrigan, seeing his fight was done, turned—
—and froze.
In the distance, John Constantine stood slack-jawed beside Blossom…
who had somehow twisted Plastic Man into a perfect pretzel.
Further out—
Bubbles was still relentlessly pummeling Captain Atom.
Etrigan exhaled slowly.
"Hell hath no fury, fierce and dire—
Like Powerpuff girls in righteous ire."
**
Swamp Thing rose like a mountain.
The ground answered him.
Vines erupted upward in a violent surge—thick, ancient, alive.
Across from him, B'wana Beast didn't retreat.
He transformed.
Limbs shifted. Muscles contorted. The essence of the Red flowed through him as he fused traits—fang, claw, horn.
Nature turned against itself.
Green versus Red.
Plant against beast.
The two forces collided, tearing through the ruined landscape as roots strangled and claws ripped in equal measure.
**
Wind screamed across Azarath as Red Tornado rose into the air, his body spinning faster and faster until a massive cyclone erupted around him.
Green light answered.
Green Lantern Corps constructs—giant fists, blades, cages—slammed into the storm.
"Contain him!"
The vortex shredded them.
Tore them apart like paper.
Then—
Engines roared.
The thirteen Kamen Riders burst onto the battlefield in a blur of steel and speed.
One shot skyward—heel first.
A Rider Kick obliterated a construct mid-formation, scattering emerald fragments across the sky.
Another spun through the air, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts that forced two Lanterns to break formation.
Red Tornado intensified the cyclone.
The Lanterns faltered—pulled, dragged, destabilized—
—and the Riders struck.
In perfect sync.
A synchronized assault.
Explosions of green light rippled outward like shockwaves across the sky.
**
On the ground—
"HYAA!"
Black Canary's sonic scream tore forward, shattering stone and sending the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers skidding back.
Vixen moved with her—fluid and precise—channeling the strength of a gorilla as she drove one Ranger into the earth.
"Stay down!"
They didn't.
"Form up!"
In an instant—perfect synchronization.
They moved as one.
The Red Ranger stepped forward, bracing as an energy shield absorbed Canary's next scream.
Blue slid low, sweeping Vixen off her feet with a clean, calculated strike.
Pink vaulted high—flipping over Canary—
—and fired a point-blank blast.
Canary twisted midair, barely evading.
Vixen rose, eyes sharp.
"Alright," she muttered. "Now this is a fight."
The tempo shifted.
Canary inhaled—
—and unleashed a full-force scream.
The shockwave ripped across the battlefield.
This time, the Rangers didn't block.
They scattered.
Yellow and Black flanked wide, closing in from both sides.
Blue vaulted off debris, flipping over Vixen's counter while Red charged straight through the fading shockwave, armor sparking but unbroken.
Pink and Green moved together—
Aerial. Precise.
A coordinated crossfire forced Canary and Vixen apart.
That was the opening.
Red and Black engaged Vixen head-on—strength meeting strength as she answered with the power of a bear.
Meanwhile—
Canary struck.
Fast. Surgical.
She slipped past Blue and Yellow, landing a sharp kick that staggered one Ranger—
—but Green intercepted.
A spinning strike forced her back—
—and Pink followed, driving her off balance with rapid-fire blasts.
The Rangers tightened formation.
Six against two.
Perfect spacing. Perfect timing.
Vixen lunged—
—and was redirected.
Tripped by Yellow.
Blindsided by Blue.
Contained.
Canary tried to break through with another scream—
—but Red was already there.
Shield up.
Point-blank.
He pushed through the sound—
—and drove his palm forward.
An energy burst detonated between them.
Silence—half a second.
Then—
Vixen hit the ground.
Canary dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
The Rangers stepped back.
In unison.
Smoke curled behind them.
Then—
without a word—
they struck a pose.
"Power Rangers—"
"—Stand strong!"
Explosions erupted in perfect timing, fire and debris blooming against the ruined skyline—
—and they didn't even look back.
**
Steel met fist as the five Bronze Saints moved like comets, their armor blazing with cosmic energy while they clashed with Shining Knight and Wildcat.
Wildcat ducked a blazing punch and answered with a brutal hook. "Not bad!"
A Saint vanished and reappeared behind him, striking with speed that cracked the air. At the same time, Shining Knight charged with his sword raised, meeting another Saint head-on as energy burst from the collision.
The exchange lasted only a moment.
Pegasus Seiya stepped forward and threw a single punch. The impact released a shockwave that shattered Shining Knight's guard and sent him crashing across the battlefield.
Wildcat turned just in time to strike at Dragon Shiryu, but Shiryu slipped inside the blow and answered with one precise hit that dropped him instantly.
Cygnus Hyoga raised his hand, and a wave of freezing air swept outward. "Diamond Dust." The remaining opponents were locked in ice before they could react.
Andromeda Shun's chains followed, binding them effortlessly and dragging them to the ground.
Phoenix Ikki stepped forward last. He didn't need to strike. One glance was enough.
"Phoenix Illusion."
Whatever resistance remained disappeared, and their bodies went still.
The fight ended as quickly as it had begun. The Saints stood untouched.
A dark wind swept across the battlefield as Raven descended, her form dissolving into shadow. Her soul-self expanded into a massive astral raven that surged forward, passing through the remaining demons and erasing them in an instant.
Phantom Stranger appeared beside the fallen without a word. With a simple gesture, he lifted them and teleported them away in a flash of pale light.
Seiya looked toward the rest of the battlefield. "Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, Andromeda Shun, Phoenix Ikki, let's assist the others."
"Got it, Pegasus Seiya."
They moved at once, vanishing into the chaos beyond.
**
Across the battlefield—
Booster Gold weaved through the air, his force field flickering under relentless pressure as elemental blasts from the Bionicle Heroes rained down.
Fire. Ice. Lightning. Stone.
"A little help?!"
Elongated Man stretched across the battlefield, wrapping around one of them—
Only to freeze solid mid-motion.
"Ah," he said calmly, "that's new."
A second later, another Bionicle slammed into him, snapping him back like a rubber band.
Booster fired wildly, barely holding the line.
"Why are there so many of them?!"
**
Gunfire echoed.
Vigilante rolled behind a fallen pillar, unloading round after round—
—but the Makai Knights dodged with impossible precision, the few hits sparking harmlessly off their armor.
They advanced.
Heavy. Silent. Unstoppable.
S.T.R.I.P.E. charged in, metal fists swinging.
"Let's dance!"
Garo met him head-on.
The impact rang like a bell.
Zoro's blade ignited as he lunged at Vigilante—who barely dodged—
only to be crushed into the ground by Gaia's follow-up strike.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
They pressed forward as one.
**
At the center of the battlefield, Starfire and Wonder Woman clashed.
They collided again and again, each impact sending tremors through the ground.
Starfire spun, the Sword of Beowulf blazing green in her grip as it amplified her strength and speed. Starbolts surged along the blade as she struck, each swing carrying explosive force.
Wonder Woman met her head-on.
Steel rang as the Sword of Athena intercepted Beowulf. Diana caught the strike, twisted, and tore the weapon from Kori's grip before driving a brutal punch into her.
Starfire was launched backward—
—and a Boom Tube snapped open behind her.
She vanished—
—and reappeared above Diana, fist wreathed in green energy as she drove it downward.
Wonder Woman was ready.
She pivoted and delivered a crushing kick that folded Kori midair.
The impact detonated like thunder.
Starfire was hurled away at supersonic speed. Her armor absorbed most of the force, dulling the pain, but her focus sharpened instantly.
Without the Sword of Beowulf, she was at a disadvantage. Blunt force, the armor could handle.
But Diana's Sword of Athena was a different story.
Kori hit the ground and slid dozens of feet before catching herself. She looked up—
Diana was already there.
The Sword of Athena hovered inches from her face—
Then Starfire vanished in a flash of black.
Raven had pulled her away.
She reappeared at a distance, steady and unmoving.
Wonder Woman charged immediately.
Kori didn't move.
Instead, she reached inward, toward the bond she now felt with the Sword of Beowulf. Slowly, she extended her hand behind her back, calling to it.
The weapon answered.
She felt it cutting through the battlefield, racing toward her.
Diana saw it too.
She accelerated.
At this distance, she would reach Kori before the sword returned.
Wonder Woman raised the Sword of Athena and swung.
Just as the blade neared Starfire's neck—
a pinpoint Boom Tube snapped open near Diana's forehead.
The pommel of the Sword of Beowulf burst through.
It struck with explosive force.
Diana's head snapped back as the impact sent her crashing into the ground, her body skidding several yards before going still.
A split second later, the Sword of Beowulf flew cleanly into Kori's waiting hand, energy flaring along its edge.
Starfire surged forward to press the advantage—
then slowed.
Wonder Woman wasn't moving.
She was unconscious.
Raven descended once more, her soul-self sweeping across the battlefield and banishing the remaining demons in a single, silent pass.
Phantom Stranger appeared beside Diana, lifted her without a word, and vanished.
A split second later, her senses screamed.
Koriand'r caught a flash of yellow while a streak of red was sent ragdolling before coming to a sudden stop. When the motion settled, The Flash lay unconscious, one leg bent at an unnatural angle.
Kori moved immediately, helping Kid Flash back to his feet.
"Thanks, Kori," Wally said, wincing as he looked at his right arm. "Broke my arm—again—but I took out demon Flash's leg. He's gonna be pissed when he wakes up. That'll probably take him a whole week to heal. I wonder if big Joe will let me keep the knuckle dusters. Super convenient."
Kori listened to the pain induced ramblings as her gaze swept across the battlefield.
All around her, the Teen Titans, Justice League Dark, and the Luthorbots were steadily overwhelming the Justice League.
They were winning.
She just hoped Joseph was too.