Kenji had come to a very simple, albeit belated, realization. He really, really needed a duplication technique.
As he made his way towards Bludhaven, he could help but see how the situation all pointed toward the same glaring weakness in his current build, he was only one man.
Despite his god-like stats and the Yamato at his hand, he couldn't be everywhere at once.
More of himself would solve an absurd number of problems.
Things like Scouting, multitasking, simultaneous battles across continents, parallel planning, and having copies that could act independently while sharing their experiences were, in his opinion, one of the most broken advantages anyone could have.
It was the ultimate cheat for anyone.
And among all the duplication abilities he had seen or read about across various fictions, there was one that stood head and shoulders above the rest for sheer utility.
Shadow Clones.
Yeah… he thought grimly, his eyes scanning the horizon for the smog-choked outline of Gotham. 'The moment this mission is over, I'm going to the Naruto world. No excuses. I need that jutsu.'
The cool, ash-heavy air brushed against his face. The city lights of Gotham slowly came into view beneath him. He had made his choice, and while it felt like a gamble, it was the only one that aligned with his core objectives.
Australia would help the survivors, clearing the skies would give humanity room to breathe, but in the end, that wasn't really the 'win' condition for him and his friends' mission.
Sunlight was a massive tactical advantage, a planetary-scale debuff for the enemy, but it wasn't the Shard.
The mission had never been about being the absolute savior of this world, the goal was clear.
Find the Shard. Secure it. End the mission. Go home. Everything else was secondary to the survival of his own people back in his and their reality.
Still, Kenji wasn't a monster. He had dispatched two of his devils and two of his most competent magicians to assist the group heading to Australia.
He had given them explicit, telepathic orders, 'Withdraw immediately if your lives are genuinely at risk. Do not play the martyr.'
They were his servants, yes, technically his property by the laws of his magic, but more importantly, they were his people. They were high-value assets he still needed for the conflicts brewing back in his own world.
He wasn't going to let them die in a hole in the Outback for someone else's war. Call him cold, call him unfeeling, but he was practical about the value of life and the lives of his family and would never throw away something that made life easier for them.
"Everyone converging on Blüdhaven," he murmured into the wind. He was certain the Shard would appear there. And if things followed the comics even loosely, this was where Nightwing's reign would reach its bloody crescendo, and Kenji was willing to bet it would surface at that moment in the final battle when they were facing off against Nightwing.
He let out a slow, heavy breath. He was tired. Tired of the grey skies, tired of the smell of copper and rot, and tired of this world, he was ready to go back to his.
This world was a dead world, and he didn't see anything short of omnipotent power saving it. Even if they won against the vampires, there were few humans actually left on this planet.
For a fleeting moment, he considered the possibility of taking a few survivors back with him, maybe Harley or some of the younger ones. But he quickly suppressed the thought. DC characters were legends for a reason, but their ideals and his methods would clash endlessly with his and those of his world.
It would be a disaster waiting to happen, especially if it were a hero type he brought with him.
For now, let's just see how things go.
"Let's just see how this play ends," he thought as the jagged skyline rose to meet him.
Barbara Gordon had reached her absolute limit.
Things had not been going anyway with the decision making of how they should go about what to do next. So was it any wonder she decided to just go out and end this herself.
All this had gone on long enough.
The indecision in Kandor had become more deadly than the vampires themselves. Every hour they spent debating cost lives. If no one else was willing to be the blade that cut the throat of this empire, then she would be.
She stood on the edge of a crumbling rooftop overlooking the Blüdhaven outskirts.
The city was a nightmare of iron and shadows, bathed in the pale, sickly light of a moon obscured by ash. Around her were the few she trusted enough to lead into the jaws of hell, Frankenstein, a giant of stitched flesh and unyielding resolve, Dinah, who apparently oliver had decided to n ot take with when he was going to the human farms in smallvillie, Harley, whose unpredictable nature was now her greatest weapon and lets not metion what she had flowing through her blood at the moment and Damian.
Damian Wayne... who was now a vampire.
When she had first encountered the boy again, every instinct honed by Batman had screamed at her not to trust him.
He was one of them now. He was a predator, a creature of the very nightmare they were fighting. And yet, looking at him, she felt that she couldn't help but put her trust in him.
Trusting Damian felt easier than trusting the three "Outsiders" she had left behind in Gotham. At least with Damian, she knew the darkness he carried. He was family, even if he was dead.
"Vampires up ahead," Harley muttered, her voice uncharacteristically low as she crouched near the ledge, gripping a modified stake with white-knuckled intensity.
Barbara saw them too, silhouetted against the clouds, figures circling high above the city's perimeter like vultures waiting for a carcass.
Suddenly, the air boomed with a sound like a thunderclap.
A vampire Black Adam shot toward them like a black-and-gold missile, his eyes glowing with a malevolent, magical electricity. The former Champion of Magic was a blur of speed as he made his way towards them, hunger and fury in his eyes
"If you're going to do something, now would be a good time!" Barbara shouted at Damian.
The boy didn't even flinch. He just stood there, a small, arrogant smirk playing on his pale lips. "Not yet."
Harley immediately grabbed a stake and jabbed the tip toward Damian's chest. "Kid, I love the brooding act, but you better do whatever spooky bat-thing you're planning before we get turned into charcoal by the Egyptian god over there! We don't have time for the 'mysterious bat' routine!"
Damian sighed, a sound of pure exasperation. "Fine." He tapped the comm at his ear. "Hey, Kate. You there? It's time. Light him up."
Black Adam was halfway to the rooftop, his fist cocked back to pulverize them, when a massive, blinding blast of emerald-orange energy slammed into his side, setting him ablaze. The former champion let out a startled grunt and scream as he was sent spiraling downward like a fallen meteor, crashing into the street below with a force that rattled the very foundations of the building and sent up a plume of dust and debris.
"The hell was that?" Harley asked, shielding her eyes from the afterglow.
Damian grinned, his fangs catching the light. "I borrowed some of Constantine's contacts, and we went to retrieve 'her.' I figured she'd be useful for the heavy hitters. Also, I figured she'd really, really annoy Grayson."
He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes reflecting the distant glow of the blast. "Starfire needs time to recharge after a burst like that. She's been through hell. Let's move before the rest of the hive wakes up."
Barbara froze for a split second, the name echoing in her mind. Starfire. The pieces clicked together with a sickening crunch. Was that why Constantine had looked the way he did?
She remembered the laughing magician stumbling into her sanctuary days ago, looking like he'd been dragged through a furnace and then tossed into a meat grinder.
He had been on his last leg, his trench coat scorched. He had died shortly after, and she had never known where he had been or what price he had paid.
Now she knew.
They pressed deeper into the city, moving through alleyways. For a while, everything went smoothly.
Too smoothly, in fact that she had started to feel anxious. The streets were eerily empty, which in Blüdhaven, was never a good sign of safety.
Barbara felt the shift in the air before she saw the cause. A heavy, floral scent mixed with the smell of decay. She stopped in her tracks as a familiar figure stepped out from the shadows of a defunct warehouse, flanked by a dozen vampire enforcers in mismatched riot gear.
"Oh great," Harley groaned, rolling her eyes so hard it looked painful. "It's this wannabe. Can't we go one night without a Joker-adjacent headache?"
Punchline smiled, her neon-purple makeup stark against her pale, bloodless skin. She looked entirely too pleased with herself, tapping a combat knife against her thigh.
Harley stalked forward, stake held loosely. "Should've known trash like you would team up with King Dick."
Punchline laughed, a sharp, melodic sound that lacked any warmth. "Oh, I don't work for Nightwing. Quite the opposite, actually. Why serve a King when you can own the kingdom's appetite? He likes his order; I prefer the profit in the chaos."
Barbara frowned, her hand moving toward her utility belt. "Then why are you here? If you're not his lapdog, why are you blocking our path?"
"I run the black market in this city," Punchline said casually, inspecting her jagged nails. "Blood, artifacts, hope... I sell it all to the highest bidder. Just like you and Selina used to do back in Gotham. Poor, poor Selina... heard she's gone now. Such a shame, would have loved to do business with her."
Harley scowled, her knuckles white. "You really are the worst. No originality at all. You're just a parasite on a parasite, Punchline."
Punchline's smile widened, becoming something jagged and predatory. "Well, I never said I was here to help you, did I? You're trespassing on my trade route, and I've already been paid to ensure you don't reach the palace."
She snapped her fingers, the sound echoing in the hollow street. "Take them. I want the Batgirl alive, she's worth a fortune in trade to the King. The rest of you? You're just scrap for the dogs. I'll tear you apart and sell each piece to the highest bidder."
The vampires hissed as they closed in from all sides.
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