Lilith knelt in the sand.
Her breathing was ragged now. Blood stained her lips, dark hair clung to her face, and the power that had once radiated from her like a storm had all but vanished.
Arthur stood a few paces away.
Lilith tried to move away.
Desperation ignited in her crimson eyes as she suddenly pushed off the ground, her body launching upward in a last frantic attempt to flee her fate. Her wings flickered briefly, half-formed from fading magic as she tried to force herself into the air.
Arthur didn't chase.
He simply clenched his fist.
The invisible force struck her instantly.
Telekinesis crashed down upon her like the weight of a mountain.
Lilith's body slammed violently back into the beach.
The impact blasted sand outward in a violent ring.
She gasped as the air was forced from her lungs.
Arthur slowly lowered his hand again.
The unseen pressure pinned her there for a moment longer before releasing her completely.
Lilith remained on her knees.
Her shoulders trembled.
Then slowly she lifted her head.
Her red eyes met Arthur's.
And for the first time since the battle began…
She truly looked at him.
Not as an opponent or an obstacle.
But as something she could finally see clearly.
Arthur stood there beneath the storm-dark sky, it was his eyes that held her.
They glowed softly. Violet and cold.
And behind that calm gaze…
Lilith saw something deeper. A vast abyss of darkness she could not comprehend.
Just endless depth of it.
Power without limit.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Arthur stepped forward.
He raised the spear.
Time seemed to slow.
Lilith watched him and her lips trembled slightly.
The word left her mouth almost as a whisper.
"Mo… monster."
Arthur said nothing to that.
His expression remained calm and completely detached.
The spear descended.
The blade pierced straight through her chest.
Lilith's eyes widened slightly as the weapon drove through her heart.
The violet lightning flickered once more.
Then her body began to change.
The life faded from her eyes.
Her skin turned even more pale.
Then gray.
Stone spread across her body like frost forming, hardening her form as if time itself had frozen her in place.
Arthur pulled the spear free.
She became statue like, but it only stood for mere moments.
Then cracks spread across its surface.
The stone shattered and her body broke apart into countless fragments that dissolved into fine gray ash, scattering into the wind above the ruined shore.
Within seconds, nothing remained.
Arthur stood there quietly as the last particles drifted away.
His shadow armor faded slowly from existence, dissolving into strands of dark energy that vanished into the air.
The storm wind tugged at his ashen white hair as he looked at the empty space where she had been.
"Not a single speck of dust left behind…"
His voice was calm, almost thoughtful.
"What an unusual way to go."
The battle was over.
But its cost lingered.
Arthur suddenly shifted slightly.
The fatigue finally caught up with him.
He drove the spear into the ground to steady himself, gripping the shaft hard.
'I've been fighting nonstop against these demons…'
'My fatigue is clearly building up.'
He glanced down at his hand.
Despite the exhaustion creeping slowly, he could still feel the energy coursing through him.
'Even though my mana is still vast…'
A faint exhale left him.
Arthur lifted his gaze toward the distant forest.
Toward the massive tear in the earth where Hell still bled into the world.
"One thing left to do."
He pulled the spear free from the sand and began to float.
A sudden blur of movement streaked across the sky.
Someone descended in a flash of speed, landing beside him with enough force to scatter sand across the beach.
Arthur stopped.
He turned slightly.
Standing there was Kara Zor‑El.
Her cape fluttered behind her as she stared wide-eyed at the devastation around them.
Craters, shattered cliffs.
The raging sea.
Her gaze snapped back to Arthur.
"Arthur!"
Relief crossed her face instantly.
"You're back!"
Then her eyes widened again as she gestured toward the ruined battlefield.
"But what the hell happened here?!"
Her voice carried genuine shock.
"What did you fight?!"
Arthur studied her for a moment.
"Long story."
He brushed a strand of white hair from his face as the wind picked up again.
"After you and Z left… things escalated in Hell."
He paused slightly.
"But It's over now, I'll explain later."
His gaze shifted back toward the forest again.
"There's still one final thing to deal with."
Kara followed his line of sight immediately.
"The rift?"
She nodded quickly.
"I saw it on the way here."
Her brow furrowed.
"I felt the tremors all the way back at your estate. It led me straight here."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"All of Gotham is panicking."
Arthur turned back toward her.
"It's over now."
Then they started flying toward the forest again.
"Come."
****
Above the rift in the destroyed forest north of Gotham Arthur floated silently in the air, his white hair stirring in the wind rising from the abyss below. The violet glow in his eyes reflected the unstable energies swirling inside the tear.
Beside him hovered Kara Zor‑El, her cape snapping behind her in the heated currents.
She stared down at the massive rupture below.
Even for someone who had faced aliens and world-ending threats before.
This looked wrong, dangerously.
"So…"
She crossed her arms slightly, still eyeing the rift.
"What exactly are we going to do about that? It doesn't look like something that can be dealt with using fists."
Arthur kept his gaze on the tear.
"Raven, John Constantine, and Etrigan are already working on closing it from the other side."
Kara glanced at him.
"From Hell, I'm guessing? I thought they would be here with you.."
Arthur nodded once.
"It will require a significant amount of magic to seal something this large."
The rift pulsed again below them, sending a faint tremor through the surrounding forest.
Arthur continued calmly.
"I'll assist them from this side."
Kara raised an eyebrow.
"And you know what you're doing?"
Arthur finally looked at her.
"I should."
His tone was confident.
"It's the same principle as the dimensional portals I open regularly."
He gestured toward the massive tear beneath them.
"This one is… slightly larger and a bit unusual."
Kara looked back down at it.
"Slightly."
Arthur allowed the faintest hint of a smile.
"But the concept remains the same."
His eyes drifted back toward the rift.
"I believe I know what must be done."
his gaze softened slightly, his mind reached outward.
Far beyond Earth.
And his voice slipped gently into the mind of someone.
"Hey there."
Deep within the infernal realm, Raven paused.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Hey."
Arthur felt the warmth of her response immediately.
"I hope Constantine and Etrigan aren't slowing you down too much."
Raven's amusement flowed through the mental connection.
"What do you think?"
Arthur chuckled softly.
"Fair enough."
His tone shifted slightly as he grew more focused.
"Here's the plan."
Raven listened.
"You three deal with the rift from your side. With Etrigan currently empowered, you should be able to force it to close."
Arthur glanced down at the massive tear beneath him again.
"From my side…"
His voice remained calm.
"I'll do the same."
Raven tilted her head slightly.
"How?"
Arthur's answer came almost casually.
"I'm going to open another portal."
Raven blinked.
"A what?"
"A mirror rift."
Arthur continued as if describing a simple tool.
"I'll create a tear identical to this one… the same size… on the exact same coordinates."
Raven immediately understood where this was going.
"And then?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then I close it."
A pause hung in the mental space between them.
"The collapse should force the existing tear to collapse along with it."
Raven exhaled slowly.
"…That's insane and kind of irresponsible you know that might lead to..."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I know.. There's a very small chance it might fracture local reality."
"Arthur."
"But it won't happen."
Raven sighed.
"It's still quite dangerous."
She looked toward the massive infernal tear stretching across Hell's sky.
"But honestly?"
Her expression hardened.
"It's better than wasting time trying to track down the exact mechanism that created this thing."
Her mind returned briefly to the ruined altar they had discovered earlier.
"That altar you told me about is clearly the source."
"But whatever Lilith did to activate it…"
She frowned.
"…there's no clear magical trigger left behind."
Arthur nodded slightly.
"Yeah."
"She never explained it either."
His eyes darkened faintly.
"She only mentioned that it required an enormous amount of energy to pull off."
Raven finished the thought.
"And that once opened…"
Arthur's voice grew quiet.
"…it would remain open permanently."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Raven's tone sharpened with determination.
"That won't happen."
Arthur's lips curved slightly.
"Of course it won't."
The telepathic connection faded gently.
Arthur returned fully to the present moment.
The rift still beneath them.
Kara glanced sideways at him.
"Everything good?"
Arthur nodded once.
"They're ready."
Kara folded her arms again.
"So what now?"
Arthur slowly raised both of his hands.
Darkness gathered around his fingers.
Violet energy began to swirl through the air like strands of lightning weaving together.
The atmosphere around him grew dark because of the power he was drawing forth.
Kara watched the energy build with widened eyes.
Even she could feel it.
Arthur's gaze locked onto the massive tear below.
His violet eyes burned brighter now.
The aura around him expanded outward.
Then he spoke, calmly.
"Now…"
The air trembled as the space above the rift began to distort.
"Let us proceed."
/-\
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