Steppenwolf hoisted the scorching red greatsword onto his shoulder, and with his other hand, pointed his battle-axe into the distance.
His target was Tel-Rol.
"You, come here."
As he roared, all the Parademons, both in the sky and on the ground, who were entangled in battle with the heroes, suddenly seemed to be injected with adrenaline.
They abandoned their current opponents, turned around, and surged towards Victor Stone in a dense, dark mass!
The sight was enough to make anyone with trypophobia pass out on the spot.
"Holy crap! Are these ugly things crazy?"
Hal Jordan had just used his green light to create a giant electric fly swatter, killing a swarm, but even more Parademons completely ignored him, squeezing past him.
Barry, who had transformed into a red lightning bolt, also stopped.
He looked at the impenetrable "wall" made of monsters and couldn't find anywhere to step.
"Victor! They're coming for you!" Barry shouted through the comms.
"I know!"
Victor gritted his teeth, his left arm's energy cannon firing wildly, but as soon as he blasted a section open, more Parademons immediately filled the void.
Their only target was the mother box in his arms.
The monsters piled on top of each other, using their claws, teeth, and bodies to forcibly drag Victor up!
"Bang!"
Victor was slammed heavily to the ground again, and the next second, he was completely engulfed by the endless Parademons.
On the other side, in the center of the battlefield.
Tel-Rol and Steppenwolf had already clashed.
Steppenwolf's speed was a notch faster than when he was only using his axe.
The red greatsword and battle-axe in his hands were wielded with ferocious power, every chop and slash a killing move.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Tel-Rol blocked with his aura-wrapped arms.
The axe was fine, just powerful.
But with the red sword, every collision sent a scorching energy flowing up his arm and into his body.
"Hiss..."
Tel-Rol was split open by a sword strike, the aura covering his arm dissipated for a moment, leaving a scorched mark on his skin.
"That's interesting."
He said, a healthy smile even wider on his face.
Steppenwolf didn't give him a chance to breathe, his offensive growing fiercer.
The greatsword swept horizontally, the battle-axe chopped vertically.
Tel-Rol could only retreat continuously, deflecting the opponent's attacks with his fists and elbows, and was surprisingly suppressed for a time.
"Damn it!"
He did a backflip, dodging a fatal cleave, and then pushed off the ground with his toes, creating distance.
Damn, it's been a long time since he felt so frustrated.
Diana watched the situation on the field, her heart filled with anxiety.
On one side, Tel-Rol was clearly at a disadvantage.
On the other side, Victor was buried under a mountain of Parademons, with only occasional flashes of blue electric light visible from within the monster pile.
Who to help?
This was a trolley problem.
Just as she was agonizing, her communicator rang.
"Diana."
It was Bruce's voice, steady and calm.
"You go help him."
"I'll help Cyborg."
Diana looked up.
Above, a black bat-shaped fighter jet tore through the clouds, its Vulcan cannons beneath the wings already spinning up and preheating.
Da da da da da!
A scorching storm of metal rained down from the sky, covering the "Parademons mountain."
As the bullet storm swept through, chunks and black mist of Parademons were torn apart.
The previously impenetrable pile of monsters was forcibly cleared, creating a large open space.
Victor seized the opportunity to crawl out of the monster corpses, covered in Parademon blood and flesh.
"Nice work!" Hal whistled.
"Can you come earlier next time!" Barry complained.
"Shut up, get to work." Bruce's voice was unperturbed.
Diana no longer hesitated.
She turned and rushed towards the chasm where her shield had fallen earlier.
She tapped her toes on the broken wall a few times, her figure gracefully descending into the deep chasm.
Soon, she found the round shield engraved with ancient patterns.
Diana picked up the shield, holding it in her left hand and her sword in her right, then powerfully pushed off with her legs.
"Boom!"
She soared out of the chasm, tracing a parabola in the air, and landed steadily beside Tel-Rol.
"Clang!"
She raised her shield, just in time to block a heavy surprise axe blow from Steppenwolf aimed at Tel-Rol's back.
The immense force made her take half a step back, leaving a shallow crater in the ground.
Tel-Rol pulled Diana into his arms.
There was no gratitude on his face, only annoyance.
"What are you doing here?"
"I can handle it by myself."
Diana almost laughed in exasperation.
She turned her head, looking at him with an expression that said he was an idiot.
"By yourself? Being beaten like a dog and scurrying around by yourself?"
"Mind your own business! This is my fight!" Tel-Rol retorted stubbornly.
"Shut up!"
Diana retorted without ceremony.
"It's two against one now, got it? Teamwork! You primitive fighter!"
"Tch."
Tel-Rol turned his head away dismissively.
Although he wouldn't admit it verbally, he knew in his heart that this woman had arrived at just the right time.
The energy of that damned sword was too strange; if he continued fighting, he would suffer a great loss.
Looking at the two standing side by side, Steppenwolf smiled.
"Bugs, do you like to huddle together for warmth?"
"Then die together!"
He roared, brandishing his battle-axe and greatsword with both hands, charging forward simultaneously.
"Left side is mine, right side is yours!" Diana shouted, actively meeting him.
The shield of strength blocked the heavy battle-axe.
The sword of vulcan, glowing golden, slashed towards Steppenwolf's wrist holding the greatsword.
Tel-Rol snorted and also charged forward.
The aura around him surged once again!
Within the originally white aura, the yellow hue became even more intense and dazzling.
"Ha!"
He roared and threw a punch.
The force of his punch collided with Steppenwolf's red greatsword.
"Boom!"
This time, Tel-Rol was no longer corroded by that strange energy.
The violent aura firmly blocked the energy from entering!
"Oh? A little progress."
Steppenwolf was somewhat surprised.
With Diana holding him off from the front, Tel-Rol's pressure greatly reduced.
He no longer needed to take direct hits but instead leveraged his advantages in speed and agility.
You chop me with an axe, I'll give you a punch.
You cleave me with a sword, I'll kick you with a foot.
For a time, the three fought with earth-shattering intensity, the surrounding ground plowed over and over again by the aftermath of their battle.
Diana's fighting style was broad and open, full of sacredness and power.
Tel-Rol's fighting style, on the other hand, was full of wildness and destructive intent, every move aimed at vital points.
One orthodox, one unconventional, one rigid, one flexible, their cooperation actually allowed them to fight Steppenwolf back and forth.
"Damn it!"
Tel-Rol landed another punch on Steppenwolf's kidney, directly adding a dent to Steppenwolf's armor.
He could feel a stronger power stirring within him, but there was always an invisible membrane holding it back.
"Just a little more... a little more anger..."
Tel-Rol's breathing grew heavy, the aura around him flickering wildly, white and yellow light alternating, extremely unstable.
"Damn it! Still not enough!"
He cursed under his breath, his face full of frustration and unwillingness.