Joseph burst forward, Speed Force lightning trailing behind him as he shot toward the tower that held Raven's crystal.
A massive horde of flying demons surged to intercept him—grotesque creatures resembling giant eels, each the size of a crocodile, with gaping maws and rows of jagged teeth. They poured out from behind the tower in a coordinated swarm.
Trigon had anticipated this.
Joseph was moving at nearly eight percent the speed of light.
And they weren't much slower.
"Of course," he muttered.
With a thought, he summoned Alien Excalibur. The Nth-metal vibroblade expanded from its shrunken state into his hand, its edges glowing with Nova Force as he drove it forward.
A massive arc of energy erupted from the blade, tearing through the swarm and carving a path straight ahead.
Joseph didn't slow down.
He blasted through the opening and reached the tower seconds later.
The walls were covered in writhing, living runes.
He thrust his sword forward again.
The Nova-charged strike shattered the barrier, and Joseph burst inside.
He immediately slowed.
The interior wasn't stone.
It was… flesh.
A massive organic structure surrounded him—pulsing, breathing. Jagged black protrusions lined the walls, like a mix between teeth and claws, all pointing upward.
The surface beneath him shifted.
The top of the fleshy mass split open into six segments, peeling back like a grotesque flower.
At its center—
A floating island hovered above a glowing pool of molten lava.
And there, resting on that island, was a pink crystal.
Joseph stared at it for half a second.
"Raven has some freaky magic."
He shot forward, grabbed the crystal, and pulled back.
That should've been it.
He waited for a Boom Tube.
Nothing happened.
A second passed.
Then another.
"Nova?"
//Trigon is blocking all exits from this dimension. You are also unable to access the Mirror Dimension.//
Joseph clenched his jaw.
"…Of course he is."
Behind him, the tower began to tear apart.
Massive red fingers, tipped with black claws, forced their way through the structure, ripping it open like paper.
The entire spire split in two.
Joseph looked up.
Trigon stood before him.
A colossal, heavily muscled figure towered over the landscape—skin crimson, marked with black sigils. Four glowing, pupil-less amber eyes burned with malevolent intelligence. White hair flowed down his back, and two massive black horns curved forward from his head, splitting at the tips.
He was as tall as a skyscraper.
"Little New God," Trigon's voice rumbled, echoing across the entire realm. "You have my thanks."
His lips curled into a smile.
"Your Nth metal allowed you to breach my daughter's tower. She is… deceptively powerful. And stubborn."
His gaze locked onto the crystal in Joseph's hand.
"Now, hand it over. I would very much like to finish what I started."
The air seemed to grow heavier with every word.
"I promise your suffering will not be… prolonged."
Joseph floated upward, rising until he was level with Trigon's face.
He shrank the crystal into his hand, securing it.
Then he tightened his grip on his sword.
"I have a particular dislike for being looked down on," Joseph said calmly.
Alien Excalibur flared, its blade blazing white with concentrated Nova Force as it expanded in size.
Trigon watched him, amused.
Joseph met his gaze.
"You're about to learn two things."
The energy around him intensified, golden Speed Force lightning crackling faintly along his form as his muscles tightened with Strength Force.
"First—Earth is off-limits."
His eyes hardened.
"And second…"
The blade pulsed with power.
"I am not someone to be trifled with."
**
| Azarath - November 2
"Titans… go!"
Starfire launched first.
A sonic boom cracked the air as she rocketed forward, her nanite armor flowing up and around her head—sealing over her neck and the sides of her face while leaving her features and flame-like hair exposed.
She normally preferred a more open design, letting her skin absorb as much sunlight as possible. But against her mentor… she needed every layer of protection she could get.
The armor hummed as it activated its Shockwave-derived systems, storing kinetic impacts and redistributing them back into her movements—turning defense into power.
And with the Sword of Beowulf in her grasp, its ancient magic amplifying her strength, speed, and reflexes—
She felt ready.
Ready to do what she had never managed in training.
Defeat Wonder Woman.
A Boom Tube snapped open at her will—no voice command needed. Joseph's upgrade to her Nanode responded directly to her thoughts now, something tied to her brainwaves.
One portal opened behind her mentor.
The other, directly in front of her.
Starfire surged through—
—and swung.
The blade ignited with green flame as starbolt energy poured into it, the combined force becoming something far more devastating than either alone.
And still—
Wonder Woman reacted.
CLANG—
The Sword of Beowulf slammed against the Bracelets of Submission.
The impact detonated like a bomb.
A shockwave tore across Azarath, flattening everything nearby as both women were blasted backward through the air.
"Impressive, Tamaranean," Wonder Woman said, her voice cold, distorted by the demonic presence within her. "Why not join us? Serve Trigon. Hand over his daughter."
Starfire steadied herself midair, armor flaring as it absorbed the recoil.
"I will make you regret possessing my teacher and my friend," she said, her voice unwavering. "Raven belongs with us."
Wonder Woman raised her sword, pointing it directly at her.
"Then I will simply walk over your corpse."
They moved again.
Steel met steel.
A deadly dance began.
Koriand'r had trained with the Warlords of Okaara—masters of countless forms of combat. She was no stranger to the blade.
She ducked beneath a sweeping strike and countered with a precise thrust.
Wonder Woman parried.
They circled.
Struck.
Clashed again.
Faster.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
**
Across the battlefield, chaos erupted.
A streak of yellow lightning collided with red.
Kid Flash and Flash blurred across Azarath, their movements carving trenches into the ground.
Wally landed a solid punch across Barry's jaw, sending him spinning through the air before he recovered mid-motion, eyes glowing unnaturally.
"You're not Barry," Wally said, skidding to a stop, sparks dancing across his Nth-metal knuckle dusters. "Just a demon wearing him. That explains why you're not as good with the Speed Force."
He grinned.
"I wouldn't stand a chance against him. But you?"
Flash didn't answer.
He just accelerated.
Reality warped.
Wally's grin widened as lightning exploded around him.
"Now we're talking."
**
High above—
Miss Martian clutched her head.
"You don't have to do this, Uncle J'onn!"
Martian Manhunter hovered before her, four glowing eyes unblinking.
Join us. All are welcome. Even your kind.
The psychic pressure hit her like a tidal wave.
Then—
A surge of heat from below washed over them.
Panic flared instantly.
A Martian's greatest weakness.
But the nanite weave in her biosuit activated, stabilizing her physiology and suppressing the reaction.
Below, her uncle flinched.
M'gann's eyes widened.
"I'm not alone anymore."
Her eyes glowed bright green.
And she pushed back.
The sky rippled as two minds clashed with overwhelming force.
**
Match hit the ground hard.
The impact carved a crater into Azarath's surface.
Before he could recover, Captain Marvel dropped from above, lightning crackling—
—but suddenly—
A pulse of dark energy wrapped around Match.
He vanished.
And reappeared beside Raven.
In the distance—
BOOM.
Captain Marvel's strike obliterated the crater.
"What are you doing?" Raven said, her voice sharp. "Stop holding back."
Match blinked.
Then frowned.
She was right.
Ever since he'd nearly killed someone after awakening… he'd been afraid.
Afraid of his own strength.
Living in a world that felt like cardboard—always holding back, always careful.
But Captain Marvel?
He could take it.
And if things went too far… he'd just turn back into Billy.
This—
This was safe.
A rare chance to let go.
Match smiled.
"Thanks, Raven."
He shot forward.
Captain Marvel raised a hand, unleashing magical lightning—
Match flew straight through it.
The Nth-metal woven into his suit absorbed the magic effortlessly.
Captain Marvel's eyes narrowed.
Then—
They collided.
Fists met.
The explosion echoed across the battlefield.
They were thrown back equally.
Match grinned wider.
"Again!"
**
Superboy felt a surge of exhilaration as he battled the possessed Captain Atom, weaving through beams of quantum energy while landing powerful strikes of his own high above the battlefield.
He was glad Match had been healed—but deep down, there was a flicker of jealousy.
Match had once been the defective clone.
Now, fully restored to a standard Kryptonian, that label felt like it belonged to Superboy instead.
He knew it wasn't true. No one saw him that way. And it didn't really matter—he wasn't even the weakest on the team. In fact, he was stronger than most.
Still… the insecurity lingered.
Superboy.
The name carried weight.
Expectation.
He felt like he had to live up to Superman—not just in strength, but in character.
That's why Joseph's Shields meant so much.
Even with a one-hour limit, it was more than enough.
More than enough to prove himself.
Superboy twisted midair, narrowly dodging another blast of quantum energy as Captain Atom's patience finally snapped.
"You insolent fly," Captain Atom growled. "I will remove you from existence!"
A massive wave of quantum energy erupted outward—wide, overwhelming, impossible to dodge in time.
Superboy's eyes widened.
He wasn't going to make it—
"Don't worry! I'll save you!"
A small blur shot past him.
Bubbles.
The tiny Powerpuff Girl threw up a forcefield just as the yellow energy wave slammed into them.
For a moment—
Everything was light.
Then it faded.
Superboy blinked.
The barrier had shattered.
Bubbles hovered there, her arms slightly red, like a mild sunburn.
Connor stared.
Joseph seriously made superpowered six-year-olds…?
"You made me an owie…"
Bubbles' voice dropped.
Her expression changed completely—sweetness replaced by something far more intense.
"…NOW I'M MAD!"
Her scream tore through the air.
A devastating sonic blast slammed into Captain Atom, launching him straight into the ground.
Before he could recover, Bubbles rocketed down after him—
And started hammering him into the earth with rapid, furious blows.
Superboy hovered for a second, watching.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "I'm definitely asking Joseph about that."