Nina's first clone arrived at Max's hideout and was immediately subjected to the overwhelming amount of chakra now leaking from the Gedo Statue. Eight out of its nine eyes were fully opened, with the ninth already halfway there,meaning the Ten Tails could awaken at any moment.
Oh, how she needed its power right now…
But sadly, even if it awakened in time, she wouldn't be able to seal it inside herself without the Rinnegan to suppress it,unless she wanted to be overwhelmed and taken over by it.
But the good thing was that she had long prepared for a scenario like this,more precisely, this very day.
She had created special seals to absorb some of the statue's chakra. Although it hadn't fully awakened yet, its chakra right now should be potent enough to work with.
With that in mind, Nina's clone took out two seals and attached them to the Gedo Statue. They began glowing a faint white as they started siphoning chakra from it.
Paradise Island, Thymyscira.
The air shimmered, and in an instant, Thena appeared at the edge of the training grounds. Her sudden arrival startled nearby Amazon warriors, who immediately turned toward her, their weapons raised. But as soon as they realized who it was, they relaxed.
"Thena?" one of them spoke.
"Where's Grandma? I need to see her urgently."
"She's at the fields. What's wrong?"
"I have a message for her," Thena said before bolting toward the fields.
She soon found Hippolyta harvesting wheat alongside other Amazons. After all, one of the things she had taught her was that even as a queen, she was a servant of her people,nothing she asked of them was beneath her.
"Grandma!" Thena called out, gaining her attention.
"Thena?" Hippolyta asked, puzzled.
"Nina sent me. Something big is about to happen," Thena said.
Hippolyta's expression turned serious.
"What did she say?"
"She said to tell you… it's that time."
Thena's words made her pause, a contemplative look crossing her face.
She knew exactly what this meant.
Nina had already told her about Darkseid and his terrible army during her stay here. Normally, they would not involve themselves in matters beyond their island. But after the arrival of Steve Trevor years ago, Hippolyta had begun to reconsider that stance, sending Diana to establish contact with the outside world—to test whether they should involve themselves in the affairs of man.
But leaving the island with other Amazons…
That was a step she never thought they were ready for.
Yet, given the circumstances,if Darkseid triumphed, he would spare no one from his tyranny.
It was simple,face him now, with allies…Or face him later, alone.
She had to decide.
After a moment of thought, Hippolyta spoke, turning to one of the Amazons.
"Gather a battalion of our finest warriors. We are heading to war."
The Amazon dropped her basket and ran to alert the others.
Hippolyta then turned back to Thena.
"You can take us there, yes?" she asked.
"Yes," Thena replied.
"Come then," Hippolyta said. "I have something for you."
Underground Hideout,Gotham
When Nina's clone appeared in the underground base, it found Ra's already prepared, wearing armor similar to Max's Sengoku armor, wielding a kryptonite sword. The same went for Ra's. The odd thing standing out, however, was his bald head. Zetsu was also nearby, practicing swings with a small kryptonite dagger he had picked up.
"Took you long enough," Pain said.
"I had only just noticed it," Nina's clone replied. "Where's Max?"
"I have no idea, but what I can tell you is that he isn't close. At least when he was in Hell, I could somewhat feel him, but now it's blank. I can barely feel the chakra connection between him and me. In this battle, I'll be very limited… but nevertheless, I can't sit back and do nothing," Pain said.
"I think I have a solution for that," Nina said before turning to Zetsu. "And what about you?"
"Well, I'm not much of a fighter, but I have to do something. So I'll help in any way I can," Zetsu said.
Just then, the doors opened, and Lady Shiva entered.
"The Shadows, along with the elite, have gathered and are now awaiting your orders," she said.
"Good," Pain replied, before noticing the strange expression in her eyes. "What is it?"
"I wish to come along," she said.
"No," Pain answered immediately.
"Do you think I'm not capable?" she asked.
"It's precisely because I know your capabilities that I'm declining your request. Your life is too valuable to throw away pointlessly. After all, I need someone to guide the Shadows after I'm gone," Pain said.
A flicker of emotion passed across Shiva's face.
"You don't intend to return," she said.
"There are high chances that I will not. Even if I were to… it will not be to lead the organization. My purpose has been achieved," Pain replied as he walked toward the door, Ra's following behind him.
Zetsu leaned toward Nina's clone and whispered, "What is he talking about?"
Nina's clone only shrugged before following after them, with Lady Shiva and Zetsu trailing behind.
When they arrived outside into the massive chamber, they found the assassins standing at attention on one side, while the ten elite assassins stood on a raised platform. Crates filled with kryptonite weapons were stacked nearby. Onyx, Tusk, and Kirk Langstrom were also present.
Pain stepped forward.
"As we stand here, our world stands on the edge of annihilation. As flawed and full of twisted individuals as it is… it is still our world, and we built it. If it is to be destroyed, then all our efforts thus far would have been for nothing.
The threat this world faces is so powerful that even I do not see myself returning… which is why, from this moment forward, I pass the mantle to Lady Shiva as the new leader of the assassins."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Pain then reached up and took off his mask for the first time in front of them. They finally saw his face,along with the piercings,though his Rinnegan remained hidden behind contact lenses.
"I removed the mask so you can hear me clearly on what I am about to say next.
As long as this world remains as it is, our mission is not over. Strive and see it through,no matter what it takes, or how long it takes.
This is my final command to you all.
Good luck."
As soon as Pain finished his speech, the assassins began chanting his name, their voices echoing across the massive chamber. He turned to Lady Shiva.
"I leave everything to you. Do not disappoint me," he said then he turned to Nina's clone.
"Let's go,".
-----------
Meanwhile, Max had lost count of how many Earths he had visited in his search for Lucifer. The only thing that kept him going was the knowledge that his future self had managed to find Lucifer before,if that self was capable of it, then so could he. But it was taking too long. He wasn't sure how long he had been gone from his own universe with all the constant jumping. He could only wonder how his family was faring back home, and whether, should Darkseid attack, they would be able to handle him with the preparations he had made.
If he, as Juubidara, could stalemate Darkseid alone, then Nina should be able to do the same,albeit with a little more difficulty if she went all out from the start. Still, he couldn't leave it to chance; this was the DC universe, after all. Anything could happen. He had to return as soon as possible.
Max was broken out of his musings when he once again received memories from his clones, which had once again failed to find Lucifer. Wasting no time, he activated the Time Ring and slipped into the portal. As soon as he left, a wall of light,obliterating everything in its path slowly advanced from the horizon,destroying the entire planet as it moved.
Earth-1178
Max appeared above a city at night, taking in the skyline. It seemed familiar. He created a few Shadow clones to scout while he observed, realizing that it was Gotham. A beautiful city at night, if one ignored the shouting, screaming, and gunfire. He wondered which Earth this was.
Suddenly, a roaring sound drew his attention to the sky. At first, it looked like a small meteor hurtling toward him, but as it neared, he realized the shape was too polished to be one,actually it was a spacecraft and are the odds that Kara is inside it? Max thought.
The ship rapidly approached, and he raised a hand, catching it. The impact generated a shockwave that pushed the trees below outward as his fingers dug into the hull. He then descended with it, placing it gently on the ground before ripping off the door and tossing it aside. Inside, a blond teenage girl slept peacefully. No doubt, it was Supergirl.
"Well, I'll be damned," Max muttered.
He was about to leave when the roar of an engine caught his attention. Turning, he saw a bat-themed jet rapidly approaching, flying beside him. And there, unmistakably, was Superman,just the people he wasn't planning on meeting. Talk about a bad day.
End of Chapter
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