Ethan and Diana moved like a perfect storm.
She was swift, precise—her golden lasso ensnaring Darkseid's limbs, her sword striking like lightning itself to disrupt his rhythm. Ethan, on the other hand, delivered the thunder. Blow after blow rained down on the God of Tyranny, each punch more devastating than the last.
Darkseid's once-impenetrable armor was cracked and torn. His obsidian skin bled, bruised and marred. It had been eons since anyone had injured him like this—since anyone had dared.
He realized quickly: if Ethan weren't here, he could have claimed this world already.
'If this mortal wasn't here,' Darkseid thought grimly, 'this world would've fallen. His presence… disrupts the pattern. This world wasn't supposed to fight back this hard.'
He saw his invasion failing, his Parademons being pulled back into the void by the very portals they arrived from. And he was enraged.
Darkseid roared and lashed out with brutal, feral aggression. His power may not work on Ethan but they do work on Diana who is way weaker than him, But every time he tried to land a killing blow on Diana, Ethan was always there—blocking the Omega-infused strikes with his bare hands, countering with a fierce kick or punch that rattled the earth.
Diana whipped her lasso forward, catching his wrist just as his Omega beams surged with energy. "Now!" she shouted.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He stepped between them again, intercepting the blow with his forearm—unflinching. The raw force of Darkseid's strike caused the ground to crater, but Ethan only grinned, his eyes flashing like lightning behind storm clouds. "You're gonna have to try harder than that, big guy."
Then came the telepathic voice of Victor, echoing in their minds, 'Guys, it's working. The Parademons are being pulled back—every last one.'
But Ethan knew that wasn't enough, 'Darkseid's still standing, and this is just an avatar. Kill him, and the real Darkseid might send worse.' He formed a plan, his thoughts flashing to Diana telepathically, 'We weaken him, but don't kill him. Take his eyes, make him helpless. I'll distract, you strike.'
Diana nodded. 'Understood,' she turned to Darkseid, "Let's end this." She took to the sky, flanking around.
Ethan stepped forward and drove a glowing fist into Darkseid's chest—BOOM—the impact launched the tyrant across the battlefield.
Now, Ethan's physical strength eclipsed even Darkseid's. And that fact only made the New God more furious.
With a guttural roar, Darkseid unleashed his Omega Beams in twin arcs of crimson fury. He knew they wouldn't kill Ethan—but he wanted to wipe that insufferable smirk from his face.
But Ethan didn't flinch.
Instead, he unclipped the Omni-Watch from around his neck and let the beams slam into it. The watch glowed a searing red, absorbing the energy like a battery.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Well, that works."
He had discovered the Omni-Watch couldn't charge with his own power during multiversal travel. He needed outside power. But until now, every world had been too mundane. Too quiet. Too normal.
But this… this changed everything. Energy like this—otherworldly, destructive, godlike—could be fuel. With enough of it, he could stay in this world longer… maybe as long as he wanted.
Ticking sounds pulsed from the device as the red glow intensified. Power... real power was flowing in now. As long as he kept charging it, he could stay in this world as long as he pleased.
Darkseid growled and took a step forward—only for Diana to swoop behind him.
He sensed her, turned, and threw a punch—but she dodged, spun mid-air, and looped her lasso around his throat. With a fierce battle cry, she leapt atop him and drove her sword into his eye.
"AAARRRGHHHH!"
The New God howled in fury, grabbing Diana and hurling her away. The sword remained embedded in his bleeding eye.
Before she could hit the ground, Ethan soared beneath her and caught her in a graceful princess carry.
Diana looked up at him, breathless. "The plan worked."
"Damn right it did," Ethan smirked. He set her down gently, then turned and floated forward, his body began glowing with lightning again. His muscles pulsed, his eyes now glowing with bluish-white arcs of electricity.
Ethan raised a hand to the heavens. Lightning surged around his body. Thunder roared. Then he aimed it at the sword stuck in Darkseid's eye.
A divine surge of lightning exploded from the sky—striking the sword and channeling directly into Darkseid's body. The energy wasn't just thunder—it was Phoenix-forged, born from Ethan's fusion with the Phoenix Force.
The heavens split as the biggest lightning bolt in the history of lightning crashed down. It erupted like a volcano inside the tyrant's body, crackling through his veins and out his mouth, his body lit up like a cursed tree in a thunderstorm.
"AAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Darkseid convulsed violently. His armor shattered further. The ground beneath him cracked and melted.
Elsewhere—From a nearby rooftop, Batman stood beside Victor, watching the display unfold. His face was tight with tension, but even he couldn't hide the faint trace of awe in his eyes. "...That's dangerous." He thought, 'He's a wildcard... Power like that could tip any scale. Friend or foe, I need to know more.'
Green Lantern hovered nearby, shielding his face from the blast. "That... wasn't in the plan, right? Remind me…" he muttered. "What planet is he from again?"
High on his perch, Victor was stunned. "Whichever one makes demigods look like sidekicks, he just used the Mother of all volts."
The Flash zipped up beside them with his eyes wide. "I was setting the perimeter and—what the hell did I just miss?! Was that the biggest lightning bolt in history?!"
In the sky, Superman hovered next to Shazam, both staring at Ethan's gathering storm. "Can you do that?" he asked quietly.
Shazam looked like he was about to answer—then paused. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "…I honestly don't know."
As the lightning faded, Ethan lowered Diana gently to the ground. Then, without a word, he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
She blinked, startled—and then smiled softly.
"Watch me now," Ethan whispered. He turned as his eyes aglow with power. With a flick of his hand, a flaming sword emerged—burning with Phoenix fire.
He dashed forward, Darkseid barely had time to react before Ethan is infront of him and then—SLASH—and Darkseid's right arm was cleaved clean off, the blade slicing through like butter.
Darkseid roared again, staggering in shock. His remaining eye widened in disbelief. "You—wretched—!" His eye blazed with hatred as he prepared another attack—
WHAM!
Superman blurred in from behind, smashing a haymaker into the New God's side and launching him across the field.
Breathing hard, Darkseid landed in a crumpled heap.
In the distance, Victor shouted over though the telepathic pathway, 'I need more energy! The Mother Box needs more to enhance the Boom Tubes—if we do it right, we can suck him in too!'
Ethan landed beside him. "Say less." He turned to Superman. "Think you can keep him busy?"
Superman cracked his knuckles. "I can do more than that."
Batman, Flash, Lantern, and Diana surged forward, joining Superman as they moved in for the final stand against Darkseid.
"Then I'll handle the juice," Ethan nodded. He flew skyward. Shazam intercepted him, sparking with power. "I can help you charge it—"
"No," Ethan cut in. "I've got this. Go help them."
Shazam hesitated, then remembered the lightning bolt from earlier and nodded. "Alright. Try not to blow up the sky again."
Ethan flew beside Victor, who hovered near the glowing Mother Box.
Dark clouds swirled ominously. The sky blackened further.
Ethan's eyes glowed bluish-white. He summoned lightning he had.
CRAAAACK!
The lightning tore through the sky and slammed into the Mother Box.It glowed like a sun, absorbing the power.
Victor's systems lit up. "It's working—it's redirecting power to the towers across the globe—every last portal's being rerouted—"
Below them, towers began to shimmer and warp, tearing open massive gateways pointed back toward Apokolips.
------------
For a moment, the battlefield below stood still—quiet, save for the low hum of dying energy fields and the crackle of stray lightning still hanging in the air.
Darkseid, despite missing an eye and an arm, stood tall—his fury now volcanic. His face was twisted into a grotesque snarl as the last of the League tried to pin him down.
Diana moved first, leaping through debris with a cry of war, her shield raised. But the god's remaining fist met her mid-flight. The punch landed with the force of a meteor, sending Diana back like a cannonball, crashing through several ruined columns before hitting the ground hard, a groan of pain escaping her lips as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Diana!" Flash cried out.
Superman rushed in next, "Not today," He dove at Darkseid, grappling him in midair and trying to hold him back with raw strength. But Darkseid growled, grabbed Superman's cape with his remaining hand—twisted and yanked him down. The Omega Beam in his remaining eye flared.
BZZZTTT!
Blasting Superman point-blank. Clark screamed as the energy enveloped him.
The Darkseid punched Superman and was hurled across the field—right into Batman, who was mid-draw with a sonic detonator.
Both heroes tumbled through rubble like bowling pins.
Barry saw it all happen in a split-second blur. They're getting taken down one by one…
He activated his speed, moving in a blur around Darkseid, fists landing rapid strikes to the tyrant's legs, ribs, chest—like a thousand drumbeats of kinetic energy.
But Darkseid watched and calculated.
And then—BAM—a knee lifted at the exact moment Barry flashed forward.
The hit caught him in the side and lifted him off his feet, hurling him across the plaza. The Flash hit the ground with a crunch, rolling until he stopped, groaning, coughing up blood before clutching his ribs.
Green Lantern came next, launching massive constructs—hammers, chains, a glowing green battering ram.
Darkseid roared and charged straight through them.
Lantern gritted his teeth before forging a massive emerald construct—a cage of spikes, pressing in like a trap.
Darkseid broke through them all and darted forward—unnaturally fast.
Before Hal could react, the tyrant seized his right arm and crushed it. Bones snapped like twigs under a boot.
"AAAGHHH!" Hal's scream echoed across the battlefield before Darkseid punched him square in the chest that launching him like a cannonball.
He smashed into Diana just as she struggled to rise, both heroes collapsing in a heap. Blood trickled from the corners of her lips.
Shazam rose next, his hands sparking with divine lightning. He narrowed his eyes before channeling Ethan's earlier move. Lightning roared from the heavens.
"Eat this!" he shouted, lightning crashing down onto Darkseid.
It struck Darkseid's chest—but the tyrant didn't even flinch. He turned his glowing eye up, as if insulted, and retaliated instantly with his Omega Beam.
The crimson ray struck Billy point-blank. The boy-god screamed as his form was engulfed, slammed into the earth like a rag doll.
And just like that, the battlefield fell silent. The mighty had been crushed.
Darkseid stood alone, one arm gone, one eye bleeding—but triumphant.
His chest heaved with labored breath, and yet, his presence still dominated the battlefield. He looked at the pile of battered heroes with disgust. "Pathetic," he muttered.
He turned toward Shazam's limp body and began walking slowly, dragging his foot, hunched but determined. Each step cracked the ground. He raised his arm before fingers curling into a fist and ready to end it.
A golden portal snapped open behind him, glowing with spiraling cosmic energy—Victor's Boom Tube, opened at max capacity.
But Darkseid didn't care. He dug his heels into the ground and resisted. "No… I am the end!"
The portal howled behind him, wind and energy pulling at his body like a hurricane—but his eyes stayed locked on his prey.
Shazam groaned and starting to wake. One hand reached up weakly. "...nngh..."
Flash gasping, stumbled upright—just enough to see the danger. "No…"
Barry blurred back into motion, aiming one desperate punch to the back of Darkseid's head.
The tyrant didn't flinch. He raised his leg and broke Barry's in one clean, brutal motion. The sound of bone snapping was drowned only by the scream.
Then he grabbed Barry by the neck, lifting him off the ground like a broken doll.
Darkseid's voice was venom. "Die, you insect."
Flash choked.
But then—SWOOSH!
A flaming sword shot through the air, slicing clean through Darkseid's forearm—the one holding Barry aloft.
THUNK.
Barry fell down before gasping for air, as the severed hand hit the dirt with a dull thud.
Darkseid growled before he turned around and his eye widened when he saw Ethan.
Ethan floated down slowly with orange flames curling around his form. His hair danced in the breeze. Sparks of lightning rolled across his shoulders. His arms were crossed casually—but his aura screamed wrath.
"You guys seriously can't handle an injured guy with one arm and one eye?" Ethan asked dryly.
The sword that had struck Darkseid vanished in a puff of flame, dissipating into embers.
He landed in front of Darkseid, standing between him and the broken heroes. Darkseid's muscles began tensing. But Ethan didn't move.
From the ground, Superman stirred and got up, "He… did all the damage to this guy… with only Diana helping…"
Everyone got up and stared at the scene now.
They understood now. The truth was clear. They had given it everything… and it wasn't enough.
Their minds clicked at the same moment. 'He did this. All of this. Alone, mostly.'
Sure, Diana had helped—but now that they had tried facing Darkseid themselves, the truth was undeniable: Ethan was on a completely different level.
Even Batman, coughing through dust, narrowed his eyes as he looked up. 'He fought Darkseid... and nearly won.'
Darkseid roared in frustration and pain, glaring at Ethan with his one burning eye.
Ethan stepped forward, hovering inches off the ground. "Get lost, you piece of fucking shit."
WHAM!
His fist struck Darkseid's chest with the weight of the sky behind it. A shockwave exploded outward, tearing up the ground and flattening everything within a hundred feet.
Darkseid's eyes rolled back. He was hurled backward—directly into the Boom Tube.
The portal snapped shut behind him.
Gone. Just like that.
Ethan exhaled slowly, letting the heat fade from his body.
Victor descended from above, landing beside the others. His armor retracted slightly as he surveyed the battered heroes. Then his gaze landed on Ethan. "…Remind me never to piss you off."
Ethan glanced at him, grinned faintly. Then he walked over to Barry, "You good?"
Flash blinked up at him in daze, still cradling his broken leg, muttered, "So… anyone else thinking we let Ethan handle all the boss fights from now on?"
Shazam who is lying on his back and staring at the sky, raised a limp hand, "Seconded."
Hal groaned. "Thirded…"
Batman didn't say anything.
He just stared at Ethan… then slowly nodded once.
Ethan nodded back and turned to the group, looking over each of them—wounded, exhausted, but alive, "…Good work, team."
And somehow, despite the pain, despite the loss, despite the ruined city around them—They all smiled.
Ethan's gaze found Diana. She was standing, but just barely—blood still glistening on her lips. Her eyes locked onto his, and even in her state, she gave him a soft smile. That warrior fire was still in her.
He stepped toward her, his boots crunching softly against the debris. "Let me help you a bit."
Diana blinked. "You don't have to—"
"I want to."
He raised his right hand. A red magic circle shimmered into existence across his palm, radiant and complex—an elegant weave of arcane runes, golden phoenix feathers, and swirling streams of life energy. The temperature around them subtly shifted, a comforting warmth replacing the lingering chill of battle.
Diana inhaled sharply as the spell enveloped her. In an instant, it was as if every wound she bore, every ache in her muscles, every ounce of exhaustion in her bones, simply vanished.
Her lips parted in awe. "By the gods…"
Ethan gave a small smile. 'It is something I cooked up—bit of Phoenix energy, some of my life force, and a few spells I pieced together. Took a while to perfect.'
"I feel amazing," she whispered, her eyes flickered at him—soft, unreadable—and then she smiled.
"…We'll talk about the kiss later," she murmured with teasing tone.
He raised an eyebrow, "Looking forward to it."
A few feet away, Flash raised a hand like a kid in class. "Uh, sorry to interrupt your 'godly flirting' or whatever, but uh… my leg is still doing this fun 'broken in three places' thing. Kinda painful."
Ethan turned and walked over before kneeling beside Barry. "Alright, hold still."
He summoned the healing spell again, the magic circle lit up and hovered over Barry's leg. Flash winced at first—but then sighed with relief as the pain melted away. "Okay, okay… that's so much better," Barry said, flexing his now-whole leg. "Thanks, I can heal on my own but it will take sometime. Anyway thanks for healing me."
"You're welcome."
More people began to gather now—civilians, survivors peeking from hiding places, some helping others walk, some bleeding, all shaken. The battle had torn through the heart of the city, but they were alive. Thanks to them.
Batman approached Ethan, glancing briefly at the crowd beginning to form near the outskirts of the rubble-strewn plaza.
"This place is about to get swarmed," Bruce said flatly, "We should move."
"I agree," Lantern added, "Even if we saved their asses, they still look at us like freaks."
But something happened before the darkness of that thought could settle in.
They began to applause. Cheers followed. Cries of gratitude. People began calling out names—Superman, Wonder Woman, Lantern, Flash, Batman, Shazam…
Lantern stared as eyes wide behind his mask. "They're… cheering?"
"Guess we're not freaks today," Flash said with a grin.
...
AN: Come on guys, give me some reviews. You can also give me some suggestions in the review and your thoughts on the fanfic.