High above the burning city, the sky was torn apart by the violent clash between Galatea and Grail. The two warriors exchanged devastating blows, fists colliding with thunderous shockwaves. Galatea's heat vision met Grail's Omega Beams again and again, neither gaining a clear advantage. Bruises marred their skin, cuts stained their armor, but their resolve held firm.
But not all battles above were as balanced.
Farther off, Kara staggered, barely holding herself upright. Her blonde hair was matted with blood, her face swollen and bruised. Across from her floated Dark Supergirl, a twisted mirror of herself, her smile wild and unhinged. Though she bore a few marks of the fight, they were shallow compared to Kara's devastating injuries.
With a laugh echoing through the air, Dark Supergirl slammed her fist into Kara's chest, sending her rocketing toward the earth like a meteor. The impact cracked the pavement below. As Kara struggled to even breathe, her dark counterpart turned her gaze toward Galatea and Grail still locked in battle.
Her red eyes gleamed with cruel intent.
In a blur, Dark Supergirl launched forward, slamming into Galatea from behind before she could react. Galatea grunted in pain, staggering from the surprise blow. Then came the onslaught of Grail and Dark Supergirl together, pummeling Galatea from both sides in a chaotic, unrelenting storm of fists and beams.
Trapped, Galatea fought to stay upright, blood dripping from her lips.
Then Dark Supergirl seized her, arms locked around her chest, holding her in place. "Grail," she taunted with a grin "her eyes don't suit her… why not help her out?"
Grail's smirk twisted. "With pleasure."
Omega energy sparked in Grail's eyes. A devastating red beam erupted forward, Galatea screamed as the Omega Beam struck her right eye, searing through the socket and disfiguring the right side of her face with smoking ruin.
Grail tilted her head, inspecting the damage like an artist admiring her work. "Yes… the right side's much better now. Let me help fix the left"
But Kara returned, bloodied but burning with fury. She smashed her fist into Grail's face, then spun to strike Dark Supergirl, staggering them both just long enough to grab Galatea and attempt to flee.
Their retreat was short-lived.
Both Dark Supergirl and Grail fired simultaneously, Omega Beam and Heat Vision streaking through the air. Kara glanced back and in that instant knew there was no escape. Gritting her teeth, she twisted her body, taking the full brunt of both attacks to shield Galatea.
The blasts struck her back, searing her flesh. The two women crashed into the ground below, landing in a crater of scorched earth and blood.
Galatea groaned, forcing herself upright with trembling legs. Her face half-destroyed, her body battered, she looked at Kara's burnt and broken form beside her remaining eye.
Then the earth shook.
Grail landed hard, laughing as she grabbed Galatea's arm. "You didn't think it was over, did you?" With a sharp twist, she snapped Galatea's arm like a twig.
Galatea screamed.
As the Dark Supergirl descended, triumphant and smirking, a blur of shadow surged forward.
With a thunderous punch, Shadow Doomsday slammed into Dark Supergirl, sending her flying. Grail spun to react, but the towering beast struck her next, launching her into the air like a ragdoll.
Panting, Galatea stood despite her broken arm. Through clenched teeth, her one remaining eye blazing with rage, she pointed at the two enemies now recovering in the distance.
"Kill them. Rip them apart," she ordered the beast. "Murder the two bitches."
And as Shadow Doomsday roared, Galatea used her remaining arm to pull Kara's limp body close, lifting her as best she could.
With every ounce of strength left, she ran.
___________
Superman stood amidst the ruins, his chest heaving, blood streaming down several wounds. His once-pristine suit was shredded, his cape torn and clinging to his back in tatters. At his feet lay the lifeless, broken body of Cyborg Superman, sparks flickering weakly from the cyborg's skull as it finally went still.
He barely had time to catch his breath when he heard the flutter of wind and turned, Galatea landed nearby, her clothes scorched and shredded, half of her face ruined and her arm twisted and broken. In her other arm, she carried Kara, burnt and battered, her body motionless.
Superman's eyes widened in horror. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice hoarse, eyes flickering between them.
Galatea stared at him, her good eye filled with exhaustion and fury. "Do we look okay to you?" she snapped, her voice sharp but tired.
In the distance, explosions echoed again, louder this time. Fire lit up the sky as another massive ship fell from orbit.
Superman gently took Kara from Galatea's arms, holding his cousin close, cradling her with care. "Let's regroup with the others and organize," he said, voice low and tight. "This is going out of control."
Galatea gave a tired nod, wiping blood from her mouth, and turned to follow him. The three moved away from the heart of the battle, each step heavier than the last.
They eventually reached the Amazonian defensive line or what remained of it.
Superman's expression twisted with grief as his eyes swept the battlefield. Corpses littered the ground, not only Amazonian warriors, but heroes he had once fought beside. Mr. Terrific, Booster Gold, and others whose names burned in his memory lay still, their battles lost, their sacrifices unspoken.
A familiar voice, strained but unbroken, called out, "Clark... you don't look good."
Superman turned toward the voice.
Wonder Woman stood there, blood soaking her armor. A long, deep gash marred her shoulder, and her left arm hung limp at her side. Her sword was coated in gore, her breathing shallow.
"Things are bad," she said weakly. "We are losing, Clark."
Superman didn't respond at first. He just stood there, holding Kara, his face a mask of pain. Beside him, Galatea remained silent, her own expression unreadable.
___________
Darkseid fought with calculated fury, his fists crashing against the black creature. Though his power was unmatched, the creature was faster, dodging even his Omega Beams, a feat that few across the multiverse could claim. Despite the prolonged combat, the creature showed no sign of fatigue.
Though locked in this battle, Darkseid watched the war unfold beyond them. His armies were winning, slowly but surely, yet the tide wasn't without resistance. These black creatures, similar in appearance to the one he fought, were tearing through his forces in savage waves. They never tired, never retreated or showed fear.
Darkseid's eyes narrowed as he sensed a cluster of these creatures surrounding a girl with glowing eyes in the distance. Hundreds of the creatures moved around her, clearly protecting her, and from afar he could see corpses piling at her feet. Thousands of his soldiers had already fallen to her and her army.
He analyzed quickly, his conclusion simple, the girl was either controlling them or was part of their plan. It did not matter.
Without hesitation, Darkseid himself began heading toward the girl's position.
Beru moved to follow him, but in an instant, hundreds of paradooms blocked the way. Trapped, he roared and lashed out, but couldn't escape them in time.
Darkseid descended from the sky like a meteor, landing before the shadow army and the girl at their center. The ground quaked under his feet, his presence alone drawing the attention of every creature nearby.
In the sky, Stargirl, battling alongside the shadows, saw him arrive and panicked. She dove at him in a desperate attack.
Darkseid's eyes lit up, Omega Beams zigzagging through the air directly toward the girl. Stargirl froze in horror, too fast to dodge.
But Ace, commanding the shadows, yelled with desperate clarity: "Defend Courtney!"
Several shadow knights moved instantly, raising their hands and conjuring shields of darkness in front of Courtney.
The beams struck.
The shields shattered, hurling Courtney to the ground, but she survived. Gasping, pained and stunned.
Darkseid scoffed. "So you are the one controlling them."
He unleashed more Omega Beams, this time targeting Ace directly. The shadow army reacted instantly, some creating shields, others charging him, knowing they were too slow to fully protect her.
Ace clenched her jaw, eyes narrowed, but she could feel her powers having no effect on him directly. She turned her focus to directing the other forces, desperately trying to hold the tide.
Darkseid tore through the weaker shadows, when suddenly, Beru, unstoppable and enraged, arrived, slamming into him and sending them both crashing underground through buildings and debris.
"Retreat!!" Ace screamed, her voice broken with urgency. Courtney, recovering, and Rex nodded, turning to flee.
But a tremor rippled through the ground, and Omega Beams burst upward, twisting through the air toward Ace.
She turned too late.
Rex leapt between her and the beam, taking the full brunt of it.
His body was incinerated instantly, turned to ash before her eyes.
Ace froze. She didn't move.She couldn't.
She simply stared at the spot where Rex had stood, where he died, until another thunderous explosion rang out. Beru's body was flung from the underground, crashing into a nearby building.
Darkseid rose, unharmed, his eyes glowing. "a pointless sacrifice... you will follow soon."
Ace turned slowly to face him.
Her face twisted not in fear, but in fury. Her glowing golden eyes shifted, flashing into silver. The power Ashborn had sealed away years ago all came back to her.
In that instant, the world trembled as she screamed.
Darkseid staggered as the air warped around him, the ground split, and buildings crumbled in the wake of her unleashed power. Her glare unleashed a massive warping shockwave toward Darkseid causing him and everything in her sight to be crushed and pushed in the direction of her glare.
Ace dropped to her knees, screaming, blood and tears streaming from her eyes.
The wave of devastation did not go unnoticed as a huge chunk of the city was destroyed completely
From afar, Superman, Galatea, and the surviving heroes witnessed the destruction. Galatea bowed her head, a silent mourning for Rex's sacrifice. Others stared, wide-eyed, daring to hope, Darkseid had fallen, killed by the devastating attack.
But their hope was short-lived.
An explosion rang out from the debris. Smoke burst outward. Darkseid rose, unharmed, eyes burning brighter than before.
"BERU, KILL HIM!" Ace screamed, her voice cracking.
The shadow creature obeyed instantly, charging with renewed rage, but was intercepted by hundreds of paradooms. They piled onto him, slashing, biting, ripping.
Darkseid looked at him and from his eyes an Omega Beam, the largest yet, which tore through the battlefield and struck Beru, destroying most of its body.
The world stopped.
But from the darkness, shadows surged. And Beru recovered, its body regenerating before them all.
Darkseid growled. "How long can you keep regenerating?"
Beru turned to face him, then froze.
Its body began trembling, posture shifting into something unnatural, fearful. The all mighty terrifying creature was nowhere to be seen.
Darkseid smirked. "Afraid now? It is too late, creature."
But Beru ignored him and looked back, wide-eyed, like something primordial was about to enter the battlefield. The other shadows began shaking violently, every single one of them trembling in unspoken terror.
Then Beru spoke, its voice clear and terrified
"My king knows. He is furious"