The stadium was a shattered skeleton beneath a bruised sky. Smoldering craters pocked the cracked turf, twisted metal beams clawed at the air, and broken seats lay scattered like fallen leaves in a storm. The air hung heavy with dust and the acrid scent of burning magic.
The stadium groaned as if alive, beams shrieking as they buckled and fell. Ash swirled thick as snow, choking lungs and stinging eyes. Half-melted drones rained down like dying stars, their sparks briefly illuminating the smoke before shattering in silence.
The Titans were strewn across the blasted field, each bearing the scars of the fierce battle. Cyborg's systems flickered erratically, his optic sensors glitching beneath a thin film of sweat. He gritted his teeth, fingers twitching as he struggled to stabilize his core functions. Nearby, Jinx nursed a bleeding bruise over her ribs, her usual smirk faded, replaced by quiet determination.
An oppressive, intoxicating energy thickened the air — the unmistakable aura of lust and corruption as Asmodeus revealed himself, the demon prince of lust embodying seduction, manipulation, and destruction wrapped in a dark symphony of cruelty.
Starfire hovered low, her emerald glow dimmed and flickering with exhaustion, fists clenched tight. But it was M'gann who looked most shaken. She pressed trembling hands to her temples, eyes unfocused as an ancient fear gnawed at her mind.
"I felt it," M'gann whispered to Wildcard, voice brittle. "Asmodeus was clawing through Raven's mind during the explosion. There are two presences trapped inside her."
Wildcard's crimson eyes narrowed beneath his spinning Sharingan. "Yeah. Asmodeus puppeteers her like a demon strings a marionette—but it's draining him. His mortal shell can't sustain controlling someone like Raven fully. He's buying time, waiting to show up himself when we're weak... or letting Raven do the dirty work."
He straightened, voice low and urgent. "We have to act fast. Save the real Raven before Asmodeus seals control and pulls us all into the abyss."
The shattered figure before them shifted — smoke coiled like hellfire chains around her limbs, tightening, suffocating.
Her silhouette twitched wildly—one moment Raven, fragile and trembling; the next, a towering demonic form marked with burning infernal sigils that scorched the very air.
Her voice flickered..
For a breath, Raven's silhouette was hers alone — small, trembling, human. Then it snapped — horns curled from her skull, her shadow stretching monstrous with wings like torn banners. The two forms overlapped, fighting for dominance, her body twitching as if caught in two realities, soft and pleading one moment. overlapped by a deep, sinister resonance that chilled every bone: Asmodeus himself, whispering threats through her.
"Bravo," the demon purred, his voice a velvet caress laced with poison. "Insolence, rebellion, even unity. How charming. Yet all of it…" He gestured lazily around the battlefield, "…is dust before me."
His form rippled, wings spreading in a blaze of shadow and fire, a smile almost tender but edged with razor sharp menace.
"Do you know why you still breathe? Because I allow it. Every strike, every spark of defiance—it amuses me. But amusement fades, little flames. And when it does…"
His eyes flared molten gold, locking on Raven like prey, "…I will strip away your flesh, your hope, and your beloved Raven until all that remains is mine."
Wildcard smirked and stepped forward alone, aura blazing with electric blue chakra like a brewing storm. The battered Titans tensed, desperate to intervene, but wounds and dark energy held them back.
"Come now, Wildcard," Asmodeus's voice taunted from Raven's lips. "Think you'll hold me at bay? I am the prince who claimed your pet, tugging her strings, watching her dance on my whim."
Wildcard's grin sharpened. "I'm just warming up, Lust Boy. This game's far from over, and I'm here to make you bleed for every inch."
With a flourish, he unleashed a slicing chakra jutsu—faint runes cutting the air, twisting like living energy.
Asmodeus chuckled, shadows swallowing the strike effortlessly. "Cute. You test my patience…and my power. Eternal doesn't mean invincible."
M'gann whispered, eyes narrow, "He's testing. Holding Raven back from full destruction, protecting what humanity remains."
Elsewhere, the Titans rallied. Cyborg's systems fought through glitches as he and Jinx fired blistering blasts, pushing back shadows. Starfire and M'gann joined Wildcard, weaving fragile shields around Raven's flickering form.
Shattered patience pierced reality—the stadium twisted anew. Shadows stretched beyond reason, whispers clawed at sanity, and dark ichor bled from cracks beneath their feet.
Amid chaos, Raven's fraying control screamed, pleading for retreat—yet the Titans stood resolute.
Wildcard smirked, stepping deeper into smoke swirling thick and choking. "Ready for the real fun?"
With a thought, his legendary Gale Serpent Twinblades materialized—sleek, three-pronged jian pulsing with latent elemental force. Morphing tendrils, phantom serpents, storms of wind and water encircled him. His Sharingan spun wildly—predator poised.
Titans exchanged wary glances—some trusting his reckless boldness, others fearful of what price it might extract.
The battle roared anew.
Starfire and Wildcard moved in deadly sync—his chakra ignited lightning that blurred his form as he surged forward. Wildcard's blade slashed downward—a streak of searing electricity aimed to cleave through Raven's dark defenses.
Raven leapt with swift shadowed wings, narrowly evading the lightning slash. Starfire followed swiftly, fist ablaze with emerald fire.
"Starbolt!" she cried, fists striking glowing green against Raven's chest.
Raven raised a shield of black magic, sparks flaring as it absorbed the blow. Starfire unleashed volley after volley of starbolts—emerald missiles blazing like falling stars.
Raven's shield shimmered, cracks spidering its surface.
She twisted to evade—but suddenly froze mid-air, eyes wide with panic.
Her gaze found M'gann.
Invisible, relentless, M'gann's telekinesis held Raven tight in a psychic clamp.
Starbolts hammered Raven's faltering shield.
Wildcard saw the moment.
"Lightning Pillar Jutsu!" he roared.
A towering bolt erupted from the cracked ground, striking Raven's center with blinding force. She fought it—but the pillar's grip held firm.
The energy crackled, then vanished.
Raven was gone.
Wildcard's mind raced.
"She teleported. Just before the strike hit."
Before Wildcard could warn, a sharp cry shot across the field.
Starfire tumbled, blasted back by a crushing force, hitting scorched grass hard.
From Raven's lips, a darker voice rose—Asmodeus, cold and malevolent.
"Impressive," he sneered. "But now, it's my turn."
Hellfire exploded around him—blue-black flames swirling into shapes hungry for annihilation.
The battlefield darkened as Asmodeus rose to claim his fight.
Hellfire danced across the turf like living shadows—lust-tainted, bending the air, pulling at the Titans' resolve with tendrils of temptation and dread.
Ground scorched where fire touched, invisible pain ripping skin and spirit.
Cyborg's systems screamed. "Cooling at max! This fire's frying me! Cooling protocols activated!" He darted back, metal plates sizzling, sweat dripping down his temple as he sprinted backward. Sparks hissed from his armor as he dodged the spreading flames, every step a desperate gamble.
Jinx planted herself firmly, grit set in every line of her body despite the sharp pain blossoming from her bruise.
"Starfire, hang on! I'm raising barriers—just hold tight!" she called, voice strained but fierce. Fingers glowed pink, weaving a fragile shield that shimmered like glass.
Behind her, Starfire lay crumpled, gasping and burning with exhaustion.
Starfire's eyes fluttered open, a faint emerald light rekindling as Jinx's barrier throbbed.
"Together, Jinx," she murmured, voice weak but resolute. Energy blossomed into a flickering aura, warping pink and green into one strengthening shield around them both.
Beast Boy's eyes widened with mounting dread. The hellfire's hungry glow contrasted starkly with the sky's darkening hue. No time to fight grounded.
"Robin, hold on!" Beast Boy cried, transforming rapidly into a giant flying dinosaur. He grabbed Robin, taking them aloft above the cursed flames.
Above, Robin clung tightly, heart hammering, glancing back at the burning battleground.
"This isn't over. Not by a long shot."
Meanwhile, M'gann staggered under the crushing psychic pressure as the hellfire crept closer. Her mind trembled with alarms as her psychic shields wavered like brittle glass in a storm.
Hands pressed to her temples, eyes wide with terror and determination.
"The fire… it's searing through my barriers. I can't hold this much longer." Her voice cracked, trembling.
Her ancient Martian fear of fire flared—a primal wound, deep in both body and soul.
She clenched her eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable burn—then opened them, startled.
Before her, Wildcard stood unshaken, a dome of swirling wind and water encasing them. The elements spun tirelessly, forging an unyielding storm that pushed back the infernal blaze.
His Sharingan eyes gleamed fiercely in the dim light—intense and, to her, strangely beautiful.
"Breathe," Wildcard said softly. "I've got you."
The hellfire surged, furious and snapping, but the barrier held firm, smothering its advance.
A fragile calm descended.
Inside the dome, Jinx exhaled shakily.
"That's one hell of a shield..."
Starfire winced, clutching her side but managing a strained smile.
"As long as we stand together… there's hope."
Slowly, the hellfire's furious advance sputtered, flickered, and then died—snuffed out as if by an unseen breath.
For a brief moment, the world held its breath—caught in the eerie calm at the eye of the storm—before the war's fury began to stir again.
A tense silence settled over the battlefield, broken only by Beast Boy's voice, sharp and questioning.
"What happened to the fire? It just… vanished."
Wildcard's Sharingan eyes narrowed, glowing crimson as they spun with cold amusement. His voice was calm, almost taunting.
"Like I said—that kind of control isn't easy. Asmodeus is tethered to his mortal shell, puppeteering Raven at a massive cost to his magic reserves. Using power at that level burns through his stamina faster than you can imagine."
He swept his gaze over the battered Titans, their breath heavy, wounds aching, minds racing.
"That's why you haven't seen his true power yet. He's holding back, buying time—waiting to arrive in person to finish this. Most likely, he's using Raven as his weapon to weaken or kill us on the way. He's running on fumes, playing for time."
Robin's jaw clenched tightly as grim reality settled in.
"So, he's desperate," Robin said, voice steely. "Desperate and dangerous. That recklessness could be our greatest threat… but it also means we have a chance—to save Raven before he fully consumes her. We have to act fast."
A slow, chilling applause rippled through Raven's form—more than a sound, a haunting presence. A sharp, hollow crack echoed in the silence—Raven's own hands, forced against her will, slapping together in a grotesque mockery.
Chains of shadow coiled tightly around her wrists, compelling this cruel applause.
Beneath the sound came Asmodeus's velvety voice—calm, dark, unsettlingly certain.
"Wildcard, you cling to hope because you have no choice," he said evenly. "But you're exhausted, running on empty. Your efforts only delay what's inevitable. The longer this drags on, the tighter my hold."
His tone softened, almost resigned, but edged with cold truth.
"Soon, I will be free to finish what I started. And when that day comes, no strength—no loyalty—will save you or the Raven you fight for."
The Titans froze.
Fear clung like chains, suffocating.
Robin's mind raced for a plan, but it was like grasping at air—training and control meant nothing before this immensity.
Starfire's warrior fire still burned, but each breath hitched, crushed beneath gnawing doubt.
Beast Boy flinched back, instincts howling that no form would ever be enough.
Cyborg's systems shrieked with alarms, but even circuitry failed to quantify the dread sinking into his core.
Jinx's breath hitched; every pulse felt like her own power was turning against her. For once, her grin slipped—wide-eyed dread breaking through.
M'gann staggered, clutching her temples as psychic talons raked through her mind. The primal terror of fire roared back from the depths of her being, raw and merciless.
And yet—Wildcard.
The aura that smothered the others only stoked a blaze in his chest. His pulse quickened, a savage grin splitting his face. Where others shrank, he leaned in.
A low laugh cracked the silence, sharp and hungry.
"Heh… now that's more like it."
For the first time, Asmodeus shifted—his gaze falling fully on Wildcard. Slowly, he inclined his head, not at an insect, but at a wolf mad enough to bare its fangs at the storm.
"Good," the demon purred. "When the end comes, I want you awake. Thrashing. Fighting. Watching. Because nothing delights me more than hope that refuses to die—until I break it myself."
The shadows pulsed, thick and suffocating. Raven's hands clapped together, jerking like a puppet's strings, hollow eyes fixed forward as dreadful applause rose like thunder—Asmodeus's will made flesh.
End of chapter.
Check out my new book
Spiderman: legacy of first hokage