Shaking off the distracting thoughts, Max decided to check on his system progress.
Name: Max Schiller
Current Template: Goku Black [16, 19%]
Completed Templates: Madara Uchiha, Might Guy, Monkey D. Garp, Logan (Wolverine)
Obtained Items: Madara's Sengoku armor, Gunbai Uchiwa + Scythe, Garp's Marine Haori, Wolverine's suit
Yeah… he was slowly but surely getting there.
He could go for some training, but it wasn't as beneficial as it used to be. Performing it now would mostly be a convenient way to pass the time, yielding very little actual gain.
Today, he thought, would be a nice day to relax, spend some time with my family… maybe even go have a little fun.
With that in mind, Max walked toward Thena's room and knocked twice.
"Thena!"
When no answer came, he opened the door and found the room empty. He closed it quietly and checked the living room—still no sign of them.
It seems they didn't come back yesterday… but let's confirm, Max thought.
He created a shadow clone, which vanished in a puff of smoke a second later, relaying a command to the clone he had sent to follow them.
"They really didn't come back," the clone reported. "Raven must have taken them to Azarath to tell them her story."
Max exhaled, thinking things through. Well, this disrupts my plans, but it's probably better than anything. Now's a perfect opportunity to go to Los Angeles…
With that in mind, Max took a shower, ate some breakfast, and then headed out of the house. He breathed in the fresh morning air,still polluted, but leagues better than what he had been forced to inhale in Hell.
Suddenly, Max felt something shift beneath the ground.
Not a second later, Zetsu popped his head out of the earth like a mole. The moment he saw Max, his eyes lit up.
"Max! Thank goodness you're okay!"
"Yes, I'm fine, Zetsu. Now why are you here?" Max asked flatly.
"I came to check on you, of course. It's been a while—I kinda missed you. Didn't you miss me?" Zetsu said with an exaggerated hopeful tone.
"Why would I?" Max replied.
"Ohh, my feelings… they're so wounded," Zetsu said dramatically, clutching his chest.
"You've changed a bit while I was gone. Even picked up new habits," Max said offhandedly.
"Yeah, I had too much time on my hands, so I decided to blend in with people most of the time. I even had a job for a while. Of course, I was impersonating someone," Zetsu added proudly.
"Right… shouldn't you be doing something productive?" Max asked.
"Pain,technically you,gave me a few days off. But there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Zetsu said.
"What is it?" Max asked.
"Are you nervous around attractive women?" Zetsu asked suddenly.
"Where would you even get that idea?" Max frowned.
"I heard Nina telling Thena and Terra the other day," Zetsu said casually.
"Well, I'm not. She was just joking," Max replied, his expression stiff and unconvincing.
"Are you sure?" Zetsu smirked.
"Zetsu," Max said dangerously, his voice dropping.
"Alright, alright! Seems like you haven't changed at all," Zetsu chuckled.
"Now walk with me and recount everything that happened while I was gone," Max said.
Zetsu fully emerged from the ground, his body morphing into that of an average brown-haired man. Stretching lazily, he spoke, "Oh man… there's a lot. Where do I even begin?"
"The beginning would be a good start," Max replied as they headed toward the gate.
Jump City
A portal tore open in front of Titan Tower, glowing with dark violet energy. Raven, Starfire, Nina, Beast Boy, Robin, Blue Beetle, Terra, and Thena stepped through one by one, the portal sealing itself behind them with a soft echo.
Beast Boy stretched and yawned. "Wow… how long were we in there?" he asked, looking up at the bright morning sky. "We left at night."
"For us, travel between Azarath and Earth may seem instantaneous," Raven explained calmly, "but time flows differently within my portals.i know that I've found a good family in you guys,but my father won't stop coming for me. He'll use any means necessary,even if it means targeting all of you."
Starfire stepped closer, concern flashing in her eyes. "But Raven… where will you go?"
"It's better if you don't know," Raven replied quietly.
Robin crossed his arms. "So how long do you plan on running? At some point, you'll have to face him."
"You already beat him once," Blue Beetle added. "With all of us together, you can definitely do it again."
"Blue Beetle speaks is right," Starfire said firmly. "We are your greatest strength."
"And we're willing to help too," Nina chimed in confidently. She turned toward Thena and Terra. "Right, guys?"
"Sure, why not?" Terra said with a small shrug,.
"Of course," Thena added without hesitation.
Before Raven could respond, a deep mechanical hum filled the air.
A Boom Tube suddenly opened in front of the group, bathing the entrance plaza in golden light. One by one, figures stepped through.
Cyborg emerged first, followed by Batman, Wonder Woman, and Flash. Behind them came the League's two newest additions Hawkman and Martian Manhunter, his red eyes glowing as he scanned the surroundings.
Batman spoke first.
"We've heard about the attack. Is she the reason?" he asked, his eyes locking onto Raven.
"Yes," Starfire replied. "Her father is an inter-dimensional demon. He was after her."
"Then she's coming with us," Batman said without hesitation.
"No. We can handle this," Robin shot back, stepping forward.
"If she's involved in a threat of this magnitude, the League needs full control of the situation," Batman countered.
"We can protect her," Robin insisted.
"Yeah, have a little faith in the kids," Nina added with a smirk. "They understand the situation better than you think. Besides, I'll be helping them too."
"No, Nina," Wonder Woman said firmly. "This is far too serious to leave to children. We've already suffered two magical attacks, and Superman is missing. I'm sorry, Raven… but you're coming with us."
"Please let us handle this, Mom. I think we can do it," Thena said, stepping forward.
"Mom?" Beast Boy and Blue Beetle blurted out in unison.
"I'm sorry, Thena, but we can't allow this," Wonder Woman replied. "Does Max even know you're here?"
"Not… exactly," Thena admitted, scratching the back of her head.
"This is our responsibility,Father, you need to leave."Robin said
"Father?" Beast Boy muttered in disbelief.
"One revelation after another," Blue Beetle sighed.
Terra rolled her eyes. "Can you focus?"
"She stays," Robin said sharply, sliding into a combat stance.
The rest of the Titans immediately moved beside him, forming a defensive line. After a brief moment of hesitation, Thena clenched her fists and stepped into position as well, standing with them. Only Nina remained neutral.
Cyborg, Flash, Hawkman, and Martian Manhunter moved into formation beside him, the air between the two teams growing heavy with tension.
Before anyone could make the first move, Starfire raised both hands urgently.
"Perhaps we should all take a moment to breathe and discuss this calmly-"
"They're here."
Raven's voice cut through the air like a blade.
Dark wisps of smoke began to crawl out from the shadows, slithering across the ground before suddenly surging upward. The black mist slammed into the League members, merging with their bodies.
They collapsed instantly.
Cyborg, Flash, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and Martian Manhunter hit the ground, writhing in agony as the dark energy invaded their bodies.
"Mom!"
"Father!"
Damian and Thena shouted at the same time, rushing forward to check on them
"Stop!"
Nina threw out her hand, forcing Thena and Damian to freeze in place.
Batman, teeth clenched in pain, suddenly reached into his utility belt. With a sharp motion, he pulled out a syringe and stabbed it directly into his thigh.
He groaned as black smoke erupted violently from his mouth.
Batman collapsed seconds later, unconscious.
The remaining League members began to change.
Their skin twisted into a deep crimson hue.
An extra pair of glowing eyes opened across their foreheads.It was obvious that they had been taken over.
End of Chapter
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