Shadow Monarch in DC

The city below Wayne Tower no longer looked like Gotham in the usual sense. It looked emptied, hollowed out, streets that once crawled with traffic were now lined with barricades, military checkpoints, and abandoned vehicles that hadn’t been moved in days.

The skyline was still dominated by the Gate.

It didn’t open yet. a colossal oval shape, that can be seen even from orbit.

And around it, humanity had gathered anyway, Hunters from across the world stood on rooftops, highways surrounding the sealed anomaly. Armor glinted, weapons reinforced with mana, and egos. They were the famous ones too, ranked S-class hunters who had survived dozens of Gates, smiling for cameras, talking loudly enough for the live broadcasts still running from abandoned news vans.

"This is it," one of them said into a microphone, grinning as helicopters circled above. "The biggest Gate yet. If anything comes out of there, we’ll be the ones to kill it."

Another voice cut in from a different channel, equally confident. "Forget stopping it. This is a chance. Whoever clears this will be remembered forever!"

A reporter, standing far too close to the barrier line, turned to the camera. "Officials are calling this the ’Red Crown Gate.’ Hunters from over twenty nations are now present on site. Many believe this will be the ultimate test of humanity’s new defenders."

"Some are even calling this the moment hunters surpass the Justice League."

That comment alone rippled through the crowd. Pride flared and their smirks deepened. Some hunters actually laughed at the idea, rolling their shoulders as if already imagining the glory.

High above them, the real old defenders of Earth watched in silence.

Superman hovered in the air, cape shifting gently in the wind. Beside him, Kara floated with her arms loosely folded, eyes fixed on the gate.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, then Superman asked, quietly, "Any news of Arthur yet?"

Kara didn’t look away from the Gate when she answered. Her voice came softer than usual, "No." Then she finally turned her head slightly toward him, offering a small smile.

"That’s alright," Superman said, "He’ll be fine. He’s pretty tough. All we need to do is handle this. When he comes back, it’ll be with good news from both sides."

His gaze drifted down toward the hunters below, and then toward the Gate that had everyone pretending they weren’t afraid of.

"It would be a shame if he returns and we can’t even defend our own world from something like this."

Kara exhaled slowly, then shook her head. "I’m not worried about Arthur, Kal."

That made him glance at her. "Besides... he’s helping even now. Look."

Superman followed her gaze upward. High overhead, toward the sky above the Gate.

The shadows lanterns were there.

Weaving through the clouds like living ink, at their front hovered a menacing figure, Arthur’s Marshal Zeus, wreathed in crackling violet lightning that snapped around him like contained thunder. The lightning cast fleeting purple highlights across the clouds, and right next to him a Human Girl, in shadow lantern uniform.

That one presence stood out even to Superman.

"Interesting... an Earthling shadow lantern... and that lightning shadow looks strong," Superman murmured, more to himself than anyone else. Then, after a pause, "I’ve seen them across different reports, across different worlds. They’re... organized and intelligent, The Shadow Corps is known to all now, active across the stars, holding the line where even the Green Lanterns sometimes falter, they are truly a formidable force."

Kara’s eyes stayed on them a moment longer before she answered. "They are part of his power," she said quietly. "That’s how I know he’s fine. Even if he’s not here, and even though these guys were brought here by Raven.."

Superman nodded once, still watching the shadows drift across the sky like an unseen army.

He lowered his gaze then "You know... a while back, I thought badly of him. Same as Bruce did. We saw the shadows, the power that didn’t fit our neat little boxes of light and justice. I judged him too quickly and so did Bruce." He let out a soft chuckle, "But I’ve come to respect him. Deeply. The way he fights for Earth and for his loved ones not for the spotlight, not for the cheers of the people. Just because he thinks it’s right, it is truly commendable."

Kara crossed her arms, hovering in place with a playful huff that sent a stray lock of hair dancing across her forehead. "You guys are the worst judges of character sometimes, you know that right? Especially Bruce." She uncrossed one arm to jab a finger toward the shadows overhead, her voice rising with the bright, unwavering love that colored every word when she spoke of Arthur. "Arthur might not be bright and shiny like most of the so called heroes are, I mean just look at these idiots down there, ’Hunters in shining armor’ most of them would run the moment they feel their life is in danger, but he never did and never will." She glanced at the Marshal again, violet lightning flashing in her eyes, and her smile turned soft, almost shy. "He’s my everything, Kal."

Superman chuckled lightly. "You really love him don’t you."

Kara tilted her head just a little and said proudly, "I do."

Superman floated a bit closer, then, with a small smile, he said, "Speaking of you guys... we can celebrate later once this is over."

Kara blinked once. "Celebrate what?"

He tilted his head toward her with a certain look, not saying it outright,

She pausee.

Then Kara’s eyes widened just slightly, followed by a slow exhale that turned into an embarrassed laugh she tried, and failed to hide.

"Oh... that. You noticed." Her voice was quiet, almost wondering, like she still couldn’t quite believe it herself.

Superman laughed softly. "You didn’t tell anyone."

"I haven’t told anyone yet. I wanted to wait until Arthur returns..." Kara said quietly.

"I see. And of course I noticed," Superman cut in gently, his grin widening into that boyish, big-brother. "I’m Kryptonian too, remember? Heat vision, super-hearing, and apparently the ability to pick up on tiny heartbeats that aren’t mine or yours." He winked, the gesture light and teasing, easing any awkwardness. "It’s strong and healthy. Just like its super mom."

Kara said nothing for a moment, just floated there blushing harder, the smile on her face bright enough to rival the sun. She bit her lip, eyes shining with a mix of joy and the quiet ache of missing the one person she wanted to share this with most.

Superman’s expression grew tender, "We’ll celebrate properly once Arthur’s back. All of us. Maybe a cake too, bad jokes, and no shadows."

Kara met his gaze again, her blush deepening "I’d love that," she said softly.

Then, suddenly a sound came.

At first, it was so low it barely registered, conversations faltered mid-sentence. The confident laughter of hunters scattered across the barricades died out one by one, replaced by a creeping silence that spread through the evacuated streets.

Then the Gate answered.

A deep, crack rolled outward from its center. The surface of it rippled unevenly. Light bent wrong around it. The sky above Gotham seemed to dim by degrees.

Every head turned.

Weapons came up almost instinctively, Blades and firearms locked into place reinforced by mana that surged visibly across the bodies of high-ranking hunters as they braced themselves. The bravado from earlier didn’t vanish, but it did change.

Because they all understood the same thing at the same time.

The Gate was about to open an unleash whatever it is holding.

High above the city, Superman’s expression shifted before the second crack even finished echoing.

"Kara."

She was already looking at him.

There was no softness lingering from their earlier exchange.

Another sound followed, louder this time.

A fracture.

Superman inhaled slowly, and when he spoke, his voice carried that same calm strength he always shows.

"This is it."

Kara nodded once, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Yeah.." she said under her breath, quieter.

Below them, the gathered hunters shifted into formation. Some shouted orders. Others activated abilities that lit up the streets in flashes of color and power. Defensive barriers rose. Teams clustered together. A few of the more arrogant ones still smirked, but even those smiles were less convincing now.

The Gate pulsed again.

And this time, a thin line of distortion traced across its surface, like a crack in glass.

Miles away, atop Wayne Tower, Batman stood unmoving at the edge of the rooftop, the wind pulling faintly at his cape as his eyes remained locked on the gate.

He had been watching it for days, analyzing and preparing for every possible outcome.

And now, it had begun.

The sound reached him a fraction of a second later than the others, but his reaction was immediate.

His gauntlet lit up under his touch.

A series of commands flickered across the interface as his fingers were inputting sequences he had prepared long before this moment ever came.

"Protocol Omega-Seven," he said quietly, his voice calm. "Authorization: Batman."

Then,

"Secondary confirmation accepted."

High above Earth, beyond the reach of the naked eye, in orbit.

The Watchtower.

Systems that had remained dormant came alive in sequence. Massive internal mechanisms rotated with deliberate precision, energy routing through channels designed for a single purpose.

A weapon.

From Gotham, it wasn’t visible in full, but a faint, distant glow began to gather in the upper atmosphere, subtle at first. Almost mistaken for a trick of the light.

Batman didn’t look up.

He already knew.

His eyes remained fixed on the Gate as the distortion across its surface deepened, spreading like fractures.

For only a moment his jaw tightened.

Then he spoke again, not to anyone listening.

"A last resort."

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ARTHUR BLACKWYND :

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