THESSALY, GREECE - August 22nd
2:05AM
"DIE!!" Green Lantern roared.
Then, his fist came down.
But a red and blue blur came flying out of nowhere and tackled Lantern out of the way, embedding him into a building wall.
'Superman?!" Lantern exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Superman panted with exhaustion, still not fully recovered from Desmond's attack.
"You can't cross that line, Hal!!" Superman berated. "You can't kill him!!"
Green Lantern grunted with anger and pushed Superman off of him.
"HE KILLED THEM!!" he snapped at Superman. "He killed all of our friends!! HE NEEDS TO DIE!!"
Superman put his hands on Green Lantern's trembling shoulders, looking him square in the eye.
"If you kill him, then you're no better than he is!!" Superman warned. "If you kill him, then Desmond proves his belief that we betray people!!"
But Lantern didn't want to hear it.
"NO!!"
Suddenly, Lantern's ring began to blaze brightly, like a raging, green fire and engulfed his hand and arms. Soon, the green blaze shrouded all of lantern's body, as if Lantern had externalised his rage. Before Superman could react, the fire lashed out and threw Superman into the building across from them, demolishing the grey stone well near them.
Superman groaned within the crater as Lantern flew at him, his teeth bared like an animal.
"He killed Batman! He beat Manhunter to death in front of his own niece!! He killed Shayera and Katar and is using their Nth Metal!! He is destroying every member of the Justice League! Dismantling it piece by piece!!"
He grabbed Superman by the collar with a clenched fist.
"There is only one way to stop him!!"
He slowly, almost dramatically, turned in the air, his blazing ring aimed straight at Desmond, who was slowly getting out of the crater, dusting off cobblestone fragments.
"Hal, DON'T!!" Superman pleaded.
The ring began to blaze even more intensely, spilling over with Lantern's rage and merciless intent.
Desmond looked at Lantern with a smug smirk.
"Oh, come on..." he said. "You don't have the guts..."
He threw his arms out wide, baiting Lantern.
"I DARE you!" he laughed.
The ring began to pulsate with power.
Superman tried to budge, but Lantern's aura kept him stuck in the crater.
Desmond's smirk grew wider as the ring's energy began to shake the ground, sending cracks through the cobblestones and bathing the building's with a vicious green glow.
"DO IT!!"
And with a furious scream, swirling, flaming green tendrils lashed out of the ring, screaming out for Desmond's throat.
But something was wrong.
When the tendrils were halfway towards Desmond, they began to flicker, like static and suddenly, they exploded, the blast knocking Lantern off of his feet and spinning up into the air like a rag doll.
There was a dull crack of bones snapping as Lantern landed on his shoulder.
He let out a scream of pain, cradling his left shoulder as he rolled gently on his side.
Desmond made yet another disappointed face and picked up his cane, walking over to the injured Lantern with a sigh.
Superman was so shocked by Lantern's actions, he didn't even bother freeing himself from the crater he was embedded in.
Desmond stopped several inches from Lantern's ring hand, which still glowed fiercely.
Lantern growled and threw his hand up at Desmond's face. One shot, and Desmond's head would come clean off.
"Um..." Desmond said suddenly. "I wouldn't do that if-"
Lantern's ring shot another beam, but like the tendrils, it exploded before it left his fist, sending him flying even further back.
"...If I was you..." Desmond finished.
Lantern's lower back hit the corner of a small apartment building, another sickening crack resounding along the slope.
Lantern began to gasp in pain as Desmond jumped over to him.
Not having learned his lesson, he lifted his fist again, but Desmond slammed the end of his cane straight onto his fingers.
Lantern screamed in pain, tears welling in his eyes and confusion welling in his body.
"What...What's going on?!" he gasped. "What did you do to me?!"
Desmond rolled his eyes.
"I didn't do anything." he told Lantern. "You did that to yourself..."
Lantern looked at him blankly, his eyes filled with confusion.
Desmond sighed and sat down on the ground, like a parent about to impart wisdom onto their child.
"You know, I made about six different contingency plans for you, Hal. They ranged from mental suggestion, coating my costume in a yellow solution, all the way to just plain beating you to death..."
He scoffed and looked upwards to the sky.
"But the one I wasn't going to bet on using, ironically the one YOU just started, was getting you angry. The one thing that can completely derail your focus and willpower..."
Lantern growled and tried to move his broken fingers.
"I have enough will..." he panted. "Enough will...to kill you..!"
Desmond put his cane on the end of Lantern's fingers, gently putting his hand back down.
"There's a difference between willpower and motivation." he warned him. "You may have the motivation to kill me, but the anger is clouding your focus..."
And with a small throw of his legs, Desmond jumped back onto his feet, his cane starting to brighten with a faint, yellow-golden glow.
Suddenly, a blade ripped out of the end, shining with an intent as cold and merciless as the metal it was made from.
"For what it's worth, Hal..." Desmond whispered. "You always were one of my more favourite Justice League members..."
Lantern said nothing, realising what was going to happen next.
"DESMOND!!" Superman cried out. "DON'T!!!"
But Desmond ignored him and marvelled over the golden blade with an almost obsessive gaze.
"You shouldn't scream out like that, Superman..." Desmond said back to him. "Didn't your high school teacher ever tell you?"
He lifted the blade above Lantern's back.
"Noise is tarnished..."
"NOOOO!!!!" Superman screamed.
But it was too late. Desmond slammed the blade straight through Lantern's back, making him scream out in pain.
"...Silence is Golden..."
He pulled the blade out quickly as blood flowed slowly from Lantern's mouth. With a small death rattle and a gasp, Lantern lowered his head onto the concrete.
He made some weak, panting breaths before he stopped breathing altogether.
The Green Lantern was dead.
Tears welled in the corner of Superman's eyes as his fists began to shake violently.
With a scream of rage, he flew straight at Desmond, his fists clenched so tightly, blood was dripping through his fingers.
But just before Superman's fists could tear through Desmond's jaw, a small bust of green light shot out and hit Superman dead centre in the chest.
Superman stopped flying immediately and rolled along the cobblestones, his body wracked with stinging pain, like his cells were on fire and tearing themselves apart.
He knew this feeling immediately.
"Kryptonite!" Desmond laughed. "Funny how such a stupid, fragile little rock can turn the great Man of Steel into a pathetic weakling..."
He walked over to Superman calmly, the echoing of his footfalls like drums heralding Superman's death.
But suddenly, there was a loud gushing of water from the well in the town centre, making Desmond turn around with confusion.
"What the h-"
But before he could say a word, a huge torrent of water flew out of the well and tore through his chest, sending puddles of water and blood spraying all over Superman's shocked face.
His eyes wide with shock, Desmond coughed up blood all over the ground and fell to his knees, rivers of red spilling out of his chest as a muscular, blonde-haired figure walked towards him.
"Aquaman?!" Superman exclaimed.
Aquaman did not reply and simply walked over to Desmond with smouldering, angry eyes. The remaining puddles of water curled up his body like a snake and into his hand, turning into a large, black, metal trident.
"Any last words, Desmond?"
Green Lantern is dead?!
Desmond has been wounded?!
Aquaman has arrived on the scene?!
After all this carnage, will it be the King of the Atlanteans who puts a stop to Desmond's vengeful crusade?! :o
Find out in the next chapter! :D
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How do YOU think the battle between Desmond and Aquaman (assuming there is one) will play out?! :D
- Kai-Shiro :D