Klarion's eyes locked onto Nabu's glowing hands before dropping to his paralyzed familiar. Panic broke through his smirk. "Don't you dare!"
"Let's make a deal." Ghostfreak tightened his grip on the tiger.
"I won't bargain with a Lord of Chaos," Nabu said.
"You want him gone. He wants his cat." Ghostfreak squeezed Teekl. The tiger yowled and twitched her tail against his spectral grip. "We can work something out."
Nabu turned toward him, and Ben waited for the refusal.
"Proceed."
Ben looked back at Klarion. He'd negotiated with Highbreed, Incurseans, and stubborn Plumbers. This couldn't be worse. "You leave Earth and every being on it alone for an agreed time frame. Once we settle on the terms, you get Teekl back. I'm thinking one thousand years."
Maybe a little of Bellicus had rubbed off on him. Setting Klarion on fire during his next debate in Alien X was also tempting.
Klarion threw up his arms. "Are you kidding me?! What kind of rip-off... I'm not taking another boring millennium-long deal like last time!"
Ben glanced at Nabu. Apparently there had been a last time.
"Meow?!" Teekl's expression went flat. 'I'm not worth a thousand years?'
Klarion spun toward her. "No! That's not what I meant! I'm saying it'll be boring for us just sitting around waiting to have fun for another thousand years..."
'You don't think we can have fun on our own?'
Klarion slapped a hand over his face. "Dammit, Teekl... That's not..."
Ghostfreak watched them argue with growing amusement. Even ancient chaos entities had relationship problems. "Feel free to counteroffer."
Klarion refocused and crossed his arms. "A day."
"A year," Nabu said.
"A week."
"Ten months."
"Two weeks."
Ghostfreak held Teekl toward Nabu. "One month. Final offer. Otherwise Goldie here gives her the PETA treatment."
Klarion stared at him for a moment, then counted on his fingers before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. One month."
"Acceptable," Nabu said.
"Now give her here." Klarion reached out.
"Shake on it first."
Nabu stiffened. "Pacts with Chaos need not require..."
Ghostfreak cut him off. "Do you want to keep fighting him over Order and Chaos, or do you want him gone so we can deal with the demon in Central City?"
Nabu remained silent for a few seconds before lowering his hands and extending one gauntlet. "Accept the terms, Witch Boy."
Klarion rolled his eyes. "You're no fun at all."
He grabbed Nabu's hand, and red and gold energy flared between them. The instant they separated, both wiped their hands against their clothes.
Ghostfreak tossed Teekl forward. Her body shrank in midair to normal cat size before she twisted and landed neatly in Klarion's arms.
The Chaos Lord hugged her close, then looked up with a grin. "See you in thirty days."
He and Teekl dissolved into black and red wisps that scattered into the wind.
Ghostfreak floated toward Doctor Fate, who was clearly not Kent, and narrowed his single eye. "Kid Flash? You in there?"
Inside the helmet's mindscape, Wally screamed a response.
"The child is safe," Nabu said. "His mind remains intact within the Helmet."
Ark had dealt with Zs'Skayr enough to recognize possession when he saw it. "Good to know..."
He looked past Nabu and spotted Kent Nelson crumpled on the ground, then phased forward and returned to human form as he knelt beside him. Two fingers went to the old man's neck.
"Phew. He's breathing."
Nabu approached. "Allow me. It seems it is not yet Kent Nelson's time."
He placed a glowing hand against Kent's chest, and golden light spread across the old man's body.
Kent gasped and opened his eyes. After a cough, he blinked up at the sky. "How long was I out?"
"Long enough for the battle to end."
Nabu helped him sit up as Kent pressed a hand against his chest, checking for injuries that were no longer there.
"I won't lie. I thought that was the end of the line. That I'd finally be reunited with Inza."
Nabu shrugged. "It seems Fate had other plans."
Inside the Helmet of Fate
Wally cheered and pumped his fists inside the cramped golden void. Klarion was gone, Kent was okay, and the fight was finally over.
Any second now, Nabu would take off the helmet.
Wally waited, but a few seconds passed with no change.
"Uhh... it's over, right?" His voice echoed through the empty space. "Why isn't Nabu taking off the helmet?"
No one answered.
"Hello? Anyone?"
Tower of Fate
Ark turned toward the armored figure. "Okay, Nabu. Before you let Kid Flash go, we still need to handle Kadabra and deal with a demon."
Nabu tilted his head, ignoring the first part. "I am aware of the false sorcerer. But a demon?"
"Yeah. Name's Karkull. He's holed up behind a magical barrier in downtown Central City, doing who-knows-what to the civilians trapped inside."
Kent's expression darkened. "I sealed that creature myself. Nearly a century ago."
Ben looked at him. "Wait. How old are you again?"
Kent crossed his arms. "Older than you think. As Doctor Fate, my body aged much slower over time."
"I see." Ben nodded. "Anyway, that matches what we found in Zatara's reference books. So, can you help us?"
Nabu nodded. "It is my duty as a Lord of Order to contain such demonic entities."
Ben reached up and patted the armored shoulder. "Don't worry, Kid. We're almost done for today. Hang in there a little longer."
Kent watched from the side, his expression tightening. Nabu had a host again, which meant convincing him to give up control might not be easy.
Ark turned back toward the tower. "The rest of the Team is still down in the artifact vault dealing with Kadabra."
Nabu raised one hand as magic gathered in his palm. "I shall render assistance."
Artifact Vault - Moments Earlier
The Team cried out as Kadabra's lightning cages surged around them. The futuristic villain raised his wand, clearly preparing another one-liner, when the Ankh of Order blazed into existence directly behind him, ten feet tall and burning with golden fire.
Kadabra's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"
His suit disintegrated in a flash, leaving him shivering in his boxer shorts as his wand tore itself from his grip and clattered against the far wall.
"Wha?!" Kadabra crossed his arms over his bare chest.
The lightning cages flickered and died. Superboy smashed through the weakened bars, straightened to his full height, and glared at him.
"Show's over."
His fist connected with Kadabra's jaw. The villain's eyes rolled back, and he dropped as stone manacles erupted from the floor and locked around his wrists and ankles.
A moment later, golden light swallowed the room, taking the Team and their prisoner with it.
The light faded on the rooftop, where Superboy released Kadabra and let the unconscious magician slump to the ground.
Artemis' attention immediately went to the figure in blue and gold standing beside Kent and Ark. She stared at the Helmet of Fate, then at the body wearing it.
'Wally?'
"You actually put it on?"
The figure turned toward her. "The boy you know is safe."
Artemis frowned. She had plenty of disagreements with Kid Flash, but this was different.
"Kid Flash's soul is no longer controlling his body," Kent explained as he stepped forward and rested a hand on Wally's shoulder. "He's inside the Helmet now."
M'gann hovered a few inches off the ground. "Then who is controlling his body?"
"Nabu." Kent gave Wally's shoulder a light pat. "The true Doctor Fate. One of the Lords of Order I told you about earlier. This is why I hadn't worn the helmet in sixty-five years."
Inside the Helmet of Fate
Wally pounded both fists against the golden screen. "What?! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
He kicked the wall, then hit it again. "I'm a terrible host! I'll be annoying! I'll hum pop songs in here twenty-four seven! I swear it! PLEASE!"
His voice echoed through the empty space without an answer.
Rooftop of the Tower of Fate
Ben clapped his hands once. "Alright, quick debrief. Klarion agreed to a one-month non-aggression pact."
Superboy looked over. "How'd you manage that?"
"He wanted his cat back more than he wanted to fight."
Kaldur stepped forward. "And I see that Fate dealt with Abra Kadabra."
"Yup." Ben nodded toward the unconscious magician still bound in stone. "Thanks for that."
Nabu turned his helmeted head toward the Team. "Your contribution was significant in my return."
"Either way, we're not done yet," Ben said. "There's still a demon in Central City with civilians trapped inside the barrier. Nabu needs to deal with it, and Kent and I are going with him."
He looked over the Team. "You've been through enough today. Time to head home."
M'gann frowned. "What about Wally?"
"Once we stop the demon, he'll be back to his normal confrontational self."
Kent's mouth tightened.
Nabu raised one hand as golden light gathered around the Team. "I shall return you to your base. Stand ready."
"Wait..." Artemis reached toward the helmeted figure, but the light swallowed them before she could say anything else.
When it cleared, the Team stood in Mount Justice's mission room, and Abra Kadabra's unconscious body appeared in the containment area a second later.
Back on the tower rooftop, only Ark, Kent, and Nabu remained.
"The demon grows stronger with each passing moment," Nabu said. "We must act immediately."
Ark nodded. "Agreed."
Kent grabbed his cane. "Then let's move."
The Ankh of Order blazed beneath their feet, and golden light consumed the rooftop.
Central City - Inside the Barrier
The transit station reeked of sulfur.
Karkull stood at the center of the platform and chanted as roughly forty civilians huddled near the edges. Some pressed against the barrier, searching for a weakness, while others had given up and simply sat.
A middle-aged man in a torn business suit paced nearby. "We've searched everywhere. Vents, maintenance tunnels. There's no way out." He glanced back toward Karkull. "Is he still..."
A woman in jogging clothes sat against a pillar with her arms around her knees. "Like a house guest."
Karkull's chanting rose to a peak before he thrust both arms downward. The platform split apart, and concrete and tile burst upward as hellfire erupted from the widening chasm.
The civilians scrambled back.
"Holy..." the businessman started.
"Bad choice of words!" The woman grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
The hole widened to nearly thirty feet across, with no bottom in sight. Before anyone could recover, shadow-black figures began pouring from the abyss, their bodies shifting between solid and translucent.
One broke from the swarm and dove toward a young man near the ticket machines, phasing straight into him.
The man screamed and clutched his head. "GET IT OUT! GET..."
His jaw dislocated with a wet pop as his clothes tore, his skin darkened, and his muscles swelled. Tentacles erupted from his back, and within seconds another creature like Karkull stood in his place.
More demons flooded onto the platform.
A security guard tried to run but wasn't fast enough, her scream cutting through the station as another shadow entered her. Nearby, an elderly man swung his cane at one of the creatures, but the weapon passed harmlessly through before the demon dove into his chest and dropped him to the floor.
"RUN!"
The businessman grabbed the jogger and pulled her toward the far end of the station. Others followed as more demons gave chase, while around Karkull the possessed began to gather.
There were already a dozen.
Central City - Outside the Barrier
Sickly green hell-magic covered the station. Since Flash had last checked, police had pushed the perimeter several blocks back.
He stood at the closest safe approach point, staring at the barrier. He'd already tried phasing through twice, and both attempts had thrown him back.
A golden ankh suddenly formed ten feet away.
Flash turned. "Finally!"
Ark, Kent, and Doctor Fate stepped through. Flash noticed Kent first, then the green eyes glowing behind the Helmet of Fate.
His expression changed. "Kid's in there?"
"Indeed," Nabu said.
"We'll deal with that after," Kent added.
Flash hesitated, then nodded. "Right. Demon first."
He gestured toward the barrier, and Nabu approached the shifting green surface to examine it.
"Third-circle binding. Anchored to the foundations and the ley line intersection." He tilted his head. "Crude, but effective."
Ark moved closer. "I thought about using an alien to absorb the energy."
Nabu turned sharply toward him. "You did well not to. Hell magic is corrupted. Absorbing it could have infected you, possibly beyond repair."
Ark paused. "Good to know."
"So what's the plan?" Flash asked.
Nabu raised one hand. Golden light gathered in his palm, then faded to reveal four crystalline charms shaped like ankhs, each glowing yellow and red.
He handed one to Flash, one to Ark, and one to Kent, keeping the last for himself.
Flash turned his over in his fingers. "What's this do?"
"You will see."
Kent stepped toward the barrier without hesitation. As the charm neared it, the green light pulled away and opened a gap large enough to walk through.
Flash grinned. "Ah. I see."
A SWAT officer jogged over. "Flash, should we follow? We've got people ready..."
Flash glanced at Ark, who shook his head.
"Appreciate it." Flash clapped the officer on the shoulder. "But we need you out here in case anything gets past us. You're the safety net."
The officer nodded. "Understood."
Nabu approached the opening, and the gap widened around him as Flash and Ark followed.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the heat hit them.
Central City Train Station - Inside the Barrier
The businessman and jogger sprinted past overturned benches and shattered kiosks as demons swooped behind them.
"Keep moving!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
A demon dropped directly into their path. The man snatched up a metal trash can and hurled it, but the can passed straight through.
"Oh, you've gotta be..."
The demon lunged into his chest. His scream cut off as his eyes rolled back and his body convulsed before going rigid. Dark corruption spread across his skin, his clothes split, and tentacles tore from his back.
The woman skidded to a halt. "No... no, no..."
Shadows gathered around her feet and hardened into tendrils that wrapped around her ankles as another demon descended from above.
"Please..."
It dove into her.
By the time the last screams faded, forty-three possessed humans stood around Karkull. He remained at the edge of the hell pit with his arms spread.
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
More demons streamed from the chasm as he looked over the gathered hosts.
"Soon, this city will fall. Then the world."
A ripple passed through the northern barrier, and three figures stepped through.
Karkull recognized the red one immediately. The other two were unfamiliar, though something about the old man tugged at his memory.
His lipless mouth twisted. "I don't remember sending invitations."
He pointed at them. "Kill them."
The possessed surged forward.
Kent slammed his cane against the floor. Golden light burst outward and formed a shield around him as claws scraped across its surface, while his free hand traced a series of symbols.
"Aegis minor. Celer. Dura."
Two streaks of light shot toward Ark and Flash before wrapping around them and hardening into translucent armor.
Flash glanced down at the faint shimmer. "Is this..."
"Minor shielding," Kent said, already starting another spell. "Won't stop everything."
Green light flared from the Omnitrix as Diamondhead stepped between Kent and the horde.
"Appreciate it."
The first possessed civilian lashed out with its tentacles. Diamondhead caught them and hurled the attacker into three others.
"Careful now," Karkull said with mock concern. Three larger demons stepped forward beside him, hellfire crackling between their claws. "It could be someone you know. A neighbor. A friend."
They hurled spheres of hellfire.
Diamondhead slammed both fists into the floor, and a crystalline wall erupted in front of them to catch the first two blasts. The third sailed over the top, but Flash blurred past, grabbed Kent, and pulled him clear before it struck.
"These people are still in there, right?" Flash asked as he avoided another attack. "We can save them once we take down the big guy?"
"Unknown." Kent's barrier flared as a demon crashed into it. "Possession this deep... the mind may already be gone."
"That's not a no."
Diamondhead forced the demons together and kept them from surrounding Kent.
Karkull tilted his head. "Fascinating. You fight with restraint."
He raised one hand, and the station began to change.
Support pillars twisted into pulsing organic shapes. Rail lines tore free and bent into spiked barricades, while faces pushed against the walls from beneath the surface.
Flash stumbled as the floor buckled. "Okay, that's just wrong..."
Tentacles burst from the ground and wrapped around his legs and torso. He vibrated, trying to phase free, but more tendrils piled on until he was pinned.
"You continue to surprise me." Karkull stepped over the debris as he approached. "But you don't have the tools to defeat me. Not here. Not in my domain."
He gestured toward the hell pit. "Surrender, and your deaths will be swift."
Golden light blazed overhead as a massive Ankh appeared above the platform.
Doctor Fate descended through it and landed between Karkull and Flash with one hand raised.
"Solvere."
The tentacles disintegrated, and Flash scrambled upright before putting some distance between himself and the corrupted floor.
Karkull's expression shifted from surprise to recognition.
"Fate."
Hatred sharpened his voice as he stared at the armored figure. "I thought our dealings had ended. You sealed me. Bound me in that prison for decades."
Nabu tilted his head. "No such luck."
"And yet here you stand, in my lair, at the height of my power." Karkull spread his arms. "What magic do you possess that's powerful enough to defeat me here?"
Nabu raised one hand. Golden light gathered in his palm and faded, revealing a small stone tablet covered in ancient glowing symbols.
Karkull recoiled. "The Artifact of Lorta?" His voice rose. "No. I destroyed it!"
"What has been made can never truly be unmade," Nabu said.
The hell pit churned, and dozens of demons poured out.
Flash blurred into motion, ran vertically up a warped pillar, and kicked off. He phased through three demons in midair before landing on a suspended rail line.
"Diamondhead! Incoming!"
Diamondhead widened his stance and fired crystal shards into the advancing swarm. "Kent! How long can your barrier hold?"
"Long enough!"
Sweat had already started to bead across Kent's forehead as Nabu moved beside him and reinforced the barrier with another layer of wards.
"It will not hold indefinitely, but it will suffice."
He took the tablet in both hands and began to chant.
Karkull's eyes widened. "No. NO!"
He slashed one hand through the air, and five demons broke from the swarm. Larger and faster than the others, they rushed straight for Kent and Nabu with hellfire wreathing their bodies.
Flash intercepted the first two by clotheslining one and sweeping the legs out from under the other. Both hit the floor and immediately started to rise while the remaining three kept coming.
Diamondhead planted himself in their path as crystal armor thickened across his torso.
"Not happening."
The lead demon lunged. Diamondhead caught its wrist, twisted the arm aside, and drove an elbow into its temple. Crystal spikes burst from the point of impact, and before it could recover, he kicked it backward into the other two.
They stumbled but kept advancing.
Behind him, Nabu's chant grew louder as the tablet blazed. Symbols formed in the air around it and closed into a binding array.
Karkull snarled and gathered hell-magic between his hands before hurling it toward Nabu.
The blast struck him mid-incantation and shook the station. Nabu's hands flew apart, and the tablet tore free.
"No!"
It hit the warped floor, skidded across the platform, bounced twice, and dropped into the hell pit.
The blue glow vanished into the darkness.
The chasm roared and widened as hellfire surged upward, bringing another wave of demons with it.
Nabu staggered back. "The artifact!"
He turned toward Flash. "It is the only power that can trap him! Get it!"
Flash stared at the pit. "But you..."
"Go!"
He blurred forward, but a wall of hellfire erupted in his path. Flash skidded to a stop and threw an arm across his face.
"Can't get through!"
Diamondhead looked from the pit to Nabu, then toward the advancing demons. He was already moving by the time he made the decision, breaking into a sprint and launching himself toward the opening.
Diamondhead jumped, and green light flashed as Jetray shot downward after the falling tablet.
He'd expected the drop to be a few hundred feet at most, but the shaft kept going. Rough stone blurred past before giving way to smooth obsidian, while the temperature climbed and sulfur thickened the air.
A red-orange glow spread below as the walls opened into a vast expanse of scorched black rock and rivers of magma.
Ben's stomach tightened. He'd gone beyond Karkull's domain and into one of Hell's Inner Pits.
'God damn... Literally.'
He pushed the thought aside and locked onto the tablet. It tumbled end over end, seconds from the ground, and Jetray dove faster before snatching it just short of impact.
He pulled up and hovered with the artifact clutched against his chest.
A heavy thud shook the ground, followed by another, then another.
Ben turned toward the sound.
A Hell Titan approached through the heat, nearly a hundred feet tall and covered in obsidian. Heavy chains wrapped around its torso and limbs.
Its burning eyes shifted past Ben toward the distant opening above, then settled on him again. The way back to Earth was blocked by this strange creature. The Titan raised one massive foot and brought it down.
Green light erupted beneath it.
The descending foot stopped cold as something massive surged upward and threw the Titan backward.
Way Big rose and matched the creature in size. The tablet vanished into the Omnitrix's storage along with Ben's clothes.
The Hell Titan tore itself free from the rubble and charged.
Way Big settled into a defensive stance as a fist wreathed in hellfire came straight for his head. He redirected the strike past his shoulder, caught the Titan's extended arm, and pivoted.
The creature went over his shoulder and slammed into the ground.
'Guess those lessons with Gwen paid off.'
Way Big planted a foot on the Titan's chest and raised his fist, but a roar from his left stopped him.
Two more Hell Titans climbed from the molten rock, both larger than the first. One carried a jagged obsidian blade, while the other's broken chains whipped freely around its body.
The Titan beneath him grabbed his ankle and tried to pull him off balance.
Way Big drove an elbow into its head twice, then brought it down a third time and reduced the creature to ash.
The sword-wielding Titan closed in.
Way Big crossed his arms as the obsidian blade crashed down, forcing him back a step. At the same time, chains wrapped around his leg and pulled from the side.
Instead of fighting it, Way Big twisted with the motion and spun. His free leg came around in a roundhouse kick that caught the sword Titan across the jaw and sent it staggering.
The chains tightened, but Way Big grabbed them with both hands and pulled.
The chained Titan flew off its feet.
Way Big swung it in a wide arc and released it straight into the sword-wielding Titan, sending both crashing into the molten rock.
He planted his feet and crossed his arms in front of his chest as blue-white energy gathered between them.
The sword Titan climbed free first and charged with its blade raised.
Way Big tracked its approach for another moment, then fired.
The Cosmic Ray struck it square in the chest and stopped its charge instantly. A moment later, the Titan vanished in the blast.
The beam continued through the rock before fading into the distance.
The chained Titan pulled itself from the magma, looked at the damage, and hesitated.
Way Big lowered his arms and glanced past it.
Three more Titans were advancing from different directions, all heading toward him and the opening back to Earth.
The one in front of him roared and charged again.
Ben already had what he came for. Staying would only give the others more time to reach the breach.
Green light flashed, and Jetray replaced Way Big an instant before the Titan's fist smashed through empty air.
He shot upward toward the distant point of light.
Jetray burst from the hell pit and banked away from a column of fire. "Fate! I got it!"
The station had only gotten worse. Demons filled the platform while possessed civilians stumbled through smoke and flame, and hell-magic had spread across the walls and support columns in pulsing growths. Flash raced between groups of attackers, but even he was starting to slow.
Nabu turned sharply toward Ark. "Do not let it go. Guard it with your life!"
Ark flew toward Kent, who had cleared a circle on one of the few patches of floor untouched by the corruption.
"Place it in the center!" Kent shouted.
Flash blurred past and clotheslined a demon trying to break through.
At the edge of the pit, Karkull stood with his arms spread, drawing power directly from the abyss. His body had grown larger and more solid.
"I am ETERNAL! I am..."
Nabu appeared in front of him in a burst of gold and backhanded him across the face.
"Silencio."
Karkull's mouth snapped shut.
"Begin the sealing. I will keep him occupied."
Kent nodded and moved to the edge of the circle as Ark placed the tablet in the center.
The moment it touched the floor, blue light spread across its surface. Nabu raised both hands and began to chant while symbols ignited across the tablet one after another.
Karkull jerked as the magic took hold.
"No..." The word escaped as a strained whisper despite the silence spell. "Not again..."
He dropped to his hands and knees as Nabu's chant reached its end and the symbols above the tablet flared.
Karkull screamed as his demonic form was ripped from the body he'd possessed. The human host collapsed behind him, unconscious but breathing, while Karkull was dragged across the floor and into the tablet.
His scream stopped the instant he disappeared.
Ark grabbed the artifact and turned toward the remaining demons.
The tablet flared again, and across the station the possessed civilians froze as the same magic latched onto the entities inside them.
One by one, the demons were torn free. Shadowy forms ripped away from their hosts and flew screaming toward the tablet until the last one vanished inside.
The civilians collapsed as their bodies returned to normal. Most were left without clothing after the transformations had torn through it.
The hell pit flashed white and snapped shut. Across the station, the demonic growths covering the walls and support columns crumbled into ash as the oppressive heat vanished with them.
Within moments, the station almost looked normal again. Scorched and damaged, but recognizable.
The barrier fell, and police and SWAT teams rushed in from every entrance, followed closely by paramedics carrying stretchers and medical bags.
"Civilians down! We need medics here!"
"Secure the area!"
"Someone get these people blankets!"
Kent swayed on his feet, and Nabu appeared beside him in time to catch him before he fell.
"Easy. You performed admirably."
Kent leaned against him. "Feels like I just ran a marathon while carrying a piano..."
Ark and Flash moved aside as emergency responders flooded the platform.
Nabu gave the tablet one last look, then waved his hand. Golden light surrounded the artifact, and it vanished.
With the immediate danger contained, Nabu traced a portal through the air. A golden ankh opened before them, and Ark, Flash, Kent, and Nabu stepped through.
Meanwhile in Hell
Black stone walls with molten seams surrounded the throne room. At the center of the chamber stood a throne carved from a single piece of meteorite older than Earth, where Lord Satan sat pale-skinned and horned in crimson robes.
Before the dais, a lesser demon knelt with its forehead pressed against the obsidian floor.
"Speak."
The demon's voice cracked. "My lord... I bring word from the mortal incursion."
Satan drummed one finger against the armrest as the demon continued.
"Karkull returned and opened a direct conduit to the Inner Pits."
"And?"
The demon flinched. "Reinforcements were deployed. Hell Titans from the Fifth Circle responded to the breach. The operation was positioned for success."
Satan said nothing, forcing the demon to continue.
Its claws scraped against the floor. "It collapsed, my lord. Mortal defenders sealed the breach. Karkull was bound again, and the access point to Earth is lost."
"Lost."
Satan leaned forward. "And the Titans?"
The demon's voice dropped to a whisper. "Destroyed, my lord."
"How many?"
"Two confirmed. Possibly more in the aftermath."
"Elaborate."
The demon hesitated. "There was a giant unlike anything in our records. Not angelic, infernal, fae, or elemental. It destroyed one Titan in close combat, then vaporized another and carved through the Circle's foundation. The damage is extensive."
Satan remained silent for several seconds before rising from his throne.
"Since the Morningstar abandoned this realm, Hell has fractured. The Circles turn against one another while others claim what should be ours." He descended the dais. "Trigon builds his own dominion. Neron plays merchant with souls. Etrigan wanders Creation at a mortal's whim. We have grown weak."
The demon kept its head lowered.
"If Hell is to reclaim its foothold in Creation, then it requires a more direct hand."
The demon finally risked looking up. "My lord... what would you have us do?"
Satan's lips curved. "Karkull was reckless, but his ambition was sound."
He turned back toward the throne.
"Perhaps it is time to implement SABBAC."
Central City
Ark, Flash, Kent, and Nabu appeared on a rooftop overlooking downtown.
Flash turned toward Nabu almost immediately. "Okay. Crisis averted, demon sealed, civilians saved."
He gestured toward the Helmet of Fate. "Time to give Wally his body back, right? Kid's probably going crazy in there."
Ark nodded. "Yeah. He did his part. More than his part. Let him out."
Nabu crossed his arms. "Who said anything about giving up my host?"
Flash's grin disappeared. "What?"
"The balance of the world has shifted," Nabu said. "Klarion walks free. Karkull breached the mortal plane. Powers beyond Earth have already tested its defenses. And in spite of all that, Kent Nelson has retired."
Kent closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his face. "I knew it. The moment I stepped away, I knew this would happen."
"The Lords of Order require a new anchor," Nabu continued. "A permanent host capable of channeling our power and maintaining balance against the rising tide of Chaos."
He turned toward Flash and Ark. "The world needs a new Doctor Fate. And I have found him."
Flash stared at him. "What the hell, man?!"
Ark's hands clenched. "Dude, he's sixteen!"
"The boy should have known the risks when he chose to wear the Helmet," Nabu replied.
Inside the Helmet of Fate
Wally slammed both fists against the golden viewing portal.
"LET ME OUT! LET ME OOOOOOUUUUUUUT!"
He kicked the wall, punched it, then threw his shoulder against it, but nothing moved. Wally hit it again with the same result.
His strength finally gave out, and he dropped to his knees. Tears of frustration ran down his face as he stared through the portal.
"Please..." His voice cracked. "Please, I just want to go home..."
#
Omnitrix DNA Entry
Name: Way Big
Species: To'kustar
Home World: Cosmic Storms
Powers and Abilities:
To'kustar are powerful aliens able to shoot cosmic rays from their hands. They possess immense strength, hand-to-hand combat skills, durability, quick reflexes, enhanced speed, and the ability to jump high. They can survive in the vacuum of space and are resistant to the Codon Stream that flows through Primus.
#
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