"…"
Damien Darhk was stunned.
The sudden turn of events had completely blindsided him.
He had never imagined that, aside from the crew of the Waverider, there would be anyone else here.
And that person was Central City's own guardian—Barry Allen.
Damien narrowed his deep-set eyes, carefully studying Barry's face before a heavy, meaningful smile tugged at his lips.
"Oh, so that's who you are," he said. "The guardian from next door to Star City. Barry Allen, is it? A pleasure."
He wore an almost mocking expression as he went on,
"I can't help but wonder… what's a Central City hero like you doing here?
"Oh, I think I've got it. You were probably doing a little… experimental time travel, and something went wrong, didn't it?"
Besides his magic, Damien was also skilled in reading people's minds.
After closely observing Barry's expression and combining it with the information he'd gathered, he quickly deduced that Barry's presence here was due to an accident during time travel.
But just as he was about to continue, Saitama slapped a hand down on his shoulder.
"Hey, Damien Darhk, you talk way too much," Saitama said. "Even if you manage to talk Barry into letting you go, I'll just catch you again."
"Oh? Is that so?" Damien replied softly.
"What do you think?" Saitama shot back.
Seeing the absolute certainty on Saitama's face, Damien suddenly found he didn't have the courage to argue anymore.
When had he, the great boss of Star City, ended up in a situation like this?
Yet no matter how he tried, he couldn't suppress the fear rising in his chest.
Because Saitama was just too strong.
If someone could defeat magic using nothing but his fists… then those fists themselves might as well be the greatest magic in the world.
Without question, Saitama was a first-rate "magician of the fist."
Silently, Damien gave Saitama this new title in his heart.
Soon after, Barry whisked him away to the Waverider and locked him inside a glass cell.
Only then did Damien truly understand that time travel into the future was no mere fantasy.
Still, as one of Star City's biggest crime lords and a representative of the mystical side, he remained outwardly calm.
He sat casually in the cell, picked up a book, and began to read.
Every so often, he'd glance up to lock eyes with the large, projected AI—Gideon—staring back at him.
Elsewhere, Hawkman and Hawkgirl were already engaged in their destined battle with their eternal nemesis.
Saitama now noticed that Hawkman and Hawkgirl had indeed improved a bit compared to when they'd sparred with him earlier.
But was that level of strength really enough to defeat Vandal Savage—a demon king who had lived for three thousand years?
The answer was no.
Once Savage focused all of his attacks on Hawkgirl, the outcome of this fight was essentially decided.
"Die, you pair of adulterous lovebirds!" Savage snarled. "Did you really think you could defeat me without outside help?"
As he spoke, he slowly licked the curved blade in his hand, his eyes gleaming bloodthirstily.
The moment he entered that bloodlust state, madness began to burn in his gaze.
"…"
"Carter, what is going on?" Hawkgirl cried out.
"He's gone berserk," Saitama said calmly. "This is his rampage mode."
In a blur, Savage struck.
His first slash in his blood-frenzied state was impossibly fast.
By the time it appeared, it was already there—half real, half illusion—cutting through time itself as it lunged straight for Hawkgirl.
Hawkman, seeing this, could only shove Hawkgirl away in that split second.
The two of them snapped their wings wide and took to the sky, lightning hammers in hand, launching ranged attacks against Savage from above.
Crack.
Crack.
Twin bolts of blue lightning fell from the heavens, crashing down on Savage.
But he simply raised his curved blade and absorbed the electricity into his body.
He smacked his lips. "Not bad. I quite like the taste of this lightning."
Then he pointed his blade skyward at the two flying figures.
"You really think just flying in the air means you've got me cornered?" he sneered. "You truly underestimate me.
"I've lived for three thousand years, you know."
As he spoke, Savage moved again.
This time, when his blade swung, it curved like a crescent moon. A powerful aura surged from the weapon, stirring the air all around him.
"Slash!"
It was the simplest sword motion imaginable—yet it carried overwhelming power as it ripped toward Hawkman and Hawkgirl.
Barry, Saitama, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Sara Lance and the others all drew a sharp breath.
Professor Goodman had told them Savage had once been a priest in ancient Egypt.
But no one had expected Savage's martial skills to be this formidable.
Sara took a deep breath. "This… this is League of Assassins swordsmanship."
Savage laughed as he swung his blade.
"Correct. This is indeed the sword style of the League of Assassins."
His eyes twinkled as he glanced at the blonde beauty.
"Heh… Since you can recognize it, you must have ties to the League yourself. In that case, you should know the name of the ancient martial arts master—Ra's al Ghul.
"A once-in-an-era genius who blended fighting techniques from all ages and carved out a new path of his own.
"This sword style was crafted specifically for me by his hand."
He slashed again and again, watching Hawkman and Hawkgirl flounder awkwardly in midair as they struggled to defend themselves.
"For three thousand years," Savage went on, "you two stupid lovebirds have kept reincarnating. Even the gods are sick of watching your little drama."
He turned his gaze on Hawkgirl.
"But do you know this, Chay-Ara? Even so, I still love you.
"I only wish that in your next life… you won't die by my hands again."
"League of Assassins Shadow Dance Style: Crescent Moon Slash!"
Seeing the pair in the sky forced into a rushed, desperate defense, Savage finally unleashed his ultimate technique.
The moment he did, countless crescent-shaped blades of light appeared throughout the area.
It was as if the space around them were suddenly filled with half-moon arcs.
Then, all of those moons began to converge on one single point—Hawkgirl.
Only under moonlight could one see a person's true heart, and the face of the one they truly loved.
Savage's love ran so deep it had torn his soul apart, yet he still couldn't accept the reality that the goddess he adored did not love him back.
So he'd made his choice.
He would shatter it.
Shatter that reality.
"…" Saitama fell silent.
"This is bad," Barry said.
"Too late…" Sara murmured.
"Well, at least we won't have to see those wings anymore," Heat Wave muttered.
"Yeah…" Captain Cold said quietly. "There's no time."
But then something happened that left everyone speechless.
When the storm of blade-light finally passed, two figures stood in front of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.
And one of them… was Saitama.
(End of Chapter)
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