Korin's eyes widened at Arthur's words, his voice was filled with genuine confusion. "Me? You want to use me as bait?"
Arthur's smile was calm. "Yes."
Korin stepped forward, his brow furrowed with concern. "It's not that I don't trust you, Arthur, but if I ever show myself, all five of them will descend upon me simultaneously. That's not exactly an effective strategy for separating them."
Arthur's laugh was warm. "Of course not. What we will do is make them believe that it is you out there."
Korin's eyes narrowed, "I don't understand."
Arthur gestured at the display, "They are smart... very smart. They'll figure out a single decoy immediately. That's why we will send a whole host of 'you' across the universe. Not just one."
Korin's eyes widened. "A whole host of me?"
Arthur nodded slowly, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "All bearing the same essence, the same life signature. It will confuse them, scatter their attention. They won't know which one is real, and that doubt will force them to separate, to pursue all of them simultaneously."
He paused, his eyes meeting Korin's.
"Naturally, we will keep the real you safe here, while I engage them one by one. Every time I confront one, I'll drag them into one of my own dimensions... realms that exist outside the multiverse, within the fabric of my own existence. They cannot breach those without my permission. They might be high beings, but I am one as well."
Korin was silent for a long moment, his mind working through the implications, weighing the risks against the potential rewards. Then he spoke. "How will we do this? I don't have the necessary tools on the Fortress to clone myself. The technology here was designed for.."
Arthur's smile widened, his eyes flicking toward Raven. "We don't need to clone you." He gestured at her, a hint of pride in his voice. "We have our ways to do this. You are talking to the Shadow Monarch, and this lady here is the strongest, most knowledgeable magic user I know." He paused, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Don't be fooled by her pretty looks."
Raven's hand struck his arm, but there was a smile on her face. "Hey... you could have just stopped at the first compliment."
Arthur's smile softened. "I could have. But where's the fun in that?"
Raven shook her head, but her eyes carried a warmth that had been absent since they had arrived in this dead world. She turned to Korin. "With a bit of my magic and Arthur's, it is easy. We can create shadow clones of you and send them for this mission."
Korin's eyes widened, a light appearing in them that had been absent for years, a spark of hope that had been buried beneath the loss and isolation. "For the first time in a long while... I feel like there is a chance."
"Because there is." Arthur said calmly as he turned to Raven. "Now let's get to work."
Raven nodded, her eyes glowing with dark power. "Alright."
She stepped forward, her hand rising, her magic gathering around her. Her eyes found Korin's. "Stay still. This might feel strange."
Korin tensed, but he didn't move. His voice was quiet, and steady. "I trust you."
Raven's magic extended toward him, wrapping around his body. He felt it, a gentle pressure, a warmth that seemed to seep into his bones. She concentrated, her brow furrowing with effort. "Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos!" and then she pulled.
Korin gasped.
He felt something, a part of himself, an essence, a fragment of his being, being drawn out of him. It didn't hurt, but it was disorienting, a sensation of being stretched across a distance that didn't exist. It was as if his soul was being gently tugged, its edges fraying just enough to create echoes of itself.
Arthur's hand rose, his eyes blazing violet. His own magic intertwined with Raven's, his power merging with hers in a dance of shadow.
"They won't be as potent as my shadow soldiers," Arthur said while concentrating. "but they will serve their purpose."
He raised his hand.
And suddenly, hundreds of shadows materialized before them.
They were Korin, or rather, they were echoes of him. Their forms were dark, translucent, their features indistinct, but their essence was unmistakable. They wore the same Kryptonian symbol, their eyes carrying the same haunted light.
They knelt before Arthur, their voices a distorted chorus that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Monarch.."
Korin's eyes widened. His voice was barely a whisper. "This is very creepy..."
Arthur's laugh was warm. "You'll get used to it." He studied the shadows. "Though these are not exactly complete soldiers. They are as powerful as my Elite Knights... possibly around General strength, and their strength is based on the original soul, which is you."
He paused, his eyes meeting Korin's.
"Yet you are alive, and that's why they are incomplete. They are fragments, echoes, reflections. But their purpose isn't combat. It is to confuse our opponents, since they are essentially you."
Korin studied the shadows, his expression a mixture of awe and unease. He could feel their presence, a faint echo of his own power, his own essence. They were him, and yet they were not. "I understand." He paused, "What should we do now?"
Arthur's eyes blazed violet. "Now we proceed with the next step."
He raised his hand, and endless portals opened before them, each one a tear in reality, its surface swirling with the colors of the void beyond, beyond each portal, a different part of the dead universe waited, a graveyard of worlds that had been erased, a monument to the Gentry's power.
"We send them off across the universe. One for each, to different locations."
He gestured, and the Korin shadows rose, their forms moving with the same way as their original. They stepped toward the portals, their forms silhouetted against the swirling darkness beyond.
"Since this universe is dead, it gives us a bigger stage for what we are about to do. It is to my advantage that it is this way, I don't have to worry about anything." His voice hardened. "Too bad they claimed the dead for themselves."
The Korin shadows stepped through the portals, one by one. Their forms dissolved into the darkness beyond, their presence fading.
Korin watched them go, his expression was filled with hope that warred with the fear that had been his constant companion for two years. "I hope this goes well."
"It will." Arthur said with absolute certainty.
He paused, his eyes glowing as he focused on the distant echoes of his creations, feeling their presence across the vast emptiness of the dead universe. "I can see what they see. The moment the Gentry appear, I will act."
He turned, his hand rising. Shadows materialized around him, coalescing into three familiar forms that radiated absolute power.
H'El, Ultra, and Galatea appeared before him, they knelt before their monarch.
"Monarch."
Arthur's voice was calm, measured. "You will remain by Korin's side here. Fight to the best of your ability in case one of the Gentry appear here.. just in case, since my hands will be full." His eyes met theirs. "And do not die.. These beings can erase you."
"It will be our greatest dishonor to get erased by a being that is not you, my Monarch." H'El said.
Arthur's smile was warm, genuine. "I know you won't."
He turned to Raven, his voice softening, becoming more vulnerable. "You too. Remain here. This is my fight. I alone can stand up to them." He paused. "You are very strong, but these guys are very malicious. Eariler, they changed target immediately the moment they saw you. So please..."
Raven stepped forward, her hand reaching for his. "I understand. I'll try to guide the shadows as best as I can." She paused. "I won't get in the way."
Arthur's hand rose to her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin. He leaned in, pressing a light kiss to her cheek, he gave a promise that he intended to keep. "Thank you. I promise that we'll get this over with, and return home. Safely."
Raven's hand found his, her fingers intertwining with his. Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I'll hold you to that."
Arthur smiled.
Then he turned, his eyes blazing violet, his form dissolving into shadow.
Korin watched the space where Arthur had been, then he turned to look at them, Arthur's Marshals.
H'El, Ultra and Galatea who stood apart.
They were powerful. He could feel it, but more than that, they were loyal, and even though he himself is extremly powerful, that still managed to gave him a sense of safety.
/-\
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