The violet twilight stretched endlessly in every direction, a sky that was not a sky, a void that was not empty. The eyes that dotted the darkness watched Intellectron, their gazes fixed on him, suspended in the heart of the infinite silence.
Arthur floated in the abyss like a cosmic deity of death, his form wrapped in the abyssal shadow armor, the armor was blacker than black, his presence was absolute, his will the law of this realm.
Intellectron hovered before him, it had analyzed every possibility, every outcome, every potential avenue of escape, and it had found none.
The shadows pressed against it, darkness made solid. Intellectron moved, its tendrils lashing out, its eye pulsing with energy that would have annihilated anything it touched. But the shadows were endless, relentless, and they refused to yield.
Arthur raised a hand, his gesture casual, almost dismissive. The shadows responded, surging forward like a wave of absolute annihilation as they closed in on their prey.
"You have no chance here," Arthur said with absolute certainty. "I am the law and the rules here. Your power is meaningless in my realm."
Intellectron evaded, its tendrils carving through the shadows with desperation. Its voice was a chorus of synthesized tones, each one layered over the others. "This realm is... fascinating," it said, its eye pulsing with cold light. "A dimension of pure shadow, governed entirely by the will of its master. The fabric of reality here is... strange.. The laws of physics and the very concept of matter is secondary to your existence.."
Arthur's smiled. "A nice analysis. But it won't save you."
Intellectron said in genuine curiosity. "This is one of the many aspects of death, is it not? A realm where the boundaries between existence and non-existence are blurred, where the will of the monarch is absolute." Its eye pulsed with cold light. "Fascinating. Truly fascinating. I have analyzed countless dimensions, countless realities, countless realms of power. But this... this is unique. This is a place where the very concept of death has been weaponized, refined, and made into a extension of your own consciousness.."
Arthur's eyes blazed brighter. "Then you understand what awaits you."
Intellectron said in defiance. "I understand that you are powerful, Shadow Monarch. But power is not the same as invincibility. I have calculated the odds of my survival in this realm. They are... low. But they are not zero. I will persist. I will exhaust you, the others will kill the Kryptonian in the meantime, they will find the real one, and then our next target will be your universe."
Arthur laughed. "A nice strategy. But it won't work." He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I also need to mention that time flows differently here. If you think you are buying time for the others, that won't work either, and of course I will not let you kill Korin Zor-El."
Intellectron's eye flickered, its tendrils stilling. "You are... lying. Time is a constant. It cannot be.."
Arthur's smile widened. "Am I?"
The shadows surged forward, pressing against Intellectron's defenses, it was a physical force that seemed to crush it from all sides. Its tendrils lashed out, carving through the darkness, but the shadows reformed, endless and relentless.
"You may defeat us after all. If I fall..." Its eye pulsed with cold light. "Our master will act. Be sure of that, Monarch of the Dead." Intellectron said.
"I look forward to it." Arthur said calmly.
The shadows surged forward again, it was a cosmic force, Intellectron had nowhere to escape to. "There is nowhere to hide, Intellectron. There is nowhere to run. You are subject to my will."
Intellectron said in defiance. "I shall persist. I shall..."
The shadows closed in, from all sides, and then, suddenly, Intellectron found itself floating in complete darkness.
There was nothing around it, no light, no sound, no presence. The eyes that had watched from the sky were gone. The violet twilight was gone. He felt Arthur's power was gone.
Only the darkness remained.
Intellectron said in genuine confusion. "This is... unexpected. A void within a void.. A pocket of absolute nothingness within the realm of his abyss..."
Its tendrils reached out, searching for something, anything, to anchor itself to. But there was nothing. Only the darkness.
"Is he going to seal me here... is this a form of isolation," it said, trying to analyze his current situation. "A separation from the main consciousness of the realm. A way to render me helpless, to strip me of my ability to perceive, to react, to resist." It paused. "Clever. Very clever. He has not merely trapped me.. he has removed me from the context of my own existence."
"The abyss is interesting.. He really does have full control over it. This is one of the many aspects of death.. the isolation, the separation, the absolute loneliness of non-existence. He has mastered death itself. He has made it his own.. But she exists too, how high can he truly.."
Suddenly two pairs of violet eyes appeared in the darkness.
They were massive, their gaze piercing through the void, their intensity cutting through the darkness, and they were fixed on Intellectron.
A massive hand shot out from the darkness above it, its fingers closing around Intellectron's form, its grip like iron. Intellectron struggled, but it could not move. It could not escape.
Its voice was barely a whisper.
"This can't... be..."
The hand tightened its grip. Intellectron could feel itself being pulled into the darkness, its form dissolving, its consciousness fading. It had analyzed ten billion outcomes, ten billion possibilities, ten billion futures, and none of them had prepared it for this.
"Master..."
The darkness closed in.
And Intellectron was gone.
Arthur stood alone in the Abyss, his eyes glowing violet, his form still. The eyes in the sky watched him, they were his as well, the shadows around him seemed like a sea of darkness.
He raised his hand, and the darkness settled.
"Two down,"he said to himself, his voice filled with satisfaction. "Three to go."
He paused, his eyes turning toward the distant horizon of his realm.
"The others will be far more easier," he murmured. "They will not make the same mistakes, but I already confirmed that my power can erase them completely."
His eyes blazed brighter, his mind was still processing the fragments of Intellectron's consciousness that had flooded into him during the final moments of the being's existence.
His voice was quiet, as he realized something. "My contact here with Intellectron made me see something interesting." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "I could see some of his... what seemed like memories. And I saw a great being within them. A dark presence, very old, very strong."
He floated in silence for a moment, "I think I know who this master of theirs is." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And he is serious trouble."
His eyes blazed brighter,
"I didn't expect I would find the Gentry here, let alone him."
"I'm erasing his fifth-dimensional creatures, and yet he has yet to make contact with me.. What are you planning, Empty Hand?"
His eyes narrowed, their violet light flickering with suspicion.
Then he vanished in a gust of shadows.
.
.
.
.
Earth-7 - The Fortress of Solitude
Deep Beneath the Earth
The surface of the crystalline walls of the fortress reflected the glow of the holographic displays, Korin Zor-El stood near the central console, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the displays that showed the status of the dead universe. His expression was a mixture of hope and fear.
Raven stood beside him, her hand rested on the console.
H'El materialized before them, he knelt before Raven, reporting.
"Lady Raven. Korin Zor-El." He paused, his eyes meeting theirs. "I bring news from my Monarch. Two of the Gentry have been defeated. Only three more remain."
Korin's eyes widened.
His voice was barely a whisper. "Two of them? Already?!"
Raven's smile was warm. "It's not surprising to me at all."
"Not surprising?! These are the Gentry!" Korin said.
She paused. "He said he would do it. He said he would find a way, and he did." Her voice softened. "That is what he does, Korin. That is who Arthur is, when he says he will do something, he does it. When he sets his mind to a goal, he achieves it." She paused. "It doesn't matter what the Gentry are, I have seen him face Gods and Demons. I have seen him do it all while still finding time to be the man I love."
Korin stared at her.
"Two of them," he repeated. "He actually... he actually did it, maybe we can save our world afterall... Mother.."
Raven's smile widened. "He will do the rest, I have no doubt about that.. We will try to find a way to save your world as well, maybe we can restore everything."
Korin's eyes met her. "Thank you both, truly."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Shadow Monarch: In One Piece / The Witcher: Heir of Fire!
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my p@t-reon / FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 7 More Chapters on all of my stories!