Can't you see I'm busy too?! The Grand Sorcerer felt bitter. He was stronger than Martian Manhunter, but only by a thin margin—and that was only because of the Martian's fear of fire.
Martian Manhunter's abilities were too well-rounded. He wouldn't go down quickly.
But DeSaad couldn't just let Steppenwolf die. If he ran, DeSaad would be next on the chopping block.
"Damn it!" He could only curse under his breath. At extreme range, he launched a Shadow Burn that sent Hal Jordan flying, allowing Steppenwolf to break free. The price? Martian Manhunter's psychic blade nearly severed his left hand. More divine power spent on repairs.
Seeing Hal about to go after DeSaad, the more levelheaded Superman made the call, pointing at Steppenwolf. "Keep hitting him!"
For the first time in his life, Steppenwolf wanted to cry. You're all bullying me because I'm a melee god, aren't you?!
Superman's judgment was exceptionally wise. Compared to the axe-swinging brute Steppenwolf, DeSaad was far slipperier—Blink, Shadow Step, Mirror Image, and various other tricks. Even surrounded, he could dodge and weave for a long time.
Steppenwolf didn't have that advantage...
If Hal could set aside his reckless arrogance, he would have the vision and insight to eventually lead the Green Lantern Corps.
Oliver had been chosen by Ra's al Ghul as his heir. His overall qualities were only slightly below Batman's, and his tactical awareness was just as formidable. He maximized his martial arts advantage, covering Superman's attack openings, and every arrow targeted Steppenwolf's vital points.
Superman handled offense and defense, Green Lantern used constructs to control Steppenwolf's movements, and Green Arrow waited for openings to create opportunities for devastating strikes.
Their first time coordinating was unexpectedly effective.
In just two minutes, Steppenwolf took two more arrows. One was an ordinary armor-piercing arrow, the other a soul arrow. His body was like a leaking bucket, soul constantly seeping out—a slow death.
Steppenwolf couldn't stay calm anymore. Taking two punches from Superman, he broke out of the encirclement and charged at Green Arrow with his axe.
Green Arrow's current armor was modified from the Cheetah God's body. When he ran, he was fast—whoosh, and he was gone.
After chasing for two miles (3.2 kilometers), Steppenwolf realized he couldn't catch him! He turned to chase Hal Jordan instead. At least let me kill one of you! But as a cosmic cop who flew across the entire universe, the Lantern's speed was equally impressive.
The detour wasted time, and Superman caught up again. Argh! Steppenwolf wanted to howl at the sky. This fight was impossible!
Completely embarrassing! Run? His boss was still fighting—he didn't dare. Fight? Three against one, and he was losing. Pick them off one by one? They all ran like rabbits.
Since he was doomed to suffer, he'd drag someone down with him.
The backup Steppenwolf had in mind was his good buddy DeSaad... You wouldn't help me, so I'll come to you!
Wielding his axe like an impenetrable barrier, he tried to pull these guys toward DeSaad, combining the power of two New Gods to fight four enemies.
His intention wasn't hard to guess. Superman didn't want added complications. Ignoring the axe's edge, he led the frontal assault.
"You're insane!" Steppenwolf had seen and killed many people. He'd seen plenty of cornered beasts fighting desperately—but those were people without hope, making last stands.
Someone like Superman, who already had the upper hand but still fought this recklessly? This was a first.
An axe blade bit into Superman's collarbone. The blue suit had long since become rags, and the blade cut deep into Superman's shoulder. Even the Man of Steel couldn't withstand a top-tier divine artifact's edge.
Superman clamped the axe with his muscles, his face contorting. "You know why you're losing? You people aren't united!"
Unity? What the hell was that? Before Steppenwolf could figure out what that meant, he felt a piercing pain through his back, as if an invisible blade had impaled him front to back.
A sneak attack from behind? The three who'd been pursuing him were all in his line of sight. Was it DeSaad's opponent? If the Grand Sorcerer just watched him get surrounded, how would he explain this to Darkseid?
Before he could think further, Superman headbutted him in the face. The impact was so powerful it knocked his consciousness into a haze.
His vision blurred with explosions, flames, and the sound of something punching through air at incredible force—that had to be his original opponent, Superman's fist.
Steppenwolf felt like a long time had passed, yet also only an instant, before his consciousness returned to his body.
Why does it hurt so much? His first instinct was to check his body. The situation was grim. His left hand was severed at the elbow, and arrows protruded from his abdomen and near his neck.
Looking at the battlefield, the guys who'd been surrounding him were all still there. Plus a tall, muscular green-skinned guy was eyeing him menacingly. His focus seemed to be on something behind Steppenwolf.
You shouldn't look back during a fight—that was common sense, not an absolute rule. Right now, Steppenwolf looked back.
Before his eyes appeared the Grand Sorcerer DeSaad. The Pain God, usually dressed in sadistic psychopath robes, now had half his evil-looking red cloak torn off, exposing his skeletal skin. His body reeked of decay mixed with blood.
Clearly, DeSaad had come to rescue him... Seeing Steppenwolf about to fall, he'd fully displayed Apokolips-style friendship: using Steppenwolf's massive frame as a meat shield while fighting the heroes to buy time. Did he rescue him? Yes! How effective was it? Look at Steppenwolf's severed hand and the arrows in his body.
Pulling out the arrows and regenerating his left hand, Steppenwolf growled at his partner. "My divine power is down to less than half!"
Actually, it was more like thirty percent, but he didn't dare tell DeSaad the truth. Apokolips unity and friendship were no joke—he had to guard against DeSaad stabbing him after the battle.
DeSaad's condition wasn't much better. The two New Gods now stood back to back, facing four heroes.
"Hard to imagine he's recovering faster than we are." DeSaad was naturally referring to Superman. Martian Manhunter's condition wasn't great, Green Lantern's energy was below the warning line, and Green Arrow was just a regular human—not worth their concern.
"What's the next step?" Steppenwolf gripped his axe with both hands, nervously watching the enemies. In this deadlock, he hoped the cunning DeSaad had a good plan.
The Grand Sorcerer's face was bitter. The battle situation could be described as disastrous. Usually, their boss charged ahead while he and Steppenwolf led the troops to mop up. When had they ever fought such a troublesome battle?
Could the boss even win? His gaze involuntarily drifted to the distance.