Chapter 622: Abyss Against Hunger

Beast Boy stood on the ground, his wolfen form still trembling from the shockwave, his eyes fixed on the sky where Arthur and Nidhogg clashed.

"I’ll keep my distance for this one," he said. "I’ll clear the heavenly soldiers."

Frost nodded, her body already crackling with ice. "Good call. I’m behind you."

Zatanna glanced at them both, then back at the sky. "You two handle the soldiers. I’ll support you from here. If he needs a spell, any spell I’ll be ready, because I know he doesn’t want any of us nearby that thing."

Raven and Kara had already rejoined the fight, their forms blazing with power, their eyes fixed on the serpent that threatened everything they loved. Clark hovered beside them, his heat vision carving into Nidhogg’s scales, his fists striking wherever he could find purchase.

The armies of the Monarchs roared behind them.

The battle was far from over.

The battle had become a storm.

Arthur and Nidhogg clashed in the center of the sky that was covered by the Abyss now, their forms blurs of violet and crimson, each impact sent shockwaves rippling across the World of Chaos, cracking the ground, shattering the air, scattering the armies below like leaves in a hurricane. The serpent was immense, its body coiled through the sky like a river of shadow and flesh.

But Arthur was not alone.

Kara dove from above, her fists blazing with fire, her eyes glowing red with heat vision. She struck Nidhogg’s skull with enough force to shatter a city and the serpent’s head snapped sideways, a roar of pain and fury erupting from its throat.

"Now, Clark!" she shouted.

Superman appeared beside her, his own heat vision carving into the serpent’s scales, his fists striking wherever he could find purchase. The two Kryptonians moved in perfect synchronization, twin blurs of red and blue, their attacks coordinated, their power amplified by the Monarchs powers.

Nidhogg roared again.

Its tail whipped around, faster than anything that size had any right to be, and caught Kara across the chest. She was thrown backward, her body tumbling through the air like a ragdoll, blood spraying from her mouth. She crashed into the ground below, carving a trench through the dead earth.

"Kara!" Clark shouted.

He moved to help her but Nidhogg was already there, its massive head descending toward the fallen Kryptonian, its mouth open, its teeth gleaming.

It was going to devour her.

Arthur appeared between them.

His fist connected with Nidhogg’s skull with enough force to crater a mountain. The serpent’s head slammed downward, its body crashing into the earth with a thunderous impact that sent tremors across the entire battlefield.

But Nidhogg was not broken.

It rose from the crater, its eyes burning brighter, its mouth opening for another blast. The darkness gathered in its throat.

Arthur met it head-on.

His spear carved through the blast, the violet lightning of his weapon dispersing the darkness like sunlight through fog. He pressed forward, and each strike was precise, devastating, aimed at the serpent’s eyes, its throat, its joints, anywhere he could find weakness.

Nidhogg answered in kind.

Its claws raked across Arthur’s armor, its tail whipped around, catching him across the back and sending him hurtling through the air. Its teeth snapped inches from his head, close enough that he could feel the cold void of its breath.

But Arthur did not falter.

He caught himself in midair, his eyes blazing violet. He raised his hand, and the Abyss answered, shadows surging upward, wrapping around Nidhogg’s body, trying to pull it down, trying to contain it.

The serpent resisted.

It thrashed against the darkness of the Abyss, its form flickering, its presence pressing back against Arthur’s power. It was not strong enough to contain it, not yet. Nidhogg was ancient, born of the Great Darkness itself, and the Abyss could not consume it as easily as it had consumed the Gentry.

"I need it pinned down," Arthur said, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "For some time."

Superman appeared beside him, his cape torn, his face streaked with blood, not his own. "I think I can make that possible."

Arthur nodded. "We just need to punish it around for some time. It will tire."

Raven materialized beside them, her dark energy crackling around her hands. "How long will it take?"

Arthur’s smile was thin. "I don’t know. But we will be here for a while."

Kara rose from the ground, wiping blood from her mouth, her eyes blazing with fury. "Fine by me."

She launched herself back into the fight.

They all fought as one.

Arthur led the assault, his spear carving arcs of violet lightning through the air, each strike aimed at Nidhogg’s most vulnerable points just like he remembered from his old fight. His blows were devastating, each one sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, each one carved furrows in the serpent’s scales. He moved faster than anything that size could track, dodging and weaving through Nidhogg’s attacks, deflecting its strikes with his spear, blocking its bites with his powers.

Superman fought beside him, his heat vision carving into the serpent’s eyes, his fists striking with enough force to shatter mountains. He was not holding back, not anymore. This was not a being he could reason with. This was not a creature he could save. This was a force of nature that had to be stopped, and he would stop it.

Kara was a blur of red and blue, her attacks precise and brutal. She targeted the serpent’s limbs, its means of escape, trying to break the bones with her fists. She was furious, relentless, unstoppable.

And Raven, Raven was the anchor.

Her magic wrapped around Nidhogg’s body, chains of shadow and soul that tried to bind it, slow it, weaken it. She was not strong enough to hold it alone, but she did not need to be. She simply needed to buy them time.

The serpent was smart.

It knew who the apex predator among them was. It knew Arthur was the greatest threat. And it targeted the others, Kara, Raven, Clark, trying to remove them from the fight, trying to isolate Arthur, trying to devour him alone.

But Arthur would not allow it.

Every time Nidhogg lunged at Raven, Arthur was there, his spear intercepting the strike, his body blocking the path. Every time it tried to consume Kara, Arthur was there, his fist crashing into its skull, driving it back. Every time it turned on Clark, Arthur was there, his shadows wrapping around its throat, pulling it away.

He took blows meant for them.

He bled so they wouldn’t and Nidhogg grew more furious with every passing moment.

The serpent disappeared, tearing a hole in reality and reappearing behind Raven, its mouth open, its teeth gleaming. Arthur matched it, his speed just as incredible, his spear carving through the tear in reality, forcing the serpent back.

"You will not touch her," he said, his voice cold and absolute.

Nidhogg roared.

It tried again this time targeting Clark, appearing from a tear in the sky above him, its claws descending. Arthur was there, his spear catching the strike, his body absorbing the shockwave.

It tried again this time targeting Kara, appearing from a tear in the ground beneath her, its teeth closing around her leg. Arthur was there, his fist crashing into its jaw, shattering teeth, forcing it to release her.

"You will not touch any of them while I’m here," Arthur said, his eyes blazing brighter. "You will focus on me."

Nidhogg’s eyes burned with hatred.

It attacked Arthur directly now, a full assault, its claws and teeth and tail and void all aimed at him at once. Arthur met it head-on, his spear spinning, his armor absorbing the blows, his body refusing to break.

He was thrown backward, crashing through the air, his form tumbling across the sky, but he rose.

Beast Boy stood in the center of the Monarchs’ army, his wolfen form towering over the soldiers, his claws carving through heavenly soldiers. He glanced up at the sky at the chaos above and winced.

"Man," he said, shaking his head. "I’m glad I stayed on the ground."

Zatanna stood beside him, her hands glowing with golden light, her spells carving through the Rulers’ soldiers in waves. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, on the battle that raged above them.

"They’re not holding back," she said quietly. "None of them."

"Good," Frost said, her body crackling with ice, her breath misting in the cold. "That thing deserves everything they’re throwing at it."

Beast Boy glanced at her. "You sound like you’re enjoying this."

Frost shrugged. "I’m not enjoying the fact that we’re fighting for our lives. But I am enjoying the fact that we’re winning." She paused. "Look at them. Arthur, Superman, Kara, Raven, they’re working together like they’ve been fighting side by side for years."

.

.

.

.

The battle raged on for seven days, the World of Chaos had been torn apart by the battle between Arthur Blackwynd and Nidhogg. The serpent had refused to die, refused to yield and refused to stop attacking. It had fought with the fury of a being that had been caged for eons, its hunger for destruction matched only by its hatred for the Shadow Monarch who dared to stand against it.

Seven days.

Seven days of Arthur matching the serpent blow for blow, his spear carving through its scales, his shadows wrapping around its limbs, his Abyss pressing against it. Seven days of Superman fighting beside him, seven days of Kara and Raven fighting until their bodies gave out, until they could barely stand, until they had to be pulled from the fight by Zatanna’s magic.

Seven days.

And Nidhogg was still flying.

The serpent was a ruin of its former self, gashes and wounds covering every inch of its massive body, its scales cracked and broken, its eyes dimmed with exhaustion. It was tiring, slowly.

But it was not defeated.

Arthur hovered in the air, his cosmic shadow armor cracked and scarred, his ashen hair matted with sweat and the blood of the monster, his violet eyes burning with the cold fire of absolute determination. He had not rested for a moment.

And neither had Superman.

Clark floated beside him, his cape torn to shreds, his face streaked with blood, most of it not his own. He was exhausted, beyond exhausted, but he too did not yield.

"You good?" Arthur asked.

Superman smiled tired, but genuine. "I’ve been better. You?"

"Same."

They turned their attention back to Nidhogg.

The serpent roared a sound of pure, unadulterated fury and lunged toward them for one final assault.

Arthur met it head-on, his spear carving through the air, its violet lightning illuminating the dark sky. He struck the serpent’s skull, its throat, its eyes each blow sending shockwaves across the battlefield. But Nidhogg did not relent. It snapped at him with its teeth, raked at him with its claws, tried to consume him with its void.

"Arthur!" Superman shouted, his voice carrying across the sky. "Switch!"

Arthur didn’t hesitate. He pulled back, letting Superman take his place, and the Man of Steel surged forward with a roar of his own. His heat vision carved into Nidhogg’s eyes, blinding it for a moment. His fists struck the serpent’s throat, its chest, its body. He was not holding back, not anymore. This was not a being he could save. This was a creature that had to be put down for good.

Nidhogg roared.

It disappeared, tearing a hole in reality and reappearing behind Superman, its massive mouth open. Superman spun, barely dodging the strike, and countered with a punch that sent the serpent tumbling through the air.

Arthur appeared beside him, his spear raised, his eyes blazing.

"Clark," he said. "Now."

Superman smiled.

"On it."

He flew forward, his fists connecting with Nidhogg’s skull, driving the serpent downward. Arthur followed, his spear carving into the creature’s chest, his shadows wrapping around its body, its tail, its limbs.

Nidhogg roared, a sound of pain, fury and desperation.

And then Arthur saw it.

The opening.

The serpent’s mouth was open. Its core, the source of its power was visible to him, pulsing with the power of the Great Darkness.

Arthur raised his spear with a smile.

/-\