The armies met like two oceans colliding.
But before the first blade fell, Arthur used a certain skill.
"Monarchs' Domain. "
The words were not loud, his power carried across the battlefield like the tolling of a bell, and where they landed, the world changed.
A pulse of violet-black shadow erupted from Arthur's body, not as a wave, it was something that sank into the earth and the air and the bones of every soldier who stood beneath the Monarchs' banner. The shadow spread outward in a perfect circle, covering the entire muster field in a heartbeat, then continued past it, reaching the furthest edges of the gathered armies.
Every soldier felt it at once.
The ice elves, whose bodies had been hardened by centuries of war, felt their blood run hotter. Their frost magic, already deadly, sharpened to something that could freeze a heavenly soldier's wings solid in mid-flight. The beast-kin, whose strength had always been their pride, felt their muscles swell and their senses sharpen until they could hear the heartbeat of an enemy a hundred paces away. The giants, who had been used as battering rams and thrown away like kindling, felt their skin harden to the density of stone, their fists hit like falling mountains. The insectoid horrors, whose swarms had once been controlled by a sadistic Monarch, felt their hive-mind link with something older and kinder and infinitely more powerful, and they moved as one, with a precision that made even the heavenly soldiers hesitate.
The Shadow Legion, three hundred thousand strong felt their monarch's power flowing through them, their violet eyes blazed brighter. Their movements became faster, sharper, more precise. Their forms, already forged from shadow and death, became something closer to nightmare.
Above them all, the Paradragons felt the amplification take hold.
It was not just for his shadows. It was for all of them. Every being who had chosen to stand under the Monarchs' banner, whether born of shadow or flesh or something in between, felt the Shadow Monarch's power flowing through them.
The Rulers' army faltered.
Just for a moment. But they faltered.
And then the Monarchs' armies struck.
The ice elves unleashed a blizzard that swallowed the front ranks of heavenly soldiers whole, a thousand wings frozen solid, a thousand light-helberds shattered as their bearers plummeted from the sky. The beast-kin charged in a tide of fur and claw and fury, tearing through the orderly formations like wolves through sheep. The giants waded into the heart of the Rulers' lines, each swing of their hammers sending a dozen soldiers flying. The insectoid horrors swarmed from below, from above, from every direction at once, their bodies moving in perfect, terrible unison.
The Shadow Legion were precise, absolutely relentless. The Paradragons dove from above, their breath weapons carving burning lines through the heavenly host.
And the Rulers' army answered.
Heavenly soldiers by the thousand descended from the sky, their light-helberds carving silver arcs through the chaos. They fought in perfect formation, each one covering the other, moving with a synchronization that was almost beautiful. Where one fell, two more stepped into its place. Where a gap opened, a wall of light closed it.
The battle was cataclysmic.
The ground shook beneath the weight of it. The sky was filled with wings and fire and shadow. The air was thick with the sounds of war, clashing weapons, roaring beasts, the screaming of the wounded and the dying.
The Monarchs watched from the plateau.
Kara stood at the edge, her hands clenched, her eyes fixed on the battle below. "We need to help them."
Raven's voice was tight. "Arthur said not yet."
"I know what he said." Kara's jaw tightened. "But they're dying down there."
Beast Boy stepped forward, his form already shifting, his muscles rippling with the power of the Beast Monarch. "I can't just stand here, I'm supposed to protect those beast kin down there."
Frost's voice was sharp. "Then let's go show them what we can do."
"No."
Arthur's voice cut through the noise, calm and absolute. He stood at the very edge of the plateau, his cosmic shadow armor gleaming, his eyes blazing violet, his gaze fixed on something beyond the battle, something only he could see.
"Not yet."
Zatanna turned to face him, her golden eyes searching his expression. "Arthur, our armies are holding for now, but they're taking losses. The Rulers' numbers are infinite, you said it yourself. If we don't.."
"This is but the first battle of many to come," Arthur said, his voice steady. "The Rulers' army is endless, yes. Even if we join now, we'll exhaust ourselves before they do. We need to let our soldiers prove themselves, to earn victories they can build on. And more importantly.." he paused, his eyes narrowing "we need to make the Rulers believe they're winning."
Raven's eyes widened. "You're still going through with that plan?"
"I have to."
Kara opened her mouth to argue,
And Superman stepped forward.
He had been standing at the back of the plateau, watching the battle with the same intensity as the others. But something had shifted in his expression, a quiet anger, a resolve that had been building since the first soldier fell.
"Arthur."
Arthur turned. "Clark."
"I can't stand here and watch them die." Clark's voice was quiet. "Those soldiers down there, they're not shadows. They're not monsters. They're people who chose to fight for you, for a better future." He paused. "I'm going."
Kara's hand shot out. "Kal, wait!"
But Arthur raised a hand, stopping her.
"Let him."
Kara turned to him, her eyes wide. "Arthur.."
"He's right in a way." Arthur's voice was calm, but there was something in it, a quiet pride, a respect that had been earned. "Clark will never change. He will always be the one who steps into the fire first, who stands between the innocent and the danger. I don't want him to change. It's who he is. It's who he's always been."
He paused, watching Superman descend from the plateau and into the heart of the battle.
"His compassion, his hope.. it could change even the coldest of monsters. I wish the Rulers could see this. I wish they could see what kind of beings stand beside me, so they would understand my judgment of character." He shook his head slowly. "But it matters little now. Things have gone too far."
Raven's voice was quiet. "You're fine with Clark fighting?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes. I'm not allowing you to fight because this is only the first battle of many. I need you fresh, rested, ready for what comes next. But Clark..." He paused, a small smile touching his mouth. "Clark is the symbol of hope. He needs to be out there. It's where he belongs."
Zatanna let out a slow breath. "That's fair, I suppose. It would be too simple to end in one battle. You did mention this might take a while, and that their armies are endless."
Arthur nodded. "This is not our full force as well, and my army will only grow." He gestured at the battlefield below. "Every heavenly soldier that falls to my shadows rises again as one of us. Every loss the Rulers take is a gain for us. We are not at a disadvantage. Not even close."
Superman descended from the sky like a falling star.
He hit the ground in the middle of the Rulers' army front lines, and the impact sent a shockwave rippling through the heavenly soldiers a dozen of them thrown from their feet, their wings crumpling, their light-helberds shattering. Before they could recover, he was already moving, his fists a blur of motion, his heat vision carving through the air.
But he was holding back.
Even in the middle of the chaos, even as his fists connected with heavenly soldiers and sent them spiraling through the air, Clark was holding back. He broke their wings. He shattered their weapons. He disarmed them, disabled them, and left them groaning on the ground.
But he did not kill them, the army did it for him.
His voice carried across the battlefield as he fought, not loud, but clear, the voice of a man who had spent his entire life trying to find a better way.
"Can't you see what we're trying to do?" He caught a soldier's helberd in one hand, snapped it in two, and pushed the soldier gently aside. "We're not your enemies! We never were!"
Another soldier lunged at him. He caught the strike, redirected it, and sent the soldier stumbling into two of his companions.
"We're trying to do the right thing! To take responsibility for powers we never asked for, to keep our world and the universe at peace! We're not monsters! We're not the darkness you think we are!"
He paused, hovering above the chaos, his eyes glowing red with restrained power.
"We're just people. People trying to protect our families. Our homes. Our future. Can't you see that? Can't you give us a chance to prove it? Are you really willing to die because you think no one can take this mantle?!"
The heavenly soldiers hesitated.
Just for a moment. Just for a heartbeat.
And in that heartbeat, Superman saw something flicker behind their masks, doubt, confusion, the first cracks in their absolute certainty in doing the righteous thing.
Arthur watched from the plateau, a proud smile on his face.
"That's my friend," he said quietly.
Kara stood beside him, her arms crossed, watching her cousin fight with everything he had, and still find room for mercy.
"Even after everything," she said, "he still believes in the best of people."
"That's why he's Clark," Arthur said. "And that's why I trust him to stand beside me when everything else falls apart."
Raven's voice was quiet, almost to herself. "If we give him enough time, he'll probably change their minds. One soldier at a time."
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