Battle! #243

"Where the hell is the boss?" Screamed one mercenary at the top of his lungs as he fired his energy rifle, watching in horror as the projectile bounced the armor plate of the insectoid machine lunging at him.

"He's on his way! Hold the line!" Said another one who seemed in charge, but his words fell on deaf ears as the insectoid machine had already knocked out the distressed mercenary.

All around the castle ruin located in the center of Azarath, the Society's mercenaries fell like flies as machines crawled out of every nook and cranny in the ground, swiftly taking them out.

What's more, a sniper was hiding somewhere, taking one, some time times two mercenaries with each shot he took, and a giant green dinosaur was going on a rampage tossing around anyone in its path.

Then there was some kid flying around flinging lightning, a man in a tight-fitting suit kicking everyone's asses, and a woman that was more of a tank than anything else as she cut a clean path through everything in her way.

Finally, this one guy dressed in casual street clothes and standing in the back and watching everything like a hawk, which only made the mercenary captain even more paranoid as he expected the worst.

Suddenly, the mercenary captain's body relaxed as a bright light shined on the battlefield, and a giant golden lion avatar suddenly appeared, flying straight toward the giant dinosaur.

And before he could celebrate or sigh in relief, the young man in street clothes suddenly flew in front of the giant lion, catching it by the mane and slamming it into the ground after some struggle.

Still, he didn't despair and maintained his composure as he watched the golden lion slowly change with a loud roar, taking the unscathed form of his boss, Jericho.

"I see you all came to us out of your volition...." Jericho said as he flew into the air, floating in front of the young man. "How generous. We shall make your transition as painless as possible," He added, crossing his arms as he inspected the area.

"I'm not really here to mince words. I've got places to be," The young man said with a scoff as he opened his palms. "Let's get this over quickly, so I can get back and feed my cat before he gets cranky," He added, tightly gripping the heavily decorated axe and the ivory-white pistol that appeared in his hands.

"So be it... we shall make your defeat as swift as possible..." Jerico said, his body shining in golden as he flew straight towards the young man, to which the latter remained calm and started firing with his pistol.

Jericho didn't stop his charge and merely crossed his arms in front of his face as the pistol's oversized energy projectiles hit, causing them to bounce off his skin and scatter all over the battlefield.

He quickly closed the distance and attempted to tackle the young man, but the latter fluidly dodged by floating to the side and immediately counter-attacked.

The young man planted his knee into Jercio's abdomen, causing his body to arch and rise into the air. He followed with a devastating swing at his back that drew blood and sent him crashing into the ground.

The young man, Grayson, dismissed the pistol and raised his now free hand high into the air, causing a fiery sphere to appear in his palm, rapidly growing in size as Jericho crashed into the soil.

He didn't wait for long before he flung it down on Jericho, and it hit home, going off with a loud, fiery explosion that incinerated everything around it, including the old stone ruins.

Grayson remained floating as he waited for the smoke to clear and raised an eyebrow as he watched Jericho emerge from within, burnt, bloodied, but healing at an alarming pace.

"Of course..." Grayson said, sighing in exasperation as he watched Jericho heal in a matter of seconds. Clearly frustrated, he grunted as he dived toward his opponent.

Jerico was fast enough to dodge in time, and he immediately attacked, unfazed by the giant crater the impact created, nor the debris and rocks flying everywhere.

He found Grayson waiting for him as he dodged his punch, ducking under it and kicking at his midsection. Jericho winced at the impact and spurted a mouthful of blood but held his ground and buried his fist into his opponent's face.

Grayson took the punch and didn't even flinch or show any reaction as he brandished the axe in his hand at Jerhco's arm, cutting it in half. However, his eyes widened as he watched tendrils of blood cling to the dispatched appendage and put it back in place before it even hit the ground.

He gritted his teeth, dodging another swipe of Jericho's hand aimed at his neck, and returned the favor with a swing of his axe as he sent it flying towards the possessed man's head.

The weapon's edge found its mark and eviscerated Jericho's head. But his healing factor instantly kicked in and put him back together before Grayson's eyes as they twitched in annoyance.

Before Grayson could continue his attack, a golden lion paw emerged from Jericho's chest, swiping at his abdomen. He didn't react in time, and the lion's claws hit his stomach, leaving five bloody lines.

"Mother fucker..." Grayson said, eyes wide as he looked down at his rapidly healing abdomen and the blood staining his clothes. "I just got this hoody!" He added as he charged Jericho, and the two resumed exchanging blows.

Grayson was faster and physically stronger than his opponent. He steadily increased the intensity of his attacks as he enhanced them with energy, trying different elements and methods as he searched for any possible weaknesses.

However, Jericho proved to be a persistent adversary. Empowered by the life force of countless Azarathians, he recovered from every single wound Grayson inflicted.

Jericho suffered searing flames, freezing winds, being cut into many pieces, and even beaten into a bloody mess, but he always bounced back, seemingly unaffected by it all.

Although he didn't land many hits, any that connected would cut through Grayson's skin and leave deep wounds, which would immediately heal without leaving any traces.

The two young men continued exchanging blows without tiring for more than thirty minutes. It was more than enough time for Deathstroke, the heroes, and the army of machines to clean up the mercenaries.

Nightwing and the heroes didn't stand still, and they immediately went to look for the captives, as that was their chief objective in coming here. The mercenary, however, intently watched the fight, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to help.

Still, Deathstokie found no such opportunity. Given time to plan and tools to prepare, the mercenary wouldn't think twice before agreeing to take on anyone, but he didn't get this far by rushing headfirst into battle.

He was aware of his superiority over regular people, strength, speed, and skill; he dwarfed even trained soldiers and porfessional athletes in every category. However, he was even more aware of his shortcoming when compared to truly powerful metahumans and supernatural threats.

Deathstroke knew that he would only be a hindrance should he decide to interfere. He could only watch in silence, gritting his teeth, powerless and unable to help his son as he was.

It didn't stop him from observing and waiting as the fight grew more intense with every second, reaching its climax when Jerhco's spirit avatar fully materialized as a gigantic golden lion behind him, roaring savagely.

Jericho shined in a golden light as he and the lion attacked, striking with renewed vigor as he seemed faster and more powerful, giving Grayson a run for his money.

Still, something told Deathstroke that the young man fighting his son still had an ace up his sleeve, and sure enough. The insectoid machines suddenly joined together, forming a metallic giant that threw itself at the golden lion, keeping it busy.

However, Jericho was steadily growing stronger somehow. He dodged more attacks and landed more hits as the battle slowly shifted in his favor, which only seemed to annoy Grayson more than anything else.

The young man sighed as he released an energy shockwave that forced Jerhcio to retreat after the latter punched him in the face with enough force to topple a townhouse.

Grayson hesitated for a second before sighing again and raising his hand above his head. Deathstroke's eyes widened in shock as he watched a green ring materialize over the young man's finger, and he immediately recognized it.

Suddenly a blinding green light flashed in the area, robbing the mercenary of his vision for several seconds. By the time the mercenary recovered his sight, the fight was already over, and Grayson was already standing over Jericho, binding him with energy constructs.

...

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