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SM/DC Chapter 95 : The Syndicate Shadows
🕑 Added 2025-04-20 21:12:36 +0000 UTCThe corpses of tyrants were cooling in silence and then
Suddenly
A familiar chime echoed in his ears. Cold. Metallic. Triumphant.
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
Then
[New Title Acquired: The Architect of Fear]
"You do not conquer with armies. You conquer with dread, built into the bones of your enemies."
A pulse of dark energy erupted from him.
Stat Bonuses Applied when Equipped :
INT +40
STR +30
AGILITY +30
SENSE +30
Passive: Dread Architect
"Fear is not an emotion. It’s a structure and you are its builder."
Enemies within range suffer:
-10% INT, -10% AGI, -10% SENSE (Scales with INT)
All summoned shadows now:
Inherit 25% of your SENSE and INT
Gain +15% Crit Damage against debuffed enemies
Arthur Equipped the title and he exhaled slowly as the cold rush of power settled into his bones. It felt… good.
No perfect.
Like the title had always been there.
His voice came low, a whisper not meant to echo, but it did.
“…Architect of Fear.”
He chuckled under his breath, the sound cold and cruel.
“I like that.”
The battlefield was quiet now, eerily so.
The corpses of the Crime Syndicate lay where they had fallen. Ash. Blood. Silence.
Until another chimes kept ringing in his ears.
[New Item Acquired: Lasso of Submission]
A dark violet coil materialized in his hand, pulsing with divine corruption. It hissed alive with twisted energy.
[Lasso of Submissio]
Forces enemies ensnared to reveal one deepest desire or weakness.
Can compel lesser beings to obey a single command.
Deals both holy and corrupt damage.
Forged with the essence of betrayal and lust.
Arthur tilted his head, letting the whip slither around his arm like a living serpent.
“Twisted. Corrupted. Dominating…”
He smirked. “Oh, I can have some fun with this.”
Then
[New Skill Acquired: Speed Step]
Arthur blinked, and suddenly moved.
Not teleported. Not dashed.
But a flicker of afterimage
[Speed Step]
Mimics low-tier Speed Force movement.
Can be upgraded to full Speed Force access with mastery.
“Ohhh, this is going to be one hell of a skill..”
[New Crafting Item Acquired: Volthoom’s Cracked Ring]
A broken shard of power floated before him twisting and screaming silently in his hand. It vibrated with madness.
[Can’t be used yet, need a power ring to fuse]
Arthur inspected it with a hum.
“Volthoom, huh…? We’ll see what you become when I fuse you.”
[New Equipment Acquired: Cape of Silent Descent]
A shadow-woven cloak emerged over his shoulders, weightless yet imposing. The hem danced like smoke.
[Cape of Silent Descent]
AGI +30
You make no sound when moving, falling, or landing.
Arthur walked a few steps. Not a whisper. Not a creak.
He smiled again.
“Owlman could never.”
He looked over the wreckage, the dead owlman, the shattered ring of Power Ring, and the still-bleeding chest of Superwoman.
His glowing blue eyes narrowed.
Then… he whispered to himself, voice like thunder trapped behind stone.
“…This is pretty nice loot.”
His grin widened, inhuman and regal.
“But now…”
His palm opened and the darkness answered.
A ripple of shadow erupted from his feet, spreading like wildfire. The earth trembled beneath the weight of his will.
“…it’s time for the real prize.”
The battlefield turned black.
“ARISE.”
From the void, they answered.
Twisted. Reborn. Bound to the Shadow Monarch.
The earth quaked with the arrival of new horrors: shadowed visages of villains once feared now loyal, eternal soldiers in Arthur’s Legion.
First, Superwoman, her body flickering in a dark mist. Her eyes glowed with a strong violet light as she kneeled before Arthur, the lasso of submission hanging uselessly at her side.
Second, Owlman his body bent in reverence. the once prideful mastermind of the syndicate. Now, he knelt before a Monarch.
And last, Power Ring, the last flickers of the green ring gone, replaced with a new dark ring, with a violet glow in his eyes, His arrogance had been extinguished. Now, his soul was bound.
Arthur stood tall, a king in his own right, his eyes glowing blue, He surveyed them, every movement deliberate, every word heavy with the weight of command.
“Owl.”
He nodded to the shadowed form of Owlman, now kneeling before him. The name fit.
[Owl, Knight Rank.]
The shadowed figure of Owlman stood, now forged from the darkness, towering and bound to the Monarch’s power. A Knight in his shadow army.
“Ring.”
Arthur’s gaze turned next to Power Ring, . His eyes locked with Arthur’s, no defiance, only loyalty and submission.
“I can’t think of a better name. So, Ring it shall be.” Arthur’s voice dripped with sarcasm mocking, but filled with finality. The shadow of Power Ring stood tall
[Ring, Elite Knight Rank.]
“Quick.”
Arthur’s eyes moved to the shadowed form of Johnny Quick, the once-speed demon now bent to his will, still just as powerful.
“Quick, General Rank...” Arthur intoned. “You are stronger than I expected you to be as a shadow… but still weaker than Galatea and Doom.” A twisted grin tugged at his lips. “Your speed is still impressive.”
“Empress.”
Finally, his gaze rested on Superwoman’s shadow, her form ethereal and powerful. She, who had once been the embodiment of strength and invulnerability, now kneeled at his feet.
“Empress, General Rank.” Arthur spoke the title with disdain, yet the power in his words rang true.
Each of them, Owl, Ring, Quick, and Empress rose to their feet, their bodies pulsing with dark energy. They were his. His shadows now, bound to him in service for eternity.
Arthur nodded once. His lips curled into a wicked grin.
“Too bad Ultraman is not here” His voice was laced with amusement, but beneath it lay a chilling promise of domination. “He would have been great to have as my shadow soldier. “ "A Justice league of my own..”
A ripple of shadow stretched from his feet, and they returned, one by one, to the depths of his domain.
Arthur’s eyes flared with an otherworldly glow. His grin widened, full of wicked satisfaction.
“I gotta go back to Luthor now…” he murmured to himself, an air of triumph and mystery surrounding him. “And inquire about this ‘threat.’...”
The alarms suddenly blared, the red lights flashing violently across the Syndicate Tower, signaling an impending disaster. The countdown began ten... nine... eight...
Arthur couldn't help but laugh. He turned watching as the countdown ticked down with a sense of satisfaction.
“Of course… self-destruct,” he muttered, his voice cold but laced with amusement. His grin spread wider as he looked toward the flickering lights of the countdown, knowing what was to come. “Too bad for you, Owlman.”
His words were drenched with mockery, but beneath it all, a quiet thrill ran through him.
Arthur uttered a single word.
“Exchange.”
And in an instant, he was gonem vanishing into the shadows, his figure consumed by darkness.
****
The world outside didn’t know what hit it. A deafening explosion shook the very ground, and a blinding, fiery eruption consumed the Syndicate Tower. The entire structure buckled and collapsed into itself, collapsing into a towering inferno, a sea of flames and destruction.
The shockwave rippled across the city, windows shattered, buildings shook, and the people who dared to witness the spectacle could do nothing but stare in awe and terror. The skyline, once a symbol of might, now stood in ruins.
Out on the street, crowds ran, screaming, seeking safety, but no one dared venture near the crater where the Tower had once stood. Smoke billowed up into the sky, a thick, choking black cloud.
And somewhere in the distance, Arthur stood on a quiet street far from the explosion, his gaze casting one last, deliberate look back at the wreckage. He felt no regret. Just a quiet certainty that this was merely one step on a path to get back home.
Without a second thought, Arthur turned his back to the chaos, his cloak billowing behind him as he walked away, disappearing into the city.
****
Meanwhile, in the ruins of the Tower…
The sky had grown darker as Ultraman returned, his flight cutting through the air with terrifying speed. His sharp gaze landed on the shattered remnants of his once-proud base. The devastation was impossible to miss. The Syndicate Tower, the symbol of his team’s strength, was now nothing more than a smoldering crater.
He landed amidst the ruins, his boots crashing against the rubble as his eyes swept over the destruction. His fists clenched. And then thanks to his supervision, he saw it.
A few broken, charred remains of his comrades fragments of their power, scattered across the debris. They were gone.
A growl rumbled in Ultraman’s chest as fury rose in him. “You were right, Owlman…” he murmured, his voice low and bitter. “About everything... including the demise of our world.” His eyes flared with violent rage as his grip tightened around the shattered pieces of his team. “Still...It was your fault. You were weak... all of you.”
His red eyes burned with an intensity that could turn the night into flame. “And I underestimated him… I didn’t expect he'd best you all.”
Slowly, his gaze drifted upwards, his anger radiating from him like a storm. He rose from the rubble, levitating into the air, his eyes now an inferno of rage. His heat vision crackled and hissed, restrained but on the verge of eruption.
"I will find you," Ultraman growled, his voice a low, dangerous whisper, like thunder before the storm. "You will first turn to dust before this world does."
His eyes locked on the distant horizon, the city below now nothing more than a speck in his fury-filled vision.
