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SM/DC Chapter 31 : General of the Shadow Army
🕑 Added 2025-02-15 20:05:53 +0000 UTCThe world stabilized once more, the glow of LexCorp’s lab replaced by the softer, ambient light of Arthur’s home. The air smelled different—clean, familiar, safe. The tension of battle lingered in Kara’s muscles, but exhaustion weighed heavier.
She swayed slightly, her legs weak beneath her. “Where… where are we?” she asked, her voice laced with fatigue.
Arthur exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “My house. Jump City.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “You can rest here. Fly off when you’re good to go.”
Kara straightened immediately, stubborn pride kicking in. “I’m totally fine.”
Arthur arched a brow. “Are you sure?”
She smirked, squaring her shoulders. “Absolutely.”
He nodded. “Alright then.”
Then he punched her in the face.
Not a tap. Not a playful jab. A full-force right hook.
Kara stumbled back, eyes wide. “Ouch! What the hell was that for?!”
Arthur shook out his fist. 'Damn, that actually stung.' He smirked. “For attacking me when I saved your ass.”
Kara rubbed her jaw, glaring. “You punch everyone you save?”
“Nope. Just the ones who try to kill me right after.” His smirk widened. “Besides, you’re a Kryptonian. You can take it.”
Kara sighed, rolling her shoulders as if shaking off the weight of everything that had just happened. She glanced at Arthur, then looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. "Hey... I'm sorry. And thanks—for everything."
Arthur exhaled through his nose, watching her for a moment before responding. "I did what I had to do." His gaze shifted toward the window, his mind still lingering on the battle. "Besides, both you and Doomsday were stronger than me. I couldn't have killed him without you."
Kara tilted her head, studying him. "You know, we didn’t have to leave. I saw the people coming, they weren’t hostile. They were—"
"I know who they were," Arthur cut in, his voice even. "But I had to leave. Whatever happens with Doomsday now… that’s their problem."
Kara frowned. "But you’d be a hero in their eyes. Why run?"
Arthur’s smirk was faint, but his eyes darkened slightly. He thought about it for a moment, then muttered to himself, ‘Yeah… except my own brother took part in making that very thing I had to destroy.’
He turned to her, shrugging. "Maybe. But I like to do things solo."
Arthur stretched his shoulders, feeling the exhaustion settle in now that the adrenaline had worn off. He glanced at Kara, who still looked drained but was doing her best to hide it.
"Treat this place like home," he said, turning toward the hallway. "Crash on the couch, raid the fridge, whatever. Just don’t break anything important."
Kara gave a small, tired smirk. "No promises."
Arthur huffed a quiet laugh and started walking away. "I’m gonna get some rest. Try not to punch me in my sleep."
She chuckled, shaking her head. "No guarantees on that either. But… thanks, Arthur. Really."
He gave a half-hearted wave without looking back. "Yeah, yeah." And with that, he disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind him.
Arthur leaned against the door for a moment, exhaling. His body still ached, his knuckles were bruised, and his muscles felt like they had been wrung dry. But then his lips curled into a smirk.
"Not like a door would stop you from seeing me anyway," he muttered, glancing at the closed entrance to his room. "But it doesn’t matter."
He turned around, and from the darkness of the room, a hulking figure loomed forward. A presence that would send most people into a blind panic, a monster that had been engineered to kill gods
Now, it knelt.
Doomsday. Or rather, his shadow.
His enormous frame bowed in absolute submission, the inky darkness of his new form rippling slightly, those glowing eyes awaiting their master’s command. Arthur took a slow step forward, inspecting him with quiet satisfaction.
The system message appeared before him.
[Name : ??? Rank General.]
Arthur raised a brow. "General, huh? Figures. I didn’t even name you yet" He crossed his arms, smirking. "I was gonna call you something even more dramatic, but honestly… ‘Doom’ is fine so Doom it shall be."
[New Shadow Added: General ‘Doom’]
The massive shadow let out a low, guttural growl—not of hostility, but of acknowledgment.
Arthur exhaled sharply, placing a hand on his hip. "Easily my strongest soldier, and probably will be for a long time. But damn, that was a fight. Let’s see what I got out of it."
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Bloodlust level 2 :
State of fear for 2 min and reducing all of the target's stats by 60%.]
Arthur blinked as the system spammed him with notifications. "Huh. That’s... a lot." He scrolled through, and his eyes widened slightly at the next screen.
[Quest Completed: Kill the Hostile Doomsday.]
[Failure Condition: 24 Hours in the Penalty Zone.]
Arthur huffed a laugh. "Damn. That penalty's not even bad, just a pain in the ass. Good thing I didn’t check this mid-fight."
Then, his gaze landed on the real prizes.
[Rewards Acquired:]
Doomsday’s Bone Gauntlets (S-Tier)
Indestructible claws capable of tearing through Kryptonian-tier defenses.
Can evolve spikes.
Grants user enhanced melee combat instincts.
Omega-Hardened Hide Armor Set (Rarity ??)
A full-body armor crafted from Doomsday’s near-invulnerable corpse. Nullifies most energy attacks. Highly resistant to blunt force.
Anti-Kryptonian Blood Vial (Epic)
A concentrated sample of Doomsday’s blood.
Can be used to create Kryptonite-enhanced weapons.
Arthur stared at the screen for a long moment before letting out a low whistle.
"So I can actually craft weapons now?" His smirk widened. "That’s nice."
He closed the screen and flexed his fingers. The fight had been hell, but looking at the rewards now?
Totally worth it.
Arthur exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he pulled up his status screen.
[Name: Arthur Blackwynd]
[Job: Necromancer]
[Title: Bane of the Unworthy] (+20% attack against those who harbor evil intent)
[Level: 60]
[Fatigue: 90]
[HP: 1250/5100]
[MP: 3000/6850]
He whistled. "Damn, that fight really did a number on me." His health bar was barely hanging on. He scrolled further allocating his ability points.
[Strength: 110 → 134]
[Health: 98 → 111]
[Agility: 58 → 85]
[Intelligence: 130 → 143]
[Sense: 58 → 76]
[Available Ability Points: 30 → 0]
Arthur flexed his fingers, feeling the subtle increase in power as his body adjusted to the stat boost. He had to increase His agility, which was a must after getting tossed around like a ragdoll.
[Passive Skill: Tenacity (Level 1)]
[Job-Specific Skill: Shadow Extraction | Shadow Army Limit (12/60)]
[Shadow Exchange]
[Skills: Bloodlust (Level 2)
Ruler’s Authority]
Equipment:
Omega-Hardened Hide (Equipped)
Abyssforged Necklace (Equipped)
Inventory:
Doomsday’s Bone Gauntlets
Azarath Knight Armor Set
Greatsword of the Lowborn
Promethium Sword
Anti-Kryptonian Blood Vial
Tower of Fate Key
??? Key
Arthur sighed and reached for his new armor—the Omega-Hardened Hide. The second it wrapped around him, his entire body was encased in the near-indestructible remains of Doomsday. The material felt eerily light despite its insane durability.
"Thank God this thing can turn invisible," he muttered, "or I'd look like a walking rock monster."
He clenched his fist, testing the flexibility. The armor responded like a second skin, and when he tensed, a faint ripple of reinforced energy pulsed through it.
Arthur smirked. "Yeah… this’ll do."
His gaze flickered to his shadow army count. [12/60].
For the longest time, he had been picky about his soldiers. If they weren’t strong, he didn’t bother getting more. "I should get more soldiers," he muttered, rubbing his jaw. "Doesn’t matter if they’re weak. Quantity’s starting to look just as important as quality since i have a General now." Doom, still kneeling, let out a low, rumbling growl.
Arthur chuckled. "Don’t get jealous. You’re still gonna be the strongest."
Arthur exhaled deeply, letting himself sink into the mattress. His body ached, his muscles screamed, and his mind was foggy from fatigue. The fight had pushed him to his absolute limit. If not for Kara, he probably wouldn’t have made it out alive.
"Thank God for this skill…" he muttered under his breath as his status screen flickered in his vision.
[Passive Skill: Longevity]
Immune to diseases, poisons, and other harmful abilities.
Regeneration speed far surpasses that of a normal human.
Healing increases exponentially while sleeping.
Arthur smirked tiredly His body was already working overtime, knitting his wounds back together at an unnatural rate. The dull pain in his ribs faded slightly, and the bruises decorating his skin lost some of their deep color.
His eyes burned with renewed determination as he clenched his fists.
"I’ll go and finish business in that tower."
The faintest glow of blue flickered in his irises before his exhaustion finally won, and his body went still.
****
Lex Luthor sat in his Office, eyes burning with barely contained fury. The monitors before him flickered with security footage from one of his surviving cameras his lab, his secret lab, now swarming with Justice League members capturing Doomsday corpse. Debris and shattered equipment lay everywhere, the aftermath of a battle far beyond what his defenses had been prepared for.
His teeth clenched so hard it hurt. How? How had it come to this? His most classified project, Doomsday, was gone. Kara Zor-El, his prized Kryptonian prisoner, had vanished. And worst of all Arthur Blackwynd. That nobody had torn through his plans like a force of nature.
Luthor slammed a fist against his desk, eyes blazing with rage.
“I can’t believe this happened! That bastard ruined everything! I will burn him to the ground! I will destroy everything he has! His power, his secrets—everything! And now the Justice League is on my doorstep! How!? He can’t possibly be working with them!”
His voice echoed through the room, He breathed heavily, chest rising and falling with anger. His mind was searching for contingency plans, through the wreckage of his schemes—he needed control. He needed a way to turn this disaster around.
But then A shadow fell over him. The air in the room shifted, growing dense, suffocating. Lex’s eyes snapped up,
A red and blue silhouette stood at his door. The sheer presence of the person sent a chill crawling down his spine.
Superman.
The Kryptonian stepped forward, his expression unreadable, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
"Lex," he said, voice steady—absolute. "You’re coming with us."
