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SM/DC Chapter 25 : Arthur VS The Teen Titans - 2
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 20:31:47 +0000 UTCArthur stood in the center of the wrecked office, his Promethium Sword gleaming in the dim light, surrounded on all sides by the Titans. His shadow demons prowled like wolves, their piercing eyes locked onto their prey. Blue Beetle was struggling, his armor thrashing against the swarm of shadows enveloping him, while Robin barely kept Blade at bay, his staff clashing against the towering specter’s dark blade.
Arthur’s eyes flickered across the battlefield, noting something.
“Wait.” He narrowed his glowing blue eyes. 'Where the hell is Cyborg...'
Before he could dwell on it further, a massive force crashed into him.
Arthur grunted as two huge, fur-covered arms clamped around his torso. Beast Boy—transformed into a massive grizzly bear—let out a roar as he lifted Arthur clean off the ground in a crushing bear hug.
"Arthur, stop!" Beast Boy’s voice rumbled. "This isn’t the way!"
Arthur exhaled slowly. His body blurred with dark energy.
Shadow Exchange.
In an instant, Arthur vanished from Beast Boy’s grasp instead he was holding one of his shadow demons.
“What—?!” Beast Boy barely had time to react before a fist slammed into his side like a cannonball.
The force sent him flying, crashing through a desk and skidding across the floor, leaving deep claw marks.
Arthur didn’t even pause. He was already moving.
Robin saw it coming—but barely.
Arthur’s knee drove into Robin’s chest, lifting him off his feet. The Titan leader barely managed to twist midair, using the momentum to flip and land on one knee, coughing.
Arthur was relentless. He leapt forward, his sword gleaming.
Robin braced—
BOOM!
A stream of starbolts rained down, forcing Arthur to pivot. Starfire hovered above, her hands burning with celestial energy.
“I am sorry, Arthur.” She fired again. “But you are hurting my friends!”
Before the bolts could reach him, a black blur cut through the air.
Blade.
Arthur’s shadow soldier intercepted, his massive sword deflecting the energy blasts like a wall of darkness. Starfire’s eyes widened—just before Blade swung.
WHOOSH! She barely dodged, flipping midair as the blackened steel carved through the space she occupied a second ago.
Arthur turned back to Robin activating Bloodlust., stepping forward with slow, deliberate steps. His aura flared, his glowing blue eyes piercing through the dust-filled air.
“Just like you value your family,” Arthur’s voice was cold, but steady. “I’ll protect my own.”
Robin gritted his teeth, pushing himself to his feet.
Arthur raised his sword, the edge of the blade humming with dark energy—
And then his hand froze.
Arthur’s eyes snapped to the side.
An invisible force held his arm in place.
His glowing gaze locked onto Raven.
Her own eyes glowed white, her cloak billowing from the sheer power radiating off her. Dark energy swirled at her fingertips.
“Arthur, you don’t have to do this.” Her glowing white eyes bore into his, power thrumming around her. “I know why you’re fighting. I can feel it.”
Arthur’s grip on his sword tightened, but he said nothing.
“You think you don’t have a choice, but you do.” Raven’s voice softened. “You’re not doing this because you want to kill us. You’re holding back.”
Arthur’s expression darkened, but she continued.
“You’re not trying to win. You’re just trying to keep us away.” She took a slow step forward. “This isn’t just about family, is it? It’s about your sense of justice…"
Arthur exhaled sharply through his nose, his aura flickering for just a second.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” His voice was firm, but there was a crack in it.
“I do.” Raven’s power pulsed again, her magic still holding his arm in place. “I know you, Arthur. And if you really wanted to take some of us down, you would’ve done it by now.”
Arthur’s gaze flicked to the corner of his vision—his system pulsing with a notification.
[Daily Quest: Time Remaining – 5… 4…]
He exhaled sharply, and the swirling shadows around him receded, slithering back into his own shadow like obedient servants returning to their master.
Robin pushed himself up, jaw tight, bruised but still standing. Blue Beetle rolled his shoulder, his armor flickering where Arthur’s blows had landed. Beast Boy groaned, shifting back into human form, while Starfire hovered, her eyes filled with uncertainty—torn between duty and trust.
And then there was Raven—her gaze steady, power still lingering in the air, as if she wasn’t quite ready to let him go.
She was right. He hadn’t gone for a single fatal strike. 'Even when he had the chance.'
Arthur sighed, rolling his neck before leveling his eyes at Robin.
"Consider yourself lucky." His voice was calm but edged with warning. "Next time, I won’t be so lenient. And whatever data you have on me?" His lips curled, not quite a smirk, not quite a threat. "It’ll be outdated."
And in the blink of an eye—Arthur Blackwynd was gone.
The room was dead silent for a moment, save for the faint hum of the lights overhead and the distant sound of sirens from the city below.
Robin’s fists clenched at his sides, his breathing still ragged from the fight. His jaw tightened as he stared at the spot where Arthur had just stood. “Damn it.” His voice was low, but the frustration in it was palpable. He hated feeling outmaneuvered. Outclassed. And Arthur had done both effortlessly.
Blue Beetle’s Scarab clicked and whirred in his head, scanning the area where Arthur had vanished. [Threat lost. Tactical recalibration required.]
Jaime exhaled, rubbing his temple. “Yeah, no kidding.” He glanced at Robin. “So, uh… are we just gonna ignore the part where he nearly wiped the floor with us?”
Beast Boy groaned from where he lay sprawled on the floor. “I vote we ignore that part.” He sat up slowly, rubbing his ribs. “Dude hit like a freaking truck…” He shook his head. “No—like, ten trucks.”
Starfire lowered herself to the ground, her brows furrowed in thought. “He was holding back.” Her voice was softer, almost hesitant. She turned to Robin. “You saw it too, didn’t you? He had so many chances especially against you… but he didn’t.”
Raven was the last to speak. She stood frozen for a second, her hands still faintly glowing with dark energy. But her mind was elsewhere, her expression distant.
She had felt it.
Arthur’s rage, his frustration, his fierce loyalty. But more than that… she had felt his hesitation. He hadn’t wanted this fight. Not really.
Slowly, her hands lowered, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.
“Im not giving up on you.” she said quietly.
****
Dark. Cold, dank air clung to his skin as Arthur stood in the middle of a poorly lit corridor, the flickering lights above casting eerie shadows on the cracked and stained walls. The faint echoes of screams from afar and manic laughter slithered through the halls.
A system notification blinked in front of him.
[Penalty Zone Activated]
Survive for: 4 hours
Restrictions: Job specific skills—Locked. Most abilities—Locked.
Rewards: +3 Stat Increase + Random skill.
Arthur let out a sharp exhalation. "I was too busy… or maybe my mind was too clouded—I forgot to do my daily quest." He shook his head, his shoulders rolling as the weight fell upon him. He looked around, his instincts on high alert.
"I need to go after Lex, but first where the hell am I?"
Then, his eyes finally managed to adjust through the dimmed light to gaze at rusted iron doors, blistering paint jobs, and scratches of insane-looking writings into the walls. At the top: Arkham Asylum.
Clearly, the expression on Arthur's face had darkened now. "of course, perfect place for punishment."
In a flash, another notification arrived.
[Survive.]
He let out a soft sigh, his Promethium Sword materializing in his grip, cold metal humming with power. "If I'd ended up here at Level 1, I might've been worried…" He tightened his grip, his glowing blue eyes scanning the darkness ahead. A twisted grin formed on his lips. "But whatever horrors this place holds? They should be the ones worried."
