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SM/DC Chapter 24 : Arthur VS The Teen Titans.
🕑 Added 2025-02-08 19:45:09 +0000 UTCArthur barely looked at his brother as a shadow soldier appeared beside him, its eyes aglow and fixed on Adam like a silent sentinel. "I'm assigning him to you," Arthur said flatly. "Wherever you go, he follows so don't try and back away from this. Go home or head straight to Metropolis for that meeting, I don't care. Just stay out of my way."
Adam hesitated, his fingers twitching slightly as if debating whether to argue. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew when to push and when to back off. With a sharp exhale, he nodded. "Fine. I’ll go immediately arrange that meeting." He shot one last glance at Arthur, his expression unreadable, then turned and walked out without another word.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Arthur blew his breath out hard, rubbing the bottom half of his face, "What a mess…" he muttered under his breath.
He turned to the floor-to-ceiling window. Gazing down at the city, he noted how peaceful it looked—a stark contrast to the chaos inside him. His reflection stared back from the glass, dark, wreathed in shifting shadows; his eyes colder than he remembered.
*****
(Moments before)
The Titans moved through the perimeter in a blur, Robin led the way, his eyes sharp as he scanned their surroundings. His instincts had been screaming at him since the moment they'd intercepted the Kryptonite shipment, and now that one of his creatures was here? That just sealed the deal.
"One of Arthur's summons is here," he growled, clenching his staff tightly. "Which means that he is too."
Beside him, Raven hovered a little off the ground, arms folded. "Is that a bad thing? he did mention he'll investigate as well." she asked, her voice calm, but there was a flicker of something beneath it, Faith, maybe even a hint of uncertainty.
Robin threw her a glance. "It means he'd better not be an obstacle to us. We already know that his family has some relations to Lex, and I don't fully trust him."
Raven's lips compressed in a considering frown. She wasn't one to let people in straight away either, but there was something about Arthur that gave her pause. Still, she said nothing. "fine," she said only.
Meanwhile, a few feet ahead, Cyborg was dealing with an entirely different issue altogether. The sonic cannon was a bright blue as he shot Arthur's shadow demon into bits, yet watched in seconds as it reconstructed itself. He gritted his teeth.
"Man, is this thing invincible and it’s not fighting back?" he growled gruffly. No matter how many times he dropped it, the thing got up.
But then, something else happened. The shadow quivered, as if it felt something, and instead of just growing back once more, it suddenly retreated-melting into the darkness, slipping toward the building in less than a whisper of wind.
Cyborg furrowed his brow. "Wait, what?" For a second, there was confusion on his face, but he did not overthink it for too long. Rather, he pressed on.
****
The Titans burst into Adam Blackwynd's office, prepared for a fight if necessary. Instead of Adam, someone else was waiting for them.
Arthur sat in his brother's chair, completely at ease, legs kicked up onto the desk as if he owned the place. Shadows curled around him, shifting unnaturally in the poor light. his piercing blue eyes flicked up to meet theirs as the room tensed with silent conflict.
Raven was the first to break the silence, her voice edged with concern and frustration. "Arthur!"
Robin didn't waste any time, his eyes sharp. "Where's your brother?"
Arthur barely moved. He only tipped his head a little. "I don't know." The words were smooth, sounded even indifferent, but the answer came too easily.
Robin's eyes narrowed. "I don't buy that."
Arthur huffed and finally sat up, but he still looked completely unbothered. "How much do you really know about this whole mess with Lex?"
Robin's teeth clenched. "Enough to consider Adam Blackwynd a dangerous individual who needs to be questioned, you as well if my gut feeling is correct."
Arthur blew out through his nose, shaking his head faintly. "I said I'll handle this. You know I cannot let you do that." His gaze flickered around the group, and a cold curl of his lips was somewhere between humor and disdain. "Don't you have better things to do? Like imprisoning high-threat criminals like Deathstroke and then letting them go free? Gotta keep yourselves entertained somehow, right?
Raven's face faltered, but she moved closer, her voice softer this time. "Arthur, please."
For a moment, Arthur just stared at them, his expression unreadable. Then he pushed himself out of the chair, standing to his full height. His voice was steady, unwavering. "It became a family matter the moment I saw my name involved. I really can't let you interfere more than you already have."
He reached for his sword, its weight comforting in his grasp as he drew it out in a single, smooth movement. Under the office lights, the metal shone bright and powerful.
Instantly, Robin's eyes shot to the blade, something quivering behind the mask of his gaze. "Is that.?"
At his elbow, Blue Beetle tensed, his armor ratcheting down as the Scarab began to react to the escalating intensity. "You really don't want to do this, Arthur."
Arthur’s blue eyes burned, his grip on the Promethium sword tightening as the shadows around him deepened. His voice was low, controlled but laced with something dangerous.
"I do not." A sweep of eyes over them after that, like a storm gathered in the stillness of weighty words yet to be unleashed. "but your hypocrisy leaves a man no choice."
The moment was thick with tension. Blue Beetle's Scarab was the first to react, its alien instincts sensing the imminent danger radiating from Arthur.
"Threat detected—immediate action required!"
Before anyone could speak, Blue Beetle lunged forward, his arm transforming into a pulsating energy cannon. "Guess we’re doing this!" he shouted as a blast of blue energy tore through the air, streaking straight toward Arthur.
Arthur moved before the attack even fully formed-a blur of shadows and motion. Twisting to the side, the blast seared past him, shattering part of the office wall. In the same fluid motion, he closed the distance, his Promethium Sword gleaming under the flickering lights. His blade arced toward Blue Beetle's chest, intent on ending this fast-
But Robin was already moving.
The leader of the Titans shot forward in a blur, his years of training kicking in as he lashed out with a powerful kick. It struck Arthur's side, stopping his momentum-but barely moving him.
Arthur skidded back only a step, his body absorbing the impact with unnatural ease. His face did not change. Then, without a second's hesitation, he flipped his sword into a reverse grip-and in his free hand, a huge Greatsword materialized out of nothing.
Robin's eyes went wide. "Shit-"
Arthur swung.
Robin barely dodged, feeling the pure force of the swing as the greatsword cleaved through the air where his head had been a second ago. It slammed into the ground, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the floor.
"Stop this!" Raven's voice cut through the chaos.
Nobody listened.
Starfire hovered slightly above the ground, her fists glowing faintly with barely restrained energy. This did not feel right. Arthur had never struck her as an enemy, yet the way his shadows twisted unnaturally around him made her hesitate beside her, Beast Boy shifted uneasily, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by something tense. “Man, this is messed up, i thought we were cool!” he muttered. Beast Boy shot a quick glance at Starfire, silently asking the same question running through both their minds—'should we really fight him?'
Arthur’s blue eyes flared like weird flames as he stepped forward, the darkness collecting around his feet. His voice was cold and in command.
"Come out."
The shadows at his feet churned unnatural, and then they rose.
First was Blade the elite knight of darkness kneeled before Arthur, obsidian armor glinting like it had been tore from a dark dream. The rest followed to complete the assembly of shadows that grew into shadowy demons.
Robin's jaw clenched, and he took a step back, his hand tightening on his staff. "That shadow. it looks so familiar.." he muttered under his breath. A terrible realization burrowed into his gut. "I really hope it's not what I think it is."
Arthur didn't even flinch. "It doesn't matter what you think."
Then his voice lowered, laced with an almost amused cruelty.
"Teach them a lesson."
Blade exploded forward, his dark sword clashing against Robin’s staff with an earth-shaking impact. The sheer force sent Robin skidding back as the knight loomed over him, relentless.
Blue Beetle didn’t hesitate. With a sharp whoosh, his jet thrusters engaged, sending him barreling forward, his gauntlet shifting into a razor-edged energy blade. "You’re making this harder than it needs to be, man!" he shouted as he swung.
Arthur dodged with smooth ease, letting the energy blade slice through nothing but air. Before Blue Beetle could correct his movement, Arthur counterattacked hard.
A brutal right hook slammed into Blue Beetle's ribs, and the force was so strong it made his armor whine under the pressure. Before he could react, Arthur pivoted and slammed his knee into Jaime's stomach, and the Titan grunted as the air was knocked from his lungs.
But Arthur wasn't done.
In one swift motion, he hunched over, bringing his elbow down onto Blue Beetle's back, which sent him crashing to the ground. The Scarab screeched in protest, trying to recalibrate. Jaime gritted his teeth. "Alright... that hurt..."
With a burst of energy, his jet thrusters fired on, flipping him upright just in time for him to block Arthur's follow-up strike. Arthur's Promethium Sword came slicing down, aiming to cleave through his defenses.
BOOM!
A scarab shield materialized to life around Jaime and blocked the blade at the very last second. The shock of the impact was like an aftershock of an earthquake and ripped through the entire office shattering glass, furniture, and blowing debris around.
The whole place now looked like a battlefield.
