Chapter 273: The Arrival of H’El
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The Watchtower trembled faintly as energy pulses rippled through its outer hull early warning systems flickering alive one by one. Every major console on the command deck was active, the blue glow from the holographic table painting the Justice League in stark light.
Batman stood at the center, cape drawn tight, his voice the anchor of the chaos.
"Most of us can’t fight them here," he said, calm but absolute. "If Zod’s fleet engages us in orbit, they’ll use their Kryptonian firepower advantage. Half the team won’t even survive exposure to vacuum."
Hal crossed his arms, grimacing. "So what, we just leave the station?"
Bruce didn’t even look at him. "Flash, Arrow, and the others.. go to Earth. Establish our protection protocols. If they breach orbit, we’ll need defenses ready."
Flash zipped to one side of the room and stopped in a blur. "Wait... you’re saying you’ll also stay up here?"
Batman didn’t respond to that.
Arthur stood silently near the viewport, eyes glowing faintly violet as he looked out toward the infinite stretch of stars.
"Not for me," he said simply, his tone cold and certain.
Superman, arms crossed, gave a faint nod. "I’ll stay as well," he said, voice steady. "Anyone who can survive in space, stay. Everyone else, follow Bruce’s order."
J’onn J’onzz turned at his console suddenly, his tone sharp. "Batman.. an object is approaching. Fast."
Instantly, everyone froze. The massive holographic display shimmered, focusing on the incoming object: a streak of light, red and silver, burning through the blackness toward them.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed, his voice calm yet heavy with certainty.
"It’s them."
Batman’s jaw tightened. "All right. Everyone who’s supposed to leave, go now!
"Without hesitation, portals, light trails, and teleports filled the room as most of the League’s members departed. Within seconds, only the core remained Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hal, J’onn.
Arthur turned to Superman, his voice low and resolute.
"Don’t worry. I’ll take Kara back from Zod even if it means dooming myself."
Superman looked at him, eyes softening but with that quiet, indomitable will still burning behind them.
"That’s not a very good thing to say," he said, managing a faint smile. "We need everyone alive. You included."
Arthur gave a slow nod, saying nothing, the faintest trace of a smirk tugging at his lips.
Then he turned to Raven, who stood behind him, her cloak shifting restlessly with the artificial gravity field.
"Go back to Earth," he ordered.
"What! No. I’m not leaving you here," she protested, voice firm, eyes fierce.
"No buts," Arthur interrupted, his tone soft but commanding. "You’re strong, that’s exactly why you need to keep that stupid team of yours together in case Zod actually manages to land on earth."
Raven’s eyes flickered with hesitation, then softened. "Fine... but don’t do anything too crazy, you are reckless afterall."
Arthur exhaled, faint amusement in his tone. "I can’t promise that."
She sighed, murmured "Stay safe," and vanished into a portal, gone.
Batman walked closer, pulling something from his utility belt, his mind already strategizing.
"We need to..."
And then, suddenly..
The air shifted.
To Arthur, time itself seemed to fracture. His vision sharpened, every particle in the air slowed, every hum of the Watchtower’s systems dragged into stillness. His eyes widened, glowing violently violet as his instincts screamed.
Something was here. Already here.
A ripple like space itself tearing open and a figure appeared in the middle of the room, moving faster than thought.
A fist, cutting through the slowed time, straight toward Batman’s face.
Arthur moved before anyone else could even blink. With Speed Step, His body blurred with shadows he seized Batman’s armor and shoved him aside just as the blow connected with a thunderous shockwave, splintering the deck’s reinforced plating.
The world snapped back to normal speed. Sirens blared. Superman shot forward in a blur, he too was about to save batman, only stopping short as he saw him.
The stranger hovered above the ground, calm. His build was powerful, rivaling Clark’s. His skin had a faint, greyish tone; his hair, long and black, framed a face marked with faint scars. His eyes burned red not like rage, but like the calm, focused heat of a controlled inferno.
Arthur straightened, his expression hardening as he faced him.
The stranger’s gaze passed over Arthur, over Diana, Hal, and J’onn... and then settled on Superman.
The silence stretched, until Arthur spoke, his voice cold and sharp as steel.
"H’El, I assume."
The man smiled faintly, not with warmth, but recognition. "Strange you don’t seem like a Kryptonian.. But.." he said, his Kryptonian accent heavy, eyes flickering toward Superman next. "And you... you must be Kal."
Clark’s jaw tightened, his eyes glowing faintly red. "You attacked one of us."
H’El tilted his head slightly. "One of us? That’s a strange thing to say Kal," he said, nodding toward Batman, "I came here to see you and talk to you, these people are not needed."
Arthur stepped forward, shadows coiling faintly at his feet. "Bats might be a pain in the ass but I can’t agree to that," he said coolly. "And if you’re here, then that means Zod isn’t far behind."
H’El’s eyes glimmered faintly, not denying it, not confirming it.
"You’re right," he said softly. "He’s coming. But whether I stand beside him or against him... depends on what I decide in the next few minutes."
Arthur’s gaze hardened, a flicker of violet light passing across his eyes as he took a step closer.
"Then I suggest you make that decision carefully."
Superman’s cape fluttered behind him as he floated upward, his presence filling the room. "We don’t have to fight," he said, voice steady, commanding.
H’El smirked, his tone mocking yet oddly weary.
"You sound just like him.
"The lights of the Watchtower flickered faintly as the air itself seemed to warp around H’El Batman’s hand hovered near his utility belt, but his eyes sharp, calculating remained fixed on the figure that had just materialized before them. The others tensed, their instincts screaming danger, but Bruce’s mind was already dissecting every detail.
Tall. Lean, but not frail. There was power in the way he appears, unnatural, like gravity obeyed him only out of respect. His skin bore a strange greyish tint, as though sunlight had once touched him but had long since retreated. His long dark hair, drifting as if moved by unseen currents. His face sharp, regal, scarred.
Batman had seen gods, monsters, and men twisted by both, but this one... this one was almost Unique to him. His presence was pressure.
H’El’s eyes swept across the room, ignoring them all. Wonder Woman shifted her stance slightly, Hal’s ring glowed brighter, Martian Manhunter stood ready. Even Superman seemed to brace himself.
Then the stranger’s gaze settled on Clark.
"Little brother," he said softly, his voice both haunting and powerful.
Superman’s eyes narrowed, his tone calm but wary. "H’El."
Hal raised his hand, his emerald aura expanding defensively. "Clark, be careful. My ring’s screaming all over the place just from him being here."
H’El turned his head toward Hal, studying him like one might a child interrupting an adult conversation. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing faintly. "...Clark?" he repeated, his tone laced with faint curiosity. Then he looked back at Superman. "Is this your Earth name? Kal?"
Superman straightened slightly, the S-shield on his chest gleaming under the Watchtower lights. "What are you doing here, and where is Zod?"
For a moment, H’El said nothing. Then his expression shifted, disdain? amusement? It was hard to tell. "I don’t care about General Zod, so stop asking me about him." he said finally, his voice smooth but carrying a gravity that filled the room. "I came for the sole purpose of seeing you."
The tension in the room thickened. Batman’s gloved hand flexed near his side; Diana subtly adjusted her grip on her sword.
Then H’El’s gaze dropped to the symbol on Superman’s chest. The crest of the House of El. His expression softened, almost painfully, like an echo of something long buried.
"Our crest..." he murmured, stepping forward. The motion was fluid, deliberate. Each step he took made the air vibrate faintly, and the reinforced metal beneath his boots creaked as if it, too, acknowledged his strength.
No one moved. Not even Superman.
Arthur watched him closely, his eyes faintly glowing violet, the shadows at his feet stirring like restless beasts. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, but his presence grew darker and predatory. He whispered something under his breath, the others didn’t recognize, and his very shadow twitched, pulsing faintly with light.
Batman’s jaw tightened as he watched. His mind raced with analysis, this man carried himself like a Kryptonian, but the aura around him was far beyond anything Bruce had ever felt from Clark or Kara.
’This isn’t a soldier, ’ he thought grimly. ’This is a relic of Krypton’s arrogance...’
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