Chapter 114: 113: London has fallen [II]
The battle for London had become a waking nightmare. The initial wave of Parademons had been devastating enough, but as the second wave descended, it became clear that Darkseid's forces were escalating the war. The Apokoliptic armada now rained destruction indiscriminately from above.
Plasma bombardments targeted buildings filled with fleeing civilians, while squads of Elite Parademons and advanced Apokoliptic war beasts swept through the streets with brutal efficiency.
The Justice League's resistance had held strong in the first wave, but now the situation had grown dire. The already panicked civilians were now trapped in a city that was rapidly turning into a war zone.
Screams echoed through the smoke-choked air as buildings crumbled and rivers of blood flowed through the streets of Westminster, Piccadilly, and South Bank.
A mother clutched her young child to her chest as they ran through Trafalgar Square. The square, once a hub of culture and history, was now a battleground littered with shattered stone and mangled bodies.
A squad of Parademons descended from the sky, their talons tearing through the fleeing masses.
"Keep running!" the mother screamed, tears streaming down her soot-covered face. But her words were drowned out by the ear-splitting roar of an Apokoliptic Hound, a towering cybernetic beast with glowing red eyes and jagged metal teeth.
The creature leapt into the crowd, its claws tearing through flesh and bone with horrifying ease.
Nearby, an elderly man tripped over rubble as he tried to flee, only to be caught by a Parademon. It lifted him effortlessly into the air, its claws digging into his shoulders as he screamed in agony.
Suddenly, a flash of green light illuminated the chaos. John Stewart, the Green Lantern, soared into view, his ring projecting a massive construct of a hammer that smashed into the Hound, sending it sprawling.
"Get out of here!" John shouted to the civilians, his voice carrying over the chaos. "Follow the evacuation routes!"
But even as he fought, John knew he couldn't save everyone. A nearby building collapsed, burying dozens beneath its rubble.
John clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus on the fight.
On the south side of the city, Batman was engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a squad of Elite Parademons. These creatures were faster, smarter, and more heavily armed than their lesser counterparts. They hunted in packs, using Apokoliptic tech to track their prey.
In the shadows of an abandoned building, Batman crouched low, his breathing steady despite the chaos around him.
He placed a small explosive charge on the wall and waited. The Parademons entered cautiously, their glowing red eyes scanning the darkness.
"Come out, little Bat," one of the Advanced Parademons growled, its voice distorted by its helmet. "You can't hide forever."(A/N: Parademons can't talk ryt?)
Batman pressed a button on his gauntlet. The charge detonated, collapsing the wall and crushing two of the creatures beneath the rubble. Before the others could react, Batman leapt from the shadows, his fists striking with surgical precision.
He grappled one Parademon around the neck, using its own plasma rifle to shoot another. But as he fought, a third demon managed to flank him, slashing at his armor with razor-sharp claws.
Blood seeped from a gash in his side, but Batman didn't falter. He activated his shock gauntlets, sending a surge of electricity through the creature and dropping it instantly.
"This isn't sustainable," he muttered to himself, already calculating his next move.
High above the carnage, Hawkgirl soared through the smoke-filled skies, her wings carrying her into the heart of the aerial battle.
The sky was thick with Parademons, their numbers seemingly endless. Shayera's mace crackled with energy as she dove into the fray.
She smashed into a group of demons, her mace tearing through their ranks. Blood and ichor rained down as their bodies fell to the streets below. But for every Parademon she killed, two more took its place.
A sudden blast of plasma struck her from behind, sending her spiraling through the air. She recovered just in time to see an Advanced Apokoliptic Gunship bearing down on her. Its cannons glowed ominously as it prepared to fire.
"Not today," Shayera growled, her grip tightening on her mace.
She flew straight at the ship, dodging its initial volley of plasma blasts. With a roar, she swung her mace into the ship's hull, the Nth metal disrupting its systems. The ship shuddered, its engines failing, before it exploded in a fiery burst.
Shayera was thrown clear of the blast, her wings singed but intact. She panted heavily, her body battered but her resolve unbroken.
In the heart of Westminster, J'onn J'onzz fought to protect a group of civilians trapped in a subway station. His telepathy allowed him to sense their fear and pain, their thoughts screaming for help.
"Stay behind me," he told the huddled group as Parademons swarmed the station.
J'onn shifted into a monstrous form, his body growing massive and his limbs elongating into deadly claws. (A/N: White Martian form)
He tore through the Parademons with brutal efficiency, their blood splattering the walls.
But as he fought, he sensed something deeper—a presence in the minds of the demons. Darkseid's influence was pervasive, a constant whisper of fear and despair.
"You will not break me," J'onn said through gritted teeth, his voice reverberating in the minds of the demons.
Despite his efforts, the battle was taking its toll. The civilians behind him screamed as another Apokoliptic Hound burst into the station, its glowing red eyes fixed on them. J'onn lunged at the creature, his claws sinking into its throat. But even as he killed it, he knew the fight was far from over.
Despite the Justice League's efforts, the civilian casualties were mounting. Entire families were wiped out as buildings collapsed and streets were consumed by fire.
Hospitals overflowed with the injured, their halls echoing with cries of pain.
In one particularly harrowing scene, a school bus filled with children became trapped on a bridge as Parademons closed in. The driver, a brave woman in her late 40s, tried to shield the children, but she was no match for the demons.
As the demons tore through the bus, a sudden gust of wind blew them back. Barry Allen, The Flash, appeared in a blur of red and gold.
"Everyone, hold on!" Barry shouted, his voice tinged with desperation.
He evacuated the children in seconds, carrying them to safety one by one. But as he returned for the driver, a plasma blast struck the bus, engulfing it in flames.
Barry stood frozen, the driver's scream echoing in his ears. He clenched his fists, his body trembling with rage and grief.
By the end of the second wave, London was a city on the brink. The Justice League had fought valiantly, but even they were beginning to falter under the relentless assault. Bloodied and exhausted, they regrouped in the ruins of Trafalgar Square.
"This is getting worse by the second," John Stewart said, his voice grim. "If we don't find a way to stop this, there won't be a London left to save."
"Then we make our stand here," Batman replied, his tone resolute. "No matter the cost."
As the team prepared for the next wave, the skies above them darkened even further. The ominous silhouette of a fatherbox appeared in the clouds, signaling the arrival of something far worse.
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