Judgment of the Endless (MarvelxDC)

The battlefield of Themyscira was in utter ruin. Fires raged across the once-pristine landscape, divine structures lay shattered, and the Amazonian warriors—those who still lived—had retreated into the palace to regroup.

The island, long considered a paradise, was now a wasteland of war, its tranquility shattered by the clash of gods and monsters.

At the center of the destruction, the battle between Ares, Poseidon, Steppenwolf, and Kalibak had reached its boiling point.

Kalibak swung his Beta Club with earth-crushing force, the weapon crackling with unholy energy, each blow capable of leveling mountains.

Ares dodged nimbly, his divine blade flashing, carving deep gouges into Kalibak's thick armor.

But the son of Darkseid was a brute of terrifying resilience, and even as blood dripped from his wounds, he fought on, laughing in bloodthirsty delight.

Poseidon had engaged Steppenwolf once more, the sea god's fury unparalleled. With a wave of his trident, he commanded the ocean itself, summoning massive serpentine water spirits that lashed at the Apokoliptian general, their massive jaws snapping with divine force.

But Steppenwolf was not so easily bested. With a mighty arc of his axe, he bisected one of the creatures, causing it to explode into steam.

The battle escalated, blows exchanged at godly speeds, and then—

Ares and Kalibak's clash reached a critical moment.

Ares feinted, allowing Kalibak to overextend his swing. The God of War seized the opening, driving his sword deep into Kalibak's abdomen, twisting the blade as black, molten blood spewed forth. Kalibak howled in pain and fury, his massive arms lashing out.

He caught Ares by the throat and hurled him with monstrous strength—

Straight into the sky.

Ares' body crashed through the barrier between realms, and in an instant, the battle was no longer confined to Earth.

They had reached Olympus.

Olympus. The celestial home of the gods, a land of ethereal beauty and unimaginable power. Here, the skies burned with golden fire, rivers flowed with liquid light, and the structures stood as testaments to eternity itself.

It was a realm untouched by war—until now.

Ares' body crashed into the golden courtyard, shattering statues of the Olympian pantheon. Above, a massive boom tube ripped through the sky, and out of it Kalibak and Steppenwolf descended, their monstrous figures blotting out the divine sun.

The gods of Olympus, who had long spectated from their thrones, finally stirred.

From within the great halls, the council of gods rose in alarm.

Zeus, the King of the Gods, clenched his fists, his divine lightning surging around him. Hera, his queen, scowled in disgust.

Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, stepped forward, hand on her spear.

Hermes, the messenger, blurred from one end of the room to the other, feeling anxiety creep into his godly being.

But the one who felt the most fury—

Was Hestia.

She was the eldest Olympian, the keeper of the sacred hearth, the goddess of home and purity. For eons, she had been the quietest of the gods, watching over Olympus with a calm, motherly gaze. She never engaged in war, never raised her voice.

But now, her home burned.

Now, monsters had come to Olympus.

And she was furious.

From the golden temples, she emerged, her presence blinding, her body engulfed in celestial fire. The flames were not mere heat—they were the Hearth Flames, the primordial fire from which all creation was born.

They were pure destruction to those who defiled them.

And Kalibak and Steppenwolf had just defiled her home.

Kalibak turned, baring bloodstained teeth. "More gods," he sneered. "How many must I kill before you understand your time is over?"

Hestia did not answer.

Instead, she raised her hand—and the flames of the hearth consumed the sky.

The fire rushed forward like a divine tsunami, engulfing the entire battlefield in white-hot brilliance. Kalibak roared as the flames seared through his armor, burning not just his flesh, but his very essence.

He tried to swing his Beta Club, but Hestia moved with terrifying grace, evading effortlessly. With a single gesture, she sent a pillar of divine fire crashing into his chest, incinerating his flesh to the bone.

Kalibak screamed, his monstrous form charring, his power melting away under the overwhelming purity of her flames.

Poseidon, having finally arrived, drove his trident into Kalibak's chest, pinning him against the broken ruins of a temple.

The God of the Seas and the Goddess of the Hearth stood side by side, watching as Kalibak disintegrated into blackened ash.

Steppenwolf, witnessing the absolute obliteration of his ally, knew fear.

The warlord of Apokolips had seen many things. He had fought and killed thousands of warriors.

He had conquered entire civilizations. But never—never had he seen a being erased so completely.

He knew he had no chance.

Darkseid's voice suddenly rang in his mind, cold and commanding:

"Leave. Now."

With a desperate growl, Steppenwolf activated his boom tube, but—

Hestia was faster.

She flung a tendril of pure fire, and as Steppenwolf jumped through the boom tube, the flames severed his hand, the charred limb falling to the golden floor of Olympus.

Steppenwolf collapsed onto the blackened floors of Apokolips, panting heavily, his stump of a wrist smoldering, the pain unbearable.

He looked up, heart pounding, as he found himself before the throne of Darkseid.

The Lord of Apokolips sat unmoving, his crimson gaze piercing through his uncle like a dagger. The room was silent—so silent that the only sound was the crackling of the hellfire pits that surrounded them.

Steppenwolf, despite all his wounds, bowed on one knee, his body trembling. "My lord... I have retrieved two of the Mother Boxes."

Darkseid was silent for a long, suffocating moment. Then—

He rose.

The room shook with his movement, as if reality itself strained under his power.

"You have succeeded," Darkseid said slowly. "And yet... you have failed."

Steppenwolf dared to lift his head. "My lord—"

Darkseid moved faster than sight.

His hand closed around Steppenwolf's throat, lifting him like a child. The warlord choked, his body dangling helplessly in Darkseid's grip.

"You failed to retrieve the final Mother Box," Darkseid rumbled. "You lost my son. And worst of all—"

His grip tightened, and Steppenwolf let out a choked gasp of agony.

"You fled. You ran like a coward."

Darkseid slammed him into the ground, the impact cracking the obsidian floor beneath them.

Steppenwolf, broken and bloodied, could only whimper.

"Be grateful I allow you to live," Darkseid said, stepping back. "You will atone for your weakness. But for now—"

His eyes burned with Omega energy, his mind already plotting his next move.

"We proceed to the next phase."