The ground, the empty disintegrate in this wide scorched pit, baking with a fire that could not last. But burning itself in as hard as it could. The air was dry, fried crisp, and wavering in its refraction. That thunderous pillar of light had been quieted down to just an image imprinted into every retina, and a tone still ringing every bone. But its duty had been fulfilled. Glutinously stolen power, ripped apart souls for lack of better terminology, too much energy to just outlast with opposing power and skill. A brilliant bulk given back to the world. Given a peace, a heaven to go to all their own. Whether this feat was enough was yet to be determined, but that opposing power and skill wasn’t going to delay their exacting of justice.

The drone of vertical jets filled in the space left over, their cargo deposited and their own duties done. The swath of colors and revenge bound faces converging on the lip of that vast dust filled crater, right behind Aegis and Seth landing down to take their places in this only just forming assault. Those faces, those twice scorned trainees who never really cared for him. Those only partially placated veterans, still seeing the monster they only see as deserving death for their existence. Just the same old same old. Just more for Seth to take in stride.

Darkened focus and held back hate cloaked still in sentimental designs. That brief moment of comradery over a shared lunch and that once respectful demeanor. All of it burned away but stayed its hand as Kaze held his place by his father’s side. An already met and known hate doing its best to keep the peace he knows and hopes for.

A peace hard pressed opposite, a quartet of eyes in varying states all locking on their former trainee. Maya’s the brightest and hardest to avoid, demanding he take from her and leave the rest out of even his sight. A failed gambit as David fought forward against himself and the slightest penitent glance. A still beaten in fear soaking him to the bone and threatening to light on fire like nitrous to a campfire. Zeleny keeping close with just as much fear, but more around her than could be ignored. Jacob adding to Maya on their flank, something to defend even stronger than whatever was left of the expectations levied on him. A common look with the fiery portion taking up the rear, but added on revenge turning glares to death.

Kabar keeping lowest, but hardly without shine. Half a rivalry lost in the dust and a common condemnation filling its place. One shared with his trainers flanking, Cauterizer the hottest with hands flaring to white just to add to his ward. Phoenix Tech barely a match but still leveled. Leaving only the last in line to darken the rest in more than abstract metaphor.

The chosen of Zeus whose son had been forced to learn empathy at last. Shining torrential with built up power, with a sonorous call to action only he could hear. A judgmental hymn of energy gathered to his will, to his vengeance for his own flesh and blood. But deferred at the last moment from under that golden rueful glare. Because they all had a more pressing target, a more important objective. A more deserving monster to deal with.

The crater boiled like it was steaming away what humidity was left in it. Upward drafts roiling dust to billow, the heat of that gargantuan lightning rod still glowing its center to glassy concentric rivers. But Seth could still see what this cloud hid. He could still feel Resent in that roiling center. Just like the heroes marching up to the lip aside him. A line up too ingrained in their pride, too necessary to face this terror down, and see this result for themselves. Even if it meant they were not spared from what laid ahead. What still stood ahead of them.

The clouds diminished, the heat stolen away by this broken open ground. The sole figure of their focus flickering in the mirage and waves of what heat remained. The light filtering ahead of them filtering through the clouded arena, glimmering its plates and paling its remainder for the rest to know. Its form was crooked, slumped, the lichtspeer that had pierced it long dissipated yet still hunching it as if still skewered through. Yet despite its state… he was far from dead.

That gaunted frame, that stolen body, that wreathing ooze, and those burning red eyes. He was still in there, still holding greedily to Para, keeping him alive and keeping him down. But the damage was clear. No more sun to rend apart this material world, no more gravity to exact its pull. Just a malformed consciousness wrapped around an idiot too stubborn to take what he’d been owed. A stare paired across this distance saying as much, daring as much. But this… this wasn’t Seth’s fight alone. He had his own duties to uphold. And that meant stepping back… and letting the League have their pound of flesh.

Triumphant heavy plate mail and kevlar and sandal alike. Titanic steps putting all in line on the edge. A kindred fire burning every heart, evaporating back fear where it tried to dampen and weigh down. A true line of heroes wanting for nothing but to avenge those taken from them. Fire and heat, water and concrete, ice and light electrical strike, and sword after sword after sword. All held harsh, tightened in grips and in veins, around points and aloft. A varied menagerie of colorful death, of elemental destruction, of skilled evisceration, of revenge for the fallen both recent and past. And all of it waiting for the one thing holding them back. That flaming molten blade of signified command.

All could feel its weight, its tension, its ripple, its form. The thick buzz of the air and tensing prickle was its ignition. The shared feelings and igniting hearts its commanding presence. This interlocking fury just more proof that he was their leader, he was the strongest one here willing to carry that mantle, and he needed to have his peace heard for all to know this fury was genuine and justified. And was going to accept this abomination-

“NO MORE!!!”

“No more shall you threaten this world!! No more shall you escape the judgment you are due!!”

“You have taken enough from us!! Enough of our friends!! Enough of our comrades!! ENOUGH!!!”

“You will die this day!!!”

Those plated boots cracked the lip backing away under them.

“You will pay for what you have done!!!”

The Eschenwald rippling like before, but staying it molten self. Smoke and fire flaring from its volcanic awakening.

“You will suffer for every crime unjustly wrought upon this once peaceful world!!!”

And both hands found their seats as it rose high on Erdwut’s shoulder, the flaming beacon of vengeance for all to see and follow.

“And we will be forever done with the hell that bore you!!!

“ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!!”

The ground, the air, all snapped and melted to ejecta as that mountain of earthen fury burst forward into the open air below. No stops, no compensation, no more holding back for other’s sake. Not that this fury was alone. The other Elite, old and honorary, burst into line, burst their own lips to blackened back blast. Three swords in unison now, equal in this condemnation and hell bent on its exaction. Then broke the rest. Flyers exploding up, rainbow flames and streaking green. The brand new heroes throwing themselves into the thick of it, kicking back their own ejecta and grouping close with their teams. And the rest with their own reasons kicking off their revenge and duties, electrical bursts and held back readiness adding themselves to this grand display. This mass call to war. This charging into the fray.

Those plated boots slammed down with gravity’s denial of Erd’s flight, but it did not stop their molten path. Dust and chunks, empty waste and pushed around drifts, all were crunched and melted and glassed apart. The dazzle and shimmer reflecting in brief as that dust caked all billowed to contrail. The rest of the force following in kind, following the line becoming a heart seeking chevron, the tip of their own spear from on high. Water and fire, stone and electric charge, every power blaring and roiling and accepting no peace on offer. That burning leading edge guiding this stampede of vengeance to its only destination. A flag of fire and volcanic soot to rally around and follow into the breach.

The distance, that crater, it disappeared in a wake of dust kicked skyward and terminal velocity accelerating further. Wrath and fury too locked and shared to keep track and worry. And that burning flag too bright to see anything but its unsheathing gleam. That metallic core rising over it all, signaling its ultimate place in putting this hell to rest. The hell now too close to ignore, too close not to feel it all slow to a crawl in every eye.

That gleam, that guide pulled deeper into his shoulder. Those plated boots cutting ruts into the glistering black below. Momentum shifting, a massive swing, the first strike to end this abomination and make him feel the pain felt by all here. The all reaching this same terminal point. Buster flanking right with her own slab of metal swinging round in the one hand she was left with. Twined swords in their own unison sliding into battery on the left. Makani Samurai and Shimakaze, father and son both sharing stance and burning hate for this personified reminder of their loss. M.J.D.+Z wrapping around to the open corners of this bladed trifecta, charging colors high above an icy spear being laden and sharpened. And a separate concrete spike up to battery in two more hands with water jet set to skewer it hard. Phoenix’s flames from high left. Kabar trying to round behind with whip already away to lock what may. Zeus’ Strike drawing what he could to the other flank. Cauterizer’s fiery hands waiting in the winds to staunch what may come. And a final feeling that this really was an end come upon.

But… but not for him.

As that world of perceptive shared slowness edged to a stop. Against all this shared will.

A false sense… an intercepted connection… a frail lie broken open…

As that metallic broken grin broke wider.

Movements too fast even in this slowdown, a blur standing upright and solid yet even the slightest movement impossible to make out. A lurching, a realigning, that maw whipping open over and over again… Laughing. Cackling like the mad monstrosity it was. A trap, more bait come to him. More power to replace what had been ripped away. All without lifting a finger. All without even trying. They just all ran straight into his arms. Straight into his reach. Straight into the event horizon awaiting them. As that blur slowed… and the truth fell upon those frozen in their vengeance.

Resent had learned one lesson, and they had just walked into their own deaths.

That gleaming cleave crunched and shifted, reaction speed closing what line divided. That slab of metal Buster named herself shifting too, wrist straining to not rip it out of her hand but vibration pushing it complementary. But coverage was only affordable where it could be had. And only those who could react and shadow themselves were spared. As that menace star reignited in front of them, corona of wanton siphon, plasma roiling to raking life. Red arcs of creeping death, blisteringly impossible to catch up with. Only do what you can… to save those too slow. A hand slammed back against floral patterns beside it. A wall of water shot early and bulked up before the concrete it would carry. That heated whip was yanked against its will. And that spear of ice flew early… and between red and green. Sacrifices made without thought, without regard, all for just the slightest hope that it won’t be in vain. As that red oozing fire shattered this spear.

Ground turned to air, dust to accelerant, bolts of solid crimson fire counter charging through all the vengeance and pride that tried to break it. That frozen moment detonated into thunder and existence ripping apart this world. Ice and concrete shattered. Blood and water boiled in an instant. Flesh and muscle strained and split and exploded to broiling black and red confetti. Limbs cleaved off, sides burned away, organs caved and burst and spilled out what was unmercifully spared that instant searing to black. Bones splintered and burned and popped. Bodies were thrown and crumpled and rent asunder. Death had become impossible to avoid. To those whose lives had been fortified.

That oscillating sword slammed Buster’s side, cracking her only wrist and sending her ricocheting as a bolt washed over that defiant surface. Kaze and Samurai were thrown together into a heap opposite. Shattering ice and superheating water threw Zeleny and Maya away from the bolts seeking them. And Kabar was pulled into the shade of one already too knowing of this loss. Those too slow, those not knowing and here without that choosing sacrifice were sent spiraling like their comrade, with as little as they could manage to save themselves.

All the while that gleaming blade bore its opposing bolt of rending siphon and physical consumption. Its bearer pushed back as a freight train crashed into his wrath with more force and more substance. Plate mail ripped away as boots tore through ground, desperate to keep his stance upright until that caustic red light finally found its limit. Until there was something left to feel other than reverberating thunder and burning light. Until near half the distance charged through was returned with interest. And the results seen by those left in its wake.

That burning… familiar wake.