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/-\
EARTH -
Across continents, ovals of distorted space came into existence, some hovering above oceans, others embedded into mountainsides, others suspended midair above crowded streets.
Gates.
At first, people thought they were some weird looking storms.
Then the first one ruptured.
In Metropolis
The Gate above Centennial Park tore open, Creatures spilled out massive, plated beasts with serrated limbs and burning cores embedded in their chests.
Before panic could fully ignite
A red-and-blue blur shattered the first monster midair.
Superman drove the creature into the ground with a thunderclap that cratered pavement but spared the surrounding buildings.
"Everyone back!" he called, voice carrying authority even as more poured out behind him.
Green light lanced across the sky.
John Stewart descended beside him, construct cannons already forming around his fists.
"Tell me that's the last wave."
Superman's eyes flashed red as he scanned the Gate.
"No. It's just starting."
Above them
Shapes moved in disciplined formation.
Dozens of figures wreathed in Shadow-violet light streaked downward.
Shadow Lanterns.
They did not shout battle cries. They did not posture.
They simply engaged in battle.
One formed a lattice of light that caught three monsters mid-attack. Another conjured a spear of condensed shadow-light and pinned a creature to a skyscraper.
John blinked mid-punch.
"Okay.."
Superman allowed himself a smile.
"They're coordinating with us at least."
One Shadow Lantern hovered beside them, voice calm.
"Monarch's directive, assist Earth's defenders. Prioritize civilian safety. Gates must be cleared from within by killing the boss of the dungeon itself."
John arched a brow. "From within?"
The Lantern gestured upward.
Superman looked at the churning distortion.
"…We go inside then, Let's go."
In Themyscira
A Gate split open above the sea cliffs.
Winged abominations poured out, shrieking.
They were met midair by a golden streak.
Wonder Woman cut through the first creature with a single arc of her blade, bracers clashing as she deflected barbed projectiles.
A squad of Amazons formed ranks below.
Then
Shadow-violet lights joined the sky.
Shadow Lanterns hovered.
An Amazon captain narrowed her eyes. "Are they allies?"
Wonder Woman did not hesitate.
"Yes, they serve the savior of Olympus, they will fight our enemies."
One Lantern descended beside her, offering no bow.
"We enter the gate. Will you join?"
Diana twirled her blade once.
"With honor."
And together, Amazon and shadow shot upward into the Gate.
In Coast City
The Flash circled a newly formed Gate so fast the air ignited.
Creatures that managed to exit were dismantled in red streaks before they understood motion.
He skidded to a halt beside a hovering Shadow Lantern.
"So let me guess.. big spooky hole in reality, monsters inside, we gotta go in and beat up the boss?"
The Lantern regarded him.
"Yes."
Barry clapped his hands once.
"Love when the plan is simple."
A green portal formed beside them as Hal's voice crackled over comms.
"Flash, don't just run in blind, we just realized that the world within these gates might be a bit more complicated."
Barry grinned.
"Blind is kind of my thing."
And vanished into the Gate.
The Shadow Lantern followed without comment.
In Atlantis
Deep beneath the ocean, a Gate opened like a whirlpool of void.
Aquaman raised his trident as sea beasts surged forward.
Atlantean soldiers braced.
Then shadow-light pierced the water.
Lantern constructs formed pressure barriers, stabilizing currents.
Aquaman studied them carefully.
"Shadow lanterns... Are you here to aid us?"
"Yes," one responded. "We serve the one who protects this sea and all lands above."
Aquaman allowed himself a brief, approving nod.
"Then fight well."
In Gotham
The Gate near the outskirts of Batman's family manor hovered in silence.
It was positioned with unnatural precision, isolated woodland, miles from dense population.
Batman stood before it, cape barely stirring.
Beside him hovered a single Shadow Lantern.
Batman broke the silence.
"You're here to enter the Gate."
The Lantern inclined its head once.
"On the Monarch's orders."
Batman's jaw tightened slightly beneath the cowl.
"Even in Hell," he murmured, "he's monitoring Earth."
"The Monarch watches all," the Lantern replied.
A rush of air displaced behind him.
He did not turn.
Boots touched grass.
"Hey, Bruce."
Supergirl hovered just above ground level, arms crossed and her expression was both focused and playful.
Beside her, Zatanna adjusted her gloves.
"And yes," Kara added, "Arthur knows what's happening... but how did you know that he is in Hell right now?"
Batman's voice remained flat. "Constantine."
Zatanna laughed lightly. "You really are no fun Bruce."
"It wasn't difficult to deduce."
Kara stepped closer to the Gate, peering into its swirling interior. "Feels wrong."
Zatanna approached it slowly, eyes glowing faintly as she examined its structure.
"What do we have here…" she murmured.
Her expression shifted, less amused now, more analytical.
"It's layered. Not just a breach. It's a constructed space. A pocket reality. Self-contained."
"Dungeon, that's what Arthur calls it." Batman said.
Kara cracked her knuckles.
"So we go in, clear it, shut it down."
The Shadow Lantern hovered forward slightly.
"Internal stabilization possible once core entity is eliminated."
Batman activated his gauntlet interface.
"Team formation: I take point. Lantern support. Supergirl handles vanguard engagement. Zatanna provides structural disruption and extraction contingency."
Kara smirked faintly. "You always talk like that?"
"Yes."
Zatanna rolled her eyes affectionately.
The Gate pulsed.
From within, something massive shifted.
Batman stepped forward without hesitation.
"Move, we go inside right now."
Kara floated beside him, eyes glowing.
Zatanna inhaled slowly, centering herself.
The Shadow Lantern extended a blade of condensed shadow.
Together.
They stepped through.
The Gate swallowed them whole.
The moment they crossed the threshold
The world itself changed.
Sound inverted.
Gravity lurched sideways for a moment before slamming back into place.
The soft blue glow of the Gate behind them started darkening, thickening until it hardened into a deep, violent crimson.
The exit sealed.
Completely sealed.
Reality reshaped itself around them.
The forested outskirts of Gotham were gone.
They stood beneath a sky the color of drying blood. Clouds low and heavy, illuminated from beneath by rivers of distant fire. The ground was cracked stone and blackened soil but structures rose in the distance.
Buildings.
Human in architecture.
Skyscrapers bent at impossible angles. Suburban homes half-sunken into ash. Street lamps melted like wax figures.
It was Earth.
Distorted through torment.
Heat rolled across the landscape in suffocating waves.
Kara floated a few inches off the ground, looking around with disbelief.
"…Come on, are you kidding me ?!" she said, squinting at a crumbling office tower that looked suspiciously like a warped Gotham high-rise. "I thought we'd at least get something new. We were just in Hell. How is this any different?!"
Zatanna stepped forward slowly, boots crunching against brittle, charcoal-like ground. Her eyes glowed faintly as she scanned the horizon.
"Right there with you," she muttered. "It does look like Hell… but not quite." She tilted her head. "The energy signature's different. This is constructed. Artificial damnation."
Batman had already turned around.
The Gate behind them pulsed once
And then flattened into a solid red surface like cooled metal.
A wall.
He approached it, scanning.
No seam.
No weak point.
No response to proximity.
"A Red one," he said quietly.
Kara lowered herself to the ground. "A what?"
Batman didn't look at her as he answered.
"According to Arthur's Shadow back in the watchtower, some Gates convert upon entry. Red classification."
He tapped the sealed surface once with an armored knuckle. It didn't echo.
"It seals the entrance once someone passes through."
Zatanna's expression shifted slightly. "Meaning?"
"We're trapped."
Kara blinked. "…Define trapped."
"The Gate will not reopen until one of three conditions is met."
He turned toward them now, cape shifting in the hot wind.
"The ruler of this domain is defeated."
"We die."
"Or a monster breakout forces the Gate to open."
Kara stared at him for a full second.
"…That's not great."
Zatanna folded her arms.
Batman continued walking forward, scanning terrain patterns, elevation shifts, structural weaknesses.
"He also mentioned that the environment inside a Red Gate is typically hostile by design," he said. "Designed to exhaust, isolate, and destabilize intruders."
A distant roar echoed through the twisted skyline.
Batman's eyes narrowed.
"Temperature fluctuation extreme. Atmospheric toxicity elevated. Structural integrity of landscape unstable.."
He crouched, running a gauntlet over the ground. The stone pulsed faintly, almost organic.
"And time flows differently."
Kara's head snapped toward him. "Define differently."
"Outside could be hours."
"Here. that hours might be days or weeks.."
Zatanna gave a slow, appreciative whistle. "You really know how to set the mood, Bruce."
Kara cracked her neck, eyes beginning to glow faintly red.
"Good thing we came with you then."
She rose into the air again, scanning the warped skyline with sharpened focus.
"Let's find whoever's in charge and end this."
Batman stood.
In the distance, between two warped skyscrapers, something moved.
Massive.
Silhouetted against the blood-sky.
Watching.
"Movement. Northeast." he said.
Kara's eyes flared brighter.
"I see it."
The ground trembled.
A street ahead split open as clawed hands burst upward from beneath the stone. Dozens of humanoid figures dragged themselves free, twisted, half-melted reflections of people. A product of Necromancy.
Zatanna's jaw tightened.
"Undead."
Kara's expression darkened instantly.
"That's disgusting."
Batman's voice cut through.
"Focus. This domain could be psychological. It mirrors familiarity to induce hesitation."
The creatures began sprinting toward them in jerking, unnatural motions.
Kara didn't hesitate.
She launched forward like a missile, heat vision carving a blazing path through the first wave. Stone vaporized. Creatures disintegrated.
Zatanna raised both hands.
The second wave imploded into spirals of black smoke.
Batman moved through the chaos like a shadow between shadows, precise strikes, grapnel lines, explosive pellets detonating at structural weak points to collapse sections onto advancing hordes.
That massive presence in the distance, moved.
Not toward them.
But upward.
As if rising from beneath the city itself.
Kara hovered back beside Batman, a smirk tugging at her lips.
Her eyes locked onto the distant silhouette.
"Let's go meet the landlord."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want