Within the underground area, the light from the crystal would finally diminish and out of it emerged the being herself. The one Veddeh worships as she descended lightly, like a petal fall from a tree.
Nilaa.
With a skin as blue as ice and a regal dress that represented all things chilly, there was she was in all of her chilling glory, her empty white eyes glowing and her hair flowing in a cold breeze. She was beautiful and majestic. Yet also intimidating and fierce. Her body radiated an aura of icy power.
Ah! My goddess!" Veddeh exclaimed, falling to his knees before her. Nilaa approached him, placing her hand on his head, and then she spoke. Her voice was cold and commanding, and yet soothing at the same time.
"Veddeh, you have served me well. I am pleased." Her words were soft and gentle, but they carried a weight of authority. Her gaze was fixed upon the small crystals that were scattered across the ground, the ones that had absorbed her energy. "Soon, the world shall know my greatness and the humans will kneel at my feet. All that is left to do is bring forth the winter that will freeze over everything."
"Yes, my goddess." Veddeh said, rising to his feet. He was still trembling with awe, but he was ready to carry out her will. "But, we have encountered a problem. One of those that defeated the Icenauts and Killer Frost has infiltrated the underground. She is the only threat to our plan at the moment. Killer Frost is taking care of her, though." He informed his Goddess.
"I know. I want that girl, Veddeh. She is more than just a human. I can sense another part of her. One that would benefit me greatly." Nilaa ordered. "As for the rest of the world...they will soon feel my glorious chill!"
Raising her arms, she unleashed her power. From the smaller crystals would come an immense amount of her power, forming a pillar of light that shot through the sky, breaking past the surface. It would be the start of a chain reaction, of which the smaller crystals on the surface would absorb the energy and emit the same beam of light, creating a web of light that spread throughout surface.
The city below this secret area would be covered in a blinding, blue light, the skies would grow darker, and the temperature would drop significantly. Snow would fall, and the winds would blow colder. And then, a great wave of icy wind would rush out from the center of the town, traveling to the ends of the town and beyond, spreading the coldness to other parts of the world. The Icicle Storm was coming.
And this applied to many areas. Nilaa's power was so great that she was causing snowstorms to form across multiple cities and towns. She was causing a winter that would last forever. The Earth would become a frozen wasteland, and all that lived on it would bow to her will. Those that were taken and encased in the ice would be her servants.
People started screaming as these snowstorms materialized almost instantly. Some were caught in the storm, others were lucky to escape. But, the damage had been done. The world would soon be covered in a thick blanket of frost, and the sun would never rise again.
The icicles were aggressive too. They would smash against buildings and structures, and even people if they were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everything was starting to be buried in a heavy layer of ice.
The streets would become slippery instantly, undergoing a flash-freeze. Cars would start skidding, crashing into walls, lampposts and other vehicles. If that wasn't bad enough, they also had to deal with the raining icicles that would shatter on impact, sending shards of sharp, cold, and dangerous ice all over the place.
And the worst of it was that the temperatures were dropping to a dangerous level. It would soon become unbearably cold. It felt like the end of the world for them.
That is until the Justice League had arrived.
Fire was approaching, being in her Pyroplasmic Form as she soared towards one of the cities that were hit by the Icicle Storm. Fire would breathe a burst of green fire, melting the falling icicles and any other icy obstacles in the air, allowing the people that were fleeing on foot a clear path.
However, she noticed that this ice was far stronger than what the Icenauts could make. Even the ones that were enhanced. She had a difficult time burning through the ice that was blocking her path.
"What's going on?! This is harder to melt!" Fire muttered to herself. As she flew through the city, she would use her powers to burn the icicles that were in her path, melting them before they had a chance to reach the ground. She would also use her powers to melt the ice that had trapped the innocent bystanders, freeing them and letting them escape the storm.
And speaking of Icenauts, they would start spawning even during this mess. They were the normal versions of themselves, and they weren't affected by the storm at all. One of them would spot her, roaring and running towards her, ready to engage her.
Fire turned her attention to it, flying in the air above it and unleashing a burst of fire. It struck the monster in the chest, and it fell to the ground, groaning in pain. However, there was a bigger problem. More Icenauts were appearing from the shadows, and they were all targeting Fire, charging towards her.
"This too?!" She huffed. With that, Fire would have to engage in combat with the Icenauts. While doing her best to avoid the icicles and the cold weather, of course. That wasn't the only thing she'd have to avoid. With a flick of their wrist, the monsters would summon large amounts of icicles that would shoot up into the air. Fire had to evade, moving her body around the attacks.
She would use her flames to block some of them and deflect them away, and others, she would dodge. But the more the monsters would unleash these attacks, the more icicles that were in the way. Soon, they would have created a wall of icicles. Fire was surrounded, and the only way out was to destroy the Icenauts.
But thankfully, Fire always had support. Support in the form of Ice.
Her cold counterpart would manipulate the ice around here and move them towards the Icenauts, impaling them in the stomachs. The monsters would stagger and clutch their chests in pain. Fire saw the opening and took advantage, breathing fire onto their bodies and setting them alight. The creatures screamed and burned alive, the fires melting the remaining ice in their bodies and leaving nothing behind.
And in tis instance, Ice had a massive advantage. Due to all the snow and ice present around here, she could manipulate as much of it as she needed to. So, the young heroine had to work fast to clear a path of safety for everyone that could escape. Ice would raise her hands and lift a giant chunk of snow and ice, and hurl it at a nearby group of icenauts. They were blown back, but were still able to stand.
As for Ben, he was ready. The Omnitrix was back at full power, ready to be used. If he was to find Raven and by extension the source of this issue, he had to match the right frequency to access the snowstorm's special portal. Something Superman and Flash were already doing.
Starfire had her hands on the Omnitrix, using the special code that would give Ben the alien he needed. With the code being initiated, the silhouette of XLR8 propped up.
Wasting no time, Ben slammed down on the device, taking form in a green flash of light, his body morphing and shifting.
XLR8 had taken the stage once more. And he was off.
"Alright. How many vibrations do I need?" XLR8 asked, already rushing to the snowstorm. Once there, he was within it, waiting for the call.
"You can do it on your own, no problem. Superman and Flash are apparently on different parts of the states, vibrating themselves right now. You just need to match their frequency." Nightwing said. "Batman said it should be about a total of 13 Terahertz. I think. Not sure how much that is though." He was using his communicator to keep in touch with Batman.
"How much is 13 Terahertz?!" XLR8 questioned.
"Just move as fast as you can, Ben!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Alright! Matching their frequency's the only thing that matters!" He would begin to run on the spot right away. The speed would generate a whirlwind, a vortex, a spinning circle of air, that would create a small, localized tornado. His body would start to blur and shift, and he would become faster.
Much, much, much, much, much, MUCH faster than ever. And the faster he would go, the higher the pitch of his voice would become. And eventually, the Kineceleran was going to the point where he could vibrate through solid matter, and would start to travel through the very fabric of reality itself. "C'mon, C'mon, C'MON!" XLR8 yelled.
Nightwing watched as his body was beginning to fade. The young man's eyes were wide with disbelief and excitement. This was actually happening!
"It's working, Ben! You're doing it!" He cheered. "Just keep going! Keep pushing forward!"
XLR8's speed was reaching its peak, and his whole body would be a blur, and then a ghost-like image, and finally, he would be completely invisible. Just a wisp, a phantom of an image that could not be seen by the naked eye. "I see it! Something bright blue! That's gotta be the portal!"
"You see it?! Batman! Do Superman and Flash see it too?!" Nightwing asked.
"They do. You didn't have to worry about missing the timing." Batman confirmed. Right now, Superman and Flash were moving at the same frequency, matching XLR8.
"Really?" Nightwing raised an eyebrow.
And there was a reason for that.
All the way at another city, Superman's Superhearing allowed him to do so. Hearing the conversation from afar, he instructed Flash to move at certain pace while still keeping up those high vibrations. Flash followed suit, and the two would vibrate in sync, at the perfect pace.
The snowstorm pulsated, reacting to Superman's perfected vibrations, matching in beat with the Flash who was somewhere else. Due to this, it also had the positive effect of keeping the snowstorm from rampaging any further than this and merging with the others.
Superman could only entrust the other snowstorms to his fellow Heroes. And he very much had a ton of trust in them.
"If only I had a Super Shout. I'd tell him that he's doing a great a job." Superman said while smiling and vibrating his molecules. And very soon, they were all about to enter beyond the snowstorm.
At the secret area, Raven floated through the cave, flying by so many of these ice crystals, unable to escape from Nilaa's presence down here. And leaving from the outside was already pretty tough. Raven looked up at the ceiling of the underground area, seeing that it was glowing with that familiar blue light. It was getting brighter, indicating that whatever was happening, it was close to being finished.
But, the worst of her fears would come to light as a sudden blast of ice was sent her way, forcing her to move out of the way, avoiding it. Raven's eyes widened as she knew who that could only belong to. Looking to the side, there was none other than Killer Frost. The villainess smirked, her cold, blue eyes glaring at the heroine.
"Well. Looks like the cat dragged in the bird." Killer Frost chuckled.
"Killer Frost..." Raven groaned, getting back up.
"I'm this close. This close to getting my wish." Killer Frost pinched her fingers. "And here you are, getting in the way of that. Somehow, someway, you find your way towards me. I thought you heroes fought for those who are suffering and need help? Is my wish to be warm forever not good enough for you?"
"If it means hurting others, I'm pretty sure the others would gladly get in your way as many times as they want." Raven replied.
"What? You won't? Not like how you're doing now?" Killer Frost shrugged. "You make it sound like you're new here. Either way, that crystal wants you as well. You're coming with me."
"We don't have to do this though, Killer Frost." But Raven opted for another path to this.
"What did you say?"
"From what I know, a Superhero would gladly get in the way of your actions, but they'd also try and help you too. That's when I've learned about heroes. And I'm helping you right now. Becaue you aren't going to get your wish from them. Not because me or anyone else...but because of the one you're working with."
"What?!"
"It's a trick. He's not going to give you permanent warmth. He's just using you to complete his real goal much faster. There's no heat involved in this at all." Raven had this knowledge because of her brief scuffle she and Gwen had with Veddeh. She knew the truth. "You're gonna become just like the rest of us if he pulls this off."
"That's a lie!" Killer Frost pointed at Raven, finding that to be a big fat lie. "Trying to trick me at the last moment? Nice try, brat!"
"But that's not a trick at all. What is he trying to do anyways, exactly? There's no way this much ice will lead to good enough heat. Isn't that obvious?" Raven inquired.
"Shut up!" Killer Frost hissed, shooting a stream of ice towards her, forcing Raven to fly out of the way. The girl's back would be to the icy walls, cornering herself. She had nowhere to escape, no place to go, and the villainess would advance, ready to finish her.
"That Veddeh came here on this planet a few days ago! Said his planet was in need of new warmth! And that he could give me the kind of warmth his planet experiences too!" Killer Frost began throwing rapid-fire ice projectiles at Raven, forcing her to keep dodging the attacks from side to side, up and down. Even blocking some with her magic.
"Do you know how long I've waited for that! I've tried everything that could make me feel warm again! I even willingly let you hero types use as much heat as possible! I've hard to even take Superman's Heat Vision multiple times!"
With a bellow, she manipulated some of the snow on the ground, having it rise up and slap Raven from the side, making her grunt. "Agh!" Raven went spiralling through the air.
"Like I'd let you make me change my mind so easily!" Killer Frost sneered, clapping her hands together. By doing so, she manipulated the icy ceiling above them, the icicles on the ceiling breaking and raining down on her, intending to stab the young heroine.
But Raven was not going down without a fight. She created a barrier of dark energy that surrounded her, and the ice that was thrown at her was either melted or deflected, falling to the ground in harmless fragments. Some would bounce against the shield and fall harmlessly to the ground. Her barrier would drop and Raven was left exposed again.
However, before the next attack could hit, she was suddenly blasted with an array of sharp, piercing icicles that were launched directly at her. Raven reacted quickly, creating a magical, telekinetic wall in front of her to stop the projectiles, which bounced off the shield.
Killer Frost clenched her teeth with pure anger, using ice to form a construct in her hand. An Ice sword. "If you're gonna keep getting in the way, then the least I can do is have you pay with a painful experience of a death. I don't mind if that crystal can't use you!" Killer Frost would lunge forward and strike, swinging her sword towards Raven.
Raven's eyes widened, a shield forming around her yet again. The sword struck down on the shield, a shockwave of power rippling across the surface, causing cracks in the black dome to appear. Raven could not keep this up for much longer, feeling her strength being sapped away from the powerful blows.
It was clear to Raven that she was no match for Killer Frost in her current state, so she did the only thing that was in her mind at the moment. She ran, and fast. As Killer Frost continued to smash down on her barrier, Raven's shield began to crack, the fractures in the black shield becoming wider and wider until finally, it shattered into pieces, the pieces flying in all directions.
But by the time Killer Frost would swing down her blade, Raven managed to use her dark magic as a construct as well. A construct of a hand. One that would grab Killer Frost's wrist, keeping the blade from landing. And it was a close one too, almost hitting Raven's face.
"I can see why you would think I'm lying..." Raven grunted, being in some pain as her body was twitching a bit. "If I heard of a way to solve my problems, I'd believe it that fast too. I want my father dealt with more than anything. But if you don't believe me...let me show you then." With her eyes glowing, Raven had something in mind that she believed would end this scuffle.
The dark magic would suddenly expand and spread out before morphing itself. Killer Frost looked to her side as the Dark magic would quickly encroach upon her, going right into her head.
"A-Ah!" She screamed as the dark magic forced itself inside her brain, a surge of energy coursing through her, sending shivers down her spine. She would collapse onto her knees, clutching her head and screaming in agony.
"What are you doing?! Stop that!" She screamed. But soon, her expression would soften. Her scream was cut off, the villainess panting and huffing. Raven had done something. She did something. Something to deescalate the entire situation.
"Look." Raven panted. "For yourself. For what I saw." She showed the memory of the man's claims of bringing an endless winter to Earth, to turn everyone into slaves to the goddess that was being summoned, the Crystal of Nilaa, and the personification that was said goddess, the deity that is Nilaa. Everything that Raven and the rest had uncovered.
This was all shown to her, and in her memories, to her shock and awe.
Veddeh's true intentions showed that there was no heat. Not even a slither of it involved. Killer Frost was just a means to an end and an eventual pawn to Nilaa. One who would without a doubt be a powerful asset since she can already control ice.
"Why, the Crystal of Nilaa. The Goddess of my home planet. And she is to make this Earth into a new Planet Criea. After all, we've recently turned five planets into extensions of Criea HQK. And it will be glorious. Worry not. You will be freed from the crystal once all is said and done. My hard work will pay of, having this Killer Frost work for me. A shame she will not get the ultimate satisfaction of her goal."
The memories of what Raven heard were soon transferred into Killer Frost's head, having a powerful echoing effect too.
As well as Veddeh's scheming face present there for her to see. A face that she put some of her trust in and now it had been broken.
And it staggered Killer Frost all around. That hope for finding heat had been diminished at light speeds.
And yet, she was still finding it somewhat hard to believe, even though she starting to accept the truth. "No...That'...That can't be!" Killer Frost screeched as the magic Raven cast on her was messing with her mind greatly. So greatly that this revelation was not only stunning, but it was also causing her to lose consciousness.
She gripped her head, crying out with a painful screech as she was on her knees. Eventually, her arms dropped, and the villainess was unconscious on the floor, laying flat on the snow-covered ground.
Raven sighed and fell to her knee. "Ow....that was a lot." Raven panted, feeling quite exhausted. Using her powers to dig up such memories from someone and transmitting it to another had never been so exhausting. "Sorry about that. But I haven't gotten used to that kind of magic. But you'll wake up soon, I'm sure."
But after taking a few seconds to breathe and relax, that moment of relaxation would not last forever. Killer Frost's defeat was made aware to Nilaa as sensed it through the entire underground area. She saw it through her crystals, her eyes glowing because of it.
"Hm. It seems that Killer Frost has failed." Nilaa said upon witnessing it. "A shame. But she can still be useful down the road. That half-human will be mine though. Just as the entire planet will be." Raising her arm, Nilaa would unleash something else from the crystals around the area.
That being Icenauts.
Icenauts without even needing someone to take over would manifest from the crystals, pouring out of them like a stream of water, their bodies dripping and melting into one another. There would be a total of fifteen of these monsters, and they all looked towards their Goddess.
"Grab the half-human. Bring her to me. Her condition does not matter as long as she is alive." Nilaa ordered.
With their heads lowered, the Icenauts bowed and left the room, their bodies shifting into the shadows as they moved through the caverns.
Meanwhile, back where Raven and Killer Frost were, the young heroine was still struggling to recover her stamina. "Ugh, ow." She stood up and stretched. She needed to move, but felt the urge to rest.
Suddenly, her ears perked up at the sound of footsteps, and she would see the large shadow that belonged to an Icenaut, approaching her from behind. Turning around, the creature lunged forward, roaring at her.
"W-Wah!?" Reacting, Raven created a barrier between her and the monster. She could sense more coming. A lot more of the Icenauts were rushing to her position, their eyes glowing menacingly at her, their maws opened wide. They would reach her, smashing at her barriers and pushing her back.
"G-Give me a break." Raven groaned. The strain of keeping the monsters at bay was taking its toll. Despite her best efforts, the Icenauts were slowly overwhelming her. With the force of a few dozen, the Icenauts managed to push her back, their combined weight and strength nearly overwhelming the young woman. The barrier was slowly cracking and splintering from the pressure, the blackness of the energy fading away. It was clear that her barrier would not be able to hold much longer. In a last-ditch effort, Raven released a surge of dark magic, pushing the creatures away, and allowing her to have a breather. She panted, looking at the angry creatures.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Chanting, Raven's body floated off of the ground, and the ground beneath her would start to tremble. As her chant became louder and stronger, her surroundings would darken and shake. Her voice rang throughout the underground.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" With her words reverberating throughout the entire underground, the cave shook and trembled, causing the Icenauts to stop and stand still.
Suddenly, the earth shattered, and a wave of black energy exploded outward, knocking the Icenauts backwards and away from her, the monsters letting out a loud roar as their bodies were blown to pieces, their forms disintegrating into the darkness that engulfed them.
Panting and breathing, Raven took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling as the black mist around her started to fade. With that, she was given the opportunity to move on. She wouldn't be here any longer than that. "I gotta go. Before those things show up again."
But there were too many of them present here. More would spawn in the distance and she could see that. And one would come in, tackling her to the wall. The creature snarled, his claws digging into the flesh of her arm, and her face was twisted in pain as she tried to pull away from its grasp. Blood flowed from the wound, and her blood stained the walls and floor of the cavern.
"N-No..." Raven winced, seeing the horde of monsters approach. "You're...You're kidding me, right? Now's when I get overwhelmed?" She questioned, seeing the Icenauts converge upon her, their jaws and talons open, ready to take her down. Alive, of course, but they would certainly leave her in a terrible state when they're done with her.
And Raven just wasn't sure how much she could take on her own. She believed that she just couldn't.
But as she was being cornered by them all, a sudden pulsation in the air could be heard and felt near her. Like a disturbance in the atmosphere and the fabric of space-time. It would catch their attention. Even the Icenaut that had Raven's arm in its grasp. A vibration. They all turned and saw it.
Something, rather, someone was emerging from that distortion in the air, phasing in from somewhere. They would see that it was XLR8. He was in a bluish, translucent state. Vibrating his molecules at the same pace and frequency that allowed him to phase through the snowstorm's special portal and enter this secret area.
And gripping onto his back and arms were Gwen, Nightwing and Starfire, holding on for dear life as they had all arrived.
His form would solidify as he rapidly tackled all the Icenauts at high speeds, faster than they could hope to keep up with. The force of the impact was enough to knock the creatures back, sending them flying in all directions, their bodies breaking apart and disappearing. With the monsters knocked away, XLR8 would slow his momentum and stop, releasing Gwen and the other two, and then revert to Ben, who was in an equal amount of surprise to find himself in an entirely new place. "Huh...We're actually in? Awesome!"
"Wow, Ben! You actually made it here!" Gwen smiled at her cousin. "And you've gotten better at moving that fast!"
"Nightwing smirked. "Nice going."
"Raven!" Ben then spotted Raven who was in a bit of shock. He promptly ran over to her. "Oh! You're still in one piece! That's cool!"
"Ben...You all...You actually managed to find me?" Raven said, stunned.
"Yeah...I had to after all." Ben nodded in confirmation. "After all, I would've totally hated myself if I didn't show up to find you. I was already upset with myself because you were taken away."
"Upset with yourself? Why?"
"Well, I made a promise to Superman. I didn't wanna let my biggest hero down." Ben admitted before putting his hand behind his head. "But...I also didn't wanna let you down. I made a promise to you too after all, but I didn't even show up to stop you being captured. I'm...sorry about that." He meant it deeply. Especially since he also failed to save the people that Killer Frost had captured and brought back here, which made him feel all the more guilty.
It did strive him to do better, but Ben would be lying if he said it still didn't sting even when he makes progress. His lowered head and closed eyes basically said it all.
"What are you stupid?" Raven replied, causing Ben to raise his head, looking at her in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Ben, that's no big deal." Raven stated. "I didn't expect any of you to save me from the very beginning. You're not at fault in the slightest. Besides...the fact that you came all the way here to find me...I guess I was right to put some faith in you." Realizing that Ben had come to her rescue again and had done something impressive to find her in a place that was tough to reach was truly admirable. One that Raven was grateful for. "...Thanks." Her lips curved upwards. She smiled, albeit briefly.
"No problem." Ben grinned, laughing a bit.
"But I would've preferred it if you all were much faster." Raven turned around, crossing her arms.
"Heh. Funny you should mention speed..." Ben slowly raised his arm.
"No time for chatter! There's people trapped down here somewhere!" Gwen interrupted, the people still needing rescuing. "Raven. Have you seen them?"
"Yeah. They're all the way over there." Raven pointed up ahead. "Where Veddeh is. They're all being kept in a crystal...but I think that crystal's going to turn into someone rather soon. I'm not sure if we can save all those people if there's no crystal around anymore. Plus all those other Icenauts..."
"No problem. We're not the only ones that showed up." Nightwing smirked.
Indeed, they weren't. Another pulsation in the air came over. This time, one that was very close to Nilaa and Veddeh respectively. Nilaa narrowed her eyes, seeing and sensing the pulsations in the area. And from it, two more individuals would show up here. The only two who had the power to do so.
"W-What? What is it no-" Veddeh's words were cut off instantly as flying out of the manifested snowstorm was a fist.
A fist of Superman!
Right to the skull-like face, Veddeh was punched and sent flying, skidding across the ground and rolling along. His mask would shatter upon impact. "Agh! U-Ugghh..." Veddeh laid on the ground in a small daze, trying to get up on his hands. "Who...Who...?" His vision was blurred a little, having been caught off-guard by a strong attack like that.
But he would regain his vision and look up to see the imposing frame of the Man of Steel, his red cape fluttering in the wind.
"You've caused enough trouble." Superman said firmly. Flash would zoom in, standing by Superman's side. The duo were ready to stop this winter apocalypse and the Goddess that would lead the charge to that. They wouldn't let this threat continue on, nor would they allow Nilaa's goals to be accomplished.
"You!" Veddeh got back to his feet. "But how? How could you possibly make your way in here?! You cant! You-"
"We have our ways of getting to the right places. You'd be surprised how fast that can be." Superman said, crossing his arms. Flash smirked and nodded in agreement, tapping his foot and generating lightning. Both heroes were more than ready to take on these threats and end this madness.
Veddeh was shocked to say the least, unable to believe that these two managed to get past all the obstacles that Killer Frost had set for him and his master, the Goddess.
"Welcome then." Nilaa greeted them. "Heroes. But I sense that one of you is not human. Not one bit. You have just arrived to witness my acension into higher power. At last, I am revived and ready to continue my quest. Starting with your planet."
"I take it you're the one who's really the crux of it all?" Superman said to Nilaa.
"You will do well to respect Goddess Nilaa, earthling!" Veddeh angrily pointed at Superman.
"Where are all the people?" Flash looked around, seeing no innocent civilians around. Not a peep of them. Superman couldn't even hear them at all. It was as if they were never here whatsoever.
"Oh, but they are here." Nilaa replied. "Within me, of course. They have done well to fuel my revival. Now, they are blessed with being me."
"In you...?" Superman repeated before then using his X-Ray Vision. A useful ability to look through things. But for the most part, it is always used for seeing through walls and other things. But Superman could adjust it more, allowing it to look beyond just regular inner workings. Such as things akin to that of the soul.
And with it, he saw it.
The many, many people that Veddeh, Killer Frost and the Icenauts had captured were all in the center of the crystallized figure of the deity that is Goddess Nilaa. Their bodies had been converted to that of the crystals that were the foundation of her body. They were the core, and that was the only way that she could take form on Earth and gain her immense power.
All of it was also surrounded by a pulsating blue energy. The same energy that was within the snowstorm portals. It even vibrated the same, almost like a heartbeat.
"My Goddess is reborn and is whole once again. And once she unleashes her fury, her beauty and grace, everything will belong to her!" Veddeh exclaimed, his fists clenching in delight at the idea of that happening.
"She'll turn everyone on the planet into a frozen slave. That's the kind of beauty and grace you're talking about?" Superman frowned. "Not what I would have in mind if you ask me."
"Show what you know! Earthling!" Veddeh ranted.
"So. Any idea of freeing the people then?" Flash asked, preparing himself.
"I do. I can try and separate all of them from her, one by one. If I had to guess...it might involve vibrations yet again. But the instant that's done, you need to get them to the surface. All of them." Superman said. "Can I trust you to do that?" Superman glanced at Flash, knowing full well that he'd be capable of something of the sorts, being that his powers are incredibly potent in regards to his superhuman speed, the Speed Force, and the infinite uses of such an amazing power. Flash nodded in reply.
"You will not get the chance!" Veddeh walked forward. "By the time we are done with you, you'll-" But before he could finish, in a flash, Flash zoomed over and gave the alien a hard punch to the gut. A quick blow to send him back to the ground, grunting in pain and clutching his stomach.
"Sorry. Hate to cut you off." Flash grinned.
"Aah...Aaah..." Veddeh groaned, his insides shaking rapidly from Flash's punch. It was no ordinary punch at all. Nilaa simply looked down at his squirming body and shook her head.
"Then...you would do the disservice of robbing me of my dream." Nilaa said to them both. So far, I have only graced 5 planets. I will do much better than that and go beyond."
"Sorry, ma'am. But that's not what beauty is. I'm not one to put down another's dreams, but if it puts everyone else in harm, I'll do something about it." Superman respectfully said.
"Then. Become one with me. Just like the rest have." Nilaa's eyes would flash as Flash already rushed in for action. As soon as he got close though, he was met with an invisible frost barrier. Something that he didn't account for.
"Yow!" He yelped, his skin making contact. Thankfully, due to his enhanced durability, the frost didn't freeze his body, nor did it pierce his skin or slow him down, it was merely cold to touch. Still, he had to keep a distance. A stream of ice was launched at Flash, but his speed made it easy to dodge and move out of the way. He tried running at different angles to approach her, but the frost would protect her, and any attack would just bounce right off of it.
"Begone!" Nilaa would then hold out both her arms, and with her awesome power, she unleashed a mighty cold pressure wave. Flash tried to run against the force of the winds, but even for him, it was too much and sent the hero flying and rolling on the ground, tumbling. She had a lot of raw power to dish out.
"Urgh!" Superman groaned as he and Flash were pushed far back by the cold wave, going across the underground area at great speeds. Nilaa then lowered her arms, promptly forming an elevated path of ice. One that would carry her across the area elegantly. Her entire body would levitate off the ground as a whole, the crystals glowing and emitting that bright light. The deity's body was now floating, and her newly formed icy bridge would take her to her destination, and her next set of targets.
Back with Ben and the others, the remaining Icenauts already made themselves known, being scattered across the underground area. Nightwing, Starfire, Raven and Gwen had all ran in to combat them, splitting into groups. The Tamaranean princess and former apprentice of Batman would stick together while Gwen and Raven would work together.
"Gotta wait..." Ben groaned, looking at the Omnitrix's red color for charging up. "Starfire! Please tell me there's a way to speed up the charge up process!"
"I am sorry, Friend Ben! That I do not know of with the limited information I have!" Starfire said while blasting away at the Icenauts. "You will have to wait for to be at full power, I'm afraid!"
"Aw, man..." Ben lowered his head as he was out of the action for now. As he lowered his head, he quickly raised it as he saw an ice shard coming right at him at high speeds. Ben grimaced, but he was promptly saved by a blast of dark magic that broke the shard apart.
"You've saved me a few times now. Mind if I repay the favor?" Raven smirked. Ben chuckled, rubbing his head a bit in embarrassment.
"Yeah, I'll catch up, okay? Just give me a second." He told her. The girl nodded, flying towards the horde of Icenauts and casting spells on the monsters to fight and destroy them. With that, the four were in a full-on battle, using their skills and powers to overcome the monsters and prevent themselves from becoming overwhelmed by their numbers and strength.
For Nightwing, a sudden stream of sharp, jagged icicles were launched at him from his left, and the boy wonder had to react quickly and dodge. He was successful and turned to face his attacker. He threw a series of punches, but the creature dodged them and swiped at him. He evaded that, grabbing its arm and throwing it over his shoulder, slamming the monster into the ground.
He grabbed his batons, spinning around to block the next attacks that were aimed at him, before striking back with his own powerful swings and blows. The Icenaut would be stunned from the attacks, giving Dick the opening to take out an electric disc and slap the object onto the creature's forehead.
The electric surge would make the creature howl, its limbs flailing as electricity surged throughout its entire body. Eventually, it collapsed on the floor, its limbs twitching and jerking as the energy surged through its body. Once the deed was done, Nightwing kicked the lifeless body to the side, moving on to the next enemy. One who was charging right at him.
He ducked under the incoming lunge, grabbing the monster's arm and twisting it behind its back. He then proceeded to punch it in the back, sending it flying forward.
Starfire was also dealing with her share of Icenauts. Her starbolts blasted away at the creatures, forcing them back with each explosion of her blasts. One of the creatures lunged at her with its claws, but she would block the attack, grabbing its arm and tossing it to the side, sending it to the ground.
For Gwen and Raven, the two magic users found themselves managing to work rather well in unison. They barely worked well with the Icenaut moving in the mist due to all those rapid movements, but here, they had better luck.
Dark and pink beams of magic flew out, striking at the Icenauts and destroying them. Gwen's mana constructs and Raven's magic were more than capable of destroying the creatures and keeping them at bay. Raven then went in, her arms and hands covered in a dark aura as she engaged the monsters up close.
She manifested her dark magic as claws that were in front of her. Large claws too. One of the Icenauts swung its arm down, but she would have the claw block the attack, grabbing it and cutting the Icenaut to pieces. The claws moved around violently, slashing at the creatures and tearing them to pieces.
"Raven!" Gwen called, and the empath nodded, manifesting her dark magic around Gwen and herself, covering them in an orb and then flying forward at high speeds. The Icenauts would be mowed over by the sudden dark aura that Raven had manifested, the orb crashing and rolling on the ground and knocking them away, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Once they stopped, the girls would emerge, seeing the progress they made as the Icenauts were knocked away and destroyed from that.
"You know. I'm not used to Dark Magic being so helpful. It's only been an issue for me 8 years ago." Gwen chuckled.
"Oh, really?" Raven replied.
"Oh, my good friends! We are doing an amazing job at this!" Starfire flew to Raven and Gwen, putting her arms around them with glee. "Your powers have been of great help!"
"Thanks. You're great too, princess Starfire." Gwen said back.
"Please. Starfire is just fine."
"Alright. That's all of them here. There might be more up ahead, so it's gonna be a while before we can reach the people." Nightwing said to them all. "Let's keep mo-"
But a chill far worse than what the previous Icenauts made came through. One that alerted them all. A strong mist was seeping into the area, and they knew who it belonged to. At least, Raven and Starfire did. With all the Icenauts in this area defeated, it left room for one more Icenaut to appear. One that gave Raven and Gwen such a hard time.
"It's that one..." Gwen grit her teeth, seeing the eyes glow in the mist. It was the Mist Icenaut yet again. The mist spread out, masking the area. Its true form was still masked by all that mist as it snarled at the group. "Be careful! This thing moves around fast in all of that mist! It's almost impossible to catch it!" Gwen warned. She and Raven knew first-hand just how difficult the creature was. And underneath here? It might be harder than the first time.
And this would not be any easier, especially with their current situation. The mist would move to the sides, spreading out as the creature would lunge at them all. It would move from left to right, attacking them from different directions. It would even lunge at them from behind, the mist making it impossible to predict its next move.
Gwen would try to blast at the creature, but her spells would be blocked by the mist, and she would be sent back. Starfire would try her own starbolts, but the creature would evade the blasts and come at her from another angle. Nightwing would throw some discs, but the creature would either dodge them or the mist would block it, making it not very useful at all.
"I can't stand this thing...!" Gwen growled, annoyed by this Icenaut. "I can't even clear the mist! It looks to be so thick! Even though we keep missing, our attacks should at least disperse some of it..."
"None of the mist is being dispersed?!" Starfire gasped, seeing how even her Starbolts couldn't disperse the mist whatsoever. As they failed, the creature rapidly zipped around, tackling them and sending them all flying back. They were knocked to the ground and grunted in pain, getting back up. "We have to do something quickly!" Starfire said. "The mist cannot be eliminated if we cannot even disperse it in the slightest..."
Ben just stayed back, staying out of the Icenaut's sight.
But he was observing closely since he wasn't involved. Everyone was too focused predicting where it was going to hit next, but Ben would take the time to see just how this Icenaut attacks. Or in this case, how its managing to have all that mist.
As it finished tackling Starfire, causing her body to crash into a wall before then pushing Gwen back, Ben saw something. It was something that was only visible each time the Icenaut finished an attack.
One is most vulnerable when landing a big attack and in that instance, Ben was able to see what this Icenaut was doing each time it would stop in place and prepare for another attack. The others couldn't see it, too busy reeling from blocking or taking another attack. But Ben could.
"Oh!" He gasped, seeing how this Icenaut was generating tons of mist from its body, specifically from its back. Each time it landed a hit and zipped by, it would leave behind a huge fog trail of mist that would cover its entire body. That's why none of their attacks were working or even dispersing the mist. Because it was generating it at such a fast rate that it would look like the mist wasn't affected at all.
"So that's it! You guys! It's making more mist! That's how!" Ben cried out to them. "It's generating it fast! That's how its covering its whole body in that fog! It's doing it each time it attacks and stops! And then starts again!"
"Then...that means..." Nightwing narrowed his eyes. "If we can stop this thing from moving, even for just a second, we can catch it!"
"If we can even do that. It's just too quick to catch properly." Gwen groaned in annoyance, clutching her right arm in pain.
"I know...I'm running low on strength here though..." Due to her struggle with Killer Frost earlier and the many Icenauts that cornered her, Raven couldn't keep this up for a long as she too would clutch her right arm, panting.
"But if we can get it to stop generating the mist...we'll be golden." Gwen narrowed her eyes. "But I need to catch it first..."
Just then, the Omnitrix was back to full charge. The red coloration of the symbol and the watch was gone, and Ben was now ready to fight back.
"Okay! I'm all charged up!" Ben said to them all as he propped it up. He wanted a specific alien, but Starfire was plastered against the wall, a bit bewildered from the attack. "I'm gonna have to use something quick. Give me something good, Omnitrix!"
Slamming it down, he changed forms once again. This time, from the green light, out emerged an alien that perfectly fit this entire chilling theme in every possible way. A blue humanoid, moth-like alien with four wings and two antennae-like wing folds. He was the alien he called Big Chill.
"Oh...A Necrofriggian...Excellent choice, Friend Ben." Starfire weakly said with a smile before falling off the wall. Nightwing managed to catch her in time before she hit the ground.
"Best choice yet. I can handle that mist like this." Big Chill said, ready to fight cold with cold. And he flew in at a rapid speed, his wings flapping rapidly as a blur of blue rushed in.
As he would rush in, he and the Mist Icenaut were already at each other's throats. Big Chill would blast out cold energy, the monster dodging and flying at him, but Ben's alien form would be quick to dodge and go in from behind. The Mist Icenaut would fly back, and the two would clash once again, the mist and cold energies colliding and freezing over the area. Big Chill would then go in from the top, but the creature would zip to the left, dodging and zipping around once more.
Gwen, Raven and Nightwing could only watch, as the creature kept generating the mist that surrounded its body. It was moving so fast, it was impossible to even get close to it.
"Here...I'll give you my own mist." Big Chill said, holding his breath in before unleashing an icy cold mist of his own. A mist that was cold enough to freeze over a large area. And that area would be filled with the Mist Icenaut's own mist, which was soon disrupted. It mixed in with his own mist, and the creature would be in the middle of all that.
The Icenaut hissed, seeing that its own mist was now infected by an opposing one. And to ensure it couldn't replace it, Big Chill kept breathing more and more icy mist, trapping it in and keeping it at bay, freezing over the entire area as the two mists would combine, making it all the more difficult for the monster to get away from.
"Urgh! Ben! We can't see!" Gwen squinted, the mist getting so thick across the area.
"Don't worry about it. Because right now..." Big Chill would grin a bit as the Icenaut would try moving across the mist once more. However, as soon as it did, it was met with a punch to the gut. "...I can see it just fine."
Big Chill could see everything in that mist. X-Ray Vision being one of the many powers that he possessed. It allowed him to see through the thickest of fogs. And that was just what he needed to finally pinpoint where the monster was. It's not like the Icenaut could leave the fog, as it was far too thick to even pass through.
"I'm going in!" The blue moth-like alien would zoom in, seeing the creature in the mist and going for a grab. The Icenaut would try and hit him before that could happen, but it was met with another surprise. Big Chill's intangibility. The Icenaut's fist phased right through the hero's chest, and it would feel the cold effects of the ghostly form of Big Chill, the creature yelping in pain as it would try and pull its arm away, but to no avail as its wrist was grabbed.
Big Chill then threw the Icenaut out of all that mist and this time, it didn't have the usual momentum behind it, meaning it was out in the open for Gwen and the others to see.
"There it is!" Nightwing said, finally being able to properly spot the Special Icenaut. Gwen nodded, holding up her hands and casting a spell. Wasting no time, she unleashed a beam of pink mana, and it blasted the creature, freezing its body and sending it back into the mist.
And as it went back into the mist, there Big Chill was to knock it back out. With a slap, the Icenaut was launched yet again. Nightwing smirked, clutching his Escrima Sticks tightly, whacking the Icenaut in the face. Once again, the Icenaut was back inside the mist, unable to see Big Chill's next location.
Big Chill was like a phantom, his intangibility giving him invisibility as well. And because of that, it was another hit back out of the mist, this time setting Starfire up.
"Ooh! This reminds me of a fun game back on Tamaran!" Starfire excitedly exclaimed, happy that they were winning this fight. She would then launch a powerful Starbolt, causing the creature to be knocked back into the mist yet again. The Icenaut would be knocked back and forth between the mist, being unable to escape it, and it was at the mercy of Big Chill and his friends. And with each hit, it was becoming weaker and weaker.
And that's when they would all land their strongest hits on the creature. One by one, they were able to weaken it down, and it was now in the middle of the mist, trying to get away, but Big Chill wouldn't let it. With one last blast of icy cold mist, Big Chill froze over the mist that it was generating, and as a result, the creature was left helpless and immobile in the air, its body frozen in a block of ice.
Big Chill then emerged from the mist, becoming tangible as the mist itself cleared up. "And I think that's all the Icenauts here." Big Chill grinned.
"Yeah. Hopefully." Gwen sighed, taking a knee to catch a breath. "That was too close..."
"Nice work, Ben. You did it." Nightwing said, walking over. Starfire also approached, but with glee, hugging the moth-like alien.
"Friend Ben! You were amazing!" Starfire happily said. "I'm glad that you are resourceful with the Omnitrix! But you figured out an advantage without it, regardless!"
"Yeah. I know." Ben chuckled, hugging Starfire back. "Thanks."
"Ugh..." Raven groaned, her body feeling a bit weak from the constant use of her magic and having to use it in the battle. The feeling of being unable to recover and having to keep up the use of her powers was starting to affect her.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Big Chill asked, concerned for her.
"I'm...I'm fine." Raven shook her head, getting back up to her feet. "Just...tired. That's all."
"I can tell." Nightwing said. "But come on. We still have to get the people back to the surface."
"Yeah." Big Chill said, reverting back to Ben.
"I can't sense them at all. Which means they're with that Goddess." Gwen said. "We have to hurry."
"You don't have to tell me twice. Let's go." Nightwing said before the group would run off, heading to where Superman and Flash were.
As they did, the Man of Steel and the Fastest Man Alive tumbled across the ground, finally coming to a halt after Nilaa launched them far. Superman would get up and help Flash up, the two already ready for more. "You good?"
"Never better. What about you?"
"You know the answer."
"Hehe. Good to hear."
The Goddess would float towards the duo, the ice path forming under her feet as she would glide down it. "Perhaps you two can feel it? The chilling storm I am bringing upon the world. I was always able to make a planet yield under my chilling beauty in a matter of minutes but yours shows great resistance. Why is that?"
"Earth is great at resisting. Not just the planet, but everyone it." Superman answered, wiping some snow from his face. "You're finding that out right now."
"Yes..I am. However. How long can it last?"
The skies above were spreading the thick mistiness across the clouds. It was like a thick fog that covered the entire sky and would continue to spread further. It was the start of the Ice Goddess's influence, and it would only grow more and more intense over time. If left unchecked, it would cover the entire world.
Because right now, all of America was already on the verge of being swept up by the fierce snowstorm and chilling blizzard that would bring the land to its knees.
At the Hall of Justice, Batman was inside, observing all of this from the large computer. The screen was showing a map of America and how the entire land would be covered. The snowstorm was being picked up by the radars and he was able to pinpoint just where the strongest part of the storm was.
Somewhere around Wyoming was the center point, and it would go on to cover most of the land, and then some, in the end.
"Flash is occupied at the moment. Unless..." Batman narrowed his eyes, getting into contact with Fire and Ice. "Ice. Can you by chance manage to move the mist of the storm above?"
The two heroines were currently dealing with the Icenauts that had appeared in New York, where they were located. They were in the air, and Ice would reply. "I can try. It would take a bit, but I can do it. Why?"
"The storm is covering all of America and it's moving fast. If we don't get it out, it will continue to cover the land." Batman replied. "Do what you can. Fire, try and keep her safe."
Fire nodded, blasting away at the incoming monsters. "On it!" She would blast at the monsters, while Ice focused on her task. Using her cryogenic powers to their fullest, she would try and control the storm. She would try and direct the storm away from America. It was a difficult task, but one that she was more than capable of. Ice would wave her arms around, the winds of the storm being pushed along by her powers.
It was working, and the storm was slowly moving away from America, and towards another continent. But this would take time. Batman would continue his work.
"Rrrrr!" Ice groaned while also puffing her cheeks in, focusing on moving the massive storm away. "I can...do this!"
"Make it quick, please!" Fire looked back, seeing a horde of Icenauts that were originally people approaching the duo.
"Keep them away from me then! This is going to take a bit!" Ice cried out, still trying to push the storm away. It was up to Fire to handle all of those Icenauts by herself. And with a deep breath, Fire was more than ready for the challenge. The pyrokinetic would unleash a blast of flames, scorching the horde of Icenauts that were coming at her.
The creatures howled in pain, and Fire would then start to fly around, blasting away at the creatures to keep them at bay. She wasn't too far from her friend, but she was far enough to take care of any Icenauts that tried to approach.
Fire kept flying around, using her fire powers to blast away at the Icenauts, but they kept on coming. She eventually had to stop and land on the ground, the Icenauts approaching her from all angles. But Fire didn't let that stop her. She would fight back, using her powers to blast away at the creatures, and even use some physical strength to keep them back. She would throw some fire-enhanced punches and kicks at the creatures to keep them at bay.
She was able to hold her own for a bit, but she was soon surrounded, the Icenauts closing in on her. "This is too much! Ice, you better hurry it up!" She said, looking back at her friend. Ice would look back, seeing that Fire was surrounded and in trouble. Her face would then be filled with determination and intense stress.
But regardless, she was actually managing to move the mist. But that precious time truly mattered. Because at this very moment, everything was on the verge of freezing.
"You will be too late to stop it. But you can still embrace it." Nilaa outstretched her arms. "Surely, you must see the beauty in all of it. The 5 Planets I have been too have already seen it. You will be next and soon, every planet will follow suit."
"Not one bit." Superman rejected.
"Very well then. You've made yourself clear. Fall to me!" Nilaa's eyes would glow as she unleashed a massive stream of icy energy at the two heroes, who would have to either block or dodge the attack. The two heroes were able to dodge the blast, but they knew that they had to be on their guard. Nilaa's next attack was a barrage of icicles, which would come at them from all sides.
Superman would block them with his fists, the icicles shattering upon impact, but it would leave him open to Nilaa's next attack, which was a stream of ice that would freeze Superman's body.
"Superman!" Flash cried, going in to try and save his friend, but he was too late, as the ice had already frozen Superman's body, leaving him immobile and vulnerable.
But before he could do anything else, a powerful cold wave was sent his way as well. He managed to dodge the first wave, but Nilaa was quick to follow up with another, and then another, and then another.
"This won't do!" Superman would then shatter the ice around his body out of pure power. So much power that when he did so, he unleashed a shockwave that spread all over the area. "Flash. I'll try and hold her in place. You get all those people out with those same vibrations. The inside of her runs on the same power as the snowstorm portals."
"You got it!" Flash nodded.
"Ah. More resistance. Very well." Nilaa would fly to the sky, creating an ice path for her to slide down. She would come down at them at high speeds, her hands glowing a bright blue.
Superman would take the full brunt of her hit, grabbing her arms and keeping them in place. She tried to break free, but the Kryptonian had a tight grip on her.
"U-Unhand me!" Flash would zoom around her and then attempt to vibrate the deity's body, but to no avail.
"Man! There's too many of them!" Flash cried out, unable to get a single person out.
"Then...we need to get more power!" Superman said, knowing full well what to do.
Flash thought about the situation and realized that he had to increase the vibrations in his body. He would tap his chest and vibrate at a higher frequency.
This allowed him to get the people out, one by one. Superman would still hold onto her, but he had to let go due to her thrashing around, her body glowing as it was clear she was about to unleash something big.
"You fools...I have enough power to bring down an entire planet!" She would then unleash a massive explosion of ice and snow, sending the duo back, the force of the explosion and the blizzard that was created from it pushing them far back. Superman would be the one to stop the both of them, skidding back as his hands dug into the ground, creating a trail on the floor.
"Ugh!"
"All those that have battled against me have seen that power for themselves! With enough power, I can freeze your insides to a point where your organs are shut down! Or even more than that! Ensuring that you are frozen in time for as long as I wish!" Raising her arm, she began generating a large ball of snow and ice energy, one that was growing rapidly.
Superman looked up at it, seeing it grow and feeling the intensity behind it. "Great Scott! That's enough intensity to blow away a chunk of the underground area itself. Or worse!"
"Worse is right. I can live with lives being lost...This will wipe away the city above us! And beyond!" Nilaa would then launch it, the force of the large Ice Sphere tearing apart the walls themselves. "It will not only freeze you. But destroy you too!"
"Hm!" Superman stood tall, bracing himself. He spread his arms out and would begin to fly at the Ice Sphere, the Man of Steel ready to face off against it and the Ice Goddess's power. He would soon make contact with the large ice sphere, his arms pushing back at the sphere, but he wouldn't move back, his legs pushing him forward.
"Even if you can resist this, you will be overwhelmed in the end." Nilaa would raise her hand, causing the sphere to glow and grow larger in size, making Superman have to push even harder. His body was now trembling, the force of the sphere increasing as he struggled to push back. And it wasn't just because of the size. The force and speed of it were increasing as well.
"Superman! I'm done!" Flash said, standing back to back with him. "You need help?!"
"I'm fine. Just get the people out of here!" Superman told him, his arms pushing back against the sphere. Superman's body began to glow a red aura, his muscles straining and his veins bulging as he pushed back against the sphere, the force and speed of the sphere increasing even more. "I'll handle this!"
Flash nodded and then proceeded to run around, grabbing the people that were encased in the icy cocoons and pulling them out, running them back up to the surface. He would have to move quickly, as he had a lot of people to save and a very limited amount of time.
"Raaaah!" Superman would push back even more, managing to hold his ground against the sphere. Then, he would start condensing the sphere itself, aggressively pushing it inwards and condensing it until it was small enough for him to grab. "Hmph! Now to send it back!" He threw the sphere back at the Ice Goddess, who caught it in her hands.
She was impressed by his strength and determination. "Hm...You truly are a warrior. I am almost sad that I must fight you."
"Almost?" Superman raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yes. Because your kind is a warrior as well. I can now see what species you are. The Kryptonians. I've faced one before, and they were strong. You are no exception." Nilaa would put the condensed sphere in her palm before then squishing it to pieces. "But I'm afraid that in the end, you will be defeated by my power. Even Kryptonians cannot resist me and my chilling beauty."
"If you met them, I'm guessing you didn't succeed in freezing them."
"I didn't...but that is because I managed to reach an understanding with one of the Kryptonians." She explained. "I agreed to stay away from Krypton and its people."
"You did? Then you're not above reasoning then?!" Superman's eyes widened.
"I am not. I can see reason. But I am also not above my own desires." Nilaa said. "And right now, I desire this planet."
"I can't let that happen." Superman shook his head. "You're gonna have to find another way to satisfy yourself."
"That I cannot, Kryptonian. Not until I have the whole world." Nilaa would say. The two heroes would be silent, waiting to hear her out. "The people of my planet see my outstanding power...and see me as a Goddess that has been around for a long time. I gladly took on that title of Goddess. You would think that a planet like this would be easy to take. But it's not. Not without a fight. And if I have to, I will freeze your entire world. I will bring the world to its knees with my powers."
"Hm. That last part...a lot of folks have already said that. And it all ends the same. Haaah..." Just then, Superman would take a deep breath, huffing strongly. But instead of puffing, he did something else. Superman began unleashing a powerful suction from his own mouth, drawing in all the cold air and snow around him.
This caused the temperature in the area to drop, the wind blowing violently. "What is this?!" Nilaa demanded, seeing the snow being drawn in. The heroes were surprised by the sudden shift in temperature, their bodies shaking from the cold. "Why is the snow being drawn in?!"
Superman kept on sucking in the cold air, his body not even shaking from the cold. Being a man of the Sun had its bonuses.
"You dare take all of my glorious snow?! Defiler!" Nilaa angrily said, launching a large ice spear at Superman. But as she did, even the spear itself would be pulled it. Or rather, destroyed. The suction was so immense that the ice spear broke apart and was soon sucked in. As well as the other ice spears that were launched at Superman, and the ice pillars that were in the air.
"Ugh! What is happening?! How can you be so powerful against my snow?! I am a Goddess of the Ice!" Nilaa asked. "I-" But just then, Nilaa noticed something quickly. Due to all the suction, it wasn't just the cold being pulled in. It was also the sound.
She suddenly was unable to hear the sound of Superman sucking the air in. And soon, she couldn't even hear her own words. The air was thinning out, and due to that, the sound couldn't travel. And the lack of air was also causing Nilaa to grow a bit woozy, her head feeling light and her vision beginning to blur.
"What is...this...?" Nilaa said weakly, unable to hear herself. Her body would begin to float up into the air, her body being sucked in. She was starting to lose her grip on the ground, her hands clutching at the icy path that she was on.
The crystals around the area were even being destroyed too, breaking down more and more of Nilaa's concentration and focus. "Ugh! I will not be denied! I refuse to be denied by a mere mortal!" Nilaa would use all of her strength, trying to fight against the suction and trying to stay on the ground.
But this was part of Superman's plan. He stopped his suction, putting on a smile right afterwards. He did that not just to weaken Nilaa in a way...but to leave an opening for someone.
The Flash.
With Nilaa unable to hear the sound of Flash approaching, it allowed the speedster to move in. He vibrated his hand swiftly, putting it right through Nilaa's body. By doing so, he began to release the other remaining people still inside the deity's body. The vibrations would break down the ice, freeing the people that were trapped inside. He would move quickly, saving as many people as he could. And soon, all of them would be saved and freed from the Ice Goddess.
"What?!" Nilaa looked back, not even being able to tell where the speedster came from. Her eyes widened, her mouth agape. Her body then twitched, both from the Flash vibrating his hands through her strongly and all the people finally being released.
On the bright side, at least the sound was returning for her.
"Y-You...You!" Nilaa trembled.
"Super lungs." Superman tapped his own throat. "Only useful in specific situations. Helps to suck in even sound itself and other things. Oh, but it's part of the reason why I'd really like a Super Shout. Imagine what I could do with that."
"But I...I am a...I am a Goddess!" Nilaa would clench hr hands. "You cannot do this to me!"
"You said it yourself. You took on that title. I'm afraid you're no Goddess. You're just as mortal as us, Nilaa." Superman said, humbling her. "Or well, as mortal as we can be."
"No! I cannot be stopped!" Nilaa angrily cried, slamming her fist on the ground. "I...I haven't even made it that far...5 planets is not enough! I have a dream! A great one! I am just getting started, do you understand?!"
"Then I'm putting your dream on hold now." Superman would then fly in, clenching his hands hard. Nilaa hissed at him, ready to slash at the Krpytonian with all of her anger. But she was too slow on the mark as Superman delivered a mighty punch to her jaw, sending the deity flying into a wall.
As she fell to the ground, that's all she wrote. Superman put way more oomph into that punch now that Nilaa had no innocent civilians in her anymore. With her weakened state, the punch was enough to take her out.
"My...dream..." Nilaa said before passing out, her body limp and unconscious, the ice that covered her body slowly melting away.
"Phew. Glad that's over." Superman sighed, looking over at Flash. "You alright?"
"I'm fine." Flash nodded. "You?"
"Just peachy. Now let's get all these people to safety." Superman said. "I'll start taking them back to the surface."
And on the outside, with Nilaa defeated, her ferocious ice power on the surface would diminish. The snowstorms were starting to fade away. Ice did a great job maintaining the fierce mists with her own power, keeping them from spreading any further. And now, she could rest as they were all vanishing.
"I can finally rest..." Ice gasped, the cold air finally disappearing and the mist fading away. "I'm still not used to that..."
"Great work though." Fire flew over, giving a thumbs up.
"Thank you." Ice smiled, taking a breather.
Back underground, Superman and Flash would carry the unconscious bodies up to the surface, where they would set them down carefully. "Alright, everyone's safe." Superman sighed. "Now then...the next thing to do is deal with her."
"And that's our cue." Just then, the group of heroes would arrive, Ben, Gwen, Starfire, Raven and Nightwing included. "You sure took your time." Flash smirked at the group.
"Hey, we did our best. It's not our fault the place is crawling with those creatures!" Gwen huffed in annoyance.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure." Flash said sarcastically. "So, let's wrap it up here and get out of this place."
With that, Superman would pick up Nilaa, who was still unconscious, and carry her out of the area. The others followed behind him, and soon they would be back on the surface, not needing to worry about any snowstorms.
The citizens were all starting to wake up, groaning and rubbing their heads as they slowly got up to their feet.
"Ugh...what happened?" One citizen asked.
"I don't know..." Another one replied. As they woke up, prior to this, Superman used his heat vision to start a campfire. A rather large one. They looked to their side, seeing a campfire the size of a bookshelf present. Superman had taken some trees and used them as material to start a campfire. It would warm them up after such a chilling time.
"That was rough. Ugh...my head is pounding..." Another would rub their head.
"Is it still Summer?"
Superman watched as the people were starting to recover. Both in mind and in body thanks to the heat. This chilling debacle was over now and summer could return to its natural heat and temperatures once more, the Sun shining down.
"That takes care of that." Superman said with a bright smile. "Well done to us all. Especially you five." He turned to look at Ben and the others. "That was pretty good work you did, especially against those Icenauts and the Special Icenauts. You five did great."
"Aaaah! I got praised by Superman...!" Ben gasped, his eyes widening in delight. "I don't know if I should cry, or scream, or..."
"Please, none of those. I'd rather not." Raven groaned.
"Friends, we did it! We have won!" Starfire happily cheered, hugging all of them. "We saved everyone and the world! We are true heroes!"
"Yeah..." Raven lightly replied.
"Mhm. I'm...gonna need to stay by a radiator for a while after this though!" Gwen chuckled while groaning, Starfire having rather impressive physical strength.
"Friend Nightwing! I thank you for allowing me to be a hero! Saving others is satisfying, yes?!"
"Yeah. It can be."
"Well, you've shown us what you can really do. Great work. I think from this point on, you'll do great working as a team." Superman crossed his arms, nodding in approval. "If you all are thinking of really sticking as a team."
"For sure we are!" Ben gave a thumbs-up. "Team Tennyson is just getting started!"
"We'll probably be changing that name soon though." Nightwing responded. "And as a bonus, Batman can totally trust me to be around these guys now. Right?"
"I'm sure he will." Superman would lightly hover over, whispering a bit. "Of course, don't everyone here hear that he'll miss working with you the most."
"That wasn't so bad...Started out appearing in the cold when I showed up on this planet...helped bring it down." Raven said, looking up at the sunny blue skies. She then let out a light smile. "Hm. This place isn't boring at least."
"Nilaa and Veddeh will be taken to Stryker's. So will Killer Frost. Again. but we'll see what we can do with the former two. Killer Frost...I still want to get her help with the heat she needs." Superman added. "For now, you kids head back to your hideout and rest up. Have fun during the summertime too while you're at it." Superman was off, taking flight as he waved at them.
"We should get going. I'm starving." Gwen rubbed her stomach.
"Same." Ben nodded. "And if we're gonna keep doing this whole superhero stuff...then we need some grub and a good night's rest."
"Agreed." Nightwing would nod. "Usually I'm eating good after a hard mission. Not sure if you guys can really fulfil that compared to back home." He referred to Alfred's amazing cooking.
"Oh! I would love to see what kind of foods you all eat here!" Starfire said with glee. "Do you by chance have the delicious and spicy Vlorff?"
"What? Vlorf? What's that?" Gwen asked, tilting her head.
"Please don't ask. I'm getting flashbacks to Grandpa's cooking during summer..." Ben groaned, not wanting to know one bit as they all walked off towards the RV, ready to call it a day. They started rambling on about this topic while Raven was staying silent, simply hovering behind them.
And as she did, that light smile on her face remained. She had to admit. She was starting to enjoy herself here a bit more. Especially since someone was looking out for her outside of the whole Trigon issue .
It was, by all accounts, rather nice.