anwhile,Max's House
Max's clone sat beside Terra, the house quiet around them.
"Terra," he began. "Sothing big is coming. And honestly... I don't know if I'll make it through." He paused. "So in the event that I don't,can you take care of Thena for ?"
Terra turned to him imdiately. "What's going on, dad? Is there going to be another war? Is Darkseid still alive?"
The questions ca rapid fire. Max raised a hand gently to cut her off.
"It's sothing like that. But don't worry about the details right now." His voice was calm but serious. "Just promise . Promise you'll take care of her if it cos to that."
Terra held his gaze for a mont. Then she nodded.
"Don't worry, dad," she said, her voice steady with quiet determination. "I will."
Max smiled. He reached over and ruffled her hair, drawing a small smile out of her despite herself.
"I know you will." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll, unsealing it with a practiced motion. Its contents materialized before them,the Gunbai Uchiwa and the scythe, side by side.
"I want you to have these."
Terra's eyes went wide.
These weren't just weapons. They were heirlooms. The kind of things passed down through blood and legacy. And she wasn't a Schiller by blood. She opened her mouth.
"Shouldn't those go to Thena?"
"It would make more sense,if Thena wasn't about to beco the Ten Tails Jinchuriki in a few days," Max said simply. He held her gaze. "And don't worry about not being a Schiller by blood." His voice softened. "Because by soul, you've always been one of us. You've always been my daughter." He held the weapons out toward her. "This is my gift to you."
Terra reached out slowly and accepted them, running her fingers over the weapons for a mont before setting them carefully beside her. Then she threw her arms around Max and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you so much, dad. I'll take good care of them."
Max chuckled softly. "It's up to you how you choose to use them. You can fight with them or keep them stored as heirlooms. Either way they're yours."
Terra pulled back, glancing between the two weapons with a thoughtful expression.
"I'll be storing the scythe," she said decisively. "It's just not . But the Gunbai" she reached over and picked it up, a small smile forming. "I'll be using this one."
"Want to test it out?" Max asked.
Terra looked up. "What do you have in mind?"
"The Gunbai can reflect all energy based attacks," Max said, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "Don't you want to see that for yourself?"
Terra stood up and hoisted the Gunbai onto her right shoulder, her eyes lighting up with the kind of excitent she rarely let show.
"Sure. Let's do it."
Max's smirk widened. He placed a hand on her shoulder then they vanished.
[anwhile in The Bleed, Inside the Monitor Satellite.]
The gathered heroes watched in silence as a tear in space slowly split open before them.
Then the fingers appeared around the edges of the rift and pulling it wider with deliberate, unhurried force. The fabric of space strained and groaned around them as the gap widened further,and then a dark figure with red glowing eyes stepped through.
The heroes outside the satellite mobilized instantly, launching into a full coordinated assault,powerful attacks striking the figure from every angle to no avail.
It raised one arm slowly, almost casually. Blue energy began gathering in its palm, condensing rapidly into a dense, swirling sphere before it launched outward toward the heroes. They scattered in every direction, clearing the blast's path as the sphere expanded.
It spread,blooming outward into a vast, traveling wall of energy that swept forward and struck one of the Earths in the distance.
The planet ceased to exist.
Before the figure could raise its arm again, the fissure behind it began to move. The tear folded inward, the edges knitting back together, pulling the figure back through despite its resistance. The rift sealed itself shut.
Silence returned to the Bleed.
Aboard the Monitor satellite, the mood was grim. It always was these days.
Mr. Terrific, Saturn Girl, Lex Luthor, Huntress, Superman, Lois, The Question, Batman, Constantine, Wonder Woman, and Doctor Fate all wore the sa expression solemn, tired, and slowly going numb because this wasn't new.
This had been happening for months. Ever since Max disappeared, the Anti-Monitor had been tearing open space with increasing frequency, unleashing antimatter waves, obliterating planets in the Bleed, and then retreating when the fissure forced him back, only to return again, and again, and again.
They had tried everything,they had even managed to destroy one of them once.
Another had simply erged and continued where the last left off without missing a beat.
Mr. Terrific's fingers moved across the holographic display before him. He read the numbers without expression.
"Chrono energy levels returning to nominal," he said grimly. "The fissure has sealed."
"Any estimate on when the next one arrives?" Saturn Girl asked.
Mr. Terrific was quiet for a mont.
"No. But the intervals between each attack have been getting shorter so it will be sooner than before."
"Any sign of Max?" Lois asked.
"Other than the signatures we picked up a few days ago,nothing," Mr. Terrific said.
"Could he be dead?" Huntress asked.
"I don't think so," Luthor said. "We would have felt it. Rember last ti?"
"Agreed," Superman said quietly. "We would know if they had fought. He's still out there sowhere."
"Then we need to contact him," Batman said. He turned to Mr. Terrific.
Mr. Terrific sighed.
"There is a way to find him." He pulled up the display before him. "I could modify the T-Spheres to create a gateway to every Earth he's traveled to and trace his current location from there. But" he paused, making sure the room was listening "so of those Earths no longer exist. They'd be blank coordinates. Others could already be facing imminent destruction from the Anti-Monitor. The mont we arrive on one of those while searching, we could be erased along with it before we even have a chance to leave."
Silence fell over the room.
Then Luthor spoke.
"Well. Soone has to do it. Otherwise we're sitting ducks." He glanced around at the assembled faces. "Whoever goes needs to be strong enough and fast enough to make a quick escape the mont the Anti-Monitor shows up." He spread his hands. "Which ans I'm automatically disqualified."
Everyone looked at him.
"What?" He shrugged. "Am I wrong?"
"He's not wrong," Constantine said as he stepped forward,"And this started because of my mistake. So I'll volunteer."
"I'll go as well," Superman said.
"As will I," Wonder Woman added.
Batman turned back to Mr. Terrific. "How long will the modifications take?"
"A few hours," Mr. Terrific said. "Though I'll need so assistance." He glanced sideways at Saturn Girl, who gave a single quiet nod.
End of Chapter
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