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"We have an enemy."
The room went silent.
Jason stood at the head of the table, his hands flat against the polished surface, his eyes sweeping across the faces gathered before him. Everyone who mattered. Powerhouses from every corner of the world, every faction, every alliance he had spent years building.
Superman sat near the front, his arm still in a sling from the wound that had nearly killed him, his face pale but his jaw set. Dr. Fate stood at the far end of the table, the golden helmet gleaming under the lights, his presence a quiet weight of order and certainty. Diana sat to Jason's right, her posture rigid, her sword resting against her chair. Harley had somehow found her way to the center of the table, her boots propped up on the surface, her expression uncharacteristically serious beneath the smudged eye makeup.
Nightwing represented the Titans, his arms crossed, his domino mask hiding whatever thoughts were running through his head. Constantine slouched in a corner, a cigarette burning between his fingers, looking like he wished he was anywhere else. Mazikeen sat beside him, her legs crossed, her eyes fixed on Jason with an intensity that reminded everyone present that she was not human, had never been human, and would never be entirely comfortable among them.
Ice and Fire sat together, the current leaders of the Justice League International, their contrasting auras filling the space between them with a tension that had nothing to do with the meeting. Blaze was there too....the former Infernal Princess, now following Jason after he had somehow, impossibly, removed her demonic side. She sat in the shadows, watching, learning, her new humanity sitting awkwardly on her shoulders like a coat that didn't quite fit.
And Batman.
Bruce Wayne sat at the far end of the table, his cowl pulled up, his cape draping over the back of his chair. He had said he was retired. He had said he was done. But when Jason had called, when Jason had asked for the one person whose mind could process threats on a level no one else could match...Bruce had put on the mantle one last time.
"What kind of enemy would make you bring everyone here?" Batman's voice was flat, clinical, the voice of a man who had seen too much to be surprised by anything.
Jason nodded slowly. "I'll first list some people I want you all to be worried about."
He began to pace, his footsteps echoing in the silence.
"Vandal Savage and Klarion the Witch Boy are still out there. No clue what they're doing, but they're a threat." He held up a finger. "A strong one."
"Another is Darkseid." Jason's voice hardened. "You've clashed with him before, but I don't believe our next clash will be a small one. We've cut him out of his information network here and in space. We've killed a few of his strongest." He stopped pacing and turned to face the table. "To be honest... I'm a hundred percent sure that he is preparing an invasion. A big one. Not one of his small attacks he usually goes for."
Dr. Fate's helmet turned toward Jason, the Eye of Horus gleaming. "You speak of our known enemies, yet they are not why we are here." His voice echoed, layered, ancient. "Correct?"
Superman leaned forward, his jaw tight. "This must be about the man who ruined my wedding." His hands rested on the table, close enough to grab something if he needed to. "He isn't alone?"
Supergirl raised her head, her expression grim. "Another one attacked after. Jason and I handled it." She glanced at Jason. "But there might be more."
Jason shook his head. "There won't be more." His voice was final. "You shouldn't worry about that. I handled it."
Batman's eyes narrowed behind the cowl. "How?"
"Good question." Jason stopped at the head of the table, his hands gripping the back of his chair. "I'll now tell you about the enemy I truly worry about." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "No. To be more accurate... it's one I fucking fear."
The room went still.
Fear.
From Jason's mouth.
The man who had stared down Demon Gods. Who had conquered Hell. Who had looked into the eyes of Death herself and refused to die. The word "fear" should not exist in his vocabulary. Yet here he was, speaking it.
"His name is the Empty Hand." Jason's voice was low, controlled, but everyone in the room could hear the tension beneath it. "None of us are equipped to fight this being. In fact, the concept of fighting him isn't even there. Because he's a concept. An existence beyond what we can comprehend."
The name registered in every mind present. Empty Hand. It meant nothing to most of them. But Constantine's cigarette stopped halfway to his lips. Dr. Fate's helmet turned slightly, as if listening to something no one else could hear. Mazikeen's eyes widened, and she sat up straighter.
Before Jason could continue, the door opened.
Everyone turned.
The man who entered was blonde, impeccably dressed in a white suit that seemed to glow under the lights. His posture was casual, almost lazy, his hands in his pockets, his expression carrying the amused arrogance of someone who had never encountered a problem he couldn't talk his way out of. He looked around the room with mild interest, as if surveying a zoo full of particularly entertaining animals.
"Bloody Hell," Constantine muttered, his cigarette falling from his fingers.
Mazikeen's voice was flat. "Ugh. He's here."
Superman, Diana, and the others turned to Jason, confusion and wariness written across their faces. The blonde man was handsome, charming, utterly at ease....but something about him made the air feel heavier. Made the lights seem dimmer. Made every instinct in every hero's body scream that this was not someone to be trusted.
Jason sighed and turned to face the newcomer. "Well. Guess I don't have to look for you after all, eh?"
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Jason. Who is your friend."
Constantine pushed himself off the wall, brushing ash from his trench coat. His voice was dry, brittle, the voice of a man who had made deals with things that should not exist and regretted every single one.
"I'll take this one." He gestured at the blonde man with a flick of his wrist. "Everyone. Heroes of this planet. Meet the ultimate evil of all evils. The infamous fallen angel." He paused for effect. "Lucifer Morningstar. The bloody Devil. And a cheating bastard."
Lucifer's smile widened. It was the kind of smile that had tempted saints and started wars. "Now, now, Constantine. Why are you mad at me? You're the one who wagered your life in a bet." He spread his hands. "Cheating... cheating is only cheating if you prove it."
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.
Batman's voice was steady, but there was something beneath it...a wariness that he rarely showed. "Lucifer. From the Bible?"
Mazikeen snorted. "Yeah. That one."
"Ah." Lucifer turned to her, his smile softening into something almost genuine. "My dear ex-wife, who was quick to move on. Isn't it?"
"Of course I am." Mazikeen's eyes flicked to Jason. "With a better man, too."
Diana leaned toward her, her voice low but audible in the quiet room. "The Devil was your ex-husband?"
Mazikeen didn't look away from Lucifer. "Yup. Unhappily so."
Lucifer chuckled, the sound warm and entirely without malice. "Oh, looks like the place is charged with angry emotions toward yours truly."
"To be fair," Jason said dryly, "you are the Devil. I suppose it's expected."
Superman's jaw was tight. His hand rested on the table, close enough to grab something if he needed to. "Jason. How do you... know...Lucifer?"
Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah. Well. That's a good question." He met Superman's eyes. "I'm his heir. Like literally. That's how I became the King of Hell and all that."
Lucifer moved forward, his footsteps silent on the carpet, and stopped beside Jason. His presence seemed to fill the room, pushing against the walls, against the people, against the very concept of order that Dr. Fate represented.
"Yours truly isn't here to deal with heroes and whatnot." Lucifer's voice was light, almost bored. "I'm here for you." He clapped his hands once. "So chop chop. Let's get going."
Jason turned to him, his expression flat. "Well. Can't you wait? I'm literally in the middle of a meeting."
Lucifer glanced around the room, his eyebrow raised. "Oh, what meeting is this, anyway? What are you telling them? Empty Hand is dangerous? Strong? They can't comprehend that. They're mortals. All of them." His eyes swept across the gathered heroes. "It's a waste of time."
He turned back to face the table, his hands clasped behind his back, his posture shifting into something almost commanding.
"I'll make this easier for Jason. And for myself." His voice carried, filling the room without rising. "Prepare for war. All of you."
Mazikeen's eyes widened. Constantine's hand moved toward his coat. Dr. Fate's helmet gleamed.
"Mazikeen, all the devils should be on the ready." Lucifer nodded at her. "Heroes of Earth and space....this fight isn't something that can be ignored. It's a fight for existence itself."
He smiled again, and this time there was nothing charming about it.
"Now. I'll be honest. None of you will be handling the big fight." He glanced at Jason. "But you'll be needed." He waved a hand at the table. "That's what Jason wants to say."
Before anyone could respond, Lucifer placed his hand on Jason's shoulder.
"Now let's go."
They vanished.
The room stared at the empty space where they had been.
"Well." Harley broke the silence, her voice too bright, too cheerful, too exactly like someone who had just seen the Devil and decided to cope by being absolutely ridiculous. "Did we just... see the Devil? Like, Lucifer? Himself?" She tilted her head. "Man, I should have asked for an autograph."
No one laughed.
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If you Like this story! Check out my other story ! Shadow Monarch in Danmachi!
AND Fate/DC Universe: The Master
If you wish to read more or simply support me just because ? than check out my patréon at
"https://www.patréon.com/Riadooo"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want !