Empowerment #92

Arching an eyebrow, I peered down at Ras Al Ghul, his green robes billowing in the chilly breeze. "You were just a pawn in someone else's game, weren't you?" I quipped, scratching my chin as if solving some great mystery.

Ras Al Ghul let out a derisive snort. "What would I possibly gain by sacrificing my followers?" he retorted, his voice tinged with arrogance. "I only target those who pose a threat to me and my cause... but you never stopped to consider that, did you?" he countered, his gaze unwavering.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his attempt to play the victim. "Oh, spare me the sob story," I replied, rolling my eyes. "You claim to have noble intentions, yet you've left a trail of bodies behind you longer than the Amazon River. Tell me, were they all just 'necessary sacrifices' too?" I retorted, my arms folded across my chest.

Ras Al Ghul remained steadfast, his resolve unshaken. "Their deaths served a purpose greater than themselves, a cause I've dedicated my life to," he asserted firmly.

"I seek neither your pity nor your understanding—only that you be haunted by your thoughtless actions! Look at the death and destruction you've wrought and never forget it!" he proclaimed, gesturing toward the snowy battlefield strewn with fallen bodies.

I let out a weary sigh at Ras's words. "How the mighty have fallen... but let's face it, I won't remember any of these folks. Heck, I doubt I'll even recall you by next week," I remarked with a casual shrug. "The world's a big place, Ras, with countless births and deaths every minute. So why should the lives of your lackeys matter in the grand scheme of things?" I shook my head, bemused.

"You preach about the greater good and the necessity of sacrifices, yet you've coasted through centuries without batting an eye at your own sacrifices... you're nothing but a hypocrite," I continued, waving him off dismissively.

"But hey, your hypocrisy is entertaining, I'll give you that. Let's see just how deep the rabbit hole goes," I added with a smirk, gesturing toward the building behind him, the heart of the base.

Ras Al Ghul furrowed his brow, suspicion evident in his gaze. "What exactly are you planning?" he inquired.

I offered no explanation, instead clenching my fist and manipulating the fabric of space around the building. With a ripple, the structure vanished, leaving behind only a massive crater where the Lazarus Pit once resided.

"You've been alive for so long that you've forgotten what it truly means to live... so I'll give you a taste of mortality, something you've tried to escape for centuries," I declared with a smirk. "I'm curious to see how you'll handle it—will you spend your remaining years dodging the consequences of your actions, or will you take the easy way out?"

It was a whim, I admit it. But I couldn't help but wonder—what would Ras Al Ghul do now? With the last Lazarus Pit obliterated and his once-mighty League of Assassins reduced to rubble, how would he face his new reality?

Would he embrace mortality, live as a fugitive dodging his past, or seek redemption for his sins? The possibilities were endless, and I found myself genuinely intrigued by the outcome.

Sure, Ras Al Ghul wasn't exactly worthy of pity. He'd spent centuries using and abusing others, leaving a trail of death and misery in his wake. But hey, everyone deserves a second chance, right? Even if it was just for my own amusement.

Ras shot me a glare filled with pure hatred. "You demon..." he hissed through clenched teeth.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his choice of words. "Coming from you, that's quite the compliment. After all, the natives of Infinity Island had only one name for you—demon. But I suppose that didn't faze you," I retorted, turning away from him. "I look forward to seeing you struggle and squirm like the many 'mortals' ruined by you."

With a casual flick of my hand, I teleported Ras Al Ghul away. Judging by his reaction, he wasn't one to take the easy way out. No, despite his scheming and cowardice, he fancied himself a warrior—a man who would meet his end on his own terms, no matter how humiliating it might be.

Turning to one of the corpses strewn across the snowy ground, I couldn't resist a smirk. "Alright, enough playing possum. Get up," I commanded, and almost on cue, the lifeless form began to stir, morphing into a grotesque, towering figure.

Parasite rose from the ground, his appearance as unsettling as ever. If I had to describe him, I'd say he looked like a misshapen lump of purple flesh, held together by some invisible force and patched up with scraps of white tape. It was a far cry from anything remotely human.

"Freakin' Parasite... and it had to be the flesh abomination version," I muttered silently to myself, eyeing him warily.

Parasite regarded me with narrowed eyes, his gaze filled with suspicion. "You never let your guard down... even after victory," he muttered, his tone cautious. "You're a real paranoid one, huh?"

A grin crept across my face at his observation. To the untrained eye, Parasite might seem like nothing more than a brutish thug, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Despite his grotesque appearance, he was far from stupid. With his power to absorb abilities through physical contact, he had to be cunning to ambush heavyweights like Superman and steal their powers while their guard was down.

He'd resort to every trick in the book—playing dead, disguises, sneak attacks—you name it. But unfortunately for him, such tricks would never work against me.

I shrugged nonchalantly at Parasite's menacing presence. "Dropping my guard? Not really an option, buddy," I replied, my tone matter-of-fact. It wasn't just bravado—I had the means to keep a constant watch over my surroundings. With my spatial awareness, I could sense every object within a certain radius, a skill that came in handy, especially in situations like this.

I'd detected Parasite slinking onto the battlefield earlier, but I'd let him lay low for a while. It seemed he was content to bide his time and wait for the opportune moment. "Took a bit of brainpower to piece together why Sinistro got mixed up in this mess, but it's not rocket science to figure out what you're after," I continued, flashing him a grin.

Parasite eyed me like I was his next meal, his twisted grin widening at my words. "You're after my powers, right?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"That's right... I've been craving your powers. Watching you mop the floor with these losers got me salivating," he admitted, his excitement palpable. "I'm gonna pound you within an inch of your life and slurp you dry!" he exclaimed, his hands morphing into menacing blades as waves of telepathic energy assaulted my mental defenses.

Shape-shifting and telepathy? Looks like he'd managed to snag Martian Manhunter's powers before coming for me, which explains a lot. 'Well, this just got a tad more complicated...' I thought to myself, sizing up my opponent.

Considering how much of Martian Manhunter's powers this guy managed to steal, this fight might just turn into a marathon of a battle, and I still had bigger fish to fry. My initial instinct was to just whisk him away to the other side of the Earth, but with the space-anchoring barrier snugly wrapped around the base, that plan went out the window faster than a bird hitting a jet engine.

If it were possible, I might've teleported Ras Al Ghul straight into the middle of New York, just to watch him squirm as he dodged arrest instead of dumping him in a nearby building. Alas, life's not always that convenient.

Short of avoiding Parasite entirely, I had to face him head-on, employing tactics similar to those I'd use against his previous hosts. That was the beauty of his power—the absorption of abilities came with their vulnerabilities.

So, for example, if he'd sucked up Supes' powers, he'd be as susceptible to kryptonite as the Man of Steel himself. In this case, it was fire that would be his Achilles' heel since he'd ingested Martian Manhunter's abilities.

Now, conjuring up some flames wouldn't be too much trouble, but the real challenge lay in how to effectively use them against Parasite. The guy had absorbed the powers of the Justice Leaguers so many times, he probably knew their weaknesses better than the original owners did.

I guess there's only one way to deal with this guy without expending too much effort. It's a bit risky, but beggars can't be choosers, and it's also for the sake of science. My personal amusement and curiosity more like, but you get the idea.

[You have spent 15,000 points]

[Congrajulations you have obtained the Empowerment skill]