The Ancient Sorcerer #213

"What the hell is going on here...? Why are you doing this...?" Nightshade asked through gritted teeth to buy time as she looked around, trying to find a way out of the predicament.

"Trying to buy time, are we...?" Multiplex remarked with a grin as he looked down at the bound heroine. "Don't bother. Those cuffs are designed to hold metahumans," He went on as he gestured to the cuffs on the heroine's wrists.

"Even if you manage to break out of them by a miracle, I still have this little gizmo here," He continued, shrugging his shoulder as he retrieved the space stabilizer from his pocket and tossed it in his hand playfully.

"Then there's all those jarheads surrounding the building..." The villain said as he put away the gadget and kneeled in front of Nightshade, giving her a mocking, smug grin.

"But we still have some time before your carriage arrives, princess," He added with a chuckle. "Might as well indulge you because why not?" Multiplex remarked as he got to his feet, preparing to give a long-winded speech like the stereotypical villain he was.

"You see--" Multiplex said, and that was as far as he went as gunshots echoed outside, the windows shattering as the floor suddenly collapsed under his feet.

"What the...?" The villain didn't even get to finish his curse while falling as a humanoid killer whale met him halfway through his descent to the first floor.

The creature grinned, showcasing its sharp teeth before punching at the clone, turning it into a buddle of silver goop before she landed on the second floor in front of Nightshade.

"Orca...?" Nightshade muttered, her eyes widening as she watched the humanoid whale approach her, calmly gripping and snapping her cuffs in half.

"The boss sends his regards. Come on, let's get you out of here," Orca said, nodding her head at the heroine as she helped her to her feet before charging into the nearest wall that seemed to be made of paper as it burst into countless pieces.

Nightshade gritted her teeth before jumping behind her. Instantly Her eyes widened as she noticed multiple men in black suits fighting the soldiers surrounding the area and pushing them back as they opened a way for her.

The heroine quickly went out of the space stabilizer's range but did not leave immediately. She stayed behind and opened numerous portals to help the gangsters and Orca evacuate before walking into one herself.

Many similar scenes played out all over Gotham. Men in black tactical suits attacked several witnesses who had already testified and police stations to erase evidence, only to be stopped by different people with different backgrounds.

Some were police officers lying in wait at their respective police stations. Some were vigilantes like Nightwing and Robing, villains like Ivy and Anarky, and mob bosses and their gangs.

It was an unprecedented spectacle where almost every part of Gotham on either side of the law put aside their differences and came togather to fight a common enemy.

...

Amanda Waller had an icy look as she read through the latest reports from her subordinates, all of which were of their failed operations to assassinate witnesses and destroy evidence.

She thought taking care of business would be a walk of the park now that Grayson was out of the way, but ultimately fate had other plans as almost the entire city seemed to rise against her.

"Gotham..." Waller said, crumbling the written report in her hand and throwing it away in frustration. "I can't stop now... not after everything I did..." She muttered to no one in particular.

She quickly picked up her phone and called one of her subordinates back in Belle Reve. "The wishing tablet's piece... send it to Gotham..." Waller briefly remarked before ending the call.

The mission was everything to Waller. So long as she could create the world she always dreamt of for her children, no sacrifice was too great, be it an individual, a group, or even a city.

Luckily for the people of Gotham, she only needed to buy some time, and one crazed wizard seeking absolute power should prove more than capable of providing her what she needed.

...

Gray's hideout

"Who would have known..." I muttered to no one in particular as I watched footage of Waller's agents running for their lives from multiple sources all over the city.

"Maybe there is hope for this city after all..." I remarked with a smile, shaking my head as I deactivated my personal computer power, stretching my limbs.

Almost everyone was fighting against Waller, heroes, villains, criminals, and cops, and they actually succeeded. It still took some planning, as I had to contact several people and pull a couple of strings, but the result was astonishing.

All witnesses were alive, the evidence I'd painstakingly gathered was safe and still under police custody, and I didn't have to walk a single step out of my hideout.

Waller had no reason to suspect my involvement since I ensured the counterattacks looked seamless and spontaneous without outside interference, meaning she won't be doing anything too crazy.

I still expected her to lash out and pull a stunt to buy some time, but I was ready and more than capable of dealing with whatever she had in store as long as it wasn't another city-toppling catastrophe.

Even if Waller pulls another Brimstone out of her ass, I'd be able to deal with it on my own, considering my recent power-ups, but ultimately, I'd rather not have to, not to mention anything worse.

The trial will continue tomorrow as planned. It would be the second and last session, but I had no intention of providing any more testimonies or even attending, for that matter.

I'd already testified and handed every piece of evidence I had to Deborah and the DA office, meaning my presence was no longer necessary in the courtroom.

Once the DA presents the evidence to the court, Waller won't be able to do anything. Her only hope was to delay the continuation of the trial to buy time, and that's what I'll focus on instead.

I'll be watching over the city to stop whatever Waller planned to do, to ensure the trial continued without any delays, and that will be the last nail in the task force director's coffin.

...

Bialya

Inside an underground hideout below the burning sands of the desert, a man in ceremonial ropes could be seen, grinning in satisfaction as he looked down at a beautiful brunette lying motionless on his bed.

Despite her circumstances, the woman coldly glared at the man defiantly, which only seemed to further his amusement. "Glare all you want, oh beautiful, mighty, Isis," The man said, letting out a sinister chuckle.

"Your precious husband thinks you're dead.. and my spells have bound your will to my whims," He went on, his grin widening as he sat on the edge of the bed and caressed the woman's face.

"For all your beauty and godly might, you are nothing more than a puppet for me to do with as I please..." The man continued, to which the woman's glare grew colder and more definite, much to his amusement.

The man seemed prepared to continue mocking Isis to break her will and prideful spirit, but his expression suddenly changed as he got off the bed, his eyes widening in shock.

The shock quickly turned to ecstasy as he reached into his ropes and retrieved three stone pieces shining in an ominous glow as they moved towards each other, forming an incomplete stone tablet.

"The Wishing Tablet..." The man fanatically muttered with an ecstatic expression as he stared at the ancient stone in his hands. "After all those years..." He went on as he seemed to forget about the woman's existence.

The man was Felix Faust, an ancient sorcerer who derived his power and longevity from bargaining with numerous devils across his millennia-long life.

Yet, despite living for countless years and attaining more power than most could imagine, Felix Faust was at the end of his rope. He bargained his soul for arcane knowledge and longevity numerous times, only to rely on wits to outsmart the devils he dealt with and reclaim his soul.

However, the sorcerer's hunger for magical power proved very costly. His soul would slowly rot after every bargain, and he found it increasingly difficult to find anyone interested in acquiring his tarnished essence.

However, Felix Faust was nothing if not persistent. He found a solution to his problem; the Wishing Tablet. It was an otherwise worthless stone imbued with the power of Dechalafrea Ero, the Olympic god of betrayal and mischief.

Through the stone's power, the sorcerer could attain immortality and even fix his rotting soul, but the Wishing Tablet was destroyed and split into four segments long ago.

He found three fragments of the stone, though the fourth eluded him for centuries.

...

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