Chapter 76: Assembled

The sky above Sydney pulsed with a soft red glow as Toneri's puppets finished their task. The remaining Parademons inside the city were swiftly eliminated, their bodies falling like debris as his puppets relentlessly chased them down, ensuring none were left alive. One by one, the massive puppets descended, positioning themselves at the city's four corners. Together, they erected a red barrier around Sydney, sealing it off from any further attacks. Within the safety of this barrier, the city had become a rare sanctuary amidst the chaos.

Instead of disappearing immediately, Toneri began his journey back at an almost imperceptible speed, flying through the air rather than teleporting. As he moved, he paused occasionally, floating above the devastation with a cold, analytical gaze. His eyes swept across the ruined landscapes, each sight worse than the last.

'So… she's activated the seal,' he mused, his expression darkening. The damage to the planet was severe.

Toneri's puppets flew past him, but his attention lingered on one in particular. His vision shifted to the puppet's eyes, where he saw a woman cradling a small girl in her arms. They were both riding on the back of a gigantic bird, a creature his puppet had conjured to save them. The child's tear-streaked face, the mother's silent gratitude—something faint stirred within him, but it was gone as quickly as it came. With a quiet "hmm," Toneri severed the connection, cutting off his view of the scene below.

As he ascended higher into the atmosphere, his byakugan looked into the distance. His eyes narrowed as he observed another swarm of Parademons gathering in Istanbul, Turkey. The city's historic streets had become a battlefield, engulfed in chaos. A red barrier flickered around the city's perimeter, erected by his puppets, but the number of Parademons attacking it was overwhelming. Toneri could see his forces inside—only a few hundred puppets—struggling against the sheer number of enemies outside. The barrier held, but it wouldn't last much longer if the horde kept pressing.

Hovering far above, Toneri's expression remained cold. He extended one hand upward, the air around him beginning to twist and distort. His voice was a soft murmur as he invoked his technique.

"Senpou Futon: Rasenshuriken."

(Sage Art: Wind Style, Rasenshuriken.)

A high-pitched screech ripped through the sky as the wind spiraled into a blinding sphere of energy in his palm. The entire area brightened, illuminated by the intensity of his jutsu. The sheer power warped the atmosphere, bending light as it condensed.

Below, the civilians trapped behind the barrier stared up in terror and awe. Even the Parademons, mindless and savage as they were, shifted their focus, sensing the new threat. With a collective roar, they surged toward Toneri, desperate to stop him before his technique could be unleashed.

"No sense of danger at all... how pitiful," Toneri muttered, his voice devoid of emotion.

With a flick of his wrist, he launched the Rasenshuriken down toward the swarm. As the massive spiraling disc plummeted toward them, he spoke again, his tone eerily calm.

"Be put out of your misery."

The Rasenshuriken struck the center of the horde, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then, with a blinding flash, the technique detonated in a colossal dome of swirling white wind energy. The explosion was quiet, almost peaceful, but the aftermath was anything but. Trillions upon trillions of microscopic wind blades tore through the Parademons, shredding their bodies at a cellular level. Within seconds, there was nothing left of the monstrous creatures. Not even a drop of blood remained.

As the dome of wind energy dissipated, silence fell over the battlefield. The once-threatening horde of Parademons had been reduced to nothingness. Toneri didn't even glance back at the destruction he had wrought. His expression remained impassive as he turned his attention forward.

With a faint shimmer of green chakra leaking from him, he shot through the sky at speeds far surpassing sound. He circled the globe in a matter of seconds, surveying the planet as he went, ensuring his task was complete.

'Hmm… that should be enough,' he thought, satisfied.

And then, in the blink of an eye, Toneri vanished and strangely a destroyed shell of his puppet took his pervious position.

—-

The battle in Metropolis was a relentless storm of chaos and destruction. Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash fought tirelessly against the invading Parademons, their combined efforts pushing back the alien threat, though the fight was far from over. Above them, Toneri's puppets moved like specters, swooping down and eliminating Parademons with ruthless precision. White energy balls blasted through the enemy ranks, leaving nothing but smoldering craters in their wake. Batman's voice cut through the roar of combat as he communicated with Alfred.

"Alfred, what's the situation in Gotham?" Batman asked, his voice calm but firm amidst the chaos.

"The situation in Gotham is stable for now, Master Bruce," Alfred responded from the Batcave, his tone composed despite the madness around him. "The city is doing a commendable job holding back these creatures."

Batman kicked a Parademon off the rooftop, sending it crashing into the street below. "What about reinforcements?" he asked, his eyes scanning the battlefield for any potential threats.

"More than half an hour ago, Master Bruce, those… puppets arrived," Alfred continued. "They've decimated the Parademons and established some sort of red barrier around the city. We're holding them back, but the situation remains volatile."

"Who sent them again?" Alfred inquired, a hint of curiosity creeping into his voice.

"Lunaris," Batman muttered, barely looking up as he punched another Parademon, attaching a C4 explosive to its chest before it could react. He ducked under the swing of another creature and swiftly planted an explosive on its back.

"I've never heard of him, sir," Alfred said after a pause. "Who is he?"

"Neither have I," Batman replied, his voice cold and analytical. He rolled to the side as another Parademon unleashed a jet of fire toward him, narrowly missing him. "What about Arkham?"

"A portal opened at Arkham Asylum, sir," Alfred said, his tone becoming more serious. "Several of Gotham's most dangerous criminals have escaped."

Batman's eyes narrowed beneath his cowl. He grabbed another Parademon by the arm and slammed it into the ground by redirecting its weight. "Keep watch on them. We can't afford for Gotham's rogues to run rampant in this chaos."

"Already on it, sir," Alfred assured him. "You'll be pleased to know I've found Bane downtown. He's fighting off some of these creatures and taking down the ones riding those enormous flying beasts. Killer Croc, it seems, is preoccupied in the sewers as well."

A live feed from Gotham then flickered onto Batman's gauntlet screen. Batman's gaze shifted to the unmistakable figure of Harley Quinn. She was twirling a wooden hammer in one hand, her face painted white with the same wild, chaotic grin she always wore. The red and blue streaks in her makeup gave her an unhinged look, but she was more dangerous than she appeared. Harley swung her hammer with surprising strength, sending a Parademon flying into a nearby building.

"Most of them seem to be quite occupied," Alfred added with a dry tone.

"Hmm," Batman grunted as he rolled to the left, narrowly dodging another Parademon's attack. The creature spewed fire where he had stood just a moment earlier. Batman countered with a swift punch, sending the Parademon's head crashing into two of its nearby comrades, stunning them both.

Green Lantern soared overhead, creating a massive train construct with his ring, which he sent barreling through a cluster of Parademons. They smashed against the side of a building with a thunderous impact. As the dust settled, one of Toneri's puppets appeared silently behind him, firing a white energy ball that disintegrated a Parademon that had been sneaking up on the lantern.

Green Lantern glanced back at the puppet warily. "Thanks... I guess," he said cautiously, unsure of the strange entities flying around the city.

Batman watched the puppet from a distance, his eyes narrowing as he took in its cold efficiency and eerie independence. He knew they weren't human, but they moved with a precision that almost felt alive. His thoughts inevitably drifted to Lunaris—the being who had created these puppets.

'He claims to be the only one of his kind in this universe… like Superman,' Batman thought, his eyes following the puppet as it moved to eliminate more Parademons. 'Or maybe he's from a parallel universe.'

Lunaris being a celestial being made him an immediate threat. Batman had encountered many powerful individuals before, but there was something unnerving about Lunaris. The celestial's presence alone made Batman wonder if he was connected to the alien invasion. The timing was suspicious. Could Lunaris be an ally—or another threat lurking beneath the surface?

Dodging another Parademon's attack, Batman's mind raced. 'I need more information on him. He's been hunting these creatures for weeks, but how has he stayed hidden?'

The unknowns about Lunaris bothered Batman. Was he really the only one of his kind, or were there more like him hiding on Earth? If so, how dangerous could they be? The white-haired teen—or at least, that's how Lunaris appeared—was an enigma. His mannerisms suggested youth, but his power spoke of something far older. Batman couldn't even begin to estimate the true extent of Lunaris' abilities.

'Superhuman hearing… enhanced vision… those strange white eyes with bulging veins when activated,' Batman recalled. 'He's shown super-speed, super-strength, durability that seems to rivals Superman, wind manipulation, fire manipulation, lightning manipulation, flight, and the ability to create a red barrier that can crush portals.'

That wasn't even the extent of Lunaris' power. Batman had seen the black rod that morphed into weapons—deadly, versatile tools. And those white spinning energy balls Lunaris wielded? Their destructive power was comparable to nuclear weapons. The battlefield was littered with the remains of enemies who had been caught in their devastating blasts.

Lunaris had also shown the ability to create sentient entities—his puppets—with powers of their own. Batman glanced at the remains of several puppet shells that lay strewn across the ground. They were empty, their power drained, but they had acted with eerie independence. The puppets had carried out complex commands, adapting to the battlefield without any visible input from Lunaris.

'What else can Lunaris do?' Batman thought, his eyes narrowing as he recalled seeing the green aura that surrounded Lunaris when he created the puppets. 'It's some kind of energy source… generated from his body.'

Lunaris was dangerous. Maybe even more so than Superman.

Superman's motivations were well understood. Batman had planned for every contingency in case the Man of Steel ever turned against humanity. He knew who Clark Kent was, how he'd been raised, and what he stood for. But Lunaris? Lunaris was a mystery. An unknown with immense power and no clear motives. That made him far more dangerous.

'We don't know what he really wants,' Batman thought grimly as he dodged another Parademon's attack, his mind already turning toward his next move. He needed answers about Lunaris—and he needed them fast.

Green Lantern glided toward Batman, with Flash racing beside him. Surveying the battlefield, Lantern wiped some sweat off his brow. "Well, looks like we're done for now," he said, his tone a mix of relief and exhaustion.

Batman's response was immediate and cold. "No. Get ready. We've got incoming."

Before Green Lantern could process the warning, more Parademons rushed at them, their guttural voices screaming "For Darkseid!" The horde surged forward with renewed fury. But before they could close the gap, a war cry rang out across the battlefield. Wonder Woman crashed into the ground with the force of a meteor, causing a shockwave that obliterated more than a dozen Parademons on impact. Her landing alone created a small explosion, leaving the ground beneath her cracked and smoking.

Without missing a beat, she grabbed her lasso and, in one fluid motion, ensnared a Parademon. She whipped it through the air, sending it crashing into a nearby building. Then, with a powerful yank, she pulled it back, smashing it into three more of the alien creatures, knocking them down in a tangle of limbs.

"Holy…" Green Lantern muttered, standing beside Flash, clearly impressed.

Wonder Woman moved with the grace of a warrior born, her sword flashing as she darted from one Parademon to the next. Each swing of her blade was precise and deadly, cutting down the invaders as though they were nothing more than training dummies. In seconds, more than four dozen Parademons had fallen to her sword. She was a blur of motion, weaving through the chaos, unstoppable and untouchable.

As Flash looked around, he noticed more Parademons closing in. In a split second, he kicked into high gear, moving at a speed faster than anyone could react. His form became a red blur as he darted across the battlefield, taking out the remaining Parademons in the blink of an eye. By the time he returned to Green Lantern's side, the enemies were lying in heaps around them.

Green Lantern smirked at Flash. "Show off."

Wonder Woman strode toward them, a confident gleam in her eyes. "Greetings, warriors," she said, her voice strong and commanding.

Green Lantern looked at her for a moment, then grinned. Turning to Flash, he said, "Dibs."

Before he could move any closer, Superman descended from the sky, landing between Green Lantern and Diana with a raised eyebrow. Flash couldn't help but snicker at the timing.

Then, a loud screech echoed behind them, followed by Flash groaning in frustration. "Damn it, they never end," he muttered.

Before they could react, a calm voice came from right next to Batman. "Fūton: Shinkūha( wind style: vacuum wave)."

An arc of compressed air was released in the form of a solitary blade of wind, spiraling outward with deadly precision. The sharpened blast was so vast and powerful that it sliced clean through the incoming Parademons, cutting through them effortlessly. The wind blade didn't stop there—it continued far north, cleaving a building in half, which collapsed with a thunderous roar.

Wonder Woman immediately turned toward the source of the voice, her stance aggressive. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Toneri stepped forward, pointing to one of his puppets hovering nearby. "I am their creator."

Her eyes narrowed. "Ōtsutsuki?"

"Yes but call me Lunaris," Toneri corrected calmly.

Diana's posture relaxed slightly, and she nodded. "Well, it's good to have you on our side, Lunaris. May we battle together and achieve victory."

Toneri's eyes briefly flickered with amusement. 'She's more enthusiastic than the other one... and looks a bit younger too,' he thought. He glanced at Batman, who had been observing him carefully.

Batman noticed something peculiar. His sharp gaze fell on where the remnants of a puppet that had been beside him earlier in which Lunaris now occupied, and a thought occurred to him. 'He swapped positions with it.'

Breaking the silence, Batman asked, "Where have you been?"

"Pest control," Toneri replied nonchalantly.

Green Lantern blinked in confusion. "What?"

Toneri sighed, clearly unimpressed. "There were thousands clustered at different positions on the planet."

"Oh," Green Lantern said, looking up at the few remaining Parademons that had started fleeing from the battlefield. He grinned and pointed at them. "Yeah, that's right. You better run."

Toneri's eyes narrowed. "No. They're assembling. Waiting for whoever is behind this to launch the real attack."

Superman's expression hardened. "Alright, now what?"

"I don't know," Batman admitted, his voice unusually grim.

Toneri's byakugan drifted to the horizon as a projectile he had been tracking came into view. It flew erratically, its flight path unstable. The object smashed into a nearby building before crashing down, revealing the figure of a man—partially mechanical, his body merged with a machine in a way far more advanced than anything on Earth.

Toneri with his activated Byakugan, peering deep into the man's body. 'How curious,' he thought, analyzing the figure down to the cellular level. The man had bonded with one of the alien boxes, but in a way far more intricate and advanced than any cyborg he'd encountered.

Before Toneri could say anything, Wonder Woman charged forward with her sword drawn. "Mine!" she shouted, intending to attack the new arrival.

A voice echoed in the mechanical man's head. "Defensive mode activated."

Toneri watched as the cyborg's arm morphed into a cannon. 'He's more like a fully realized Shurado,' Toneri mused, thinking of the Asura Path's deadly mechanical transformations.

As the cannon fired a bright energy beam toward Wonder Woman, Toneri swiftly created a chakra staff. In an instant, he appeared in front of her, spinning the staff to deflect the beam, sending it crashing into a car nearby. The vehicle exploded, but no one was harmed.

Seeing this, Superman's eyes flared with rage. His heat vision activated as he glared at the cyborg. "You are done."