Chapter 58: Aftermath

The air was thick with a heavy silence as Wonder Woman surveyed the devastation around her. The twisted remains of Salem slowly returned to a semblance of normalcy as Klarion's dark influence finally dissipated. Buildings that had melted and fused into grotesque shapes began to straighten, their forms solidifying once more, though deep cracks and scars remained. Trees, once gnarled and monstrous, shed their cursed forms, their leaves rustling in the now-gentle breeze. But not everything could be healed. Some areas, too ravaged by the chaos energy, remained broken and scarred—a stark reminder of the battle between two beings of immense power.

'When gods do battle, it is the mortals who suffer the consequences,' Wonder Woman thought, her heart heavy as she surveyed the wreckage. The people of Salem had been caught in the crossfire of a conflict beyond their comprehension, and they were the ones who would bear the scars long after the battle was over.

Her senses tingled as she felt another energy lingering in the air—something different from Klarion's chaos. It was vibrant and full of life, pulsing with a vitality that reminded her of the power of nature itself. The energy felt almost sacred, like the very essence of life. 'This energy... it's like Demeter's... no, perhaps even more potent,' she thought, comparing it to the life-giving power of the Greek goddess of nature. The sheer density of it seemed to permeate the air, radiating from Toneri. 'Klarion called him a god... How could I have not noticed?' she mused. 'Maybe it was Lunaris' control over his powers that kept it hidden from me before.'

Superman floated down beside her, his face etched with disbelief. "It's unimaginable... that something like this could have happened. An entire city warped beyond recognition, people twisted by that chaos energy... it's horrific."

Wonder Woman nodded gravely. "Even with his defeat, the scars remain. This kind of evil... it leaves its mark."

She approached Toneri, who stood tensely, his eyes glowing faintly with the power of his Tenseigan. His gaze seemed distant, but she knew it wasn't because he was distracted—he was scanning, searching, making sure Klarion's chaos hadn't left any lingering threats. His doujutsu pulsed rhythmically as if probing the very fabric of reality. In truth, Toneri was extending his senses far beyond their immediate surroundings, ensuring that the chaos energy had not spread to other parts of the world.

"Klarion is gone," Wonder Woman said softly, her voice cutting through the stillness.

Toneri nodded slowly, his expression guarded. "For now. But we must remain vigilant. Chaos like his will always find a way to return."

Superman looked around at the destruction that remained, his eyes narrowing in determination. "We have a lot of rebuilding to do."

Green Lantern hovered nearby, his fists clenched. "Let's get to work. The people of Salem will need all the help they can get."

As they began planning the next steps, Toneri's thoughts lingered on Klarion's parting words. Even though the chaos lord had faded from this realm, the threat of his return hung heavily in the air.

After a moment, they regrouped to meet with the rest of the team. The members of the Justice League and Young Justice were gathered nearby, their expressions grim as they took in the scale of the destruction. Toneri stepped back, giving them a nod. "I'll be with you soon," he said before he began to float upwards.

Just as they prepared to depart, a massive shift in the air made them all pause. The change was subtle but undeniable—like the calm before a storm. Wonder Woman, more attuned to the energies of the world than most, felt it first. Her eyes widened as she turned to look back at Toneri, who now floated higher above them, his arms extended to either side. His form was bathed in a green aura of chakra, a radiant energy that pierced through the clouds and lit the sky like an emerald mist. The very air around him seemed to hum with power.

'This energy... it's as pure as life itself,' Wonder Woman thought, her earlier theories bubbling back to the surface. The intensity of it reminded her of Demeter's power—yet this was different, more controlled, and infinitely more potent. 'Could he really be a god, as Klarion said?' she wondered. 'Did I not notice because Lunaris had been keeping this power restrained all along?'

High above, Toneri looked down at the city, his senses attuned to the chaos energy that still lingered. Despite his efforts, his chakra had only managed to contain 98% of it, leaving remnants that still warped reality. He knew he had to act quickly. The world could not be allowed to remain in this corrupted state. Focusing his power, he channeled it through his Tenseigan. "Kaishi!" he declared, the word resonating with ancient power.

In an instant, the world flashed emerald. This technique, rooted in the ancient understanding of the Creation of All Things, allowed him to manipulate the boundaries between fantasy and reality. The damaged city shimmered and faded, its broken structures dissolving as if they had only been a bad dream. In their place, new, undamaged buildings materialized, pristine and untouched by the chaos that had once gripped them. Reality itself bent to his will, restoring what had been lost in the battle.

Meanwhile, across the city of Salem, the same transformation occurred. Aqualad, along with the other members of Young Justice—Superboy, Wally, Artemis, and Miss Martian—watched in awe as the devastation around them disappeared, replaced by the untouched cityscape. Batman, ever vigilant, saw the shimmering changes and immediately radioed in to Superman.

"Superman, what's going on? The city is... it's changing," Batman's voice came through with a rare note of uncertainty.

Superman glanced over at Wonder Woman and Toneri, understanding dawning on his face. "It's Toneri... he's... he's fixing it all. This is his doing."

Wonder Woman nodded, her expression a mix of awe and disbelief. "This power... to alter reality itself... only the gods are capable of such feats."

Green Lantern chimed in, recalling Klarion's words. "Klarion called him a god. Maybe there was more truth to that than we realized."

Batman narrowed his eyes, his mind processing this new information. 'A god,' he thought, the word echoing in his mind. It was the same term Aqualad had used in his brief report when the witch boy had announced Toneri as such.

Unaware of the conversations happening below, Toneri continued to focus on his task. The emerald chakra around him began to calm as the last remnants of chaos were dealt with. His eyes glinted as he assessed the results of his efforts. "Three tails' worth of chakra just to repair this much damage... tch," he muttered to himself, acknowledging the toll the shinjutsu had taken. 'That technique is chakra-intensive... but it should have brought them all back, only a couple of thousand were brought back from the dead. So why did I feel that block on the other souls when I tried bringing them back to life?'