Bruce, Clark, and the others slowly moved away from the survivors' base. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if their bodies were finally feeling the full weight of everything they had endured over the past few years.
The sun was beginning to timidly rise on the horizon, painting the ruins of what once was Metropolis in gold and red.
They knew the final battle had come to an end.
"The battle is over, Bruce," Clark murmured, never taking his eyes off the sky stained by dawn. "Who do you think won?"
The question was gentle, but filled with a bitter weight. It wasn't truly a question. It was almost a farewell.
Deep down, they all already knew the answer.
They knew who had won.
Bruce took a deep breath, removed his mask, and closed his eyes for a few seconds.
The tired furrow of his brow said more than any words ever could. "I think he won. And…"
He cut himself off mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing as if sensing something nearby.
"…and it looks like he's already found us."
"You guessed very well, Bruce."
The voice came from so close, and sounded so natural, that everyone immediately went on alert before realizing who it was.
Arthur.
But not the Arthur they had known years ago. Not the friend, nor the ally. This was an Arthur who had walked through hell… and returned darker than it.
Clark opened his mouth to say something, but Arthur gently raised a hand, cutting him off before a single word could be spoken.
"I know exactly what you're going to say. You don't need to say anything, Clark," he said, his voice calm, yet heavy with restrained melancholy.
Clark clenched his jaw, but remained silent. Bruce simply watched, quietly analyzing every subtle movement Arthur made.
Arthur sighed, a crooked smile forming on his lips. "I know my actions are unforgivable. I know that very well. I'm sure there's a special place waiting just for me in hell."
He let out a low, humorless chuckle, almost bitter.
But then, abruptly, he stopped. The smile faded and his expression hardened. Arthur slowly turned his head, staring at a point on the ground a few meters away from them.
And then…
A rectangular structure appeared out of nowhere—a holographic door, vibrating irregularly.
And from it emerged… Arthur.
Or almost.
This new Arthur had clear, lucid eyes, free of the darkness carried by the first. A cross-shaped scar marked his left cheek, telling the story of a completely different life from the one the present Arthur had lived.
---xXx---
Arthur staggered two steps out of the portal, clearly disoriented. He looked around in confusion, trying to understand where he was. Then his gaze finally settled on the man standing a few meters away.
The two stared at each other blankly.
"…Who are you?" Arthur asked, confused.
"Well…" the man replied with a strange smile. "I suppose I'm you."
Arthur frowned. "Alright, smart guy… care to tell me where exactly I am?"
"You're in Metropolis," the man replied, crossing his arms. "Or rather… what's left of Metropolis. Also, you can just call me Gil."
"Metropolis…?" Arthur repeated, even more confused. His eyes scanned the burned ruins, the shattered horizon, the smell of dust and hatred thick in the air.
"Yes, yes, that's right," Gil said, waving a hand impatiently. "Now, changing the subject. How did you end up here?"
"I have no idea," Arthur admitted with a sigh. "I… probably should've configured this thing better before starting the tests…"
He raised his arm and began fiddling with the Tempad, muttering to himself as he tried to find a way back.
Gil raised an eyebrow. "And that is…?"
Arthur lifted the device. "This? A Tempad. It allows travel between dimensions… or through time—"
He immediately realized the colossal mistake he had just made.
"Time travel, huh?" Gil murmured, his eyes slowly narrowing. "Hand over that Tempad."
Arthur sighed resignedly. "No. And… look, as another version of you, let me tell you—messing with time travel is never a good idea."
Gil smiled.
It was not a good smile.
"If you're not going to hand it over willingly…" His voice sank into a threatening darkness. "…then it'll be by force."
Around him, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of golden portals opened in the air.
All kinds of weapons emerged from within them.
Arthur let out a nervous, yet utterly defiant chuckle. "Two can play that game, pal."
And then golden portals began opening around him as well, just as numerous as the other's.
He extended his hand and pulled Koryuga from one of them.
The silence between the two lasted only a single second.
Then they both attacked.
Each golden portal began firing its weapons at the other. Gil charged at Arthur, every strike carrying the experience of hundreds of battles.
Arthur kept up with his movements for a while, but it was useless. He wasn't weak by any means. But compared to this twisted version of himself… he was nothing more than a rough draft.
Arthur used Koryuga to deflect a curved strike from Gil's axe that would have taken his head clean off. He leapt backward, his expression serious.
"Okay. This just went from insane to personal."
Gil merely smiled.
"You should try harder."
Before Arthur could react, Gil twisted his wrist and pulled a spear from the golden portal beside him.
Then he hurled it at Arthur at an absurd speed.
SHLACK!
The spear pierced straight through Arthur's torso.
The impact lifted him off the ground, pinning him in midair for a second before he collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood.
"…Man…" Arthur gasped. "…this is officially the dumbest way to die. Impaled by a dark version of myself."
"Don't… don't you dare leave yet… If I'm dying, I want an audience," Arthur mocked weakly.
"How dramatic."
Gil pulled the weapon from Arthur's chest.
"Relax. I was just testing you."
Arthur blinked. "What?"
"You heard me. If I really wanted to kill you, it wouldn't have taken even a second." Gil stepped closer, storing the weapon inside a portal. "And surprise… you passed."
"Pass… passed what?!" Arthur tried to stand, failing miserably. There was a massive hole in his torso—it was already a miracle he was still alive.
But Gil continued, ignoring the other's confusion.
"I'm going to make my final sacrifice for this world. And finding you… a younger, cleaner version of myself… was a blessing at this moment."
Gil stopped in front of him, his eyes tired, yet strangely serene.
And then, without hesitation…
He raised his hand and plunged his fingers into his own chest.
The sound of flesh tearing echoed through the air as he opened himself up.
He pulled out his own heart—pulsing, blazing, radiating fierce energy. Blood ran down his arm, shining like dark gold.
Arthur, still kneeling, stared in complete petrified shock.
"When I transplant this into you…" Gil said, holding the heart up before him, "…you will become a Heroic Spirit, and you'll inherit all of my abilities. Unfortunately, they will override any current system-related abilities you have that aren't tied to our past as the King of Uruk or my own powers. But I'm sure they'll be useful to you."
Arthur swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "Why… why?"
Gil knelt in front of him, bringing the heart closer to Arthur's chest.
"Because I can't allow what happened to me… to happen to you."
Then he pressed the heart into Arthur's chest.
The organ fused with his flesh like fire meeting water, snapping into place. Arthur screamed in agony as energy surged through his body—burning, rebuilding, reshaping his very existence.
Gil took a deep breath, pale from blood loss. "It'll take some time for the heart to fully synchronize with your body… but it will work."
"And finally…" he said as a dark glow enveloped his arm. "This is a special gift…"
He touched Arthur's chest and transferred all that energy into him.
Unlike the heart, Arthur felt this energy flow smoothly through his body.
"It'll allow you to exist without the need for a Master, and it'll also be useful where you're going next," Gil said.
He opened a portal and pulled out a small transparent bottle filled with a clear liquid.
"Drink."
Arthur barely had time to question it. The moment the liquid touched his tongue, a strange energy coursed through his body.
And then…
His age began to regress.
His muscles reshaped, his face grew younger.
He was twelve years old again.
"Perfect. Even that ugly scar on your cheek is gone," Gil smiled. "This will make it much easier for your body to adapt to that power."
"Now… you're going to a very interesting world…"
He took a ring from the golden portal beside him and slipped it onto Arthur's finger.
Moments later, another portal opened—a golden spiral crackling with sparks.
"…Hm… it'll be a different version of a world you might recognize. That should make things more interesting. Maybe you'll make some good friends there… maybe even get a few girls."
"It'll take a long time before you finally return home, but it'll be worth it. And don't worry—I'll make sure the flow of time in your universe is MUCH slower than in the world you're heading to. Don't even ask how I'm going to do that," Gil said.
Arthur blinked as he finally processed what had just happened. "What?"
KICK.
Gil literally kicked him straight into the portal.
Arthur vanished before he could finish his sentence.
---xXx---
He now faced Bruce, Clark, and the survivors with a faint but peaceful smile.
"Now… my final part."
He opened his arms, the hole in his chest still spraying blood.
"I will sacrifice my life, my body, and what remains of my power to rewind this world's time."
He possessed an item called the Sacrifice Card. With it, he could obtain nearly anything, as long as an equivalent sacrifice was made.
Clark stepped forward. "Arthur, you don't have to do this. With your help, I'm sure we can fix everything—"
"I've already decided," Arthur interrupted calmly. "And… I won't do it alone. Kara, Mordred, Artoria, and the rest of my girls who are still alive offered themselves for the sacrifice as well."
"I'm also using Darkseid to achieve this goal. I think it's fitting revenge for him destroying Earth. Besides, Lucifer is taking very good care of that bastard's soul until I can go there myself and deal with him properly."
And then Arthur began to glow.
His body slowly dissolved into golden particles, as if turning into pure light.
He looked down at his fading hands and lifted his eyes one last time toward the sky.
"Forgive me… I can't go to the same place as you, my beloved…" he murmured, remembWering their faces as tears fell from his eyes.
And he vanished, a serene smile etched upon his face.
---
Minutes later…
An indescribable light enveloped the entire Earth.
Time itself was being rewritten.
(End of the extra chapter)