Chapter 274: Arthur VS H’El
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H’El’s eyes slowly traveled across each face gathered, gods, warriors, legends of Earth. His expression twisted into somewhere between pity... and disgust.
"You seem... attached to the Earthlings, little brother," he said, voice low and edged. His gaze drifted back to Clark, studying every flicker of hesitation, every trace of conflict. "But what do you consider yourself?"
Before Superman could respond, Wonder Woman stepped forward, chin raised in unyielding defiance.
"Kal-El is the best of both worlds," she said, conviction burning in every syllable. "He carries Krypton’s spirit, and Earth’s compassion."
H’El didn’t even bother to face her.
"I did not ask you, Earthling woman," he said, sharp as a blade. "I asked you, Kal."
Superman’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent, watching H’El looking for the possible brother in this fellow called H’El... and finding a stranger.
H’El drew a slow breath, eyes shadowed by a lifetime of duty.
"I was tasked by our father to preserve our legacy... our history. To protect everything Krypton ever was."
He clenched his fists knuckles cracking like ice fracturing.
"That meant preserving you as well... and Kara."
For a moment, just a moment pain revealed itself behind his eyes.
"But Krypton is gone," he said, voice cracking with a restrained fury. "Our people are dust. The stars we called home are cold and dead."
His voice shook, his purpose unraveling in his hands like broken crystals.
"So what am I really protecting? And for what?"
’This guy is mental’ Arthur thought to himself.
He stepped closer slow, and extended a hand toward Superman.
"Join me, brother."
His tone softened, almost pleading.
"It is time we rebuild our home. Zod and his traitors can operate the World Engine, we need them for now. But once New Krypton stands... we will judge them for their crimes, Our father would have done the same."
He looked directly into Clark’s eyes.
"Together."
Superman stared at the offered hand.
"No," he said finally, voice steady. "Are you insane? I will never allow that."
Silence.
Then
H’El’s expression broke.
His hand lowered. His shoulders stiffened.
Disappointment turned cold.
"Unfortunate..." he whispered.
His eyes dimmed with a chilling conclusion.
"I do not see a Kryptonian here. It seems Zod was right..."
He took a step forward
but he didn’t finish the sentence.
Shadows exploded.
A tidal wave of darkness hammered into H’El’s side like a meteor strike, Shadow Lanterns, spectral beasts, and leading the charge: Doom roaring.
The Watchtower floor cracked from the impact as H’El was blasted through a reinforced wall.
and then launched into the endless vacuum beyond, swallowed by the void.
Every hero snapped toward the source and found Arthur Blackwynd standing relaxed, palm still faintly glowing with violet power. His shadows writhed around him.
He slowly raised both hands in mock surrender, expression flat but eyes burning.
"What? It’s no use talking," Arthur said with a shrug.
"I don’t know what you guys were waiting for."
The silence that followed was stunned and heavy.
Superman’s cape fluttered in the sudden rush of escaping air.
Batman’s glare sharpened, analytical gears already turning.
Wonder Woman exhaled.
Arthur stood at the edge of the breach, his dark cloak whipping in the sucking wind. The others Superman, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman took position beside him.
"It’s not over..." Arthur’s voice was low, violet eyes igniting.
A ripple. A tremor of space folding.
And then he was there.
H’El drifted back through the breach, long dark hair flowing weightless, his eyes burned with an intelligence colder than death.
He landed without a sound.
He didn’t look at the League.
He looked at Arthur.
And the Shadow Monarch simply... raised his hand.
Middle finger.
Batman actually blinked.
Hal Jordan let out a "I don’t think we need to anger him.." under his breath.
Arthur’s expression said everything ’Too late.’
H’El did.
The Kryptonian’s body blurred a shockwave shattered the deck as he vanished. Arthur felt something crash into his ribs like a collapsing star.
He flew back blasted through a reinforced wall came out the other side coughing.
Superman was already charging in, fist held tight, eyes glowing crimson.
"H’EL! STOP!"
H’El turned his head; barely a motion and Superman’s punch caught only the blur of an afterimage. H’El’s counter struck Clark in the chest like a hammer of suns. The Man of Steel’s breath exploded out of him as he ricocheted off a support beam hard enough to bend steel.
Diana was next shield raised, sword already in motion.
"Face me!"
He did.
Her blade rang loud against his forearm sparks flared but before she could recover, H’El’s hand closed around her throat. He lifted her effortlessly, boots kicking for leverage.
A gravel-deep voice, calm and full of disdain
"You are no warrior. You carry little strength.."
He hurled her. The floor cratered where she landed.
Green Lantern’s ring flared, a giant mechanical vice snapping shut around H’El from all sides. Hal shouted
"Big scary alien guy, not exactly something new!"
The construct shattered like cheap glass.
H’El flicked a finger.
Hal hit the ceiling so hard the plating dented inward.
Martian Manhunter phased through the floor, emerging behind H’El a telepathic strike aimed straight into his mind.
He lasted half a second.
J’onn screamed not physically, a psychic shockwave ripping through his skull as he stumbled backward, green hands clutching his head.
Batman fired a grapnel electric charge primed desperate to pull the fight away from his teammates.
H’El caught the line.
A heartbeat.
Then the Dark Knight was yanked, slammed, and pinned against a wall, his gauntlets cracking.
"You fight with simple intellect and tools," H’El murmured, eyes narrowing. "But what are tools against our might?"
Batman’s only response was to spit blood on the floor.
Then shadows surged.
Arthur returned violet flames dancing through the cracks in reality itself. His voice thundered.
"You would make a fine shadow."
Dozens of spectral shadow chains launched upward like harpoons, constructs from his shadow ring.
H’El looked mildly... entertained.
A flick of his wrist, gravity inverted shadows splintered into screaming wisps.
Arthur simply smiled and said "Impressive."
Clark then slammed into H’El sending him alongside himself outside of the watchtower into the black of space. The vacuum of space burned with streaks of red as Superman and H’El collided again a clash of heat vision that turned the void into a furnace.
Arthur sliced through the air like a meteor, shadows dragging him forward. He crashed into H’El’s ribs with bone-shattering force, a doomsday gauntleted punch with shadow power that could crater mountains.
H’El barely moved.
His head simply turned... slowly... back toward Arthur.
That was Arthur’s only warning.
A fist punched into his side it felt like a black hole collapsing against his ribs. Arthur groaned, body folding involuntarily before he twisted into a counter a spinning backfist that cracked across H’El’s jaw.
Superman blinked, Arthur had actually staggered him.
Arthur pressed the advantage.
Speed-step, vanished and then reappeared.
A knee shattered H’El’s sternum.
Elbow to the face.
A palm-strike, knuckle-jab, jaw-hook.
Every move was calculated, every strike was a masterclass in brutality.
H’El’s body rocked with each attack, yet his expression never changed.
He absorbed everything. Took every hit.
And then he caught Arthur’s fist.
His grip tightened, iron crushing bone.
"You are skilled," H’El murmured, voice cold enough to freeze worlds. "You are a danger to us."
He yanked Arthur in and slammed his forehead into him an impact that sent Arthur’s thoughts scattering into static. And then appeared next to Arthur and then grabbed him by the throat, shot himself along Arthur forward and slammed him back into the Watchtower.
Arthur flipped backward, boots kicking off H’El’s chest to create space. He landed with a trail of drifting debris.
H’El didn’t pursue, he just stood there.
"A mortal pretending to be something else, Father warned us of beings like this.."
Arthur wiped blood from his lip, eyes glowing with menacingly.
"Last thing I remember, Kryptonians are mortals too."
Shadow-thorns erupted around his arms, a brutal uppercut sent H’El spinning upward
Superman was suddenly behind H’El, fists raised, trying to pin him with raw force. H’El snapped his head back, the blow shattered Clark’s nose and Superman drifted away stunned.
Arthur came again, fast, a hook aimed at the throat.
H’El caught it... once more.
But this time
Arthur smiled.
His free hand already moved, a brutal punch hammered into H’El’s kidney.
H’El finally grunted.
"Better," he whispered.
Then he hit Arthur once straight in the chest.
Arthur flew back tumbling, spinning, gravity losing meaning as he tried to breathe, shadows flickering erratic.
He steadied himself several meters away, chest heaving.
H’El drifted closer, power curling around his hands like solar wind.
"This is inevitable," H’El declared. "Stand aside, Shadow-Bearer. I do not want to break you."
Arthur spat blood.
"You’re already too late for that."
Then his fingers curled.
Reality hummed.
A blade of glowing green bled into existence from the darkness, crystalline and lethal. Kryptonite, forged into a sword no Kryptonian could ignore.
Green light washed over H’El’s face.
Superman flinched, instinctively pulling back.
"Hnn...Arthur.."
Arthur didn’t take his eyes off H’El. His tone was low, a warning sharpened by resolve.
"Sorry, Clark..."
He raised the sword, the aura cutting into the void like poison fire.
"You might want to stay away."
H’El paused.
He noticed the weapon.
His expression shifted, a crack in his perfect confidence.
And Arthur Blackwynd stepped forward again, no fear, no hesitation.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want