Chapter 23
Chapter 23
All the heroes were gathered, and had to unite together in order to defeat their greatest enemy in the Dawn of Time. Thor wields Mjolnir and Stormbreaker. Rocket clenched his teeth in fury at the sight of the Anti-Monitor and his army.
"I've been waiting for this moment for so long," he whispered fiercely. "For my family!"
But before they could act, Oliver in the guise of the Specter materialized behind them, and calling out to them:
"All of you, listen to me… (All the heroes had their eyes fixed on him.) This is why you were selected. (Speaking to Thor.) The Keeper… And the Paragons."
"Yeah. I'm still a little unclear on what all that means." Ryan Choi retorted.
"It means you're powerful enough to hold the line, to buy us the time we need." the Specter said.
"To do what?" Batwoman asked.
"Rebirth the universe."
"Rebirth the universe? Are you serious?" Rocket exclaimed in amazement.
"What, like, a do-over?" Sara said, shocked.
"How can we do that?" Thor added stunned.
"The Dawn of Time is the only place it can happen. I'll light the spark, you fan the flame." Oliver said.
"Are we really going to recreate a new universe?" Spider-Man said in a shocked voice. "Do we have the power to do that?"
"Yes," Oliver said. "You have it. All of you!"
" And how do we do that?" Lex wondered skeptically.
" You'll know when it's time." the Specter replied simply.
Lex says narcissistically:
"Why do you cosmic types always have to be so obtuse?"
" If I knew, I'd tell you. I don't." Oliver said, ignoring Luthor's sarcasm. (Then he returned his attention to the Paragons.) " All I have is trust."
"So you think we're capable of doing what you're telling us?" Thor said raising an eyebrow in amazement.
"Exactly, you can do it," resumed the new cosmic being. "Do you trust me?"
"With every cell in my body." Flash agreed, nodding.
"So do I," added Spider-Man, nodding in turn. "We are heroes. This is our responsibility to do it. With great power comes great responsibility."
Oliver smiled slightly at the young Avenger. Then he returned his gaze to the other heroes.
"Nice Pep Talk!" Rocket commented in amazement.
Supergirl gave her friend one last look, then turned to face the dark Demon army.
"Let's do this." she declared as she went into battle.
"Let's be done," Thor added, his body bulging with lightning bolts.
And he leaps into the air to face the demons, brandishing his hammer and ax.
The Paragons rushed towards the enemy. Flash disappeared at super speed to take down several demons. Supergirl flew away and used her heat vision to destroy some. Batwoman, Rocket, Sara, J'onn, Spider-Man, Lex and Ryan were fighting on the ground.
The Guardians of the Galaxy raccoon used his blaster to kill several Demons. He attacked them roaring like a raging animal.
"Die! Die, you space ghosts scum! Die! Eat this! This is for Groot! For Quill! For Drax! Mantis and Nebula! I'll kill you to the last, you space monsters!"
Thor whirled in the air and threw his hammer like a javelin, which went down to slay a large number of Demons, before coming back to his hand. Then he threw his ax which did the same. And he launched several jets of lightning which destroyed several Demons.
"I am not a fallen God! I am not the God of Hammers either! I am Thor, Son of Odin, God of Thunder, an Avenger and Keeper of Paragons!"
On the ground, Ryan pushed back a Demon with a simple handshake.
"Die, you creepy shadow things!"
Sara fought several Demons with her sticks.
"Unh! That's for Oliver!"
Lex was using his newfound powers to destroy the Anti-Monitor's abominations.
"Idiots! If anyone's gonna take over the universe, it's gonna be me!"
Spider-Man leapt like a real spider, and went to land behind three Demons. He greeted them as if he were talking to friends:
"Hey guys! What's up?"
And he punctuated his sentences by throwing canvas over his enemies.
"You aren't very talkative, Dementors!"
As Thor flew through the air destroying any Demons he encountered, he watched his allies fight the Demons on the ground. Then he threw down his Mjolnir hammer.
"Hey, you're Paragons! Use my hammer!"
Batwoman, who fought by throwing her batarang, leapt into the air, and grabbed the handle of Thor's hammer. She held it and remained in a position of strength against her enemies. Several Demons rushed towards her. Batwoman ran and threw the hammer at her opponents, annihilating them. She made lightning shoot out with the hammer and came to touch any Demons that approached her. She spun around with the hammer in hand, causing lightning to appear that destroyed any Demons wanting to attack her.
And she turned to Spider-Man.
"Spidey!"
And she threw Mjolnir at the young Avenger, which he immediately grabbed. After a moment of amazement, realizing that he was lifting Thor's magic hammer, Spider-Man returned his attention to his enemies.
"I'm Spider-Man and I hold Thor's hammer in my hand!"
He immediately used it to slay several Demons. And he danced in the air, laughing like a child.
"This is so awesome!"
Then, remembering his other partners, he threw the hammer at his allies.
Sara, fighting a Demon, caught Mjolnir flying, and used it to disintegrate several Demons. Shocked, White Canary stared at the hammer, before rushing forward to destroy other attackers. And she threw Thor's weapon at Flash, who blasted into super speed and caught it on the fly, combining his powers with Mjolnir's over the Shadow Demons. Then he passed it to Ryan, who used it for a while, punching Demons, overjoyed. Then he passed it on to J'onn, who used it in turn. After some Demon fights with Mjolnir, it was time to pass him on to someone else.
"Supergirl?"
He threw the hammer in the air. Lex wanted to grab him, but Supergirl intercepted him, and flew off with Mjolnir.
"Wait, what about me?" exclaimed the annoyed bald psychopath.
"In your dreams," the Girl of Steel scolded hostility, refusing to see her worst enemy with Thor's hammer in hand.
Rocket, who was disintegrating several Demons, gave Lex a triumphant look, ecstatic as he saw the bald man not accessing Mjolnir.
"If you were less dumb, you would have had it!" he declared before resuming his fight with his blaster.
And the Kryptonian flew off to join Thor and the two of them faced the Demons, with their powers and weapons.
On top of a cliff, Oliver watched his friends fight. He knew he was going to have to face the Anti-Monitor in order for the Paragons to revive the universe.
After a while, the very powerful cosmic being joined the Specter speaking to him:
"It is too late. After ten thousand years, I shall be victorious."
" No, you won't be." Oliver retorted without giving him a glance.
"Such confidence," the Anti-Monitor said with a smirk. "You believe Tony Stark prepared you for this fight?"
"I believe my entire life prepared me for this fight."
"All life ends. Only death is eternal. Only I am eternal."
Oliver removed the hood of his dark gown, and declared without looking at his enemy:
"We'll see about that."
The two leapt into the air, and clashed. And fell to the ground. The two stood up and stared at each other, preparing to face the other.
The battle at the Dawn of Time continued stronger and stronger. The Paragons and their allies had the advantage over their opponents. All the Demons fell like flies to the ground. None were matched to the heroes.
"Is this typical for you guys, saving the world?" Ryan said to J'onn, fending off a demon.
"Yes," the Martian replied, annihilating an enemy of the Anti-Monitor.
"No," Lex said, not ceasing his attacks on the Demons.
Sara added, using her sticks on her enemies:
"My team and I usually mess things up for the better!"
"It's the same with my family and I," Rocket added, firing several blasters at the Demons.
Flash stopped his super-speed run in front of his allies.
"Focus! We're in the fight of our lives here."
The Anti-Monitor fired a large explosion as Oliver conjured up a shield for protection.
Flash used his super-speed to dodge all attacks, and retaliated with his fists. Spider-Man leaped from web to web and used it on the Shadows Demons. Lex unleashed his new powers on the Demons. Supergirl was on the ground, using her heat vision combined with Mjolnir's lightning bolts to slay several Demons. And she sent the hammer back to Thor, who grabbed it and used both weapons on the Anti-Monitor specters. Sara raised her leg in the air, pushing back a Demon, and attacked it with her staffs.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Monitor walked towards Oliver, using his deep breath on him, as the former archer fought for his life. The Anti-Monitor increased the strength of his power to be able to dominate Oliver.
Seeing his friend in trouble, Thor landed on the ground, a few feet from the fight of the two cosmic beings. The Thunder God then tossed Mjolnir into the air and then hit him with Stormbreaker, like a baseball player. The hammer hit the Anti-Monitor right in the head, causing him to lose his focus on Oliver. Disoriented, he saw the hammer return to Thor. The God took the opportunity to clash his two weapons and threw powerful lightning bolts that pushed the Anti-Monitor far away.
"Do you think I look like a fallen God?" Thor snapped at him with rage and contempt.
The Anti-Monitor roared in rage and came to attack Thor with his powers. He unleashed an explosion on the Asgardian. But Thor used Mjolnir and Stormbreaker to protect himself.
Oliver took the opportunity to gain the upper hand over the powerful cosmic being. He held his hands to the body of the Anti-Monitor, stopping all his powers. They both stared at each other. Oliver ends up muttering defiantly:
"You… have failed… this… universe!
And he made a heat vision spring from his eyes towards the cloudless sky of the Dawn of Time. Thor covered his eyes, as Oliver seemed to wipe out the Anti-Monitor.
As Rocket and the Paragons fought the Demons, their opponents went up in smoke. Even the whole fleet above their heads ceased to exist.
All the heroes were stunned.
"We did it?" Ryan exclaimed ecstatically.
"So this is what being a hero feels like. Interesting." Lex echoed proud of himself.
Supergirl and Rocket gave her a disapproving look.
"Where's Oliver?" Flash asked.
"What about Thor?" Spider-Man added in a breathless voice.
"They're both there," Batwoman replied, indicating a bright stream of light at the end of a cliff.
All eyes were on the fight between the old Green Arrow and the Anti-Monitor.
"Oliver!" Sara cried, shocked.
"What the hell is that?" Spider-Man continued.
"What now?" Rocket added as confused as they were. "Hey Paragons, you guys should know what to do!"
"What is that?" J'onn exclaimed stunned.
Flash looked at the phenomenon with his big eyes, answering:
"«I'll light the spark.»"
"«While you fan the flame.»" White Canary added.
Supergirl then turned to Lex Luthor.
"He said you would know what to do."
"I think dying kind of messed with his head." the bald psychopath replied disinterestedly.
"Think, you fool!" Rocket growled. "If you're really a genius, use your neurons in your hairless skull."
"He's right, you're meant to be the genius," Batwoman added.
"A genius who's had the fortitude to read The Book of Destiny and retain his sanity." J'onn recalled.
"I think the jury's still out on that one." Ryan replied, nodding.
Lex then pulled out the page of the Book of Destiny where he had written his name, and explained with a thoughtful look:
"The Book of Destiny. I made myself the Paragon of Truth."
"So maybe the truth would be the answer." Spider-Man suggested.
"Exactly," Lex agreed.
"Being what?" Batwoman asked.
The bald psychopath resumed with determination:
"Use what's left of the Book to fan the flame."
"How do we all use the Book?" Flash intervened, confused.
In full confusion, Supergirl thinks, then ends up finding the answer:
"We focus. (All eyes were on her.) A singular, laser-like focus."
"On what?" Ryan stammered.
"Uh… I don't get anything," Rocket mumbled confused.
"Humanity," Supergirl replied, looking at Ryan Choi. (Addressing Lex.) "Truth." (Speaking to Spider-Man.) "Responsibility." (Speaking to Flash.) "Love." (Addressing Sara.) "Destiny." (Addressing J'onn.) "Honor." (Addressing Batwoman.) "Courage."
And she concludes by talking to herself:
"Hope."
Then all of the Paragons stood in a line, side by side and watched Oliver fight the Anti-Monitor and create a new universe.
Disoriented and confused, Rocket watched both the Paragons and the fight above him.
"So all we have to do is... watch? Uh... okay! I still don't get it!"
Meanwhile, Oliver still clung to the Anti-Monitor using all of his power to defeat it with Thor as a witness. Then a gigantic explosion arose and shook the whole of the Dawn of Time.
"Oh my God!" Supergirl said, shocked.
"Whoa!" cried Rocket, dumbfounded. "So this it? Is it over?"
"Oliver," Flash said anxiously.
Sara turned to him.
"Barry, get us there!"
"And I'm coming with you," Spider-Man said, wanting to find his friend.
Flash took off at super speed, taking Sara and Spider-Man with him.
The three of them appeared next to Thor who was kneeling in front of Oliver's lying body on the ground. The Anti-Monitor was gone. The old Green Arrow lay on the ground, exhausted.
Spider-Man removed his mask, revealing Peter Parker's face, and ran to join the fallen archer.
Barry and Sara joined them. White Canary came over to gently put his hands on Oliver's body, while Flash looked at his dying friend in alarm.
"Oliver?"
"Oliver? You are a cosmic being now," Peter told him sadly. "You can't die again!"
Oliver coughed before looking quietly at the young Avenger.
"Peter… Everything has an end. Even for me… It's my destiny."
Then he turned his head slightly towards Barry, Sara and Thor.
"Hang on, Oliver," the God of Thunder said in shock, not wanting to lose a new friend.
Oliver coughed as he continued, addressing his four friends:
"I… I need both of you to watch over my family…"
"Hey, Ollie," Sara said loudly. "They're gonna be fine, all right? You're gonna be fine."
Then the old archer began to look at the sky which began to shine.
"You did it! You all did… You all did it!"
"Did what?" White Canary exclaimed stunned.
"Just look," Oliver whispered in wonder, still staring above him.
Barry, Sara, Thor and Peter gazed at the sky, and were amazed to see there a strange ball of energy that lit up the dark sky of the Dawn of Time. Everyone was fascinated by this new phenomenon.
"My God!" Thor exclaimed, eyes wide in amazement. "Allfathers..."
"Ollie, we saw," Sara agreed in wonder, returning her gaze to her dying friend. "We saw, but what is it?"
"It's the new universe." Oliver said.
"So we really reborn a new universe?" cried Peter in awe. "We did it?"
" It's kind of small for a universe." the Central City's speedster pointed out.
"Wait for it, Barry," Oliver replied calmly with tears in his eyes, moved. "It's almost time, almost time. There. You did it."
"It's thanks to you," Thor said, smiling sadly.
"Yes, Oliver, you did it," Sara said sadly. "Okay? That's why you got to come back with us, so we need you to hang on, okay?"
"Sara, Thor," said the still emotional archer. "This is just what the Monitor said would happen."
He seemed to faint to the chagrin of the heroes standing near him.
"Oliver! No! I don't want to lose another friend!" Thor moaned sadly.
"The Monitor said I was supposed to die in the Crisis," Oliver said. "Nothing can stop that. Not even you, Thor. You cannot act on Destiny. (He looked at the sky again.) There was an end and there's a beginning. (He turned his head to Barry who was crying.) You remember what I told you?"
"Dying is the easy part." Flash replied in a pained voice.
"The heroes are the ones who have to keep going, no matter what." Peter added, upset.
"You got it, Peter, you finally understood who you really are… never forget that…" Oliver stammered as his condition weakened. "You must never forget that you are a hero."
"I'll never forget it, I promise, Oliver," Peter stammered with tears in his eyes. "Green Arrow will always be a hero for me. And I will carry him with me."
"I'm at peace," Oliver replied, smiling with tears in his eyes. (He looked at Barry.) "So keep going. Don't ever stop. (He looked at his allies who were mourning his future demise.) Keep going! This world… this new world… it needs all of you."
"We'll protect it," Thor assured him in a loud voice despite being upset.
"Yes, we will," Peter added, nodding his head with tears in his eyes.
Then Oliver looked at the sky again, before finally breathing his last. His eyes closed again. So died Oliver Queen. Green Arrow. Specter.
As Barry and Peter mourned the death of their great friend, Sara and Thor had their eyes fixed on the sky.
"Barry! Peter!" Sara said, looking at the sky sparkling with light.
Then the four heroes once again watched their new universe come into being and grow bigger and bigger.
"An end," Barry said dumbfounded.
"And a beginning," said White Canary.
And they looked again at the lifeless body of the ancient archer.
"Thank you, Oliver," Flash whispered.
"Thank you Green Arrow," Peter said, his eyes clouding with tears.
"Oliver Queen. Green Arrow. Good bye, old friend." Thor said in a broken voice.
Then Sara, Peter, and Barry huddled together, all three mourning Oliver's death, while Thor laid both of his weapons on the ground, gazing both at the former archer's remains, and at the sky brilliant that didn't stop growing.
Then everything began to shine sparkling white… and darkness appeared…
The end and the beginning of a new universe…