The spectacle momentarily captured everyone's attention—heroes, villains, and civilians alike. Even the Red Lanterns paused their assault, turning to witness this dramatic entrance. The water column rose higher, carrying the figure above the battlefield before dispersing in a perfectly orchestrated rainfall that somehow only drenched the Red Lanterns while leaving civilians untouched.
Aquaman landed with earth-shaking impact between Atrocitus and a group of trapped civilians, the remaining water that had carried him now forming a protective barrier around the innocent bystanders. He rose to his full height, tossing his golden hair back with a flick of his head and flashing a confident grin that reached his eyes, every bit as blue as the ocean itself.
"Thanks for attacking a city by the ocean," Arthur Curry called out, twirling his trident with casual expertise. "Very convenient for the water guy."
Barry's eyes widened in recognition. "Aquaman? Seriously? I thought you were just an urban legend!"
"Urban legends don't look this good in scaled armor," Arthur replied with a wink, never taking his eyes off Atrocitus. "Besides, beaches are my jurisdiction. Can't have angry space lobsters ruining perfect surfing conditions."
Tony hovered nearby, his armor's scanning systems already analyzing the newcomer. "JARVIS, are we really getting backup from a guy who talks to fish?"
"According to limited available data, sir, Aquaman appears to possess superhuman strength, durability, and hydrokinetic abilities far beyond mere marine communication."
"So, basically, Nemo on steroids."
Arthur pointed his trident at Tony without looking. "I can hear you, Tin Man. And for the record, I don't talk to fish—they talk to me. Different thing entirely." He paused for dramatic effect. "Also, I can bench press a cruise ship, so there's that."
Atrocitus's eyes narrowed. "Another one. Your planet breeds costumed fools like vermin."
"Says the guy in the glowing red onesie," Arthur retorted, pointing his trident at the harbor behind him. "You're literally fighting me next to seventy percent of my power source. Did you even Google 'Aquaman' before starting this?" He glanced at the Flash. "Do aliens Google things? They should Google things before invading."
Barry stifled a laugh despite the dire situation. "I don't think research is high on their priority list."
"Clearly," Arthur agreed, rolling his shoulders in an exaggerated warm-up motion. "That's like attacking Batman in a cave full of bats. Just tactically unsound, bro."
Atrocitus seemed genuinely perplexed by Arthur's casual demeanor. "You face beings who have destroyed entire civilizations, and you respond with... humor?"
"Dude, I grew up in Maine. You haven't experienced true terror until you've tried to explain to a lobsterman why his traps are empty." Arthur twirled his trident again, the weapon humming with power as water molecules in the air began to coalesce around it. "Besides, world-ending threats are kind of a Tuesday thing for us surface dwellers. You're gonna need better material to impress me."
Before Atrocitus could respond, Skallox descended from above, the bulky Red Lantern's ring generating a massive battle-axe construct. "I'll cleave this one in half," he growled, swinging the crimson axe in a devastating arc toward Arthur's head.
With surprising agility for his size, Aquaman sidestepped the attack and thrust his trident upward, channeling a torrential blast of water directly into Skallox's face. The pressurized stream hit with such force that it knocked the Red Lantern back several hundred feet, his construct dissipating momentarily as he struggled to regain control.
"Water pressure at depth can crush a submarine," Arthur explained, twirling his trident again as water continued to spiral around him. "Just in case you were wondering what that felt like."
"Not bad, Flipper," Tony called down, genuinely impressed despite himself. "Got any other oceanic party tricks?"
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, Robocop," Arthur replied with a cocky grin. He raised his trident skyward, and suddenly the fire hydrants throughout the block erupted simultaneously, their pressurized streams coalescing into water tendrils that snaked through the air with apparent sentience.
"Fun fact about Coast City," Arthur continued conversationally, directing the water with subtle gestures of his trident. "It has over twenty-three thousand fire hydrants connected to an underground water main system that draws directly from the harbor. That's roughly twenty tons of highly pressurized H2O at my command within a ten-block radius." His expression shifted from playful to fierce in an instant. "Let's see how your rage holds up against drowning."
The water tendrils snapped forward with whip-like precision, wrapping around Zilius Zox and Razer before they could react. The liquid hardened to an almost solid state, constricting around the Red Lanterns with crushing force.
"Impressive control," Barry noted, seizing the opportunity to catch his breath. "I thought Atlanteans just grew gills and talked to sea creatures."
"Common misconception," Arthur replied, maintaining his focus on the captured Lanterns. "Though I do have a killer impression of a beluga whale. It's a hit at parties. INCOMING!"
His warning came just in time as Bleez dive-bombed from above, her wings leaving crimson energy trails in her wake. Barry barely managed to pull Arthur aside as her wing-tip carved a trench in the concrete where he'd been standing.
"Thanks, Roadrunner," Arthur said, rolling back to his feet with fluid grace. "Though I totally saw her coming."
"Sure you did, Fish Stick," Tony quipped, firing a repulsor blast that caught Bleez mid-turn, sending her spiraling away. "Next time duck faster—you're dripping on my armor."
"It's called being fashionably moist," Arthur shot back, already repositioning for the next attack. "And it's Aquaman—not Fish Stick, not Flipper, not Neptune, and definitely not Nemo." He paused, considering. "Actually, Neptune's kind of cool. I'll allow Neptune."
Across the plaza, Tony continued his aerial battle with the now-freed Zilius Zox, the exchange of repulsor blasts and red energy constructs lighting up the sky above Coast City. His armor was showing signs of damage, scorch marks marring the red and gold surface where the Red Lantern's attacks had found their mark.
"JARVIS, these energy constructs are disrupting the armor's molecular integrity," Tony noted, executing a complex evasive maneuver. "It's like they're targeting the very bonds holding the metal together."
"Correct, sir. The energy appears to operate on quantum levels, affecting matter in ways our shielding wasn't designed to counter."
Tony dodged another attack, firing a repulsor blast that Zilius simply absorbed into his bloated form. "Great. Let's make a note to develop anti-emotional-space-magic armor for Mark VII, shall we?"
"Already drafting the specifications, sir."
Meanwhile, Arthur found himself locked in single combat with Atrocitus, the massive Red Lantern having determined that the Atlantean posed a genuine threat. Their battle had become a brutal exchange of trident strikes against crimson constructs, with neither gaining a clear advantage.
"You fight well for a primitive," Atrocitus acknowledged, generating a massive hammer that Arthur narrowly deflected with his trident. "Perhaps there is more to your species than I initially suspected."
"I'm only half human," Arthur replied, his earlier joviality replaced by focused intensity. "The other half is something much, much older." With a primal roar, he summoned a massive wave that crashed over Atrocitus with concussive force, driving the Red Lantern into the ground hard enough to create a small crater.
Rather than pressing his advantage, Arthur turned to check on Barry, who was once again engaged with Bleez. The Flash was visibly tiring, his movements fractionally slower than before—a difference imperceptible to most, but clearly evident to someone trained to track prey in the crushing depths of the ocean.
"Flash! Switch!" Arthur called, already launching himself toward the bat-winged Red Lantern. Barry understood immediately, using his remaining speed to break away from Bleez and engage Atrocitus before the Red Lantern leader could fully recover.
"Tag-team!" Barry called out, a grin flashing across his face despite his exhaustion. "I like the way you think, Aquadude!"
"It's Aquaman!" Arthur corrected, though there was no real annoyance in his tone. He landed directly in Bleez's path, his trident crackling with an almost electric energy as the water molecules around it vibrated with potential force. "Hey, Bat-Lady! Let's see if those wings of yours work when they're waterlogged!"
With a vicious swipe of her wing-blade, Bleez barely missed slicing Arthur's face. "Insolent creature," she hissed. "I'll hang your corpse from my chamber wall!"
"Wow, straight to death threats? Not even dinner first?" Arthur quipped, ducking under another swipe. "Has anyone ever told you that you have serious anger management issues?"
"We are the Red Lantern Corps," Bleez snarled, her attacks becoming more frenzied. "Rage is our power!"
"And bad fashion sense is your weakness, apparently," Arthur retorted, his casual banter belying the precision of his movements as he systematically assessed her fighting style. "Seriously, what's with the whole 'anger-themed Hot Topic' aesthetic? Did the Green Lanterns get all the good designers?"
Barry, meanwhile, was locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with Bleez, his speed barely keeping him ahead of her increasingly precise attacks. Despite his best efforts, the Flash was tiring, each near-miss coming closer to connecting.
"Her constructs are becoming more accurate," Wells warned through the comm. "She's learning your patterns, Barry. You need to become unpredictable."
"Easier said than done," Barry gasped, a red energy tendril grazing his shoulder and sending him stumbling. "These things hit like freight trains."
From the corner of his eye, he saw Arthur locked in battle with Atrocitus, the Atlantean seemingly holding his own through a combination of raw power and water manipulation. Tony was still engaged with Zilius Zox high above, the aerial battle looking increasingly one-sided as the Iron Man armor sustained more damage.
"We're putting up a good fight," Barry panted into his comm, "but we're not winning. These things are just too powerful."
Bleez swooped down, her wings spread wide as she prepared to entrap the momentarily vulnerable speedster. "Your speed means nothing against rage, human. We've hunted beings who could traverse galaxies in moments."
As her construct closed around Barry, a blur of blue and red intercepted it, moving with a speed that rivaled the Flash's own. The crimson energy shattered against an immovable form, dispersing into harmless particles that faded into the air. Superman hovered protectively in front of the Flash, his cape billowing in the wind, arms crossed over the iconic 'S' on his chest.
"That's enough," Clark Kent stated simply, his voice carrying an authority that momentarily silenced even the Red Lanterns. "Whatever you're looking for, threatening innocent people isn't the way to find it."
Atrocitus assessed this new arrival, his eyes narrowing at the Kryptonian's presence. "The last son of Krypton. Your reputation precedes you, Kal-El."
"Then you know I'm giving you one chance to stand down," Superman replied evenly. "There are now four of us against five of you, and Earth's military forces are mobilizing as we speak. This doesn't end well for you."
Arthur landed nearby, flashing a grin at the Man of Steel. "About time you showed up, Boy Scout. Some of us have been working up a sweat here."
Superman acknowledged him with a slight nod. "Aquaman. Didn't expect to see you this far north."
"Evil aliens shooting up my favorite coastline? Couldn't miss it." Arthur gestured with his trident toward their red-clad opponents. "Besides, someone had to keep Flash and Iron Man from getting themselves killed before the cavalry arrived."
"Superman," Tony called, momentarily breaking off his engagement with Zilius to hover nearby. "Been a while. How's the engagement treating you?"
Despite the gravity of the situation, Clark's expression softened slightly. "Lois says hello. We were having a nice quiet lunch when these five showed up on every news channel."
"Sorry about that. Seems like these guys didn't get the memo about Earth's 'no cosmic invasions on weekdays' policy." Tony's faceplate retracted briefly, revealing a wry smile. "Just like old times, huh? Metallo and Stane feels like just yesterday."
"Two years," Superman corrected, his expression turning serious again as he refocused on Atrocitus. "Let's catch up after we handle this."
Arthur spun his trident in an elaborate flourish, a habit that seemed equal parts tactical readiness and showmanship. "Four against five? I like those odds better than before. Though I'm counting each of my abs as a separate hero, which really makes it more like ten against five."
"Your math is as impressive as your modesty, Fish Stick," Tony remarked dryly.
"Says the guy whose superpower is having money," Arthur shot back with a good-natured grin.
The Red Lantern leader had been observing this exchange with calculating eyes. "Impressive gathering of champions," he acknowledged. "But futile nonetheless. The ring's energy signature confirms that the Green Lantern is connected to this city. I will reduce it to ash if necessary to draw him out."
Razer, who had been circling the battlefield from above, suddenly descended to hover at Atrocitus's side. "Master, perhaps direct confrontation is unwise. Their combined strength is considerable."
"Your caution betrays weakness, Razer," Atrocitus growled. "These beings, powerful as they may be by this world's standards, are nothing compared to what awaits them when the Blackest Night falls."
The heroes exchanged glances, an unspoken understanding passing between them despite having just met. Superman nodded once, a silent signal that triggered their coordinated attack.
"Now!" Clark shouted, launching himself directly at Atrocitus with blinding speed.
The Man of Steel's fist connected with Atrocitus's jaw, the impact creating a shockwave that shattered windows for blocks around. Any normal being would have been launched into orbit from the force of a blow carrying Superman's full strength. Atrocitus merely staggered backward, his red aura flaring as he absorbed the tremendous kinetic energy.
"Impressive, Kryptonian," Atrocitus snarled, blood-red spittle flying from his lips. "But rage fuels my power, and your attack only feeds it!"
His ring flashed, and a massive crimson fist materialized, catching Superman in mid-air and slamming him through the façade of a nearby office building.
Tony seized the opening, his armor's targeting systems identifying vulnerable points in Atrocitus's stance. "JARVIS, full power to auxiliary repulsors. Let's see if this guy's vulnerable to concentrated energy."
"Calibrating now, sir."
Iron Man's armor reconfigured, panels sliding open across his shoulders, gauntlets, and chest to reveal additional repulsor arrays. They fired simultaneously, converging on Atrocitus in a blinding flash of blue-white energy that momentarily eclipsed even the Red Lantern's crimson glow.
The blast kicked up a cloud of pulverized concrete and superheated air. For a moment, Tony allowed himself a flicker of hope that the combined assault had made an impact. Then a crimson light pulsed from within the dust cloud, growing stronger by the second.
"That... tickled," Atrocitus's voice rumbled as the dust cleared, revealing him standing in a crater of melted asphalt, his red aura now burning even more intensely. "Is that truly the limit of Earth's technology?"
"Not even close," Tony replied, though JARVIS's damage reports scrolling across his HUD told a different story. "That was just the warm-up."
"Sir," JARVIS cautioned, "that discharge depleted arc reactor reserves by 37%. Recommend against further maximum-yield attacks."
"Noted. Time for Plan B." Tony switched to the team comm channel he'd established. "Hey, Neptune! How about that distraction we discussed?"
Arthur, who'd been positioning himself near a major water main beneath the street, flashed a cocky grin. "About time, Robocop! I was getting bored over here."
With a powerful thrust of his trident into the pavement, Aquaman ruptured the massive water pipe beneath, unleashing a torrent that rocketed skyward with the force of an industrial water cannon. But instead of dissipating, the water coalesced into dozens of serpentine tendrils that whipped through the air with deadly precision.
"Fun fact about hydrokinesis," Arthur called out as the water tentacles ensnared Zilius Zox and Bleez, temporarily restraining them. "At sufficient pressures, water can cut through solid steel." He made a slicing motion with his trident. "Let's see how your constructs hold up!"
The water tendrils constricted and accelerated, becoming pressurized cutting jets that sliced through Bleez's wing constructs and scored deep furrows across Zilius's spherical form. Both Red Lanterns shrieked—more in rage than pain—as their rings flared to counter the assault.
"Impudent creature!" Bleez snarled, her ring generating a shield that began to boil the water away on contact. "I'll drown you in your precious ocean!"
Meanwhile, Barry had engaged Skallox and Razer, using his speed to keep both Red Lanterns occupied by appearing to be in multiple places simultaneously. Each time one of them would lock onto his position, he would already be elsewhere, landing quick strikes that individually did little damage but cumulatively began to wear them down.
"Having trouble keeping up?" Barry taunted, sliding beneath a rage-construct axe that embedded itself in the concrete where he'd been milliseconds earlier. "Maybe try anger management classes? I hear meditation works wonders."
Skallox roared in frustration, his constructs becoming increasingly chaotic and destructive as his rage built. "Stand still and die, vermin!"
"Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass," Barry replied, landing a lightning-charged punch to Skallox's kidney region before vanishing again in a blur of crackling electricity. The Flash was perfectly executing the strategy—keeping the less disciplined Red Lanterns distracted and increasingly frustrated while the heavy hitters dealt with Atrocitus.
Superman erupted from the building he'd been smashed through, debris trailing behind him as he re-engaged Atrocitus. This time, he held nothing back, unleashing his heat vision at full power. Twin beams of concentrated solar energy struck the Red Lantern leader directly in the chest, driving him backward through the air.
"Your strength is impressive," Superman acknowledged, maintaining the intense beam. "But I'm just getting started."
For the first time, Atrocitus's expression showed something beyond contemptuous rage—a flicker of genuine surprise. The heat vision was actually penetrating his protective aura, scorching the armored plating of his uniform.
"Your star gives you power, Kryptonian," Atrocitus snarled, raising his ring to create a shield that began to splinter under the continuous assault. "But rage burns hotter than any sun!"
With a roar that seemed to shake the very air, Atrocitus pushed back against the heat vision, his ring projecting a counter-beam of crimson energy that met Superman's attack midway. The collision point flared blindingly bright, the opposing forces creating a localized distortion in the air itself.
Arthur, seeing Superman locked in this power struggle, redirected his water assault to target Atrocitus from behind. "Hey, Red! Forgot something?" he called as a massive column of water slammed into Atrocitus's back with the force of a freight train.
The combined assault momentarily broke Atrocitus's concentration. Superman seized the advantage, accelerating to supersonic speed and delivering a thunderous uppercut that sent the Red Lantern leader soaring upward, momentarily out of the fight.
"Nice combo, Aquafresh," Tony called down, having used the distraction to reposition for another attack run. "You're not completely useless after all."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Tin Man," Arthur replied with a wink, already turning his attention to Bleez, who had broken free of his water restraints and was dive-bombing toward a group of civilians trying to evacuate through a side street.
"Oh no you don't," Arthur muttered, launching himself into an intercept course. He collided with Bleez mid-air, his enhanced Atlantean strength enough to knock her off course. They crashed together through a storefront window, disappearing in a shower of glass and twisted metal.
Inside the ruined shop, Arthur rolled to his feet with fluid grace, trident at the ready. "You know, most women buy me dinner before getting this physical," he quipped, circling warily as Bleez extracted herself from a shattered display counter.
"I will wear your spine as a trophy, surface dweller," she hissed, her wings unfurling to their full impressive span in the confined space.
"Kinky," Arthur replied with a cocky grin, "but I'm going to have to decline." With lightning reflexes, he activated the building's sprinkler system with a precise throw of his trident, then used the resulting water to form a high-pressure blast that pinned Bleez against a wall. "Now stay put while the adults finish talking."
Meanwhile, Tony had joined forces with Barry to take on Razer and Zilius Zox. The Flash was creating speed mirages to confuse their targeting while Iron Man picked them off with precision repulsor blasts whenever they committed to attacking a false image.
"Not bad, McSpeedy," Tony remarked as another of his blasts caught Zilius square in his grotesquely wide mouth. "We should take this show on the road. Vegas would love it."
"I'm more of a Central City guy," Barry replied, his voice slightly strained from the exertion of maintaining multiple speed mirages simultaneously. "Less glitz, better coffee."
Their tactical coordination was proving effective—until Razer demonstrated why he was Atrocitus's second-in-command. The calculated Red Lantern stopped attacking the mirages entirely, instead scanning the battlefield with cold precision. His ring pulsed once, then projected a crimson energy field that expanded outward in all directions simultaneously.
"Speed cannot outrun rage that fills all space," Razer stated, his usual calm demeanor returning as his ring's energy field eliminated Barry's room to maneuver.
The Flash slammed into the energy field at full speed, the impact sending him tumbling painfully across the shattered concrete. Before he could recover, Zilius pounced, generating a cage construct around the momentarily stunned speedster.
"Got you," the spherical Red Lantern gurgled with perverse delight. "Atrocitus will reward me for capturing the fast one!"
"Not today, Meatball," Tony interrupted, diverting all remaining power to his central repulsor. The unibeam struck with enough force to shatter Zilius's construct and send him careening through the air. "You okay down there, Usain?"
Barry staggered to his feet, one hand pressed against his ribs where the impact had clearly done damage. "Been better. These guys hit harder than they look."
"And they look like they hit pretty hard to begin with," Tony agreed, his armor's scans showing Barry's elevated heart rate and signs of internal bleeding. "Maybe sit the next play out, kid."
"Not a chance," Barry replied, determination overriding pain as he steadied himself. "We're just getting to the good part."
Across the plaza, Superman had re-engaged with Atrocitus, their battle escalating to new heights—literally, as they traded blows hundreds of feet above the city. Each impact created thunder-like concussions that reverberated through downtown. Clark was fighting with uncharacteristic intensity, recognizing that this opponent could actually withstand his full strength.
"Your world has seen nothing yet, Kryptonian," Atrocitus growled during a momentary pause in their exchange. "The Red Lantern Corps is merely the harbinger of what approaches."
"Whatever's coming," Superman replied, "Earth stands ready." He punctuated his declaration with another devastating punch that sent Atrocitus plummeting toward the ground.
The Red Lantern leader crashed into the center of the plaza, creating a crater that ruptured gas and water lines beneath the street. As Atrocitus rose from the impact, his rage had reached new heights. His ring pulsed with power that seemed to distort the very air around it.
"The time for restraint has passed," he snarled, his voice dropping to a register so low it was nearly subsonic. "Let us end this charade."
He raised his ring, which pulsed with intensifying crimson light. "Let them witness true power."
What happened next occurred so quickly that even Barry had difficulty tracking it. Atrocitus's ring erupted with energy that coalesced into dozens of massive constructs simultaneously—crimson blades, hammers, and spiked projectiles that tore through the air toward the assembled heroes from every direction.
Superman moved to intercept the deadliest constructs aimed at civilian areas, his invulnerable form absorbing impacts that would have leveled buildings. The Flash became a lightning-streaked blur, evacuating people from the path of destruction. Iron Man deployed a series of defensive drones from compartments in his armor, each generating localized repulsor shields at strategic points throughout the plaza. Aquaman commanded a massive wave from the harbor, using it to cushion impacts and sweep civilians to safety.
Despite their efforts, the sheer scale of Atrocitus's attack was overwhelming. Buildings crumbled, vehicles were crushed, and destruction spread through Coast City's downtown in expanding waves. The other Red Lanterns, seemingly energized by their leader's display, renewed their own assaults with terrifying ferocity.
Bleez dive-bombed Arthur, her wing-blades slicing through his water shields and scoring a deep gash across his shoulder before he could fully evade. Razer systematically disabled Tony's defensive drones one by one, his precisely calibrated constructs disrupting their repulsor fields. Zilius Zox and Skallox coordinated their attacks against Barry, hemming in his evacuation routes and forcing him to expend precious energy creating new pathways through the destruction.