Chapter 268
Chapter 268:
–Batman–
The jet they had commandeered landed on the hidden island of Themyscira without any issues. He had been expecting a high-speed chase through the upper atmosphere after their daring escape from prison, but a chase never happened. In fact, no one in the regime even seemed to care that he had escaped. Batman figured they were all too busy scrambling to do damage control for the global broadcast he had released.
“Island of lesbian hopes and dreams, here I come!” Harley grinned excitedly as she turned off the engines.
Batman raised a curious eyebrow underneath his mask. “I thought you preferred men. You were with the Joker for years,” he said.
“Meh, he got me off… but he never really got me going, you know what I mean, Bats?” Harley wiggled her brows at him. She then hopped out of the cockpit and landed on the ground below with the grace of an experienced acrobat. She held her hands up in the air and cheered, “Harley sticks the landing, and the crowd goes wild!”
Batman sighed as he hopped out of the vehicle and landed next to her. He wished he didn't know what she meant… but he sadly did. Everyone had a preferred type. There was a reason he was so attracted to Catwoman and Talia. Sexy villains in tight leather really got him going…
“What should we do now, Bats?” Harley asked.
“We need to make our way to the palace,” he said, proceeding to walk toward the largest building nearby. Thankfully, the landing pad the Amazons had built for their Princess was close to the center of the island and the palace itself.
As expected, their arrival on the island did not go unnoticed.
“Halt, outsiders! What are you doing on our island?” an Amazon soldier bellowed, brandishing her spear.
“One of them is a man! How dare he step foot on our island!” another woman yelled, gripping her sword. She looked like she was about to attack him then and there.
“Wait! …I recognize the ‘man of bats.’ He is a friend of the Princess. She returned to our island earlier. We will escort you to the palace, but know that you are not welcome here, man,” the first Amazon said while lowering her weapon.
Batman sighed in relief. He had already had quite a long day and wanted to save any of his fighting energy for confronting members of Superman's regime. It was also good to know that the average Amazon didn’t seem to know that he and Wonder Woman no longer had a friendly relationship. That meant she hadn’t managed to subvert the Amazon people to Superman’s cause yet.
“Where is the Princess?” he asked the Amazon with the spear. She at least didn’t look like she wanted to murder him on the spot.
“She landed a half hour ago and should be in the palace with the Queen and the Royal guests.”
Harley perked up. “Guests? Is one of them that super sexy Angel with the awesome glowing purple eyes? The one who was kicking Superman’s ass!?”
The two Amazons glanced at each other curiously. “We do not know what you’re talking about. We’ve been stuck guarding out here all day,” one of them said.
Batman immediately concluded that neither woman knew what was going on. That wasn’t completely unexpected. It was a big island, and the Amazons tended to reject technology. They had no phones or radios to relay messages to each other.
They walked through the city for a few minutes to reach the palace grounds. Batman kept his head forward and made a point to not look any of the gawking women in the eye.
That would only make them more aggressive…
Harley whistled loudly when they reached the gates. “Wow, this place is swanky,” she said while looking around. “And all the women I’ve seen so far have been… so hot!”
Batman chose not to reply to that comment. He was already getting enough attention as it was by being the only man currently on the entire island—not counting Superman who should still be fighting in the skies above.
Batman unfortunately hadn't been able to monitor how the fight was going once they had taken off from the prison. He hoped that Superman would be defeated, but the pessimist inside him didn’t think it would be that easy. Even if Superman was being beaten one-on-one, he still had numerous allies he could call on for aid.
That's why Batman was here on the island. He wanted to help the woman fighting Superman. He was here to take down any Justice League members that showed up to help the Man of Steel. He just hoped he wasn't too late. The flight to the island had taken half an hour.
The battle might already be over…
BOOOOOM!
“Woah!” Harley placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. “What the fuck!? I think my eardrums just popped.”
A massive explosion took place in the sky above them. Whatever had caused it was so powerful that the entire island shook!
“Kyaaaah!”
“The sky and the ground are trembling! Are the gods fighting!?”
“Everybody hide! We do not want to be caught up in their wrath!”
The two Amazons that had been escorting them, along with all the other nearby women, fled to the nearest shelters as fast as possible. Batman was impressed at how quickly the streets became empty. He wondered if gods fighting each other was a regular occurrence. Was this the Amazon version of a fire drill?
“Let's get inside and find out what's happening!” Batman said, throwing open the gates. The women guarding it had also abandoned their posts.
In fact, no one stopped them as they entered the palace. All the women inside looked too shocked at what was happening. The interior was a complete wreck, evidence of a massive super-powered fight.
“Who are you?” a beautiful woman called out as he turned a corner. Her hair and eyes were both impossible shades of silver. She was adorned in a beautiful set of silver armor that was literally glowing.
She also had her foot on top of Diana's unconscious body.
“I'm Batman. Who are you?” he asked warily.
“I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. Are you an ally of this errant Princess? You're dressed in a silly little costume just like her boy-toy was,” the goddess replied.
A goddess…? Wonder Woman always claimed the Greek gods were real, but he had never met one in person. He quickly searched his memories for all the lore he had on Artemis. She was allegedly a maiden goddess who hated men. It wasn't surprising that she would be on Themyscira.
What was surprising was how easily she seemed to have defeated Wonder Woman. Artemis’s silver armor barely had more than a few scuff marks.
“I am not her ally. I was… once. Now I stand against her and Superman’s regime. We came to help the black-winged woman face Superman,” Batman said.
Artemis scoffed. “I can sense that you are a skilled hunter, but rest assured, Layla needs no help. Your Superman will be no match for her. In fact, I can already sense that the battle has concluded,” she said, and his eyes widened under his cowl.
“Did Supes lose!?” Harley asked loudly while running up to the goddess. “Nice to meetcha, gorgeous! I'm Harley! Did that sexy Angel broad really take down Superman?”
“Her name is Layla, and yes she did. I can sense her descending now,” Artemis said, taking her foot off Diana. She started walking toward the palace entrance, presumably to greet the victorious Angel.
Batman and Harley followed after her as they backtracked outside.
…
–Layla–
I had the former Yellow Lantern Hal Jordan and Black Adam slung underneath my arms as I descended from the sky. After Superman had been blasted away, they tried to flee from me. I thought differently. They came to fight me, so I demanded they stay and fight.
It wasn't much of a fight, to be honest. Even combined, they only lasted about a minute.
“Hi, Artemis! How was your fight with Wonder Woman?” I asked while tossing both unconscious men to the ground. Hal Jordan let out a pained groan. He was no longer a superpowered being.
My Artificial Sacred Gear really seemed to like snacking on magic rings. After I took down the second Yellow Lantern of the day, it had gobbled up Hal’s Power Ring.
[You're gonna regret feeding that thing one day… I'm just saying.]
Artemis smiled at me warmly. “Welcome back. My battle with the Princess wasn't very exciting. She relied on her flying too much while fighting with her sword. Swords are weapons that require your whole body to wield. That can only be achieved if your feet are firmly planted on the ground.”
I tilted my head. Was that true? I really didn't know much about sword fighting. I only used my Asauchi once and I was flying when I fought with it. Then again, I was fighting Mephisto… he wasn't exactly a martial expert. I'm pretty sure the only reason he was swinging around a giant flaming sword was that he thought it looked edgy and cool.
“I'll take your word for it,” I told Artemis before turning to the two people accompanying her. I had trouble keeping the smile off my face. Batman and Harley Quinn were both here!
“Layla of the Fallen… I am Batman. I'd like to ask you about what happened—” Batman was abruptly cut off when I shoved paper and a pen directly in front of his face. He blinked at me in confusion.
Where did I get the paper and pen? I obviously created them both just now with Creation of All Things.
“Can I have your autographs!?” I asked both of them.
Harley laughed and snatched the paper away before Batman could collect himself. “Sure thing, toots,” Harley said while signing her name. “It's always good to meet a fan! Do you want me to sign anything else… or maybe somewhere else?” She fluttered her eyes at me while blatantly staring at my chest.
She would sign my boobs if I asked her to…
I was very tempted to accept her offer. How often did Harley Quinn sign someone's tits?
[Probably more often than you think.]
A cough and a glare from Artemis, unfortunately, stopped us.
“...I'm fine with just the signed paper,” I said, pouting at Artemis.
She gave me a look that said, “we'll be talking about this later.”
Was I acting a bit like a fangirl? Yes, I was. I couldn't help it though. I was a huge fan of the Harley Quinn animated series back in my past life!
Batman sighed before taking the paper out of Harley’s hands. He pulled out his own pen from his utility belt. He signed his name and handed it back to me. I immediately stored it in my inventory. I was going to properly frame it and hang it on my wall when I got back home.
“Can I continue?” Batman asked.
“Sure! What do you want to know?” I asked with a smile, not knowing quite yet just how many in-depth questions he was about to hit me with…
…
–Batman–
He could hardly believe it. He'd hoped, but he could still hardly believe it was possible. Superman had been defeated and was on the run—he had even lost an entire arm. Wonder Woman had been beaten to an inch of her life and was currently locked away in the dungeons underneath Themyscira’s Royal Palace. According to her mother, she was going to be locked away down there for the next 1,000 years for openly rebelling against the gods. Apparently, the other pantheons in the world we're not going to be happy with Wonder Woman for wiping out the Greek pantheon and “disrupting the balance.”
Whatever that meant… Knowing his luck, it was nothing good.
Hal Jordan had been permanently depowered with the destruction of his ring, and Black Adam was given a black metal collar by Layla. According to her, it would stop him from using his magic to escape when he woke up. The collar was also nearly indestructible and could only be unlocked by Layla or with the proper key—the proper key that did not exist. Batman had asked Layla not to make one. Without access to his magic, Black Adam would eventually die of old age in prison for his numerous crimes against humanity.
It had only been a couple of hours, and yet everything had changed.
The world was currently in the middle of simultaneous celebration and rebellion. Members of Superman's regime across the planet were being arrested in droves. Governments of nations everywhere were quickly scrambling to regain control.
The Vatican was absolutely losing its mind. Millions of people were flocking to Rome. They were all convinced that their prayers had finally been answered. That God had sent “His last daughter” down from Heaven to save them from Superman.
And what was their savior doing now? She was munching on a burger and sipping a chocolate milkshake. “Wow! This was definitely worth the hype! We need this chain back home,” Layla said before taking another big bite.
“I am not usually a fan of greasy food, but this shake is quite divine,” Artemis said while sipping her own milkshake.
Her favorite flavor was strawberry.
Batman didn't necessarily need to note that fact down, but he tended to make extensive notes about every superpowered being he came across. In the past, people would have called him paranoid, but after half of the world's superheroes openly tried to enslave the planet, he doubted anyone would call him that anymore.
“Are you sure you don't want anything, Batsy? Not even some fries? I can't imagine the food in prison was very good. I've been in and out of prison a bunch of times, and the food always sucked,” Harley said while dipping her fries in ketchup.
“I'm not hungry…” Batman grumbled before his stomach actually grumbled.
The three women all gave him deadpan stares which he promptly ignored. Okay, he was hungry, but he would eat later. There were much more important things to take care of first!
The most important being…
“What do you mean you're leaving!?” Batman asked Layla. She couldn't leave yet! Superman had been defeated, yes, but he had yet to be fully captured. Even with only one arm, he was still going to be incredibly dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous now that he was so badly wounded.
“Yeah, you can't leave, Layla. You just got here! Let's at least have a super passionate threesome before you go. You, me, and Artemis—what do you say?” Harley asked, completely serious. “Do you like being on top? Do you want me to be on top? I'm honestly fine with whatever!”
"That's an amazing idea. I accept, of course!” Layla declared with a happy grin.
Artemis scoffed and slapped Layla on the shoulder. “Absolutely not! I will not have my first time including some random woman off the street!” Artemis protested and Layla whined.
Harley giggled. “You're still a virgin, Artemis!? That's adorable! …but wait? Aren't you like thousands of years old?”
Artemis blushed in clear embarrassment. “My sex life is of no concern to mortals!” she declared while focusing back on her milkshake. She was clearly taking big, long gulps so she didn't have to talk anymore.
Layla giggled and wrapped an arm around Artemis. “My beautiful maid here is just shy. Don't mind her.”
“Maid…?” Harley asked before a lewd grin spread across her face. She snickered at the still-blushing goddess. “So you're into some master-servant play? That's so kinky, I love it!”
“T–That’s n–not what being her maid means! I am Layla’s personal maid, I'll have you know!” she declared… proudly?
Batman was confused as to why a haughty goddess whose lifespan was measured in millennia would be happy to be someone's maid. He then noticed the sneaking glances of love Artemis kept sending in Layla’s direction when the other woman wasn’t looking, and he figured Harley might be onto something. Did the goddess have some kind of submission fetish? You know what… never mind. He didn’t want his thoughts going down that path. He needed to get everyone back on topic. Layla had already finished eating her Big Belly Burger and looked like she was ready to leave.
“You can’t leave! Superman has lost most of the Justice League, but he will be back for revenge. There’s no telling the atrocities that he’ll commit to try and reclaim everything he lost today. You have to stay, this world needs a chance to recover,” Batman swallowed his pride and pleaded with Layla.
She looked at him pityingly before she let out a sigh. “...I can’t stay, I have a family waiting for me back in my home Universe. There’s also the fact that my harem members' relatives are currently visiting and I can’t just skip out on all of that.”
“We’ve already stayed hours longer than we were supposed to. It’s already past morning back home,” Artemis added. “We have to get back.”
Batman’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Was there really no way to convince them to stay?
“But…” Layla continued and he perked up with hope. “...I will leave a Shadow Clone here with half of my power. It should have more than enough juice to take down Superman when he shows back up.”
“A shadow clone?” he asked curiously.
The Angel placed her fingers together in the sign of a cross. A puff of white smoke manifested next to her. When the smoke cleared away, a second Layla appeared. She was completely identical to the original.
Harley ran up to the clone and hugged her/it excitedly. “You can create CLONES? That is so hot! That must be such an amazing ability to use in the bedroom!”
Batman sighed at Harley’s horny antics but he was at least grateful that Layla had left them with some protection. Even with only half power, a being like her was an absolute game changer.
XXX
Omake: Layla’s DC Clone, Part 1
I watched the portal close behind them. The original me returned to her home universe with Artemis. She had gone back to deal with her Devil in-laws. I had all of her memories so I was well aware that she was not looking forward to that…
Harley Quinn continued to cling to me. Part of me wondered where all the attraction Harley had for me came from, but then I remembered that Harley Quinn was crazy and trying to figure her out was a waste of time. If she’s into me, then she’s into me.
“So, what’s being a clone like?” Harley asked me curiously.
“It is strange. I am a fleeting existence, and yet I find myself perfectly fine with that fact. I was created to serve a specific purpose and will fulfill it to the best of my ability before I am popped,” I explained.
Harley whined and hugged me tighter. “Noooo!! You can’t go POP! You just got here! That stuck-up Artemis is gone now, we can have as much fun as we want! I can’t wait to introduce you to Ivy. We can bust her out of prison and the three of us can have a super steamy threesome together~! Ivy can create these tentacles with her plants that are absolutely—”
“Please stop talking, Harley.” Batman interrupted. “For my sanity… please stop putting all those images in my head…”
Harley simply laughed at Batman’s mortification, and I found myself laughing with her.
I had to admit that I was curious about the offer. The original Layla was never into tentacles, but maybe she just needed to try it first? Maybe after I popped, she would get my memories and find that she is into them? I wasn’t sure whether my memories could travel across entire universes, though, so she might not.
“They won't. Your memories won't carry over such a vast distance,” a young girl's voice said next to me. I was momentarily startled. I hadn’t sensed anyone getting close to us!
I noticed that all the noises around me had gone silent except for her voice. I turned my head and found a teenage goth girl sitting on the bench next to Batman. The Dark Knight didn’t react to her arrival at all. In fact, he wasn’t even moving–he was completely frozen. Everything around us was completely frozen in place.
“I froze time so that I could properly speak with you,” the girl said. She looked and felt incredibly familiar to me.
“Death?” I asked her.
She smiled at me softly. “You’re correct, but I prefer Didi. Didi of the Endless. I have a proposition for you. I’ve seen your original's effectiveness and can’t help but feel slightly jealous of Lady Death. How would you like to be my Champion in this universe? I have the power to turn you into a real girl if you accept…”
XXX