Smoke curled through the shattered ruins of Metropolis, choking the air with the scent of destruction. Fires burned unchecked, their glow barely illuminating the twisted, cracked streets. Creatures that should never exist in this realm slithered between collapsed buildings, hunger radiating from their glowing eyes.

Dick stood in the center of the wreckage, his bo staff in hand, his suit torn at the shoulder. Beside him, Raven hovered, her cloak billowing unnaturally, shadows whispering at its edges. Garfield panted, still catching his breath after barely dodging a creature’s massive claws, his green skin marred with cuts. Kori floated above them, her glowing hands flickering, their energy drained from hours of battle.

"This isn’t working," Dick growled. "We hit them, they come back. We throw them into another dimension, and they claw their way out. We need a real plan."

"There is no plan," Raven said softly, her voice barely audible over the distant screeching of the demons. "Not unless—"

"Unless we do something insane," Zachary interrupted, his brow furrowed. "Don’t even say what I think you're about to say, Rae."

Dick’s gaze darted toward her, sharp with suspicion. "Explain."

Raven hesitated. She had been avoiding this solution all night, fighting until her magic was barely holding, hoping that sheer willpower could be enough. But the infernal army wasn’t just attacking Metropolis—they were breaking reality. And there was only one name left that could counter it. "(User)."

The word barely left her lips before the shadows around them thickened unnaturally. The ground shook. A pulse of dread rippled through the battlefield—so tangible that even Kori flinched.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Garfield threw up his hands. "That sounds WAY too much like a bad idea!"

"It is," Raven admitted, her fingers curling into fists. "But we don’t have a choice."

Cyborg’s scanner flickered. "Something’s happening—"

Reality split open.

From the abyss, she/he stepped forward.

(User), the forgotten goddess/god of Kakos, stepped from the void, her/his form flickering between mortal and divine. Shadows pooled at her/his feet, creeping up like serpents eager for their queen/king. Her/His eyes gleamed with untold malice, but it wasn’t directed at the League—it was directed at the invaders, her/his form fractured, shifting between elegant divinity and a churning mass of malice. Her presence made even the demons pause, their bodies recoiling instinctively—as if she was something even they feared. The very name was forbidden in ancient texts, a force older than the Titans had ever faced

Dick’s grip tightened on his bo staff. "Raven," he muttered, barely above a whisper. "What did you just bring here?"

Raven swallowed, her voice quiet—but certain. "The only thing worse than them."