Powerless - A My Hero Academia/ DC Crossover

Chapter 69: Invasion of the Gods

John Stewart was a soldier.

Born to the crime-riddled streets of Detroit, Michigan, from an early age fighting was all he had ever known. His mother worked hard to support him and his sister, and without a father to protect them, he put it upon himself to take up that burden. But the violence didn't stop. The fighting never stopped. He worked hard day in and day out to keep his family safe from the gangs and murderers that plagued their streets. Even those who he would have turned to for help, who swore to protect innocents like them, were either unwilling or unable to help them in their time of need. This hardship took its toll on the poor child, but it did instill in him one ideal that would forever embed itself into his heart....

Justice.

To stand for those who could not stand for themselves. To fight for those who were powerless. To become the shield and beacon of light for those whose darkness threatened to overtake them. He would become that shield, that beacon. It led him to fight back against the tide of corruption in his neighborhood, and led him to fight for his country in the United States Marine Corps, where he quickly became a dangerous and feared marksman among his enemies.

But that all came to a change after he was discharged for standing up against a superior officer for what he believed in during the Anarky crisis in Gotham City. This injustice did not sit well with the young soldier, but he was forced to swallow the bitter pill as it boiled his blood. He tried to find other ways to improve the world around him through studying architecture and design. For a time he was willing to put the fighting behind him and lead a life of peace.

But peace is a luxury a soldier can ill afford, and the universe had other plans for him.

Chosen by the Oa to bear the Lantern's Ring was more than he could have ever wanted. A power that he did not take lightly, he used this tool and his new abilities well, quickly becoming a revered and respected white knight among the Lantern Corps.

But now, the Corps was all but decimated, and the Guardians destroyed. And Oa was burning. Burning from Hellfire. And standing before him, grasping his throat tightly as he struggled in vain to free himself, was a monster more fearsome than even the most devilish of Satan's armies: the God of Darkness, the demon himself.

Darkseid.

"You have fought well, Green Lantern," Darkseid said, his grip tightening. "But your Masters are destroyed, and your armies vanquished. But I am not without mercy. You must only speak my name and bow to me, and I will grant you a warrior's death."

John gasped for air as Darkseid's grip was loosened, dropping him to the floor. He looked at his ring, which was cracked and broken on his finger. It would no longer be able to protect him, to fight for him. He was simply a man now, facing the might of a god.

But he was a soldier.

If he was going to die, it would be on his feet.

He struggled to his feet, staring defiantly into the eyes of his oppressor. "In....brightest day...in blackest night," he choked, his voice straining after being strangled. "No evil...shall escape my sight...."

John was thrown sideways as Darksied's clenched fist collided with his face, sending him crashing into the rubble beside them. He knew this attack was not at full power, otherwise, he would be dead. Darkseid was toying with him. Once again, he struggled to his feet, spitting blood onto the floor as he coughed violently. He could feel that his lung had collapsed, and he had several broken ribs.

"For those....who worship...evil's might..." he said, struggling as he began to black out. "Beware...my power....Green Lantern's Light!"

Darkseid simply laughed as John continued to stand obstinate against him. "Very well, warrior," he said. "If you simply complied, your death would have been quick and painless. But now, I have something else planned for you." He reached out and grabbed John by the throat once again, holding a remote-like device, pressing the button on the top of it. There was a loud explosion beside them as a tear formed in the fabric of space and time, opening like a window. John looked in horror as he saw the planet on the other side of that window.