Asuka Kazama Ryona
Club Regular
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2018
I wrote this story in fulfillment of Donation Goals that I set up on my Discord server here: Join the AKR Stories Discord Server!
Flashes of green and sounds of thunder cut through the absolute pandemonium of Parademon-infested Coast City. The flashes of green came from Hal Jordan as his Power Ring held hordes of Parademons at bay, keeping them from joining their comrades on the ground. Every time a boom tube would open up, the Green Lantern manifested a giant electrical plug to push the Apokoliptian shock troops back where they came from and shut the portal off until it finally dissipated.
The sounds of thunder came from Wonder Woman’s fists and kicks as she decimated the Parademons that were on the streets below. She was a blur, a deadly maelstrom of blows that moved through crowds of Parademons with ease. Though reinforcements kept pouring in from portals opening on the ground, her deadly efficiency in clearing her enemies put their numbers at a steady decline. After all, she was a trained Amazon with powers that rivaled the gods of Olympus; the Parademons were nothing to her but insects waiting to be crushed.
Diana. Martian Manhunter’s voice was loud and clear as it suddenly echoed in her head. Gateway City has been attacked. It’s serious. You need to go there, now.
She was busy turning two Parademons in front of her into grease stains with her fists when her stomach dropped at the news she received. Gateway City was the place she called home outside of Themyscira, and the city she swore to herself that she would protect.
I’ll be there, J’onn. I’m just cleaning up here in Coast City, and I can fly over there shortly. Her telepathic reply to J’onn betrayed none of the dread she felt. She couldn’t think about what might have happened and lose her composure. Instead, she started thinking about the fastest way she could fly back to her city as she smashed more Parademons while on autopilot.
Barry is done with evacuation, and he and his team are coming very soon to help Hal there. You can let them take over. Without another word, Wonder Woman jumped high into the air and tore through the skies.
J’onn, what happened there?
It’s one of Darkseid’s furies, Lashina. She boom tubed in, and started wreaking havoc in the downtown area. And she sent out a message for you. She called for Wonder Woman to face her in battle, alone, or else she would level the city completely.
Wonder Woman flew faster. Then if it’s a fight she wants from me, it’s a fight I’m damn well going to give to her.
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Horror.
Horror gripped Wonder Woman’s heart as she flew down to a boulevard in downtown Gateway City -- or rather, what was left of it. Just the day before, she was walking through its busy streets full of life; there were kids running home from schools nearby, tourists walking around and taking pictures of the sights, and people going to work in the many places of business that were there.
Now all she could see was rubble all around her, with towers of smoke filling the air as fires roared everywhere as far as she could see. There was a cacophony of sirens, helicopter blades, and shouts as rescuers and firefighters scrambled to help people in danger. And as much as Diana wanted to help, she knew she was needed somewhere else. She jumped high into the air again, flying briefly through the city until she saw Union Square. And in the center of the empty, wide-open space, she spotted a figure clad in all-black bodysuit with white markings all over.
“Lashina!”
Lashina turned and there was Wonder Woman, was bearing down on her like a missile-
BOOM!!
A shockwave kicked up clouds of dust in the air as Wonder Woman rocketed into the ground. Lashina’s face would have been in a crater on the ground if she hadn’t caught Wonder Woman’s fist with her hand.
“So I see you got my message?”
“You monster!” Wonder Woman drew her fist back from Lashina’s hand, and delivered a brutal kick that Lashina blocked with both arms, but it still sent her skidding back several meters on the ground. The enraged Amazon flew at her like a bullet and swung a haymaker at her; there was a boom as loud as thunder as her fist slammed into her opponent’s guard. Lashina was sent flying, but she landed on her feet several more meters away without too much trouble.
“Is that all, Wonder Woman? I haven’t even broken a sweat yet! Try harder… or maybe you’re okay with letting me wipe this whole city off the map?” Lashina had a smile on her face as she bent her knees and readied herself to dodge.
“No,” replied Wonder Woman firmly as she took off after Lashina, “you’re not going to hurt anyone else ever again!” She put her fists together, raised them high in the air, and brought them down like a hammer on Lashina. She barely jumped out of the way in time. The blow hit the ground instead, throwing up a small cloud of dirt and debris that obscured Wonder Woman.
“And if I have to put you down to protect this city…”
A golden cord burst from the smokescreen made by Wonder Woman’s punch on the ground and snaked itself around Lashina’s legs. Lashina yelped in surprise as the rope tugged on her bound limbs. She lost her balance and fell on her back, and the tug on the rope brought her to the feet of Wonder Woman.
“...then so be it.” This time, there was no escape for Lashina. Wonder Woman punched down, smashing her fist squarely into Lashina’s face.
BOOM!!!
The blow had the force of a small explosion, and it formed a crater in the ground where Lashina lay unmoving. Wonder Woman picked her Lasso of Truth up and coiled it back onto her hip as she looked at her fallen foe coldly. “You gave me no choice, Lashina.”
She turned and walked away, thinking where she needed to go next in the city. Then she froze as her ears picked up movement behind her.
“I have to admit, princess, that one hurt.” Wonder Woman whirled around quickly and her eyes bulged as she saw Lashina standing, fixing her dislocated jaw. She was fast to contain her initial surprise, and then her eyes narrowed into slits as she spoke.
“Surrender, Lashina. I don’t know how you got back up from that, but if you do not surrender, I’ll make sure you won’t get back up next time.” The threat was met by a cackle from the Apokoliptian warrior.
“Oh, Wonder Woman. You never wondered why I called you out here.” In the blink of an eye, Lashina rushed right up in the Amazon’s grill. Wonder Woman had no chance to react, and had no chance to dodge Lashina’s punch straight to her face.
“UGH!”
The punch took Wonder Woman off her feet and blew her back, and her body hit the ground hard. She rolled a few times before coming to a stop while flat on her stomach. Wonder Woman stayed prone, her bell rung by the blow; spots of light danced in front of her eyes before she blinked them away. She tried to get up, but Lashina stomped her foot down on the back of her head.
“Agh!”
Wonder Woman yelped as her pretty face met concrete again. And try as she might, she couldn’t push herself off the ground as Lashina stepped on her and kept her down.
“You remember Parasite, don’t you, Amazon? The purple being that absorbs power? We abducted him months ago, and we found a way to imbue ourselves with his abilities. So now, every punch you land on me...”
Wonder Woman felt Lashina step off of her to pull her up by her hair. As soon as they were at eye level, she clocked the Female Fury across the jaw. Lashina’s head was whipped to the side, but she casually turned back to face Wonder Woman, seemingly unfazed.
“...will go right back to you!” Lashina shot a punch right up into Wonder Woman’s gut.
“AUUGHH!!”
Even Diana’s armor couldn’t protect her stomach enough from the sheer force of Lashina’s empowered blow. She crumpled to her knees, instantly incapacitated by the vicious gut punch.
What in Hades’... she’s this strong?!
The last time she’d taken a hit like that, it was against a being that could kill Superman himself. And as she knelt on the ground, stunned and breathless, she had no way of protecting herself from Lashina bringing her fists down on the back of her head.
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Gods… did I black out?
Diana could feel her head hurting as her senses returned to her. She wasted no time getting up despite the pain from Lashina’s blows, pain that was rapidly receding anyway thanks to her regenerative powers. Her enemy was a few steps away from her, looking at her hands and talking to herself.
“The energy of the Old Gods, combined with my New God physiology… this is incredible!” Lashina looked up, her silvery eyes staring straight into Wonder Woman’s. “Thank you, Wonder Woman. With your power, I can raze this entire city and finally earn the respect of Lord Darkseid!”
“You will do no such thing!” Wonder Woman rushed at Lashina again, this time with the knowledge of the Fury’s power absorption ability. Hitting her directly only makes her stronger, so I have to switch it up!
She grabbed Lashina by her collar and by her sleeve, wrapped her leg around Lashina’s knee, and tried to get her off-balance and slam her down. But Lashina didn’t budge on the takedown attempt; she held her ground and easily pushed the Amazon back. Wonder Woman was forced to let go, and all she earned for her troubles was a quick punch to her throat. Her eyes widened and an inhuman choking sound escaped her, as her ability to breathe was suddenly robbed from her. Stunned yet again, Wonder Woman was left wide open to a kick that crashed into her jaw.
WHAM!
The kick sent Wonder Woman skywards, and her mouth opened in a silent scream as she flew up high into the air. Lashina didn’t wait for her to go into free fall; she extended her hand towards Wonder Woman, and a long white whip shot out from her bodysuit and wrapped itself around the airborne heroine’s leg. She yanked down hard on the whip, sending Wonder Woman plummeting back down to earth with great force.
BLAM!
For a brief moment, Wonder Woman was a motionless heap atop cracked concrete. Her body hurt like hell and her breathing was still strained, but she knew she couldn’t stay down. She rolled over to her side, propped herself up with her arms, and then clambered up to her feet -- exactly what her opponent was waiting for. The Fury was already on Wonder Woman, and as soon as she got up, Lashina smashed her in the face with an elbow strike.
“Ugh!” Wonder Woman staggered back, shaken by the blow. But instead of letting herself get knocked down again, she grit her teeth and kept herself standing. She wiped blood off her busted lip and stared at Lashina intently. Her strength and speed are above godlike now, but I can still see her attacks coming! I can’t overpower her, but I can still outfight her if she keeps being predictable.
Lashina reared her arm back and Diana immediately telegraphed an incoming swing. There! she thought. Her battle-hardened instincts told her what she needed to do; dodge the punch while latching onto Lashina’s arm, and use her own momentum against her to slam her down on the ground. But it didn’t happen. The Fury’s raw speed was too much for Wonder Woman, and a vicious left hook bashed her in the face before she could even get in position for her counter.
“GUH!” Wonder Woman’s head was rocked to the side. The punch hit her hard enough to keep her stunned for a moment, a moment that Lashina capitalized on by grabbing the hurt Amazon by her shoulders and pulling her into a vicious kneelift into her solar plexus.
“GAAUGH!”
Diana’s breath was knocked right out of her and she fell to one knee, clutching her chest with a hand. She was desperately gasping for air and starting to feel a little lightheaded. Her mind yelled at her to climb back up to her feet, but she needed a little more time to recover and get her breath back. It was time that she didn’t have. Lashina yanked her hair, stood her up, and unloaded an all-out assault on her.
“UNGH! GUHH!! AAUGGHH!!”
Wonder Woman could do nothing but cry out in pain as she was pounded with blows that came in from every angle; her head became a punching bag, battered to and fro repeatedly by Lashina’s fists.
“AAAGGHH!!”
She screamed as Lashina clapped the sides of her head hard. Wonder Woman was stupefied; her temples throbbed angrily and her ears rang from Lashina’s brutal thunderclap attack.
“GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
An even louder scream burst from Wonder Woman, piercing the open air, after Lashina slammed her knee right in between her legs. Her knees buckled and she crossed her thighs together, and she would’ve sank to the ground if it weren’t for an uppercut to her chin.
“MMMPPFFF!!”
The blow forced Wonder Woman to stay on her feet, but only for a moment longer; the heroine subsequently fell forward, clearly too beaten and exhausted to keep standing. Lashina caught her by her shoulders and stood her upright so they could face each other, but Wonder Woman’s eyes looked downward as her head hung low.
“Wonder Woman...” spoke Lashina as she put her hand under Diana’s chin and lifted her face up, “...I’m not done with you yet.”
Wonder Woman’s blurring eyes could hardly even make out Lashina’s facial features anymore. She knew that the villain was talking, but she couldn’t seem to hear what she was saying. Diana was too punch-drunk to process what was happening around her or even form a thought. She was defenseless as Lashina shot out bandage-like whips that wrapped around her body and pinned her arms to her sides. Then she was taken off her feet as Lashina swung her around in a huge arc before hurling her far away. Wonder Woman’s body was a helpless projectile that burst through glass doors and concrete walls, crashing through several buildings before coming to a stop.
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Lashina strolled in the now-abandoned bank through its new hole in the wall. On the other side of the room that she was in was Wonder Woman’s unmoving figure, sprawled atop a pile of rubble and debris. Her legs were spread as they rested on top of broken blocks of concrete, and her armored chest jutted into the air as rubble elevated her torso slightly.
“It would be humiliating if the little humans saw their great and powerful heroine like this, no?” Lashina chuckled to herself. She grabbed Wonder Woman’s boots and pulled her body off the rubble and down to the floor, and then sat on top of her by straddling her hips.
“You may be down already, but there is still value in beating you further.” Lashina punched Wonder Woman’s face as she lay helpless beneath her. The blow knocked the defeated heroine’s head to its side, but elicited no reaction from her. Diana was too deep in unconsciousness.
“Because I don’t just get stronger if you hit me, Wonder Woman.” The merciless Fury knocked Wonder Woman’s head to the other side this time with another punch. “As long as I come into contact with you, I get powered up.” Lashina then buried a fist into Wonder Woman’s side, and her supine body shook a little at the force of the impact.
“And you,” Lashina interrupted herself to smash her fist into the opposite side this time of Wonder Woman’s body. “You are an almost limitless source of godly power I can draw from. So now, I’m going to beat every last ounce of your power out of you and into me.”
As the villain continued to pummel a completely helpless Wonder Woman, she felt her own strength grow. Her body felt lighter and her punches seemed to be getting stronger as she continued to absorb Wonder Woman's godly essence. She pounded the heroine's sleeping face a few more times before standing up and taking a step back. Pure power was surging through Lashina, and it was exhilarating. She grabbed one of Wonder Woman's legs and dragged her limp body closer to the main door of the bank.
"Let's take these new powers out for a spin, shall we?" Lashina turned in place as she swung Wonder Woman's whole body in an arc again; the Amazon was about the same weight as her, but in this instance, she felt as light as a feather in her hands. Lashina flung her upwards, and Wonder Woman's body shot straight through the roof and flew high into the sky, eventually crashing through the glass windows of a nearby skyscraper and landing on one of its top floors.
"...uuggghh…"
Diana groaned as she stirred, finally awake after her latest crash landing. Her eyes opened to see a white ceiling with unlit lamps. She sat herself up and was confused as she found herself in what looked like an empty office.
"How did I get here? Where- where is Lashina?" Diana tried to stand, but couldn't as pain and exhaustion kept her pinned to the floor. She grit her teeth and forced herself to get up on one knee. Then she took a look outside the windows of the office, and her eyes widened with fear.
"No…"
What she saw was Lashina flying into the office, brimming with godly power that manifested itself in an almost-imperceptible golden glow. Before, she was already much stronger and faster than Wonder Woman after taking only some of her power. Now, Diana knew that Lashina was several leagues above her in strength. She had no chance.
The Fury descended in front of her with a wide grin on her face. "You're awake! Good, that means I can make you watch as I destroy your city with YOUR power!"
Jonn, I need help- With a start, Diana realized that for some reason, she could not feel her telepathic link with her Justice League allies anymore. Reinforcements weren’t coming. She was alone against Lashina, and she knew that it wasn’t going to be enough. Diana also knew that the entirety of Gateway City was at stake in this battle, and she had to win. So she did the only thing she could do.
“YAAAAA!!!” Wonder Woman pushed herself off the ground and charged at Lashina. There was no plan, no secret power to unveil at the last moment. There was only Diana’s determination and desperation to take Lashina down and save her city. She reared her right arm back and swung at Lashina with every last bit of strength that she had. But the Fury caught her fist without breaking a sweat, pulled Wonder Woman close, and gave her a wicked headbutt.
“GAH!” Diana immediately saw stars as her head whipped back hard. In her stupor, she vaguely felt Lashina’s arms wrap around her arms and waist. And when Lashina squeezed, the incredible pressure on her ribs broke her right out of her daze.
“KYAAAAAAHHH!!! GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! WAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!”
Ear-splitting shrieks of pain were made as Lashina punished Wonder Woman’s body in a savage bearhug. The villain flexed her powerful muscles and wrung out the poor heroine with no mercy at all, repeatedly squeezing the life out of her and drawing out several screams from Wonder Woman.
“AAAAAGGGHHHH!!!! AAAARRRGGGHH!!!”
Diana’s body was crushed in Lashina’s arms, and with every squeeze she felt like she was going to get snapped like a twig. The difference in their strength made escape feel impossible; Diana was totally, utterly powerless to stop Lashina from crushing her.
“a... aahhkk… gahhh…”
Wonder Woman’s screams died down as the bearhug robbed her of precious oxygen. The combination of unbearable agony and asphyxiation was too much, and Diana began to fade in Lashina’s crushing grip. Her body arched backwards as her muscles became unable to even hold her head up. Diana’s eyes started rolling up in her head as she once again started to lose her fight against sleep. Satisfied at the sight of her victim wilting in her grasp, Lashina flew out the window and carried Wonder Woman in the open air, several stories off the ground.
“This has been most enjoyable, but this has also taken too long. So… goodbye!” Lashina released Wonder Woman from the bearhug and landed a punch to send her plummeting down into the street below.
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There was a boom loud as thunder as Wonder Woman’s body hit the ground with the force of a missile, forming a small crater on the street. Wonder Woman’s tiara was split into two cracked pieces that lay on the sides of her head. She lay deathly still, barely even breathing after all that she had been through.
And somehow, it still wasn’t enough to keep Diana down. A few moments after, Lashina descended to the street below and looked on with surprise as Wonder Woman put everything she had into just getting back on her feet.
“You still stand, Amazon?”
Wonder Woman’s breaths were heavy as she struggled to support herself on her shaky legs. She was hunched over, too tired and hurt to get herself upright. She had absolutely nothing left in the tank; her indomitable spirit and her pure determination were miraculously keeping her standing even in the terrible state she was in.
“I am Princess Diana of Themyscira, a proud Amazon, and I have sworn to protect the lives of innocents and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” She paused as she took a few labored breaths.
“And as long as I can still draw breath, I will fight with everything I have to protect and save lives,” Wonder Woman put her fists up and looked straight into Lashina’s eyes, ready to make her final stand.
“Then you will perish with this city!” White razor-sharp ribbons flew from Lashina’s suit and trained on Wonder Woman like tendrils, trying to ensnare her. The Amazon sidestepped them and grabbed all the ribbons with one arm; she yanked them with much force to pull a surprised Lashina close enough to land a straight punch with her fist.
“UGH!” It was a clean hit that made Lashina stagger back momentarily. But it didn’t keep her back for long. Annoyed that Wonder Woman was still fighting back, Lashina rushed her and came in swinging. But she found no purchase as the Amazon ducked and weaved through her reckless attack, and she ended up eating a counterpunch to her face.
“Fine, no more playing around!” Godly energy surged through Lashina again, and Wonder Woman took a step back to get some distance between them. She had just countered two of Lashina’s attacks successfully, but she knew that Lashina was deadly serious this time. She eyed the way Lashina moved her feet, the way she breathed, and observed every possible detail that could tell her what the next attack would be. And before the Fury lunged at her, Diana was ready to get out of harm’s way and retaliate.
It didn’t matter.
“GUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH!!!!!”
Lashina was too fast. She decimated Wonder Woman with a blow to her belly, who instantly folded on top of her fist. Diana was done; she was in far too much pain to move. And unfortunately for her, Lashina wasn’t done as she threw in even more belly punches.
“GGHHAAA!!! AAUUGH!”
No… I can’t fall…
“OOOUUUGGHHH!!!”
But I can’t… take…
“AAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGHHHH!!!!”
Any… more…
Wonder Woman sank to her knees. The world spun around her, and the last embers of her strength went out as she collapsed on her side. Lashina rolled her over onto her back. She lay spread-eagled in the middle of the crater they were in, her glassy eyes staring blankly at the sky.
I can’t lose here… but I can’t… my body’s not responding, I can’t get up...
Wonder Woman could not fight back anymore as Lashina picked her body up off the ground, held her slack form high into the air, and slammed her back-first across her knee. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out as a supernova of pure, unadulterated agony exploded from her spine and reverberated through every cell in her body. Then the pain vanished almost instantly as Diana’s vision went dark.
Lashina pushed the beaten heroine off of her knee, letting her flop to the ground like a ragdoll. Wonder Woman’s eyes were shut while her mouth hung agape ever so slightly. Her brows were bunched together, slightly contorting her beautiful face into an expression that betrayed the suffering she had endured during the fight. The Fury could barely make out shallow breathing from her; Wonder Woman was utterly destroyed, but still very much alive.
“You and your kind are stubborn… perhaps if I make an example of you, then it will break the spirits of your people and make them surrender.”
Lashina picked up one of the beaten heroine's legs and started walking out of the crater. Wonder Woman’s cracked bracers made a harsh noise, scraping along the broken concrete as her arms lay limp above her shoulders; she was an unmoving lump as she was dragged along the ground unceremoniously like a garbage bag. There was no world in which Diana would get back up one more time, make a comeback against Lashina, and save the day. Wonder Woman was finished.
And as the victorious Fury walked, she raised her fingers to the heavens and snapped them. At that moment, the skies above Gateway City were rent asunder by massive boom tubes from which scores of Parademons came pouring out. With the other heroes struggling in other parts of the world, and Wonder Woman thoroughly beaten, there was no one left to stop Lashina and the Parademon hordes in Gateway City.
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EPILOGUE:
An hour later...
With the help of some unwilling human engineers, Lashina’s broadcast went live. It was transmitted on every frequency, and modified such that it was forced onto every screen in Gateway City.
It was a live broadcast of Wonder Woman, defeated, unconscious, and tied up to a pole. Her tiara was gone, her bracers lay destroyed at her feet, and her own Lasso of Truth was used to keep her arms bound over her own head. Her red armor was reduced to shattered parts and pieces that barely clung on to her frame, exposing more of the marks and bruises that covered her banged-up body entirely. Her head hung low to her chest as she remained and dead to the world, an expression of her surrender and of defeat. Wonder Woman had failed, and her utter destruction was displayed for all to see...
I'm from the Philippines, and recently my country has experienced multiple intense storms in the span of just the past few weeks. Because of this, many people have lost their belongings and their homes.
In light of this, I've established donation goals this week for the benefit of those affected by the recent typhoons. For every $15 raised, I will release at least one new story every week, starting next week! Basically, if I raise $30 this week, I will upload new ryona stories weekly for the next two weeks. If we raise $90 this week, then that's equal to six straight weeks of weekly Ryona story uploads from me!
All donations will be forwarded to Help Rebuild Lives . If you want to help out, you can send your donations to Buy AKRfic a Coffee. ko-fi.com/akrfic and I will forward all collected donations to YACAP's relief operations on November 22, when my donation drive ends. That's all, and thank you very much!
In light of this, I've established donation goals this week for the benefit of those affected by the recent typhoons. For every $15 raised, I will release at least one new story every week, starting next week! Basically, if I raise $30 this week, I will upload new ryona stories weekly for the next two weeks. If we raise $90 this week, then that's equal to six straight weeks of weekly Ryona story uploads from me!
All donations will be forwarded to Help Rebuild Lives . If you want to help out, you can send your donations to Buy AKRfic a Coffee. ko-fi.com/akrfic and I will forward all collected donations to YACAP's relief operations on November 22, when my donation drive ends. That's all, and thank you very much!
Flashes of green and sounds of thunder cut through the absolute pandemonium of Parademon-infested Coast City. The flashes of green came from Hal Jordan as his Power Ring held hordes of Parademons at bay, keeping them from joining their comrades on the ground. Every time a boom tube would open up, the Green Lantern manifested a giant electrical plug to push the Apokoliptian shock troops back where they came from and shut the portal off until it finally dissipated.
The sounds of thunder came from Wonder Woman’s fists and kicks as she decimated the Parademons that were on the streets below. She was a blur, a deadly maelstrom of blows that moved through crowds of Parademons with ease. Though reinforcements kept pouring in from portals opening on the ground, her deadly efficiency in clearing her enemies put their numbers at a steady decline. After all, she was a trained Amazon with powers that rivaled the gods of Olympus; the Parademons were nothing to her but insects waiting to be crushed.
Diana. Martian Manhunter’s voice was loud and clear as it suddenly echoed in her head. Gateway City has been attacked. It’s serious. You need to go there, now.
She was busy turning two Parademons in front of her into grease stains with her fists when her stomach dropped at the news she received. Gateway City was the place she called home outside of Themyscira, and the city she swore to herself that she would protect.
I’ll be there, J’onn. I’m just cleaning up here in Coast City, and I can fly over there shortly. Her telepathic reply to J’onn betrayed none of the dread she felt. She couldn’t think about what might have happened and lose her composure. Instead, she started thinking about the fastest way she could fly back to her city as she smashed more Parademons while on autopilot.
Barry is done with evacuation, and he and his team are coming very soon to help Hal there. You can let them take over. Without another word, Wonder Woman jumped high into the air and tore through the skies.
J’onn, what happened there?
It’s one of Darkseid’s furies, Lashina. She boom tubed in, and started wreaking havoc in the downtown area. And she sent out a message for you. She called for Wonder Woman to face her in battle, alone, or else she would level the city completely.
Wonder Woman flew faster. Then if it’s a fight she wants from me, it’s a fight I’m damn well going to give to her.
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Horror.
Horror gripped Wonder Woman’s heart as she flew down to a boulevard in downtown Gateway City -- or rather, what was left of it. Just the day before, she was walking through its busy streets full of life; there were kids running home from schools nearby, tourists walking around and taking pictures of the sights, and people going to work in the many places of business that were there.
Now all she could see was rubble all around her, with towers of smoke filling the air as fires roared everywhere as far as she could see. There was a cacophony of sirens, helicopter blades, and shouts as rescuers and firefighters scrambled to help people in danger. And as much as Diana wanted to help, she knew she was needed somewhere else. She jumped high into the air again, flying briefly through the city until she saw Union Square. And in the center of the empty, wide-open space, she spotted a figure clad in all-black bodysuit with white markings all over.
“Lashina!”
Lashina turned and there was Wonder Woman, was bearing down on her like a missile-
BOOM!!
A shockwave kicked up clouds of dust in the air as Wonder Woman rocketed into the ground. Lashina’s face would have been in a crater on the ground if she hadn’t caught Wonder Woman’s fist with her hand.
“So I see you got my message?”
“You monster!” Wonder Woman drew her fist back from Lashina’s hand, and delivered a brutal kick that Lashina blocked with both arms, but it still sent her skidding back several meters on the ground. The enraged Amazon flew at her like a bullet and swung a haymaker at her; there was a boom as loud as thunder as her fist slammed into her opponent’s guard. Lashina was sent flying, but she landed on her feet several more meters away without too much trouble.
“Is that all, Wonder Woman? I haven’t even broken a sweat yet! Try harder… or maybe you’re okay with letting me wipe this whole city off the map?” Lashina had a smile on her face as she bent her knees and readied herself to dodge.
“No,” replied Wonder Woman firmly as she took off after Lashina, “you’re not going to hurt anyone else ever again!” She put her fists together, raised them high in the air, and brought them down like a hammer on Lashina. She barely jumped out of the way in time. The blow hit the ground instead, throwing up a small cloud of dirt and debris that obscured Wonder Woman.
“And if I have to put you down to protect this city…”
A golden cord burst from the smokescreen made by Wonder Woman’s punch on the ground and snaked itself around Lashina’s legs. Lashina yelped in surprise as the rope tugged on her bound limbs. She lost her balance and fell on her back, and the tug on the rope brought her to the feet of Wonder Woman.
“...then so be it.” This time, there was no escape for Lashina. Wonder Woman punched down, smashing her fist squarely into Lashina’s face.
BOOM!!!
The blow had the force of a small explosion, and it formed a crater in the ground where Lashina lay unmoving. Wonder Woman picked her Lasso of Truth up and coiled it back onto her hip as she looked at her fallen foe coldly. “You gave me no choice, Lashina.”
She turned and walked away, thinking where she needed to go next in the city. Then she froze as her ears picked up movement behind her.
“I have to admit, princess, that one hurt.” Wonder Woman whirled around quickly and her eyes bulged as she saw Lashina standing, fixing her dislocated jaw. She was fast to contain her initial surprise, and then her eyes narrowed into slits as she spoke.
“Surrender, Lashina. I don’t know how you got back up from that, but if you do not surrender, I’ll make sure you won’t get back up next time.” The threat was met by a cackle from the Apokoliptian warrior.
“Oh, Wonder Woman. You never wondered why I called you out here.” In the blink of an eye, Lashina rushed right up in the Amazon’s grill. Wonder Woman had no chance to react, and had no chance to dodge Lashina’s punch straight to her face.
“UGH!”
The punch took Wonder Woman off her feet and blew her back, and her body hit the ground hard. She rolled a few times before coming to a stop while flat on her stomach. Wonder Woman stayed prone, her bell rung by the blow; spots of light danced in front of her eyes before she blinked them away. She tried to get up, but Lashina stomped her foot down on the back of her head.
“Agh!”
Wonder Woman yelped as her pretty face met concrete again. And try as she might, she couldn’t push herself off the ground as Lashina stepped on her and kept her down.
“You remember Parasite, don’t you, Amazon? The purple being that absorbs power? We abducted him months ago, and we found a way to imbue ourselves with his abilities. So now, every punch you land on me...”
Wonder Woman felt Lashina step off of her to pull her up by her hair. As soon as they were at eye level, she clocked the Female Fury across the jaw. Lashina’s head was whipped to the side, but she casually turned back to face Wonder Woman, seemingly unfazed.
“...will go right back to you!” Lashina shot a punch right up into Wonder Woman’s gut.
“AUUGHH!!”
Even Diana’s armor couldn’t protect her stomach enough from the sheer force of Lashina’s empowered blow. She crumpled to her knees, instantly incapacitated by the vicious gut punch.
What in Hades’... she’s this strong?!
The last time she’d taken a hit like that, it was against a being that could kill Superman himself. And as she knelt on the ground, stunned and breathless, she had no way of protecting herself from Lashina bringing her fists down on the back of her head.
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Gods… did I black out?
Diana could feel her head hurting as her senses returned to her. She wasted no time getting up despite the pain from Lashina’s blows, pain that was rapidly receding anyway thanks to her regenerative powers. Her enemy was a few steps away from her, looking at her hands and talking to herself.
“The energy of the Old Gods, combined with my New God physiology… this is incredible!” Lashina looked up, her silvery eyes staring straight into Wonder Woman’s. “Thank you, Wonder Woman. With your power, I can raze this entire city and finally earn the respect of Lord Darkseid!”
“You will do no such thing!” Wonder Woman rushed at Lashina again, this time with the knowledge of the Fury’s power absorption ability. Hitting her directly only makes her stronger, so I have to switch it up!
She grabbed Lashina by her collar and by her sleeve, wrapped her leg around Lashina’s knee, and tried to get her off-balance and slam her down. But Lashina didn’t budge on the takedown attempt; she held her ground and easily pushed the Amazon back. Wonder Woman was forced to let go, and all she earned for her troubles was a quick punch to her throat. Her eyes widened and an inhuman choking sound escaped her, as her ability to breathe was suddenly robbed from her. Stunned yet again, Wonder Woman was left wide open to a kick that crashed into her jaw.
WHAM!
The kick sent Wonder Woman skywards, and her mouth opened in a silent scream as she flew up high into the air. Lashina didn’t wait for her to go into free fall; she extended her hand towards Wonder Woman, and a long white whip shot out from her bodysuit and wrapped itself around the airborne heroine’s leg. She yanked down hard on the whip, sending Wonder Woman plummeting back down to earth with great force.
BLAM!
For a brief moment, Wonder Woman was a motionless heap atop cracked concrete. Her body hurt like hell and her breathing was still strained, but she knew she couldn’t stay down. She rolled over to her side, propped herself up with her arms, and then clambered up to her feet -- exactly what her opponent was waiting for. The Fury was already on Wonder Woman, and as soon as she got up, Lashina smashed her in the face with an elbow strike.
“Ugh!” Wonder Woman staggered back, shaken by the blow. But instead of letting herself get knocked down again, she grit her teeth and kept herself standing. She wiped blood off her busted lip and stared at Lashina intently. Her strength and speed are above godlike now, but I can still see her attacks coming! I can’t overpower her, but I can still outfight her if she keeps being predictable.
Lashina reared her arm back and Diana immediately telegraphed an incoming swing. There! she thought. Her battle-hardened instincts told her what she needed to do; dodge the punch while latching onto Lashina’s arm, and use her own momentum against her to slam her down on the ground. But it didn’t happen. The Fury’s raw speed was too much for Wonder Woman, and a vicious left hook bashed her in the face before she could even get in position for her counter.
“GUH!” Wonder Woman’s head was rocked to the side. The punch hit her hard enough to keep her stunned for a moment, a moment that Lashina capitalized on by grabbing the hurt Amazon by her shoulders and pulling her into a vicious kneelift into her solar plexus.
“GAAUGH!”
Diana’s breath was knocked right out of her and she fell to one knee, clutching her chest with a hand. She was desperately gasping for air and starting to feel a little lightheaded. Her mind yelled at her to climb back up to her feet, but she needed a little more time to recover and get her breath back. It was time that she didn’t have. Lashina yanked her hair, stood her up, and unloaded an all-out assault on her.
“UNGH! GUHH!! AAUGGHH!!”
Wonder Woman could do nothing but cry out in pain as she was pounded with blows that came in from every angle; her head became a punching bag, battered to and fro repeatedly by Lashina’s fists.
“AAAGGHH!!”
She screamed as Lashina clapped the sides of her head hard. Wonder Woman was stupefied; her temples throbbed angrily and her ears rang from Lashina’s brutal thunderclap attack.
“GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
An even louder scream burst from Wonder Woman, piercing the open air, after Lashina slammed her knee right in between her legs. Her knees buckled and she crossed her thighs together, and she would’ve sank to the ground if it weren’t for an uppercut to her chin.
“MMMPPFFF!!”
The blow forced Wonder Woman to stay on her feet, but only for a moment longer; the heroine subsequently fell forward, clearly too beaten and exhausted to keep standing. Lashina caught her by her shoulders and stood her upright so they could face each other, but Wonder Woman’s eyes looked downward as her head hung low.
“Wonder Woman...” spoke Lashina as she put her hand under Diana’s chin and lifted her face up, “...I’m not done with you yet.”
Wonder Woman’s blurring eyes could hardly even make out Lashina’s facial features anymore. She knew that the villain was talking, but she couldn’t seem to hear what she was saying. Diana was too punch-drunk to process what was happening around her or even form a thought. She was defenseless as Lashina shot out bandage-like whips that wrapped around her body and pinned her arms to her sides. Then she was taken off her feet as Lashina swung her around in a huge arc before hurling her far away. Wonder Woman’s body was a helpless projectile that burst through glass doors and concrete walls, crashing through several buildings before coming to a stop.
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Lashina strolled in the now-abandoned bank through its new hole in the wall. On the other side of the room that she was in was Wonder Woman’s unmoving figure, sprawled atop a pile of rubble and debris. Her legs were spread as they rested on top of broken blocks of concrete, and her armored chest jutted into the air as rubble elevated her torso slightly.
“It would be humiliating if the little humans saw their great and powerful heroine like this, no?” Lashina chuckled to herself. She grabbed Wonder Woman’s boots and pulled her body off the rubble and down to the floor, and then sat on top of her by straddling her hips.
“You may be down already, but there is still value in beating you further.” Lashina punched Wonder Woman’s face as she lay helpless beneath her. The blow knocked the defeated heroine’s head to its side, but elicited no reaction from her. Diana was too deep in unconsciousness.
“Because I don’t just get stronger if you hit me, Wonder Woman.” The merciless Fury knocked Wonder Woman’s head to the other side this time with another punch. “As long as I come into contact with you, I get powered up.” Lashina then buried a fist into Wonder Woman’s side, and her supine body shook a little at the force of the impact.
“And you,” Lashina interrupted herself to smash her fist into the opposite side this time of Wonder Woman’s body. “You are an almost limitless source of godly power I can draw from. So now, I’m going to beat every last ounce of your power out of you and into me.”
As the villain continued to pummel a completely helpless Wonder Woman, she felt her own strength grow. Her body felt lighter and her punches seemed to be getting stronger as she continued to absorb Wonder Woman's godly essence. She pounded the heroine's sleeping face a few more times before standing up and taking a step back. Pure power was surging through Lashina, and it was exhilarating. She grabbed one of Wonder Woman's legs and dragged her limp body closer to the main door of the bank.
"Let's take these new powers out for a spin, shall we?" Lashina turned in place as she swung Wonder Woman's whole body in an arc again; the Amazon was about the same weight as her, but in this instance, she felt as light as a feather in her hands. Lashina flung her upwards, and Wonder Woman's body shot straight through the roof and flew high into the sky, eventually crashing through the glass windows of a nearby skyscraper and landing on one of its top floors.
"...uuggghh…"
Diana groaned as she stirred, finally awake after her latest crash landing. Her eyes opened to see a white ceiling with unlit lamps. She sat herself up and was confused as she found herself in what looked like an empty office.
"How did I get here? Where- where is Lashina?" Diana tried to stand, but couldn't as pain and exhaustion kept her pinned to the floor. She grit her teeth and forced herself to get up on one knee. Then she took a look outside the windows of the office, and her eyes widened with fear.
"No…"
What she saw was Lashina flying into the office, brimming with godly power that manifested itself in an almost-imperceptible golden glow. Before, she was already much stronger and faster than Wonder Woman after taking only some of her power. Now, Diana knew that Lashina was several leagues above her in strength. She had no chance.
The Fury descended in front of her with a wide grin on her face. "You're awake! Good, that means I can make you watch as I destroy your city with YOUR power!"
Jonn, I need help- With a start, Diana realized that for some reason, she could not feel her telepathic link with her Justice League allies anymore. Reinforcements weren’t coming. She was alone against Lashina, and she knew that it wasn’t going to be enough. Diana also knew that the entirety of Gateway City was at stake in this battle, and she had to win. So she did the only thing she could do.
“YAAAAA!!!” Wonder Woman pushed herself off the ground and charged at Lashina. There was no plan, no secret power to unveil at the last moment. There was only Diana’s determination and desperation to take Lashina down and save her city. She reared her right arm back and swung at Lashina with every last bit of strength that she had. But the Fury caught her fist without breaking a sweat, pulled Wonder Woman close, and gave her a wicked headbutt.
“GAH!” Diana immediately saw stars as her head whipped back hard. In her stupor, she vaguely felt Lashina’s arms wrap around her arms and waist. And when Lashina squeezed, the incredible pressure on her ribs broke her right out of her daze.
“KYAAAAAAHHH!!! GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! WAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!”
Ear-splitting shrieks of pain were made as Lashina punished Wonder Woman’s body in a savage bearhug. The villain flexed her powerful muscles and wrung out the poor heroine with no mercy at all, repeatedly squeezing the life out of her and drawing out several screams from Wonder Woman.
“AAAAAGGGHHHH!!!! AAAARRRGGGHH!!!”
Diana’s body was crushed in Lashina’s arms, and with every squeeze she felt like she was going to get snapped like a twig. The difference in their strength made escape feel impossible; Diana was totally, utterly powerless to stop Lashina from crushing her.
“a... aahhkk… gahhh…”
Wonder Woman’s screams died down as the bearhug robbed her of precious oxygen. The combination of unbearable agony and asphyxiation was too much, and Diana began to fade in Lashina’s crushing grip. Her body arched backwards as her muscles became unable to even hold her head up. Diana’s eyes started rolling up in her head as she once again started to lose her fight against sleep. Satisfied at the sight of her victim wilting in her grasp, Lashina flew out the window and carried Wonder Woman in the open air, several stories off the ground.
“This has been most enjoyable, but this has also taken too long. So… goodbye!” Lashina released Wonder Woman from the bearhug and landed a punch to send her plummeting down into the street below.
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There was a boom loud as thunder as Wonder Woman’s body hit the ground with the force of a missile, forming a small crater on the street. Wonder Woman’s tiara was split into two cracked pieces that lay on the sides of her head. She lay deathly still, barely even breathing after all that she had been through.
And somehow, it still wasn’t enough to keep Diana down. A few moments after, Lashina descended to the street below and looked on with surprise as Wonder Woman put everything she had into just getting back on her feet.
“You still stand, Amazon?”
Wonder Woman’s breaths were heavy as she struggled to support herself on her shaky legs. She was hunched over, too tired and hurt to get herself upright. She had absolutely nothing left in the tank; her indomitable spirit and her pure determination were miraculously keeping her standing even in the terrible state she was in.
“I am Princess Diana of Themyscira, a proud Amazon, and I have sworn to protect the lives of innocents and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” She paused as she took a few labored breaths.
“And as long as I can still draw breath, I will fight with everything I have to protect and save lives,” Wonder Woman put her fists up and looked straight into Lashina’s eyes, ready to make her final stand.
“Then you will perish with this city!” White razor-sharp ribbons flew from Lashina’s suit and trained on Wonder Woman like tendrils, trying to ensnare her. The Amazon sidestepped them and grabbed all the ribbons with one arm; she yanked them with much force to pull a surprised Lashina close enough to land a straight punch with her fist.
“UGH!” It was a clean hit that made Lashina stagger back momentarily. But it didn’t keep her back for long. Annoyed that Wonder Woman was still fighting back, Lashina rushed her and came in swinging. But she found no purchase as the Amazon ducked and weaved through her reckless attack, and she ended up eating a counterpunch to her face.
“Fine, no more playing around!” Godly energy surged through Lashina again, and Wonder Woman took a step back to get some distance between them. She had just countered two of Lashina’s attacks successfully, but she knew that Lashina was deadly serious this time. She eyed the way Lashina moved her feet, the way she breathed, and observed every possible detail that could tell her what the next attack would be. And before the Fury lunged at her, Diana was ready to get out of harm’s way and retaliate.
It didn’t matter.
“GUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH!!!!!”
Lashina was too fast. She decimated Wonder Woman with a blow to her belly, who instantly folded on top of her fist. Diana was done; she was in far too much pain to move. And unfortunately for her, Lashina wasn’t done as she threw in even more belly punches.
“GGHHAAA!!! AAUUGH!”
No… I can’t fall…
“OOOUUUGGHHH!!!”
But I can’t… take…
“AAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGHHHH!!!!”
Any… more…
Wonder Woman sank to her knees. The world spun around her, and the last embers of her strength went out as she collapsed on her side. Lashina rolled her over onto her back. She lay spread-eagled in the middle of the crater they were in, her glassy eyes staring blankly at the sky.
I can’t lose here… but I can’t… my body’s not responding, I can’t get up...
Wonder Woman could not fight back anymore as Lashina picked her body up off the ground, held her slack form high into the air, and slammed her back-first across her knee. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out as a supernova of pure, unadulterated agony exploded from her spine and reverberated through every cell in her body. Then the pain vanished almost instantly as Diana’s vision went dark.
Lashina pushed the beaten heroine off of her knee, letting her flop to the ground like a ragdoll. Wonder Woman’s eyes were shut while her mouth hung agape ever so slightly. Her brows were bunched together, slightly contorting her beautiful face into an expression that betrayed the suffering she had endured during the fight. The Fury could barely make out shallow breathing from her; Wonder Woman was utterly destroyed, but still very much alive.
“You and your kind are stubborn… perhaps if I make an example of you, then it will break the spirits of your people and make them surrender.”
Lashina picked up one of the beaten heroine's legs and started walking out of the crater. Wonder Woman’s cracked bracers made a harsh noise, scraping along the broken concrete as her arms lay limp above her shoulders; she was an unmoving lump as she was dragged along the ground unceremoniously like a garbage bag. There was no world in which Diana would get back up one more time, make a comeback against Lashina, and save the day. Wonder Woman was finished.
And as the victorious Fury walked, she raised her fingers to the heavens and snapped them. At that moment, the skies above Gateway City were rent asunder by massive boom tubes from which scores of Parademons came pouring out. With the other heroes struggling in other parts of the world, and Wonder Woman thoroughly beaten, there was no one left to stop Lashina and the Parademon hordes in Gateway City.
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EPILOGUE:
An hour later...
With the help of some unwilling human engineers, Lashina’s broadcast went live. It was transmitted on every frequency, and modified such that it was forced onto every screen in Gateway City.
It was a live broadcast of Wonder Woman, defeated, unconscious, and tied up to a pole. Her tiara was gone, her bracers lay destroyed at her feet, and her own Lasso of Truth was used to keep her arms bound over her own head. Her red armor was reduced to shattered parts and pieces that barely clung on to her frame, exposing more of the marks and bruises that covered her banged-up body entirely. Her head hung low to her chest as she remained and dead to the world, an expression of her surrender and of defeat. Wonder Woman had failed, and her utter destruction was displayed for all to see...
