Foundation Prime

The Eternal Apex

"All right. Let's go over this again."

Everyone, sans Batman and Alastor, groaned in annoyance and frustration. How many times had they gone over what they knew now? Twice? Three times? Maybe more? Honestly they had lost count and just wanted to move on.

But Twilight was determined to figure this out. To figure out just who it was that they were dealing with, and how to stop them. Because they were at a disadvantage when it came to facing down this speedster, and that's something that they must rectify.

And the first step to doing so was to figure out just who they were dealing with.

"We've already been over it, Twilight." Sonic groaned, his head falling face first onto the table.

Mario nodded and hummed in agreement, "Mm-hmm, again and again."

"And again." Sonic added, his voice muffled due to being face first on the table.

Vaggie rubbed her temples in aggravation, looking over to Charlie, who looked like she was going to fall asleep herself. "We're obviously dealing with a new player." She said, looking at each of the Guardians with her singular eye. She placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder, squeezing it lovingly before continuing. "Whoever this speedster is, it's someone you and your friends haven't encountered before."

"But how is that possible?" Twilight asked, a curious look on her face. "This speedster obviously knows us, and knows us well enough to figure out our strengths and weaknesses. I mean he knew Batman's secret identity, so he's obviously met us before."

"But we haven't met him." Mario reminded the Princess of Friendship.

"Not yet anyway." Tony said in realization.

"What does that mean?" Starlight asked, tilting her head to one side, her ear flopping to the side as well.

While everyone was confused as to what the iron hero meant, Batman however, picked up what he was throwing down. "He means the speedster's from the future, which makes sense, because speedsters can time travel." This was news to the Hazbin Crew as their eyes, including Alastor's, widened.

"I'm sorry, are you saying that time travel is actually possible?" Alastor asked, quite surprised by this little development.

"And what do you mean speedsters can travel through time?" Charlie asked, leaning forward with curious eyes.

"Speedsters run so fast that they're able to break the barriers between time and space." Twilight explained to the Princess of Hell. "It's because of their connection to what I believe is called the Speed Force, which is the source of their power."

Now Vaggie was a little more confused, so she asked, "Then why would the speedster need the Spear of Destiny for?" She looked around, leaning on the Holo-Table with her hands. "He could just go back and change history himself."

"But not reality." Starlight said.

"That's why he needs the Spear." Sonic said, looking to Twilight, who looked down in thought.

"Question is, what is the speedster trying to change?"

Earth 616

Latveria

"Citizens of Latveria, this is your one and only sovereign, Doom. Hear my voice and remember this truth: there is nothing in this realm that escapes my gaze. My vigilance is eternal, my reach absolute. In the shadows where you think yourself unseen, I am there. In your whispers where your rebellion dares take root, I am there. In every heartbeat of this nation, it is I who grants it rhythm.

Know that disobedience is not only futile but unforgivable. To betray Doom is to invite annihilation. To falter in loyalty is to face consequences beyond imagining. But to serve, to honor, to obey—this is to thrive in the light of my protection.

Be ever vigilant, for Doom is always watching. There is no escape. There is no other future.

There is only Doom.

Doom is absolute.

Doom... Is... Everything."

The crackle of the speakers sounded off in every street in Latveria, the message of Doom playing on loop as a reminder to his subjects that there is no hope, no savior other than Doom. As long as they stay loyal to the monarch, his subjects shall remain under his protection.

But falter in any way, the consequences will be quite dire.

The green smog that covered Latveria added a layer of menace to the country, add to the fact that there were multiple Doombots that patrolled the cobblestone streets, maintaining Doom's order. These robots were nearly identical to Doom himself, except they had visible artillery on their shoulders, hands, and feet.

A squadron of Doombots stomped by, their eyes glowing as they surveyed the area for any signs of resistance. All was quiet, peaceful and tranquil, it was as perfect as Doom had envisioned. His vision of peace, his own method to saving the world.

Complete subjugation of all beings under his whim.

When they had detected no signs of anything in the area, the Doombots moved on to make sure nobody was out past curfew.

To resist Doom's laws was punishable by death.

They would carry out his word.

Because Doom's word is law.

As they stomped through the streets, mothers hid their children behind the curtains. Others turned off their lights. There was no other law than Doom's.

Doom is absolute.

When the coast was clear, Vox's screen lit up in the darkness and he chuckled mischievously as he motioned for the others to follow behind him. The Legion of Doom had managed to teleport into Latveria from Vorton, all they had to do now was make their way over to the hidden vault near Castle Doom and the Kalabros Manuscript would be there's for the taking.

So far the only thing that had been an issue was the constant surveillance, Doom's watchful eyes all over Latveria, but luckily Vox was able to short circuit the camera's with his electric abilities. As the Legion made their way through the streets, they couldn't help but notice the shocked faces of everyone in their homes.

Not for fear of them.

But for fear of what he'd do to them if they were ever caught.

"Well, this place is a turn-off." Val grumbled to himself, hissing to himself as he stepped in a mucky puddle, glaring at Velvette, who was snickering as she walked by.

Tirek, who had his hands behind his back, observed his surroundings. "Complete subjugation and control." He had a hint of amazement in his voice. "I must admit, this is my kind of place."

Eggman, who was walking beside Metal Sonic, looked around himself and shrugged. "I don't know about you, but it could be more... Mechanical, if you ask me." They turned a corner and found an entrance to a beautiful garden, the pathway donned with multiple stone statues of Doom. They had entered Doom's Courtyard. As Vox led the Legion through the courtyard, Eggman couldn't help but sneer at the abundance of plant life. "I'm just saying that there's too much nature here."

As they walked along the pathway, Bowser looked at Velvette strangely as she posed for multiple selfies, the camera flashing on her phone as she puckered up her dead lips. After a few selfies, Vel looked forward to the demon leading their group through the courtyard and asked, "Oi, Vox! Do you have any idea where the hell we're going?"

Vox turned his head and smirked at the doll demon, "You doubt my skills?"

"Yes."

The Tv Demon scowled and flipped off his partner. "First: fuck you. Second: we should be close now, so shut up and pay attention." He outstretched his hand and waved it slowly, as if looking for something. While he concentrated, Loki and Bowser looked up at Castle Doom, which loomed over them menacingly, and couldn't help but feel like they were being watched.

Because they probably were.

Their attention was brought back to Vox as he howled in victory. The reason for his celebration was because he had finally locked onto the vault. He twiddled his fingers, lines of electricity flowing in front of him as an electric rune was created before him. And at the same time, that same rune was now glowing in the middle of the courtyard. Vox grinned as the floor began to split apart, revealing a set of stairs that descended downwards into the darkness.

Dismissing the ancient code that opened the vault with a wave of his hand, Vox took a step to the side and bowed, gesturing to the now open vault with his arms. "After you, my friends." He said with a shit eating grin, his ego soaring right now.

Eggman chuckled and patted his friend's shoulder as he and Metal descended into the vault, leading the rest of the Legion into the vault.

When Val passed Vox, the moth sexually licked the side of Vox's screen, making the Tv Demon smirk and arch an eyebrow before following his allies into the vault, completely unaware that they were being watched. The fools believed that they could escape his gaze. Did they really believe that they would've made it as far as they did had he not allowed it?

No.

He allowed curiosity to guide him, this newfound discovery that lied beneath his country intrigued him. He wondered why the Asgardian and these lesser beings dared step foot in his lands, but now he had his answer. Something lied waiting beneath the stones of Latveria.

He would allow them to retrieve it.

And then they would know that none escape his wrath.

None shall ever escape Doom.

Foundation Prime

The Eternal Apex

"Why would a speedster need to change reality?" Was the question Starlight had asked aloud, trying desperately to piece the puzzle together. But with how little they knew, it was nearly impossible to put together. They needed more information so that they could come up with a feasible theory to go off of.

Iron Man leaned forward on his elbows, massaging his forehead to try and get rid of the headache that had formed a little bit ago. "How many times are you gonna ask that question?" He leaned back in his chair, glancing over at the Longinus Medallion, wanting to see if it had been decoded yet.

It hadn't.

Great.

The unicorn looked over to the Avenger and replied, "Until we have an answer."

Mario, leaning back with his arms folded over his chest, had a thoughtful look on his face. "She's right. Speedsters can time travel." He straightened himself and looked at everyone sitting at the table. "So what's stopping him from changing history even without the spear?"

That was the question on everyone's minds. Why would a being who was capable of travelling through the barrier of time need to change reality? Wouldn't be easier to just run back and change the past? Why go through all of this hassle? Why recruit the Legion when he could do it himself?

Unless...

Batman's eyes widened, he figured it out. Why the speedster needs the spear in the first place. Why he formed the Legion of Doom to help him get it.

It all made sense.

It was the only possible explanation.

"Unless he doesn't exist." Batman said suddenly, causing everyone to turn to him, looking at him as if he were crazy.

Vaggie and Charlie looked at one another in skepticism before they turned to face the Dark Knight, the former saying, "Hang on, that doesn't make any fucking sense. How can he not exist and yet still be running around? This is just crazy talk now."

"Yeeeeaaah..." Charlie droned on, agreeing with her girlfriend before continuing, "That sounds a bit silly. If he doesn't exist, how's he still alive? I mean, so what, he's a ghost?" She asked with a laugh, believing this to be far fetched.

Tony, however, was actually seeing the theory Batman was proposing and, as it turns out, was starting to make sense of it. "No, no, no, no, no, this actually makes a lot of sense." He looked to Batman and proposed a theory. "What if he's a Temporal Aberration?"

Alastor was lost now. He was actually impressed with himself with how he was able to keep up with everything, but now he was at a complete loss. "I'm sorry. A what?" He asked with a laugh, his staticky filter screeching slightly.

"A Temporal Aberration is a massive alteration to the already existing timeline." Twilight Sparkle explained, looking over to Starlight. "Like what happened when you changed history multiple times by stopping the Sonic Rainboom." The unicorn blushed and looked away, ashamed at her past actions. Twilight then continued, "What if the speedster changed the past, but somehow ended up wiping himself from the face of history?"

"Why would he do that?" Sonic asked, confused as to why the speedster would do this in the first place.

"I don't know, but it would explain why we don't have any evidence of his existence." Twilight answered.

Mario leaned further back into his chair, "Okay, so, we just need to ID someone who doesn't exist?" He laughed mirthlessly before sighing in frustration. "Great, that's totally not impossible, isn't it?" He remarked sarcastically.

"Eobard Thawne."

Who?

Everyone turned to Batman, having been the one to say the name, a thoughtful yet confused look on his face.

Charlie leaned forward, a concerned look on her face. "Um, is... Is he okay?" She asked Twilight, who also looked concerned.

But before she could answer, Batman clarified on the name. "Eobard Thawne is a name. The name of a speedster who doesn't exist."

"Then how do you know of him, my good man?" Alastor asked.

"I don't. I've never met him." Batman answered truthfully before looking to the other Guardians. "But someone we know does."

Dawning realization appeared on all of their faces as they pieced it together, the name of the one person they know who could possibly know who this speedster is. "The Flash." They all said together.

Batman nodded as he began explaining, "A few months ago, The Flash travelled back in time to save his mother. This changed the course of history, creating a whole new timeline: a doomed timeline where nothing survived. From what he told me, things were astronomically different. I was dead in that other timeline," he noted the shocked gasp from his left, knowing that it came from Twilight, "my father had taken up the mantle of the Batman. When he realized his mistake, The Flash wanted to restore everything to how it was. But Eobard Thawne wouldn't allow that to happen. So, in an effort to save The Flash's life, my father stabbed him in the heart, killing him." He folded his arms and looked down in thought. "Flash said that he died in that timeline and was erased along with it, meaning that he shouldn't even be here, past, present, or future."

Woah, quite the bombshell to drop, isn't it?

But it made sense. The reason Thawne was after the spear in the first place, why he recruited the Legion.

He just wanted to exist.

"But if that's the case..." Twilight started before realizing something. "How is he here?"

Earth 616

Latveria

The vault was a sight to behold, that's for sure.

Once the Legion descended down the staircase leading into the darkness, they were greeted with a long, stone pathway, surrounded by two bodies of glowing, blue water that lit up the room. The floor was covered in blue, glowing runes that each lit up whenever a member of the Legion of Doom stepped onto it as they walked.

And at the very end of the hallway, sat on top of a stone pillar, was an old tome with glowing runes etched onto the cover.

The Kalabros Manuscript.

Theirs for the taking.

Vox walked up to the stone pillar with an eager grin, rubbing his hands together, sparking small bursts of electricity in his claws. He grabbed hold of the massive book with both hands and picked it up before turning to his comrades, who each had varying levels of smiles on their faces.

"With that, my friends, the Kalabros Manuscript is—" The Tv Demon was rudely interrupted when a flash of red lightning zoomed past him, snatching the book from his hands abruptly. He looked down in surprise before looking behind the group to see Reverse-Flash standing there with a cocky smirk on his face along with the Kalabros Manuscript in his hands. "....Ours...."

The evil speedster chuckled at the annoyed expressions on the other members of the Legion before looking down at the book in his hands. "I must say, when I told you lot to correct your mistake, I certainly didn't expect this." He motioned to the book in his hands, turning around and looking at it. "I mean, using Supreme's personal logs to get an exact location on where each of the pieces are? I will admit, very smart." He turned his head slightly, addressing Robotnik, "I assume this is your handiwork?"

The mad genius stroked his moustache and replied, "I can't take all the credit." He pointed to Vox with his thumb. "It was Vox here who managed to crack the code."

The Reverse-Flash looked to the demon for a moment before turning to look down at the book. "Well, I must say that you've done well." His eyes flashed red for a moment as he let out an amused chuckle. "Although I have to wonder why you neglected to tell me of this little development here." He stroked the Kalabros Manuscript with his thumb as he continued, "Had I not been following you, I wouldn't have known that you managed to get the Manuscript in the first place. So that begs the question," he turned around and scowled at the other members of the Legion, his eyes glowing a menacing red as his voice became distorted, "why were you trying to screw me?"

Foundation Prime

The Eternal Apex

"Guys, I think I just figured it out." Iron Man stated, gaining everyone's attention once more. "Why a seemingly invincible speedster would need to take on partners."

Charlie smiled kindly and said, "By all means, Mr. Stark, please enlighten us." Vaggie nodded beside her, her hand still resting on her shoulders.

Tony stood up from the table and began, "Okay. What if Thawne isn't just chasing us?" When he received confused stares from everyone gathered, he elaborated. "What if he's running from something?"

"But running from what?" Sonic asked.

"Time." Stark revealed, causing the eyes of Batman, Starlight, and Twilight to widen as they processed this.

"Time takes time to harden." Twilight whispered in realization. "That's why I was able to change those parallel future's that were created when Starlight stopped the Sonic Rainboom!"

"And if Thawne ceased to exist the moment he was stabbed in the heart in that erased timeline, then, maybe, he has to keep moving in order for his own nonexistence not to catch up with him." Starlight continued with a slacked expression on her face.

"I do apologize, but that doesn't even begin to make any sort of sense." Alastor commented, adjusting his monocle.

Mario, however, was starting to see the sense in it. "I don't know, it could work." He said, having experienced a lot more crazy scenario's in his own universe.

"Batman? What do you think?" Twilight asked her best friend, who had a contemplative look on his face.

"Per the scientific method, there's only one way to prove it." Batman responded. "You'd have to trap Thawne in one place and then see what happens."

Earth 616

Latveria

Vox snapped his fingers, the runes in the vault glowing as the door began to slide shut, causing Eobard to turn around and look up in confusion. As the doors shut, he let out a bemused chuckle before turning to face the demon. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Renegotiating the terms of our partnership." Vox answered as Eggman and Loki walked up and stood by his side.

"And it is going to be a partnership." Loki declared.

"We need a bit more of a guarantee that you're going to uphold your end of our bargain." Eggman added.

Thawne looked at the three of them and began to laugh, highly amused at this situation, this little bout of defiance. He dropped the book to the floor and walked over to Vox with a threatening smile on his face. "I'll guarantee you one thing. If you don't open that door," he began vibrating his hand and lowering it to Vox's chest, "I'll kill you."

The Tv Demon, however, was not threatened, as he inspected his claws with a cocky grin on his face. "Yeah, see, I'm the only one with the code to open it." He arched an eyebrow at the speedster, knowing that he had him beat.

Eggman grinned, "And you and I both know, Eobard, that not even speedsters such as yourself are capable of vibrating their molecules fast enough to phase through Ancient Tech." He reminded the evil speedster with a Cheshire grin. "So, you're stuck here."

Thawne scowled as he stopped vibrating his hand, talking aloud to the other members of the Legion. "Perhaps some of you can convince our friends to cooperate?"

Bowser, however, answered for them, standing behind Eobard, surrounding him. "Us? No. We'd rather see how this plays out."

He turned around and saw that they were surrounding him. He smirked, knowing what was going on here. "Aww. It seems you all have formed an alliance." He walked past Tirek, The Vees, Metal Sonic, and Bowser, standing before the Legion he had formed, a smirk on his face, "There's just one problem."

"That you're the only one who could give us what we want... Yes, we know." Tirek cut him off, making the speedster scowl once more. "You're always so quick to remind us how much we need you, Eobard."

"But, clearly, you need us." Valentino said with a grin.

"You could have gotten in this vault all by yourself." Bowser stated, raising a curious eyebrow. "Why didn't you?"

It was then that the watch on Thawne's wrist began to beep, a panicked expression making its way onto his face.

"And for that matter... why would a man who can travel through time always be in such a hurry?" Loki asked.

"We don't have time for this." There was a hint of fear in Eobard's voice as the watch went off again, beads of sweat dripping down his face as his breathing hitched, his heart racing.

"Oh, we've got all the time in the world." Velvette cooed.

Thawne was beginning to panic, he couldn't stay here, he just couldn't. He didn't do all of this just to die here, no, no, he would not let these imbeciles ruin everything. He was smarter than them, how did he not see this coming? No, he was too busy running to notice.

Running from him.

A chill went down his spine.

His breathing began to quicken.

His heart beating non-stop.

They had him cornered.

The watch went off again.

Screw this!

"Okay!" He shouted, not bothering to hide the panic in his voice. "Okay, you all have made your point. I need you as much as you need me, all right. But if you do not open that door, he is going to kill us. He is coming for me!" He shouted in absolute fear, which was a rare sight for sure.

"Who's coming for you?" Tirek asked as Thawne began pacing around the room.

"It's not a who. It's a... it's a... A what? A thing."

"What thing? Can you be a little more specific?" Asked Loki as Thawne continued pacing.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Thawne began, "I was stabbed in the heart in a doomed timeline and was supposed to be erased from existence!" He walked in between the group, holding his head in clear frustration and fear.

"Well, you look pretty spry despite it." Vox complimented with a smirk.

Thawne turned to the Legion and continued, "I refused to let death have me. So, I channeled every bit of the Negative Speed Force into my body and allowed myself to cheat death." He looked down in fear, opening and closing his fists. "But when I ran back into this timeline, I found myself... pursued by something. I-I thought it was a Time Wraith, the monsters that hunt speedsters who mess with time." He had a distant look in his eyes as he whispered, "But whatever is hunting me is... far worse than a Time Wraith." He gulped in fear and looked up at his allies. "It can sense the Speed Force. And it's trying to kill me."

"Interesting, so that's why you keep running out on us." Loki put together.

Vox then said, "Huh. So you're kinda like a shark who'll die if you stay in one place."

"We are all going to die if you don't..." Thawne was cut off by the most terrifying roar anyone in that vault has ever heard. It sounded like a mix of someone screaming in agony and a demonic screech. And it sounded close. Too close. Everyone turned their heads to the vault doors as Eobard took a step back in terror, his breathing becoming uncontrolled. "It's too late. It's here. Ah, well, the good news is you all finally got what you wanted, you managed to balance our partnership. We're now all equally dead."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Eggman grinned.

"This isn't the first scary speedster that we had to put in his place." Tirek added with a smile.

"We're gonna get you out of this bank vault, Eobard." Loki reassured, but not before raising an index finger. "But on one condition."

"You stop treating us like lackeys." Vox demanded, placing his arms behind his back.

Eobard scoffed and held back a laugh, pointing his finger toward the closed doors of the vault. "You think you can stop that? Good luck!" Safe to say that he had absolutely no faith in this plan whatsoever.

Val looked at everyone, feigning deafness as he held a cupped hand to his non-existent ear. "Was that a yes?"

Thawne looked at each of them, darting his eyes between the door and them before sighing. Guess he didn't have much of a choice here. So, he swallowed his pride and looked at them with a serious expression. "Yes."

Vox clapped his hands and shouted, "Great! Let's go to work!"

"Right, so, you say this thing is attracted to the Speed Force?" Tirek asked, getting his answer in the form of a nod.

"What if you don't use it?" Loki suggested with a knowing smirk on his face.

Thawne looked at him in confusion. "What are you suggesting?"

"That you stop running."

Outside the vault: in Doom's Courtyard

The air was cold and dreary.

There was a noticeable chill, the absence of life prominent.

Eobard walked out of the vault and into the heart of the courtyard, a hint of fear in his step as he looked around for his pursuer. He could be anywhere, pop up at any moment. He was shaking, eyes wide in terror, in a cold sweat as his eyes darted around before a chill ran up his spine.

It was here.

This was confirmed by the horrific shriek that echoed throughout the courtyard.

"It knows I'm here." Thawne whispered in horror.

"Good." Loki said over the Comms. "Because we've only got one shot at this."

A flash of red lightning zoomed right past Thawne, stopping a few meters behind him. Eobard stood perfectly still as the demonic entity slowly rose to full height, it bones cracking every time it moved one of its limbs. It was a speedster wearing a black version of The Flash's suit, the yellow parts of the costume replaced with red. The speedster itself was a literal walking corpse with lifeless, white eyes, dried up rotten flesh, and sharp, demonic claws on its fingertips.

The Black Flash let out a multi-layered, demonic screech that sent chills down everybody's spines.

Especially Eobard's.

"That is the ugliest looking thing I have ever seen." Val gulped in terror.

Eggman, however, regained his composure and stared at the speedsters from his vantage point. "Remember, as long as you stay still, he can't sense you." This seemed to be the case as despite Eobard standing right in front of it, the Black Flash couldn't see its target.

It looked around, its bones cracking as it moved, walking slowly past Reverse-Flash, snarling as it tried to sense where its prey had run off to. Meanwhile Thawne was doing everything in his power not to run away, to not make a single sound. For if he did, he would be as good as dead.

"Easy Eobard." Tirek cautioned him, noticing how tense he looked as death itself turned and roared in his direction, slowly making its way over to him. "Easy." Tirek reaffirmed as his horns began to light up.

Black Flash snarled as it leaned directly into Eobard's face, as if trying to sense if he was there. It let out a horrific roar, red mist exuding from its gaping maw, forcing Thawne to close his eyes in fear of what might happen.

It was then that the Legion of Doom made their move.

Appearing from their hiding spots, they all engaged the beast in a combined attack, hoping to throw it off balance.

Tirek fired a magic blast, Vel and Val both fired their guns, Eggman ordered Metal to fire a chest beam, Vox sent forth an electric blast, Bowser launched a fireball from his mouth, and Loki fired a blast from his scepter. But the attacks simply phased right through it as it vibrated its molecules to dodge the ensemble of attacks, letting out a massive roar as it stopped vibrating.

Now was his chance.

Without waiting, Reverse-Flash landed a speed punch to Black Flash's middle, sending it flying across the courtyard and landing directly into the vault. As it began to get up, Vox lit up his hand and swiped, closing the vault doors. Black Flash tried to escape, but the barrier inside the vault that kept Thawne held within not a few moments ago held it inside. It snarled as the vault doors shut, sealing it within.

But not for long.

It would soon retreat into the Speed Force and resume its hunt.

Thawne turned to the rest of the Legion and said with haste, "It won't stay trapped for long. We have to go."

Everyone looked at one another before Vox repeated, "We?"

Reverse-Flash smiled and nodded, "We... Partners."

"Better." Loki smirked, the Kalabros Manuscript in his hands, and turned... Only to come face to face with a squadron of Doombots. "Oh, dear."

The Legion were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of Doombots, all of their weaponry trained on them, forcing the group to huddle together back to back as the robots drew closer. "You will go nowhere." A deep, calculating voice declared to the team of villains.

The Doombots split apart and bowed as the sovereign ruler of Latveria approached them. He wore grey, metallic, titanium armor with a green tunic, cape, with a green hood that covers his head. He wore a metallic mask with a permanent scowl, concealing his disfigured visage.

Doctor Doom placed his hands behind his back as he studied the group before him. The team that dared invade his lands and defile his home with their very presence. Despicable. Unforgivable. Disgraceful. This shall not stand. He looked to Loki and scowled, "Trickster god." He greeted, his sights set on him and only him. "You dare to defile Doom's lands with your presence?"

"Always a pleasure, Victor." Loki said sarcastically.

Vox, looking baffled, then asked, "Wait, how'd you know we were here? I disabled all your cameras!"

Doom shut his eyes and chuckled, "If you believe my technology could be so easily beaten by a pathetic worm such as yourself, then you're more idiotic then I thought to believe." He opened his eyes, a cold, unforgiving stare that made Vox shiver. "These are my lands. Doom sees all. None escape my visage." He then looked to the vault behind the team and said, "I was unaware such a vault lied deep beneath my lands. A vault of the Ancients, if I am to assume correctly."

"Enough." Thawne growled before suddenly zooming forward to snap Victor's neck at super speed. They didn't have time for this, the Black Flash could escape at any moment and he sure as hell wouldn't be here when it did. He had to end this quickly.

He never got the chance.

A green energy pulse came from Doom that sent Reverse-Flash flying back, rolling to a stop on the ground. He groaned as he slowly got onto his feet, green electricity encasing his form. He looked at his hands in horror. The Negative Speed Force! He couldn't feel it anymore.

"What... did you do?"

"Nanites." Doom answered, his stance unmoved whatsoever. "Delivering a high frequency pulse that is disabling your speed." He then spoke to the Legion directly. "You are trespassing on Latverian soil." His eyes glowed green as he commanded, "Leave. Now."

Velvette scoffed, "What do ya think we were about to do, love?"

Once Doom set his gaze on her, she made the wise move of hiding behind Bowser.

"I shall give you all one chance." Doom stated. "Relinquish the tome in your possession and leave my lands, lest you wish for today to be your last."

Vox had the audacity to laugh, "Like hell we're gonna give you this book! We just busted our asses off trying to get it!"

"Besides, you seem to be outnumbered here, I'm afraid." Bowser pointed out, gesturing to his allies beside him. "Maybe you should just give up and surrender."

"Doom does not surrender."

"That's funny, neither do we." Eggman said as Metal's eyes lit up with a blazing fury.

Val pulled out his guns and aimed all four of them at the metal monarch. "We're not giving up this book, so how about you take your tight little ass and piss off." He licked his lips, his poison smearing over his mouth as he chuckled.

The rest of the Legion seemed to be in agreement as they readied themselves.

"While you are impressive for a mortal, Doom," Loki said while aiming his scepter forward, "Not even you can hope to stop all of us."

Doom let out a deep and frustrated exhale, closing his eyes before opening them and glaring at the group of villains before him. "Have it your way." The Doombots aimed their weapons at the Legion of Doom while the Latverian monarch simply stood there, clenching his fists behind his back.

Ingrates.

It's time that they learned their place.

With a slight motion with his hand, Doom started the battle, sending his Doombots forward. A barrage of missiles and bullets soared through the air, the calm silence in the courtyard no more. In response, Loki stamped his scepter onto the ground, creating a barrier that blocked the projectiles.

Without hesitation, Metal Sonic flew through the barrier and began tearing through Doombot after Doombot, with Val flying right behind him, firing off Angelic bullets as he flew through the courtyard, no Doombot was spared. Meanwhile Vel scurried across the floor, brandishing an Angelic blade while Vox and Loki held off the incoming swarm of robots.

Piercing the torso of a Doombot, Loki released a blast from his scepter that blew it apart while Vox simply snapped his fingers, sending forth multiple electrical orbs that struck multiple Doombots and sent them sliding back. He grinned as he summoned multiple television cables and sent them piercing through the heads of the robots, laughing as their heads exploded.

As Bowser tore one in half, Tirek set his sights on the approaching Doctor Doom, who had his hands clasped behind his back, his cape flapping through the wind. The centaur smiled and charged forward. Time to put this cretin in his place. Tirek threw a devastating punch, one that created a massive shockwave that destroyed the ground beneath them.

Doom caught it.

He caught the punch.

Tirek's eyes shot open as he felt Doom tighten his hold on Tirek's fist.

"I-Impossible...!" Tirek stuttered before being blasted away by Doom.

As the centaur flew through the air, crashing into one of Doom's statues, the monarch simply wiped his hand and muttered, "Insect." He then hovered into the air, his hands glowing green with arcane magic. "None lay hands on Doom." He then hit Tirek in the chest with a foot dive, sending the centaur onto his back, the side of his head planted on the ground by Doom's metallic boot. "Know your place before approaching me again."

He saw a fireball approaching him fast from the corner of his eye. A pitiful attempt. Doctor Doom merely waved his hand and the fiery orb was redirected into Vox's chest, sending the Tv Demon onto his back. Delivering a final stomp onto Tirek's head, Doom folded his arms and boosted upward, avoiding Metal Sonic's surprise attack from behind.

He heard Valentino zooming toward him from behind, so he turned around, pointed a finger at the moth, and sent a blast that sealed him in a green orb. "What the fuck?!" Val shouted before Doom swung him around with his index finger and slammed him into Loki, who tried getting a clear shot of the monarch but failed to do so in time.

Victor landed on the ground, scoffing before arching an eyebrow as Velvette crawled around him and held her knife against his neck. How disappointing. Before he knew it, he was engulfed in green electricity that caused the doll to cry out in agony as she felt her nerves flare up in pain.

As his defense mechanism ceased, Velvette fell to the floor as Bowser rushed over and threw a punch, one which Doom blocked with precision. He ducked under a right hook and held up his arms as he blocked a kick from Bowser. The two then interlocked hands before Doom delivered a nasty headbutt that actually caused Bowser to stagger.

He then backhanded the Koopa away, sending him bouncing off the floor.

His shielding suddenly appeared over him as Metal Sonic and Vox both sent forth individual blasts to try and incapacitate Doom. The villain scoffed and held up his hand, firing an arcane blast that hit Vox right in the chest, his back colliding with the stone statue behind him. Metal Sonic flew forward as the shield disappeared, intending on tackling Doom. But Victor stepped to the side, causing Metal to miss entirely. But as he zoomed past, the robot felt Doom grab hold of his leg, causing his optics to shrink before he was swung over Doom's head and slammed into the concrete.

Hearing a roar to his right, Doom turned and quickly ceased hold of the two large horns meant to impale him. Doom stood his ground as Tirek pushed against him, snarling as Doom managed to push him back. His eyes widened when Doctor Doom managed to get a good enough grip on his horns and tossed him away like he was nothing.

A swarm of television cables suddenly sprouted from the ground and wrapped around his body, forcing Doom to remain in place as Vox began to laugh, activating his hypnosis to place the monarch under his complete control. But after a few moments Vox looked flabbergasted, Doom remained in complete control and his hypnosis wasn't having the desired effect. Before he could do anything, Doom freed himself from the cables and seized Vox by the throat, holding him in the air and zapping him with arcane magic.

He tossed the television aside and soon found himself surrounded by multiple Loki clones. He arched an eyebrow before clenching his fists, unleashing a burst of magic from himself that dispelled the clones and sent the real Loki flying back into Valentino, who had gotten up and prepared to take flight only to be sent to the floor once more.

As the fight progressed, Eggman, who was standing next to the powerless Reverse-Flash, looked down to see Thawne growling in anger, the green electricity slowly turning back into red. It seemed that the effects of the nanites were beginning to wane. The doctor knew that they had to hold off Doom for a little while longer before they could make their getaway.

Back with Doom, he backhanded a magical blast from Tirek and redirected it right into Bowser, who was boosting over inside his turtle shell to try and get a surprise hit on Doom. But that unfortunately did not come to pass. He shot his arm out to the right and absorbed an electric blast from Vox before firing it right at Tirek, sending him crashing to the floor. He then teleported in a mist of green and reappeared behind the Tv Demon and backhanded him away, cracking his screen.

He quickly used his thrusters to boost back as Loki swung at him with his scepter, all the while simultaneously blocking a slash from Velvette, grabbing her wrist, forcing her to drop the knife, and swinging her right into the side of Loki's head, sending them both to the floor.

Bowser and Tirek had had enough of this and decided to work together. Using Bowser's fire breath and Tirek's magic, they fired a blast at the doctor, combining together to land a devastating blow. Doom, however, was not threatened, as he boosted into the air, folded his arms, and shot downward, propelling his feet forward and shouting, "FOOTDIVE!", kicking the massive orb back and hitting both the centaur and the Koopa, creating a massive explosion that sent each member of the Legion tumbling to the floor.

Doctor Doom landed gracefully and merely brushed off his shoulders.

Thawne had seen enough, they weren't winning this today. Eyes glowing red, Reverse-Flash vibrated his form, exuding the nanites from his body, before zooming around in circles, not only creating a portal for them to escape, but also generating enough lightning to hurl it at Doom.

While Doom caught the bolt of lightning flawlessly, red lightning crackling around his gauntlet, Reverse-Flash quickly gathered everyone and the Kalabros Manuscript and shoved them all into the portal. "Another day, Doom." He growled under his breath before zooming into the breach, leaving Latveria entirely.

As the dust settled, Victor merely stood there and folded his hands behind his back, silently seething at their escape. But it meant little to Doom. They had left his lands and he had gotten what he needed. You see while they were fighting, Doom had sent out a miniature robot to scan the contents of the tome when Loki had dropped it on the floor.

The little spider-like robot crawled over and up its master's leg before resting on his shoulder.

The contents of the book would take time to decode, however that meant nothing, Doom was anything if not patient. He would learn what was going on here, why that tome was so important, and what secrets it held within. And as for those interlopers who dared stand foot in his country. Well. He would see to it that they paid for their transgressions.

With their lives.

With that thought in mind, Doom turned around and began walking back to his castle. Those fools may have thought that they had escaped him.

But rest assured.

None ever escape Doom.

Author's Note

And this is why Doctor Doom is the greatest Marvel villain ever! Fucking fight me! I will die on this hill! I wanted to use Doom in the last story, but I couldn't find a way to include him without doing a disservice to his character. The amount of times writers have gotten him so wrong is so baffling to me.

And I get it, he's such a hard character to write properly. I just hope I've done him well here.

And this won't be the last time we see Doom, oh no, he may not have a big role, but we will see him again.

Anyways, I enjoyed focusing a chapter solely on the villains while the heroes began to unravel the mystery that is the Reverse-Flash. As you can tell, this story takes place after the Flashpoint Paradox in the DC Universe, where Thawne died in that story line, I've decided to use that as the reason that Black Flash is hunting him.

Now we know what Thawne's end goal is.

He just wants to exist.

Also how do we fell about the Hazbin Crew joining the adventure? Thoughts? Because I can promise you this. They won't be the only ones.

And I want to know, who's your favourite character on both Team Legion and Team Guardians, and why?

Next chapter we head into the next universe and continue the hunt for the Spear of Destiny. Stay tuned, things are picking up now.