Chapter 12: Crossroad Of Destiny
"Today, I become a God," Savitar proclaimed, setting aside the Speed Force Bazooka with conviction. His snowy white streaks trailed behind him in a mesmerising spiral as he sprinted around a monument, intensifying his speed. The air crackled with energy, and a luminous blue vortex materialised, emitting bolts of lightning in a vibrant array of colours. A gust of wind stirred, brushing past me and Killer Frost.
Once the vortex stabilised, Savitar returned to our side, addressing us with purpose in his voice. "This is why I brought both of you here. The Speed Force doesn't like it when speedsters mess with time. Get ready."
As his words lingered in the air, a zombie-like figure emerged from the vortex. Clad in an all-black suit, it lunged forward, surrounded by a swirling aura of crimson lightning. A palpable sense of death exuded from its decaying face, as if it had weathered the ravages of time a thousandfold. With murderous intent, it charged towards Savitar, while Killer Frost retaliated by unleashing icy blasts. Meanwhile, I armed myself with a remote detonator, activating the traps I had meticulously laid out on the grounds. Yet, our efforts proved futile, as Black Flash eluded every obstacle with nimble dexterity, slowly closing in on us, his sights set on Savitar.
Just as Black Flash neared Savitar, poised to strike with his infernal claws, an infinitesimal moment unfolded. In that fleeting fraction of time, Killer Frost seized the opportunity. With her frigid power pushed to its limits, she unleashed a surge of freezing energy that engulfed the Black Flash. The numbing cold pierced through its decaying form, encasing it in a solid block of ice. The impact shattered the frozen figure into a myriad of icy fragments, scattering them across the ground.
"See you later, Hunter." she declared proudly, satisfaction emanating from her.
"The one thing Black Flash can't fight, cold." Savitar explained, a faint note of relief colouring his voice. He hastened towards the entrance of the Speed Force, taking his place before it, prepared to be spliced across all of time.
"Finally, to be a God." He announced with fervor, stretching his arms wide open, ready to embrace his Godhood.
Killer Frost raised the Speed Force Bazooka, unleashing its powerful inter-dimensional energy—a dazzling amalgamation of colours that enveloped Savitar like ethereal tendrils. Mirroring his every move, replicas of Savitar materialised, cascading towards the Speed Force in succession.
As I witnessed this spectacle, despite my apprehension about Savitar, a smile crept onto my face. The moment was almost upon us—I would finally reclaim the happiness I had long yearned for. However, my elation was short-lived. The bazooka emitted a beeping sound, and the energy surrounding Savitar dissipated. A streak of orange lightning burst forth from the depths of the Speed Force, violently knocking him to the ground.
"I've been waiting a long time to do that," proclaimed the figure who now revealed himself as Jay Garrick, standing tall in a heroic pose, his hand resting on his waist like a superhero from the 90s.
"Garrick, how did you-" Savitar stammered in shock but was interrupted by a familiar voice.
Kid Flash, Gypsy, Flash, and Vibe appeared before us from a portal, and we stared at them in astonishment at how fast they had found us. Cisco interjected, a triumphant smirk gracing his face as he returned Jay's helmet to its rightful owner.
"He didn't. I did. I installed a device to change the climbing arc so that it always changes back to the polarity of the climbing arc I want. And by changing the polarity of the climbing arc, I changed your Speed Force splicer into a Speed Force skeleton key. Didn't think I was actually gonna let you become a God, now, did you?"
"Go!" I shouted with urgency, my voice echoing through the charged atmosphere. The three speedsters sprang into action, hot on Savitar's heels, leaving Killer Frost and me to confront the power couple.
...
Silently, I nodded at Killer Frost, prompting her to unleash a barrage of icicles that sent our adversaries seeking shelter. Recognising the opportunity, I swiftly reached into my pocket and retrieved the hilt of my sword. As my fingers closed around it, the nano-blade responded to my touch, assembling itself like a symphony of microscopic Lego pieces clicking into place. Metallic components intertwined, extending and elongating the sword into a sharp and formidable weapon. Fuelled by determination, I focused on the weakest link among our opponents, intent on striking first.
Advancing quickly, I noticed Cisco reacting by launching a series of vibe blasts in my direction, while Gypsy remained focused on taking down Killer Frost from behind me.
"Gravitas," I uttered, savoring the resounding vibration that surged through the soles of my feet. It anchored me, granting an otherworldly sensation of power and control as I gracefully traversed the air, akin to gliding through a cool, electric current. The wind whispered against my skin, its caress a testament to my agility as I deftly evaded the incoming vibe blasts, my determination unwavering as I closed in on Cisco. His widened eyes brimmed with shock and fear, raising his arms in instinct to shield himself. With my sword poised to strike, moments away from piercing his flesh, I had gravely underestimated Gypsy's exceptional reaction speed.
In an instant, a blue portal materialised before me just as my blade was about to strike, causing it to vanish into the portal. For a moment, I believed this was the end of her move. But what happened next brought me a mixture of surprise and pain. As the sword traveled through the portal, I felt a sharp object pierce through the back of my vest, narrowly avoiding my vital organs.
To my horror, Gypsy had opened another portal behind me, connecting it to the one in front. Gasping in agony, before I could even articulate my torment, Cisco seized the opening and unleashed a devastating surge of energy aimed at my face. The impact shattered fragments of my crimson headgear, and like a tattered kite caught in a gale, I was flung across the field, colliding with Killer Frost.
As I lay defeated, the taste of failure bitter on my tongue, our adversaries towered over us, hands raised in a stern warning, daring us to mount any further resistance. "Shit," I cursed through gritted teeth, a visceral fear coursing through my veins as I contemplated their next move. Clenching my jaw, I mustered the last vestiges of strength to retrieve the sword lodged within my wounded body. My trembling hands pressed against the gaping wound, a futile attempt to staunch the blood, the urgency to prevent myself from bleeding to death undeniable.
Injured, we stood at the mercy of Vibe and Gypsy, their powers unrivaled and our hope fading. Killer Frost's voice, laced with a resigned acceptance, broke the silence. "Do it, Cisco. End us."
Tensions reached an unbearable climax as Cisco's hand wavered, poised to deliver a fatal blow. However, he abruptly lowered it and signaled to Gypsy to stand down. Retrieving a vial of mysterious blue liquid, he spoke with a mixture of determination and compassion.
"No, I never will. But I will give you a choice. You want to be Caitlin again? This is your chance."
With those words, he turned away, only to be struck by a sudden bolt of white lightning. Gypsy fell unconscious instantly, while Cisco groaned in pain. Savitar seized Cisco by the throat, his grip tightening, anger dripping from his words.
"You will pay for what you did. And you will die the same way twice." Savitar's hands trembled, their vibrations glitching and blurring as he closed in on Cisco's chest. Meanwhile, Killer Frost's eyes flickered between white and brown, locked in an internal conflict.
Realizing her intentions, I shook my head, blood seeping from my mouth as I managed to speak.
"No... No..." But she disregarded my warning and unleashed a torrent of freezing mist, sending Savitar hurtling into a nearby tree.
With uncertainty clouding her expression, she cautiously approached Cisco and lifted him up.
Everything was falling apart. Horror consumed me as I watched my teammate double-cross us and Savitar nearing death with every passing second.
"I knew you didn't have it in you, Caitlin," he taunted as the Flash rushed toward him, only to be swiftly knocked down. Savitar brandished his metallic spear, piercing it through the Flash's leg, causing him to scream in agony. Cisco and Killer Frost looked on, their faces etched with concern, but were unable to intervene.
"I only have a few minutes left. I can feel it," Savitar sneered. "Just so we're clear, before I die, I'm going to kill Joe, Wally, and Iris. If I'm going to die, then everything you love will die too."
Within a second, he appeared between Cisco and Killer Frost, both holding them by the throat as they struggled to breathe.
"Let's start with them, shall we?"
Helplessness consumed the Flash as he pleaded with Savitar to release them. His desperation was etched on his face.
As the chaos intensified, doubts swirled within me like a tempestuous storm, threatening to engulf every ounce of my being. The weight of the two choices before me loomed ominously, consuming my every thought and burdening me with their gravity.
Red pill or blue pill?
Should I betray him? A voice echoed within, reminding me of his impending demise, rendering our deal futile. Yet, my mind couldn't help but entertain a fleeting thought—what if we win and Savitar brings Rebekah back? Conflicting voices resurfaced, entwining with the warnings of Barry and Cisco, cautioning against placing trust in Savitar. Their words reverberated, intertwining with the image of Killer Frost's desperate and fearful gaze. Once a reflection of cold confidence, her eyes now flickered with vulnerability. A sensation, both foreign and familiar, tugged at my heartstrings. And in that moment, amidst my wavering indecisiveness, a surge of clarity shattered the stalemate.
With a resolute determination, I made my final decision.
The red pill it is.
Gazing down at my intact gauntlet, I heaved a sigh of relief. It was time to do what I should have done long ago. My fingers danced across the keys, executing a sequence I had meticulously prepared. As I entered the final command, the light emanating from Savitar's suit flickered from blue to nothingness, and then back to blue.
Dread enveloped my being as I confronted the depth of my failure. Savitar pivoted towards me, unleashing a sinister chuckle that echoed through the air.
"Poor Jason," he sneered, his voice oozing with venom. "Did you truly believe that such a feeble attempt could thwart me? Did you honestly think I hadn't foreseen your desperate move, planting a malware virus within my suit?"
Trembling hands betrayed my inner turmoil, while my heart hammered against my chest like a relentless war drum. My gaze flickered, momentarily meeting Frost's eyes, a glimmer of gratitude and fear reflecting in them as her life slowly slipped away, choked by Savitar's grip.
Noticing my fleeting glance, Savitar scoffed, his arrogance cutting through the thick tension that hung in the air. "You dare to betray me? For her?" He laughed. The sound was hollow and mocking, sending shivers down my spine. "You've grown weak, Jason. Utterly pathetic. I can't believe you are 'The Crimson Knight'. No wonder your wife died." His words echoed with disdain.
At the mention of my dead wife, a primal rage surged through me. My vision blurred, tainted by a fiery crimson hue, as all semblance of reason deserted me. In a frenzied state, I seized a red serum from my pocket. Without hesitation, I drove it deep into my bleeding wound.
As the vial of red liquid made contact with my wound, my wound healed faster than the eye could process. A surge of intense energy coursed through my veins. In that fleeting moment, time seemed to slow as my body underwent a breathtaking metamorphosis. Every fiber of my being thrummed with power, and my very essence seemed to ignite with an otherworldly flame.
Mighty sinews bulged and expanded, bursting forth from beneath my suit and shattered mask. The fabric strained and tore, unable to contain the unstoppable force burgeoning within me. My skin, once pallid and ordinary, now radiated a vivid shade of crimson—a hue that seemed to pulsate with life, as if the very essence of blood had been infused into my formidable form.
With each passing second, my stature grew exponentially, my towering figure eclipsing all those around me. I became a behemoth, an imposing force of nature, my presence casting a palpable shadow over the battlefield. My limbs, once unremarkable, transformed into mighty oaks, endowed with a strength capable of delivering devastating blows that could level mountains.
But it wasn't just my physical attributes that underwent a remarkable change. As the transformation consumed me, my hair cascaded in flowing locks, its length mirroring the wildness that surged within me. My canines sharpened, assuming a predatory gleam, while my eyes, once calm and collected, now burned with an inferno of fiery intensity.
Gone was the rational and calculative Jason; all that remained was 'The Crimson Beast of Death,' contending with an overwhelming surge of anger. Eyes that were once calm and humane now blazed with a fiery intensity, monstrous raw power, and an overwhelming fury.
In the blink of an eye, my transformation was complete. With a thunderous eruption, I burst forth from the ground, leaving behind a sizable crater as evidence of my emergence. A resounding sonic boom echoed through the air as I hurtled toward Savitar, my newfound speed reducing me to a blur of crimson fury.
As a speedster, Savitar reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, dropping both Cisco and Frost and evading my initial punch with a swift dodge to the left. The whooshing sound of my fist slicing through the air served as a testament to the incredible speed I now possessed. However, his agility wasn't enough to save him from my premeditated strike.
Anticipating his evasion, I effortlessly retracted my hand and seized his head in a vice-like grip, driving it downward with a bone-crushing impact onto my raised knee. Shards of his once-imposing helmet shattered and fell away, the fragments of his crumbling defense littering the ground.
Savitar stumbled backward, desperately attempting to regain his balance, but his efforts were futile in the face of my relentless assault. Without granting him a moment's respite, I unleashed a furious onslaught, my fists becoming a blur of unyielding punishment. Each uppercut landed with concussive force, causing him to plummet to the unforgiving ground with a resounding thud.
Yet, I refused to relent. Like a relentless tempest, I pounced upon his fallen form, delivering merciless blow after blow. Each strike reverberated through the air with explosive force, creating shockwaves that seemed to shake the very foundation of the forest. The ground beneath us yielded, forming a growing crater as his helmet cracked further, revealing a disoriented and fear-stricken visage.
But before he could mount any resistance, I swiftly retrieved a specially designed syringe from my pocket. With a violent motion, I drove the needle into Savitar's vulnerable neck, ensuring he could never retaliate. The potent liquid surged through his veins, neutralizing his ability to heal from my previous onslaughts. A wicked smile spread across my face as I witnessed the effectiveness of my Speed Dampener.
With a fury and speed that defied comprehension, I continued my assault, each punch materialising and dissipating in the air like ethereal mirages.
"WHO... KILLED... HER?" I demanded with each strike, driving Savitar deeper into the ground.
Piece by piece, Savitar's formidable armor crumbled under the unrelenting force of my onslaught. His once-imposing defense fell away, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. As he lay there, his existence teetering on the brink of annihilation, I sought answers.
However, before I could extract the truth from him, three speedsters—Flash, Kid Flash, and Jay Garrick—finally emerged from their reverie, attempting to stop me. With a thunderous clap that shook the entire forest, I easily knocked them aside, sending them sprawling in the wake of the shockwave.
Undeterred, I roared, "WHERE IS THE COURT OF OWLS? WHO DID THIS TO HER? TELL ME!" My voice reverberated with an insatiable thirst for revenge as my relentless assault upon Savitar continued. The impact of each blow was capable of vanquishing an army. By the time I halted, his countenance had been disfigured beyond recognition, far more grotesque than any mere 'pizza face.' Scattered teeth and twisted limbs bore witness to the unyielding force of my wrath. A pool of blood, mirroring the shade of my crimson skin, formed beneath him, a grim reflection of the brutality that had unfolded.
But his torment was fleeting, swiftly extinguished as he fragmented into a million dazzling shards, erased from existence from this world. In that moment, a primal and monstrous roar of unadulterated anger erupted from my depths, finding no satisfaction in his death or the answers he didn't provide.
As my fury threatened to consume me, a cool hand touched my shoulder, and in my anger, I instinctively prepared to strike whoever dared intervene. Only to meet the familiar icy gaze of Frost gave me made me pause. Worry and a touch of defiance mingled in her eyes, silently daring me to unleash my full power against her. Her unexpected act of concern, laced with her own resolve, struck a chord within me as I halted my clenched fist, wind blowing past her sleek white hair.
"Pull yourself together, Jason," she hissed, her voice laced with an icy chill. "I know you're stronger than that. Now, are you going to snap out of it, or should I show you what it really means to be an ice sculpture?"
In that moment, as my rage slowly dissipated, the effects of the transformative serum began to fade, causing my once towering form to shrink, leaving behind an ordinary, athlete-standard human body. The wild tangle of hair on my head returned to its normal state, canines receded to their usual length, and the vibrant redness of my skin dissipated, leaving me resembling my former self. The raw power and strength that had surged through my entire being just moments ago now seemed to have drained away, leaving my body feeling strangely empty.
But with the physical aspects returning, the pain surged forth with renewed intensity. My body convulsed with excruciating agony that defied description. It was as if a horde of invisible demons had seized hold of every fibre of my being, relentlessly tormenting me from within.
A searing heat coursed through my veins, igniting a conflagration that engulfed my entire being. The pain was like an inferno, roaring and devouring me from the inside out. It coiled around my nerves, sending electrical surges of torment that shot through my body like venomous serpents. Each heartbeat reverberated with pulsating waves of anguish, intensifying the torment with every throb.
My blood began to boil and bubble within me, its molten essence scorching every tissue it touched. Veins, swollen and engorged, bulged beneath my skin. Their crimson paths traced a grotesque roadmap of suffering. The pain carved pathways of torment throughout my body, leaving no inch untouched by its malevolent grip.
Every breath was a struggle, as if shards of glass had invaded my lungs, lacerating and tearing with each inhalation. Breathing became a struggle, as if glass shards laced my lungs. Gasping for respite, each breath battled the torment. Vision swam in blinding lights and darkness, flickering between consciousness and unconsciousness. Whispering shadows taunted, offering elusive relief.
As I crumpled to the ground, my muscles once rippling with power now trembled and spasmed uncontrollably, their strength reduced to feeble twitches.
"Don't you dare die on me, Jason," Killer Frost exclaimed, her voice laced with a mix of shock and worry.
A glimpse of worry and concern flashed across her face as she quickly assessed my condition, putting her medical knowledge to good use.
"Damn it. He's burning up, and his heart's racing like a marathon. If we don't do something fast, he'll die from heatstroke and cardiac arrest," she muttered, her cold facade giving way to genuine worry evident in her voice.
"I can run him to the hospital," Flash suggested, ready to whisk me away but Killer Frost shot him a glare. "No. If you run with him, the friction you build up while running will fry him faster." She then turned to look at Cisco and said, "And I don't have the right equipment to figure out what's happening, so we can't breach him there as well."
Desperation and helplessness filled her as she racked her brain for a solution to save me as I slowly approached death's door. My body started shaking violently, seizing as my body heat reached new heights, and my heart rate peaked. After moments of desperate contemplation, her eyes widened with a glimmer of hope as a daring plan formed in her mind.
"Jason, listen up," she said, her voice filled with urgency. "I've got an idea, a risky one. But desperate times call for desperate measures."
"D...o...it," I gasped, my voice strained between the waves of torment. The pain was unbearable, and I needed relief, no matter where it came from.
Nodding resolutely, Frost lowered herself, her icy lips meeting mine in an unexpected kiss. As our lips touched, a surge of Arctic coldness spread from her, enveloping me in its embrace. It was like diving headfirst into an icy abyss, a chilling yet strangely soothing sensation.
The frigid touch coursed through my veins, gradually slowing my racing heart and easing the searing torment that had consumed me.
As the intense cold spread through my body, a sense of calm washed over me. The rapid beats of my heart gradually slowed, like a wild stallion brought under control. Darkness beckoned at the edges of my consciousness, offering a respite from the pain that had plagued me.
"So this is... how it feels... to die," I thought, my voice barely a whisper in the icy stillness. "It's not... bad..."
A/N: I just want to clarify the reason why Killer Frost saved Vibe is because Caitlin briefly took over, but Frost saving Jason was purely because of Frost. As for how the 'Hulk Serum' works, it is like a hybrid of Mirakuru-Bane-Hulk serum merged together and anger is the main source of strength. It will be explained more in the future. When Jason is transformed into 'Hulk' his skin is red like the Red Hulk and his size is like 'Smart Hulk' from Marvel. Any questions, just leave a comment.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone