Malphegor

PIG V2 Ch. 26

Anna wore a surgical mask, but she still pinched her nose as she picked her way across moss-slick rocks behind Edward and Otis. The smell of rotting seaweed, industrial runoff, and underneath it all, the sweet-sick stench of decay was overwhelming. The reported location was a shallow shore near an old sewage outlet, where the Gotham River met the industrial district's drainage system. Several grotesquely twisted limbs had been pushed by the tide onto a pile of gravel and debris.

"This i...

Note 12/31/25

I won't have time later, so I'll say it now: Happy New Year! Have a great celebration, don't overdo it, and enjoy your time.

PIG V2 Ch. 25

Once blood starts flowing, it never stops. The neon signs were going dark across Gotham, one by one. Storefronts that had been open for decades were shuttering, owners boarding up windows with whatever scrap wood they could find. Graffiti sprayed over faded advertisements. Gang symbols and furious slogans replacing what used to be thriving businesses.

Black Mask wasn't just targeting Falcone, Maroni, or Thorne. He was hitting everyone. Anyone who controlled territory was getting a visit...

PIG V2 Ch. 24

The black cars slid up to the curb, tires hissing through puddles and spraying water everywhere. Doors opened, and polished shoes hit the pavement. Men in dark suits snapped open umbrellas and moved quickly to form protective circles around their bosses.

Rain hammered down on Gotham's old quarter, turning the cobblestone streets slick. Nino's Restaurant glowed with warm yellow light from its windows, the stained glass depicting the Virgin Mary distorted by rainwater running down in stre...

PIG V2 Ch. 23

The officials were still shaking when Marco helped the last of them to their feet. Rain poured down in sheets, soaking through their expensive suits and plastering their styled hair to their skulls. One of them, a middle-aged man with jowls like a bulldog, looked at Marco with confusion, then relief.

Marco pulled his badge out of his jacket pocket and held it up. "GCPD. East End."

The terror on their faces ebbed slightly. The man straightened his tie, which was hanging half-off an...

PIG V2 Ch. 22

The rain was getting heavier. The wipers thrashed back and forth across the windshield, barely managing to carve out a patch of visibility through the downpour. Marco leaned against the passenger seat, his hand unconsciously pressing against his side where the old wound had started aching again.

"Straight back to the house?" Darnell asked, gripping the steering wheel tightly. His lips had gone a little pale, though his face otherwise showed nothing unusual.

Marco was about to nod ...

PIG V2 Ch. 21

Rain hammered the roof of the car, streaming down the windshield in thick rivulets that made everything beyond the glass look like an oil painting left out in the rain. The wipers could barely keep up.

Marco and Darnell sat in the darkness, the SUV tucked into the tree line about two hundred meters from the massive suspension bridge leading to Blackgate Island. Through the rain-blurred windows and Marco's binoculars, they had a clear view of the prison at the far end of the bridge.

PIG V2 Ch. 20

"Anyone want a burger?"

Marco dropped several grease-stained paper bags on the break room table. Instantly, hands shot out from all directions, slapping down on the bags like seagulls fighting over garbage.

"Mine!"

"I called it first!"

"Bullshit, that's mine—"

"Sir." Anna appeared at his elbow, holding a folded newspaper. "This just came in this morning. You should probably take a look. It's... well..."

"Thanks." Marco took the paper, and he didn't even n...

LOTR: TMCP Ch. 398

A terrifying laughter echoed in the sky, as if it came from the clouds themselves. A dark, ghostly wind swept across the wasteland before the Black Gate, swirling and gathering not far from Garrett. It condensed into the form of a tall, black suit of armor bristling with spikes. Within the helmet, two crimson lights flared to life. Even without declaring his identity, everyone knew who it was. The Lord of the Rings, the Master of Mordor, the Dark Lord Sauron.

Indeed, after his defeat in...

LOTR: TMCP Ch. 397

The words spoken by the Mouth of Sauron carried a high degree of credibility. Garrett didn't doubt that if he nodded right now, Mordor would immediately surrender, and would probably drag along all of its allies as well. And as for Sauron himself, it was quite possible that he truly would swear allegiance to Garrett.

However... This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Back in the days when the Númenóreans fought Sauron, he had also declared surrender on the s...

LOTR: TMCP Ch. 396

To be fair, as a ruler, Denethor did quite a good job. The affairs of Gondor, great and small alike, were managed in perfect order, with hardly any mistakes. And his attitude, except toward his two sons, was generally just and impartial.

His reputation in Gondor wasn't bad at all. In terms of willpower, he was remarkably strong, like steel itself, so much so that he could even resist the temptations of Sauron.

That was no small feat. But after all, a man is made of flesh and blood...

MPCW Ch. 19

Two sharp whistles cut through the air. Arrows came flying from outside the treehouse. Qingxue quickly reacted. A translucent longsword materialized in her hand, and she swung it. Icy sword energy exploded outward in a sharp wave.

Swish.

The incoming arrows passed straight through her sword qi like it didn't exist. Their speed didn't even slow. They kept coming, aimed directly at the shield Alexei had raised. He'd been bracing for impact. But it never came.

"What th...

MPCW Ch. 18

Qingxue had been about to dismiss her Dharma Aspect back into her qi sea, but when she caught the look on Alexei's face, she hesitated.

The kid clearly wanted to see it up close.

With a sigh, she lowered the tiny fox from where she'd been holding it and placed it in his outstretched hands. Her expression, however, carried more than a hint of melancholy.

On the Profound Sky Continent, once a cultivator reached the Dharma Aspect realm, they could summon their Aspect to fight a...

MCIM Ch. 137

The stealth ship cut through the Arctic air at speeds that would make most military aircraft jealous. Below them, the endless white expanse of Ellesmere Island stretched to the horizon, Canada's northernmost territory, locked in ice and snow.

Bruce stood in the ship's observation area, hands moving across the holographic control panels.

"This technology..." he murmured, comparing it to his own designs. The Batwing was impressive by Earth standards, but compared to a craft capable ...

MCIM Ch. 136

About fifteen minutes after Mario had departed through his waystone, a shimmering portal effect materialized on the Gotham rooftop. Tony stepped through, immediately surveying his surroundings.

"So this is the new world you mentioned?"

A semi-transparent holographic display projected from his forearm as he walked, running diagnostic scans of the local environment. Lines of data scrolled across the interface.

[NETWORK CONNECTED...]
[SIGNAL NOMINAL]
[ATMOSPHERIC ...