Archive of Our Own ^beta

"It's not our fault, Bruce. It's our responsibility to stop this." Oliver said as he stood over the grave after the funeral.

"You're going to kill them?" Bruce asked.

"And every last person, who defends them, if I must." Oliver vowed. "Dragon, Jade, they all have to pay."

"Oliver, if there's anything I can do—"

"Don't try to stop me from doing this." Oliver warned.

"I won't." Oliver said before Bruce walked away and Oliver knelt down, putting his hand on the gravestone and a stray tear streamed down his cheek.

---

After the funeral, Black Siren approached Henry, who was beaten up and had a cast around his arm and bruised face and Mia had a crutch to lean on.

"Are you alright?" Black Siren asked.

"Physically, yeah." Henry said. "But—"

Laurel nodded. "It's not like you had a chance, so don't beat yourself up."

Mia sighed. "They're dangerous. Far more dangerous than I had thought. And the Longbow Hunters and Richard Dragon are up to no good."

"Take care of yourselves." Black Siren said before she approached Oliver and Tommy, who were staring at the gravestone. "Ollie… I don't even know what to say."

"I don't think there's anything you can say to make this any easier." Oliver said as he clenched his fists. "All that pain they caused—"

"They're ruthless, Laurel." Tommy said. "And I know what you're thinking but you can't beat them. You'll only get hurt, just like them." He turned to Henry, Mia, Rene and Dinah and Curtis, who were all beaten up. "Or worse. And you've been through enough pain already."

Black Siren nodded in understanding. "If there's anything I can do for you—"

"Look after them." Oliver said as he turned to his friends and family and Laurel's Earth-1 doppelganger. "They'll need everyone around to protect them."

Black Siren nodded, tears filling her eyes. "I never thought I'd find another family here. But to me… you all mean a lot. And Ollie, I know that I'm not your Laurel and not really the woman that you love… but you'll always be the love of my life."

Oliver's eyes filled with tears as he hugged her and kissed her as Tommy later did the same with her before they left.

Black Siren knelt down and put her hand on the gravestone as a stray tear rolled down her cheek.

"Are you OK?" Steve asked.

Black Siren sighed. "We didn't know each other that well but I'm glad I got a benefit of the doubt from them."

"They're good people. And they need all the help they can get." Steve said.

"This is my family now." Black Siren said as she approached the group.

---

Oliver entered the car with Tommy, Slade and Jason Todd as he entered.

"We'll stop them." Slade said.

"I know you said you would tell us when you were ready but you need to tell me now." Oliver said. "You need to tell me everything from the beginning, Tommy. What happened to you after Imperial Ring exploded?"

---

Four years ago, Imperial Ring Financial, Star City

Tommy struggled with the Beast in its human form, trying to hold it as it was trying to possess him. Then, an explosion followed and the next thing Tommy remembered was ruins falling down upon him and getting sucked into the sewer. Water washing him away and echoes of explosion surrounding him…

---

One of the members of the League of Assassins approached Tommy, who washed up on the shore, unconscious and severely injured.

"He's still breathing."

"How is that possible?"

Shado then approached them and measured Tommy's pulse. "Bring him to Nanda Parbat. We need to nurse him back to health."

---

Elsewhere, Richard Dragon's burned corpse washed up on the shore too before it was approached by three figures. One of them was a Caucasian brunette in red outfit and red tinted glasses with wrist guns, another one was a dark-skinned woman in a silver jacket and black jeans and a device on her belt and the third one was a tall muscular man with a beard and a leather jacket and a shield with razor blades on the edges and a spike in its center.

"We thought you knew better than that."

"Don't worry, old friend. We have some unfinished business and we are not letting you die yet."

Nora Darhk and Talia al Ghul and Dante, one of the leaders of the Ninth Circle then approached the three figures. "We have lost… but there are other plans in motion. Let them enjoy their victory. This battle is over… but the war has only begun." Talia promised.

Then, as his senses cleared, he realized he was in a familiar area and there were people around talking with accented English or Arabic and there were torches and rock walls and then he realized where he was. In the chambers of Nanda Parbat. What he wondered was how he got there. Tommy tried to get up but fell down before one of the assassins caught him.

"Take it easy. You need to rest." A familiar female voice said as Tommy looked around in confusion.

"Where… what…"

"Rest now. You'll understand, once you regain strength." Shado said as she approached him, holding him down.

"How long—" Tommy couldn't say another word as the pain took over and his vision faded into the dark.

---

"He keeps waking up and passing out, this cannot continue. I think we should just put him out of his misery." One of the nurses said.

"You know that the Demon's Head will kill us, if we disobey her—"

"She will understand—"

Suddenly, Tommy got up, with some difficulty, staggering on his feet as the nurses looked at him in shock before one of them ran out from the room.

Few moments later, Shado entered as she sat next to Tommy. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I… thought I was…" Tommy whispered weakly as his injuries still had not fully healed yet. "I should be dead. How—"

"I know you must have many questions. And to answer those that most likely have come to your mind first, you were barely alive, when we found you." Shado explained. "We brought you back to Nanda Parbat and tried to nurse you back to health. The waters from the Pit however have lost their potency on you, apparently."

Tommy narrowed his eyes, not understanding. "You're saying that the Lazarus Pit does not work on me anymore?"

"It did heal some of your injuries but this was as far as it could help you." She looked at Tommy's bandages as he fell down on bed, unable to stand on his feet.

Tommy took a breath. "What exactly happened? I remember fighting the Beast, then the explosion—"

"The explosion must have sucked you into the sewer. We found you at the waterfront. Decided to take care of you. China White is dead, we found her body. As for everyone else, who knows." Shado said.

"Does Oliver… everyone…" Tommy tried to form words but the pain fogged his mind.

"They don't know you survived. Honestly, I'm certain they do not want you see you in this state right now. Nyssa thought it might be best if you recovered to full strength first." Shado explained.

Tommy acknowledged that Shado had a point. Tommy didn't need a pity party right now, he needed to rest, it was pure luck that he survived.

But still… it felt like he left something behind in that rubble. For some reason, Tommy felt… empty. Like if something was missing in his heart. While he did make peace with Rachel, who had been spying on him but truly fell in love with him and was trying to make amends… why did Tommy feel some emptiness inside?

---

Tommy was doing pushups but fell down, feeling weak suddenly before Shado approached him.

"Thomas." Shado said as Tommy turned to look at her. "Nyssa got a message from Central City. We need your help. Laurel and your friends might be in danger."

"Look at me. I can barely stand." Tommy said before Shado handed him a small vial.

"Drink this. It should help. It's not a permanent solution but it should recover you to full strength for now." Shado said.

"What is this?" Tommy asked.

"There's no time. Do you want to help or not?" Shado insisted and Tommy gave in, drinking from the vial and suddenly, he felt back in full strength.

---

After the battle with the Nazis in Central City, the potion had lost its potency as Tommy fell down on the bed, still weak.

"It may have been a mistake to bring you, when you have not fully recovered. However, the Nazis are all dead." Nyssa pointed out.

"She still cares about me." Tommy realized. Despite that their relationship had been based on a lie, Rachel wanted to start over. Tommy did forgive her eventually but wasn't sure if he could… find those feelings again.

"She thought she had no choice. You shouldn't have to fault her for that." Nyssa said.

"I don't. I don't blame her anymore. It's just… she deserves better than this. Richard Dragon, then me… all they got has been pain and misery, ever since I came back the first time." Tommy said. "Ever since Dad brought me back… Takeo found me and I became Prometheus.

And then, I tried to make up for my own and Dad's sins but… I… I can't be… Tommy Merlyn. Not anymore. I'm not who I once was. Every time I come back, something terrible happens to the people that I love. It's always been the same pattern that followed after my father. I thought I could have it both ways. I don't know how Oliver could have done it but maybe he found a way but until I do…" Tommy paused and Nyssa looked shocked at the following sentence. "I'd rather die as the man under the hood, than live as Tommy Merlyn."

Then he staggered on his feet and Shado held him.

"Alright, that's enough. The Lazarus waters in Nanda Parbat cannot help him. I know some other place that might heal you fully." Shado said as Nyssa raised her eyebrows, realizing what place was Shado talking about. "Pack your things. We're going to Himalayas and it's going to be a very long trip."

---

Elsewhere, a man around 30 years old with combed brown hair, a black outfit, with a bow and quiver on his back and sheathed sword, observed.

"My brother… I am not impressed. The honor of killing our father should have been mine." Saracon said with contempt.

---

Elsewhere

Bear, one of the Longbow Hunters, approached a woman with tied hair and scars on her face, in black outfit, similar to the League of Assassins.

"I have a proposal for you." Bear said as Athena turned around. "We want the help of the Thanatos Guild."

Three men were groaning, with bruised faces and broken legs and arms as Jason drank his beer. "I told you this was my seat."

" Excuse me, sir, I need you to come with me." The policewoman said.

---

The policewoman accompanied cuffed Jason into the police station as she forced him to sit down at the desk before the sheriff approached him.

" Looking for a fight, or was the fight looking for you?" The sheriff asked as he looked at Jason's file. "Wanted for murder, larceny, theft, records from juvie… you're an interesting one, Mr. Todd."

" I wasn't looking for a fight. These guys started it." Jason protested.

" You're very… interesting." The chief said as his eyes turned pitch black and attempted to reach for Jason, literally phasing his hand through his stomach. "Once I've eaten your liver, I'll…"

" Back off, freak!" Jason said as he shot her in the head but the wound instantly healed as the face of the sheriff deformed. "What the…" Jason realized he was getting himself in over his head as he pressed a button on the collar of his suit and a red helmet formed on his head.

" You shouldn't have done that. Prepare for unimaginable suffering."

---

Present

Tommy shot an arrow at the monster but the monster was unfazed.

"Oh, a guardian of All-Caste? I'm going to enjoy killing you." The Untitled said. It lunged at Tommy with its claws as Tommy jumped back. Shado kicked the Untitled in its face but it was unfazed before it grabbed her and slammed her to the ground. "I'll eat your heart and—"

Shado fired an arrow with bronze arrowhead as the monster screamed in pain, while it hit it in the shoulder.

"You're not hurting anyone again, monster."

The monster snarled in pain and anger as it lunged at Shado and broke her bow. Tommy pulled out a sword with bronze blade and cut the monster across the back before he cut its head off and people around gathered.

"What… what is going on here?"

"Oh, my God… the chief…"

They looked at the deformed body of the corpse. "She's so sliced up she doesn't even look human!"

"Get him!"

"Oh, great." Tommy groaned before Jason threw at them a flashbang grenade and it exploded, giving them an opening to escape.

---

"What were you doing here?" Tommy asked.

"I was in a wrong place at the wrong time, you could say." Jason said. "What were those freaks?"

"The Untitled. Short version, immortal beings of ancient evil." Tommy said.

"Didn't seem that immortal to me." Jason shrugged.

"They seek a body. A new host. Destroy the body, they'll look for another. The only way to really kill them is this." Shado showed Jason two bronze swords. "The Blades of All. It comes from an ancient place called the All-Caste."

"I've heard about it." Jason nodded.

"If these monsters are left unchecked, it's apocalypse." Tommy said. "They used a corrupted Lazarus pit, which Richard Dragon found."

"I know." Jason nodded. "When I travelled, few years back, I met Rachel and Dragon. They seemed like nice people. Dragon was a mercenary hired by the Longbow Hunters, who sought that pit. It's called the Well of Sins."

"You know where it is?" Tommy asked.

"I'm not sure." Jason admitted. "When I met Rachel, Dragon had been corrupted already by the pit and he became…"

"…an asshole." Tommy deduced.

"Power-hungry asshole." Jason nodded.

"He's alive and he's looking for the Untitled." Tommy explained. "I think together we can stop them. Don't you think?"

"I guess." Jason nodded.

---

"How many of those monsters are out there?" Tommy wondered.

"I don't know." Jason shrugged. "I got lucky."

"Nine. You killed one. I killed three already." Shado said as they drove down a road.

"That's them!" One of the policemen shouted as a chopper shined on them with a light from above and military vehicles surrounded them.

"You're wanted for arrest of chief in Lhasa!"

"Stand down!" Shado ordered as Jason was reaching for his guns.

"We're gonna let ourselves get arrested?"

"You can't escape the Untitled!" One of the policemen said in a demonic voice.

"They're possessed." Tommy realized before he attacked them. Tommy kicked one of the policemen in his face, while Shado shot one of them in the chest. Jason was kneecapping some of the cops.

"Don't kill them!"

"I know!" Jason snapped.

But suddenly, one of the cops turned into pitch black smoke and darkness consumed them all.

---

"Why am I here?" Tommy demanded as he was at the counting of inmates.

"Mr. Tommy Merlyn. Supposedly dead. It doesn't matter. You're wanted for killing a chief of police in Lhasa nearby." A guard said. "Now, in these parts, it will give you… fifty years in prison. You won't be getting out of here anytime soon."

---

Tommy and Jason were wondering where Shado had gone and where were the remaining Untitled as they were scouring the prison during the walks and lunches and dinners in the following days. Tommy trying to keep a low profile and not get into any fights, which at some days was very easy and at some days, very hard but they were no match for Tommy's fighting skills. Jason, however, got almost every day into fights and he managed to either beat up brutally or kill over twenty inmates in a week as it brought him solitary confinement eventually.

---

"Don't you think we should keep low profile, while finding Dragon and the Untitled?" Tommy wondered.

"They started it." Jason said as he pointed to his bruises, while they ate at cafeteria before they were approached by someone neither of them expected to see as a tall muscular black man with a thin beard and short hair approached them and he used an improvised karambit knife to pick a piece of meat from Tommy's tray and eat it.

"Well, well. Tommy Merlyn and the Red Hood." Ben Turner said, smirking.

"Turner." Jason said politely, although he was restraining himself in order not to beat the hell out of him.

"Relax. I'm not looking for a fight." Turner said, raising his hands, smiling. "I did not expect to see either of you here. Although… small world." He smiled as he sat down. "I heard that you were together with Rachel Gibson. Nice girl."

"Are you trying to taunt me?" Tommy warned, clenching his fists.

"Not at all. I'm just genuinely wondering, how was she doing?" Turner asked.

"You know her?" Tommy asked, surprised.

"We have… a history. Richard Dragon and I have… crossed paths before. We were mercenaries, working together. I'm actually the one who introduced him and Rachel." Turner said. "They were… good people. Back then. She was…" He paused, remembering. "Many years ago, we were doing a job. Protection of a researcher group. Rachel was among the scientists and she was a good friend of mine, so I took the job. One day, mercenaries attacked the group and Richard saved her life. I introduced them both. Over the time, we all became good friends. They even…"

"…fell in love with each other and got married. I know that." Tommy said, remembering.

"But happiness lasts for only so long." Turner nodded.

"Why would I believe you?" Tommy asked.

"Why would I lie?" Turner challenged and Tommy had to acknowledge that he had a point.

"What happened between them?" Tommy asked as Turner sighed.

"Well—"

"Dinnertime is over, inmates." One of the guards said, interrupting them.

---

Outside the prison, Saracon, Dragon and the Thanatos Guild and the Longbow Hunters observed.

"The prison holds the secret we need." Saracon said.

---

Few days later, as Tommy was in his cell with Jason, patiently waiting and trying to figure out how to escape, when suddenly, they heard gunshots and alarm sounded off as inmates started to shout and rant.

They looked outside to see Richard Dragon, much to their shock, the Longbow Hunters and a group of ninjas dressed in an attire similar to the League of Assassins on the courtyard, with inmates on their knees as they executed the guards before they heard gunshots.

"How the hell is he still alive?" Tommy wondered.

"These guards, they imprisoned you! They disrespected you! They taunted you!" Dragon announced as he passed by the inmates. "You want to make them pay? You want to make them pay? Make them pay! And anyone, who finds Tommy Merlyn and Jason Todd and kills them will be greatly rewarded!"

"Oh, no…" Tommy said. He quickly left his cell with Jason before inmates neared them.

They engaged Tommy and Jason but they jumped over the ledge and kicked them back.

"This is why I hate prisons!" Jason grumbled.

"They didn't look like the League of Assassins, this isn't their style." Tommy said.

"Then who the hell are those creeps?"

"I don't know but we can't let them kill any innocent in this prison."

"I agree."

They went down another corridor before they came across more inmates. The inmates rushed at Tommy and Jason but they both dodged as Jason slammed one of them to a wall and snapped his neck, while Tommy kicked another one back and knocked him out with a punch to his face. More inmates attacked them but then suddenly, Turner showed up and stabbed them in the back with his claws.

"What are you doing here?" Jason wondered.

"You saved a friend of mine. I'm just repaying a debt." Turner said before he looked around to see more inmates running loose. "We need to leave here before Dragon and his goons find us."

"Let's go!" Tommy ordered. They ran into a locker room for guards as they found a phone. "We need to get backup. Now."

But they had no signal before they heard a radio go off. "No calls in and out, Tommy."

"Dragon." Tommy, Jason and Turner said simultaneously, recognizing the voice.

"Still trying to play hero, do you? You can't stop me. Give it up." Dragon said.

"What do you want, Dragon?!" Tommy snarled as he picked the radio.

"I want to live. Nothing more. At least live long enough to see you suffer. You took away my former wife. My chance for power. Twice. And I'm going to make you pay. Both you and Mr. Todd. And then, I'm going to find your friend Queen and kill him, his family, friends, everyone who's ever been close to you all." Dragon said.

"If you want to hurt us, do it. But leave the guards out of this. They're innocent." Jason said.

"There are no innocents. Only necessary sacrifices and casualties." Dragon said indifferently. "You want to stop me? Try going against the entire prison."

Suddenly, all cells opened as the inmates started to attack the guards.

"What are we going to do?" Tommy wondered.

"We need to stop this." Jason said before turning to Turner. "Turner, do you know this prison?"

Turner nodded. "Dragon must have taken over control over the security room in the mess hall, the main room is too fortified. He wouldn't have gotten there, even with the Longbow Hunters or the assassins."

"What are we waiting for?" Tommy said.

"There's no 'we'." Turner corrected. "We're not friends and I don't owe you anything."

"Do you want Dragon to kill you? You said you and Rachel used to be friends. Does that still apply?" Tommy insisted and Turner considered.

---

They engaged the prisoners and quickly beat them, considering that they were no match for Tommy's, Jason's and Turner's superior combat skills.

"Where are the assassins?" Jason wondered.

"Good question." Tommy nodded.

"Thanks." One of the guards said as Tommy helped him on his feet.

Suddenly, an explosion went off on another side of the prison. "What was that?"

"Dragon." Jason realized.

"He's mine." Tommy growled. "Help the guards and get them to safety."

"What about you?" Turner asked.

"I'm gonna finish this." Tommy said as Turner and Jason accompanied the guards outside to the courtyard, while fending off other inmates.

---

Tommy scoured the cell block, which was empty before his instincts turned on and Tommy dodged as behind him was Dragon. They both traded punches before Tommy kicked Dragon back.

"Just the two of us?" Dragon taunted before he engaged Tommy again.

They exchanged blows before Dragon pulled out a knife and slashed Tommy across his arm and Tommy grunted in pain. Dragon kicked Tommy in the leg, making him fall down before Tommy got up, dodging Dragon's knife and blocking his strikes before he disarmed Dragon of his knife and kicked him back as Dragon staggered. They both exchanged blows again before Dragon kicked Tommy in the stomach and Tommy knelt down. Dragon punched Tommy in the face but before he could land another punch, Tommy grabbed his arm as they fell over the railing and fell down on the ground floor, both men groaning in pain.

Tommy felt like everything hurt like hell but Dragon, to his surprise got up, unfazed.

"How the hell are you still alive?" Tommy wondered.

"There are many ways to escape death, Tommy." Dragon said.

"You drank from the Well of Sins, did you? You became…" Tommy groaned.

"Much stronger. More powerful." Dragon taunted. "Finally, the man she'd care about—"

"She wanted you back in one piece. She never would've loved you after how many people you killed after drinking from the Well." Tommy growled as he got up, staggering on his feet.

"Compassion has made you weak." Dragon said as he slammed Tommy against a pillar but Tommy punched Dragon and kicked him back.

"It's what makes us human. Your lust for power has turned you into a monster!" Tommy snarled. "You betrayed everything the All-Caste stood for!" Dragon and Tommy exchanged punches before Dragon slammed Tommy against a wall, while Tommy groaned. "After what you did… how many people you killed… she never would've loved you."

"Then she never deserved me. I thought she would've understood. But you two are weak." Dragon growled.

"She's better person than you could ever be." Tommy said as he got up on his feet. "I'm gonna make sure you're going to end here, right here, right now."

They rushed at each other before Tommy grabbed Dragon's knife and was about to stab him in his chest before an explosion followed that consumed them both.

"The section of prison, where you were fighting, exploded and collapsed." Shado explained.

"Where's Dragon?" Tommy asked.

"We didn't find his body." Shado said and Tommy groaned, frustrated that his enemy apparently survived again. "Turner was released for… good behavior." She turned to Turner, who was outside, contemplating as he stared at the sun rising.

Tommy got up and still felt weak from the fight with Dragon. "Turner."

"I wasn't sure I'd see the sun again." Turner smiled. "I guess we're even now, Merlyn. I helped you save the guards. You helped me find my freedom."

"I honestly didn't expect you to help me but… thank you. Really." Tommy said.

"Just look after the girl and we're square. Trust me. She deserves that much." Turner said and Tommy nodded.

"What are you going to do?" Tommy asked.

Turner considered. "I have a little boy. Haven't seen him in a long time. Perhaps it's time for me to see him again. Wherever you go, Merlyn… I wish you good luck."

"Same here." Tommy nodded as he and Turner shook hands.

---

"Where are we going to go?" Tommy wondered.

"The Longbow Hunters and Dragon weren't working on their own, from what I've seen from the prison." Shado pointed out. "Nyssa had been hoping to be wrong about who their allies were but…" Shado took a breath. "Prior to your father's demise, he created a group of assassins within the League of Assassins, loyal to his cause, called the Thanatos Guild, Tommy. We've been tracking them ever since we defeated the League of Shadows in Star City. Many of their warriors were allied with the League of Shadows were members of the Thanatos Guild as well."

"Oh, my God…" Tommy whispered and Shado nodded.

"Whatever they're up to, it can't be good, if they managed to bring Dragon from the dead and allied themselves with the Longbow Hunters." Shado pointed out.

"What were they looking for in the prison anyway?" Tommy wondered.

"That's what we're going to find out." Shado said. "We've been trying to snuff them out but they and the Longbow Hunters retreated. Whatever they were looking for in the prison, looks like they found it."

"They couldn't have lasted for long, since I killed Dad." Tommy pointed out.

"Moses never led the Holy Land, yet his legacy lives on." Shado reminded. "Athena, one of Merlyn's loyalists, took a small group of assassins from Nanda Parbat and deserted from Nanda Parbat during your recovery, recruiting also former members of the League of Shadows, alongside with Dragon and the Longbow Hunters."

"Where are they now?" Tommy asked.

---

Tommy, Shado and Jason drove down a mountain path as Tommy watched through the goggles to see some mercenaries with Joe and Nylander. "The Jackals."

"Looks like Dragon is building an army and planning something big." Jason pointed out and Tommy nodded.

"I think we should find out what. If the Untitled are involved, this can't be good." Tommy ordered.

---

The Jackals were working on some excavating work as Tommy snuck up behind one of the mercenaries and grabbed him in chokehold before the mercenary passed out. Jason climbed onto a truck as he saw another mercenary pass by before Jason jumped down from above and stabbed him in the head with his knife.

The Jackals did not even see them coming as Tommy and Jason continued scouring the excavating area until heard an explosion and screams following.

---

"I have a family. Please." One of the villagers begged.

"I have a family too… and I've spent 200 years trying to reunite us." The mercenary leader said before his eyes turned pitch black and the villagers screamed.

---

"What the hell?" Tommy wondered as they were observing the scene from the cliff above and Tommy, Shado and Jason saw one of the leaders of the Jackals seemingly devour the villagers, much to the mercenaries' disgust.

"Is that one of the Untitled too?" Jason realized.

"It's the Jackals." Tommy said, recognizing the mercenaries.

But then, the mercenary leader turned to where Tommy, Jason and Shado were hiding.

"Oh, shit." Jason swore.

The mercenaries opened fire as Tommy, Jason and Shado ran down the forest. One of the Jackals grabbed Tommy but Tommy threw him down off a cliff before they sat on a jeep as Tommy turned the ignition and hit the gas.

"We should make a run for it!" Shado ordered.

"No kidding!" Tommy shouted.

The Jackals started to chase them on bikes and in jeeps and SUVs.

Tommy drove down the road, dodging gunfire as Shado notched an arrow but dropped it as the jeep bumped and she turned to Tommy with a glare. "Can't you keep it steady?!"

"I'm sorry, you wanna switch?!" Tommy snapped. The Jackals managed to hit a tire as their jeep skidded. "Oh, no."

"Jump!" Jason ordered as they jumped into the river, while the jeep drove off the road and crashed into the rocks.

---

They swam towards an abandoned ruined town as they saw the Jackals scouring the area.

"We need to find out what they're looking for." Tommy said.

They climbed up on a rooftop. Tommy jumped from above and stabbed one of the Jackals in the head, while Jason shot another one down with his pistols. Shado fired arrows, shooting down two Jackals before more of them appeared, about to open fire.

But then, they heard rotor blades as towards them flew a chopper, opening fire.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Jason groaned.

"Move!" Tommy ordered.

They jumped from one rooftop to another to avoid gunfire from the chopper. One of the Jackals fired from a grenade launcher, causing for Tommy to slip as the explosion almost hit him. Jason and Shado fired at the Jackals, who fired at them, shooting them down.

Tommy jumped into a window, where another Jackal was waiting. Tommy grabbed his rifle and threw it away before punching the Jackal in his face, knocking him out. But then suddenly, an explosion went off and the building in which they were standing, collapsed as they fell down, darkness and dust consuming them.

---

When the dust settled and Tommy, Jason and Shado came to, in front of them appeared three figures. One of them was a tall muscular man with beard and a leather jacket, with a shield with razor blades on edges and a spike on its center. Another one was a dark-haired Caucasian woman in red leather suit with glasses and wrist guns and another one was a black woman with Afro haircut and silver outfit, led by Richard Dragon and another man, who resembled Tommy and Malcolm slightly and Simon Lacroix and members of the Thanatos Guild.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Dragon said.

"Hello, brother." The man said.

"I'm not impressed." The other man said as Tommy looked at him, not recognizing him but he bore some resemblance to Tommy and Malcolm.

"Who are you?" Tommy demanded, noticing there was something familiar about the man.

"You don't know me?" Saracon sneered before scoffing. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Our father, deceiver to the end."

"Our… father?" Tommy asked, not understanding.

"If circumstances were different, we could have been allies." Saracon said as he pulled out his sword. "But you robbed me of the honor of killing Malcolm Merlyn. I shall settle for killing you."

"My Dad had a lot of enemies, you shouldn't whine too much about him dying." Tommy said. "And why do you call him 'our father'?"

"You are aware of Al Sa-her being absent in Corto Maltese for weeks after he took over the League, do you?" Saracon said as he turned to Shado.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Shado demanded, not understanding.

"I asked a question." Saracon said as she nodded. "During that time, I captured him. Me and my mother. For a week, we interrogated him. Made him confess."

"Confess to what?" Tommy asked.

Saracon spoke up. "Your father's real name is not Malcolm Merlyn. His real name is Arthur King." Tommy paused, not understanding but wasn't surprised by his father's duplicitous nature. "And he was a Seeker of the Hidden."

"The Hidden?" Tommy repeated.

Shado laughed. "An elite soldier among the warriors protecting the sacred and the dead? Malcolm Merlyn?"

"You may find it hard to believe but even we thought he was an honorable man, back then. 30 years ago." Saracon explained. "They sought a treasure of the Askhiri tribe. Of my people, alongside the League, who had been seeking the treasure as well but we were supposed to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. But my father betrayed us. He wanted the treasure for himself and he seduced my mother to do so, stealing the book of secrets of Ashkiri to do so to find the tomb of my gods. The sacred waters."

"The Lazarus waters…" Tommy realized.

"And then, when my mother outlived her usefulness, your father left her at the mercy of the leopard spirits, who demanded a sacrifice for entering the tomb." Saracon sneered and Tommy paled, not really surprised by his father's disregard for others but doing something like this when he was young…

"I'm… I'm so sorry." Tommy whispered.

"I don't want your sympathies. I want you to understand before I take a token in blood." Saracon said.

"What token?" Tommy demanded, not understanding. "If this is about me killing my father, sorry I took your revenge from you but it might as well was someone else and we both know he had it coming! Killing me will not bring you satisfaction and it will not bring your mother back!"

"I don't want you dead." Saracon sneered "As much as it would please me. I want you to feel what it's like to lose everything. I lost my mother. My people. And so will you, you will know what it's like… brother." He neared to Tommy's face as he looked closely.

"No…" Tommy paled, realizing the truth as he realized the resemblance between himself, Malcolm and Tommy as he looked at Saracon.

"I don't hate you, brother. This is not personal. But it's about honor." Saracon said as he straightened himself. "My mother survived, the gods spared her because she was pregnant with me. She was a concubine of the Demon's Head until he let her go. You have no idea for how long we wanted your father to pay for his sins."

"Killing me or making me suffer is not going to change what happened." Tommy said in an attempt to reason with him.

"It will give me satisfaction." Saracon said as he and the Longbow Hunters approached him. Saracon pulled out his sword, cutting into Tommy's chest as Tommy hissed in pain. "When we have what we want, Thomas, then you can die. Until then, we are bound together, brother."

The torture continued for a few minutes before Dragon entered.

"Enough of the family reunion." Dragon said. "We need to—"

Suddenly, an explosion followed and Tommy freed himself from the chains as the rock walls to which he was bound, cracked and Tommy started to run down the cavern tunnels.

"Get him!" Dragon ordered.

---

Tommy knocked one of the Jackals out as he kept running, stealing the Jackal's gun before he started shooting his way out. Then, he heard gunshots and explosions as he saw in a distance Jason shooting his way through as well.

One of the members of Thanatos Guild attacked Tommy but Tommy dodged and then grabbed his sword and disarmed him before slitting his throat before Tommy stole his bow and quiver. The Jackals and the Guild continued firing as Tommy ran but then he bumped into a tall man with a shield with spike and razor edges as Tommy realized it was one of the Longbow Hunters.

Bear pulled out his shield and aimed at Tommy's head to cut him with the blade at the edge but Tommy blocked with his sword and kicked Bear in the chest, not that it fazed him. Bear attacked again but Tommy jumped back as the blade of Bear's shield barely scratched him in the neck.

Bear blocked with his shield as Tommy tried to strike him and then Bear broke Tommy's sword and grabbed him, slamming him hard to the ground and Tommy groaned. Tommy kicked Bear in the stomach and then hit him in the face but Bear was unfazed. Tommy pulled out a small knife and stabbed him in the face as Bear grunted, pulling away and freeing Tommy in the process but before Tommy could attack again, Bear grabbed him and threw him as Tommy fell into the river.

---

As Tommy swam down the river, at the shore were waiting Shado and Jason at the truck.

"What took you so long?" Jason drawled.

"Where have you two been?" Tommy demanded before sighing as he got up. "It doesn't matter, we need to get out of here before they gain on us."

Shado then noticed that the Jackals were after them.

Tommy opened the door, going out from the truck, holding onto the opened door. "Keep it steady!"

"You're crazier than I am, you know that?" Jason quipped, intrigued as he kept on driving.

"Get me closer!" Tommy yelled as he was notching an arrow before a car rammed them from behind, causing for Tommy to hold onto the door tighter.

"Tommy, take my hand!" Shado yelled as she was trying to reach out.

"Hang on!" Jason said as the car was getting next to their truck and Tommy jumped on it. "Tommy!"

Tommy tossed the Jackal on the truck over the ledge as some of the Jackals were shooting at him as he took cover.

"That guy's got balls! I like him!" Jason said.

Tommy was firing back at the Jackals before the truck was nearing another one, causing for Tommy to jump on the cargo platform and he managed to take down the Jackals on it before he was surrounded by four mercenaries and they were attacking, while Tommy dodged and then, Jason jumped on the truck, throwing them all off the platform. "We need to get back!"

They kept on driving before they saw behind them Joe Wilson on a van, pulling out an RPG.

"Oh, no." Tommy said.

"What?" Jason asked.

"We need to jump! Now!" Tommy ordered as they jumped out from the truck into the river as Joe fired, causing for the truck to explode.

---

They swam down the river before going to the shore.

"How do we know they are not onto us?" Jason wondered.

"There's no way of knowing but we need to keep moving and get some rest." Shado said as she turned to a nearby village. "Get some supplies. Food. And then we keep moving."

"What are they after?" Tommy wondered.

"I had suspected but now I know for certain. 'Eth Alth'eban. I overheard them." Shado said. "It's the first sacred city of the League of Assassins protected by strong magic. It contains the Well of Sins."

"The Lazarus Pit from which Dragon…"

Shado nodded. "Tommy, if Dragon and the Longbow Hunters find the city before we do… there's no stopping them."

"You've seen what they're capable of to get what they want, whether it's real or not." Shado pointed out.

"How are we gonna get there?" Jason asked.

"There are many paths to 'Eth Alth'eban." Shado said. "Most of them heavily guarded. We may be able to get ahead of them but we must be careful. I know because while I was forced to serve the Ninth Circle, I know they were preparing an expedition. We're gonna need help."

---

Accompanied by Nyssa and a group of her assassins, they went down mountain passage and a valley as they entered an ice cavern as one of the assassins swore something in Arabic.

"That's what I was thinking." Jason nodded, all of them uneased by entering the ancient city of the League of Assassins as they went deeper into the caverns.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Tommy said as they saw corpses and skeletons on their way.

"Their deaths were not natural." Nyssa pointed out.

Suddenly, they heard primal roars as one of the corpses reanimated.

"You shouldn't have come here, fools." One of the Untitled said.

"Kill it!" Nyssa ordered but no arrows managed to take the Untitled down.

"Conventional weapons won't work on that thing! Only bronze and copper will!" Tommy said. He pulled out the Blades of All, slicing the Untitled in its chest as it roared and grabbed Tommy, throwing him away.

Shado lunged at the Untitled but the Untitled dodged and pulled out claws, scratching her across her abdomen as Shado hissed. Nyssa's assassins kept on shooting at it but the Untitled rushed at them, pulling some tentacles and ensnaring them, either crushing them to death or slamming them against the rock walls, beating them to death. Jason fired his guns at the Untitled but it breathed out some black smoke, throwing Jason away. Tommy lunged at the Untitled and cut its head off, decapitating it as it fell down, dead as the tentacles disappeared.

"There may be more of those things here. Be careful." Nyssa warned, realizing that the Untitled killed most of her soldiers.

---

They went deeper into the city before they found some large door and a mechanism.

"A puzzle?" Tommy wondered.

"Maybe." Nyssa nodded as they read a mural and examined the statue of a woman in front of them and saw some platforms on chains.

"Looks like we need to get to the top." Jason realized as he saw that the statue of the woman was holding the chains.

Nyssa's assassins helped pull the chains by pulling the statue's arms as the platform, on which Jason, Tommy, Shado and Nyssa were standing, ascended to the top as they were on a mountain as it was snowing before they saw a village downhill in flames.

"Oh, no." Tommy whispered.

"Those monsters." Jason growled as they walked down the village before seeing some of the Jackals and the Thanatos Guild on patrol.

One of the guild assassins noticed them as they were on alert.

The Jackals opened fire and the guild assassins notched arrows and fired too as Tommy, Jason, Nyssa and Shado scattered around, taking cover, while some of the League assassins were killed as blood spattered.

Tommy jumped off the roof, avoiding the shots before he threw a shuriken, hitting one of the Guild in the throat as he fell down. A Jackal rushed at Tommy with a knife but Tommy pulled out his sword and cut his hand off before throwing him down and punching him in the face, knocking him out. Tommy took cover as more assassins and Jackals fired and notched two arrows, shooting two of them down.

Jason slid down a gap and threw a grenade as the Jackals scattered. Some of them were sent flying and burst into flames upon explosion as they screamed. Jason pulled out his guns and opened fire as the Jackals and the Guild took cover. Jason managed to shoot through some wooden walls behind which the Jackals were taking cover as they were shot down.

Three Guild assassins rushed at Jason. Jason pulled out his knife and blocked as one attacked with his sword. Jason dodged as another one tried to stab him with his spear and Jason cut his throat. Jason threw the assassin with the sword off the roof as the assassin screamed, while the third assassin pinned Jason to the wall, driving his claw weapons through Jason's shoulders as he hissed. Jason picked a wooden stake and jammed it through the assassin's abdomen as he gulped. Jason then grabbed him and slammed him to the ground and stepped on his throat, crushing his windpipe.

Nyssa pulled out her sword and blocked as four assassins engaged her. She blocked the tip of the spear of one of them and cut it before she cut the assassin's head off as she blocked the knife of another assassin and jumped back as they engaged her. Another assassin swung her mace but Nyssa rolled down and cut her in the leg, causing for her to fall down before she spun around and cut the remaining three assassins down.

Shado rushed from a rooftop to rooftop, avoiding gunfire before she fired two explosive arrows, sending the Jackals flying.

But then, a large Jackal with a minigun showed up.

"Oh, shit!" Jason cursed.

The giant Jackal fired, shooting down most of Nyssa's assassins as blood spattered and Tommy, Jason, Shado and Nyssa scattered, unable to take cover due to the high-tier caliber of the Jackal.

Nyssa notched an arrow and fired but she couldn't pierce the Jackal's armor.

"What are we going to do?" Tommy wondered.

"We need to draw him to us closer."

Jason grabbed a grenade of the dead Jackal and threw it towards the minigunner as he started to run, narrowly avoiding the explosion as he and Tommy rushed at him.

Tommy sent a flurry of punches at the Jackal's stomach before the Jackal swung his minigun and Tommy narrowly dodged, while Jason kicked the minigunner in the head and in the legs, causing for him to kneel down. Tommy kicked the minigunner in the head as he staggered back before Nyssa jumped in and cut his head off.

"More of them inbound." Jason said as he saw the Jackal's cars. Tommy grabbed the minigun and opened fire as some of the cars exploded and the Jackals decided to retreat.

But then, deathly silence happened, no sound could be heard as he fired, wondering what was going on. Tommy turned around to see Shado jumping back and being scratched in the stomach by the dark-skinned Longbow Hunter with knives. Shado used her bow to block Silencer's attacks and kick her back.

Bear appeared, pulling out his shield as Red fired darts from her wrist guns. One of them hit Tommy in the shoulder as he screamed, not that it was heard, while a current of electricity surged through him as he realized he was hit with a Taser dart as he fell down. As soon as he recovered, Tommy pulled the dart out and rushed at Red as they exchanged blows.

Bear tried slicing Jason but Jason dodged and attacked but Bear blocked Jason's knife with his shield and tried to stab him with the spike in the center of his shield. Jason dodged as it scratched his jacket and kicked Bear in the chest as Bear was unfazed. Nyssa blocked Bear's shield as she and Jason attempted to push him back but Bear scratched her across her chest and kicked Jason, knocking him down before he bashed Nyssa with his shield, knocking her out.

Tommy and Red continued trading blows before she pulled away and fired and Tommy felt the dart grazing his cheek. Red kicked Tommy back and fired another dart that exploded as it neared Tommy, causing for him to fall down. Red shot another dart, hitting Tommy in his shoulder as he felt dizzy suddenly and realized that the dart was full of some kind of a drug. Red threw a punch that Tommy blocked but the drug slowed him down as Red sent a barrage of punches at Tommy's chest and knocked him down with a punch to his head and everything faded to black as the Longbow Hunters surrounded Shado, who realized she was outnumbered as they managed to subdue Tommy, Jason and Nyssa and killed most of their assassins.

---

When Tommy came to, he realized he was in a cavern with Nyssa, Jason and Shado, all in restraints as in front of them was Dragon, the Longbow Hunters, Saracon, Jade Nguyen, Simon Lacroix and the members of the Thanatos Guild and behind them was a pool of emerald water. The Well of Sins. The first Lazarus Pit.

"Oh. You again." Tommy glared at Jade.

"I have to thank you, Tommy." Dragon said as he held in his hands the Blades of All. "The only weapons that can hurt the Untitled. Now they're mine. And so is the Well of Sins."

"The key to invincibility." Saracon smiled in satisfaction.

"You bastard." Tommy said. "She'd be ashamed of you if she could see you."

"The man she loved, was weak fool." Dragon said. "She'll pay as much as you will. Once she understands what she lost." He approached the Well of Sins, taking a handful of the Lazarus water and seething as his injuries healed.

Jason struggled out from the grip of the Jackals, stealing the knife of one of them and slitting his throat before stabbing another one in the chest before he attempted to shoot Dragon but he was unfazed as Dragon laughed menacingly. "Oh, fuck."

Saracon, the Guild assassins and the Jackals and Joe were about to attack but Dragon raised his hand, ordering them to stand down. "No. They're ours."

Joe, Jade, Saracon and the Jackals and the Guild assassins nodded, retreating.

"The Lazarus Pits we had been searching, did not heal me fully. Unlike this one. I'm back at full strength, maybe even stronger. That was when I was going to kill you." Dragon said. "You took everything away from me. I'll take everything away from you and you will die, knowing that I have killed all your friends, your whole family and there was nothing you could do to stop me."

Tommy lunged at Dragon but Dragon managed to grab him by his throat and throw him away with little to no effort.

"I'm much stronger now." Dragon gloated.

Tommy blocked as Dragon threw a punch but Tommy felt his bones hurt due to Dragon's enhanced strength before Tommy tried to punch Dragon in the head but Dragon blocked with his arm and flipped Tommy over. Tommy kicked Dragon in the chest as he staggered back before Tommy got up. Dragon suddenly formed two spiritual swords in his hands before in front of Tommy appeared Malcolm, as apparition, as ghosts.

"Feel it. Feel the weight of your sins. The sins of the world." Dragon said as he saw Tommy clearly disturbed at the sight.

Tommy felt fear and guilt as the apparitions of Malcolm appeared in front of him and neared him, taunting him and mocking.

"You're just like me."

"You're a killer."

"You can't escape your past."

"Everything you touch, dies."

"This isn't real." Tommy said.

"Your every fear. Your every insecurity. Your every failure. I will rip you asunder." Dragon said smugly.

Tommy knelt down, trying to remember the teachings of All-Caste. "Accept the darkness… embrace the light…" Suddenly, the Blades of All were pulled towards Tommy from Bear's belt as he grabbed them and sliced through the apparition. "Not today!"

Dragon stared in disbelief. "How did you—"

"You keep underestimating us. That's your weakness." Tommy said. "You have your own demons too, let's face them."

Then, suddenly, in front of Dragon appeared Ducra, his mentor. "You betrayed everything we stood for."

"You're a monster." Dragon's ex-wife, Rachel, said as Dragon looked shocked but quickly shook it off.

"You think you can get under my skin so easily?! How dare you show me their faces?!" Dragon snarled as he formed in his hands two swords from the power of the Pit. Tommy blocked with his blades as Dragon aimed at his head.

"You've never felt remorse for any of the evils you've done. You're not human enough to control the Untitled." Tommy said as he attempted to strike Dragon in his chest while Dragon blocked. Tommy struck again as Dragon dodged and Tommy managed to scratch him. "If you really were as strong as you thought the Well would allow you, I wouldn't be able to beat you. But you should know… there are things so ancient, arcane powers beyond your understanding… that no ordinary man like you can possess!"

Tommy threw a punch at Dragon's chest and suddenly, a shockwave followed, knocking everyone down as the cavern walls cracked and some rubble fell down.

"Noooooo!" Dragon screamed as he felt his power leaving him and fell to his knees, mortal and powerless before Tommy beat him, punching him in the face relentlessly, roaring until Dragon's face was bloodied and bruised.

Tommy panted out as he got up on his feet, glaring down at Dragon. "The Well rejected you. You've lost."

"Do it." Dragon said as he knelt down, while Tommy neared the Blades to his throat. "Finish it." He taunted as Tommy looked hesitant, while Dragon stretched his arms. "I will never stop making you suffer. I will come after Rachel. Oliver. Laurel. Everyone you care about. I will never stop. No prison can hold me. You know that. Come on! Kill me!"

"No!" Tommy snapped, throwing the Blades away. "God knows I want to kill you but you don't get to destroy who I am, Dragon! I am nothing like you! You're going to live the rest of your miserable life knowing that you lost! That the woman you claimed to love and that the power you pursued, rejected you! It all beat you! I BEAT YOU! It's over! You've lost!"

Dragon seethed, glaring as Tommy breathed out.

"It's not over yet." Saracon said, suddenly pulling out his sword and attacking as Tommy raised his blades and blocked. Tommy dodged as Saracon sliced him in the chest and kicked Saracon in the chest. He aimed for Saracon's neck but Saracon dodged and cut Tommy in the leg as he knelt down. "I will kill you."

Suddenly, the cavern crumbled.

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

"The Untitled are pissed that someone tried to subdue them. We need to leave here, now!" Shado said as the ghosts appeared from the Well, about to attack the Longbow Hunters, Saracon, Dragon and the Guild as Tommy, Jason, Nyssa and Shado fought their way out.

---

Later

"Do you think they're dead?" Jason wondered.

"I won't believe it until I find their bodies and burn them into ashes, so that no one can bring them back to life again." Tommy said.

"A reasonable thought." Jason nodded. "Better to be sure."

"We didn't find their bodies under the rubble, my liege. The Thanatos Guild and some of the Jackals are dead but Dragon, Saracon and the Longbow Hunters are gone." One of the assassins said.

"What are you going to do?" Jason asked as Tommy looked outside, considering.

"There may be more pits. I'm going to find them and make sure no one can abuse them." Tommy said. "Then… I'll see if I can go home."

"You want to undo all the sins your father made. Including Saracon." Nyssa realized as Tommy nodded.

"Do you know where we should start?"

---

Four years later

After Tommy returned back home to his former lover, Rachel and Tommy were in their house on the beach. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened to you in the past four years?"

Tommy sighed. "Rachel… some things are better left in the past."

"Tommy… I know we may not go back to how things were between us but… I just want a chance to start over." Rachel said, still feeling guilty about lying to him.

"So would I. I don't know where we'll end up but I'm willing to see it through." Tommy said.

---

As they were in bed, Tommy woke up as his phone rang and listened as Jason called.

"Tommy. I think the Joe, the Longbow Hunters and the rest might still be alive. If they are alive…"

"It's not over yet." Tommy realized as he hung up. He turned to Rachel, who was in bed, sleeping peacefully before kissing her on her cheek and writing a letter to her and leaving it on the nightstand.

---

Sometime later

"Well, the dinner was excellent." Caitlin smiled as Samantha, Laurel and Nicole were picking up the dishes.

"So, see you next week again, guys." Henry smiled as Oliver was continuing eating with William and Ashley as later, Barry, Kara, Caitlin, Ralph and Cisco left with Samantha and William and Nicole and Riley.

---

Rachel Gibson, Tommy's ex-girlfriend, with whom he had made amends, was staring outside the window.

"Everything OK?" Lyla asked.

"Yeah." Rachel said. "It's just… it's been a while since Tommy has returned any of my calls."

"I'm sure he's fine." Laurel assured her. "Tommy's a survivor."

"I know. It's just… three months ago, he left me the letter. All he said was, "I don't know when but I will come back. I just hope that you'll be waiting for me." Rachel said.

Later, the doorbell rang as Oliver opened and widened his eyes to see…

"Jason?" Oliver asked.

"They… they're coming." Jason Todd said.

"Who? Who's coming?" Oliver demanded.

Jason opened his mouth but no sound came out, to his own surprise and Oliver's but Rachel immediately realized what was going on as she mouthed, "Oh, shit."

Realizing what happened, Jason tackled Oliver to the ground as into the house burst in Silencer as Oliver blocked her blows and Jason grabbed Silencer and tackled her to the ground before he smashed her device and they heard gunshots ring out and glass shatter as everyone took cover.

Henry took cover behind a nearby couch as Red and Bear burst in and Henry rolled away as Bear attacked with his shield. Diggle and Lyla pulled out their guns and fired but Bear used his shield to block as Red fired some darts from her wrist gun as they took cover.

Jason rushed at Red as they traded punches but they were evenly matched as Bear threw his shield and Oliver, Diggle and Lyla dodged before the shield could slice them into pieces as it was embedded into a nearby wall.

Soon enough, they heard sirens blare and gunshots ring out as outside were the Jackals.

Wasting no time, Oliver picked a bow and arrow, firing an arrow into Bear's shoulder, as he hissed in pain but was mostly unfazed as he rushed at Oliver. Oliver rolled away as Bear picked his shield as Henry and Oliver fired but Bear used his shield to block their shots.

Jason threw Red on the ground as Laurel and Sara were fighting the black woman in silver outfit.

"You assholes won't give up, do you?" Jason sneered.

"We don't leave a job unfinished." Red said.

Rachel neared them, glaring and recognizing them. "What the hell do you want?!"

"You really thought we'd let you walk away? That he'd let you walk away?" Red said as Rachel widened her eyes.

"No… it can't be…"

"Some people are too stubborn to die, if you have forgotten." Bear said before Silencer reached for her belt and a flash of light blinded them all before the assassins disappeared.

Oliver turned to Jason.

"What the hell is going on here?! Who are they?!" Oliver demanded.

"The Longbow Hunters." Jason explained.

Oliver widened his eyes.

"I thought they were a myth." Henry said.

"They're very real." Rachel nodded. "Richard met them. They're the ones who trained him, when he was on the run from the League. I thought they had no reason to go after me…"

"Richard is alive." Jason said.

"What?" Everyone exclaimed, shock and horror flooding them.

"And it's not just him you have to worry about, it's Tommy's brother. That's why he wasn't returning your calls..." Jason continued.

---

Joe Wilson was looking through the gunsight as he had his rifle ready and he was looking at his target through the gunsight.

"I have the shot."

"Do it." The voice in his earpiece said as Joe pulled the trigger and he then saw his bullet pierce the glass as it was later spattered with blood.

---

Lyla saw a flash of the gunsight across the window before hearing the gunshot and she tackled Laurel to the ground before blood sprayed from her chest, staining the window and the floor.

"What the—"

Lyla fell down, immediately paling and bleeding rapidly as Diggle looked horrified, holding her wound.

"Lyla. Lyla, no. No! No! No, please, God, no! Help! Help!" Diggle panicked as Henry pulled out his phone, calling an ambulance.

"They hijacked a natural gas tanker near Louisiana. Sabine Pass." Felicity said before she turned on screen the news as they saw a facility on fire as she looked horrified. "Oh, my God…"

"Sabine Pass is the biggest fuel facility on the Gulf Coast." Henry said.

"Why didn't we notice it earlier?" Rene looked confused. "Shouldn't they have some countermeasures that—"

"I don't know how but they managed to compromise the systems. Security systems, fire alerts, failsafes, all shut down." Felicity said, looking at her tablet. "Oh, no. It compromised every fuel facility on the coast." She turned on the screen the map of the U.S.

"If that fire spreads…" Curtis trailed off, horrified.

"…they'll all go up at once in flames." Rachel finished. "He always wanted to see the fire."

"The military has already sent in a team to stop them." Felicity said.

"They're no match against the Guild, the Longbow Hunters and the Jackals." Jason said.

"Then we need to take them down." Diggle said.

"John, are you sure you're up for it?" Henry asked, worried.

"Yeah." Diggle said. No one was sure, considering his angered state but there was no talking him out of this.

"OK, we're gonna need to split into smaller teams to take them out." Oliver ordered.

---

Later, liquified natural gas facility in Louisiana

Team Arrow, Birds of Prey, Red Hood and Deathstroke attempted to sneak into the facility, while Diggle and an A.R.G.U.S. team with Henry and Steve approached another the SEAL team taking fire and pinned down at the entrance as the military turned to them, aiming their weapons.

"Friendly!" Diggle yelled.

"Blade!" The SEAL leader said a codeword.

"Chaos!" Henry called back.

"How do you know the countersign?" The leader asked, skeptical.

"We're here to help, so stop wasting your time aiming your weapons at us!" Steve said angrily.

"What makes you think we need help?" The leader snapped.

"Are you serious?" Diggle asked sarcastically as they took cover from the gunfire from the Jackals.

"Where did you come from?" The SEAL leader inquired.

"Off the books." Henry said, pulling out his gun. "What happened here?"

"We were assigned to stop the fuel tanker sailing towards the facility but it was too late. When we got here, a squad of these creeps appeared with some assassins with weapons I've never seen before and then everything went to hell." The leader snapped.

"Did they have a shield, some muting device and wrist guns with darts?" Steve asked.

"Yeah!" The leader nodded.

"Overwatch, the Longbow Hunters might be here, try to track them down." Henry ordered.

"Got it. I'll do what I can, be careful, guys." Felicity said.

Wild Dog, Steve, Diggle and Henry pulled out their weapons and fired, causing for the Jackals to take cover before Arsenal and Green Arrow shot them down from above as the SEAL and A.R.G.U.S. attempted to get in through the entrance but more Jackals appeared, opening fire as they took cover as Mr. Terrific used his T-Spheres to shoot them down.

---

Green Arrow, Deathstroke, Arsenal, Black Canary, the Canary, Speedy, Huntress, Batgirl, Nightwing and Red Arrow and Red Hood entered the facility through the vents, sneaking in.

"Guys, I got visual from the CCTV before they shut the cameras down, the Longbow Hunters are definitely here." Felicity said. "Last seen at the gas valve in third level."

"And Dragon or Saracon or Joe?" Slade inquired.

"Negative. Still looking. I'm doing what I can." Felicity said.

The vigilantes jumped over the railing onto a narrow bridge above the pipes as they heard gunshots before they saw a lot of dead bodies around.

"They're killing SEAL like sheep." The Canary said.

"Wait, you hear that?" Speedy asked as they heard some beeping as above them was flying a drone that beeped rapidly as it shined a cone of light on them.

"Damn it!" Black Canary cursed as Green Arrow fired an explosive arrow, destroying the drone.

"We've been compromised!" Green Arrow said.

Suddenly, Jackals and more mercenaries appeared, opening fire as the vigilantes took cover behind some pipes. Green Arrow fired two arrows, shooting the mercenaries down. Deathstroke rushed at one of the mercenaries, covering his eye hole with his armor as the mercenary was unable to penetrate Slade's armor before Slade stabbed the mercenary in the chest and kicked him down on the ground. Black Canary and the Canary jumped over the pipes as Black Canary hit one of the mercs in the head with one of her batons and slammed him against the wall before knocking him down and the Canary unleashed her Cry, sending the remaining mercenaries flying back.

More drones appeared, firing at them as the vigilantes took cover before Green Arrow, Huntress and Red Hood shot them down.

"I hate drones." Red Hood said.

"Team Beta, do you copy?" An accented voice said that they recognized.

"Joe…" Slade trailed off.

"We don't have time to reach him." Green Arrow said.

"Team Beta, do you copy?" Joe repeated before the realization hit him. "If you're there, father, or Queen or anyone of you, fools, I advise you to run. While you still can. There's no stopping us this time. You're going to pay for interfering in our business again. Don't make this harder for yourselves than it has to be or I am going to make sure you are going to suffer pain you cannot even imagine."

Slade shivered, disturbed by his son's ruthlessness.

"It's not too late." Green Arrow assured him.

---

The SEAL and A.R.G.U.S. managed to take down the guarding squad at the entrance as they entered the facility.

---

"Guys, the fire is out of control, you need to hook me up to the system, so I can shut it down before it spreads too far and the damage is beyond repair." Felicity said.

"It's heavily guarded, Felicity, it's not gonna be easy…" Suddenly, Diggle could not say another word before he tapped a nearby pipe with his rifle but no sound went off as he turned around and saw Bear slicing through his men with his shield as Diggle opened fire but Bear used his shield to block the shots.

Then he and Steve saw a reflection of Red in one of the pipes as they took cover, while Red fired darts from her wrist guns, managing to kill more of the operatives.

---

"John, do you copy? John!" Henry called out.

"I can't reach out either, it must be the Silencer." Felicity realized.

"We're calling her 'Silencer' now?" Rene asked, dumbfounded.

"Hey, I'm not Cisco, so sorry if I can't come up with cool codenames!" Felicity snapped.

---

From above descended a group of assassins from Thanatos Guild, attacking Green Arrow, Speedy, Red Arrow, Black Canary, Huntress, the Canary, Batgirl and Nightwing.

Green Arrow threw one of the assassins over the ledge down to his demise before he shot an explosive arrow, sending three more assassins flying in the air.

Black Canary blocked with her batons as two assassins attacked with their swords. Black Canary dodged as they tried to cut her head off before she jumped, grabbing one by her arms and another one with her legs, knocking them both down on the ground and knocking them out.

Huntress took cover from the throwing stars before she fired a bolt that hit the cover behind which the assassin were hiding before gas sizzled out as they passed out, unconscious.

The Canary, Batgirl, Nightwing and Red Arrow were surrounded as the Canary used her bo staff to block as two of the assassins attacked with a tomahawk and Kamas. She attempted to hit them with the ends of her staff but they dodged before she crouched and spun around, hitting them in the legs with her staff, knocking them down.

Batgirl used her batarangs to block the swords of two assassins before she jumped back as they attempted to cut her down. She dodged as one of them attempted to cut her but Batgirl hit him in the head and kicked the other assassin in the stomach and headbutted him before she grabbed him by his arm and threw him at the other assassin, knocking them down before she finished them off with punches to their faces.

Nightwing blocked with his batons as the assassin used his mace before Nightwing sent a barrage of strikes to his chest and knocked him down.

Red Arrow dodged as the assassin attacked with his axe before she pulled out an arrow and drove it through his neck, killing him.

---

Diggle threw a grenade as Silencer jumped away and as she hit the ground, the muter on her belt turned off as they heard the gunshots as a sniper was trying to shoot them from an upper balcony. One of the A.R.G.U.S agents fired a grenade launcher as the sniper ran away to avoid the explosion.

Red fired more darts, shooting down the operatives as foam formed in their mouths, dying from the poison in the darts before she fired a dart onto the computer that they saw before she and Silencer retreated.

"No!" Felicity exclaimed. "No, no, no, no, no…"

"What is it?" Henry asked.

"They're filling the gas into the central chamber of the facility. If we don't shut it down, the whole coast is going to become literal Hell on Earth. I'm trying to slow it down remotely but you need to patch me up to the main terminal in the control room in the top floor." Felicity said.

"Got it." Henry said as he ran down the catwalk and then upstairs.

---

The Canary attempted to scour the facility in another part as she and the team spread out. Then, she noticed that she could not hear a sound before she tapped her staff onto a nearby pipe and there was no sound until she realized what happened.

All sounds were drowned as she whirled around, blocking Silencer's knife with her staff. Silencer grabbed the Canary's staff and threw it away as the Canary blocked her kick. Silencer aimed at her head with her knife but Dinah dodged and attempted to throw a punch but Silencer slammed her in her chest as Dinah gasped for air. She attempted to unleash her Cry but Silencer's device muffled all sounds, much to Dinah's surprise. Before she could realize what happened, Silencer punched her in her face, dazing her and slit her throat as Dinah gagged.

Silencer smirked in satisfaction as she turned off her device. "One down."

Then, she heard footsteps and ran away as Mr. Terrific and Wild Dog saw Dinah on the ground, bleeding and gagging.

"Dinah! D.!" Rene exclaimed, horrified as he knelt next to her.

"Oh, God…" Curtis panicked.

"It's too deep, there's nothing we can do." Rene said.

"I think there might be something I can do but I can't promise anything. My new prototype, the laser might cauterize the wound and buy her some time." Curtis said. "But… I've never tested—"

"We don't have time, Hoss, just do it!" Rene said, holding Dinah's wound as she choked, blood filling her mouth. "It's gonna be OK, D., just hang on."

Curtis turned on his T-Sphere as the laser started to cauterize the wound on Dinah's throat as she gasped.

"We need a medic, now!" Rene said.

---

Green Arrow, Black Canary, Deathstroke, Nightwing and the Birds of Prey fought through the mercenaries as they found the terminal.

"Felicity, I'm patching you in." Green Arrow plugged in the flash drive.

"Got it. I can control everything, the door, security feed, emergency systems, I think I can shut down the fire." Felicity said.

"Do it." Oliver ordered.

---

The fire was extinguished before Felicity gasped. "Crap. Guys, I see Dragon."

"Where?" Diggle asked.

"Northern tower." Felicity said.

Bear sliced through the A.R.G.U.S. agents with his shield as he blocked their shots as Diggle glared at the entrance.

"John. John, no!" Henry yelled as Diggle rolled down to avoid Bear's shield and rushed upstairs. Bear grabbed Henry and threw him away as he hit the wall, hard and heard bones crack and he was sure the impact must have broken some of his bones.

---

"John, what the hell are you doing?! Henry's in trouble!" Felicity exclaimed.

"I'm not letting Dragon get away." Diggle snarled as he jumped over some pipes.

---

"Damn it, Dig!" Arsenal snapped as he ziplined down with Speedy before they saw Bear approach Henry as they kicked Bear in the chest hard and he staggered before he fell over the railing.

Speedy looked down but noticed that Bear had vanished. "Where… where did he go?" She wondered.

"You OK?" Arsenal asked as he knelt next to Henry.

"I think he must have broken my ribs." Henry groaned, trying to catch a breath as Arsenal helped him on his feet, with Henry leaning onto his shoulder.

"It's gonna be OK." Speedy assured as she supported his other arm.

---

Diggle rushed down the corridor before he faced Dragon at a balcony, aiming his gun.

"Dragon! Freeze! Turn around with your hands up! Slowly!" Diggle ordered.

Dragon smirked as he turned around. "You missed me, John?" Suddenly, he pulled out a flamethrower and Diggle took cover behind some barrels to avoid the torrent of fire and picked a lid and used it as a shield before he rushed at Dragon and knocked him down.

Dragon got up and threw Diggle's lid away and kicked him in the chest as Diggle staggered back. Diggle pulled out a knife and tried to stab Dragon but Dragon grabbed Diggle's wrist and disarmed him before Diggle pushed him back and then they exchanged blows until Dragon hit him in the chin and did a roundhouse kick, making Diggle stagger back.

Diggle grabbed Dragon and tried to hit him in the hip but Dragon rushed backwards towards a wall and flipped Diggle over. Diggle pulled out his gun and took a shot but what he did not realize was that a gas pipe burst out and it exploded upon the gunshot, sending Diggle flying back as Dragon used the moment to escape before the sprinklers turned on, extinguishing the flames.

---

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"Damn it." Henry sighed as the medics patched him up as he had an arm in the cast and hanging on and bruised face. "Twelve agents dead, twice as many injured. All because you couldn't keep your cool!" He snarled at Diggle.

"Henry, I—"

"No! You're finished, John, that was your last mission!" Henry said bluntly before he left, leaving Diggle to his thoughts as Oliver entered.

"I get that you're angry because of Lyla but you need to keep it together." Oliver assured him. "We're lucky none of our friends died today."

"How's Dinah?" Diggle asked.

"She didn't lose too much blood but her vocal cords were damaged." Oliver said. "I'm worried she may lose…"

"…her Cry." Diggle sighed, feeling guilty about what just happened.

"That wasn't your fault, John." Oliver assured him. "We need to find Tommy and Nyssa. They're the only ones, who know the Longbow Hunters and Dragon better than anyone."

"Maybe not just them." Diggle said.

---

Rachel was in her room, guarded by the agents as Oliver entered. "We need your help."

"I already told you guys and A.R.G.U.S. everything I know, Oliver, I swear." Rachel begged.

"I meant, what was he like before." Oliver said. "Jason told us he used to be a good man before he joined the Longbow Hunters."

Rachel sighed. "Ambitious… always having two agendas at once in mind. Divide and conquer. It's always about spreading a bigger message."

"When you met him, what was he like?" Oliver asked.

Rachel took a breath, trying to remember. "A soldier. A mercenary. Quite charismatic good man. He saved my life. He was always about spreading peace but then… over the time he became disillusioned. He started to see that… there were more and more twisted people, like the League or H.I.V.E., so he wanted to find a way to fight them. He eventually became so obsessed, he pushed me away and joined the Longbow Hunters." She wiped her face. "I didn't even recognize him anymore, he started to say stories about immortality, grand power… and when I saw with my own eyes what they did, I testified against him and they put him in prison until he escaped. I can't believe he thought I'd understand."

"Some people change and expect others to change as well. It's not your fault." Oliver assured her.

Rachel nodded. "I don't know much about the Longbow Hunters but I think I know who would he reach out to, if they were together, if you remember the Ninth Circle."

"Aren't they disbanded?" Diggle asked.

"Cut off one head, two more shall replace them." Rachel said. "Some people you need to bury so deep under the ground that their own ghosts won't be able to find them."

"Who's the guy he reached out to?" Oliver asked.

"Well… reaching out to him is not gonna be for free." Rachel sighed.

---

"You sure you're gonna go?" Oliver asked Rachel.

"I'm done running and hiding. I'm done being afraid of him. I need to face my past and bury it." She said as she put on her jacket. "Honestly, I had hoped Tommy would protect me. I never thought I'd fall in love but I was afraid that he—"

"You were scared for your life, no one can fault you for that. We all understand." Oliver assured her.

---

Later, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

"What do you know about him?" Oliver asked, wearing a tuxedo as they were in a gala.

"That he'd sell his own mother for top dollar if he could." Rachel said, disgusted as she was in her dress. "I already paid him."

"Where did you get that kind of wealth anyway?" Oliver asked.

"Felix Faust left my Dad a lot of money." Rachel said sadly as she took a sip from her drink before a man with short hair. "I must warn you, he's quite an ass."

"Who's this guy anyway?" Oliver inquired.

"An information broker, like Mercy." Rachel said and Oliver tensed.

"Oh, Rachel Gibson, as I live and breathe." A man with an accent said as he hugged her.

"Virgil." Rachel hugged him as they kissed each other on their cheeks. "Thank you for taking the time."

"Thank you for allowing me to be your company, Lassie." Virgil said before turning to Oliver. "And the living legend, Oliver Queen. My pleasure." He shook hand with Oliver, who looked at him warily.

"Virgil, Oliver. Oliver, Virgil." Rachel introduced them. "Now, do you have the information I paid you for?"

"Relax, relax. Why don't we talk about this over a drink, for old times sakes?" Virgil offered as they sat at the bar and offered them glasses of martini.

"Thanks. Now, to business. Richard Dragon." Oliver said bluntly and Virgil paled.

"Has he reached out to you recently?" Rachel demanded and Virgil opened his mouth. "And don't even think about lying to me. You owe me. I made sure you'd avoid prison, if you gave me evidence against him and the Longbow Hunters. Unless you want him to know that you betrayed him—"

"Relax." Virgil raised his hands. "True. Dragon did reach out and paid for wanting to know how to burn down the coast."

"When?" Rachel asked and Virgil paled. "When?" She slammed him to a wall. "The Circle's gone and Mercy Graves is dead. No one is gonna protect your ass this time."

"A month ago." Virgil confessed, frightened.

"Now, where is Tommy Merlyn?" Rachel growled.

"I… I don't know." Virgil said and Rachel glared, about to punch him in the face as he raised his hands in surrender. "I swear I don't know!"

"What are Dragon and the Longbow Hunters planning?" Oliver asked.

"They've been searching for Lazarus pits—"

"We know that part already. But there must be more to it." Rachel sneered.

"They're building some kind of a device. I don't know what. They've been raiding facilities for various pieces of tech." Virgil admitted. "Here. I told them where to find them." He handed her a flash drive as Rachel smirked.

"If I find out you're lying, you're gonna be eating your own testicles." Rachel warned.

---

"Impressive." Oliver said as they left.

"Virgil's always been a wimp, a little pressure and he'll crack." Rachel said. "I know how to handle jerks like him."

---

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"It looks like an EMP." Felicity said as she looked at the data.

"I'm guessing Dragon's planning a raid." Henry said. "Alright, we need a list of potential targets and cross-reference them with what we know about Dragon and the Longbow Hunters."

"That's still quite a list." Felicity pointed out.

"Then, we better get to it." Henry smiled. "We'll figure it out."

---

Henry went into his office, doing some paperwork as Diggle entered. "May I come in?"

"What do you want, Dig?" Henry asked, not even looking at him.

"I…" Diggle sighed.

"If you're here to say, 'I'm sorry', it's not going to take back the agents that died." Henry snapped, not in mood.

"I was out of line back then, I know that." Diggle said.

Henry sighed. "I know. And I understand. But you need to understand that it's not only about Lyla, it's about many innocents. I get that you were angry but this is bigger than some vendettas. I mean, how many people did they kill in Louisiana because you couldn't keep it together?"

"Was I supposed to let Dragon run?" Diggle snapped.

"How many bad guys have escaped us and we've taken them down later?" Henry reminded. "Or did you forget what happened to Mia because you were too focused on catching Onyx?"

Diggle winced. "I get what you're trying to say, OK? I get it, I messed up. I promise I'll do my best to listen."

Henry nodded as they got up and shook hands. "We're good?"

"We're good." Henry said. "But you're doing what I say from now on or you're done."

---

Dinah was in an exam room, trying to use her Cry but she gagged and choked out as she held her throat, feeling powerless as she looked sad.

"I'm sorry, Dinah." Curtis said, assuring her as he put down his headphones.

"What am I supposed to do now? I'm nothing without—"

"You're just as tough without your Cry, D. It's gonna be OK." Rene assured her as she felt beaten before smiling.

"Thanks. I appreciate that you're trying to help."

---

Elsewhere

"So, are you certain that's where they are?" Tatsu asked as the man in the hood nodded. "Thank you. This will help a lot."

---

A.R.G.U.S.

"Suit up, we're heading to Gotham City." Oliver ordered.

"What about Bruce? Isn't that his turf?" Rene questioned.

"He's busy." Oliver said.

"What? Why?" Laurel asked as Oliver sighed.

"Talia al Ghul is alive." Oliver said.

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed in horror.

"Oh, God…" Thea whispered.

"Bruce has been spending the last two years tracking her down." Oliver explained, to their shock. "Now, we need to worry more about Dragon and the Longbow Hunters."

"Why would the Longbow Hunters head to Gotham?" Henry asked.

"Because from what Tatsu told us, there is another Lazarus pit there." Oliver said. "We need to find it before they do."

---

Gotham City

Dragon, the Longbow Hunters, Saracon, Lacroix, the Thanatos Guild and the Jackals were at the city limits, preparing themselves.

"Once we find it, we'll make sure everything burns." Dragon promised.

"I think I know who can help." Oliver said.

"Please, tell me you're not…" Diggle groaned.

---

GCPD

Detective Michael Lane was working at the desk, usual work until his phone rang and he saw 'UNKNOWN' flashing.

---

Later, Gotham City

The Green Arrow waited on a rooftop as a man with a white cape and mask and a templar cross on his chest, wielding a sword, descended from above.

"Michael." The Green Arrow greeted him.

"Mr. Queen." Azrael nodded. "You summoned me?"

"I'm assuming you're replacing the Batman in his absence." Green Arrow said.

"He is preoccupied elsewhere. What do you need of me?" Azrael asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Longbow Hunters?" Green Arrow inquired and Azrael nodded.

"Very vile people." Azrael nodded. "I've encountered them recently. And I detected the presence of the League of Assassins in these parts too. It's likely…"

"…that they're looking for them." The Green Arrow said. "We need your help in finding them."

"Do you need—"

"This is not your fight. Trust me." The Green Arrow said.

"I understand, Mr. Queen." Azrael said. "I know a few places where the League may be hiding."

"And there apparently is a Lazarus pit in Gotham." Green Arrow said.

"I know of it. I've been trying to discover it for the past few weeks and destroy it, so that it would not fall into the League's or the Order's hands." Azrael nodded.

"Will you help us?" Green Arrow asked.

"My blade shall aid your cause." Azrael promised as he pulled out his sword.

---

In another part of Gotham, Tommy and Nyssa were shooting down the mercenaries and ninjas as they attempted to go deeper into the cavern beneath Gotham.

"They're relentless." Tommy said.

"We need to stop them." Nyssa said.

---

"I called Alfred. Told him to send over anything they had on the League's activities in Gotham. I'm sending you over coordinates of any of their lairs, hideouts, stashes etc." Henry said.

"Thanks, Henry." Oliver said as he and Team Arrow scoured Gotham.

"At least we have clues to look for. Tatsu will meet us soon." Spartan said.

---

"I searched most of the places with Azrael. There was nothing." Tatsu said.

"We need to keep looking." Oliver said.

They continued searching but came up empty with most of the places until…

"They're dead." Speedy said as she saw the dead assassins.

"They're elite in the League." Green Arrow noted as he saw their insignias.

"Rachel wasn't kidding, the Longbow Hunters are dangerous." Wild Dog nodded as he saw that most of the corpses shot by darts or wounds from large blades or spikes.

"No wonder even the League was afraid of them." Spartan muttered.

"Tommy…" Green Arrow whispered.

"Ollie, I don't like this." Black Canary said.

Suddenly, the members of the Thanatos Guild descended from above, surrounding them.

"Leave and we might spare you."

"Stay and blood will be shed."

"How about we stay and shed your blood?" Wild Dog quipped, reaching for his guns.

Green Arrow fired an explosive arrow and as it exploded, it sent some of the assassins flying, while Katana drew her sword, blocking the swords of two assassins.

Nightwing rolled away as an assassin attacked him with his sword before Nightwing hit him in the face, knocking him out and then jumping at two more assassins, knocking them down.

Red Hood, Spartan and Wild Dog took cover as the assassins fired arrows at them and fired back, shooting them down, with Arsenal, Speedy and Red Arrow.

Black Canary grabbed one of the assassins by his arm and threw him away towards other assassins as she and White Canary pulled out their batons. Black Canary blocked the sword of one of the assassins and hit him in the chest, knocking him down before she kicked another one back. White Canary jumped at two assassins, knocking them down before she got upon her feet, engaging more assassins.

The Canary attempted to unleash her Canary Cry but she choked, letting out just a muffled scream as she held her throat. As spears and arrows flew towards her, Mr. Terrific tackled her to the ground, barely avoiding the projectiles before he threw T-Spheres at the assassins as they were sent flying back by the explosion.

"Dinah, you OK?" Mr. Terrific asked.

Dinah coughed but nodded, saddened though that she couldn't use her Cry.

Batgirl and Huntress dodged as the assassins attacked them with their spears and axes but Batgirl blocked with her batarang and slashed one of them in his face before she grabbed him by his arm and threw him down, knocking him out. Huntress tried to shoot them but she was disarmed of her crossbow until Katana and Deathstroke jumped in and cut the assassins down.

Suddenly, some members of the League appeared with Tommy, Shado and Nyssa, assisting Team Arrow, Deathstroke and Birds of Prey as the guild assassins retreated.

"Tommy!" Speedy exclaimed, hugging him until Tommy let go.

"Hey, Thea." Tommy said before sighing in frustration upon seeing everyone else. "Damn it, you shouldn't have come looking for me."

"The Longbow Hunters came after us too." Oliver said as he approached Tommy. "And Rachel was worried about you. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I thought they were dead, OK?" Tommy snapped. "When I found out they were alive, I didn't want to put any of you at risk."

"Tommy, we've been through much worse than—"

"It's not that. Dragon and the Longbow Hunters are my responsibility. Mine! Not yours!" Tommy cut Laurel off before she could argue.

"They shot Lyla. If you had told us, maybe this all could have been avoided." Spartan growled and Tommy sighed.

"I'm sorry. But this is too dangerous for any one of you to be involved in." Tommy said.

"You helped us when we needed it, you can't ask us to do any less for you." Oliver pleaded.

Tommy sighed, realizing he was not going to talk them out of it.

"We've already gotten dragged into this when they attacked us. Let us help you." Laurel pleaded.

"Fine." Tommy sighed. "You're right. Of course you're right."

---

They walked down Gotham, searching as Oliver and Tommy talked.

"Is this why you kept your distance from Rachel? From all of us? Dragon, the Longbow Hunters, your brother and the guild?" Oliver asked.

"I wanted to bury my past, for good. Before I could move on with any of you. And I thought I did." Tommy admitted. "That was until I recently found out that Dragon and the Longbow Hunters and Joe and Saracon survived."

"I understand. But you know you didn't have to go through it on your own." Oliver said.

"It's my responsibility, not yours. It's not your burden to carry." Tommy protested.

"Now you sound a lot like me, when I started my crusade. That I needed to do things alone." Oliver smiled as Tommy laughed. "The thing is, you don't have to." He held Tommy's shoulder. "We're in this together, no matter what."

Tommy smiled. "Sometimes I wonder if… things had been different between us."

"What's done is done and I don't blame you for anything." Oliver assured him.

"Maybe we can move on finally, after…" Tommy smiled. "She lied to me but I could understand that. Her feelings were real."

"And do you love her?" Oliver asked.

Tommy sighed. "I… I don't feel about her the way I felt for Laurel. Not anymore. I do care about her but… I guess too much has happened for—"

Oliver nodded. "But despite everything, you can't turn your back on her, either."

"She needs help. And she helped me. I owe her that much." Tommy said.

"I understand." Oliver said after consideration.

"We can't let Dragon find the pit, Ollie. If he gets his hands on it, he'll become stronger than before." Tommy explained.

---

"This map they found… it leads to ancient part of Gotham." Oliver said as he examined the map they found in the Guild's hideout and took a photo.

"I know that place." Henry said.

"Yeah." Batgirl nodded. "My Dad used to tell me about it. When Gotham was a place for import and export of goods for colonists three hundred years ago, the redcoats attempted to take it. Then there was a large massive battle in which the whole district was turned into ruins. It's become mostly slums for homeless and lower class people since then. Not many people come to that place anymore."

"Creepy…" Rene muttered.

Dinah sighed. "Look, guys, I have a bad feeling about this."

"I think we all do." Diggle nodded as they turned to Dinah. "You sure you want to help?"

"Even without my Cry, I still have to do something." Dinah decided.

---

They entered the abandoned district of Gotham, when suddenly, a surge of energy shut down the lights as the road crumbled.

"What the hell?" Rene demanded.

"Looks like the EMP." Roy realized.

---

They rappelled down as they saw the assassins and the Jackals extract some liquid from the cavern walls.

"Stop what you're doing, now." Green Arrow ordered.

"I don't think so." Nylander quipped.

"You've always been a jackass but tearing down a whole district, here I thought that Malcolm Merlyn was a monster." Deathstroke sneered.

"You're the one to talk." Nylander laughed. Suddenly, they heard scream of agony and rage and maniacal laughter. "You're too late, Kamrat."

"Like hell." Tommy sneered as he fired an explosive arrow and Nylander barely had time to dodge as the Jackals were sent flying away.

Green Arrow, Tommy, Red Arrow, Shado, Nyssa, Speedy and Arsenal shot down some of the Jackals and the assassins, while Red Hood fired at Nylander, who ran. Spartan and Wild Dog fired too, while Black Canary, the Canary, White Canary and Batgirl rushed at the assassins. White Canary and the Canary dodged as three assassins attacked them with spears and swords and Sara and Dinah used their staffs to grab them in chokehold and throw them away.

Batgirl jumped off a wall and kicked one of the Jackals in his face before disarming another one of his gun and throwing him over her shoulder and kicking him in the face. Three more Jackals aimed their weapons at her but Batgirl threw batarangs, taking them down.

Katana and Arsenal and Deathstroke blocked the weapons of the assassins engaging them before Arsenal slammed one of them to the ground and Katana and Deathstroke suddenly sliced through the assassins as their swords became flashes of steel.

As they took down the remaining assassins and Jackals, they went deeper into the cavern and saw a bright emerald light and a maniacal laugh.

"Oh, no." Tommy realized.

"We're too late…" Nyssa whispered.

They ran down the cavern and saw Dragon emerge from the pool of Lazarus waters as the emerald light faded away and Dragon seemed… stronger… more muscular and in his eyes, lust for power as he was surrounded by Saracon, Simon Lacroix, Joe Wilson, Jade Nguyen and the Longbow Hunters.

"It took me a long time but I'm stronger than the last time. You can't stop us this time." Dragon said.

"If I were you, I'd run, while you still can." Jade warned.

"Like hell." Green Arrow sneered. He fired at Dragon, who grabbed the arrow and while the arrow exploded, it did not faze Dragon at all, asides from burned hand, much to their shock.

"Like I said, I'm stronger than the last time." Dragon said as they rushed at each other.

Thea, Sara, Barbara, Dinah, Laurel, Jason, Curtis and Rene attempted to fend off the Jackals and the assassins as the rest engaged more dangerous foes.

Nyssa and Tatsu barely dodged Bear's shield as they blocked with their swords. Bear attempted to impale Tatsu with the spike on his shield but Tatsu rolled down and kicked Bear in his legs as he knelt down. Nyssa was about to stab him in the chest but Bear grabbed her and threw her away as Nyssa hit the wall. Bear then tried to stomp on Tatsu but she rolled away to dodge until she attacked again but Bear raised his shield to block the sword.

Roy blocked Jade's claws with his bow and did a cartwheel and disarmed her. Jade pulled out sais, while Roy pulled out his batons as their weapons clashed. They appeared to be evenly matched until Roy used his metal arm and blocked and then threw a punch, sending Jade to the ground hard.

Tommy and Saracon were fencing as they were in a stalemate with their swords. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"You're the one who made it so!" Saracon sneered.

Saracon spun around, attempting to cut Tommy's head off but Tommy dodged as Saracon scratched his neck. Tommy kicked Saracon in the chest as Saracon stumbled back and blocked Tommy's attack aiming at his face. Tommy punched Saracon in the chest and as they swung their swords again, they lost their weapons upon impact before they exchanged blows

Slade and Joe were fighting with their swords as their blades crossed.

"This is who I always was! This is who you were supposed to be!" Joe snarled.

"Not anymore! That's enough, Joe!" Slade growled.

"It's enough when I say it's enough!" Joe exploded as he attempted to stab Slade in his eye but Slade barely had time to dodge as Joe kicked him back.

Thea, Rene, Curtis, Diggle, Laurel and Sara dodged as Red fired her darts. Sara threw a knife and Red dodged before she fired a flashbang dart that knocked them down upon explosion. Jason pulled out his gun and shot Red in her arm as she hissed and took cover behind a wall.

Lacroix and Shado fought, blocking each other's strikes with their bows. Lacroix pushed Shado back but Shado rushed backwards towards a wall until she flipped forward and kicked Lacroix in the head as he fell down. Lacroix rolled back as Shado attempted to stab him with a dagger.

Oliver and Diggle engaged Dragon but Dragon threw away Oliver's bow and dodged Diggle's punch. Dragon jumped, kicking them both back. Oliver dodged Dragon's punch and grabbed him by his arm as Diggle slammed his chest and Dragon staggered back.

Dragon dodged Diggle's punch and hit him in the face as Diggle stumbled. Oliver attempted to attack Dragon again but Dragon smirked before saying something in an unknown language.

Suddenly, all the heroes froze, unable to move.

"Did you think I'd fight you without an ace in a hole?" Dragon smirked as from the shadows appeared Nora Darhk.

"Surprise."

"Oh, no…" Everyone paled, realizing they were in a disadvantage.

Dragon neared Tommy's face as Tommy glared. "Last time you got lucky. But I'm much stronger than before." Then he looked at all of them. "The only reason we're letting any of you live, is to show you how easily we can crush you like bugs. You can't stop what's coming. I'll make sure everything you know will burn. Consider this mercy. Enjoy your time with those you love. What's left of it. We're leaving."

"You are not going to win this time." Tommy vowed.

"Maybe. It'll be so worth it to make you all suffer." Dragon promised, smirking before he, Nora, Saracon, Joe, Jade and the Longbow Hunters and the guild walked away as they were all immobilized. As soon as the paralyzing spell lost its effect, everyone fell down.

"I'm not letting him walk away." Diggle growled.

"John." Oliver warned but Diggle followed Dragon. "No!" He and everyone attempted to go after Diggle but only Dinah and Mia managed to go through the tunnel before it collapsed.

---

"Dragon!"

The villains turned around as Dragon shook his head. "Fool. Leave. He's mine."

They walked away as Dragon stood there, facing Dinah, Diggle and Mia.

"You're going to pay for what you did." Diggle growled.

"What have I told you? You can't beat me." Dragon said.

"We're not gonna stop trying." Dinah vowed.

Both Dinah and Mia attacked Dragon. Dragon dodged as Dinah swung her staff and grabbed Mia's bow before throwing her away, knocking her out. Dinah again attempted to use her Cry as she coughed out but the sound wave she made, caused for the ceiling to collapse as rubble fell down on her and she was unable to move

Diggle fired from his gun but Dragon dodged and kicked his gun away.

"I'll make you pay for what you did to Lyla." Diggle sneered.

"I'd like to see you try." Dragon taunted.

Dragon dodged Diggle's punches before hitting him in the throat as Diggle choked out. Dragon then sent a flurry of fists into Diggle's chest, breaking his ribs as Diggle coughed out blood. Diggle headbutted Dragon as he staggered and Diggle grabbed him, attempting to slam him to the ground but Dragon wrapped his legs around Diggle's neck and knocked him down, while Dragon got up on his feet. As Diggle got up, dazed, he attempted to throw a punch but Dragon dodged before grabbing him by his throat.

"You should have given up, when you had a chance." Dragon sneered into Diggle's face as he pulled his arm and drove his fingers into Diggle's chest as Diggle widened his eyes, while Dragon's fingers were buried deep into his chest. Dragon then twisted and Diggle tensed for a moment, widening his eyes as Dragon felt Diggle's heartbeat getting slower and slower until it stopped.

"No!" Dinah screamed as Dragon let Diggle go as he fell down with a glassy look as Diggle tilted his head and Dinah stared in despair before glaring at Dragon, a mix of hate over him killing her friend and fear over what he was going to do to her.

Dragon considered killing her but before he could, he heard footsteps as he walked away as Dinah just helplessly watched as she turned to Diggle's body.

"John…" Dinah whispered with tears forming in her eyes. "John…"

Everyone entered as they saw Diggle on the ground and Dinah staring and crying.

"Dig. Dig…" Laurel tried to shake him as Oliver measured Diggle's heartbeat but shook his head.

Everyone suddenly felt the temperature drop, staring in despair at what just happened, Dragon killing their friend and Oliver and Tommy seethed, glaring and vowing to make Dragon and the Longbow Hunters pay.

Henry, Steve and Flag had their suits on as they entered Lyla's room. They had gotten a word that she had woken up but was still recovering as they entered with solemn looks.

"Hey." Lyla said, regaining her color but still weak. "Is… everything alright?"

"Lyla…" Henry trailed off and took a breath. "There's… there is no easy way to tell you this."

"What happened?" Lyla asked, not understanding until she shook her head in denial as her eyes were getting wet. "No. No."

"We're very truly sorry." Steve and Flag hugged her as Lyla broke down in tears.

---

Wayne Manor

"Anything?" Oliver asked as Barbara went out from the entrance to the Batcave.

"They're gone." Barbara sighed. "It's like they vanished into thin air." Oliver growled as he punched the wall. "That was not your fault, Oliver."

"I'm not blaming myself." Oliver snapped. "I'm angry that they got away again."

Barbara nodded. "We'll find them."

Tommy sighed. "This is all my fault. I never should have brought either one of you into this."

"We all made our choice to help you, Tommy." Laurel said. "You can't hold yourself responsible for that."

"How are we going to find them?" Thea asked. "Are there any pits that you know about?"

"No." Tommy said. "I think this was the last one. But I can't be sure. Who knows what are they up to now."

"Hey. Everything's ready. I think we should get going." Sara said as she entered.

---

Gotham Cemetery

The funeral attended Oliver, Laurel, their daughter Ashley, Tommy, Nyssa, Rachel, Thea, Felicity, Roy, Henry, Mia, Barbara, Helena, Tatsu, Dick, Jason, Tim, Dinah, Quentin, Rene, Curtis, Lyla, JJ, Carly and her son and Diggle's nephew Andy Jr. as Oliver spoke up.

"This doesn't feel real." Oliver sighed. "But it is. I've known John Diggle for… almost ten years. He was a man of honor. Moral values. Conviction. He kept me straight and helped me focus on the things that matter, such as my family. In many ways, he was like a brother to me. One of very few I had."

He then breathed out as he glanced towards Tommy. "John wasn't a perfect man. He had flaws, like any other human. But he willing to see good in people, even if they may not have deserved. Sometimes, he was loyal to a fault. But ultimately, he was a good person. And he helped many of us find our way, no matter how lost we may have been at one point." He looked towards Laurel, his daughter and his friends as Oliver took a breath.

"John Diggle, may you rest in peace. You'll always be my brother."

Everyone looked solemn as they looked down as Laurel, Dinah, Thea, Felicity, Rene and Curtis could not hold back their tears.

---

At the distance, Slade and Black Siren observed the funeral, knowing that them attending would be inappropriate.

---

Oliver was at the gravestone as Bruce approached him. "Sorry I missed the funeral."

"Talia?" Oliver questioned.

"Yeah." Bruce nodded.

"It's not our fault, Bruce. It is our responsibility to stop this." Oliver said.

"You're going to kill them?" Bruce asked.

"And every last person, who defends them if I must. Dragon, Jade, they all have to pay." Oliver vowed.

"Oliver, if there's anything I can do—"

"Don't try to stop me from doing this." Oliver warned.

"I won't." Bruce said as he held Oliver's shoulder. "But just promise me this. Don't forget who you are."

"I won't." Oliver said before Bruce walked away and Oliver knelt down, putting his hand on the gravestone and a stray tear streamed down his cheek.

---

Laurel pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "It's me. We need to talk."

---

Later, Oliver approached a nearby car, where was Jason, Slade Wilson and Tommy Merlyn waiting.

"Any leads?"

"Maybe." Tommy said. "Oliver, if you do this, there might be no going back." He warned.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect my family. Would you do any differently?" Oliver questioned and Tommy shook his head before they entered the car.

"And I have to stop my son. I don't know if I can reach him but… this is too far." Slade vowed. "I don't know if my son can be saved… but the rest… we'll take them down. Whatever it takes."

"Let's go find the Dragon and your brother." Oliver said. They entered the car as Oliver cleared his throat. "Where are we heading now?"

"We need to find the Guild and the Longbow Hunters and Saracon." Tommy said. "And…" He sighed. "You're not going to like what they did."

---

Elsewhere, Russia

Members of Bratva were on the floor, dead or bleeding to death, crawling on the floor. Walls and the counter were filled with bullet holes and glass shards on the floor with pools of blood and liquor. No sound had been heard during the skirmish as Anatoly was hiding in a hatch under the people who had slaughtered his brothers as he was terrified.

"Is it the last of them?" Dragon asked as Silencer turned off her muter.

"Some of them might have escaped. No sign of Knyazev." Silencer said.

"He was expendable." Dragon said. "Now we can proceed to the next stage of our plan."

---

Later, elsewhere

"Why would they slaughter Bratva?" Oliver demanded.

"Asides from revenge, I don't—"

Suddenly, everyone turned their attention to the TV, seeing Tommy in an assassin outfit and holding a bow and wearing a quiver, alongside with a man in armor, similar to Deathstroke's suit.

"What the…" Tommy trailed off.

"Tommy Merlyn, who apparently died in the Undertaking almost nine years ago, alongside with the notorious terrorist known as Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke, seem to be suspects in a terrorist attack, assaulting an U.N. embassy in Russia and possibly being suspects of slaughtering the Russian mob known as Bratva..." The anchor said on the news.

"They're trying to flush you out." Slade realized.

"Why?" Jason wondered.

"He's taunting us and he wants to make sure we have nowhere to run and no one to hide behind." Tommy realized.

"He just made you a public enemy number one." Oliver said. "We need to go to Russia and find Anatoly, he might have survived."

---

A.R.G.U.S.

"So, Tommy Merlyn apparently seems to be the prime suspect in a terrorist attack in Russia. You all know this might be a setup." Henry said. "Now, from what we know now about the Longbow Hunters, I advise caution and restraint. You're assigned to investigate but whatever happens, do not directly engage if you spot Dragon, someone from the League of Assassins or the Thanatos Guild, Kane Wolfman or the Longbow Hunters alone."

---

Henry was signing off some paperwork and writing reports as Sara entered. "How are you doing?"

"I'm trying to focus, Sara." Henry said, not paying attention to her.

"Look, it's OK to stop and grieve." Sara said. "Burying yourself into work like this doesn't help, OK? Just stop for a moment and give yourself some space."

"I can't stop." Henry replied.

"Can't or won't?" Sara asked. "You're a human, not a machine, OK?" Henry paused for a moment. "It's OK to give yourself some space. So why won't you?"

Henry sighed. "Because with how many people are relying on me right now, I can't look vulnerable." He admitted. "Look, I didn't ask for this. I'm not a leader material. I mean, I could look after some people but I'm not the guy they should follow or look up to."

"You're not invincible and you're still human. And the fact that you want to help others no matter what, makes you the kind of person they should look up to." Sara pointed out. "Don't think about what happens if you let them down. Show them that you're the kind of person you've been around me, Ollie and the rest. Just take it easy."

Henry sighed as he wiped his face. "You're right."

---

Russia

"We need to find a good hideout because right now, Tommy Merlyn and Deathstroke are public enemies number one and two." Oliver said as they entered an old Bratva hideout.

"Wait." Slade said as he reached for his sword. "Did you hear that?"

Suddenly, their instincts turned on as they got down as a flashbang grenade flew in through the window and exploded as they covered their ears.

Some soldiers entered and Tommy kicked one of them back, while Jason threw another one's rifle and knocked him out.

Slade put on his helmet and cut one of the soldiers in the chest and another one's head off as he shot down two more.

Jason shot down three more soldiers, while Tommy stabbed one of them in the chest and cut another one's head off, while Oliver shot down two more.

"Who the hell was that?" Jason demanded.

"Mercenaries." Oliver realized before the phone of one of the mercenaries rang. Tommy carefully answered the call and turned on the speaker.

"You should have left me alone." Dragon said.

"You're going to pay for what you did." Tommy growled.

"You took away from me everything I wanted. I'll make sure you'll lose everything too. Enjoy your time with people you care about. Whatever's left of it." Dragon vowed. "I'll take away everyone you care about. And you won't be able to beat me this time." He hung up as everyone glared.

Anatoly then entered, freaked out as he looked at the mess and the bodies on the floor. "Bozhe moi, I'm too late."

"Anatoly. We need to talk." Oliver said.

"Because I turned my back on the Ninth Circle, they were Dragon's associates too. He wanted revenge." Anatoly explained.

Oliver sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have—"

"This was not your fault, Oliver." Anatoly assured him. "I was the one foolish enough to trust them."

"Let's just say we're both to blame, alright?" Oliver said as he and Anatoly smiled.

"We need to get to safety before more Dragon's men come after us." Jason said.

---

They drove down the street, unrecognized as Anatoly accompanied them all to a Bratva hideout.

"Here. We'll be safe." Anatoly said. They got some rest as Anatoly sighed. "I wanted to come looking for you but I was too late. Oliver, you need to know—"

"They framed Tommy for a terrorist attack, we know." Oliver nodded.

"I'm so sorry." Tommy said.

"No." Anatoly shook his head. "I'm the one, who should be sorry. My pride and need to show I'm strong was bigger than my honor. I never should have reached out to the Circle."

"What are the Longbow Hunters up to?" Oliver wondered.

"They want to see everything you know, burn." Anatoly said. "I overheard them."

"The gas facility in the Sabine Pass, it could've blown up Gotham, Bludhaven and Star City." Oliver realized.

"And now they wanted to destroy Bratva." Tommy concluded as Anatoly nodded.

"I've been watching you." Anatoly said. "Oliver, they are very dangerous."

"We know that. They killed John." Oliver said grimly and Anatoly paled before looking at Oliver in sympathy.

"I'm sorry. He was a good man." Anatoly said.

"Do you know anything that can help us find them? Did you overhear anything?" Slade asked.

"Maybe. It was… deathly silence." Anatoly said.

"Silencer." Oliver realized as Anatoly and Tommy nodded.

"The Longbow Hunters. They killed them all." Anatoly said.

"How are we going to stop them? What are they up to?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know. But I think we need to go back to the U.S. I overheard them saying that they needed to finish something in Star City. If I can, I will help you." Anatoly promised.

---

Star City

"It's time for the city to burn." Dragon said. "They rejected me. Now I'm going to make them pay."

---

City Hall

Thea entered, panicking as Quentin turned on the news on TV. It was an army of mercenaries and ninjas destroying everything they saw and killing everyone on sight as civilians ran in panic as the army was being led by Richard Dragon and the Longbow Hunters, at their side Jade Nguyen, Saracon, Lacroix, Joe, Nylander and the Thanatos Guild with the Jackals.

"Oh, my God…" Thea said, horrified.

"We're gonna need one hell of a help. Where the hell is Oliver?" Quentin said as he turned to Thea.

---

Elsewhere

In the plane, Oliver and Tommy looked at each other, smiling.

"Are you happy? With Rachel?" Oliver asked as Tommy considered.

"I'm angry she lied to me but I understand why. And no matter the circumstances, her feelings to me were real but honestly…" Tommy sighed. "I guess too much has happened for me to find out if… we can really be happy. Like you and Laurel. You have a daughter."

"We're trying. We've been in tough spots before and we're trying to make it work." Oliver said. "I know that you can find a way to be happy. Are you still mad at her?"

"Not anymore." Tommy said. "But… honestly, I'm not sure if I can be with her. I mean… too much has happened."

"I get that." Oliver said as they smiled at each other. "Maybe you'll find a way to see it through. I myself don't know if I want to do this anymore. All I wanted was to…"

"…finally settle down. There was a time I thought I could have it with Laurel but…"

"…we both know I was the first choice for her. I'm sorry about how—"

"It's not your fault." Tommy assured. "I think it's time we stopped blaming ourselves for our past mistakes. And find a way to move on."

"There's nothing I'd want more." Oliver said as he and Tommy shook hands. "Brothers?"

"Brothers."

"No matter what happens, you'll always be my family, Tommy. Just like Thea, John, Henry, everyone else." Oliver said before they turned their attention to the news.

"What the…"

---

Star City

"This is not good, it's too many of them!" Mr. Terrific said as he and Wild Dog were trying to shoot down the drones who were spreading poison, until Arsenal and Speedy shot them down.

---

Rachel was in a safehouse, just reading in her room before she sensed that something was off. She got up and went out and saw that the agents assigned to protect her, were dead before she paled to face Nora Darhk.

"Hello, Rachel. It's good to see you again." Nora said before they both vanished in a flash of light.

---

In another part of Star City, the Longbow Hunters, the Thanatos Guild and the Jackals were shooting down civilians and policemen trying to stop them.

Red fired darts that shot the policemen as foam formed in their mouths as they spasmed and fell down before Joe, Athena and Lacroix shot down the policemen as well, while Bear and Jade sliced through them with their weapons.

The combined armies of the Thanatos Guild and the Jackals overpowered the policemen as they were forced to retreat.

---

The Lair

"It's too many of them, we'll never be able to stop them on our own." Dinah cursed.

"We're gonna need hell of a backup." Curtis said.

---

Star City

Oliver, Nyssa, Slade, Shado, Tommy and Jason entered a building as Oliver and Tommy shot down four of the mercenaries, while Nyssa and Slade pulled out their swords, engaging the mercenaries as well as Nyssa dodged, while one of them rushed at her before she cut him in his leg and punched him, knocking him out.

Slade grabbed another one by his arm and threw him down before stabbing him in the chest.

Jason dodged and kicked another mercenary in the leg as he fell down before Jason grabbed him with his arm and snapped his neck.

Shado rolled back as two of them attacked with their swords before she hit them with her bow, furiously beating them up until they were knocked out.

"Looks like we're too late."

"Impressive entrée." Dragon said over the radio. "But it's pointless."

"Dragon…" Oliver growled.

"What are you playing at?" Tommy demanded.

"I want you to die, knowing that you have failed your own city. You took everything I wanted, away from me. I'm going to take away everything you love." Dragon vowed.

---

A.R.G.U.S.

"What the…" Henry whispered as he and Sara saw the news. "We gotta go."

"No. You're not going anywhere." Sara ordered as she held Henry back.

"Sara, it's my city too, I'm not gonna stand by and watch it—"

"Stop being a hero, Henry!" Sara snapped. "It's not just you protecting it! All of them too. I can help but I need you to stay here, OK? Besides, you can't help with only one arm." She pointed out as she tapped Henry's arm in the cast. "Please. For once, stop being a hero and let it go. Me and Ollie and the others got this. Send A.R.G.U.S. if you have to but leave it alone."

Henry glared and sighed. "Fine. Just… be careful. Please."

Sara nodded as she kissed him. "Always."

She left as Henry stared. "Why her of all people? Why did I have to get an ex-assassin?"

---

Star City

Black Canary, Shiva, Batgirl, Nightwing, Huntress and Katana were in another part of the city as the guild assassins rushed at them. Shiva jumped back as they attacked with their weapons, while Nightwing and Black Canary blocked with their batons before they pushed the assassins back.

Shiva jumped and kicked three of the assassins back before she grabbed one of them by his arm and broke it before she hit him in the throat as he choked out and fell down. Shiva then sent barrages of fists to the two assassins as they coughed out blood and fell down with broken ribs.

Katana dodged and blocked as two assassins attacked, one with a spear and one with a sword. Katana rolled down and spun around, slicing them both down.

Black Canary, Nightwing and Batgirl blocked with their batons as the remaining assassins attacked until Huntress shot some of them down.

---

Pike and the SCPD was trying to hold back the Jackals and the assassins but were overpowered until Nyssa and her League appeared, helping them fend the Jackals and the assassins off.

"OK, which ninjas are on our side?" Malone wondered in confusion.

"Just don't shoot at the ones not trying to kill us!" Pike ordered.

---

"We need to spread out and contain the chaos!" Oliver ordered as Rene and Curtis entered one car, Dinah and Felicity entered another, while he, Slade and Roy entered another. "Felicity, patch us in to the SCPD band, so that we can find out which threats to eliminate!"

"Got it!" Felicity said.

---

"Send the bird." Joe ordered over the radio. "Take them out."

---

One of the Jackals was in a van, pulling a lever as a drone flew in the air.

---

Felicity looked behind as she widened her eyes. "Dinah, watch out!"

"What?" Dinah demanded before she saw in a mirror the drone flying towards them. "Oh, no!"

The drone fired from its machine gun as Dinah drove below a truck carrying concrete pipes, barely avoiding the gunfire.

"Oh, my God! Five years ago, an army of Ghosts and a sorcerer! Then a maniac with a dragon tattoo a group of terrorists, then crazy cult of magicians and assassins worshiping an ancient demon, now mercenaries, assassins and drones?!" Felicity snapped.

"As John would say, our lives were somewhat normal before Barry showed up!" Dinah quipped.

The drone shot at the truck as the pipes fell down and Dinah hit the gas. "If I had my Cry, I could've taken it out!"

---

"Oliver, there are some mercenaries on Marc's and Percy's, trying to kill some hostages." Felicity said.

"On it."

---

The mercenaries rounded up some civilians on the ground floor, about to execute them as one of them pulled out an explosive and pressed a trigger. The countdown started until Green Arrow ziplined in and shot the mercenary down.

The other mercenaries fired with their rifles as Green Arrow took cover behind a table and fired an explosive arrow, sending them flying away. Green Arrow rushed at another mercenary and hit him in the face with his bow before kicking him in the chest as the mercenary fell over the railing down on the ground floor.

"Everyone, get out of here!" Green Arrow ordered.

Another mercenary grabbed him from behind. Green Arrow jumped at the railing and flipped back over the mercenary's shoulder, using him as a human shield until he heard the beeping going faster and faster as he realized that the explosive was about to go off. He ran out, firing a grapnel arrow and rappelling down as the explosive went off, killing the mercenary shooting at him but luckily, the civilians were safe as Green Arrow rappelled down on the ground safely.

---

Wild Dog, Anatoly and Red Hood took cover as they and some policemen and A.R.G.U.S. agents and an army were on the street, shooting back at the guild assassins and the Jackals before Nyssa and Shado shot the remaining enemies down.

---

"We gotta shake that thing!" Felicity cried out as she and Dinah were trying to lose the drone chasing them as it was aiming a missile at them.

Suddenly, from a bridge above that they passed by, fell down an A.R.G.U.S. truck as it crushed the drone as Dinah stopped the car. Henry and Mia with her red hood and her bow and quiver went out, groaning as Felicity laughed.

"You stubborn son of a bitch." Dinah smirked as Henry pulled out his gun and shot off the camera off the drone.

---

"Sir, we have a problem, someone double-tapped our drone." One of the mercenaries told Joe over the radio as he snarled, enraged.

---

"Hey, Henry. Did you bring the cavalry?" Felicity asked, hopeful.

"Just wait. Cavalry's gonna come soon." Henry smiled as he and Red Arrow entered as Dinah drove away.

---

Black Canary was in a car park before she faced off with an assassin with two swords as she pulled out her batons. They rushed at each other as their weapons clashed.

Black Canary blocked the assassin's blades with her batons and jumped back before she headbutted the assassin and hit him in the chest and the leg as the assassin fell down. The assassin rolled away as Black Canary tried to finish him off before she blocked his blades again and dodged as the assassin scratched her neck. As Black Canary's and the assassin's weapons clashed, they lost them upon impact.

Laurel and the assassin rushed at each other, trading blows as the assassin kicked Laurel in the chest and she staggered back. Laurel dodged as the assassin threw a punch but he grabbed her and then threw her against a car as the front window crashed. As the assassin neared her, Laurel grabbed him and slammed him against the hood of the car and kicked him in the face as he staggered back before she got up, deciding to use techniques Shiva had taught her.

Laurel dodged the punch and grabbed the assassin by his arm and twisted as bones cracked before she kicked the assassin in the leg, causing for him to kneel. Laurel spun around and hit the assassin in the face with her elbow as he staggered. Laurel knocked the assassin down and did a powerful kick to his face, sending him flying away before she jumped at him and finished him off by hitting him in the neck, paralyzing him.

Three more assassins appeared behind her Laurel realized she was in a disadvantage before she heard a roar and to her surprise, Ben Turner appeared, slicing through two assassins with his claws as she looked shocked to see him as Sara engaged another assassin before she blocked his swords with her batons. Sara quickly got behind the assassin and snapped his neck.

"You?" Sara and Laurel asked in surprise, turning to Turner.

"I owed Merlyn one. I figured I should repay the favor." Turner shrugged.

Laurel looked hesitant to believe him before she nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, sis." Sara chuckled.

---

In another part, Wild Dog, Anatoly, Arsenal, Speedy and Mr. Terrific looked around until they noticed that there was deadly silence. Realizing what happened, Speedy turned around as Silencer rushed at her and they fell down the stairs.

---

Silencer pushed Speedy into a storage area before Speedy pushed her back with her bow. Silencer kicked Speedy back and knocked her down before Speedy got up on her feet. Speedy barely blocked Silencer's kick before she attempted to punch Silencer. She managed to land few blows until Silencer blocked and dodged and then did a cartwheel and kicked Speedy in her face as the archer in crimson leather fell down.

Speedy got up and used her bow to block as Silencer attempted to stab her with her knife before she threw away their weapons. Speedy grabbed a wooden beam and hit Silencer in her groin before Silencer grabbed Speedy and slammed her to the ground. She grabbed her knife and was about to finish Speedy off.

"Say 'goodbye', bitch." Silencer said.

Suddenly, she was knocked away with a sonic scream, a Siren Cry as Speedy covered her ears, while Silencer was sent flying against an empty elevator shaft. The impact broke her bones as she hit the wall before she fell to her demise as they heard loud 'crash.'

Speedy looked in shock to see who was her savior.

"Goodbye, bitch." Black Siren sneered as Speedy laughed.

---

Mr. Terrific, Wild Dog, Anatoly and Red Hood took cover as Red fired from her darts as they barely avoided the explosions.

"I can do this all day." Red smirked.

Red Hood then noticed a gas tank as he fired at it, sending it flying against Red as she dodged but was knocked down as the explosion destroyed the wall behind her. Red then saw them nearing her as she jumped out of the window. They looked out but were unable to find her.

"Good riddance." Mr. Terrific said.

---

Oliver, Tommy and Slade fended off their enemies until they saw some giant muscular behemoths walking down the city, destroying everything they saw.

"Bane?" Oliver asked.

"Or something Dragon empowered." Tommy said.

"How are we gonna stop them?" Slade wondered.

Suddenly, a black car appeared as it shot some missiles, knocking the Titans down as from the car went out Batman.

Then, Wonder Woman and Artemis and Donna Troy appeared with Green Lantern as the Amazons were equally matched to the brute's strength and Green Lantern used the powers from his ring to fend the monsters off. Aquaman then appeared, summoning a small tidal wave, washing away some of the mercenaries and the Jackals as Cyborg flew over them with Superman and Supergirl, destroying the military cars as the Flash and Kid Flash knocked out the remaining soldiers in superspeed, while Lisa used her gold gun to stop the remaining military cars and Red Robin, Spoiler and Black Bat attacked the mercenaries too.

Red and Bear attempted to attack them but Cyborg fired a missile that destroyed Bear's shield as he fell down, burned. Red fired a dart but Wonder Woman blocked with her sword as it flew back, hitting Red in her throat as she fell down, dead before Nylander surrendered.

"Looks like the Justice League is here to help." Tommy said.

"And the Outsiders too."

Then, they saw a pyre on the rooftop of one of the skyscrapers.

---

Oliver, Roy, Shado, Nyssa, Slade and Tommy went on the rooftop as Rachel was in restraints as across them was Dragon, Jade, Joe, Lacroix and Saracon.

"You've won." Dragon said. "I may not have been able to destroy the city you love. But I can make sure you'll watch the woman you care about, die."

"You never knew what was love." Rachel sneered at Dragon. "I was an idiot to believe you. You really thought I would've wanted innocent dead and power and blood money?"

"You've always seen me as a loser!"

"No. I always saw you as too obsessed with ideas, rather than reality." Rachel sneered.

"You should have killed me, when you had the chance." Dragon said as Tommy and Oliver glared.

"I am going to kill you. For what you've done to our families and our friends." Oliver growled.

"You and us. Here. Now." Saracon said.

Saracon and Joe pulled out their swords, while Oliver threw away his bow and Tommy and Slade pulled out their swords too as the two groups rushed at each other.

Oliver engaged Dragon, both men exchanging blows. Oliver dodged Dragon's punch and hit him in the face as Dragon staggered back before he raised his hands to block as Oliver tried to punch him in the chest but Dragon kicked him back as Oliver stumbled back. Dragon jumped and aimed a roundhouse kick at Oliver's head but Oliver ducked, narrowly dodging the kick and then kicking Dragon in the leg as Dragon fell down. Dragon got up and kicked Oliver in the chest as he staggered back.

Tommy and Saracon clashed with their swords as Tommy jumped back, dodging Saracon's attack.

"It doesn't have to be this way! We're not like our father!" Tommy said in an attempt to reason with his half-brother.

"You made it so! You took my revenge from me, when you killed Malcolm Merlyn! It should have been me! You're going to pay for it!" Saracon yelled angrily.

Saracon kicked Tommy back and Tommy dodged as the blade scratched his neck. Tommy hit Saracon in the face with the hilt of his sword and Saracon staggered back. Tommy aimed for his head but Saracon raised his sword to block before he spun around, trying to slice Tommy but Nyssa showed up and blocked Saracon's sword with her own and then kicked him back.

"Don't do this, brother." Nyssa pleaded.

"I have to! You made it so!" Saracon snapped as he attacked, scratching Tommy in the chest as he hissed but as he tried to deliver the killing blow, Tommy did a powerful swing with his sword as they lost their weapons in the process.

Roy blocked with his batons as Jade attacked with her sais. Roy kicked Jade back and she replied by trying to stab him in the chest. Roy blocked with his metal arm as Jade's sais were jammed onto it. Roy pulled his arm, disarming her before Roy grabbed her by her throat and slammed her to the ground, knocking her out.

Shado fired an arrow and Lacroix jumped back to avoid it. Lacroix fired but Shado blocked the arrow with her bow. They rushed at each other, swinging their bows and using them as bo staffs to attack. Lacroix kicked Shado in the leg as she fell down. Lacroix was about to stab her with his arrow before she rolled away and kicked him, knocking him out.

Slade dodged as Joe tried to strike him. "This anger needs to end, Joe!"

"Yes, it will end, with your death!" Joe snarled.

Slade blocked as Joe tried to stab him in the eyehole and pushed him back before cutting him in the knee.

Oliver ducked as Dragon tried to kick him in the head and Oliver grabbed Dragon by his jacket but Dragon rolled back to shake Oliver off before both men got up on their feet. Oliver dodged Dragon's kick before Dragon grabbed Oliver by his arm as Oliver threw a punch and threw him away. As Oliver recovered, he dodged Dragon's kick before blocking his punch and then Oliver got to the offensive, landing few blows in his chest and then headbutting him as Dragon staggered back.

"You never knew what was love. You were too obsessed with power and darkness and you had no idea what you were really fighting for." Oliver said as Dragon glared.

"That's why we always beat you. Because you have no conviction. You're just a fool chasing clouds." Rachel taunted.

Dragon roared as he rushed at Oliver but Oliver dodged, grabbing Dragon by his jacket and kicking him in the chest, hard as Dragon staggered again, almost falling down. Oliver blocked Dragon's punch and grabbed his arm, breaking it before he kicked Dragon hard in the leg as Dragon fell down.

In the meantime, Slade pointed his sword at Joe, contemplating as Joe was on his knees. "Do it." He taunted as his father just stared. "Do it!"

Slade considered before he hit Joe in the face with the hilt of his sword, knocking him out.

Oliver and Tommy were now exchanging blows with Dragon and Saracon as Nyssa stepped back, deciding this was their fight.

Oliver and Tommy were back to back as Oliver dodged Dragon's punch and Tommy grabbed his arm, throwing Dragon at Saracon as they both fell down. Both of them got up as Oliver and Tommy rushed at them again.

Tommy dodged Saracon's kick and hit him in the face before Tommy sent a flurry of punches at Saracon's chest as Saracon coughed out blood. Saracon rushed at Tommy but Tommy grabbed Saracon and slammed him to a nearby pillar and then Tommy grabbed Saracon's face, slamming it three times against the pillar and Saracon was dazed before Tommy punched him in the face again, knocking him out.

Oliver blocked Dragon's punch and sent a powerful kick to Dragon's chest as he fell down, with Oliver, Tommy, Rachel, Roy and Slade facing him as Dragon glared. "Do it. Kill me… and you'll prove that you're nothing but monsters. That you're just like me." He taunted.

"No. We'd kill you because you needed to be killed. We're no monsters." Oliver said as Rachel pulled out a gun and aimed it at Dragon as the smile vanished off his face, his satisfaction, his only victory left… gone.

"I wish I had seen through you earlier. I hope you burn in hell forever." Rachel sneered before she pulled the trigger and shot Dragon in the head and he slumped back and fell off the building.

"We better burn the body into ashes later, just to be sure he won't rise back from the dead again." Tommy said.

"I agree." Rachel nodded.

They turned, about to leave, when suddenly, they all froze as Nora Darhk appeared, using her powers.

"Did you really think this ends here? When I'm done with you, I'll make you all suffer—"

Suddenly, a purple light knocked her down until she disappeared in black flash of light as in front of them appeared a blue-haired young girl.

"Hey." Rachel Roth, also known as Raven, smiled. "I thought you might need my help." She turned to Roy, who was injured as she hugged him tightly. "Thank God you're OK."

"Thanks." Roy smiled as he fondled her hair.

"You saved my life." Raven told him. "It's only fair of me to save yours."

Oliver sighed in relief. "It's over."

---

Nanda Parbat

"You really think I'll join you?" Saracon sneered as Nyssa had him in chains. "After what you've done to my mother?"

"The fault lies to Malcolm Merlyn's. No one else's. I'm done being tied to my past and I am willing to move on." Nyssa said. "So does Thomas Merlyn and Oliver Queen. Why won't you? Malcolm Merlyn is dead. In a way, you have already had your revenge."

Saracon contemplated. "I… I don't know how."

Nyssa smiled. "Maybe I can help you. That's the least I can do… brother."

---

A.R.G.U.S. prison

"You should have killed me." Joe glared as Slade looked at him, strapped to a chair in a small glass cell. "What happened to you?!"

"What you saw was the Mirakuru, kid." Slade said. "That's not who I am anymore and that's not who you have to be. I'm not gonna give up on you.

I know I've made my mistakes… but what hasn't changed that you're my son and I love you… and I am not going to give up on that one day, you will come to your senses and see reason." Slade pleaded. "We've both gone down a dark path… and we've both done things that there might be no forgiveness for… but I found a way out from a place, there shouldn't be a way out from… maybe you can too."

"You think I want saving?" Joe scoffed.

"I think that you need time to open your eyes." Slade said. "I've given up on you once, kid. I won't make that mistake again, ever. I know I broke that promise the first time… but I've changed."

Joe looked at his father in shock in surprise and he was now conflicted, not sure what to believe. For such a long time, he followed down a dark path of a killer… a monster… to be like his father… but seeing that his father had changed and despite the terrible things his son had done, he wouldn't give up on him… where does his path take him now?

"Don't worry, kid. We have all the time in the world now."

---

Elsewhere

Oliver, Laurel and their daughter Ashley were playing on a beach as Roy, Thea, Samantha and William, Henry, Sara, Quentin, Nicole, Riley, Mia, Felicity, Curtis, Dinah, Rene, Lyla, Barry, Ralph, Cisco, Caitlin, Bruce, Barbara, Selina, Dick, Tatsu, Rachel and Tommy observed them playing together.

"That's right, sweetie, come on." Laurel said as Ashley caught the ball.

"Come on, throw it to Daddy." Oliver said as she threw the ball to him.

"Well, I was screaming like hell at first but it was fun, you know. But you should've seen when I—" Rene nudged Felicity as she turned to him. "What was that for?"

"Felicity, how about you stopped talking for a few seconds and take a closer look." Rene said as they saw how happy Oliver and Laurel were with their daughter.

"That's beautiful." Felicity smiled.

"It's where they belong." Dinah said.

"Home." Tommy nodded. "With their family. Where they have always belonged."

They saw how happy Oliver and Laurel with their daughter were, acknowledging that they were better off retired and happy together.

"Yeah, things are not gonna be the same." Barry said.

Tommy looked down sad that Laurel was not with him but knew that it was not meant to be. Whether he could really forgive Rachel and be with her… well… only time could tell.

"I think I'm gonna take the job. Permanently." Henry said suddenly.

"What? You mean deputy director of A.R.G.U.S.?" Barbara asked as they turned to him.

"I wasn't sure at first but… I can't walk away from so many people getting hurt." Henry said.

"I'm sure you'll handle it. If anyone deserves it, it's someone with so big heart, willing to protect people he loves. Someone like you." Lyla said.

"Maybe you're right." Henry admitted. "I wasn't sure I could take it. I'm not a leader material and I'm not sure whether I'm the type of man they should look up to… but maybe that's why. Because I'm not ambitious, maybe I'm the one they can trust."

Tommy sighed as he got up, glad that Laurel and Oliver were happy and was about to walk away as Felicity turned to him.

"Wait, you won't stay and say goodbye?" Felicity asked.

Tommy turned around as he gave Oliver and Laurel one last smile. "It's never goodbye."

He walked away to his car, while everyone else smiled at Oliver, Laurel and Ashley, acknowledging they were better off retired and happy.

---

Tommy drove down the road, contemplating. Now that his life was no more defined by his past… no more motivated by Oliver or Laurel… where would he go? Could he forgive Rachel and maybe move on with her?

At the crossroads at the 'STOP' sign, Tommy was left to contemplate until he heard an engine rev next to him as he turned his head to see Oliver next to him, in his car.

"Did you think you could leave without saying goodbye?" Oliver smiled as Tommy smiled back. And then he realized the similarities between their lives and how similar were the paths their roads led them to before they hit the gas and drove down the road, memories coming back.

---

"I missed you, buddy." Tommy hugged Oliver when he returned home from Lian Yu.

---

"You want to get to him? You've gotta go through me." Tommy stepped up as the bouncers were about to kick Oliver out of the nightclub. "Wow, they are probably gonna go through me."

Then Oliver and Tommy started to fight the bouncers.

---

"To the first birthday that I have enjoyed in a long time." Tommy toasted in Laurel's apartment with her, Oliver and McKenna. "I got my best friend back."

---

"Were you ever gonna tell me?" Tommy asked as he and Oliver were outside Malcolm's room in the hospital after a failed attempt at Malcolm's life.

"No." Oliver said honestly.

---

"Did you kill him?" Tommy asked, dying as he was impaled on a rebar after CNRI crumbled.

"No." Oliver lied.

"Thank you." Tommy closed his eyes and tilted his head.

---

"I'm my father's son. A murderer." Tommy said in A.R.G.U.S. prison after they subdued him, when they discovered he was Prometheus.

"No, you're not. Deep down, you're a good person. We can still fix this." Oliver assured him.

---

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened." Tommy said after Oliver visited him, while confronting him about taking over the mantle of being the guardian of Star City.

"It's alright. It's all in the past now. You'll always be my brother." Oliver assured him as they shook hands. "And to me, Thea, Laurel and Sara, you'll always be family."

---

Tommy sighed as he seemed tired. "I'm trying but… it's not easy to honor you. I wish I could take it all back."

"It's OK, Tommy." Oliver smiled. "I forgive you. It's not on you entirely. I just wanted to say… I'm proud of you. You've done better than I did at the beginning."

"This is my responsibility now." Tommy nodded. "I'll try to live up to your memory as best as I can."

"Just remember that you're not alone in this. Diggle, Thea, Roy… they need someone to look after them." Oliver insisted.

"I promise." Tommy said. "Brothers?"

"Brothers." Oliver shook hand with Tommy.

---

As they drove down the road and it was divided into two, they broke away, driving into separate directions as they smiled at each other before parting ways and heading towards new adventures. For now, their paths would separate but who knows, maybe someday, their paths would cross again.

No matter what happened, wherever they were or how far away from each other, they'd always be together and they'd always be brothers.

---

Talia al Ghul entered Lex Luthor's office.

"Dragon lost. Again. And Kane… Joe… has been caught."

"You've won this game." Lex said as he threw down the king figure on a chessboard. "But we'll be playing again soon."

"Dante is very disappointed that we did not catch Shado or Emiko." Talia said.

"There will be time later." Lex said. "Let them enjoy their victory."

He then looked at his computer, at the files of Bane, Jade Nguyen, the Longbow Hunters and other metahuman and normal criminals.

"I'll prepare the chessboard for the new game soon enough."