World War III
The Day of Rage
News outlets and media reported on events that happened too fast for the government's of the world to react upon. Even the Justice League was rapidly outpaced and over-encumbered with the mission of tracking every possible place Mad Max could be at. What shocked them and indeed the world was that, despite the fact that Max couldn't be found, he wasn't particularly hiding. He was striking randomly across the globe and simply bringing absolute devastation and bloodshed wherever he went. Any local heroes in the area would be slaughtered and left on display as a symbol of the Mad King's wrath and sheer power. He was simply disappear from the crime scene with no visible trace, but the scope of his attacks led many to name conflict World War 3, as Max not only fought and killed heroes and villains alike, but tore through nations with no signs of fatigue.
Many heroes, news groups, villains, and think tanks intended to guess Max's next move or location, and sadly, it was the Teen Titans who proved to be the ones to correctly guess that he would strike Australia. It was based on a wild assumption, a total guess, but the young heroes knew that they were right and wrong at the same time when the Mad King appeared, slamming down in the outback like a fallen meteor. They were right that Max would come, but they were wrong to try and stop him. The team was composed of Wonder Girl, Bunker, Beast Boy, and Raven - yet led by Red Robin - and they held firm and ready as Mad Max climbed out of the crater he made from his entrance.
"Mad Max..." Red Robin called out in a serious tone, "Funny you should show up in
Australia of all places." The quip made no dent in Max's stoic and almost annoyed appearance and demeanor. It was as if the team was simply an inconvenience in his day-to-day routine than a perceivable threat. Red Robin noticed that the joke didn't do much, but continued on. "You're to surrender, Maxwell, so that you can face the punishment for your
war crimes and crimes against humanity."
"War crimes?" Max asked, his deep tone unremarkable yet poignant as well, "The actions of a single man denote a war in progress, you'd think many would simply just...
stay out of my way."
"That's where you're wrong, Max." Red Robin said, his team tensing up and readying themselves, "There will always be heroes to stop people like you." Red Robin said furiously, "You're nothing but a traitor to your own kind, a mass murdering psychopath, and a
kingdomless king. Titans, Go!" Red Robin yelled, his team jumping forward and all coming at Mad Max at once, the Mad King narrowing his eyes at the words of Tim Drake, allowing Wonder Girl to slam her fist into his abdomen, which shocked the girl entirely, as Max didn't even budge, as if Cassandra was normal and struck a brick wall.
Unflinching, Max was suddenly engulfed in a flurry of green fur as Beast Boy attacked him as a panther - Mad Max managing to grab the young hero's form around the neck and apply steady pressure, Beast Boy unleashing a vicious series of claw attacks that slashed around Max's body and dug deep, blood drawing forth and causing Max to slam the feline hard against the outback sands, dazing the animal and causing it to revert back into a humanoid form. Suddenly, a massive block of purple energy slammed into Max and drove him far from Wonder Girl and Beast Boy, but it only went a few meters back before dissipating entirely into Max's open palm. "I suppose morals are off, then." Max said, "You've taken your best shots, and none have so much as scratched me." He said, the wounds inflicted by Beast Boy's claws sealing and healing instantly. "Truth be told, there were no morals in this fight to begin with."
The Teen Titan Bunker charged at Max with an assortment of purple-colored energy constructs, slamming them all into him with hopeless disregard for Red Robin's order to pull back and away - the blocks of energy simply disappearing before they even collided with Max as he absorbed their entire essence. Still, dust and sand was thrown into the air and obscured sight of Max. Bunker lowered himself to the ground and looked all around himself, taking a glance back at his team, whose eyes grew wide and terrified. Bunker turned to look back - laying eyes on the charging fist of Mad Max as it made landfall against his chest at hypersonic speeds. He didn't get time to comprehend what happened, hear the sound, or even feel the force of the impact as it launched Bunker's body several miles away. He died on impact - the ruthless Mad King refusing to hold back. "You all had a hand in starting this war." He said calmly, tightening his fist as Bunker's teammates felt the collective shock of watching one of their own die.
"You want a war?! I've got your war right here!" Wonder Girl screamed after Bunkers death, delivering a vicious uppercut to Max's jawline as she rushed him, Max launching up in the air. Cassandra followed and began to use Max's chest like a speedbag, tears in her face, not seeing that Max was dodging her blows with almost minimal effort.
"You're a kitten..." Max said, catching Wonder Girl off guard slight, "Threatening war with a
LION!" Max screamed. He then blitzed forward and threw his fist with such speed and velocity that it didn't cause Wonder Girl to fly like Bunker did, no, she was far more durable and sturdy than him - it was something far worse. But it meant nothing to the power behind Mad Max's punch, "I will show you
WAR!" He said finally, driving his fist straight through Wonder Girl's chest and abdomen, spraying her blood and guts all out on the other side. Max retracted his punch in the most sickening sound possible, Wonder Girl instantly dropping to the ground below. Raven screamed, Beast Boy and Red Robin watching the entire scene play out and were even further shocked and disturbed at the sight.
Mad Max suddenly looked off to one direction, a dusty breeze rattling his form. He then turned back to the remaining members of the Teen Titans and spoke to them from high above them - his fist still dripping red with Wonder Girl's blood. "My business here is done. I've gotten what I need, and you three are lucky that my attention is drawn elsewhere. Worry not, your deaths will come soon enough, but for now, the haunting images of your fallen comrades will serve as a reminder that I am coming, and I will not hold back." He said calmly, "
And nothing and no one will ever save you." With that, Max flew away from the scene, leaving the three remaining members of the Teen Titans to sink down and wallow in their grief, Max leaving them in an emotional state almost worse than death.
But, a specific energy signature was detected by Mad Max in the North Pole, and that was where his next target was. The strongest hero on Earth, the sole symbol for hope and justice that humanity had left as Mad Max ripped the carpet out from under them threw the world into a chaotic tailspin of war, famine, and disease. What the Teen Titans didn't know was that prior to Max's arrival in the outback, he had laid waste to Sydney and most of Australia's eastern coastline. As more heroes and nations fell, more and more were rising to the challenge to put a stop to one man who wages a horrific, global war.