Far beyond the distant galaxies,
At the heart of the Fourth World—Apokolips.
At this moment, all lifeforms on Apokolips were crushed under an overwhelming and terrifying pressure. A soul-shaking dread hung heavy in the air, forcing every creature on the planet to instinctively bow lower to the ground.
No one could explain the source of this energy. But everyone understood one thing—something beyond comprehension was descending.
Seated upon his obsidian throne, Darkseid's expression darkened. As the mightiest of the New Gods, even he—he—was feeling threatened. This was the first time he had sensed a presence capable of challenging him.
"My lord…"
Beside him, Desaad furrowed his brow, speaking cautiously.
"We don't yet know who it is—but the energy signature suggests it's something beyond the scope of any creation. The slaves and lowly workers in the furnaces are cowering in fear, refusing to leave their bunkers.
Even the Parademons—who are incapable of fear—are affected. Over ten percent have already descended into madness. The rest are teetering on the edge of collapse. Whoever this is... they didn't come in peace."
As Desaad spoke, Darkseid's scarlet eyes narrowed slightly.
Even through the void, he could feel the raw pressure radiating from the approaching presence. And even for him… there was no certainty of victory.
But more than its power, what intrigued him most was this entity's identity. In all his conquests across the cosmos, he had never once sensed something like this. Not even a whisper.
In this universe, nothing that powerful should have gone unnoticed.
For beings of this scale—there is always a trail. Footprints in the storm. Echoes in time. But this… this presence was completely unknown.
And now it was descending on Apokolips. Clearly, it had a purpose—and that purpose was unlikely to be friendly.
"Send Granny Goodness and the Furies to the forge. I want those wretches kept in line. Now's not the time to let the slaves entertain thoughts of rebellion," Darkseid ordered.
Desaad's expression tensed. "But… the Furies are your personal guard. If we send them out, your defenses—"
Darkseid turned his gaze toward him.
"Are you questioning my command?"
"Never."
Desaad lowered his head instantly.
He knew all too well—when Darkseid's mind was made up, no one could sway him. After a brief pause, Desaad simply said: "I will see it done."
But just as he turned to leave, Desaad's body froze.
A figure had appeared—without warning—in the very center of the throne hall. A man wearing a long coat stood silently beneath the throne steps.
The figure's appearance was utterly bizarre. Desaad hadn't noticed the slightest ripple of energy—nothing to hint at a breach. If not for seeing the man with his own eyes, he would've never believed anyone could get this close to the throne of Apokolips without alerting its defenses.
Frozen for only a split second, Desaad immediately readied for battle. Decaying divine power crackled around his hands, unleashing a wave of destructive energy.
"Intruder! How dare you trespass into the domain of the Lord of Darkness?!"
"Desaad."
Just as he was about to strike, a deep voice sounded behind him.
There was no need to turn around—Desaad knew who it was.
He frowned. "But, my Lord, this man—"
"Stand down."
Darkseid's voice was low, but absolute. There was no room for doubt or debate.
Desaad's face twitched with hesitation. But after a short pause, he allowed the withering energy to fade from his palms and stepped back silently. Even though he obeyed, his gaze remained locked on the man who had appeared so suddenly.
As Apokolips's chief scientist and theologian, Desaad's mastery of energy was second to none. Yet, the moment he sensed the stranger's aura, even he—who had studied countless divine and demonic forces—felt a surge of both recognition and unfamiliarity.
The man looked, at first glance, like an ordinary human. Unlike the Kryptonians, he didn't possess a visibly overwhelming physique. His appearance was almost… Earthling.
But the energy radiating from him was anything but normal. Desaad could sense traces of Heaven and Hell's magic, primordial elemental forces, and even—shockingly—Darkseid's own essence, along with the signatures of several beings on par with the Lord of Apokolips.
He may have appeared like a harmless mortal…
But in fleeting moments, shadows flared behind him—shadows that made Desaad feel an unplaceable, suffocating dread.
Darkseid either didn't notice—or more likely, didn't care.
From the moment this man had entered the throne room, Darkseid's crimson gaze never left him.
The tension lingered like smoke.
Neither side spoke. Silence filled the massive chamber, only broken when Darkseid finally moved the corner of his mouth and said: "Sorcerer Death Crow, isn't it? It's been a while."
"You've heard of me?"
Standing calmly in the center of the hall, Alex lifted his eyes.
"When I was monitoring Earth, I specifically had agents look into the Kryptonian woman. Initially, we believed she had simply left the planet. But oddly enough, she was nowhere in this universe.
Later, intel gathered from the Parademons revealed the truth—she wasn't missing. She was taken out of this universe… by someone."
Darkseid spoke in a casual, almost conversational tone. Not like he was addressing an intruder—but more like an old acquaintance.
"And that someone… was you, wasn't it?"
"It was."
Alex nodded slightly, offering no denial.
Back then, he had been less experienced, and Bruce Wayne had helped him cover up the details. But if it was Darkseid… it was no surprise he'd pieced it together.
"Then tell me, why have you come to my world now?"
Darkseid sat upon his throne, his thick fingers slowly grazing the armrest.
"Have you come to challenge me—to protect that fractured, broken planet you call Earth?"
His tone was calm, but each word carried an unmistakable chill.
Alex stared back at him in silence. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"No. I'm not here to fight. The reason I've come to Apokolips now... is to give you a choice."
"A choice?"
Darkseid raised an eyebrow. It was not what he had expected.
"Yes. A choice," Alex said again, letting out a quiet breath. His gaze didn't waver.
"I know what you're after. I know what lies beneath Earth's surface.
You're a New God—one who carved out the Fourth World with your own hands, who executed your kin when they dared to oppose you.
And yet, despite all that power, you were once driven off a backwater planet like Earth. Anyone would find that surprising.
Ever since, you've been fixated on Earth. I doubt it's just vengeance that drives you. There's something more, isn't there?
I recently remembered—etched into the surface of Earth is a fragment of the Anti-Life Equation."
Darkseid's expression darkened, but he remained still, letting Alex continue.
"The Anti-Life Equation is arguably the most powerful force in the multiverse. But before you try to take it... you should know where it came from."
Alex lifted his gaze. His voice was steady, his tone grave.
"The Anti-Matter Universe.
The Anti-Monitor.
I don't know how the Equation ended up on Earth. I don't know who inscribed it there. But I do know that what you're chasing is only a piece—it's not complete."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice sharpening.
"The true Anti-Life Equation is still in the Anti-Monitor's possession. And worse—he's already set his sights on you.
Someone not from this world sought him out. They told him the one way to break his eternal curse...
Kill Darkseid.
Annihilate the New Gods.
Forge a cosmos ruled by anti-divinity."
Darkseid's fingers clenched around his throne, the sound of cracking metal filling the room.
"What exactly are you saying?"
"Call off your war on Earth," Alex said, his voice cold and firm.
"I'll deal with the Anti-Monitor—and whoever fed him that knowledge. But I want you to stay here. You will not set foot beyond Apokolips ever again. At least this way..."
He paused.
"You might live."
The moment those final words left Alex's mouth, the smoldering fury inside Darkseid erupted.
He snapped his eyes open—twin pools of searing crimson energy flashing with a terrifying glow. The very space around him began to tremble under the weight of Darkseid's raw power.
"This is the choice you offer me?"
Darkseid's gaze sharpened. The Omega energy surged violently, swirling into a vortex of annihilation at his command.
"You think you can dictate terms to me? You're ten billion years too early for that!"
Alex's voice turned cold as steel.
"You know this is all a setup—a trap laid by the Anti-Monitor. If you fight him now, you'll throw the entire universe into chaos. Is dying in someone else's scheme really the end you want?"
With a furious roar, Darkseid rose from his throne. Omega energy radiated from his eyes, reaching critical mass.
"I do not fear death. I am the Lord who tamed the Black Racer itself!"
Seeing this, Alex's hands ignited with emerald flames—ghostly, radiant, and unearthly.
"I am—"
Before he could finish, a torrent of blinding red light consumed the throne room. The Omega Beams, unrivaled in destructive force, tore through space itself, barreling toward Alex like the wrath of a god.
"Darkseid!"
With a thunderous roar, Alex unleashed his full might—the emerald inferno erupting from his palms to meet the Omega energy head-on.
The two forces collided in a cataclysmic explosion, red and green swallowing the skies of Apokolips in a cosmic duel. The clash was absolute—divine and furious, like the clash of titans at the end of days.
At that moment, every living thing on Apokolips dropped to the ground, trembling in terror. Even the new gods could not help but look at the sky in horror, with a chill in their hearts.
...
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