Chapter 207 Earth-3, the Anti-Matter Universe
Ares didn't understand the current situation.
This universe was nothing special. Its various cosmic rules were also on the weaker side. The only thing barely noteworthy was perhaps its status as the core universe of a cosmic cluster.
Oh, in the perception of some outsiders, this collection of universes was what they called a "multiverse."
But he discovered that a group of strange fellows had appeared here.
"There are traces of the Dream Realm. Dream has been here. Did he also come for these creatures? A brand new concept?"
Ares had initially assumed that the concept of the Xenomorph had been fortuitously born during the great shift of the Endless Family integrating into the Multiverse, so he hadn't paid it any mind at first.
It was just a nascent concept, trapped and dying in this insignificant universe, completely incomparable to a being from the Sphere of Gods like him.
The moment he landed on Paradise Island, he was greeted by a heavy punch from Thanoseid and was instantly killed with a loud "boom."
"The God of War of Olympus is only at this level? Far too weak!" Thanoseid retracted his fist with satisfaction, patiently waiting for Ares to send another clone. But after waiting for a good while to no avail, he was greatly disappointed and left with the Mother Box.
In the Sphere of Gods, a look of profound shock appeared on Ares' face.
"What was that thing that just punched me? It felt like a Darkseid carrying the concept of that creature?"
One punch, and the clone he sent was dead?
What the hell? Even if that Darkseid clone was at the single-universe level and had fused with a brand-new conceptual power, he shouldn't be this strong. He killed me in one punch!
"Ares, it seems you've lost." Athena, as the God of Wisdom, immediately looked over.
Ares's expression turned cold. "Don't use your all-seeing divine power of wisdom on me!"
But the other Olympian Gods all turned to look at him in unison. Even Zeus, seated on the highest throne, lowered his head to gaze at Ares.
"I'm not worried about your loss; it was merely a clone at most. But the divine power and thoughts emanating from you are in disarray. This will give the Deities situated on the other mountain peaks some ideas they shouldn't have," Athena said coolly.
The Sphere of Gods, Heaven, is the stronghold of the Old Gods.
On every mountain peak within Heaven, a clan of Old Gods is stationed.
Mount Olympus is undoubtedly the most prominent divine mountain in Heaven, but this doesn't mean the Olympian line of Old Gods is invincible. There are still many powerful competitors.
"Thor Odinson, Vishnu, Sun Wukong... all these troublesome Gods are watching for subtle changes in the other pantheons," Athena stated indifferently.
The Olympian pantheon has a very strong presence in the Multiverse, having participated in many major events. Incidents like Zeus thrashing Injustice Superman have also been known to happen occasionally.
"Ares, tell me, what exactly happened." From his throne, Zeus spoke.
Ares reluctantly lowered his head. "In the fringe universe that first triggered the Flashpoint Major Event, my clone was killed by a strange Darkseid. It was a Darkseid fused with an unfamiliar concept. I suspect it's a foreign concept that luckily entered our world through the Flashpoint event."
"Flashpoint… a strange Darkseid?" Zeus immediately knew which universe Ares was talking about, because this fringe universe triggered a Multiverse-wide Flashpoint. This was very rare, as normally it should be New Earth, also known as Universe 0, the main universe, that detonates a major event of this magnitude.
But this alone wasn't enough to pique Zeus's interest.
"Darkseid has been very quiet recently. Even with the Endless Family joining and taking up residence in Hell, he has made no moves. My numerous clones throughout the Multiverse have also not detected any special actions from Darkseid's clones."
Zeus was somewhat puzzled. This was not normal.
The relationship between the Old Gods and the New Gods couldn't be described as completely hostile, but it was certainly not harmonious. As one of the leading figures of the New Gods, Darkseid would naturally attract Zeus's attention immediately.
What was Darkseid busy with? A bloodthirsty tyrant becoming quiet was the most abnormal thing of all.
He couldn't possibly be searching for the Anti-Life Equation. That thing doesn't even exist. Otherwise, it wouldn't be Darkseid's turn; the Gods would have swarmed to fight over it long ago.
As for the matter in the universe Ares mentioned... Zeus paid it no mind at all. It was just a mere fringe universe.
Ares remained resentful. He had already been defeated in that universe twice now. The first time was when he was finished off by Wonder Woman during World War I, and the second time was being instantly killed by the strange Darkseid.
"It seems I must find a way to leave the Sphere of Gods and take a trip to the Multiverse... That Darkseid is absolutely not normal; he's far too powerful." Ares tightened his grip on his axe and turned to walk out of the Divine Temple.
As for Dream, Ares no longer paid him any attention. He knew he couldn't deal with Dream anyway. If it really came to blows, the outcome would likely not be pleasant.
...
Thanoseid quickly put Ares out of his mind. Leading the Xenomorph army, he swiftly went on a campaign, gathered all the Mother Boxes in the DCEU Universe, and opened a Boom Tube.
"Excellent. I can finally begin the expedition to other universes." Thanoseid felt he could already smell the sweet scent of freedom. "I don't have the coordinates for Universe 3 in my head. Even after fusing with a Darkseid's godhood, I couldn't find them."
"I have them."
Steppenwolf directly entered the complex coordinate data into the Mother Box.
A steady stream of Xenomorphs poured in madly.
On the other side of the Boom Tube, Universe 3 was immediately struck by disaster.
"What the hell are these things?"
"Humanoid... No, I can only say most of them are humanoid. They seem very skilled at fighting. What kind of creatures are these?"
"Who cares what the hell they are? So what if they're demons from Hell? Our world is already finished anyway, completely beyond saving!"
The people of Earth-3 struggled in despair and pain. The most terrifying part was the complete absence of any hope.
This universe's Earth was a planet ruled by a group of supervillains.
A group of Villains led by Ultraman and Superwoman formed the notorious Crime Syndicate, also known as the Alliance of Evil, enslaving the entire world through evil and brutal means.
The people of the world lived in dire straits, suffering immensely.
Under these circumstances, even if a group of strange species emerged from a bizarre channel, it didn't matter anymore. At most, it would only make this terrible world even worse; there was no fundamental difference.
But while the ordinary people could watch this development with numb indifference, the ruling Crime Syndicate could not tolerate it.
The most powerful of them, Ultraman, observed carefully with his super vision.
"That channel should be Darkseid's Boom Tube. What is Darkseid thinking, crossing half the universe to attack Earth?"
Ultraman's expression was extremely ugly. Darkseid was one of the few Gods he was most reluctant to face.
The dark monarch of Apokolips was too strong, and he had too much military force at his disposal.
For example, Ultraman had never seen these strange creatures before.
"Perhaps he's experimenting with these bio-weapons. Where else in the universe is a more suitable testing ground than our Earth?" Superwoman, incomparably charming and seductive, swayed over, placed a hand on Ultraman's thick shoulder, stood on her tiptoes, and blew softly into his ear.
Damn it! That bitch!
Ultraman cursed inwardly.
To say he wasn't moved at all would be a lie, but he knew better. It would be a mistake to take the bait and think Superwoman was actually willing to do something with him.
In the Crime Syndicate, Superwoman was also someone not to be trifled with. As the daughter of Zeus, she at least possessed a demigod bloodline. Her strength was immense, and her mind was vicious and cruel—a true femme fatale through and through.
The other Villains also rushed over from all over the world, many of them reeking of alcohol.
"You idiot! You're the fastest one, so why are you always late?! Look at you! Have you been using all your Speed Force on high-proof alcohol and women?!"
When Ultraman saw that Johnny Quick's battle helmet was crooked, and there was a clear lipstick print on his exposed face, he flew into a rage. He grabbed Johnny Quick by the neck and lifted him up. "I can even see the hundreds of thousands of mites crawling around in the pores on your face! You bastard, you're nothing but a pile of stinking mud!"
"Oh, Kent... Sorry, I forgot I'm not supposed to call you that. You did kill your own adoptive parents when you were seven." Johnny Quick let out a belch. He loved his special alcohol. Without deliberately activating his Speed Force to accelerate his metabolism, it allowed him to savor the blissful feeling of being dead drunk.
Ultraman's killing intent surged.
But the other Villains all knew what kind of person Ultraman was. Right now, he was just using his volatile temper and threats against Johnny Quick to mask his inner panic.
Ultraman's typical characteristic was bullying the weak and fearing the strong. He was as domineering and tyrannical to the weak as he was obsequious and servile to the strong, to a degree that was unbelievable to everyone who knew him.
Of course, since arriving on Earth, Ultraman had grown stronger by eating Kryptonite and basking under the red sun, quickly conquering the planet. There were few on this planet who could threaten his safety, so others had not yet had the opportunity to see his ugliest side.
But perhaps they were about to.
"Let's move. Clean up these unknown creatures immediately. Killing them all will also teach Darkseid a lesson." Alexander Luthor, the variant of Lex Luthor, who wielded the power of Zansha and was the one in the Crime Syndicate most likely to threaten Ultraman, spoke up, his cold gaze fixed on Superwoman, who was practically plastered to Ultraman's body.
Superwoman gave a seductive smile, then turned and pressed herself against Luthor. This immediately improved Luthor's expression, and he gave her butt a hard squeeze.
Ultraman suppressed his anger, shot a wary glance at Luthor, and led the group of Villains to attack the Xenomorph army pouring out of the Boom Tube like a tide.
Owlman, Deathstorm, Atomica, Grid... a group of supervillains joined the war.
But as soon as they engaged, the characteristics of the Xenomorphs greatly astonished them.
"They're too good at fighting! Every single one seems to have undergone years of training and has a wealth of experience!"
"Watch out for their blood! Fuck! What kind of deranged gene could produce such terrible blood? The Scientist who created these beings must be a madman! Everyone on Apokolips is a madman!"
"Be careful! The strength of some individuals far exceeds their peers and could pose a threat to some of us!"
The Crime Syndicate's eyes were truly opened. They fought fiercely while widening their eyes to assess the Xenomorphs.
Ultraman's eyes turned red as if bleeding, continuously blasting out heat vision.
Luthor also shouted "Zansha!" and, with his hands glowing, used various divine power waves to kill the Xenomorphs.
There was no end to them; they simply couldn't kill them all. Not every member of the Crime Syndicate was as capable in a fight as Ultraman and Luthor.
"We need to find a way to close the Boom Tube. The bad news is, we can't. Darkseid is already here." Grid stopped trying. As the completely mechanized variant of Cyborg, Grid was a humanoid thinking machine that would always choose the optimal solution.
"Darkseid..."
Ultraman flew high into the sky, standing atop a shattered skyscraper, looking down on the burly man who was walking out of the Boom Tube with his hands behind his back. His body trembled uncontrollably for a moment.
Why? Why choose Earth? The universe is so vast, with so many planets. Aren't there enough for Apokolips to invade?
What the hell is the Green Lantern Corps doing? They're bastards, letting these troublesome guys just jump through time and space to invade Earth?!
Ultraman was terrified, cursing wildly in his mind, but on the surface, he maintained a calm expression.
"So this is Universe 3? It doesn't look like anything special. Why did Du Wa send me here?"
Thanoseid sized up this Earth.
Hmm, his vision was a bit dim. Was it because of the red sun in the sky? This was completely different from the Earths in other universes, which had a yellow sun in its prime.
"So, a Superman who grows stronger by absorbing red radiation. Perhaps you don't fear Kryptonite either?" Thanoseid raised his head. He disliked looking up at people.
No one could make him do so, except for Du Wa.
Ultraman took the initiative to lower his altitude, showing an unprecedented level of nervousness and unease. "Respected Dark Lord..."
"..."
Thanoseid was silent. He had met many Supermen, whether it was the Super-Soldier or the Superman from the DCEU. Each was tougher than the last. How was it that in this universe, Superman's backbone was so flexible?
Combining this with the dilapidated state of the planet, Thanoseid already had a good idea of the situation.
"A reverse universe? If it's only at this level, what does Du Wa need me to do?"
Thanoseid fell into thought. He didn't believe Du Wa would do something meaningless. There had to be an important clue here that he hadn't yet discovered.
However, this didn't stop him from killing this universe's Darkseid. He just hoped this Darkseid wasn't some merciful saint; otherwise, Thanoseid would feel nauseated while devouring him.
At the same time, in the Anti-Matter Universe, which stood in opposition to all other universes, a completely different event was unfolding.
"The Anti-Life Equation... I've finally gotten my hands on it."
A burly Deity clad in heavy armor spoke in a low voice, a distinct emotional fluctuation visible in his eyes.
(end of chapter)