Chapter 210: No, You Can't Do This!!
"It's Universe 3!"
"The Anti-Monitor, who seems to have obtained the Anti-Life Equation, has gone to Universe 3!"
"But, why there? The New 52 Universe is clearly the most valuable world in the Multiverse right now."
The various restless Deities, though still hesitant to act due to many reservations, were closely watching the Anti-Monitor's movements.
The birth of the New 52 Universe was naturally affected by the Flashpoint event. Unlike the direct entry of The Endless into the DC World, the much more deeply hidden Doctor Manhattan was also meddling in the shadows, remotely controlling the process of the New 52 Universe's birth.
At this time, the New 52 Universe had effectively taken the place of the DC Prime Earth—although this period was very brief.
In the New 52 Universe, the origins of many Deities were rewritten.
For example, the New 52 Darkseid rose to power by hunting and devouring the "Old Gods" on Apokolips—beings similar to elemental deities like the Wind God and Earth God—to ultimately enhance his strength and become the master of Apokolips.
Across the entire Multiverse, this version of Darkseid was a true anomaly, one of a kind.
"Is it because of Ultraman? A mere Ultraman shouldn't hold such value."
Even in the Sixth Dimension, the World Forger, the eldest son of Perpetua whom external Deities believed to be long dead, was now turning his gaze toward the three-dimensional Multiverse.
"That fellow Mobius, even if he's being gradually corrupted by the Anti-Life Equation, should at least be able to recall the fact that Superman is the core of the Multiverse."
The World Forger watched the changes outside the Sixth Dimension, his brow furrowed as he looked at this younger brother who gave him the biggest headache.
Beings of their special origin had to be cautious when fighting any version of Superman. No one knew what a Superman, the de facto core of the Multiverse, was truly capable of.
He greatly disliked the Anti-Monitor, but considering his mother would need the Anti-Monitor's power after she escaped the Source Wall, he couldn't afford to completely alienate him, such as by imprisoning him permanently.
"I hope he can see himself clearly and stop indulging in the affairs of the Multiverse."
The World Forger retracted his gaze, focusing his attention on a Multiverse he had personally created. This was a Multiverse that existed only within the Sixth Dimension, a retreat he had prepared for himself and for the entire DC World.
If one day the Source Wall were to break for any reason and Perpetua escaped and began to destroy everything, he would still have a chance to salvage things through the Multiverse in the Sixth Dimension.
As for Barbatos, the master of the Dark Multiverse who had "killed" him, he was currently frantically preparing a plan to destroy the Multiverse. The World Forger couldn't be bothered to deal with this little pet he had created and raised long ago.
Barbatos wanted to trigger a great battle between the Dark Multiverse and the Multiverse, but this was merely an attempt to prematurely detonate its destined fate before the great destruction that was fated to befall the DC Multiverse.
But none of these were reliable plans for resolving the disaster.
As for Du Wa?
The World Forger had no mind to pay attention to an external Concept God like him. At most, he would keep an eye on The Endless, who were currently in the spotlight and whose specific strength was impossible to assess.
"Hmm? Wait, The Endless are making a move... Could Concept Gods like them also be interested in the Anti-Life Equation?" The World Forger was filled with doubt.
...
Following the Anti-Monitor's actions, Darkseid in the Sphere of Gods finally decided to do something.
"Darkseid, your clone in Universe 3 was also killed by that Thanoseid. How much time has passed, and Thanoseid's strength has already swelled by a huge margin! If you don't act soon, he will hunt even more of you!" Steppenwolf, aware of what had happened through his own clone, said in a low voice, "Most importantly, the Anti-Monitor is about to arrive in Universe 3! If Thanoseid gets his hands on the Anti-Life Equation..."
The Anti-Life Equation plus Thanoseid meant that even more Darkseids would be absorbed by Thanoseid in the future. Steppenwolf clearly realized that the invincible Darkseid was actually in some danger.
"Also, that mysterious Deity who enslaved a Darkseid is also very dangerous!"
"Shut your mouth. You are even more annoying to me than Kalibak." Darkseid ruthlessly compared Steppenwolf to his eldest son, his tone utterly cold.
But he was indeed preparing to act.
Originally, Darkseid had selected New 52 Earth as the battlefield. The clone in that universe currently existed as the Darkseid of the multiverse's current main universe. Its godhead fragment was larger and its strength greater, perfectly capable of testing the Anti-Monitor's strength and the mystery of the Anti-Life Equation.
But now, a Thanoseid had appeared and was continuously hunting the Darkseids of various universes, which displeased Darkseid's main body.
If he killed a few more clones, wouldn't he have a chance to catch up to the strength of New 52 Darkseid? To use even more of the Omega Effect? At that point, if he really managed to kill the Anti-Monitor and seize the Anti-Life Equation to fuse with the Omega Effect...
Everything would descend into chaos. Darkseid could not tolerate such an unforeseen possibility, especially since Thanoseid, no matter how ferocious, was merely the slave of some other being! If he let this continue, there was no telling what would happen!
Darkseid rose from his throne.
Desaad followed by Darkseid's side like a ghost, lost in thought.
Steppenwolf immediately prepared to open a channel to Universe 3. Theoretically, the Multiverse could not withstand the power of Darkseid's main body; the moment his true form entered, it would surely suffer immense damage.
The Skyfather of New Genesis certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch either; he would do something. Steppenwolf was prepared to deal with all of this.
But neither he, nor Darkseid, nor Desaad had ever expected that the one to first block their path would be Dream.
"You must be insane! Instead of properly building your Dreaming in the Sphere of Gods, you dare come to the territory of the New Gods?!" Steppenwolf wore a look of utter disbelief.
"I cannot let you pass, especially you, Darkseid." Dream had a melancholic air about him, a terrifying power of the Dream Realm surging from his body. It spread out beyond Apokolips, taking on a posture that seemed intent on completely sealing off this hell-star.
"As long as you all stay here quietly, everything will be fine," Dream said.
"Bullshit! Who the hell do you think you are, to dare appear before us? Is this your idea, or a decision by The Endless? Are you declaring war on Darkseid, or are you declaring war on the New Gods?"
Steppenwolf cursed aloud, "Are you also interested in the Anti-Life Equation?"
Dream's gaze passed over Steppenwolf and landed on the expressionless face of Darkseid. He said with dread, "If I hadn't made a major discovery, I wouldn't be doing something so illogical... but please believe me, once you people take action personally and do something that exceeds the rules, it will trigger an immeasurable disaster. This will have a huge impact on all worlds. I am protecting you."
Steppenwolf couldn't be bothered to deal with this listless, neurotic Concept God. He simply grabbed his axe and charged forward.
His clone was loyal to Thanoseid, while his main body was loyal to Darkseid's main body. There was no conflict in this at all; it perfectly conformed to the rules of the game on Apokolips. Within a reachable range, you obey whoever is stronger. Thus, he attacked without hesitation.
Steppenwolf versus Dream. The two Deities began their battle in the region outside Apokolips. Multiversal-level great power erupted, shaking the endless Higher-Dimensional Space-Time.
Desaad watched for a moment. "I don't see any other members of The Endless. This should be Dream's own doing. What would make a Concept God like him, who is in the spotlight and has many helpers, so... fearful?"
Desaad could see it, and Darkseid could likewise interpret Dream's meaning.
This group of members from The Endless didn't shrink back or show fear when they barged into Hell and faced Lucifer and a host of Hell's Deities. Why was Dream so terrified now?
"Is it because of the Anti-Life Equation, or Thanoseid? Or... Du Wa, the one controlling Thanoseid?"
Darkseid pondered for a moment. Whatever it was, a little probing would be enough. He sent a message to his clone in the New 52 Universe.
The battle between Dream and Steppenwolf alarmed the Sphere of Gods. It had been some time since Multiversal Gods had fought so openly in the Sphere of Gods, and the two parties involved were forces that should have had no interaction.
"So he's fighting after all. When will he ever change that naive and foolish personality of his? Does dreaming too much make you stupid?"
In Hell, Delirium yawned, thinking Dream was an absolute idiot. He had run back spouting a bunch of incoherent nonsense, and when questioned carefully, he would just stammer and refuse to speak. In the end, they didn't even figure out which god Dream was specifically referring to.
"Death, are you going to make a move? Your little brother is about to get ganged up on by the New Gods of Apokolips. He might become the first Concept God among us to die in battle... Who knows if these natives have a way to completely destroy a god like us." Despair giggled foolishly, looking at Death with ill intent.
But Death completely ignored these instigators. He was waiting for a sign from Destiny.
But Destiny said nothing, remaining focused on the Book of Destiny in his hands, lost in thought.
Death waited a while, then deflated slightly. "To be honest, I didn't understand what he was specifically referring to either. But what kind of disaster could possibly make him so anxious and afraid?"
Death watched from afar. As long as Dream was in a perilous situation, He would act, bringing "Death" to the Sphere of Gods. No matter what kind of Deity they were, they all fell within the domain of Death!
At this moment, Du Wa certainly didn't know that a battle had broken out in the Sphere of Gods. He would never have guessed that the whimsical Dream, with whom he'd had a brief encounter, had once again made such an interesting move.
Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared, because that's just how Dream was.
Du Wa watched the Anti-Monitor charge into Universe 3. "Excellent, just like that. It's my turn to act. The Anti-Life Equation..."
The Anti-Monitor found it increasingly difficult to control himself. The instinct to slaughter life to increase his strength was gradually becoming the basis for all his actions. But because the instinct forced upon him by the Anti-Life Equation was the same as what he wanted to do proactively, he had a vague sense of foreboding, but had not yet actively resisted the Anti-Life Equation's control.
"This is the place I should have come to! More powerful Deities, more abundant Life! And... Darkseid!!"
The Anti-Monitor stared with blood-red eyes, looking down upon Universe 3. At first glance, he was taken aback, realizing that this universe had already been visited. Many strange creatures had appeared.
"Earth has already fallen? How so fast? To think you'd strike before I did, Darkseid!!"
The Anti-Monitor's gaze shot toward Apokolips, seeing the figure seated on its throne.
His form was slightly different, but the fluctuating divine power was unmistakably Darkseid's.
"Darkseid, I'm here! By killing you, I can become even more powerful! It's a pity, though, that you're not the Darkseid I truly want!"
The Anti-Monitor landed on Apokolips with a deafening crash.
The fragile Apokolips of Universe 3 could hardly bear the Anti-Monitor's sheer mass.
He wanted to kill the Darkseid of New 52 Earth. As the temporary "Main World" during the Multiverse's brief transition, the New 52 Darkseid had the highest value, his strength the greatest among all clones.
Unless the Anti-Monitor were to charge into the Sphere of Gods right now and challenge Darkseid's main body, the best way to seize a larger share of the Omega Effect was to start with the New 52 Darkseid.
But soon, the Anti-Monitor was surprised to discover that the Apokolips of Universe 3 was in such chaos and disrepair, clearly having just gone through a great battle. A large amount of high-level divine power still lingered on the plane of space-time.
Most importantly, the power on this Darkseid seemed unexpectedly strong.
"Another piece of trash who mistakes me for Darkseid. But never mind, I'll slaughter you right now and take my Anti-Life Equation!"
Surrounded by Ultraman, Superwoman, Steppenwolf, and a host of other Villains and Deities, Thanoseid stood up, revealing a savage grin identical to Darkseid's.
The Anti-Monitor stared at this strange Darkseid in confusion. "Mistaken? But you definitely possess Darkseid's godhead, and a large share of it at that!"
"Silence! This is the great Lord Thanoseid! Darkseid is only fit to be Thanoseid's food!" Ultraman, standing beside the towering and imposing Thanoseid like an underdeveloped chick, stretched out his neck and bellowed.
"Thanoseid? Food?" The Anti-Monitor frowned, then looked at the surrounding Apokoliptian soldiers. There were Parademons, but even more of them were those strange creatures also found on Earth. Combined with the severed limbs on the ground, the Parademons and these strange creatures had engaged in a large-scale battle, and all of them ultimately submitted to this Thanoseid.
The Anti-Monitor roughly understood what had happened.
"A clone intending to break away from the Darkseid sequence? Interesting. But in my eyes, who you are is not important. What's important is that you die by my hand!"
"Then come and try!"
The two behemoths of comparable size walked toward each other.
"This is the Anti-Life Equation! I can feel it resonating with my Omega Effect!"
Thanoseid was incredibly excited. As long as he killed the Anti-Monitor and seized the Anti-Life Equation and the vast energy it calculated, he would surely be able to break free from...
But just as this thought arose, the very instant Thanoseid cut it off...
Thanoseid's expression changed drastically. Amidst his anger, there was even more terror. He abruptly lowered his head to look at his chest.
"No! Wait, you can't do this! I was so close, I haven't..."
Boom!
Thanoseid stopped in his tracks uncontrollably. The divine power on his body also came to an abrupt halt and began to frantically transform, giving birth to a completely new power from within.
The Anti-Monitor stopped, watching in surprise at the unknown change occurring in the being before him. In an instant, he had been controlled by some unknown entity?
"Now, let's begin our formal conversation, Mobius... Hand over the Anti-Life Equation to me, or I will send you back to where you belong."
Thanoseid—no, it should be Du Wa—had occupied Thanoseid's body, adapting to the portion of power that belonged to Darkseid.
(end of chapter)
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