Chapter 213: The Anti-Monitor Is Dead, Again and Again
The battle within the Multiverse was certainly eye-catching, involving many things that caught the attention of even the gods.
"The Anti-Monitor has obtained the Anti-Life Equation, but his performance is a bit too weak. Is it because he has killed too few beings? The more he kills, the more his power grows?"
"How long must he keep killing to recover his original strength?"
Few knew that the Anti-Monitor was originally a sixth-dimensional being. The gods' perception of the Anti-Monitor was mainly based on the Crisis on Infinite Earths, where he managed to slaughter the Multiverse, leaving only five universes remaining.
"That fellow fighting the Anti-Monitor, Darkseid, his state is strange. He erupted with a special power in an instant... It's similar to the many bio-weapons that invaded Universe 3, but on a much higher level of power."
Some gods, however, developed a keen interest in the Xenomorphs. They had already realized this "Darkseid" was being controlled and enslaved, now merely a weapon wielded by some unknown deity.
When had such a deity appeared within the Multiverse? The god of a certain race?
"A dimensional creature? A bio-weapon? Or something else entirely?"
But soon, they withdrew their gazes and looked toward the depths of the Sphere of Gods, at the escalating battle on Apokolips.
Steppenwolf's battle against Dream was exceptionally difficult; Dream's strength was far beyond his expectations.
"You bastard..." Steppenwolf's face was grim as he tightened his grip on the axe in his hand.
"Stand down. Whatever happens within the Multiverse won't affect the status of Apokolips. Why must you interfere?"
Dream, with his same melancholic air, sighed. "Besides, as I've already said, stopping you is, in essence, protecting you—preventing a greater disaster."
"What nonsense..." Steppenwolf was about to curse.
The true Darkseid, who had been impassive all this time, suddenly spoke. "If I make a move against this Du Wa, it will trigger a war that engulfs the Multiverse?"
"Correct, that is what I mean." Dream looked at Darkseid with dread.
Even though the true Darkseid before him was not in his complete form—merely a large fragment of his divine essence—Dream still had no confidence in defeating him.
The pressure this rock giant-like being exuded was immense.
However, if he could delay these beings from acting against Du Wa by blocking their path, and thereby prevent the existence of another multiverse from being completely exposed, Dream would persist in holding his ground on Apokolips, preventing these dangerous New Gods from intervening in the battle within the Multiverse.
"Hmph, interesting. That fellow controlled one of my avatars, making it appear inexplicably before me. I was puzzled at first, but now..."
Darkseid had actually already guessed most of the truth. After all, the existence of Thanoseid could not be concealed.
Under what circumstances would a mysterious, single-universe-level deity make the God of Dreams, who had only recently arrived in the DC World, so nervous that he would commit such a crazy act of offending the New Gods?
This had nothing to do with their level of strength, but only with their judgment of the situation.
"You place too much importance on that fellow, God of Dreams... Besides, even if I do nothing, my avatar will act," Darkseid said coldly.
"What?"
Dream was stunned. He hurriedly tried to gaze upon the Multiverse, attempting to probe what was happening in the Reality Dimension through countless dreams.
"The Dark Walker? Such a dangerous deity!" Dream's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to act, Steppenwolf charged him.
"You blocked me, now it's my turn to block you!" Steppenwolf sneered, swinging his axe.
In the domain of Death, there existed a supreme god of death.
The absolute rule of endings enveloped Apokolips. Every living being was, in essence, facing Death herself.
If the Anti-Life Equation needed to kill to realize Anti-Life, then Death did not. She was naturally the antithesis of all life and non-life, her divine authority far surpassing the Anti-Life Equation.
Even Darkseid, whose attitude had been dismissive, became solemn the moment he saw Death.
Death was strong, terrifyingly so, but the New Gods, including Darkseid, discovered that they had still underestimated her.
How much time had passed for Death to already be able to control all of Apokolips?
"Sister..." Dream opened his mouth.
Death sighed. "Still the same as ever, acting on your own without discussing it with me, causing such a huge commotion. Did you know that when you acted against Apokolips, claiming it was to prevent a multiverse-engulfing disaster, you had already revealed the information you knew to these New Gods?"
At the very least, Darkseid already knew what was happening. This top-tier deity was not known for his super-intellect most of the time, but that didn't mean he lacked intelligence. When necessary, he could also engage in high-intensity thought and deduction.
"Death, if you intend to act against the Dark Walker, I will personally make a move and test the mettle of The Endless. Speaking of which, after you Concept Gods established yourselves in our world, you have yet to truly display your abilities. You have merely relied on your own concepts to draw power from the Multiverse and rapidly grow stronger."
Darkseid gazed coldly at Death. "I hope you have not come merely to parasitize this world, just as those Xenomorphs are parasitizing my avatar."
"Darkseid, you dare be disrespectful to my sister..."
"Enough. Shut your mouth. This matter ends here. The Endless have no intention of going to war with your branch of the New Gods! Even if we did fight, the New Gods over on New Genesis wouldn't let you off." Death's brow furrowed slightly, but she maintained her restraint.
Neither Destiny nor she had yet reached their limits; they were still constantly growing stronger. Moreover, this rate of growth far surpassed that of the Anti-Monitor, who needed to kill to become stronger.
In fact, even Death herself didn't know what she would transform into in the future. It seemed that not even the multiverse level was her limit.
The area around Apokolips grew quiet once more.
On New Genesis, countless light-years away from Apokolips, the Skyfather also slowly lowered his Origin Scepter, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Peace was hard-won. The absence of a new great war was a great fortune; otherwise, there was no telling how many would have died.
Dream, filled with worry, spoke to Death in a subtle manner, "Are we really not going to do anything? In Du Wa's Mind Realm, I saw a lot of fragmented information. It wasn't fake. Du Wa must come from a multiverse of a sufficiently massive scale. Even if it can't compare to this world, it shouldn't be too far off."
"You managed to help him block Darkseid this time, but how do you plan to help him next time? He came to this Multiverse with an army; he must have a purpose. Before that purpose is achieved, if you keep acting time and again, you will eventually become a tool for him to use."
Death sighed helplessly. Sometimes, she really didn't know how to change Dream's naive ideas. He always wishfully did things that offered no benefit.
Dream was no saint. When it was time to kill, he would be more ruthless than anyone. But when he was being kind, he would reveal a frustrating naivety.
All the gods looked toward the Multiverse, staring at the Anti-Monitor and the mysterious Du Wa.
"A new Xenomorph has appeared..."
"Strange. It seems to have a demonic aura, but it doesn't quite match."
The moment the Mephisto Xenomorph appeared, it attracted the attention of many. It was another top-tier Cosmic God that had never been seen before.
The Dark Walker, this "Black God of Death," was already famous in the Multiverse. Now, for a top-tier Xenomorph with demonic characteristics to appear would only attract more attention.
The battle between the Mephisto Xenomorph and the Dark Walker erupted.
This was a great battle between two single-universe-level gods. Two black figures could be seen instantly piercing through countless layers of the Time-Space Interlayer as they began their fight.
Both possessed astonishing agility; their movements were unpredictable.
"Dark Walker, do you also covet the Anti-Life Equation? And this powerful Xenomorph, is it your subordinate?"
The Anti-Monitor was startled, not yet realizing that New 52 Darkseid had already made his move and was rushing toward this location.
"Mobius, you're unwilling to return to your world. This puts me in a difficult position. It seems I can only kill you right here," Du Wa said, shaking his head.
"A joke! Just you? Even if you use that Thanoseid's body until it's wrecked, you still won't be able to kill me! And I will only grow stronger and stronger!"
"Oh? Mobius, you're actually rejoicing over fighting on par with a mere avatar of mine? If I were to act personally, how would you defend yourself?"
Du Wa looked at the Hyperion Xenomorph and the others continuously arriving.
Superman, the Super-Soldier, a Doomsday Xenomorph, and Doomsday...
These beings poured out from a boom tube like a tide, each radiating a powerful aura, causing the Anti-Monitor's expression to change.
"How can there be so many?!" he thought. "Two Supermen among these Xenomorphs is one thing, but how the hell did two Doomsdays also appear?"
"My long wait was not in vain. Thank you for your hard work in developing the Anti-Life Equation to this level," Du Wa said. As soon as his voice fell, numerous powerful Xenomorphs immediately charged the Anti-Monitor.
The most ferocious of all were the two Doomsdays. Under the power of Anti-Life, they rapidly evolved at an unprecedented speed, and in the blink of an eye, they already possessed the strength to threaten the Anti-Monitor.
If he were only facing a single Doomsday, no matter how fast its evolution was, the Anti-Monitor was confident he could utterly obliterate it, as he was certain that Doomsday also had an evolutionary limit.
But that wasn't possible now. There were simply too many powerful beings besieging him, leaving him powerless to resist. In the blink of an eye, he suffered a series of heavy blows, letting out hysterical roars as his entire body was battered and wounded by the figures.
Even now, Du Wa had yet to reveal his true form. He just calmly watched the Anti-Monitor gradually approach death.
With every passing second, the Anti-Monitor's injuries worsened, and his energy weakened.
"Even a deity will lose composure when facing defeat. In this regard, there is no fundamental difference from a mortal. Both are creatures adept at seeking advantage and avoiding harm." Du Wa's voice entered the Anti-Monitor's mind.
The Anti-Monitor angrily threw a punch, his body erupting in the white light of Anti-Life, but he was immediately smashed in the face by a brutal punch from one of the Doomsdays. Immediately after, the Hyperion Xenomorph, Superman, and the Super-Soldier quickly moved behind the Anti-Monitor, bombarding his legs with all their might, causing the giant's body to sway before he wearily dropped to one knee.
The Doomsday Xenomorph extended its sturdy arms, grabbing the Anti-Monitor by the neck. The terrifying, immense strength caused the Anti-Monitor's silver armor to completely shatter.
A terrifying divine light shot out from the Anti-Monitor's eyes as he attempted to use the Anti-Life Equation's ability to control the life forms surrounding him. Unfortunately, Du Wa was well aware of the equation's life-control ability and had been on guard from the start, giving him no opportunity.
It wasn't until Du Wa controlled Thanoseid to walk before the Anti-Monitor and used the Omega Effect to begin extracting the Anti-Life Equation.
"No, no! It's mine, you damn bastard!" The Anti-Monitor struggled desperately, but it was useless. Every time Du Wa touched upon the Anti-Life Equation, it was, in essence, also stripping away the Anti-Monitor's own life.
"Haven't you realized it yet? You've already fused so deeply with this dangerous equation. When the time for complete fusion truly comes, will you be the Anti-Monitor, or a living Equation? But you don't have to worry anymore, because I've come to save you—by letting you die."
A vast amount of information was forcefully extracted by Du Wa.
Loneliness + Alienation + Fear = ...
Shame * Failure * Judgment = Hope...
The contents of this equation required Du Wa to use a vast amount of computational power to analyze.
"It seems I fell into its trap without realizing it." The Anti-Monitor became more and more clear-headed. Unable to move, he sneered, "Since even I cannot escape this equation's influence, what makes you think you can?"
"I don't need to break free, because I never intended to absorb this equation. Compared to you absorbing it directly, I have a much better use for it."
Du Wa shattered the Anti-Monitor's head with a single slap, sending him back to the Sixth Dimension. "Don't stay in the Multiverse. This world isn't for you."
At least this way, the guy wouldn't continue to cause trouble in major events. It was better for him to return to being a high-dimensional being.
The Anti-Monitor, Mobius, was thus defeated and killed.
It seemed as though the matter had come to an end, but in reality, it hadn't.
Du Wa glanced at the Dark Walker and the Mephisto Xenomorph, who were in the heat of a fierce battle, then turned his attention to studying the Anti-Life Equation.
New 52 Darkseid, at last, arrived.
"It seems I've arrived at just the right time. Both you and the Anti-Life Equation will ultimately belong to me."
New 52 Darkseid stared at Thanoseid. He had carefully chosen this crucial moment and was already prepared to completely unleash the Omega Effect.
(end of chapter)