Chapter 222: Thanoseid is Invincible, a Fact Known Throughout DC!
Du Wa had sealed away the godhood of New 52 Darkseid, and now it was finally time to put it to use.
New 52 Darkseid could die, but his godhood could not shatter along with him. Even if it were to shatter, a new god must be born to take New 52 Darkseid's place, becoming one of the anchors supporting the Multiverse.
If Du Wa hadn't intervened, causing both the Anti-Monitor and New 52 Darkseid to die at his hands, then normally, the Anti-Monitor would have fought New 52 Darkseid in the temporary main universe, the New 52 Universe. They would have died and been resurrected in succession.
After New 52 Darkseid was killed for good, to stabilize the framework of the world, the New 52 Justice League had no choice but to step up and collectively achieve godhood. This gave birth to Batman, the God of Knowledge; Shazam, the God of Gods; Green Lantern, the God of the Universe; and others, filling the void left by New 52 Darkseid's death.
But now, Du Wa had deliberately preserved the godhood, which meant he hadn't truly killed New 52 Darkseid, leaving open the possibility of his resurrection at any time. And now, he had bestowed it upon Thanoseid.
Crazed roars echoed through the endless dimensions of space-time.
Thanoseid roared madly, the divine power surging from his body amplifying at an outrageous rate. The roiling power raged outward, causing all surrounding matter to disintegrate.
Every individual who still possessed self-awareness stared in astonishment at Thanoseid. They were about to witness the birth of what could perhaps be called the strongest "Darkseid" in the Multiverse.
Probably only the Darkseid from Universe 0, which was about to or had already become the main universe again, would be capable of fighting a Thanoseid who had devoured several other Darkseids—and even then, his odds of victory would be slim.
Black Hand, of course, also noticed Thanoseid's transformation. With a glance toward Earth, he understood where the Darkseid of Universe 3 and New 52 Darkseid had gone, and why they hadn't been resurrected as Black Lantern Zombies by the Black Lantern Rings he had sent out.
"So… that's how it is…" Black Hand stared at Thanoseid for a long moment, then glanced at Volthoom.
Just a single gaze, falling upon Volthoom through the Emotional Spectrum, sent a bone-chilling coldness through him. The Power Ring, serving as his vessel, began to tremble slightly, and streaks of green energy showed signs of distortion.
"Don't panic. His gaze is not on you, but on me," Du Wa said faintly, intercepting Black Hand's gaze.
Volthoom was an asset he valued greatly. If this venture failed to produce the results he expected, he would have to resort to other plans, and that's when Volthoom would be needed. He could enter Universe 0 and use the Volthoom from Universe 3 to provoke the Volthoom who had been sealed by the Maltusians for a billion years, igniting a new Spectrum War in the main universe.
"Unless it's absolutely necessary, I'd rather not enter the DC Main Universe to do that… Now is not the time to push the DC Main Universe to collide with the Marvel Main Universe. Not only is the difficulty factor immense, but the risks involved are also too exaggerated. I might provoke a double-digit number of multiversal gods into acting against me."
Du Wa mused, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing again.
He had gone through great pains to escape from the Marvel Multiverse to the DC Multiverse for ultimately one purpose: to be promoted to a multiversal-level conceptual god, not to forcibly raise his own level through some item. Such a multiversal god would be greatly watered-down and only effective within a specific multiverse. If Du Wa were to return to the Marvel Multiverse, he would be instantly beaten back to his original form, still just a top-tier universal-level god.
If he were to truly ignore the risks and aim for the most astonishing outcome, orchestrating an earth-shattering collision between DC Universe 0 and Marvel Universe 616 would artificially create a fusion universe event far surpassing the birth of Marvel's Universe 9602. The immense explosion of energy and conflict of rules would be enough for Du Wa to capture the most critical value and find an opportunity to advance to the multiversal level.
However, this could not be done lightly. Du Wa had other methods to advance further. Unless it was a last resort, it was best not to play that game.
"Black Hand, and Thanoseid, don't disappoint me. The two of you, plus the fallen Anti-Monitor and New 52 Darkseid, and perhaps even the Crime Syndicate… this weight might just be enough." Du Wa raised his head, meeting Black Hand's empty, skull-like gaze.
Black Hand brandished his scythe and entered the fray personally.
Although he had not acquired enough energy—there were far too few living people in this universe, not nearly enough for him to charge up—seeing Thanoseid's rapidly increasing strength as he quickly fused with the godhood, he didn't want to wait any longer.
*Perhaps a true multiversal god will be born in this universe?* No, the probability is too low, Black Hand thought.
He knew that the Darkseid who resided on Apokolips in the Sphere of Gods, the individual who was nominally the main body, was the one at the multiversal level, possessing the vast majority of the godhood fragments.
Now, just by fusing a few Darkseids from within the Multiverse and one strange "Darkseid," he thought he could reach a level comparable to the main body? That was too outrageous, completely unrealistic.
"This guy, if he were to kill every single Darkseid in the Multiverse, even if he couldn't match the Darkseid from the Sphere of Gods, he would still be enough to become a top-tier god…"
A terrifying black mist billowed from Black Hand's body. He swung his scythe, cleaving open Earth's barrier on the spot, and aimed… at Du Wa!
"Not bad. You want to use the power of the Black Lantern to kill me for good? That's a good idea."
There was no trace of surprise on Du Wa's face. After Black Hand became a Lantern Entity of the Emotional Spectrum, it was only his emotion that was weakened, not his intelligence.
With Black Hand's perception, he could naturally see that Du Wa was the one manipulating Thanoseid, the one who had actually changed Universe 3.
Du Wa stood his ground, not needing to move at all. He knew that if he were hit by this attack, it would be tantamount to directly facing the death aspect of the Emotional Spectrum. It could very well inflict severe damage on the concept he had projected into the DC Multiverse.
Even a conceptual god must evade death at certain times.
"Stop him!" the Dark Walker was the first to roar, and the other Xenomorphs prepared to strike.
Even Metron, the God of Knowledge, hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should first try to stop Black Hand. Apart from gods who naturally belonged to the side of darkness and chaos, no one would like a being like Black Hand, who would kill every living thing and return the world to darkness.
Compared to Black Hand, Metron still favored Du Wa, who could provide him with new knowledge.
"Hmph, very well. Even the gods in the Sphere of Gods must listen to the advice I give. Persuading Black Hand shouldn't be impossible. He is a Lantern Entity, not some wild beast."
Metron steeled his resolve, about to pilot the Mobius Chair to fly out and persuade Black Hand, just as he had persuaded Darkseid and the Skyfather to cease their war back then, even making the two leaders of the New Gods exchange sons as hostages.
But Black Hand completely ignored Metron, only finding the guy sitting on the chair to be excessively noisy.
Boom!
Astonishing might spread out as Black Hand lunged straight for Du Wa.
Du Wa didn't speak either. He simply raised his hand and pointed. In an instant, Thanoseid appeared in front of Du Wa, with the other Xenomorphs also appearing by his side.
"Thanoseid, this one is your opponent. Do not disappoint me," Du Wa commanded.
Thanoseid remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard, but he did indeed strike at Black Hand.
He could feel himself growing stronger at an unprecedented, frantic pace.
Absorbing the large fragment of New 52 Darkseid's godhood greatly substantiated his form. An endless torrent of power surged from within him.
"Just a little longer, it'll be soon…" Thanoseid thought silently. He could barely suppress the killing intent in his heart.
As long as he could become stronger than Du Wa, he could surely surpass him and break free from Du Wa's control. It was the simplest, most brutish, yet most effective method!
In the past, he had envisioned using the Omega Effect's ability to erode and control the minds of living beings to corrupt Du Wa, this conceptual god, in turn, the moment he absorbed enough of Darkseid's godhood and erode all concepts related to the Xenomorphs.
If he succeeded, he would also become Du Wa—no, he would become a new existence surpassing Du Wa, one who could similarly span two multiverses!
Although there had been complications along the way, with Du Wa having long known what he was plotting, he hadn't been disposed of. Instead, he was still being sent into battle. This was understandable, as there were few gods as capable in a fight as him, who could also rapidly grow stronger by absorbing Darkseids.
Now, the greatest opportunity of his life had appeared. Once he fully completed the fusion, he would be able to truly surpass Du Wa!
Even if he didn't reach a multiversal level, he could absolutely stand on equal footing with the "Du Wa" in the broader sense, the one who commanded the vast Xenomorph legions!
"Faster, faster!!"
Thanoseid roared madly, venting the terrifying divine power that was nearly bursting his divine body.
Every moment, a vast amount of might was being generated, reshaping him, and he, in turn, slammed this power into Black Hand.
Swish!
Black Hand swung his scythe, forcefully cleaving apart Thanoseid's divine power. Countless streams of death's power gathered from all corners of the universe, becoming the energy driving him. Every strike he made was like using the dying world of Universe 3 as part of his weapon, for him to wield.
The two gods began a terrifying battle. Both were gods of a more negative alignment, and now, fighting with all their might, they held nothing back, blasting the entire universe until it was riddled with holes.
Endless Bleed energy poured in, washing over the universal rules and pushing this universe further into the abyss of destruction.
Looking up, those with insufficient strength could hardly see the figures of Thanoseid and Black Hand. They could only see the endless stars collapsing and the universe itself gradually falling apart.
"What's next? Do you plan to send out that strange Mephisto Xenomorph? From what I know, it's the one you trust the most," Metron said, looking toward the Mephisto Xenomorph.
"No, he won't do that. Otherwise, he would have done it long ago," Alexander Luthor shook his head. "Also, as the God of Knowledge, your rhetorical skills are quite crude. There's no need for this."
"Luthor… you possess the top-tier wisdom of one universe. But I am different. I possess the top-tier wisdom of the Multiverse," Metron said with immense confidence.
"You're right. If I, my other self, Dark Claw, Steel Lantern, or Batman—if any one of us sat in that chair you're sitting on, we would be no worse than you. And I have top-tier intelligence *for a single universe* only because that is the inherent limit of a single universe," Alexander Luthor had already begun to get the measure of Metron.
Just seeing Du Wa's uninterested attitude towards Metron already spoke volumes. At the very least, it proved that Metron wasn't as omniscient as he boasted.
"Foolish. Don't think that just because you've learned some intelligence about me from Du Wa through the Xenomorphs or other means, you understand me. I am the great God of Knowledge among the New Gods," Metron sneered. If not for Du Wa, he would have severely punished this fellow long ago.
Besides, this Zansha before him, to put it bluntly, was a rebooted version of himself. He was a far cry from the Luthor of Universe 3 who had shone so brightly during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. His performance had been completely lackluster.
Lex Luthor watched coldly, saying no more. He had already begun to deduce Du Wa's plan.
"You've calculated the result?" Lex Luthor's eyes darted about as he whispered in disbelief.
"Shut up, you low-IQ bastard. Don't stand so close to me. I can't believe a parallel version of me would possess such abysmal intelligence," Alexander Luthor said icily.
He looked down on the Luthor from the DCEU, always feeling that this guy's speed of thought was much slower than his.
"Just watch. I already know Du Wa's plan, and there's no mistake," a confident look appeared on Alexander Luthor's face as he pointed to Thanoseid and Black Hand battling in the sky.
"It doesn't matter which of these two guys wins. The result is not important. Volthoom is what's important! There's a vital clue missing, and I'm guessing the key lies with him," Alexander Luthor stated with conviction.
At that moment, Thanoseid let out an earth-shattering roar. A terrifying divine light transformed into hundreds of millions of sharp blades, scattering out from him as the core into the endless space and time. It even pushed back the Bleed energy. An immeasurable great power completely illuminated the pitch-black and deathly silent Universe 3!
"In the end, I still won. Black Hand is no longer important."
Thanoseid took a deep breath, devouring all the surrounding energy like a whale. Even the higher-dimensional Bleed energy could be partially absorbed by him to replenish his famished body.
Boom!
Thanoseid slapped Black Hand, sending him and his scythe flying to the other side of the universe. Of course, this couldn't kill Black Hand, it couldn't even injure him, but for Thanoseid, it was enough.
Black Hand wasn't important. Du Wa was important. Corrupting Du Wa and seizing everything from him—that was what was important!
Thanoseid was going to do to Du Wa what Du Wa had done to him, ten times, a hundred times over!!
Thanoseid is invincible!!
"Du Wa!"
Thanoseid turned back and let out a furious roar, but his gaze toward Earth was met with a stunned expression, a trace of bewilderment crossing his face.
Because…
Du Wa had vanished.
Someone that powerful had just silently disappeared from Thanoseid's perspective. Even when Thanoseid surveyed the world with his current power, he couldn't find Du Wa.
(end of chapter)