Meanwhile, Kant didn't pay any attention to the excited Kalibak. He slipped silently through the teleportation gateway.
The instant he crossed through the portal, he completely vanished from the current world.
At this moment, Kant's figure could be hidden within every shadow, every speck of dust.
As the universe's greatest assassin, he had never existed—and yet he was everywhere at once!
On the battlefield, Barry darted ceaselessly through the crowd.
He wandered within his own world. In his eyes, the battlefield was nothing more than a stage of slow-motion scenes playing out one after another.
One moment he nudged a warrior's sword so the blade would strike an enemy's vital point with greater precision.
The next, he shifted another warrior's body just enough to help him evade an enemy's attack.
At the same time, his eyes constantly tracked the members of the Justice League—after all, those were his friends, so of course he paid them special attention.
And so he roamed through his own private world, glancing back every three steps, waving hello every five, utterly lost in his own little universe.
He simply didn't notice that a shadow, rippling like water, was gradually materializing right in the spot he was running toward.
The next instant, Barry—jogging along in his own world—felt a sharp pain lance through his chest. Startled, he looked down: on the very path he'd just chosen, a blade had appeared out of nowhere!
As the blade pierced his skin and drove deeper still…
A half-human warrior holding that blade appeared in his vision.
"What the hell?!!"
Barry panicked at once. He twisted his body frantically to the side, throwing himself sideways at a speed no ordinary human could possibly judge.
The blade that had pierced his chest did not continue into his heart. Instead, following his movement, it slashed diagonally, tearing open the flesh and skin of his chest!
"Tsss—ugh, ahh!"
With a cry of pain, Barry scrambled up from the ground and clutched at his chest.
His chest was split open, flesh gaping, blood pouring out ceaselessly!
Seeing his wound, Barry finally used that lightning-fast brain of his to piece together what had just happened to him.
A very unusual enemy had targeted him!
Unlike the others with their straightforward fighting styles, the one who'd just attacked him clearly operated differently!
He was like a hunter waiting by a tree stump—and he'd turned Barry into a rabbit that had nearly killed itself by crashing right into him!
At that thought, Barry's instinct was to flee. Fighting had never been his primary goal—saving people was his true job.
Even though this guy's Speed Force was one of DC's three great cheats, his kind heart always led him to position himself as support staff.
Which was really something else…
But the instant he turned to retreat, his eyes flew wide open!
Because his chest had been pierced by a blade once again!
And it was only when the blade had already pierced his skin and flesh that he could truly sense it.
And that blade-wielding enemy only ever revealed himself when his dagger actually harmed Barry!
At that realization, Barry formed a rough judgment.
He twisted his body desperately, another spray of blood blooming from his chest as he narrowly escaped what should have been certain death.
This time he wouldn't run. He swung his fist, smashing it viciously toward his enemy's head.
But even at his speed, he couldn't land the blow.
His fist smashed into empty air, and his enemy vanished once more!
This time, Barry stood perfectly still. When an enemy who could appear at any point along your path of movement was out there waiting for the perfect moment…
Any reckless impulse could tip the scales straight into death's embrace!
So Barry stood motionless, thinking. Though he wasn't moving, he was still in Speed Force mode.
After processing thoughts at a speed countless times beyond that of an ordinary person, Barry furrowed his brow and murmured softly.
"You shouldn't be as fast as me. If you were, our fight wouldn't look like this.
No one as fast as me would enjoy making *waiting* their primary method of attack.
But you're not as fast as me—yet you can always wait ahead of me…"
At that, Barry nodded confidently.
"Your ability must act directly on me as a person. You've locked onto me somehow—that's why you always appear in front of me!
So if I just stand still…
What else can you do?"
With that, Barry carefully sensed his surroundings, waiting in place.
And as he waited, he became…
Increasingly impatient!
When your time moves tens of millions of times slower than everyone else's,
one second of yours could be an entire year for them…
Which meant…
Before even one hundredth of a second had passed, Barry was already restless.
He stood there until the flowers wilted!
But the moment he so much as shifted, he felt a dagger pressing against the center of his back.
The skin of his spine was pierced in an instant. Barry lunged forward with everything he had, barely managing to escape being stabbed through the heart.
This time, however, the enemy behind him didn't disappear immediately. Instead, holding his dagger, he spoke:
"Pleasure to meet you, speedster…
I am Kant. An assassin…"
As the words faded, Kant's figure vanished in an instant, leaving Barry to answer empty air.
"Whoa, I didn't expect you to actually greet me. That's kind of fun.
Your ability is seriously dangerous—especially against me. I get it now: you and your dagger share some kind of secret. It's only when your dagger hurts me that you can reveal yourself!
When I picture the two of us, it's like watching gunslingers in a Western standoff.
The rules are that we both move slowly, we both shoot slowly—and I can only shoot after you've already fired!
So obviously, the answer is: the instant you hurt me, at the exact moment I'm taking the damage, I attack you!
But I'm not entirely sure. After all, it's all just guesswork. I'll slowly probe out every trick you've got!
Oh right—you said your name was Kant, right?
Okay, okay, that was rude of me. I should respond properly.
I'm Barry. Barry Allen. And that should just about—?!!"
Before Barry could finish, that razor-sharp dagger suddenly appeared at the edge of his lips!
The blade pressed right against his skin, and his lips—still moving as he talked—were instantly torn open.
Feeling the searing pain from his upper lip, Barry's brows snapped together. Without hesitation, he swung a punch at the just-revealed Kant.
But his fist passed straight through Kant's body, dealing no damage whatsoever!
Staring at his fist, which had once again failed to connect, Barry withdrew his hand glumly and resumed waiting.
At the same time, he kept right on talking.
"Seems I was wrong. I thought you'd become solid when you hurt me.
But even while I'm taking damage, I still can't hit you.
Maybe there are other rules at play.
Let me think—is your ability that you select a target and bind yourself to them?
And as long as you don't actively harm them, they can't harm you.
See, you're always passively waiting in front of me, waiting for me to run into your dagger on my own.
Tsk tsk, that behavior makes you look like one of those street performers, and I'm the fish that willingly swims onto your knife.
Is that how the rules work?"
At that, Barry smiled slightly, then continued.
"Of course, your ability might not be that simple. After all, you're from Apokolips—surely you've got more than just that one trick.
So while you're bound to me, you might also have the ability to appear at any designated or random position near me whenever you want!
And then, your binding might even let you see my next move.
That would explain everything you're doing right now.
Of course, this is just my own judgment. If I'm wrong, please don't laugh at me.
I don't have much combat experience—I'm sure you can tell. I—"
"Shut your mouth, speedster Barry Allen!!!"
Less than ten centimeters in front of Barry, Kant's figure suddenly materialized.
Kant glared at Barry with undisguised irritation and muttered a curse.
"Fuck, you talk way too damn much!!!"
"Haha, don't we all? From what I've seen, that Heisenberg boss of yours and your other boss both talk plenty too!"
Barry grinned, then pointed toward the distant sky.
There, thousands of Darkseid's afterimages were being shredded to nothing by the shockwaves Gungnir had unleashed.
The last remaining Darkseid reached out his right hand in displeasure, snatching the spear thrusting toward his chest and gripping it in his palm.
But the spear in his hand vanished in an instant. Gungnir skipped a mere ten centimeters through space, dodging his grasp, and drove itself precisely into his chest!
BOOM!!!
With an explosion of unimaginable force, Darkseid was pinned to the surface of the comet-core planet by Gungnir.
Thousands of Amazon warriors caught in the blast were sent tumbling through the air in all directions.
Fortunately, they were all wearing Kryptonian battle armor—otherwise, Heisenberg's strike might well have caused the day's greatest casualties among their own ranks!
Watching that violent shockwave, the Mantis—locked in battle with Clark—revealed a cruel grin!
With one slash, he cleaved apart the boulder Clark had hurled at him, then drove a vicious kick into Clark's body as the Kryptonian charged in for close combat, sending him flying far away.
And after kicking Clark away, the sneering Mantis let out a low growl.
"Don't bother me—let me enjoy the sight of Darkseid right now, hahahahaha!!!"
As someone who had only surrendered after Darkseid destroyed his homeland, no one relished Darkseid's misery more than the Mantis!
Meanwhile, at the teleportation gate.
As Darkseid's son, no one burned with more rage and shame at Darkseid's plight than Kalibak!
Beside him, Desaad waved a hand.
"Verman Vundabar, enter the field as soon as possible. I'll transfer command of the various Parademon units to you shortly.
Make use of those tools to break the stalemate on the battlefield. His Majesty has likely encountered an unprecedented foe—not even Highfather of New Genesis should have given him this much trouble!"
"Don't worry, hehehehe. How could I possibly disappoint His Majesty? I would never disappoint him, hehe…"
Verman Vundabar flicked his green hood and cloak, cackling sinisterly as he prepared to stride into battle.
But at that very moment, the enraged Kalibak shoved him aside.
"No one harms my father! He can never lose any battle!
He will prove it to me—just as I will prove my worth and existence to him!"
With those words, Kalibak charged straight through the teleportation gate, hurtling directly toward Heisenberg's position!
He gripped his warhammer tightly and bellowed at Heisenberg:
"Old God Heisenberg! I am Kalibak, firstborn son of the Dark Lord Darkseid!
You are destined to lose to my father! A temporary advantage will only strip away more of your hope in the future, because no one can defeat the darkness!
Now, send out your son! I will tear him to pieces before your very eyes!
Darkseid's son against your son—let this great battle formally open the curtain on today's grand spectacle!!!"
At that moment, Kalibak's roar shook the heavens and the earth—so much so that even Darkseid, slowly rising from the dust, couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Looking up at Kalibak in the sky, Heisenberg was first taken aback, then on the verge of laughter.
And the little broken ball nestled in Heisenberg's arms suddenly lit up with excitement.
"Ahhh! Someone actually wants to fight me! Someone actually wants to fight me!!!
I'm so touched!!!"
Hearing the little ball's joyful voice, Heisenberg finally couldn't hold back and laughed.
After laughing, he rubbed the little ball in his arms and said softly:
"Go on. Put on a show for them. Make it quick and clean."
"Coming, Dad!"
The little ball immediately drifted toward the utterly dumbfounded Kalibak.
/-\
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