Shielding my face with the edge of my palm from the narrow blade's strike, I countered with my left hand. She, seeing that I wasn't backing down, vibrated again, and my hand passed right through her. Damn it, how could I forget to ask Barry to teach me phasing with absolute memory? Without stepping back as she expected, we began trading blows. Her sword was sturdy enough to withstand my direct hits, though I kept them at ten percent of my maximum to avoid destroying the entire structure of the League's orbital station. She parried my strikes, and I deflected her swift attacks with the edge of my right hand.
She was incredibly fast—not Flash-level fast, but my peak had long been surpassed, and only the resilience of my body kept me in this exchange. For every one of my left-handed strikes, she answered with five swings of her blade.
Strike. Strike. Strike.
The flurry of rapid blows was accompanied by a hurricane of wind that spread through the collapsing training hall. The walls and floor were riddled with slashes and holes, while the superheroes, frozen by their slowness compared to us, became points of defense.
The Queen of Speed, as she called herself, tried with every strike to reach Canary or Hawk. The Martian, in the thousands of blows we exchanged in this fight, had only managed to move a finger to clench his fist. The others were far too slow compared to us.
Attempting once more to decapitate Canary, she met my palm, which gripped her blade. Tighter. The sword snapped in half, momentarily stunning her. Holding back, I waited for the right moment, and my hand darted to her throat in a fraction of a microsecond. Lifting off, I hoisted the struggling alien speedster. Energy enveloped her, preventing her from escaping my grip through phasing. It took an exorbitant amount of energy to achieve this effect, but it was something.
"And now what?" When my eyes flared, she smirked, baring her sharp fangs.
"Will you kill me, child?"
"Do you think I won't?" I raised my right eyebrow, but it seemed my energy-reddened eyes didn't faze this woman.
"Heroes don't kill." She stretched her grin wider and pointed at the symbol on my chest. "And you're a hero, so you'll let the Queen go to be useful to the Master. I'll even give you time to escape this death trap that this planet will become."
"Yeah, sure." I drawled, eyeing her anew. "You're generous."
"For strong opponents like you, ones I might face again in the future, it's always worth sparing their lives. It's an investment in my own growth." She relaxed, as if she already knew my decision.
"Touching." My voice was flat. She'd annoyed me so much that devising a death worthy of someone who'd infuriated me wasn't a quick task. During our conversation, an idea struck me. "But you're wrong. I'm not a hero."
The energy I hadn't used surged to my right hand, which was instantly at the palm gripping her neck.
"What are you… A-A-A!" She burned in the vise of my hand, crumbling to ash after enduring a minute of searing radiation energy. A death befitting a Queen. The makeshift method of using energy was excruciatingly painful. I hadn't unleashed it all at once to burn her from within instantly but fed it into her body gradually.
Shaking off my hand, I flew toward the teleportation chamber where the Boom Tubes were nearly open. A turn, another, a wall that wasn't needed, and I burst through a shattered wall of sturdy metal into the chamber where Cyborg stood, a weapon emerging from his shoulder. He wouldn't have had time to act—two lasers were already heading for his head. Ones I really didn't like, and without hesitation, I channeled energy into both hands. Shielding Cyborg with my joined hands, I was abruptly yanked back to normal speed.
Explosion.
I was hurled backward straight at Cyborg, who, in that instant, calculated everything and stepped left to avoid me crashing into him. Smart move. He opened weapons from both hands and fired a salvo. The explosion engulfed all the Boom Tubes, cloaking everything in smoke. Quickly standing beside him, I shook my head. My hands, burned, weren't healing and stung painfully. Interesting.
"That won't help," I said, seeing what he was doing. He glanced at me and touched his temple.
"Tower to Batman, Tower to Batman. Come in," he said, as if hearing something. "Come in, Batman, the Tower's under attack. Can you hear me? Damn, we're being jammed."
"Yeah, I was just about to say," I replied with irony.
"Where are the others?" Ignoring my words, he asked.
"Training hall five. It'll take them about a minute to get here. I flew to help you."
"Thanks," he nodded.
"What's this nonsense?" A loud bass boomed from the smoke, and a giant stepped into our view, hands clasped behind his back.
Massive and intimidating. His skin was gray-black, like stone, his face grim and emotionless, exuding absolute boredom. Deep wrinkles gave his face an ancient, cruel look, and his eyes—bright red, like burning coals—radiated his power. Those eyes had fired the lasers that wounded my unhealing hands, now ten seconds unhealed. A helmet concealed part of his face, yet his features still seemed almost monumental. His armor was heavy, metallic, with sharp, jagged lines and angles that emphasized his aggressive nature. An ominous aura surrounded him, as if the very air was crushed by his might. On his chest was the Omega symbol, instantly evoking associations with invincible strength and tyranny. His hands, enormous and powerful, seemed made to crush entire armies.
"Where's the Queen of Speed, Desaad?" Ignoring us, he addressed his servant, kneeling a few steps behind him. Desaad was gaunt, yet his body radiated power. His face was scarred, almost skeletal, with sharp features resembling a skull. His eyes—red, harsh, cold, devoid of compassion—seemed to constantly assess everyone, as if he were always a step ahead. He wore a long dark cloak that hid his figure, but his tough leather armor peeked from beneath. His hands bore gloves with sharp metal spikes.
"I cannot say, my God. She vanished the moment the slightest crack appeared in the portal."
"Useless creature. When we consume this planet, burn her in its star."
"Yes, my lord," he bowed even lower and turned his attention to us. "Pathetic worms, kneel before Darkseid, your New God."
Oddly, they spoke English. In this insane world, even gods spoke that language?
"Sorry, big guy," I said, not letting them focus on Cyborg, who was frantically trying to do something. "I only have one God, and He doesn't look like a living rock from dark fantasy."
"How dare you…" Desaad didn't finish as guns emerged from the walls and floor. Without waiting, a barrage of fire and lasers engulfed the giant. Unfortunately, after twenty seconds, seeing it had no effect, I realized I'd have to step in.
Entering speed, someone called out to me. Someone as fast as I was.
"I don't think you have time to deal with us, young Taorian," Darkseid said, shocking me as he stepped toward us at my speed. "Down there, my army is seizing the planet, and the World Destroyer has arrived in your world. It's doomed unless you stop him. Save who you can, little hero."
A quick glance through the Tower's walls, the atmosphere, and clouds confirmed he wasn't lying. The planet was overrun with portals spewing armies of soldiers. In Metropolis, Superman's base, a gray-skinned giant with sharp spikes and a furious face was smashing skyscrapers.
"How do you know my race?" I asked, more concerned with that than some Destroyer or the entire planet. I was stunned that a being from a world so distant knew my kind.
He smirked, as if expecting the question.
"Your race may be the strongest in your native universe," he began, circling me. "But in the grand scheme of existence, they're meat. Weak, prideful, frail. Meat used by anyone who pleases. Common soldiers in the armies of any who'd conquer you. Your vulnerability to mental control is so humiliating, little Taorian, that I want to…"
He raised his hands, clenching them into fists.
"…wipe out your entire race with these hands so others can't use you against me. How many of you have I crushed? Yet you multiply like roaches, falling under control again."
"Pity," I said. "So that's how the Empire fell. Mental control? Good to know." My race had fallen.
Energy surged through my entire body. I stepped toward the enemy, launched upward, and struck his stone face with all my might. My small hand gripped his massive head as it tilted back from the blow, and I carried him toward the Sun. The League station's walls and plating parted like clay against Darkseid's body, and the void of space welcomed me like kin.
Now we'd see who was meat.
---
I held the head of a being struggling with all its might to break free. Darkseid tried to pry my grip with his massive hands, but he couldn't. Energy amplified my strength to such heights that he was powerless as I rammed him through Venus, dragging his back and head across its surface, similar in composition to Earth. Continuing toward Mercury, his powerful blows felt like mosquito bites. Only the beams from his eyes managed to sear the hand gripping his forehead and eyes. Too bad that was all he achieved, as Mercury embraced the god's body warmly. Dragging him across the metallic planet, I pummeled his chest with my free left hand.
He tried to defend and swat me away, but he couldn't. Energy was at sixty percent of its total expenditure when we neared the Sun. It greeted us with pleasant warmth, and by actively absorbing energy, I replenished my strength.
Strike. Strike. Strike.
Releasing the gray-skinned giant, I floated freely in zero gravity, hammering him relentlessly. Head, face, torso, legs—everything was bruised. His armor, sturdy at the start of our charming journey, couldn't hold up anymore.
For the first time in my life, I didn't hold back my strength. In the final moment, I heard the coveted snap. It took about a minute of endless subjective strikes to break his arm at the elbow. Stepping back, I looked at Darkseid, cradling his broken right arm, bloodied and defeated.
"Meat, huh?" My eyes flared, the Sun to my left fueling my confidence. "Let's cook it."
He didn't manage the step he planned toward me before a bright red beam engulfed him. Wide enough to cover his massive frame, I unleashed the strongest attack in my arsenal. Attempts to pump energy into his body had failed earlier—something inside him blocked me from killing him that way.
After ten seconds, expending a tenth of my restored reserves, I surveyed the result. His armor was gone, his once-red eyes now empty, melted holes from the attack. Dead?
I heard no breathing, but then he spoke.
"Interesting." In a flash, everything changed.
I didn't blink before I was back in the Tower, intact as it was before I dragged Darkseid away. No destruction, no trace of the massive body I'd hurled into space. He stood before me in the same perfect state as before. Armor, red eyes, proud posture—all intact, and just as infuriating. Confused, I looked around. An illusion? My senses couldn't have deceived me…
"You're the first I recall to awaken your essence. Your physical prowess, rivaling the Lords of the Empire's Houses at your age, is impressive, but that's all. Everything else is dust beneath my feet. You're weak, little Taorian." He stepped toward me and the frozen Cyborg, who hadn't realized time had rewound. "Kneel, and perhaps I'll let you live in my hands. Otherwise…"
"You'll kill me? How scary… Rewind time again?" I said, staring into his blazing eyes. "I don't care. I'll try again until you kneel to me."
I was crazed with fear.
A lunge—and Cyborg, along with the Tower, hurtled into boundless space as the entire structure shattered. Canary and Hawk might've died. Cyborg and the Martian—maybe not. Didn't care.
My fist met Darkseid's chin. A strike, and he soared toward Earth. I chased, grabbed his chest, and drove him through the planet toward its core.
Layer by layer, we tore through at super speed: crust, mantle, outer core. In the inner core, I released the time-lord, focused, and unleashed all my energy outward. Explosion. The planet shattered.
A moment later, I hadn't blinked before I was back in the Tower. Intact, as it was before I took Darkseid. No destruction, no trace of the massive body ahead. He stood before me, same as ever—armor, red eyes, infuriating proud posture.
"Pointless. You can try a thousand times, and nothing will change."
His dead voice spoke like a robot stating a simple truth. I grinned hysterically.
"Don't care. I'll try ten thousand times."
My nature, carried through this life and the last, knew no weakness.
Only forward.
Another strike met Darkseid's chin, and the Tower exploded in all directions from my fist's shockwave. The heroes and his lackey didn't have time to react—they died. I carried the bastard straight to the Sun. Let's see how you survive a star's explosion.
---
I stood in an asteroid field, my strength drained, but the enemy's body was defeated. I felt victory but knew it wasn't over. I couldn't relax. One final strike, and I'd free myself from this endless cycle. Dust from the entire Solar System swirled everywhere. The planets were gone, the Sun itself reduced to gaseous debris from our battle.
He was weakening—I could see his strength fading, space around him collapsing under his own power. But I knew if I paused for a second, he'd rewind it all.
My strikes shook the cosmos, and I tore out the final piece of his body. Done! His throat was ripped out. He fell, and, brimming with confidence, I raised my hand to deliver the decisive blow—to his head, ending this madness. I knew he had nothing left to counter. But as energy surged from my fingers, his eyes flared, and I realized something was wrong. He… wasn't dying. Everything slowed.
Everything rewound.
My strike vanished, his eyes brimming with power again. He stood there, restored, perfect. I was back at the starting point, my efforts futile.
Darkseid stood before me, his voice laced with dreadful exhaustion.
"Pointless."
Another try.
His strength was nearly spent—I saw his energy dwindling. I tore his body with my strikes, shredding his essence. He fell to his knees, and I decided to destroy him with my most terrifying power. My fist became a searing needle, and I reached to consume his essence in fire, to erase his existence. In radiation's blaze, he'd die.
His body cracked, his army vanished in Earth's explosion, and I felt his consciousness crumbling. But as his body nearly dissolved in my grip, he frowned, and the space before me warped.
He turned back time.
Reality compressed, and I was back at the starting moment. He stood before me, strength restored, as if nothing happened. The Tower was the same, Cyborg alive and dead simultaneously—Schrödinger's Cyborg, damn him.
I tried a new approach. If he could rewind time, I'd exploit his weakness—his reliance on his army. I punched through space itself, tearing chunks of planets that fueled his power. His entire empire. Hundreds of planets burned by my hands. Trillions died, planets withered. I aimed for the heart of his dominion, melting his homeworld in space. If I destroyed everything he held, he'd lose the source of his might.
The planet cracked and exploded. I braced for victory, only to realize it didn't work. He didn't depend on his planets or empire. Everything I'd done was… an illusion.
He turned back time again.
Now I used my power differently. If he could be killed at his weakest, I'd do it at the core of his dominion. I invaded his mind, trying to shred his brain with my beams. Without harming his body, I burned his mind, leaving an empty shell.
He turned back time.
Everything I tried vanished. I was back at the moment I began probing his mind. Nothing I did mattered. He didn't just win—he reset everything. Back to the start.
Endless attempts.
I tore planets apart with my gaze, breath, body. Detonated stars and quasars using Darkseid's body. Entire galaxies were ravaged by my efforts to defeat this monster. Planets of all forms, with countless lives—all vanished in explosions and death, yet I kept trying.
Some tried to stop us, standing in our path. But my power and Darkseid's, obliterating everything, reduced them to dust. Pointless. No one could stop us.
I'd killed trillions across the universe, destroyed countless planets and stars. Entire galaxies erased in our battles. So many deaths they blurred into one smear. My sole goal—victory.
Energy flowed through me like an ocean. Even black holes I plunged into couldn't harm me. Beside him, I only felt my power grow, but that was it. His body vanished into endless darkness my gaze couldn't pierce, changing nothing in this eternal cycle of conflict.
He turned back time. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again. Again and again.
There were variations, but the outcome was always the same. Darkseid was different each time. Sometimes weaker, sometimes stronger. In one attempt, tearing off the giant's head was enough to end it—only for it to restart. In another, hundreds of stars couldn't kill the immortal. Each time, he either died or rewound time. A horrifying ability.
After 300,532 attempts, after so many deaths and killings of this being, I just sat down. Countless tries to slay this god proved meaningless. He erased them with his power, mocking me.
I sat where I stood, feeling hollow. Only once before had I felt this—when I first killed a man. But now… now it was terrifying. A black hole seemed to form in my chest, sucking in my emotions, my drive. Everything felt pointless. This endless cycle.
Why try?
Why kill?
All of it…
But one thought nagged at me. A bright star in the pitch-black void. I clung to it.
Tori.
She was waiting for me. There, lying helpless, facing her death. Besides her family, she had no one to help her. Only me—her adopted son, the only one who could save her.
What mattered more? Her… or people I'd known for three weeks and this insane planet?
Her smile when I first stood on my feet. Photos of me in a potty, small and helpless. Her hugs, pouring all her love into me. She wanted me to see the world.
No. This wasn't meaningless.
These feelings… they had meaning.
She was my mother. Mother to a monster, but still my mother. Tori was back there. The woman who tried to be my anchor. My mother.
Exactly.
I struck the Tower's floor, making the station shudder. Standing, I looked straight into Darkseid's eyes, still standing perfectly upright. At the moment of impact, time flickered, moving normally… but I was back in speed mode.
"What do you want?" These endless attempts wouldn't be so pointless if this being wasn't after something from me. Time remained frozen, our conversation unheard.
"Take that creature and leave this multiverse. You don't belong here. Then you'll break this cycle. Never return to this reality—that's the only way to save the woman dear to you."
He pointed downward—at the frozen giant wrecking Metropolis. Doomsday, I think. But why? And… how did he know about Tori?
My thoughts screamed warnings, my heart pounding wildly.
"Why do you need this?"
"What's known to a God isn't for mortals. Choose." He raised his left hand. "Endless attempts to kill me…" Then his right. "…or kill one beast and leave this reality for your own."
"Guarantee this planet survives."
"I give my word."
"Will you kill them all?" I nodded toward the planet and its defenders.
"Only those who raise a hand against me."
Pity. Hearing the immortal's final words, I glided to the Tower's exit—for flying beings—and shot toward the planet.
I pitied the heroes, but… my life and the life of the one who became my haven mattered more.
I tore through the atmosphere at high speed, heading for New York. In one of the skyscrapers, something vital awaited. Breaking in, I grabbed a vial of Lazarus Pit water and clutched it tightly. The Lantern ring slid onto my middle finger.
Yes. This was right. All correct.
Tori mattered more.
The heroes could handle themselves. They were heroes, after all.
I wasn't. I'm not a hero.
Stuffing the vial into my pants pocket, nearly tearing the fabric, I soared again, heading for Metropolis.
The monster, frozen in time, ravaged the city full of civilians. Only I could maybe save them. Maybe become a hero—even posthumously.
Heroes are made after death, right?
Time to leave this mad world.
---
Watching the boy fly off, Darkseid curled his lips. Too weak for mental control, like all his race. Reading his mind was child's play. How could this be?
Too weak to be a General…
"Why let him go, Left Hand of the Great Darkness?" A girl in gothic attire, chewing gum, eyed the god of Apokolips curiously from under an umbrella. She appeared from the void.
"That concerns only my Lady and her husband, Death," Darkseid replied calmly, unflinching.
She, an avatar of the concept of Death in existence, smirked.
"Oh, right… Samael, how could I forget? Light, the War for Souls, the Archangel who consumed God… blah-blah-blah. His wife, Darkness, her Generals, all that jazz." She twirled her finger like it was trivial, but for her—the only one who could speak so dismissively of Lucifer and Darkness—it was forgivable.
Her gaze sharpened.
"But you know I don't like working too much, right? Your battle with that kid caused way too many deaths. And guess what? That means I suddenly have a ton of work. And. I. Don't. Like. Working."
With each word, the pressure around them grew. Darkseid, standing resolute, began to bend lower…
But it stopped when words escaped the nearly fallen god:
"My Lady has already erased those realities. Those deaths no longer hold value, Lady Death."
She snorted, dispelling the oppressive air.
"That's the only reason you're still alive, jerk."
She vanished, keeping the last word.
Ignoring the Avatar's words, Darkseid looked back at Earth. The Kryptonian had appeared. The one who once defeated him.
Hope versus Destruction.
An endless struggle Uxas could never escape.
Death's interference didn't trouble the New God's mind much. Something else preoccupied him—this cycle he could never break. And the task his Lady gave him long ago.
"I did it, my Lady. The General was found."
He spoke aloud, expecting no reply.
But the Darkness around whispered back:
"I know."