Capítulo 147: A heart-to-heart talk
***Unknown location***
In the void of vast space on the border of two galaxies floated a dark cloud with a haggard old man lying on it. The only inhabitant's long hair was completely gray, except for a few red strands hanging from his forehead; wrinkles furrowed his strong-willed face, which still boasted a thick, short beard that accentuated his strong-willed chin; his once-mighty muscles shrank, making his time-worn clothes hang down unkemptly and turning his body into a good anatomy textbook. The only thing that stood out, if you ignored the strange surroundings, were the full of life blue eyes, shimmering with a mysterious light.
The old man seemed to have been in this place for centuries, contemplating the rise and fall of the intelligent races, but in fact he had found himself in such a delicate position only twenty-four hours ago.
Suddenly, a faint ripple rippled through the space, delineating the transparent boundaries of the huge cube and causing the only inhabitant to wince as if from a headache. The unbreakable seals, whose essence was woven into the very fabric of the universe and which even a dozen elder gods could not break, cracked dangerously under the pressure of the alien power.
"It was foolish to hope she wouldn't realize anything..." the older man sighed doomfully.
The ripples once more swept the space, but this time they lasted much longer. Small vibrations began to shake the surrounding ether, twisting it into miniature tornadoes visible in true vision. The amplitude of the vibrations increased until the air in front of the elder was covered with numerous cracks, as if it were tempered glass that had been struck with a hammer. The world froze in a dangerous equilibrium. A moment later, material shards of energy crumbled to the floor with a quiet crackle, revealing a passage. Against the darkness of the vast space stood a beautiful girl in a biker outfit: a light open dark blue jacket, a black top, the same color leather breeches, a choker around her lovely neck, heavy boots with high lacing and a pair of earrings in the form of an Egyptian cross. The dark-haired beauty stepped over the gap, sealed it with a slight wave of her hand, and then stared expectantly at the only inhabitant of the hastily created fold of space.
"Brother, I get the feeling you're not happy to see me," she said after ten minutes, during which she scrutinized the older man as if she were seeing him for the first time.
"Sister," contrary to appearances, the old man's voice was deep and clear, more suited to a man in the prime of life, "why have you come?"
"Well, you know, - Death walked a little forward and by sheer force of will created a comfortable leather armchair, in which she landed with a swing, placing her feet on the right armrest, which finally destroyed the atmosphere of mystery. - No one else of my relatives disappears for a few centuries only to show up and try to break the laws of the universe so rudely. In fact, we don't have so many restrictions that we can risk our essence for the sake of incomprehensible goals.
"Since you're here, you should know everything," he closed his eyes, his whole appearance showing indifference.
"Even omniscience can sometimes fail to give a clear answer to a question... Tell me. Was it worth it? You've turned on yourself powers that even the Eternals can't match."
"I had to. And how can you be so unconcerned? You see what's going on, don't you? - A hint of anger flickered in the man's voice, and his eyes brightened, only to return to their normal state a moment later, under his relative's mocking gaze. - Mortals. I'm not saying they're all bad, for I've met many fine minds in my centuries of wandering, but these two... It just doesn't make sense for us to associate our lives with someone like that.
"Big brother complex? - The pretty girl clarified with a slight smile on her lips.
"I don't rule out that possibility."
"Hmm... You're less impulsive than you used to be. Is it experience, or is it the effects of the backlash? Definitely the latter. Still, your idea to influence the ruler of Apokolips, pushing him to build an experimental portal installation, and even specifically to disturb the energy background of a planet with several billion intelligent beings... This is worthy to occupy a separate chapter in the book of Destiny. Although, I must admit, we have no power over the new gods, and my sister really wouldn't check Darkseid for external interference, - leaning back on the armrest the girl looked thoughtfully at the distant points of stars. - I guess we're talking about Madness. Except you're not considering the fact that in the case of a real threat, she would have intervened, regardless of any consequences? And she'd take a lot longer to recover from the backlash than you would. And besides, she was just now starting to resemble that little ball of happiness and positivity and-" Her gaze wagged sideways for a moment, "Love. Uh-huh, definitely love. And their deaths wouldn't be good for her psychologically.
There was a pause. Even the Eternal took a little time to realize what he had heard, and it wasn't just his poor condition.
"Is it... Is it true? - There was a faint hope in the older man's voice.
"Oh, that's messed up," the part-time death biker shook her head dejectedly. - You should have talked to me or the other brothers first. Or maybe, as an older relative, you should have gone to Delhi and talked to her instead of plotting behind her back.
"But still... It doesn't seem right. We're forbidden to be attached to mortals, because the consequences are immediate. A hundred, maybe three hundred, even a thousand years, and that's it: the soul just can't take it. Our sister will hardly want to let them go so easily after several centuries of communication, which means the backlash will come even harder than it did to me."
"Oh, well, I won't torture you. Look," Death left the cozy chair and approached Crush, holding out her palms folded in a boat.
A few seconds later, a white sphere appeared above her hands, consisting of many intertwined threads that were in constant motion. In the center of it, a small ball of white was visible through the tears that appeared here and there.
"Hmmm..." the elder raised himself up on his unusual bed, looking at the projection with an attentive eye. - A reborn? I wouldn't say it's that rare. Do you think he can go all the way and attain true immortality without being sent beyond the edge?
"A reborn from a different branch of worlds that is much more stable than ours. Also, our world has accepted him! You do realize that his potential is quite comparable to the strongest beings in the multiverse, right?"
"Only potential... What's this stuff? - A gnarled finger poked at a few gray threads jutting out of the composition.
"Oh, and this one, my dear brother, is a superstructure of the soul that can help to cut the way to the top. The gray threads increased with a jerk, turning into a kind of twisted DNA chain, consisting of four layers, harmoniously intertwined with each other. - The emotional filter, when saturated, can influence even us, and this part can collect the directed energy of faith, spurring the development of the owner.
"Now I can see why Delhi has become more stable. Well, what about the second one? From the echoes, there's a much deeper connection there."
"Avatar. A complete one. They'll just merge together eventually, and even the World won't mind that outcome."
"I see..."
"Okay," Death dispelled the projection of spirals and the chair, saturating the surrounding space with their energy. - I think you've realized everything perfectly well, and you won't interfere with the natural course of things anymore. When you recover, be sure to drop by Delhi, she'll be glad to see you. Well, I'd better get back to work.
As soon as one of the Eternals left his kinsman, he leaned back on the dark cloud and stared blankly at the distant points of the stars.
"Maybe something will come out of this. But if they dare to hurt her, I'll just wipe their existence from the canvas of the universe, and I don't care what the consequences are," the old man said firmly as his body began to build muscle mass rapidly, regaining its former strength.
***Apocolypse***
The cyclopean-sized throne room was overwhelming in its grandeur and gloom. Roughly carved columns made of incredibly strong black stone, reminiscent of obsidian, held up the heavy vaults of the monumental structure. On the walls hung many blue banners, on which the Omega symbol, symbolizing the end of all things, stood out as a bright red stain. But if a random person were in this place, he would hardly be able to enjoy the view of the majestic architecture, and he would hardly be able to stay conscious, because the entire foreseeable space was pressed by the aura of an incredibly powerful creature, whose name makes even the wise guardians of Oa tremble.
It was all the more surprising to see that beside the huge stone throne with the ruler of the planet sitting on it, with his arms stretched out at the seams, stood a short man in an old-fashioned red uniform with yellow inserts and a five-pointed star on the left side of his chest, tied with a black-and-yellow ribbon over his shoulder, and the same color pants tucked into high black boots. A monocle inserted in his right eye and short dark hair with a neat parting in the middle made him look even more like a European officer of the early nineteenth century, which one would not expect to find in a technologically advanced world where cybernetics and demonic magic rule.
The man was indeed short: a mere one meter and fifty centimeters, which made him completely lost against his lord. Despite his more advanced physiology, many times superior to the true Atlanteans, he had to fight desperately for a place in the sun on Apokolips, which turned out to be one of Granny Goodness' orphanages. With his outstanding intellect, sophisticated mind, complete unscrupulousness, and superb tactical skills, he had managed to become one of Darkseid's confidants. Although he was not too happy about the honor now, he continued to report on the recent losses, trying to ignore the anger-red eyes of the gray-skinned humanoid sitting on the throne.
The explosion of Desaad's facility, with the Mother Cube at its heart, destroyed a vast area of Terroria, and with it many of its subjects. Darkseid didn't care about the millions of dead inhabitants reduced to the state of animals, but it annihilated one of the most promising orphanages and part of the Hell Pits, which maintained a kind of energy balance on the planet. Other districts had to take on an additional load, so now not even five minutes pass before a new victim whose flesh and soul go to fuel the ecumenopolis. Naturally, no one will revolt, but the losses in manpower have already exceeded all permissible limits. And the sad news did not end there. Although the Mother Cubes are almost impossible to destroy, they can go into a kind of hibernation after passing through a huge amount of energy, which happened when the superheroes activated the reversal of all the portals at once.
"...we could only find her helmet and some of her armor on the ground," the man finished speaking, and then stood still like a statue.
"The portal installation has been lost, Barda and Desaad are dead, several areas have been rendered uninhabitable until the energy storm is over, the Furies sent to Earth for the Mother Cube have been defeated by some kind of plant monster... Virman, have I missed anything? - A deep voice almost physically pressed on the shoulders of one of the generals.
"No... no, lo... lord, ugh," Virman Vundabar said with difficulty, drenching himself in sweat and leaning lower and lower to the floor due to the pressure of the force. "Let me just...note, a defeat in one battle...is not a defeat...in a war. Our military... potential is many times greater than... Earth's... potential. The Anti-Life Equation... will be in your hands one way or another... one way or another... in your hands."
The pressure increased slightly, making the space itself hum like a taut string, and then suddenly disappeared, allowing the man to take a convulsive breath and stand upright again.
"You're right. I acted impulsively when I decided to rely on the new technology," Darkseid said calmly. "Tell Godfrey, as soon as the storm is over, to contact his spies and start recruiting new ones. We need to prepare a good springboard for the invasion. And increase the number of training centers, we need to make up for the losses with quality fighters."
"Anything else, my lord?"
The ruler of Apokolips covered his eyes for a moment, pondering.
"Yes. One of Earth's heroes with magical powers had the indiscretion to tell me his real name: John Constantine. Send assassins after him."
***
John Constantine hiccupped heartily in an old Irish pub, then swore foully when he discovered that the drink had gotten on the biker sitting next to him, who didn't like the sudden shower at all.
***
Seeing that the general was in no hurry to fulfill the assignment, Darkseid furrowed his brows.
"Go ahead."
"About Barda and Desaad," Virman's voice had a faint note of excitement in it. "You won't resurrect them?"
"As long as Apokolips is missing some of the Pits, such an action would further upset the balance. Besides, Barda has failed in her mission of sabotage and is not worthy of my favor."
"Then may I take over Desaad's lab complex? Ahem, until my colleague is back in action."
"Take it and don't try my patience again."
"Thank you, my lord," the man said with a perfect bow and hurried out the door.
First of all, he will fulfill his tasks, and after that he will run his raking paws into the property of the main mystic. No one forbids to completely clean the laboratory complex, appropriating valuable and incredibly rare equipment and leaving only bare walls inside. Moreover, the restoration of even one Hell Pit is not a quick job, which means that the resurrection of the competitor is unlikely to take place in the next cycle, which takes two hundred and eight Earth days.
***Planet Earth, Shadow Peak***
Naturally, the sorceress was still in her right mind and was not going to immediately throw me into closing the rifts and checking the seals holding back powerful ancient monsters. First, I was given a thorough lecture with a lot of practical examples. Previously, the girl preferred to load me with theory with little practice, and the main outlook was limited to how to survive a meeting with another magical crocosabra. And now we focused on how I could disarm this unknown crocosabra myself or with the help of artifact-suppressors, and at the same time it was demonstrated how to detect seals that started to break or places with a lot of other-worldly creatures.
It's not to say that I've suddenly become a master of seals or that I'm now capable of one-on-one confrontation with a creature of the fourth level of power and emerge victorious, but under the guidance of my charming mentor I managed to learn and memorize a huge number of mystical symbols with a lot of combinations for each school of magic, and the chances of beating some weak god appeared, especially if you properly prepare the battlefield. Although, as I said, no one is going to send me off to check out ancient cursed tombs or mass graves. At first, I'll just have to wander around Gotham and check out the neighboring cities, looking for anomalous activity. And I'm already thinking about getting a black one thousand nine hundred seventy-seven Chevy Impala with a trunk full of guns and dyeing my hair dark. I think Harley would enjoy driving around town looking for trouble.
Status de energia semanal
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