บท 566: Tension
Edward tapped his finger on the table and instantly hacked the Justice League's system. Cyborg — who was the one who instilled it with Batman's help — looked at him in shock. The technology in their system was years ahead of its time, but it was hacked so easily.
"I have only met variants of Darkseid from different parallel dimensions, but all of them were the same: ruler of Apokolips, conqueror, uses a powerful and inescapable Omega Beam, and searching for the Anti-Life Equation," explained Edward, who showed them his primary data on Darkseid.
"And what exactly is this equation?" asked Diana.
"An equation capable of breaking any sentient life's will and controlling them," replied Edward casually. "With it, he should have no issue ruling the Multiverse."
"Mind-controlling? How powerful are we talking about?" asked Superman, who had experienced this issue before.
[AN: Previously, I mentioned I was using the Justice League: War trilogy as my main source of inspiration for Wonder Woman and the eventual Justice League. Now, I have changed my mind and decided to take from many different sources, including Justice League: Unlimited and the comics.]
"How do I explain this?" uttered Edward. "The bat furry over there is the person with the highest Willpower amongst you, but even he could not resist it if a ten-year-old child used the formula."
Hal Jordan almost laughed out loud; he had to use his famous Willpower to stop himself. Batman was as stoic as ever, while Diana kicked Edward slightly to reprimand him, but he only shrugged. Superman, who felt the tension and awkwardness of the room, spoke, "If it's so powerful, we must prevent Darkseid from getting his hand on it. So, what is the plan? Do we preemptively attack Apokolips or wait until he comes to us?"
"It says the beam is as fast as any Speedster. That could be a major issue," added Cyborg.
"That is yet to be corroborated," countered Flash.
"The man has literally studied the Speed Force. Don't you think that's something he would know of?" Cyborg argued. "All I'm saying is we must watch out and prepare for all eventual possibilities."
"...You have a point."
"..."
The discussion about the next course of action continued, and everyone chimed in with their opinion, except Edward, who was looking in the distance, still thinking about that formula.
"Something is not right," suddenly said Diana, looking at Edward.
"Excuse me?"
"From what I know about you, this equation is the kind of thing you would jump at to research, Yet here you are without a single thread of interest."
"That's because I already have the equation and, thus, not interested."
Diana almost let out a groan as she massaged her temple. 'Oh, Hera, couldn't you just keep that information to yourself?' she thought, feeling the tense silence in the room.
"So, you know where it is?" she swiftly asked.
"Yes, in the mind of a rich man called Billion-Dollar Bates. You guys should probably protect him or something. However, be prepared since he knows how to use the formula: gag his mouth to prevent him from speaking."
"We'll keep that in mind," said Superman, trying to change the subject.
"What are you going to do with it?" asked Batman.
"What does it have to do with you?"
"You're an unknown individual, possibly a criminal, possessing knowledge with worldwide ramifications. So, I think we all deserve to know what you will do with it."
Edward looked at him and the others, "I'm only a passenger in this dimension. Once I say my proper goodbye to Diana, I will leave, and you won't see me again."
"And we're supposed to trust your words?" continued Batman.
"You want to talk about trust? Why don't you tell the people here about the Contingencies Plan you created for each other in case they've gone [rogue]."
"What? Batman, is that true?" asked Superman.
"Bruce, tell me this is not true," added Diana.
"The Justice League is a formidable force of good, but it can also be used for evil."
"Do you think so little of us?" asked the Flash.
"Not cool, man," stated Green Lantern.
"I do not doubt your character. But as you saw with this equation, sometimes, the choice is not yours."
"So eloquently spoken," sneered Edward. "Why didn't you create a plan for yourself? I know what you've convinced yourself: The Justice League is my Contingency Plan. But you and I know you're simply too arrogant and believe you're incorruptible."
"You don't know me."
"On the contrary, I do. You and I are more alike than you know: losing parents at a young age, fiercely intelligent, paranoid, and like to be prepared for the worst. The difference between us is I don't let my trauma define me; I've learned to grow, to mature, but you're still that little boy who watched his parents die in that alley."
"Enough, Edward; you've gone too far."
"Maybe," he replied before standing up. "Like I said, I'm just a passerby. Once you deal with Darkseid, we can say our goodbyes, and I can leave."
He disappeared from the room, leaving the meeting. The room was quiet for a moment before Superman continued:
"We will discuss Batman's inappropriate behavior later; let's focus on this upcoming invasion." After a small discussion, the team decided to capture Billion-Dollar Bates first before preparing for the upcoming battle; it helped that he was a criminal and had just cause for their actions.
A few days later:
Edward held a Mother Box in his hand, analyzing and disassembling it. He sensed a visitor and opened the door to his apartment in New York.
"What happened in that meeting?" Diana asked. "You're usually so calm and composed."
"As you can see, I'm not a big fan of the Bat," shrugged Edward. Back in Primordial Earth, he used to be a superfan of Batman. However, as he grew up, he wanted to read characters that grew emotionally, but the writers never allowed Batman to do so. He had a similar issue with Spider-Man, as the writers never allowed him to evolve as a character.
Later, he developed a great disdain for Batman because of his fans; he was sick of their constant arguments about how the man could do anything with prep time.
"That is very obvious," sighed Diana.
"Don't mention him. You looked lovely," commented Edward. Although she was dressed casually in jeans, heels, and a shirt, the clothes could not hide her divine beauty.
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm here on official league business."
"What now?"
"They wanted me to ask if you knew when the invasion was."
"In three days," he replied.
"And how do you know?"
"I've already reverse-engineered some of their technology. The Parademons who escaped have already set up a portal to Apokalips, and it will open in three days."
"If that's true, we must stop them beforehand."
"That should buy you a few more hours."
Diana frowned, "Has Darkseid prepared to open the portal from his side?"
"Based on the reconnaissance probes I've sent into Apokolips, that's correct."
"In that case, we need to hurry," said Diana, preparing to leave. "We will catch up later."
"Wait up," said Edward, stopping her. He opened a small portal to summon a small cube.
"What's this?" asked Diana as she received this thing.
"Once the battle starts, press the button, and it will drag Darkseid and his army into the Mirror Dimension. In there, you can fight with all your strength without affecting the planet; you can even blow it if you please."
"Really?" said Diana with shining eyes. One disadvantage of a hero is the restraint he or she must exercise to protect the surrounding people, houses, and even the planet. People like him and Clark cannot use all their strength.
"Thank you for this."
"Consider it an apology for how I acted towards your friends."
บท 567: Goodbye
The Mother Box was a fascinating piece of technology. It was a living computer with many abilities, including opening boom tubes (spatial tear for teleportation), healing, energy manipulation, gravity manipulation, mental communication, etc.
Edward had the knowledge and capabilities to replicate all its abilities, including the part about being a living computer made of organic and inorganic matter.
Studying the box only added a new variety to his and the Empire's technology tree, but that was not the main reason for his interest. According to the comic, the Mother Box drew power from the Source, which is one aspect of [The Presence], or God in the DC Universe; in simpler terms, the Source is an enormous source of power that he lusts after.
After reverse-engineering the Mother Box, he discovered that the comics were correct; this thing did draw power from a powerful dimension or entity, but he did not dare search for it.
[The Presence] is the creator of the DC Universe and thus has transcended Tier 11; in other words, he's an entity that is at least Tier 12. Although he had previously fought God or Yahweh, that was on a different scale. Plus, he's unsure if they are the same entity despite the comics often claiming they are.
"It's unfortunate but not worth the risk," Edward shook his head. He decided to settle for the best thing — the Omega Effect or Darkseid's source of power. The Omega Effect allowed Darkseid to travel at will through space and time, so Edward knew it might be useful for his Time Game. Additionally, when he uses the Omega Beam, it can erase people from existence, similar to his power of destruction.
'If I remember correctly, Darkseid is a Tier 11 God but is stuck in a higher dimension and cannot interfere in the lower dimensions without using an avatar. While he's distracted with this invasion, I might be able to sneak into this dimension and steal a little bit of the Omega Effect."
After analyzing the situation, he decided to use one of his trump cards to ensure success: the False Multiverse Fail-Safe Plan. The idea is to use his Time Rule to summon time remnants of his floating city; he would summon the city from a second, two seconds, three seconds, and so on from the past until he has more than a million of them. Then, he would link these time remnants to the main floating city, thus achieving a temporary or false Tier 11.
According to past trials and errors, he will only have a very short window with that boosted power, and he needs to use it to steal some of the Omega Effect. As long as he prepares early on, this plan could succeed.
Edward did not waste time as he set up everything for his heist. Diana and the Justice League were busy preparing, he was also doing the same thing. So, three days later, things started.
Edward watched the battle in the mirror dimension, and every member brought their best. Superman did not have to hold back his strength and speed, and nor did the flash. Batman used his best exoskeleton suit, Green Lantern showed why the ring is known as one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, Aquaman could flood any area without any care, and Cyborg showed his technomancy capabilities while working in tandem with Batman. Lastly, Diana was a force of nature.
She had access to Edward's Virtual Reality headset for decades, allowing her to learn most of the Empire's martial arts and battle techniques. She also had his bracelet, which allowed her to wield Zeu's Divine Thunder, and she learned a great deal about Thunder Spells from the headset. Lastly, she somehow contacted Olympus after his absence and gained possession of her famous Bracelet of Submission/Bracelet of Victory, one of the few things in the universe capable of directly blocking Darkseid's Omega Beam.
"Not bad," he commented before proceeding with his plan. He calculated the best time before sprinting to action.
"ARGHHHHH. DISGUSTING MORTAL."
Those words reverberated in his mind as he escaped Darkseid's dimension with his prize. He wiped the blood dripping from his nose, "That went better than expected."
"Say that to yourself," complained Morgana. "See this?" She showed him a screen. "That screen echoed in countless timelines, possibly the entire multiverse."
"Did it break or affect anything?"
"No, but now, we definitely cannot say for long."
"Well, that was already the plan," said Edward, who immediately began to analyze the purple orb in his hand. The result was somewhat disappointing. The Omega Effect was a unique power that combined a little bit of the power of creation with mostly destruction.
Its ability to travel space and time is nothing more than destroying specific parts of the space-time continuum and forcefully creating tears that lead to any place or time. Such a power perfectly matched someone like Darkseid but was probably useless to his Time Game.
The good news is this thing did have some value. It was an excellent reference for his study of Void Energy, which also had both destruction and creation characteristics. Lastly, it also helped his Destruction Rule.
…
"Did you see my fight?" asked Diana, dressed casually as she sat in a booth at a diner.
"I did, and it was wonderful," replied Edward.
"Wonderful? That's all you have to say?"
"What else do you expect me to say?"
"Be a little more excited or impressed."
"What can I say? You guys barely destroyed the Solar System. To me, or even Darkseid, this level of a fight is now child play."
"Your dimension must be a nightmare for regular people."
"It is," nodded Edward. "Let's not talk about this. Tell me, what happened to you after I left?"
"Nothing exciting happened in the first few years as I listened to your advice and waited for the right time to become an ambassador in the world of men. It was quite difficult after seeing the atrocities of World War II, but I persevered.
"And when it was time, I did not even have to convince my mother as the Gods of Olympus contacted us and granted me these bracelets."
Edward looked at them; he could tell they were made similarly to the Lasso of Truth but also contained the [Guardian/Protection Authority].
"They told me to become their ambassador, and I answered their call."
"Did you even learn what had happened to them?"
"No, I only know something happened that affected all pantheons."
Edward nodded, thinking it was probably related to the Convergence.
"Once I joined the world, Clark, or Superman, had just begun to appear to the world. Soon afterward, there were more and more like-minded individuals, and we formed the Justice League to help people."
"You seem happy, I mean, happier than when we last saw each other."
"Well, I found a purpose to which I can dedicate my life, and I am very content with it."
"Yes, having a purpose can have this effect."
The two spent the next few days talking and rekindling their friendship. They traveled, talked, ate — and Diana asked for a rematch with the caveat Edward had to use the same tier as her. She lost, of course, but put on a great fight. Her talent for close combat is better than him, and her skills are now on par, if not better, after using the headset, but he still had thousands of years of experience above her.
Three days later, it was time for Edward to leave.
"Can't you stay a little longer?"
"Unfortunately, that's not possible," replied Edward.
"When will I see you again?" asked Diana. "I will see you again, right?"
"Maybe."
"Those are not reassuring words."
"I will be very busy. So you might see me in a few months, a few years, or never. As a dimensional traveler, time is not really a constraint for me."
"Your words are raising eyebrows," Diana said. "If you need help, say so, and I will not hesitate to offer it."
"I know, but there is no need for that," Edward replied before looking her in the eyes. "Bruce is a great guy; I have no doubt he can make you happy."
"So, you knew."
"My outburst was not simply because of how I personally feel about him."
"I did not take you for the jealousy type," she said with a smile.
"I have my low points. But what I said is true — he can make you happy."
"I don't know. He has always had reservations about our relationship because of our line of work. Plus, I couldn't stop thinking about your words."
"He can change," added Edward. "I've seen. After he surrounds himself with his adopted children — the Robins — he does change. At that point, you only need to see the right therapist, and he can overcome his trauma."
"Do you really think so?"
"I wouldn't say so otherwise," nodded Edward. "However, you should be wary of a woman named Talia Al Ghul."
"Why?"
"She has a son with Bruce named Damian, but he was not really a willing participant in the procreation process — if you know what I mean."
"So cruel?"
"I'm afraid so."
"I will be on the lookout."
"Good. One last thing in case we don't see each other again."
"Don't say that."
"Listen since it's important," said Edward in a serious tone. "The entire Multiverse is about to be forced into a war of unparalleled proportions. If you want to protect the people you love, become as powerful as possible."
Edward sighed deeply, "I want to say do whatever is necessary to acquire power, but I know this goes against your personality, so I won't embarrass myself. But you should understand my intention or the severity of the situation."
"A war? With whom? And when?" swiftly asked Diana.
"I don't know much, but what I do know, with your immortality, you will live to see it happen. Be prepared."
"I…understand."
Edward nodded, hugged, and kissed her on the cheek before hopping into his floating city and leaving for the void; his next destination was the Fate/Moon Universe.
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