บท 169: Chapter 169: Apocalypse
[Anthony's POV]
The world we found ourselves in was quite dark.
It's the version of the world I feared and desperately wanted to prevent from happening to my own.
In this universe, the Justice League had lost to Darkseid, and no one in the universe could stop him anymore.
It took the Lantern Corps from Oa all they could do to slow him down.
The Justice League's primary task is to protect Earth, but their role is crucial on a cosmic scale.
The more mature version of the League had been stopping various threats capable of destroying worlds and even universes.
However, Darkseid got lucky.
Superman and the rest of the League discussed how to attack Apokolips.
However, Darkseid could hear what they were saying through Cyborg who had merged with a Mother Box that the New God could access.
Then they found an army of Paradoom genetically mixed with Superman's DNA when they got to Apokolips.
Darkseid's army possessed truly terrifying power.
These Paradooms were a weakened version of Doomsday, but there were thousands of them.
These creatures were not as strong as Doomsday or Superman.
They did not possess such reactive adaptability, but they were still extremely dangerous.
After the League's defeat, Darkseid didn't kill them but corrupted and twisted their soul to force them to serve him as if mocking them.
Superman had his symbol cut into his chest with molten kryptonite, stripping him of his powers.
Batman now serves as Darkseid's personal assistant.
On Earth, a resistance was organized by unusual people like Clark and Lois Lane, who were both powerless and couldn't do anything.
Additionally, there was the Suicide Squad, a collection of various former villains of this world.
These villains were frozen and unable to move because of my magic.
What amused me most was the dumbfounded expression on John Constantine's face when I used Zatanna's magic... and in this world, she was his lover.
"Well, well... who might you be?"
Harley Quinn asked in a cheerful tone. She couldn't move a finger, but she could still talk.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."
A young, dark-haired girl said with an exhausted look, but her energy indicated she was the strongest here.
If I wasn't mistaken, this was Raven, who was containing her father—Trigon... well, a version of him.
After these words, she was momentarily enveloped in dark energy, which extended to her allies, Constantine, Clark, Robin, and Lois.
"I advise you not to move."
Winter said coldly, and a sigil appeared beneath them, freezing their feet to the floor with a layer of ice.
"Clark?"
Lena recognized our friend.
"But this is a different Clark… Why are his eyes green?"
"Relax, we come in peace. We just didn't expect to be surrounded by those considered enemies in our world. Oh, I recently beat you up in my world."
I smirked, looking at Black Manta.
"And your daddy."
I added, glancing at King Shark.
"King Shark?"
King Shark is not exactly known for his intellect.
"Brother…"
Lena covered her face, seemingly embarrassed by my words.
"So, they're not enemies?"
Hermione asked, still ready to cast spells capable of leveling a medium-sized city.
"In this world, they all work together. Right?"
I looked at Constantine.
"Ahem, so you're from a different version of our planet?"
He realized.
"And here I was, preparing myself for a fight… or death."
He chuckled while lighting a cigarette, and Harley looked sad.
"So, what the hell are you doing in this half-dead world?"
"We came to help. After all, you're trying to save the world here, and even you… whoever you are, you look like an ordinary drunk."
Rias said, looking disdainfully at him. She didn't like his attitude towards us.
"That's hurtful, sweetheart."
He smirked while eyeing her figure.
"I am drunk only because the world is such, not I."
He said as if in defense.
"You're always like this."
Raven commented, looking at him and clearly not believing his excuse.
"We appreciate any help, it's just…"
"We can't trust some strangers who claim they want to help."
Robin stated while stepping forward as if to shield his girlfriend… and beloved.
It's Damian Wayne, Bruce's biological son instead of Dick Grayson.
In this world, the Justice League was formed long ago and has been known to the world for about ten years.
"Hmm, we're here to help, and they..."
Erina whispered and crossed her arms under her chest.
She looked at the faces of some of the villains with a certain disgust.
They didn't look particularly good.
"Do you know me?"
Clark asked while taking a few steps toward us.
Raven's magic had also freed him.
"Hey? Maybe you could free us too? No? Well, alright… We're being ignored..."
Harley said, but Shinoa responded with an understanding smile.
"Yes, Smallville, we know you."
I smirked at him.
"We're friends with Clark on our Earth."
Lena explained, looking at the brand on his chest with pity.
"Why should we believe you? You're strangers."
Robin said bluntly.
"We already lost because of your faith in people, Clark. There won't be a second time. We can't trust strangers..."
"You're quite the harsh Robin, aren't you?"
I smirked, and everyone here felt a heavy presence the next moment.
"But I don't care whether you like it or not. We came to help and will help, whether you want it or not. I couldn't care less about your objections."
"Attaboy!"
Shinoa jumped.
"That was extremely rude, but we came to help and not to beg for the chance to offer help."
Winter stated.
"Wait, he... he's just been through a lot."
Lois stepped forward.
"We won't refuse help, but after everything we've been through..."
"That's why we want to help without asking for anything in return."
Hermione said.
Robin had clearly irked her when he reminded her of her own past stubbornness and certainty in her ideals.
"Alright... help is good."
Constantine raised his hands.
"But why is there a demon with you?"
He pointed at Rias.
"I have the same question for you."
I threw back at Raven and then looked at Etrigan who was indeed present.
"Touche."
Constantine smirked.
"So... how do you know mnemonic magic?"
"In my world, I learned it from Zatanna."
I said that and saw Constantine flinch slightly at her name.
"I see... hmm, then welcome, new cannon fodder. You couldn't sit still on your own Earth, huh..."
He muttered.
"I'm Lois Lane, but as I understand, you already know me."
She stepped forward.
"Rias Gremory."
Rias nodded.
"Shinoa."
Shinoa said curtly, still holding her scythe.
"Hermione Granger."
Hermione introduced herself.
"Erina..."
Erina reluctantly muttered her name.
"Winter Schnee, pleased to meet... some of you."
Winter gushed.
"I'm Lena Luthor. It's nice to meet you..."
Lena greeted them and...
"Luthor?!"
Robin flared up.
"Especially her! She can't be trusted!"
He pointed a finger at my sister.
"Hey, calm down, or you'll lose that finger."
I told him as magical chains appeared around him to bind him in less than a second.
"I'm Anthony Luthor, pleased to meet you. From what I know, there's a Lex Luthor in your world, and you're not on the best terms with him, right?"
"He agreed to work for Darkseid... he was always a treacherous piece of..."
Raven covered Robin's mouth, but everyone understood anyway, and my chains disappeared.
"Well, on our version of Earth, he's dead."
I shrugged.
"So, let's discuss our strategy to defeat... wait, are they draining magma from the Earth?"
I raised an eyebrow when tuning into my senses.
"You're strong."
Etrigan The Demon suddenly spoke up.
He stood behind Constantine while looking at us.
"Heh, this should be interesting..."
"In my world, I sent you to hell. What's wrong with hell here?"
I asked him.
"It's boring there, more fun here."
Etrigan shrugged.
The Etrigan I remembered was a strong demon emanating various negative emotions and a dark, demonic aura.
This one seemed like a slightly lighter and weary version that enjoyed getting drunk.
"Ah... no... I won't allow it..."
Raven clutched her head.
I could sense a powerful demon connected to her.
More precisely, he was trapped inside her, or rather trapped in a domain directly linked to her especially to the crystal on her forehead.
"Are you okay?"
Robin asked with concern when gently touching her shoulder.
"Y-yes... he... he says he feels someone strong..."
She gulped, not referring to Shinoa's previous form.
"He... wants to kill everyone..."
"A typical demon."
I commented while receiving a few disapproving looks from Robin.
"What? Alright, let's move somewhere away from all these villains, or I might lose it and kill them..."
I looked at Lois, who nodded and led us to another room, accompanied by Harley's comments.
In the other room, we shared more about ourselves and our mission.
"Are you saying there's some sort of interdimensional employer who wants you to help our world?"
Constantine raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I've heard more ridiculous excuses."
He accepted it at face value.
"We still can't..."
Damian tried to object.
"Calm down, kid. You need to know when to retreat."
An irritated Contastine interrupted.
"He's not lying..."
He pulled out an artifact shaped like a wand, which immediately burned up.
"At least he believes what he's saying... and he's a god."
"What?"
Clark blinked in surprise.
"What? Is the Kryptonite messing with your brain?"
Constantine replied.
"He's a god now... so having a full-fledged god on our side means our chances are not zero, which is good news."
"Do you wanna explain in more detail what exactly happened in your world? We know some information, but not everything."
Lena asked, clearly intrigued.
"Sure thing, sweetheart..."
John waved his hand, and their group recounted a more comprehensive version of the events.
They spoke about the Olympian gods who fled to a parallel universe after some of them were killed by Darkseid's children... quite a grim situation they had here.
The Olympian gods inherently served the purpose of protecting the planet.
Their departure left Earth with fewer defenders against Darkseid, and even other magicians likely fled to other worlds to avoid encountering the New God.
Humanity has struggled to survive as best it can for the past two years.
Lex Luthor had sided with Darkseid and acted as a mediator for Earth while obeying every command of the New God.
Currently, he was busy extracting magma from the Earth's depths for Apokolips, effectively harming the planet itself.
They had no choice, and some people still didn't trust us.
It was either accepting our help or facing dire consequences.
Clark Kent no longer possessed his powers due to the Kryptonite mark on his chest.
The others simply didn't have enough strength, but even so, they weren't giving up and were determined to fight back.
Their plan was relatively straightforward.
The machines extracting magma for Darkseid were located in the Congo, China, and off the coast of England.
The rebels intended to attack these sites to draw the attention of Darkseid's army, specifically the Parademons.
Meanwhile, another group planned to infiltrate Apokolips and detonate the planet by overloading its energy generator.
"The entire plan is built on speculation and hope."
Winter remarked.
"We simply don't have a better plan."
Lois shrugged, having taken on the role of commander for one of the rebel groups.
"Then let's improve our odds."
I said, looking at Clark.
"Come over here."
"I..."
He furrowed his brow, looking into my eyes as if trying to see something.
We had been in different groups up until that point. They were confused when he approached me anyway.
"Smallville, I've told this to Batman, and I'll say it to you. Don't get used to me constantly cleaning up after you."
I said.
At that same moment, my eyes lit up brightly, and Clark gritted his teeth.
The flesh around the Kryptonite mark began to deteriorate, as did the Kryptonite itself.
I quickly removed the green crystal from Superman's body, and he fell to the ground, breathing hard.
"What have you..."
Robin tried to say as Clark got up and began touching his chest, as if not believing what had just happened.
"I feel... strength..."
Clark took a big breath in for the first time in two years.
"Even better chances now."
Constantine nodded as if nothing supernatural had occurred.
It was indeed strange that they couldn't help Clark themselves as magicians.
However, it made sense that no one could help him since almost everyone had left the planet.
...
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