章節 240: Chapter 240: A Gamble Whose Costs Far Exceed the Rewards
The vast wall of energy was slowly approaching the universe's reality.
Its terrifying presence instilled intense fear in all who witnessed it.
As the anti-matter energy wall neared the universe's reality, countless people on Earth saw the impending catastrophe.
"Oh my God! What is that?"
"Is it the Northern Lights?"
"Are you kidding me? There's no way that's the Northern Lights!"
At this moment, countless people looked up, eyes filled with disbelief as they gazed at the distant sky.
But soon, when the massive anti-matter energy finally reached the boundaries of reality, those who had been watching the sky in awe were horrified to realize the truth.
As the energy came into contact with reality, countless people who hadn't even had time to react, along with vast portions of the universe, were instantly and silently erased from existence by the advancing anti-matter force.
"Ah! What the hell is that thing?"
As the anti-matter energy consumed people and reality alike, some finally understood the gravity of the situation.
"Run! It's devouring everything!"
In an instant, what had been a peaceful Earth descended into absolute chaos.
People scrambled in panic, fleeing in every direction. Earth was filled with terrified screams and the sounds of frantic movement.
However, no matter how desperately they ran, none could escape their fate.
Wherever the anti-matter energy advanced, everything was swallowed in an instant.
Whether towering skyscrapers, speeding cars, or fleeing pedestrians—all were consumed the moment they touched the vast anti-matter wall.
The terrified cries of countless people were abruptly silenced, signaling that they had been entirely engulfed by the endless anti-matter energy.
The horrific scene caused by the advancing anti-matter was witnessed by Ultraman and his fellow Crime Syndicate members from a distance.
However, they were not heroes destined to save the world, and they had no intention of risking their lives to rescue the innocent humans, whom they viewed as mere ants.
"It seems those people already knew this would happen," they mused as they watched the Earth's reality being devoured by anti-matter energy.
Though they had no interest in saving innocent lives, they weren't entirely resigned to their fate either.
After all, to them, this universe and this Earth were their territory.
The anti-matter energy swallowing the Earth's reality was, in a sense, destroying their possessions.
"Boss, what should we do now?"
The Crime Syndicate members looked to their leader, Ultraman, awaiting his command as they watched the universe's reality get consumed by anti-matter.
"Hmph, no one can destroy my universe! Even if we face ultimate destruction, I will not back down!"
Ultraman's face remained cold as ever, but there was undeniable determination in his eyes.
Their universe would not fall to any external force.
With that bold declaration, Ultraman fearlessly soared into the sky, flying toward the enormous wall of energy looming in the distance.
The other members hesitated only briefly before following Ultraman's lead, rushing toward the rapidly approaching wall of energy.
They soon reached within a few hundred meters of the massive blue wall of anti-matter energy, which continued to close in on them at alarming speed.
Power Ring, a bald man wielding a power ring, immediately unleashed the full force of his weapon, summoning a dense green light from his ring.
A series of gigantic green nets formed, spreading out toward the distant anti-matter energy, trying to halt its advance.
But no matter how powerful the ring's energy was, it paled in comparison to the overwhelming force of the anti-matter wall.
In an instant, the nets were swallowed by the anti-matter energy without causing even the slightest ripple.
Power Ring couldn't believe his eyes. His energy constructs were utterly ineffective against the anti-matter.
Unwilling to accept this, he unleashed his ring's power again, this time with even more intensity.
Massive green fists shot toward the oncoming wall, as though he intended to shatter the anti-matter energy through sheer force.
Yet again, his efforts were in vain.
The anti-matter wall, like a monstrous cosmic beast devouring everything in its path, swallowed his attacks without hesitation, as though it could absorb any energy thrown at it.
"This... how is this possible?"
For the first time, Power Ring felt genuine shock.
He had never imagined that his power could do absolutely nothing to stop the advancing wall of energy.
"No, this can't be happening!"
As precious seconds passed, the anti-matter wall closed the remaining distance, now less than ten meters away.
It seemed inevitable that Power Ring would be completely consumed in moments.
Refusing to give up, Power Ring focused all his energy, creating an impenetrable barrier of green energy around himself.
To him, this fortress of light was so strong that even his leader, Ultraman, would struggle to break through it.
But his hopes were dashed.
As soon as the anti-matter wall touched his barrier, it shattered like fragile glass, crumbling instantly.
In the blink of an eye, both the barrier and Power Ring himself were utterly consumed by the anti-matter wall, leaving no trace behind.
...
"Power Ring!"
"Damn it!" Superwoman cursed in anger as she watched Power Ring, the first to attack, be effortlessly swallowed by the anti-matter energy wall.
Superwoman's fury ignited instantly. She quickly scanned her surroundings and saw the abandoned cars littering the area.
Without hesitation, she unleashed her incredible strength, lifting a multi-ton car with one hand and hurling it toward the approaching anti-matter energy wall.
However, just like Power Ring's attempt, her efforts made no impact on the anti-matter energy, not even causing a ripple.
Unwilling to accept this reality, Superwoman burst into action, moving with lightning speed. She grabbed car after car, tossing them like they were weightless, launching them toward the anti-matter wall in rapid succession.
Yet, her immense power proved utterly useless; the cars were consumed by the energy wall with no effect whatsoever.
"Damn it, I'm Superwoman!" she roared, enraged that her strength could not make a difference.
In a fit of fury, Superwoman charged directly at the anti-matter wall, paying no mind to her own safety. As she neared the massive energy barrier, she raised her hands, slamming her wrists together with incredible force.
Boom!
Her divine power exploded outward, a force strong enough to repel even Ultraman. Yet, even this terrifying power couldn't slow or harm the anti-matter wall.
The energy wall showed no signs of stopping. In disbelief, Superwoman's eyes widened as the anti-matter energy swallowed her whole, erasing her existence in an instant.
...
A short while earlier, when the others charged toward the anti-matter wall, Owlman—lacking superpowers—had not joined them. Instead, he stood in an open area and summoned his backup: an advanced, high-tech aircraft.
Climbing into the cockpit, Owlman took off, piloting the craft toward the distant blue wall of anti-matter. As he flew, he witnessed the defeat of two of his teammates, watching as they were consumed by the anti-matter.
With his sharp intellect, Owlman quickly realized that no matter where he fled in this universe, the anti-matter energy would eventually catch up to him. There was no escape.
Resolute, he decided to confront the energy head-on. Steering his aircraft toward the anti-matter wall, Owlman launched every missile and heat-based weapon the jet carried.
However, the missiles, which would normally detonate upon impact, disappeared the moment they touched the anti-matter energy, swallowed whole without so much as a whimper. Even the other heat-based weapons proved useless.
In mere moments, all of his attacks had failed, and his jet was left with no more offensive weapons.
No, that wasn't true—there was still one weapon left.
A thought flashed through Owlman's mind. He remembered that his aircraft carried one more form of attack.
That was…
Without hesitation, he reached for a hidden button on the control panel. The button was marked with a skull symbol, a clear indication of the danger it represented.
Owlman pressed it without a second thought, and then aimed his jet directly at the anti-matter wall.
As his aircraft sped toward the energy barrier, an explosion erupted—one as powerful as a nuclear bomb.
The fierce flames burned like a radiant star, and a massive mushroom cloud of fire and light began to form.
But just as quickly, everything came to an abrupt halt. The explosion's vast energy was frozen mid-action, as if time itself had stopped.
The catastrophic force of the blast was easily consumed by the anti-matter energy, half of its destructive power never even having a chance to fully manifest before it was entirely absorbed, leaving no trace behind.
...
"A nuclear bomb… it really can't stop the anti-matter energy?"
In the distance, the massive explosion naturally drew the attention of the Justice League. They were fully aware that they had used a nuclear bomb in an attempt to stop the anti-matter energy.
Even though they had anticipated it, the reality of humanity's most powerful weapon—the nuclear bomb—being ineffective against a threat capable of destroying the multiverse was a hard truth to accept.
But now, as it unfolded before their eyes, they still found it difficult to stay calm in the face of such a terrifying reality.
"Alright, we can cross that solution off the list for future attempts…" one of them remarked, though the light tone did little to mask the heaviness they all felt in their hearts.
For they knew, this was a lesson learned at the cost of an entire universe and countless lives.
"Alright, everyone, let's not dwell in sorrow any longer," Batman said, his voice grave but steady.
"Yes, we've paid a heavy price, but what we're doing now is to prevent more tragedies like this from happening. If we continue our efforts and stay on course, then in the future, we can avoid more disasters like this one."
Batman glanced one last time at the distant scene, then addressed the group with a weighty tone.
"I hope everything goes smoothly this time. I can no longer bear to witness this kind of destruction before my eyes, while feeling utterly powerless to stop it," Superman added, his own heart heavy with grief.
If it were up to him, he would never again want to see the reality of a universe being annihilated before his eyes. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop it now.
"Everyone, the anti-matter energy is about to arrive. We need to leave!"
By this point, they had completed the installation of their device. It was time to leave this doomed universe before it was completely consumed.
"Alright, I don't have the heart to watch this inevitable destruction," someone sighed, and with heavy reluctance, the team was forced to leave the reality of this universe behind.
One by one, they entered the time-space portal, returning to their own universe. In the now-abandoned universe, only a few special devices remained—along with a giant tuning fork that stood tall, reaching toward the sky.
"Has everyone returned? We need to make sure we didn't leave anyone behind in that other universe!"
After returning to their original universe, they did a headcount to ensure that no one had been accidentally left to perish in the doomed universe.
Fortunately, no one was missing.
"Barry, it's all up to you now," Batman said, his expression serious as he looked at the Flash.
"You must close the time-space portal the very moment the anti-matter energy wall reaches the tuning fork device. If you fail, the anti-matter energy—capable of destroying everything—could pass through the portal into our universe, wiping out our reality."
Batman knew very well that they were gambling with their actions. If they failed, the consequences would be catastrophic. And even if they succeeded, the reward might not be as great as the risk.
But for the sake of all the other infinite universes, they had no choice but to take this gamble. Even if the cost outweighed the potential gain, they had to try.
Because from this moment onward, they could not allow more universes to be swallowed before their eyes.
...
(End of Chapter)
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