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Chapter 566: Now You Can Die in Peace
"How interesting. The more you study it, the closer you get to Rao," Steppenwolf said.
"Then let him come. He is unworthy of being the Sun God. The sun grants life, but his reason for granting life is destruction." Tony stared intently at Steppenwolf, a fierce glint in his eyes. "But now, you can't escape. I'm going to chop off your head and add it to my collection. I'm sure that fellow, Collector Tivan, would also be very interested in your head. He has a unique fondness for rare species."
As he spoke, Tony opened his hand. Three boxes suddenly appeared in the center of his palm, then slowly grew until they became three black cubes adorned with strange carvings.
"You said you killed Bronze Superman and chopped off his head. It would be quite interesting, then, if I chopped off yours. Who knows, maybe one day I'll set foot on Apokolips and return your head to you."
Tony sneered. The three Mother Boxes floated before him, rotating at a steady, obedient pace.
Steppenwolf's expression was incredibly grim. "How are you controlling the Mother Boxes? They are technological creations of Apokolips!"
After a pause, Tony said slowly, "Would you believe me if I said it's based on my mood?"
"You're courting death!"
A ferocious look flashed across Steppenwolf's face. He roared, his face filled with the rage of being humiliated.
Across all of Apokolips, after countless eons, only four Mother Boxes were ever created!
Yet three of them were now easily controlled by this lowly human before him. This was a colossal humiliation to the technological might of Apokolips.
Especially when Steppenwolf tried to seize control of the Mother Boxes and was actually rejected!
He, Steppenwolf! The second-in-command of Apokolips! Wielder of authority second only to Darkseid!
He was actually rejected by his own Mother Boxes!
What an utter disgrace!
On Steppenwolf's sinister face, a bone-chilling killing intent was exposed. An unprecedentedly vast energy surged forth from his body. The rubble across the entire land began to pulverize under this power, then slowly levitated.
A doomsday-like scene swept over everything.
At that moment, Superman slowly got to his feet, letting out a blood-curdling scream. His physical features began to warp and change. His eyes turned blood-red, and black keratinous growths erupted from his wounds. But each time this happened, Superman would roar in agony, suppressing the mutation with his formidable willpower and returning to normal.
The cycle repeated.
A massive beam of Heat Vision, carrying ten times its previous impact force and temperature, slammed into Steppenwolf. Superman roared, unleashing all his pain and newfound power upon his enemy.
Tony tilted his head to look at him, then turned back and said faintly, "Calm down, Clark. Over-expending your energy will dramatically accelerate your genetic mutation. You won't be able to change back then."
Inside Clark's body, his genetic chain was undergoing a terrifying transformation. Countless latent genes were being activated, while a large number of genes useless for increasing strength and survival were being brutally culled by the Doomsday Virus.
As he spoke, Tony waved his hand and said to Stephen, "Get them out of here. Leave as quickly as possible."
"Be careful," Stephen said, looking disheveled. He ran a hand through his messy hair, spoke the hurried words, and then quickly created a portal. He moved the constantly mutating and recovering Superman through it, followed by Shou-Lao, Diana, and the others.
Soon, only Tony and Steppenwolf remained in the area.
Before Steppenwolf could speak, Tony said earnestly, "You guessed right. This is the grave I've prepared for you."
Steppenwolf's entire face turned beet-red. He gripped his battle-axe tightly as immense divine power pulsed violently from it. Countless energy particles collided with one another, erupting with an aftershock more astonishing than nuclear fusion.
For a truly supreme god, flicking away an atom to destroy a universe is just a routine affair.
Although this current Steppenwolf clone was far weaker than his true form, as a level-seven being, he still possessed enough power to destroy everything within the comprehension of mortals.
But unfortunately for him, he was facing Tony, who also possessed level-seven combat power.
The two figures slammed into each other. The massive shockwave caused the ground to cave in by several hundred meters. The violent magma below, subjected to sudden pressure from above, erupted frantically after a few seconds of silence.
Like geysers, pillars of viscous red fire brutally burst through the surface one after another. The ground, impacted by the powerful magma, developed even more fine rifts. Terrifying magma plumes, dozens of meters long, dyed the sky red.
A roaring rain of lava hammered the ground, accentuating the two figures locked in a frenzied battle.
At their incredible speed, countless phantoms of Tony and Steppenwolf appeared. Each paused phantom was a lingering remnant of their clash.
All the free-floating particles in the air were utterly annihilated, turning the area into a true vacuum, for no particle could hope to survive in the presence of two level-seven powerhouses.
Tony's face was cold, ignoring the downpour of magma. Seated upon the Mobius Chair, his expression remained indifferent.
"You should be grateful, Steppenwolf, that I want to chop off your head to get some payback for my men, rather than just throwing you back to Apokolips."
Tony's face was grim, his expression shifting slightly to become a bit more irritable.
"Those brainless, single-minded fools. You beat them so badly, I have to pay you back tenfold!"
Tony maneuvered the chair, and dozens of massive beams of white light shot out, blasting Steppenwolf away. The immense inertia sent Steppenwolf flying off the ground.
Immediately after, Tony, still on his chair, instantly appeared above Steppenwolf's body and smashed down hard. At the same time, he thrust out his hands, and a portal opened just in time beneath Steppenwolf, swiftly swallowing them both.
The fierce battlefield was reduced to scorched earth. The acrid smell of devastation silently recounted what had just transpired here. The people who witnessed this scene let out a long sigh of relief.
"He's going to win, right?"
"Of course, Tony has never lost." Someone comforted others while also comforting themselves. On faces pale with fear, cold sweat beaded. Witnessing such a terrifying battle firsthand had shattered the worldview of the people on Earth.
So this is the kind of monster Tony has been fighting all along?!
...
The portal slowly closed. On the other side, darkness filled the view.
The Dark Dimension.
With a flash of white light, Tony pursued Steppenwolf's continuously drifting body, leaving a long white trail in this pitch-black world, like a brilliant meteor in the night sky.
"I have great use for these three Mother Boxes, so I can't return them to you just yet."
Tony took a heavy blow from Steppenwolf's axe and said with a sneer, "After you die, have your true form tell Darkseid that what he's looking for might be in the Anti-Matter Universe. Darkseid will understand what I'm talking about."
"Consider this information my payment for borrowing the Mother Boxes. After all, Darkseid's countless clones are already running around like headless chickens; one more tip from me won't make much difference."
Tony looked at Steppenwolf's flickering gaze and scoffed, "Now you can die in peace!"
As for whether Steppenwolf would ultimately remain loyal to Darkseid—whether he would choose to secretly seize the Anti-Life Equation for himself or faithfully report the information—that was no longer a problem Tony needed to worry about.
(end of chapter)
"How interesting. The more you study it, the closer you get to Rao," Steppenwolf said.
"Then let him come. He is unworthy of being the Sun God. The sun grants life, but his reason for granting life is destruction." Tony stared intently at Steppenwolf, a fierce glint in his eyes. "But now, you can't escape. I'm going to chop off your head and add it to my collection. I'm sure that fellow, Collector Tivan, would also be very interested in your head. He has a unique fondness for rare species."
As he spoke, Tony opened his hand. Three boxes suddenly appeared in the center of his palm, then slowly grew until they became three black cubes adorned with strange carvings.
"You said you killed Bronze Superman and chopped off his head. It would be quite interesting, then, if I chopped off yours. Who knows, maybe one day I'll set foot on Apokolips and return your head to you."
Tony sneered. The three Mother Boxes floated before him, rotating at a steady, obedient pace.
Steppenwolf's expression was incredibly grim. "How are you controlling the Mother Boxes? They are technological creations of Apokolips!"
After a pause, Tony said slowly, "Would you believe me if I said it's based on my mood?"
"You're courting death!"
A ferocious look flashed across Steppenwolf's face. He roared, his face filled with the rage of being humiliated.
Across all of Apokolips, after countless eons, only four Mother Boxes were ever created!
Yet three of them were now easily controlled by this lowly human before him. This was a colossal humiliation to the technological might of Apokolips.
Especially when Steppenwolf tried to seize control of the Mother Boxes and was actually rejected!
He, Steppenwolf! The second-in-command of Apokolips! Wielder of authority second only to Darkseid!
He was actually rejected by his own Mother Boxes!
What an utter disgrace!
On Steppenwolf's sinister face, a bone-chilling killing intent was exposed. An unprecedentedly vast energy surged forth from his body. The rubble across the entire land began to pulverize under this power, then slowly levitated.
A doomsday-like scene swept over everything.
At that moment, Superman slowly got to his feet, letting out a blood-curdling scream. His physical features began to warp and change. His eyes turned blood-red, and black keratinous growths erupted from his wounds. But each time this happened, Superman would roar in agony, suppressing the mutation with his formidable willpower and returning to normal.
The cycle repeated.
A massive beam of Heat Vision, carrying ten times its previous impact force and temperature, slammed into Steppenwolf. Superman roared, unleashing all his pain and newfound power upon his enemy.
Tony tilted his head to look at him, then turned back and said faintly, "Calm down, Clark. Over-expending your energy will dramatically accelerate your genetic mutation. You won't be able to change back then."
Inside Clark's body, his genetic chain was undergoing a terrifying transformation. Countless latent genes were being activated, while a large number of genes useless for increasing strength and survival were being brutally culled by the Doomsday Virus.
As he spoke, Tony waved his hand and said to Stephen, "Get them out of here. Leave as quickly as possible."
"Be careful," Stephen said, looking disheveled. He ran a hand through his messy hair, spoke the hurried words, and then quickly created a portal. He moved the constantly mutating and recovering Superman through it, followed by Shou-Lao, Diana, and the others.
Soon, only Tony and Steppenwolf remained in the area.
Before Steppenwolf could speak, Tony said earnestly, "You guessed right. This is the grave I've prepared for you."
Steppenwolf's entire face turned beet-red. He gripped his battle-axe tightly as immense divine power pulsed violently from it. Countless energy particles collided with one another, erupting with an aftershock more astonishing than nuclear fusion.
For a truly supreme god, flicking away an atom to destroy a universe is just a routine affair.
Although this current Steppenwolf clone was far weaker than his true form, as a level-seven being, he still possessed enough power to destroy everything within the comprehension of mortals.
But unfortunately for him, he was facing Tony, who also possessed level-seven combat power.
The two figures slammed into each other. The massive shockwave caused the ground to cave in by several hundred meters. The violent magma below, subjected to sudden pressure from above, erupted frantically after a few seconds of silence.
Like geysers, pillars of viscous red fire brutally burst through the surface one after another. The ground, impacted by the powerful magma, developed even more fine rifts. Terrifying magma plumes, dozens of meters long, dyed the sky red.
A roaring rain of lava hammered the ground, accentuating the two figures locked in a frenzied battle.
At their incredible speed, countless phantoms of Tony and Steppenwolf appeared. Each paused phantom was a lingering remnant of their clash.
All the free-floating particles in the air were utterly annihilated, turning the area into a true vacuum, for no particle could hope to survive in the presence of two level-seven powerhouses.
Tony's face was cold, ignoring the downpour of magma. Seated upon the Mobius Chair, his expression remained indifferent.
"You should be grateful, Steppenwolf, that I want to chop off your head to get some payback for my men, rather than just throwing you back to Apokolips."
Tony's face was grim, his expression shifting slightly to become a bit more irritable.
"Those brainless, single-minded fools. You beat them so badly, I have to pay you back tenfold!"
Tony maneuvered the chair, and dozens of massive beams of white light shot out, blasting Steppenwolf away. The immense inertia sent Steppenwolf flying off the ground.
Immediately after, Tony, still on his chair, instantly appeared above Steppenwolf's body and smashed down hard. At the same time, he thrust out his hands, and a portal opened just in time beneath Steppenwolf, swiftly swallowing them both.
The fierce battlefield was reduced to scorched earth. The acrid smell of devastation silently recounted what had just transpired here. The people who witnessed this scene let out a long sigh of relief.
"He's going to win, right?"
"Of course, Tony has never lost." Someone comforted others while also comforting themselves. On faces pale with fear, cold sweat beaded. Witnessing such a terrifying battle firsthand had shattered the worldview of the people on Earth.
So this is the kind of monster Tony has been fighting all along?!
...
The portal slowly closed. On the other side, darkness filled the view.
The Dark Dimension.
With a flash of white light, Tony pursued Steppenwolf's continuously drifting body, leaving a long white trail in this pitch-black world, like a brilliant meteor in the night sky.
"I have great use for these three Mother Boxes, so I can't return them to you just yet."
Tony took a heavy blow from Steppenwolf's axe and said with a sneer, "After you die, have your true form tell Darkseid that what he's looking for might be in the Anti-Matter Universe. Darkseid will understand what I'm talking about."
"Consider this information my payment for borrowing the Mother Boxes. After all, Darkseid's countless clones are already running around like headless chickens; one more tip from me won't make much difference."
Tony looked at Steppenwolf's flickering gaze and scoffed, "Now you can die in peace!"
As for whether Steppenwolf would ultimately remain loyal to Darkseid—whether he would choose to secretly seize the Anti-Life Equation for himself or faithfully report the information—that was no longer a problem Tony needed to worry about.
(end of chapter)
