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Dark Superman's hair was disheveled, his armor shattered, and his body bathed in blood, making him look like a malevolent spirit. The hole in his chest, blasted open by Tony's punch, was slowly recovering, large patches of grotesque granulation tissue wriggling as they desperately tried to mend the wounds.
This favored son from Apokolips, who, as an adopted son, had powerfully suppressed Darkseid's two biological sons, had suffered a crushing defeat.
He had come from Apokolips, lofty and arrogant, harboring the ambition to become a Singular God to aid his father in conquering the Sphere of the Gods, only to lose everything.
He even lost the last Mother Box stored on Apokolips, handing it over to Tony and granting Tony the power to slaughter everything.
Irritable and prone to anger, arrogant and conceited, narrow-minded, and lacking experience...
From the moment he gained memory, Dark Superman had undergone Darkseid's brutal training. In terms of strength, Dark Superman was not lacking; in cruel temperament, he was equally adept; and regarding potential and aptitude, being chosen by Darkseid spoke for itself... but his extremely limited life experience severely constrained his willpower.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood spread out, a ravaged universe, and the surging Blood Realm energy pouring in, driving the universe beneath their feet towards destruction.
The one he had regarded as an ant had already become a Singular God. Once he fully merged with the Source and solidified his godhead, everything would conclude.
No, it should be said that it was already over. That ant had become a giant beast, one he needed to look up to.
Even if Tony were to suffer grievous injuries or even die in battle, he had already far surpassed the arrogant Dark Superman.
This was something Dark Superman found difficult to accept. He watched everything with a blank stare.
"Not dead yet? I truly have you to thank for willingly delivering the Mother Box, saving me a lot of trouble..." Tony took a step. The instant he left the Mother Box Barrier, the Mobius Chair instantly appeared beneath his feet, and Tony settled perfectly and steadily into the chair.
The chair's condition wasn't great either; it was very weak, its energy excessively depleted, and it had sustained considerable damage. However, none of this stopped it from fawning over Tony.
What was a little damage? Clinging tightly to the leg of a Singular God, everything would come to it – materials, and even the advanced knowledge it could never hope to attain.
"You're not a bad person, just a bit foolish. Darkseid trained you into a weapon, not a man," Tony said slowly, looking down at the expressionless Dark Superman.
Dark Superman didn't respond, utterly numb.
Had this been a short while ago, if Tony dared to comment on his adoptive father with such a casual tone, Dark Superman would undoubtedly have fought him to the death, regardless of the consequences.
But now, it all felt pointless.
A Singular God evaluating another Singular God – was there a problem with that?
No.
On the contrary, if he were to still rage and attack, completely unaware of his own limitations, that would be truly nonsensical.
"If I kill you, I'll have completed my goal of killing half. Two thousand one hundred and forty-one, plus you, makes exactly half."
Many clever individuals had already fled when Tony went mad. Some lucky ones miraculously survived, hiding far away and trembling, only hoping Tony would keep his promise and spare them.
Tony looked down with indifference. Behind him, the massive Mother Box slowly drew closer, its complex black metallic runic patterns subtly shifting as it aimed at Dark Superman.
Everything was about to end.
"Wait! Great New God, please wait!"
Just then, a figure suddenly crossed space-time and arrived, appearing before Dark Superman.
A blue battle suit, a red cape – this was also a Superman Doppelgänger.
This was Silver Superman.
Tony raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look at Steppenwolf, whose expression had long since returned to calm. "I thought you'd be the first to step out and stop me. By seniority, aren't you Dark Superman's grandfather?"
"So what? The law of the jungle is Apokolips's rule. This idiot made a huge mistake; it's only natural if he dies," Steppenwolf said expressionlessly, casting a cold glance at Dark Superman.
Although Steppenwolf knew very well that even if Dark Superman hadn't delivered the last Mother Box, Tony, wielding the Plot Gem, would still have been capable of overcoming the threshold of ascension; the process would merely have been more strenuous.
How could a Mother Box be matched by a mere Plot Gem? Even Apokolips hadn't fully uncovered the secrets within the Mother Box.
Dark Superman silently licked his wounds, cruelly looking at Silver Superman, who stood in front of him. Suddenly, he let out a strange laugh: "Get lost. I don't need your pity, you defeated fool. Aren't you going to hide and recover from your injuries, or do you want me to kill you again?"
Silver Superman's face darkened. He punched Dark Superman in the face, creating an even larger rift and wound in his already fragile skull, and roared, "Shut up, you bastard! If it weren't for Golden Superman, I would never have come looking for you!"
Last time, Silver Superman had intruded into the Sphere of the Gods and was attacked by the Apokolips Legion, led by Dark Superman. After a fierce battle, he was forced to flee in disarray, barely escaping with his life.
But this time, Golden Superman had pleaded with him to save Dark Superman and find a way to draw Dark Superman into their faction.
Silver Superman raged, "Among my many Doppelgängers, there are the overly compassionate, demons, heroes, criminals, the mild-mannered, and the monstrously evil... but absolutely not one has ever defected to Darkseid! You are an insult to the name of Superman!"
Dark Superman scoffed, bothered not to respond, and looked back at Tony.
"You're nearly successful. Why don't you kill me to fill your godhead?" Dark Superman asked indifferently.
"Killing you or not no longer has any effect on my Source. I don't need to stuff it with messy garbage; that would only defile my Source," Tony said calmly.
Silver Superman looked gratefully at Tony. "Thank you, New God. I send Golden Superman's regards."
Tony was noncommittal: "Is this Golden Superman's stance, or the Fifth Dimension's?"
"Both."
"Understood," Tony nodded.
Dark Superman took one last deep look at Tony, then remained silent. Silver Superman viciously punched Dark Superman in the back of the head. Energy powerful enough to destroy a single universe surged through Dark Superman's brain, sending him into a brief coma.
With a whoosh, Silver Superman gestured to Tony, then swiftly departed.
"Why didn't you stop them? You have a good relationship with those special Superman doppelgängers?" Steppenwolf asked calmly, approaching without hesitation, his axe slung over his shoulder.
"This is our first meeting. I just suddenly found it interesting. Who knows, maybe Golden Superman and Silver Superman can brainwash Dark Superman? Then it'll be Apokolips's turn to get a headache."
"You're thinking too much. Darkseid already has Dark Superman completely under his thumb; he has countless ways to deal with him."
Steppenwolf gave a cold snort, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, as if in sarcasm or perhaps self-mockery.
"Now, let's discuss the deal between you and me. My words remain the same: as long as you join my Apokolips, nothing will be a problem," Steppenwolf said in a deep voice.
(end of chapter)
This favored son from Apokolips, who, as an adopted son, had powerfully suppressed Darkseid's two biological sons, had suffered a crushing defeat.
He had come from Apokolips, lofty and arrogant, harboring the ambition to become a Singular God to aid his father in conquering the Sphere of the Gods, only to lose everything.
He even lost the last Mother Box stored on Apokolips, handing it over to Tony and granting Tony the power to slaughter everything.
Irritable and prone to anger, arrogant and conceited, narrow-minded, and lacking experience...
From the moment he gained memory, Dark Superman had undergone Darkseid's brutal training. In terms of strength, Dark Superman was not lacking; in cruel temperament, he was equally adept; and regarding potential and aptitude, being chosen by Darkseid spoke for itself... but his extremely limited life experience severely constrained his willpower.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood spread out, a ravaged universe, and the surging Blood Realm energy pouring in, driving the universe beneath their feet towards destruction.
The one he had regarded as an ant had already become a Singular God. Once he fully merged with the Source and solidified his godhead, everything would conclude.
No, it should be said that it was already over. That ant had become a giant beast, one he needed to look up to.
Even if Tony were to suffer grievous injuries or even die in battle, he had already far surpassed the arrogant Dark Superman.
This was something Dark Superman found difficult to accept. He watched everything with a blank stare.
"Not dead yet? I truly have you to thank for willingly delivering the Mother Box, saving me a lot of trouble..." Tony took a step. The instant he left the Mother Box Barrier, the Mobius Chair instantly appeared beneath his feet, and Tony settled perfectly and steadily into the chair.
The chair's condition wasn't great either; it was very weak, its energy excessively depleted, and it had sustained considerable damage. However, none of this stopped it from fawning over Tony.
What was a little damage? Clinging tightly to the leg of a Singular God, everything would come to it – materials, and even the advanced knowledge it could never hope to attain.
"You're not a bad person, just a bit foolish. Darkseid trained you into a weapon, not a man," Tony said slowly, looking down at the expressionless Dark Superman.
Dark Superman didn't respond, utterly numb.
Had this been a short while ago, if Tony dared to comment on his adoptive father with such a casual tone, Dark Superman would undoubtedly have fought him to the death, regardless of the consequences.
But now, it all felt pointless.
A Singular God evaluating another Singular God – was there a problem with that?
No.
On the contrary, if he were to still rage and attack, completely unaware of his own limitations, that would be truly nonsensical.
"If I kill you, I'll have completed my goal of killing half. Two thousand one hundred and forty-one, plus you, makes exactly half."
Many clever individuals had already fled when Tony went mad. Some lucky ones miraculously survived, hiding far away and trembling, only hoping Tony would keep his promise and spare them.
Tony looked down with indifference. Behind him, the massive Mother Box slowly drew closer, its complex black metallic runic patterns subtly shifting as it aimed at Dark Superman.
Everything was about to end.
"Wait! Great New God, please wait!"
Just then, a figure suddenly crossed space-time and arrived, appearing before Dark Superman.
A blue battle suit, a red cape – this was also a Superman Doppelgänger.
This was Silver Superman.
Tony raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look at Steppenwolf, whose expression had long since returned to calm. "I thought you'd be the first to step out and stop me. By seniority, aren't you Dark Superman's grandfather?"
"So what? The law of the jungle is Apokolips's rule. This idiot made a huge mistake; it's only natural if he dies," Steppenwolf said expressionlessly, casting a cold glance at Dark Superman.
Although Steppenwolf knew very well that even if Dark Superman hadn't delivered the last Mother Box, Tony, wielding the Plot Gem, would still have been capable of overcoming the threshold of ascension; the process would merely have been more strenuous.
How could a Mother Box be matched by a mere Plot Gem? Even Apokolips hadn't fully uncovered the secrets within the Mother Box.
Dark Superman silently licked his wounds, cruelly looking at Silver Superman, who stood in front of him. Suddenly, he let out a strange laugh: "Get lost. I don't need your pity, you defeated fool. Aren't you going to hide and recover from your injuries, or do you want me to kill you again?"
Silver Superman's face darkened. He punched Dark Superman in the face, creating an even larger rift and wound in his already fragile skull, and roared, "Shut up, you bastard! If it weren't for Golden Superman, I would never have come looking for you!"
Last time, Silver Superman had intruded into the Sphere of the Gods and was attacked by the Apokolips Legion, led by Dark Superman. After a fierce battle, he was forced to flee in disarray, barely escaping with his life.
But this time, Golden Superman had pleaded with him to save Dark Superman and find a way to draw Dark Superman into their faction.
Silver Superman raged, "Among my many Doppelgängers, there are the overly compassionate, demons, heroes, criminals, the mild-mannered, and the monstrously evil... but absolutely not one has ever defected to Darkseid! You are an insult to the name of Superman!"
Dark Superman scoffed, bothered not to respond, and looked back at Tony.
"You're nearly successful. Why don't you kill me to fill your godhead?" Dark Superman asked indifferently.
"Killing you or not no longer has any effect on my Source. I don't need to stuff it with messy garbage; that would only defile my Source," Tony said calmly.
Silver Superman looked gratefully at Tony. "Thank you, New God. I send Golden Superman's regards."
Tony was noncommittal: "Is this Golden Superman's stance, or the Fifth Dimension's?"
"Both."
"Understood," Tony nodded.
Dark Superman took one last deep look at Tony, then remained silent. Silver Superman viciously punched Dark Superman in the back of the head. Energy powerful enough to destroy a single universe surged through Dark Superman's brain, sending him into a brief coma.
With a whoosh, Silver Superman gestured to Tony, then swiftly departed.
"Why didn't you stop them? You have a good relationship with those special Superman doppelgängers?" Steppenwolf asked calmly, approaching without hesitation, his axe slung over his shoulder.
"This is our first meeting. I just suddenly found it interesting. Who knows, maybe Golden Superman and Silver Superman can brainwash Dark Superman? Then it'll be Apokolips's turn to get a headache."
"You're thinking too much. Darkseid already has Dark Superman completely under his thumb; he has countless ways to deal with him."
Steppenwolf gave a cold snort, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, as if in sarcasm or perhaps self-mockery.
"Now, let's discuss the deal between you and me. My words remain the same: as long as you join my Apokolips, nothing will be a problem," Steppenwolf said in a deep voice.
(end of chapter)
