Chapter 187: Return to Apokolips
"What?"
Steppenwolf, who was already dazed from Superman's brutal punches, was now even more bewildered.
Is there really someone on this planet more reckless than me? It was already unbelievable that I, arriving alone, was being bloodily beaten by a massive army. And now, there's someone who wants to open a portal to my homeworld, Apokolips?
Do they really think the great Darkseid's blade has lost its edge?
If the situation weren't still unfavorable for him, Steppenwolf would have laughed out loud and told Peter, "You've just chosen your path to death!"
"Open a portal to Apokolips? No, absolutely not! If that happens, all our efforts will be for nothing!"
Upon hearing Peter's words, everyone present—except for the secretly thrilled Steppenwolf—had their faces drained of color. Everything they had done was to prevent this exact event. Now, they could not allow any mistakes in their plan.
Peter, however, had no interest in arguing. With one hand, he lifted the massive but limp body of Steppenwolf, preparing to leave.
"Everyone, stop them!"
At this moment, no one cared who Peter really was. Anyone threatening their plan was an enemy!
The Flash was the first to react. Although he had encountered Peter a few times before, he knew the world's safety came first. He transformed into a streak of lightning, harnessing the Speed Force, and hurled it at Peter as he was about to leave.
The brilliant Speed Force shot toward Peter like a dazzling bolt of lightning, but Peter simply waved his hand, redirecting it. It instantly crashed into a group of metahumans.
Boom!
The Speed Force exploded violently, sending several figures flying.
This marked the beginning of the "war."
The warriors with special abilities began attacking Peter.
First was Aquaman, who threw his silver trident like a spear, aiming it straight at Peter.
Whoosh!
The trident tore through the air, charging at Peter with tremendous force.
At the same time, Cyborg summoned his mechanical engines, rocketing into the sky to intercept Peter.
Wonder Woman unhooked the Lasso of Truth from her waist and, without hesitation, flung it at Peter.
Others were quick to follow suit, each unleashing their most formidable attacks on Peter.
"Amazon warriors… attack!"
Even the thousands of Amazon warriors on the outer perimeter, under the Queen's command, drew their longbows. A rain of arrows, dense as a dark cloud, poured down on Peter in the sky.
Amid this sudden eruption of intense battle, there was only one young Black man who didn't join the attack. But his eyes glimmered with light, as though he was sensing something…
…
"Damn it, get us out of here!"
As Steppenwolf felt the terrifying attacks pouring in from all directions, closing off every possible escape route, he grew increasingly desperate. His body, limp and powerless, could only be moved around by Peter, and Steppenwolf was panicking. He had no desire to die on this planet—he still hadn't earned Darkseid's forgiveness or returned to his homeworld of Apokolips.
"Hmph!"
Peter ignored Steppenwolf's panic and made no attempt to flee. Even though attacks were closing in from all sides, seemingly cutting off every escape, Peter knew that with his speed, he could escape Earth's atmosphere in an instant. There was no way these attacks could keep up with him.
Peter's expression grew colder as he held Steppenwolf in one hand without any hesitation. Meanwhile, he slowly raised his other, empty hand.
"What… is that?"
Steppenwolf, being the closest, had the clearest view. He watched as radiant, golden-red energy flowed through Peter's arm, gathering in his palm and forming a small bird. The bird was lifelike, as if it were a real creature, fluttering in Peter's hand. Though the process seemed intricate, it was completed before any of the attacks could reach them.
The bird lifted its exquisitely crafted head, its translucent body glowing like a fiery red crystal, with wings that flared like flames.
Chirp! Chirp!
A sharp, resounding cry suddenly echoed across the world. In that moment, time seemed to stop. The rain of arrows in the sky and all other attacks appeared frozen in space, unable to move an inch further.
"What in the world is this?"
Steppenwolf found his own body paralyzed, unable to even twitch a finger. His eyes strained to focus on the magnificent bird, which seemed to be a spirit of flame, radiating an immense and terrifying energy of destruction. Even the combined flames of the Mother Boxes paled in comparison to this.
As everyone stared in shock, Peter clenched his fist tightly. The overwhelming force of his grip caused a visible shockwave to rip through the air.
The moment the air was crushed by Peter's hand, a torrent of destructive flames erupted from his palm. The flames spread rapidly, turning the entire sky blood-red. The inferno engulfed all the attacks that had been aimed at Peter.
The first to be consumed by the flames was Aquaman's silver trident, which had been thrown closest to Peter.
The intense heat instantly incinerated the trident, leaving not even molten metal behind—just ashes. The unending blaze seemed capable of burning everything in its path. Even energy-based attacks disintegrated in its presence.
Countless arrows were devoured by the fire, and even the divine artifact, the Lasso of Truth, couldn't withstand the fiery onslaught. The golden rope's tip began to burn, with the flames racing along its length.
"No!"
At that moment, time resumed its normal flow, and the terrifying flames swept outward, accompanied by an earth-shattering roar.
Superman, who had been flung hundreds of kilometers away by Peter and was now speeding back to the battlefield, witnessed a massive, nuclear-sized mushroom cloud of fiery red rising into the sky ahead. The visible shockwave from the explosion began to spread in all directions…
...
Superman roared in anger, speeding toward the scene without hesitation. But just as he was about to arrive, he saw a figure moving through the inferno at a speed far surpassing his own, carrying Steppenwolf's body and breaking through the sky.
"Damn it!"
Even though the figure was incredibly fast, far beyond Superman's normal speed, he didn't hesitate. For the sake of Earth and all humanity, Superman was ready to give everything to catch up.
"Wait, Kal-El!"
Suddenly, another figure emerged from the raging firestorm. His speed was nearly equal to Superman's.
"Who are you? I don't remember anyone like you among us!"
Superman's eyes were filled with caution as he looked at the being before him—a figure with green skin, glowing red eyes, and a distinctly non-human appearance.
"Apologies, I didn't mean to deceive you all, but my identity is somewhat... unique."
"In fact, like you, I'm not from Earth. I come from a distant corner of the universe, from a planet whose civilization no longer exists."
Beneath the green skin lay a deep sorrow for his lost people. He, like Superman, was one of the last survivors of his kind.
"Then why are you stopping me?"
"This planet is our new home, our sanctuary, and I won't allow anyone to destroy it!" Superman's shared experience with this being made him empathetic, but he remained cautious, his tone stern.
"I'm sorry, Superman, but the reason I'm stopping you is that this might be the right course of action after all."
"That mysterious individual will ultimately put an end to the doomsday crisis looming over us."
The green-skinned figure had a hint of mystery in his expression. He could sense that the one who took Steppenwolf had no intention of destroying Earth. In fact, he could even perceive the true purpose behind his actions.
The future, he believed, would be far better than they had imagined. The shadow of Earth's impending doom would soon be completely dispelled.
"How can you be sure that what you're saying is true?" Superman's face showed shock, but he still found it hard to believe.
"Because I am... the Martian Manhunter!"
...
Meanwhile, Peter had already brought the battered Steppenwolf to a desolate area. He casually tossed Steppenwolf's body to the ground and then threw the Mother Box beside him.
"You know what I want. I don't need to repeat myself, do I?" Peter spoke calmly as he gazed at Steppenwolf, whose eyes were fixated on the Mother Box lying next to him.
"You… really intend to open a portal to Apokolips?" Steppenwolf had initially felt relieved by Peter's demand.
After all, Apokolips was his home planet, teeming with billions of Parademons and ruled by the terrifyingly powerful Darkseid, who could destroy entire universes. Anyone who dared to invade Apokolips would be walking into certain death.
However, the deathly sensation he had just experienced at Peter's hands made him reconsider. Perhaps this man's power could indeed bring disaster to Apokolips.
"No, it's impossible. The great Lord Darkseid is invincible!" Steppenwolf quickly banished this thought from his mind, refusing to believe that anyone could defeat the almighty Darkseid.
"My decision is not up for debate. You just need to do as I say and open the portal to Apokolips… or that flame you just saw will incinerate you entirely," Peter said coldly as he snapped his fingers, a small yet intense flame flickering at his fingertip.
"Alright, alright! I'll do as you ask and open the portal to Apokolips right away." Steppenwolf had felt the deadly aura emanating from that flame—it was even more terrifying than the fires of Hell that could burn souls. Struggling to his feet, he picked up the Mother Box, which he had once coveted.
As if sensing a kindred power, the previously dormant Mother Box began to stir once again. Its particle-like structure warped and twisted, and small cubes on its surface rippled like waves. A unique energy began to pour out from the Mother Box.
At the same time, this disturbance in the Mother Box seemed to resonate with the other two Mother Boxes elsewhere on Earth. Tremendous energy converged on the Mother Box in Steppenwolf's hands, preparing to open a Boom Tube to the unknown.
"I should remind you: don't try any tricks, or you'll find that death will be a luxury you can't afford," Peter warned icily as the portal was about to open, causing a chilling dread to descend upon Steppenwolf, crushing any thoughts of rebellion he had begun to entertain.
"Damn it! When I return to Apokolips, I will personally witness Lord Darkseid slaughter you! The endless horde of Parademons will devour your flesh, the fires of Apokolips will consume your bones and soul, and you will be doomed to an eternity of suffering in hell!" Steppenwolf cursed Peter silently while dismissing the schemes he had been considering.
He had briefly thought about opening a portal to the planet where his Parademon army was stationed instead of Apokolips, but he quickly realized that even millions of Parademons would likely be unable to harm this infuriating man.
Reluctantly, he prepared to open the portal to Apokolips, knowing that doing so might incur Darkseid's wrath.
After all, he had already been exiled from Apokolips and couldn't return without destroying enough worlds to regain Darkseid's favor.
But at least before he faced Darkseid's fury, he would have the satisfaction of seeing this detestable man die.
Boom!
As these thoughts raced through Steppenwolf's mind, the energy from the Mother Box finally constructed a Boom Tube. A blue beam of light, like a pillar descending from the sky, suddenly appeared above them.
Peter slowly raised his head, gazing into the void beyond the portal. Glancing back at Steppenwolf, he saw no sign of deceit in his expression.
Without further hesitation, Peter rushed toward Steppenwolf, grabbed him, and plunged into the Boom Tube.
Buzz!
With Peter's movement, the two figures and the portal itself instantly vanished from Earth. After traversing through the endless void, the scene before Peter finally cleared.
He had arrived on a planet scorched by unending flames and lava, where the sky was a dark crimson, and the entire world resembled a hellish apocalypse.
"Apokolips, I'm back!" Peter's gaze seemed to pierce through the infinite void of Apokolips, looking toward a distant palace built on the planet.
"Hm? Someone has breached Apokolips?"
Within that palace, a formidable figure seated on a throne slowly lifted his head, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light as he gazed across the vast expanse, locking eyes with Peter from afar.
…
(End of Chapter)
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