CHAPTER 186

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[David Lance POV]

I watched from a distance as Darkseid's emotions burst forth from within him like a raging inferno at Brainiac's threat. His rage was so strong that it radiated across the room like a miasma of malice and violence, making me wonder what Brainiac was truly planning because so far, this was a pretty bad move on his part.

Darkseid's face revealed little of what he was feeling, but in his icy black eyes, I could see a deep, burning anger that seemed to consume him. At that moment, I became painfully aware of just how much of a threat Darkseid truly was.

His wrath was giving me an entirely new perspective of him, like a looming thundercloud before a storm.

"Granny Goodness," Darkseid said in a low menacing growl, summoning her to the room. "Prepare the troops for war."

Granny bowed obediently and nodded her head, with fear, excitement, and respect evident in her eyes.

Darkseid then turned to me, his face still emanating with a fiery rage that seemed impossible to quench.

"I will collect my troops on earth," I said, wondering if they were still in place like I had ordered. "Once that's done, we'll join forces, and see how to take Brainiac down."

"Make no mistake, I do not require your help," Darkseid said, his voice dripping with contempt, one that didn't seem aimed at me. "But, seeing this machine wronged you first, I won't deny you the pleasure of aiding in its destruction."

Having said that, Darkseid turned his back and walked away, as I watched him silently disappear into one of the halls of his castle, and even though he was now far away, I could still feel his presence burning with malicious intent and desire for destruction.

I truly wonder what Brainiac is truly planning. I refuse to believe this move was made without thinking, without any forethought. Because if that's the case, I have severely overestimated Brainiac.

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[Unknown POV]

Brainiac's mind flew across different processes, running simulation after simulation about the upcoming war with Darkseid. The AI knew without a shred of doubt that the stakes had never been higher before for him and that a single miscalculation in his plans would mean his unavoidable end, so, he surveyed every possible scenario, making countermeasures for every possible outcome.

He had insulted Darkseid for one reason only, to get his attention, because he knew the so-called God, underestimated him, deeming him nothing more than a second-grade machine, so knowing that, Brainiac had decided to play on his ego, pretending to be the one that underestimated him, pretending to be arrogant.

His plan had succeeded. The God was angry, angrier than ever.

Now it was all a matter of planning his moves carefully.

Darkseid was a formidable adversary, the greatest threat in this universe by a long shot according to Brainiac's calculations, but no matter his power, the AI had no intention of yielding to him. He knew for a fact that his powerful intellect gave him an edge in this struggle.

Losing was not an option in Brainiac's mind; for him, there could be only victory. Especially now that he had been made aware of universes beyond this one, of knowledge waiting to be collected. No, he couldn't lose, not with that on the line.

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[Rachel Roth - Raven / POV]

[Injustice World.]

After Lucifer was done with his drink, we made our way to Dinah's location. The tower of Fate.

As we neared the place, a strange feeling washed over me as my feet carried me down the path toward the tower. Through my own turmoil, all I could feel was Lucifer's presence beside me, his heavy silence drumming up a sense of foreboding in the air.

I had no idea what kind of revelations I'd find within those walls, but I knew it wouldn't be anything trivial. Nervously, I kept my head down, each beat of my heart inching me closer and closer to the door.

"Go on, knock," Lucifer said, pushing me forward with his usual cocky smile.

My hand shook as I knocked on the door, my pulse quickening as it opened to reveal Dr. Fate and an older version of Zatanna inside. At first, they both seemed confused by my presence, shocked even, however, once they noticed Lucifer waving at them, they ushered us inside.

"Long time no see, Nabu, how's the old helmet treating you?" Lucifer said, making his way in.

Dr. Fate tensed. "Nabu is not in control right now."

Lucifer smiled, knocking on Dr. Fate's helmet two times. "Oh, I see. Well do me a favor, and tell the old grouch I say hi."

Dr. Fate nodded, as we continued walking inside the tower, eventually reaching the living room, or what appeared to be the living room.

"What brings you two here?" Zatanna asked as we took a seat in the living room.

"We are looking for Dinah Lance," I said, going straight to the point.

Zatanna and Dr. Fate exchanged a knowing glance as if debating whether or not to help us, before Dr. Fate opened a door on the wall, from where Dinah and Batman came out.

"Raven," Batman said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"She's not the same Raven," Zatanna sighed. "This pretty much confirms our once discarded theory that Black Bolt is not from our universe."

Lucifer chuckled, clapping his hands. "Bravo, brilliant deduction. Are you sure Batman is the best detective? Because if so, he has some competition on the table."

Batman turned his glare on Lucifer. "Who are you?"

"Lucifer Morningstar," Lucifer grinned. "The pleasure is all yours."

"Lucifer Morningstar, like the devil?" Batman asked, his tone unreadable.

"The one and only," Lucifer said with a small bow.

"He's telling the truth," Zatanna confirmed.

"I see," Batman said, before turning his attention back to me. "Now the question is, what are you doing here?"

"We are looking for Black Bolt," I replied, without missing a beat. "My goal is to bring him home."

Batman paused for a moment, his hands clenching alongside his emotions. He was angry, both with himself and with David. "Are you two aware of what he has done? of what he truly is?"

"No, but I'm sure you will tell us anyway," Lucifer muttered, before summoning a glass of whiskey to his hand.

Batman ignored Lucifer, his gaze fixed on me. "The individual known as Black Bolt invaded Earth with an army of extraterrestrial beings, killing millions, including but not limited to Superman, Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan, and others."

The moment those words left his mouth, my head started spinning, and my heart started to beat a million times per minute. This... it had to be a mistake. That couldn't be, David would never do that, not my David.

His deep brown eyes and kind smile were the pillars of his being.

There had to be an explanation for why he did this if he truly had done it.

Even then, the notion that David could be capable of such an act seemed unthinkable; the man I had grown to trust and love, regardless of his flaws, would never take it so far. Would he?

"Playing the politician are we?" Lucifer replied, his eyes fixed on Batman. "There's a lot of information you're not sharing with us there. Like the fact Superman was a dictator, or that he killed Dinah over here. Or that the only ones that died were soldiers working under Superman's regime.

"The point remains the same, he's a killer," Batman said, his voice colder than ever before. "It wasn't his call to end those lives."

"Nor is yours to judge him, human," Lucifer replied nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink.