Chapter 6

Mastema was typing away on his keypad in the throne room, when his father's eyes suddenly opened, glowing with malevolence.

"Commence the invasion!" He said, ready to get his conquest underway.

"At once father. Delta!"

"Yes sir" answered the AI

"Deploy the units."

"Right away"

He then opened a screen in front of him. The screen showed Kalibak devouring a large portion of raw meat. Mastema raised a brow in intrigue, before addressing his brother.

"Kalibak!" he said causing him to stop eating and look at the screen.

"What is it brother, can't you see I'm busy?" he replied with some annoyance clear in his tone, but he knew his brother would never contact him without reason as he was not one to waste time.

"Father has issued the command. You will lead the invading force, along with Barda and three other furies of your choosing." 

Hearing what his brother said Kalibak couldn't contain the cruel smile that formed on his face."Excellent I shall prepare at once. Enjoy the show Brother" he replied and the last thing he saw before the call ended was his brother smirking. 

 Kalibak got up from his table and headed towards his amoury. He used to dislike his brother truth be told. The people of Apokolips view him as the perfect heir, even though he is the second son. Unlike himself who only inherited their father's physique. Mastema and Grayven inherited the Omega Effectivi, giving them access to more of their fathers' abilities.

He had heard the rumors the sly comment hinting at how eventually even Grayven would surpass him as Mastema did in his youth. But then he got to understand his brother. Got past his anger and actually interacted with him. It was then he understood his brother had no desire to take his place as heir or to rule Apokolips. His brother sought knowledge and while he never slacked on his abilities and was a true strong son of Darkseid. He can say that there isn't a person on Apokolips his father trusted more when it came to information. 

His brother was a true prodigy, but unlike other such people who rely on talent alone, his brother trained not only his body and abilities but also his mind. The ability to control space was frightening by itself, but it was like his father once said 'Mastema's creativity in its use and knowledge of how space functions makes him that much more frightening'.

Kalibak remembered when they had one of their day spats with the Green Lantern Corps because they conquered another planet under the protection of one. He remembered the sight of an entire squadron of lanterns screaming in pain, disbelief, and dread as the space around them shattered and collapsed. The sigh of their rings floating in the void left behind amused and intrigued his brother enough for him to collect one to study. The ring tried to flee back to Oa, to no avail. 

He had seen his brother in action only five times, even his father states that his brother has become something of a last resort, in terms of conquest, excluding their father of course. Because when his brother enters the battlefield, the best you can hope for is minor gravitational anomalies on the planet's surface. The worst Kalibak has seen...so far was his brother getting so pissed off he tilted a planet off its axis just to torture the inhabitants.

Since then he can say his brother has somewhat mellowed out, in the 70 or so years since. He became more focused in his role as the head scientist of Apokolips, a post, Desaad was not happy about losing, but a complaint he would never voice. 

His brother had made their world into a technological and scientific haven that could definitively say with a chest that they rivaled New Genesis. Sure, they once did in terms of strength, but New Genesis had Metron on their side, and they were always, to the ire of his father, far ahead of Apokolips in terms of technology. Sure, Apokolips wasn't backward in terms of tech, but the difference was night and day compared to New Genesis. Now his brother had quite literally brought them into a new age. His father was quite pleased because it meant there was little High Father had to offer in the way of trades.

Now in the hall done in his armor along with Barda, Lashina, Stompa, and Bloody Mary. As Barda was about to open a boom tube. Kalibak raised his hand to stop her. She paused and looked at him in confusion. He then spoke out loud. "Brother I'd like to arrive on the battlefield in style," he said knowing his brother... what was it he called it...right his brother AI would hear him and transfer the message. 

Suddenly there was a ripple in space in front of them that grew wider. Kalibak smirked and walked through it. Unlike boom tubes that make noise, his brother's portals are silent. It was unnerving for an enemy to just suddenly appear before them. 

Arriving on earth Kalibak breathed in the fresh air and exhaled in ecstasy. " I love how fresh a new world smells. Makes it that much more delectable, when he fills the air with blood and despair"

Kalibak turns his gaze at the assembled army before them. "Greetings meat bags, do try and last long, I would hate for my fun to be cut short because of your weakness," he announced loudly. 

He received no answer just the sound of the armies of the three nations getting into formation. He smirked and raised his hand. On the hill behind him, the containment units opened up. The first contained the acid bleeders or as his brother called them Paraxeno Drones. The unit opened to reveal several freshly birthed drones numbering in the hundreds already as they poured out and assembled behind him. His brother had breaded them to obey Apokoliptan royalty above all else, if royalty wasn't present they obeyed the highest-ranked military official. Which would be the furies. 

The Paraxeno Drones had elongated, sleek black exoskeletons, giving them a more serpent-like appearance compared to typical parademons. Sharp, angular armor plates cover their bodies, providing them with additional protection and durability. The exoskeleton had an oily sheen, making them appear even more menacing. They had elongated, smooth cranium, with fiery red glowing eyes. Their mouth contains an inner jaw that can snap forward for vicious close-quarter attacks. 

Like typical parademon, they passed wings, but these wings are a hybrid between leathery bat-like membranes and rigid textures. A barbed, scythe-like tail segmented with parademon armor plates. 

The most dangerous however was the queen. A Paraxeno Queen is a towering monstrosity thrice the size of any regular drone. She has a skeletal, biomechanical appearance, blending eerie organic shapes with harsh mechanical Apokoliptan armor.

The Queen's head is adorned with a massive crown of spines and ridges, giving her a regal yet terrifying presence. She has six glowing red eyes, two larger primary ones and four smaller ones arranged symmetrically. Her inner jaw is longer and stronger than the drones', capable of biting through the hull of a starship.

Unlike the drones, the Queen has enormous, tattered wings that shimmer with a metallic hue. These wings allow her to fly at incredible speeds, both in space and atmosphere, though she often uses them as weapons, slicing through enemies with the armored ridges along their edges.

The Queen's tail is prehensile and scythe-like, capable of cleaving through armies in a single sweep. Her arms are long and segmented, ending in massive, clawed hands that can tear apart even the toughest enemies. The Queen's legs are powerful, allowing her to leap great distances and crush enemies beneath her feet.

The Queen serves as the core of the Paraxeno collective. She can control and communicate with all drones telepathically, directing them like extensions of her will. Her commands are absolute, and she can adapt their tactics on the fly, making her army a terrifying force of strategy and chaos.

She can lay eggs that spawn new Paraxenos, creating an endless army of hybrid soldiers. These eggs are housed in a massive, biomechanical birthing chamber, kept under heavy guard.

The queen can unleash a devastating barrage of acidic projectiles from her mouth or tail. These acid bombs can be fired across vast distances, causing massive devastation to structures and enemy forces alike. The Queen possesses the ability to evolve rapidly. When under extreme threat or injury, her body can adapt, becoming stronger, growing new limbs, or developing additional armor. This makes her increasingly harder to kill the longer a battle lasts.

The next far larger containment unit opened up tremors were heard and footsteps echoed out. 

The Juggernauts stand at around 15-20 feet tall, significantly larger and bulkier than standard Paraxenos or Berserkers. Its body is covered in heavy, overlapping armor plates made of Apokoliptian alloy, reinforced with a thick exoskeleton underneath. Its massive, hunched frame gives it a brutish, immovable appearance, with broad shoulders and thick, muscular arms.

The head of the Juggernaut is encased in a heavily armored, helmet-like structure with glowing red slits for eyes. Unlike the other Paraxenos, the Juggernaut's face is completely hidden behind layers of armor, making it appear more like a walking fortress than a living creature. Its jaw is reinforced with heavy plating, allowing it to bite through reinforced materials like steel and starship hulls.

The Juggernaut's arms are oversized, equipped with massive, gauntlet-like hands designed for crushing, smashing, and demolishing anything in its way. Each hand is the size of a small vehicle, capable of obliterating enemies with a single blow. These fists are reinforced with energy-conducting alloys that allow the Juggernaut to channel concussive blasts through them upon impact.

Its legs are thick and reinforced, allowing it to stomp through enemy lines with earth-shaking force. They are equipped with hydraulic systems that let it charge at surprising speeds despite their massive size.

The Juggernaut's tail is less flexible than the Paraxeno but serves as a battering ram, tipped with a heavy mace-like appendage. This tail can be swung with devastating force, capable of knocking down buildings or smashing through the toughest defenses.

The Juggernaut can build up momentum and charge across the battlefield like a freight train. During its charge, the Juggernaut is nearly invulnerable, bulldozing through walls, vehicles, and entire platoons of soldiers. Nothing can stand in its way once it begins its charge.

The Juggernaut's body is covered in nearly impenetrable Apokoliptian alloy fused with organic material. It can absorb massive amounts of damage, including energy blasts, explosives, and heavy artillery, without showing signs of injury. Only the most concentrated and powerful attacks can pierce its armor.

With its massive fists, the Juggernaut can unleash ground-shaking punches that send out shockwaves, flattening everything in a wide radius. This ability is devastating against large groups of enemies or fortified structures, turning defensive strongholds into rubble.

The Juggernaut's armored exoskeleton is capable of absorbing energy from attacks and storing it. Once fully charged, the Juggernaut can release this stored energy in a devastating pulse or redirect it into its fists, amplifying its strikes to cataclysmic levels.

The Juggernaut has a virtually endless supply of stamina, thanks to its hybrid physiology. It does not tire and can continue fighting for days, pushing through pain and injury. It is designed to outlast any opponent, wearing them down while it remains unscathed. Their tail can be swung like a flail, smashing through obstacles and enemies alike. This mace-like appendage is strong enough to puncture tank armor and can create shockwaves on impact, devastating everything in the immediate area.

In the entire Apokoliptan army there were only 10 with the addition of the Alpha. And Alpha...to be honest he had no idea how his brother made that thing.

The Alpha Juggernaut is an even more monstrous version of the standard Juggernaut, standing over 25 feet tall and weighing several tons. Its body is encased in layers of Bio Apokoliptian alloy, giving it resistance to almost all known forms of attack, including energy weapons, magic, and dimensional disturbances. The Alpha's entire body is a living fortress, with energy conduits running along its limbs and back, pulsating with Omega energy.

In addition to its formidable fists and tail, the Alpha Juggernaut is equipped with partial cannons embedded in its shoulders. These cannons can fire blasts of concentrated capable of erasing entire battlefields or vaporizing heavily armored opponents in a single shot.

The Alpha's head is crowned with jagged, horn-like ridges made from Bio alloy, which can be used to charge enemies or impale larger targets. Its eyes glow with a sinister red energy, giving it an aura of absolute destruction.

The Alpha Juggernaut can manipulate energy, using it to enhance its physical attacks or fire devastating energy blasts from its shoulder cannons. These blasts can disintegrate enemies, reduce entire armies to ash, or punch holes through planetary shields.

The Alpha Juggernaut's fists can deliver blows with such incredible force that they can create fissures in planetary surfaces, destabilizing entire battlefields. When it strikes with full force, the resulting shockwave can level cities and split the ground open for miles.

When cornered or facing overwhelming odds, the Alpha Juggernaut can release a massive energy pulse, creating a devastating shockwave that annihilates everything within a large radius. This pulse can disrupt enemy technology, disable shields, and render entire armies useless.

The Alpha's armor is self-repairing, capable of regenerating even after sustaining catastrophic damage. Any breach in its defenses quickly seals itself. The Alpha Juggernaut can create a magnetic field around itself, pulling metal debris, weapons, and machinery toward it. This field can be used both offensively—weaponizing the environment against enemies—and defensively, creating a makeshift barrier of debris.

Finally came the last but not the least. If the Paraxeno made up the bulk of their forces, and the Juggernauts were the tank, then Parapredators(wink wink) were the elite warriors of their forces. They were called berserkers because they're uncontrollable but because they are...killing machines. 

The Parapredator aka Berserker stands about 9-10 feet tall, with a lean but heavily muscled build. Its skin is a blend of tough, reptilian hide and the bio-engineered Parademon scales, offering natural armor capable of withstanding energy blasts and conventional weapons. 

The Berserker's head has mandibles and dreadlocks that serve as receptors, with glowing red or yellow eyes peering from beneath a reinforced Apokoliptian helmet. The helmet has various vision modes (thermal, electromagnetic, and X-ray), allowing the Berserker to track enemies through walls, darkness, and even cloaking technologies.

 The Berserkers wear a hybrid of lightweight, flexible combat gear enhanced with Apokoliptian technology. These armor plates provide both enhanced protection and increased agility, allowing them to move quickly while enduring heavy damage.

The Parapredator wrists are equipped with retractable, dual-bladed gauntlets, extending into razor-sharp plasma-infused wrist blades. These blades can slice through almost any material, from energy shields to reinforced armor. They are also equipped with an advanced cloaking system, allowing them to become nearly invisible. 

The Berserker's strength increases exponentially as it becomes enraged. In moments of heightened fury, its strength increases exponentially allowing it to rip apart even the toughest enemies with its bare hands.

The Berserker's armor has a powerful plasma caster mounted on its shoulder. The plasma caster can lock onto multiple targets and fire deadly energy blasts, burning through even the heaviest defenses. Its accuracy is unmatched, making it a devastating long-range weapon.

In close combat, the Parapredator can enter a berserk mode where its speed, strength, and agility are heightened. It becomes nearly unstoppable in this state, attacking with a flurry of slashes, stabs, and plasma blasts that overwhelm even the most coordinated defense. As part of its advanced arsenal, the Berserker carries energy discs—circular, razor-sharp weapons that can be thrown with deadly precision. These discs are enhanced with Apokoliptian technology, allowing them to cut through nearly any material and return to the Berserker after being thrown.

The Alpha Parapredator is the ultimate apex of the Parapredator species, standing at nearly 12 feet tall with enhanced armor, weaponry, and raw power. It possesses larger plasma-infused wrist blades, heavier armor plating, and an advanced cloaking system that allows longer periods of invisibility.

In addition to the regular Berserker's arsenal, the Alpha carries a retractable, double-edged glaive charged with Omega energy. This weapon can cut barriers and energy shields, making it the perfect weapon for fighting the most powerful foes. 

The Alpha has a unique ability to enter Juggernaut Mode, where its armor becomes nigh-impenetrable, and its strength, speed, and reaction time are doubled. In this state, the Alpha can tear through entire armies single-handedly, ignoring pain and damage until its targets are destroyed. The Alpha's signature weapon is a massive glaive infused with Omega energy. This weapon can cut through virtually any material, including reinforced alloys and magical defenses. When thrown, the glaive returns to the Alpha, slicing through enemies along the way with a trail of destructive energy.

The alpha walked forth from the containment unit with a squad of 50 Berserkers following behind it. It stood next to Kalibak towering over the 10'5 New God. Kalibak clicked his tongue he hated two things about the alpha berserker. One... its weapon was awesome and two it was taller than him. 

"Tch do what you do best Wolf" The Alpha made a clinked in acknowledgment, then raised his glaive above his head and roared, all the berserkers behind him roared as well. 

"Sylla, send in the drones, let's see what this army is made of" 

The alpha paraxeno, made a screeching sound, and all the paraxeno drones started running towards the allied armies of the earth.

"Bahamut you and the rest of the juggernauts will stay behind for now."

Bahamut exhaled from his nose as a show of acknowledgment. Kalibak seeing that refocused his attention on the battlefield, He rolled his shoulders. "Let the bloodshed commence," he said with glee as the drones clashed with the army and first blood was spilled.