Would Malrick have forgotten that two Omega Beams were still chasing him?
Not at all. From the very start, he had already calculated a thousand possible outcomes to Darkseid's every move.
He even considered the unlikely scenario where the God of Apokolips might actually retreat.
As the deadly crimson beams twisted toward him, Malrick activated the power of his armor—the Dormammu Armor, an artifact he'd reforged after their first encounter in another dimension.
The armor's defense surged to maximum output. As long as the incoming energy didn't exceed a star system's destructive scale, the damage would be reduced to one ten-thousandth. It was, after all, the very armor that had once forced Dormammu to bend the knee and sign an unequal truce.
Today, it would block Darkseid's infamous Omega Beams.
Even as waves of psychic pain continued to hammer his mind, Malrick steadied himself. The Anti-Life Equation gnawed at his consciousness, but he had no time to yield.
He had adapted—his mind locking into battle rhythm.
Now, he would test the Omega Beams head-on.
If they truly had the power to erase both him and the armor from existence, then he'd simply reform his body from the ashes and drag Darkseid into oblivion with him.
The sharp agony in his soul persisted, but Malrick's expression remained firm.
With the unbreakable resolve of a warrior who'd long accepted death, he stood his ground as the scarlet beams streaked toward him.
But just as they reached him, a flash of lightning tore across the battlefield.
Diana appeared between them, thunder crackling in her wake. She crossed her wrists before her chest, her voice ringing out with divine defiance.
"Haah!"
Her golden Bracelets of Submission flared, intercepting the Omega Beams. The impact drove her backward, forcing her straight into Malrick's arms.
For a heartbeat, time froze.
Diana gritted her teeth, refusing to yield even as the immense energy rippled through her.
The indestructible bracelets—fabled to reflect divine power itself—held firm, pushing back against the energy of a god.
Malrick looked down at her in his arms. Her eyes were fierce, her brow furrowed, yet she didn't back down.
Somewhere in his mind, the world seemed to fade, replaced by the sound of her heartbeat echoing through his chest.
He couldn't help but think—this time, I was the one being saved.
And it wasn't just Diana.
A thunderclap sounded as Kara descended from above, her sapphire-blue suit gleaming with electric light.
With momentum like a falling meteor, she drove her heel into Darkseid's head.
The Omega Beams shattered and vanished.
Diana staggered, gasping for air, shaking out her scorched gauntlets before grabbing Malrick's face between her palms.
"Are you alright, Malrick? You look terrible!"
"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth. "Just fighting the control of the Anti-Life Equation. Diana, take Kara and go. Don't get caught by it."
For the first time, someone had stood in front of him during a battle—protecting him, worrying about him. It was strange… and almost comforting.
But this wasn't the time.
He pushed Diana gently aside, his expression hardening.
Then he vanished.
In an instant, Malrick appeared before Darkseid, just as the tyrant's eyes ignited again to strike Kara.
With a thunderous uppercut, Malrick's fist connected with Darkseid's jaw, sending him and the crimson beams he'd been charging straight down into the lava below.
The molten rock erupted in violent bursts as the Omega energy vaporized it, painting the sky crimson.
Malrick caught Kara midair and hurled her back toward Diana before diving down after his enemy.
Darkseid was stronger than Superman—far stronger. But strength alone wasn't enough now.
After adapting to the psychic shock of the Anti-Life Equation, Malrick was suppressing him through sheer speed and physical dominance.
Every strike was a planetary detonation contained within the confines of a body.
If Darkseid tried to fire Omega Beams, Malrick would crush his head deeper into the lava until he couldn't even aim.
If he tried to fight back with brute force, he'd meet a punch heavier than the Earth itself.
Bursts of Omega energy shot through the molten surface, illuminating the sky like volcanic flares. The planet's crust trembled violently with each collision beneath it.
The continental plates of Apokolips began to quake as if the entire world were breaking apart.
Elsewhere, Batman's battle had ended. His Hellbat Armor soared over the horizon, carrying DeSaad's severed head, which he casually tossed into the molten pit.
"How's it going?" Batman's gravelly voice came through the comm. "Malrick's Heat Vision doesn't seem to cut it against Darkseid."
A deep rumble interrupted him.
From the lava rose a colossal black figure—a thousand meters tall. Tony Stark, encased in the Fungus God Armor, emerged from its chest cavity, the massive construct devouring hordes of Parademons behind him through a web of metallic tendrils.
"I'm back and fully charged," Tony grinned. "Where's Malrick? I came to give him a hand."
Diana pointed toward the lava. "Down there. He told us to stay clear—didn't want the Equation to affect us."
Batman's expression darkened. "So, he's resisting it alone?"
Diana nodded, a proud glimmer in her eyes. "He's enduring it. The incomplete Equation can't control him."
Her tone carried something softer now—admiration, and perhaps something deeper.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "That's insane. The guy's willpower must be off the charts." He chuckled nervously. "Guess I'll stay out of his way before I get my brain rewritten."
He turned to leave—only for the lava below to start trembling violently.
Massive bubbles erupted from the molten sea, pressure building with each passing second. The surface bulged outward, glowing brighter and brighter.
Then—an explosion.
A figure burst through the lava, soaring backward into the air.
Darkseid.
His once-pristine armor was fractured and bloodied. Cracks covered his body like shattered stone, and molten light seeped through the wounds. His face twisted with rage and disbelief.
Following him, Malrick emerged from the inferno, his right hand glowing with a sphere of brilliant white energy.
Tony's jaw dropped. "Wait—did he just snatch the Anti-Life Equation?"
Then his grin widened. "Oh, that's gonna make my day."
Darkseid staggered in the air, his body leaking molten blood. Before he could react, a shadow eclipsed the light above him.
He looked up—just in time to see a massive fist descending.
Boom!
The Fungus God Armor's punch slammed into him like a meteor.
At that moment, everyone saw the glowing energy in Malrick's palm—and they all understood what had happened.
Diana appeared where Darkseid was about to fall, crossing her arms as divine power erupted from her. The shockwave struck Darkseid squarely, launching him backward once more.
Kara was waiting.
Her kick landed cleanly against his back, sending him hurtling downward, breaking the sound barrier as he fell.
"Enough!" Darkseid roared, his voice trembling with fury and pain.
But Batman's voice came through the comm again, calm and cold.
"It's time to pay for your slaughter, Darkseid."
As he spoke, the Hellbat Armor streaked forward—its crimson light flashing like a judgment.
The death knell had sounded.
---
The battlefield fell silent for a fleeting moment, the only sound the distant roar of molten lava and the crackling of residual energy in the air.
Every hero on the field felt the weight of what was about to happen. Even Darkseid, despite his godlike fury, seemed momentarily caught off guard by the coordinated force against him.
Malrick hovered, energy crackling around his form, eyes locked on the tyrant. Every muscle, every instinct, primed for the final confrontation.
The universe itself seemed to pause, as if holding its breath for the next collision of cosmic might.
_______
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