Elsewhere, the Teen Titans stood alongside what remained of Earth's defenders and the remnants of the Justice League. Cyborg continuously fired his White Noise Cannon, occasionally switching to rockets when it overheated, as he tried to hold multiple angles at once. He also paused repeatedly to redirect Boom Tubes across the world from Apokolips, struggling to keep the battlefield from collapsing into total chaos.
Aquaman and Damian fought at the front line together, Aquaman wielding his trident with brutal precision while Mera provided long-range support, striking down Paradooms whenever openings appeared. The Flash blurred across the battlefield with a kryptonite dagger, slicing into Paradooms at their weak points and occasionally breaking off to assist allies who were moments away from being overwhelmed.
Starfire, Raven, Superboy, and Blue Beetle were holding the skies, eliminating Paradoom hordes as they descended. Despite their efforts, they were slowly being pushed back. The sheer number of Paradooms emerging from the Boom Tubes kept increasing with no sign of stopping, forcing everyone into a gradual retreat whether they wanted it or not.
That was when the situation shifted again.
Terra, Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, Superman, Supergirl, and Shazam arrived on the battlefield alongside Batwing, who had come with Batman. Each group was being pursued by massive waves of Paradooms, and their grim expressions alone made it clear that things had gone wrong on their sides.
No one asked where the others were.
The answer was already written in their silence, in the exhaustion on their faces, and in the fact that the battlefield was still getting worse instead of better.
Meanwhile on Earth 1365
Max sat back in his seat, across from Lucifer, as the rerun of his fight against the Anti-Monitor finally came to an end. Across from him, Lucifer sat exactly as before, as if nothing had happened at all.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked casually.
Max didn't answer. His eyes were distant and unfocused, still processing everything he had just seen. Lucifer watched him in silence for a moment before leaning back in his seat.
"You had hoped for something different, didn't you?" he said. "There are things that you have here that you didn't have wherever you come from, and saving them also means losing them. You know, for someone who's criticized the idea of hoping against inevitability, you've been doing exactly that. If I wasn't sure you were human, I would be now."
Lucifer stood up.
"Well, as much as it's been an interesting experience meeting an individual such as yourself, Max Schiller, it's about time I depart. I suggest you do so too… before it's too late."
At those words, Max's eyes snapped back into focus.
"Darkseid…" he muttered as he stood up, intending to thank Lucifer,but he was already gone.
Then Max felt it.
A low rumble shook the ground beneath his feet, followed by panicked screams erupting from outside. The people in the diner rushed toward the windows, trying to see what was happening. Max stepped out alongside a few others and froze.
What he saw sent a cold chill down his spine.
An antimatter wall.
It stretched across the horizon, consuming everything in its path as it advanced,one thought crossed Max's mind at that moment.
Has he come for me?
Meanwhile back on Earth
Tremors rocked the battlefield as two blurs tore across the landscape, Nina and Darkseid locked in a relentless, high-speed clash. Darkseid closed the distance first, his massive form appearing in front of her in an instant as he drove a devastating punch forward.
Nina reacted just in time, raising both arms to block the strike. The impact sent a sickening crack through the air as the bones in her arms fractured once again under the overwhelming force, compounded by the strain of the Eighth Gate. She was blasted backward, tumbling across the ground before flipping through the air and landing on her feet, skidding to a stop.
Before she could recover, her instincts screamed danger.
Two crimson Omega Beams tore toward her.
Nina quickly raised her arms again, bracing as the beams struck. The white armor coating her limbs was instantly strained and stripped away under the energy. Zetsu cried out in pain as both the armor and Nina's flesh were seared by the attack, forcing her backward slightly under the pressure.
Through clenched teeth, she asked, "You okay, Zetsu?"
"I'm fine… just keep fighting," Zetsu replied, his voice strained as the armor slowly reformed, repairing the damage as best it could.
Darkseid moved again immediately.
Nina met him head-on.
She slipped under his punch and countered with a strike to his face. The blow barely affected him, only tilting his head slightly. She followed up instantly, but Darkseid caught her arm mid-motion and began crushing it in his grip.
Nina gritted her teeth and attempted to strike with her other hand, only for him to catch that one as well. Both arms were now locked and being crushed under his grip.
"I tire of this," Darkseid said coldly.
Crimson energy erupted from his body, crawling up Nina like a living force. It spread rapidly, consuming Zetsu's armor. Zetsu screamed in agony as his form was torn apart.
"Zetsu!" Nina shouted.
The white armor dissolved completely into a sludge that fell from her body with a wet impact.
Without hesitation, Darkseid slammed her into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth caved in, forming a massive crater as Nina coughed up blood. Darkseid followed up with another punch.
BOOM!
The crater expanded further, the shockwave shaking the surrounding battlefield like an earthquake. When he finally lifted his fist, it was stained with blood.
"What a nuisance," Darkseid muttered as he began to rise into the air.
Then he paused.
Something fast approached.
He turned his head but it was too late.
A heavy punch slammed into his face, sending him skidding across the ground. For the first time, he felt a hint of pain. His gaze lifted toward the horizon—
and he saw her.
Nina, moving like a meteor, tearing through the battlefield as she charged him again.
Darkseid clenched his fist and met her head-on. Their attacks collided with immense force, pushing him back slightly.
In that moment, a thought crossed his mind.
How is she still alive?
But Nina's left arm finally gave out, breaking completely under the accumulated damage.
Darkseid's eyes flared red.
Nina immediately disengaged and bolted.
The Omega Beams fired again, locking onto her instantly. She zigzagged across the battlefield in an attempt to evade them, but they adapted and closed the distance relentlessly.
Just before they struck, she dove into the ground.
The beams impacted behind her, triggering a small explosion.
A heartbeat later, Nina erupted from beneath Darkseid, driving a furious uppercut into his chin and sending him flying upward into the sky.
Without hesitation, she followed.
She pushed off the air itself, rising above him as she steadied her breathing.
"I'll put my all into this…" she muttered.
Her remaining strength condensed into her right arm. The red aura around her body flared violently as she focused everything she had left.
Then she launched herself forward.
A sonic boom tore through the sky as she became a crimson comet.
"DARKSEID!!!" she roared.
Darkseid crossed his arms in time to block.
The impact drove him downward with tremendous force.
BOOM!
An explosion ripped across the battlefield as they crashed into the ground, sending dust and debris into the air.
When the dust settled, Darkseid stood unharmed, his arm smoking slightly from the impact. Nina's arm, however, was in ruin,blood dripping as shattered bone pushed through her skin.
Darkseid slowly lowered his arms.
Then he struck,a single punch sent Nina flying, rolling across the ground before she finally came to a stop.
Slowly and painfully, she forced herself upright.
Her breathing was heavy. Blood dripped from her nose and evaporated instantly in the heat of her aura.
Her eyes remained locked on him while her thoughts grew distant.
'So this is the monstrosity that dad faught years back ..'
A bitter realization settled in her chest.
'I can't even meaningfully hurt him.' Nina thought as her fingers trembled.
'I thought i was closing the gap..that I was closing the gap..'
A faint, almost hollow breath escaped her lips.
'What a fool I was'
Her expression hardened.
Her stance lowered, like a runner at the starting line.
'If iam going to loose..'
Her chakra began to spiral inward, condensing toward her heart.
'If iam going to die here..'
The red aura around her flared violently, growing sharper as she dug feet dug into the ground.
'Darkseid you will not leave be leaving unscathed..'
Every last ounce of chakra surged toward her heart as her power reached its breaking point.
'Because if got one last thing left...Night Guy..'
End of Chapter.
You can read up to 10+ chapters at patreon.con/Darker Knight.
Chapter 23:Night guy
Chapter 24:Mission impossible
Chapter 25:Art is an explosion!
These are the only tittles I'll be releasing for now and from now on I'll.be releasing the actual tittles of the Three next chapters on every chapter and also guys aim holding a quick Q&N at patreon so if you are curious to know the direction of the fanfic then come participate, it's free and is probably the last Q&N for this fanfic ,till next time!