DC-EU, Zeus.
Chaos reigned on Apokolips.
Darkseid's disappearance detonated the planet like a fuse!
"The Great Darkness has vanished!"
"He has traveled to another universe!"
The scientist responsible for researching Apokolips, Desaad presented the results of his analysis.
"Can He still return?"
Steppenwolf asked.
"…"
Desaad did not speak.
He simply used a holographic projection to display Thanos' image, and the meaning was clear…
Thanos could not leave their world, just like Darkseid.
"…"
"…"
When they heard the news, Steppenwolf and many of Darkseid's followers fell silent.
At first, everyone was full of energy and determination!
"Send the troops!"
"Just wait until the universes collide again! Then we'll gather the army and invade the universe where Thanos is!"
But now…
The power structure had been set, and their supreme commander, had vanished.
"Darkseid won't be in danger in another universe, right?"
Darkseid's eldest son, Kalibak, spoke with strain in his voice.
Darkseid had never loved him.
He didn't even allow others to call him father.
"No way!!"
"That's Darkseid! The mightiest New God of Apokolips! The Great Dark King!"
"They're just war trash from a neighboring universe!"
"Who could defeat him!?" Steppenwolf shouted.
"That's right! Darkseid will be fine!"
The kind-looking old woman under his command also stood on Steppenwolf's side.
Don't be fooled by her gentle appearance.
In reality, her cruelty was among the greatest in all of Apokolips!
She was the commander and chief training officer of Apokolips' special forces, the Nemesis Combat Team!
"Don't worry, everyone!"
"We all know how powerful Darkseid is!"
As more people spoke, their faith returned.
The inhabitants of Apokolips gradually reaffirmed their belief that Darkseid would return unharmed.
"We just need to follow the plan Darkseid set and continue the operations!"
"That's right!"
"When the next cosmic collision comes…"
"We'll conquer each other within our own universes!"
Steppenwolf and Granny Goodness temporarily took command of Apokolips.
"Yes!"
"Darkseid will join us, from within and without!"
"We'll conquer that other universe in one strike!"
"This battle! The advantage is ours!"
The people of Apokolips quickly regained their morale and began preparing for the great invasion of the Marvel Universe.
However…
No one knew that high above Apokolips, a shadowy figure had slowly appeared.
The returnee known as Corvus Glaive hovered silently.
He quietly turned his thumb downward.
"Very good…"
"I was just as confident… before I died."
...
Marvel Universe.
Everything had returned to an apparent peace.
But everyone knew it was only the calm before the storm.
Everyone was waiting…
For the day when the two universes would collide once more.
Because of that, Tony Stark had been visiting the temple in New York several times a day.
"Aron, are you sure there's no kryptonite in our universe?"
"Aron, I read in DC Comics that Superman has a weakness against demons, is that true?"
"Aron, is there any way to protect ourselves from that Martian hunter's telepathy?"
"Aron…"
"!!"
Aron finally lost his patience.
He used the Space Stone and teleported Tony directly to Mount Everest.
"Finally, some peace…"
Still, Aron himself was waiting for the moment when the two universes would collide again.
Although he could freely summon people from other worlds and send them back to the universes they came from, those abilities could only be used against demons.
He himself could not cross between different universes.
Not even between parallel Marvel worlds…
"Wait a second…"
"Parallel universe… I think I know a way!"
Aron suddenly remembered that he had taken the Darkhold last time.
He looked left and right to make sure the Ancient One wasn't in the temple.
Then he pulled the book out of his spatial belt.
"Hm, still won't let me study?"
"Just kidding…"
He looked at the Darkhold.
A surge of dark magic that entered his eyes caused Aron's pupils to gleam.
Torturing souls, controlling others, twisted spells…
Seeing Aron smile, it was clear that such things intrigued him.
"This is called magic."
But though he was curious, Aron did not truly study black magic.
For him now…
Those things had no meaning, they couldn't increase his combat power.
Moreover, they wasted his time.
"Alright, let's see this magic about parallel universes."
He soon opened the chapter dealing with that topic.
Among them was the technique of "Dream Walking" that the Ancient One had mentioned earlier.
That magic didn't mean actually crossing between universes…
Instead, it forcibly projected the user's consciousness into his other self from a parallel universe.
Simply put, the soul would occupy its alternate body.
"Useless."
Aron tried the dream technique and immediately realized that, like Darkseid, he possessed unique characteristics within the multiverse.
No, actually… Darkseid wasn't the same.
He had only one true body, while all his "duplicates" were projections of that truth scattered across the multiverse.
But Aron… had no duplicates at all.
After a long search, he found no universe in which another him existed.
"Hm, I don't understand… and I don't care. I'm going to a ball."
Aron knew he was full of mysteries.
At the beginning, the Ancient One had said that he was "the only one in the timeline."
And now, it seemed, he was also the only one in the entire multiverse.
Still, he didn't think too much about it.
It wasn't a bad thing.
First, it didn't affect playing video games.
Second, it didn't affect eating.
Third, it didn't affect spending time with girls.
What more could he wish for?
Nothing special.
Aron continued reading the Book of Darkhold.
Besides the dream technique, there were others, such as astral projection, which were also related to parallel universes.
But all of them were limited: the consciousness could cross, but not the body.
"So the flesh can't go? Great."
Aron shook his head.
For him, it was crucial to physically cross into a parallel universe.
"Dimensional rift?"
"Looks like this one works!"
He soon found a spell that allowed physical travel between universes.
But there was one small, unpleasant drawback.
Casting that spell destroyed the dimensional barrier!
"The dimensional barrier is like a thin membrane, it can break and be repaired."
"I have the Infinity Stones, there's no reason to panic."
Finishing his sentence, Aron prepared to try.
At that moment, the Ancient One returned to the New York temple, together with Tony Stark, who by then had turned into an ice sculpture.
Aron quickly put away the Book of Darkhold.
"I…"
Tony Stark, without armor or protective gear, looked terrible.
His arms and legs were completely stiff, and a frozen icicle of snot hung beneath his nose.
"Good thing I came back early," said the Ancient One.
"Otherwise, Tony Stark from our universe would've become the saddest Tony in all parallel universes."
She turned on the air conditioner's heating and placed Tony in front of the warm air vent.
"I… I… I… almost…"
Tony stammered; the cold had slowed his thoughts and he couldn't finish his sentence.
"Sorry, I completely forgot about you while I was studying."
Aron looked sincerely embarrassed.
Then, completely serious, he picked up the remote and switched the air conditioner back to cooling mode.
"Ancient One, it's not smart to heat the temple in the middle of summer, is it?"
"I'll take him outside to warm up a bit in the sun."
Saying that, Aron dragged the still-frozen Tony outside the temple, onto the main street.
Passersby immediately recognized them and began pulling out their phones, photographing the scene as if watching a performance.
"You…"
Tony could barely move his stiff body, staring at him in disbelief.
"I know, my bad," said Aron. "I shouldn't have left you on the snowy mountains for so long."
"The important thing is that we forget about it, you know?"
"But don't worry! Even if you freeze to death, I'll bring you back to life!"
"Just trust me!"
Aron patted his chest confidently, trying to comfort him.
"I…"
Tony's eyes filled with tears, and his voice trembled.
"I think… could you please just carry me back inside?"