The second strike came faster and harder than she'd anticipated. Thea vaguely heard Highfather's furious roar—apparently her leader was battling Darkseid in the Outer Sphere.
But that didn't help with the crisis at hand. She would have to handle this herself.
Thea had glimpsed the extent of Darkseid's foundation. The dark lord absolutely possessed the Power domain. That punch was like how the Speed Force represented speed—it represented the very concept of power.
The second punch's force far exceeded the barrier's maximum tolerance. With a sharp crack, despite the massive amount of magic poured into it, the barrier shattered completely before that absolute strength.
The black fist phantom, its momentum unspent, hurtled toward Scott.
Orion showed admirable courage, trying to charge forward to intercept the blow. Thea didn't have time to mourn her destroyed barrier—she grabbed him and held him back. Are you kidding me? Your little body can handle that? His thinking was too rigid, too stubborn! Why try to meet force with force?
Even if she could stop this punch through brute strength, the damage to Earth would be incalculable. Earthquakes and tsunamis would be the mild outcome. Worst case, the planet's axis could tilt, its orbit could shift, and the global ecosystem would face catastrophic destruction.
Thea's hands pulsed with spatial fluctuations. Her slender fingers traced profound symbols as she rapidly created a small pocket dimension through her understanding of magic, drew a wisp of Scott's spiritual energy and tossed it inside as bait, then pushed and pulled the fist's remaining momentum into that space.
A muffled boom. They annihilated each other into nothingness.
As if insulted, two crimson beams immediately followed, fired from some distant and unknown realm.
The twin beams crossed the boundaries of space, streaking straight toward Scott. The Dark Lord's message was clear: death, or nothing. The traitor must die.
What the hell! Thea nearly cursed aloud. Darkseid, you moron! You had thirty days of opportunities and you didn't strike. You wait until this guy walks right up to me? Highfather was too weak—letting the enemy attack again and again like this.
Watching Highfather's own son die right in front of her would be rather inappropriate.
She also wanted to see just how much of a gap remained between herself and these supreme beings. Divine power surged through her entire body as she tapped into her Soul domain, connecting with every soul in the universe. I'm fighting for your universe—the least you can do is contribute some strength!
The souls proved remarkably generous. Countless ancestral spirits, totems, and altars flickered with light in response to her call, each contributing a portion of their power.
Any single contribution might be small, but many drops make an ocean. The combined soul power from across the stars merged together into something formidable.
Soul power blended into her gaze. Her originally emerald Annihilation Eyes, now nourished by souls, radiated an aura of life instead.
Vivid. It was hard to imagine describing a gaze as vivid.
Both attacks were lightning-fast. Crimson beams collided with emerald beams directly.
Annihilation, obliteration, life, death—opposing energies intertwined.
Thea held on for three seconds before realizing she was outmatched. Her only advantage was that Darkseid's gaze had to cross dimensional boundaries to reach her, while she was local. The World Will also helped absorb some of the pressure.
The collision of their gazes formed a channel, allowing Thea to hear words from another universe.
"Don't you dare hurt my children!" That was Highfather's voice, sounding absolutely furious. His staff whirled with power—today he would make Darkseid pay dearly.
On the ground, Orion and Scott heard their father's voice. Tears streamed down both their faces, their only regret being that they were too weak to help.
Thea felt no such emotion—this was the leader's responsibility to begin with. Taking advantage of Highfather engaging Darkseid, she studied the Dark Lord's multiverse-famous Omega Beams with great interest.
These beams truly resembled her own, but were far more refined. Currently, Thea could only annihilate an individual. The Omega Beams could annihilate an entire world. The name "World-Ending Beams" was well-deserved.
As for deeper, more profound secrets, she couldn't discern them.
After holding on for two more seconds, Thea's expression turned bitter. Could you please withdraw? If you don't, I certainly can't!
Darkseid was even more frustrated. When Steppenwolf had reported about her, he hadn't taken it seriously. How could the Omega Effect, born of the Source itself, be easily replicated?
After exchanging blows, he'd also discovered that Thea was far inferior to him—under normal circumstances, just a slightly stronger ant.
But today his old rival Highfather had come knocking. He had to maintain the beams while simultaneously fighting Highfather.
This was becoming difficult...
Their beams remained intertwined. The previously clear sky had been split in two—the upper half crimson, the lower half emerald. Red couldn't press down; green couldn't push up.
What do I do? Even though she was only occupying less than a tenth of Darkseid's attention, the pressure was immense. Her subordinates watched anxiously but couldn't help. Highfather was slightly weaker and couldn't break through quickly.
Massive amounts of unconventional energy hung suspended in the sky, causing tremendous damage to the world itself.
The crimson and emerald beams intertwined and battled, creating a consequence: a vortex was forming.
It was a void created by the two beams annihilating the air. The vortex grew larger and larger, accompanied by powerful suction. First paper and leaves, then stones and saplings, then cars—even buildings began to crumble as debris was drawn into the maelstrom.
The apocalyptic scene in the sky drew countless survivors out of their hiding places. Everyone sensed that extinction-level disaster was brewing above. A few had already fallen to their knees, making the sign of the cross, praying for God's protection.
Thea was sweating now. Darkseid's stubbornness exceeded imagination. The Dark Lord didn't care about destroying a universe, but she did. This universe had given her hope and provided her with vast soul power. She had to protect this world.
When it rains, it pours. Just as she was at her most anxious, Steppenwolf's army came flooding in like a tidal wave. They had committed everything.
Not just the familiar Zoom, but Evil Firestorm, Evil Killer Frost, some "Atomica," some "Doctor Light"—all present. But the most eye-catching was the figure in the black bodysuit and blood-red cape, eyes filled with nothing but bloodlust and savagery—Superman!
Seeing Thea hold her own against Darkseid's attack, locked in stalemate, Steppenwolf felt a flicker of fear. She was probably the strongest being he'd encountered besides Darkseid, Highfather, and Darkseid's father Yuga Khan.
By nature, he didn't want to charge into the space between the Omega Beams and the Annihilation Beams—either would kill him without question. But Darkseid was expending part of his energy on Thea, and facing Highfather at full power was proving difficult. Steppenwolf was needed to break the stalemate.