Bruce slowly folded his wings. The weak white light belonging to the Angel Rank, once emanating from his body, gradually receded inside him. In its place was an extremely dense power of darkness. In that instant, the darkness rooted in the DC Universe's essence opened its door within him. In the deepest shadow, countless beings chanted His name—"Barbados..."
A giant phantom emerged behind Bruce. The same World Origin Power, Barbados's dark force feared not The Phoenix Force. The dense darkness began to invade, leaving the universe space in a deeper dead silence.
The phantom became increasingly solid. Huge wings spread wide, and the dark power expanded faster, even invading the dimension's entrance. All creatures enshrouded by it felt endless despair and nothingness. Things washed by the black tide solidified into Eternity in the darkness.
"Let's go." The figure of Manhattan Batman suddenly appeared behind Primary Universe Batman. When Manhattan Batman placed his hand on his shoulder, they vanished together from the frontline.
"I knew that kid was saving a trick." Returning to the Dark Quadrant, Primary Universe Batman sighed and said, "Barbados... I hope he doesn't play with fire and get burned."
At this time, Injustice Batman walked in and said, "There's been some results here. Would you like to take a look?"
Primary Universe Batman turned and followed him over. He heard Injustice Batman introducing: "Originally, we wanted to use Brainiac's Brainwave Control Device to develop a Brainwave Shielding Device. Although it might not be useful now, it's connected to another research project you threw over earlier."
"You mean that thing on Hal?"
"Exactly. The Brainwave Control Device is completely ineffective on Hal, proving he indeed has something on him. By exploring the shielded areas, we found that thing. But now we're struggling to decipher it."
Both entered the laboratory, and Primary Universe Batman immediately saw the flashing object encased in a glass bottle. At a glance, he realized it originally didn't flash and must have been manipulated somehow to refract light, making the object visible.
"What exactly is this?" Primary Universe Batman asked.
"Research found this isn't its original form," Big Adventure Batman said. "It seems to have undergone some sort of shrinkage. We suspect it's Pym particles."
"Pym particles? You mean Ant-Man?" Primary Universe Batman frowned. After some investigation, he already knew the creator behind Ultron, causing such a disturbance in their universe, was Ant-Man.
"Correct." Big Adventure Batman nodded and said, "This object was deliberately placed on Hal. But what's its purpose, and what's the other party's aim, remains unclear. Unless it can be restored to its original form, our technical means can't investigate it."
"Not at all?"
Big Adventure Batman shook his head and said, "Pym particles are truly unique. If we had ample time and professional equipment, we might crack it. But for now, absolutely not."
"What if we capture an Ant-Man?" Primary Universe Batman asked again.
"He wouldn't willingly tell us," Big Adventure Batman said, "Not to mention he has patent confidentiality rights, and since he helped create this thing for the other side, he won't betray them suddenly."
"That might not be the case. The Ant-Man who helped create this should be from this universe, but from the other universe, who knows." said Primary Universe Batman. "If I'm not mistaken, the Ultron incident was entirely accidental. Dr. Pym wouldn't want to see this happen either. As the culprit, he might intend to offer some compensation to the victims."
"How is that possible? If it were true, their Prime Universe wouldn't approve launching this war."
"Haven't you noticed? The leaders of their Prime Universe are all megalomaniacs," Primary Universe Batman sighed and said, "Whether it's Main Universe Iron Man or Doctor Strange, they want this war merely because they believe they can win and gain a higher status in the Multiverse through this victory. As for ethics, they don't care."
"You mean Pym might prefer admitting fault rather than waging war against us?"
"Exactly. He simply can't defy the Prime Universe Avengers Alliance. But if we approach him, he might consider the trouble he's caused us and help crack the secret of this object. After all, it shouldn't directly influence the outcome, or else they wouldn't give it to us."
Big Adventure Batman nodded and said, "I'll go look for him, then. Hopefully, I can persuade him. Where do you think he might be?"
"The Prime Universe Avengers Alliance wouldn't trust him on the front lines, because intense guilt might cause him to switch sides during battle. He wouldn't be safe in the Asgard Base either, since no one can watch him constantly. So, the best solution is to have someone from the Central Universe keep him on Earth. There's a Magical Defense Network there, which can monitor any movement in and out at all times."
"But how do we get in?" Big Adventure Batman asked. "Forcing a breakthrough is impossible, and sneaking in will surely get caught... Wait, we already successfully infiltrated before. How did you manage that?"
"The super body can exert some influence over the magical defense network."
"Can she break through the magical defense network?"
"No. But she can grant the magical defense network life."
"What?!"
"She has mastered a special life force that can give true life to things that originally have none, which means igniting their souls. Before the magical defense network develops its own consciousness, there will be a phase like that of an infant. Data might get a bit confused, and naturally, we can sneak in amidst the chaos."
"Oh my goodness, you've broken their magical defense network. After the war ends, won't they give you trouble?" Big Adventure Batman said worriedly, "That thing is very important to them."
"On the contrary, I not only didn't break it but also helped them a lot. The magical defense network will gradually grow into a magical lifeform similar to a super body, which is actually better than being an unconscious tool."
"What's so good about it?" Big Adventure Batman clearly disagreed, "Having consciousness only makes things more complicated."
"What if it's not the consciousness of the defense network but Earth's consciousness?"
"Huh?"
"This universe's Earth is quite special. The magic-rich environment across the entire Nine Major Kingdoms seems connected to them having tricked two great empires previously. In such a magic-rich environment, not only does the soul strength of the human race significantly improve, but in the thousands of years to come, new magic races might be born. By chance, certain inanimate objects might also gain intelligence. This is a notable benefit from an increased level of power."
"Are you saying Earth might awaken its consciousness?"
"Yes. But it's not just the ball under human feet; it includes an entire system, with the magical defense network as its brain, Earth as its torso, humans as its blood and cells, the moon as its limbs, and the space station as its eyes..."
"Sounds too fantastical." Big Adventure Batman said somewhat amazed, "Although it seems pretty interesting, it's also a bit of a shocker."
"There's nothing shocking. If the human race is included within this system, Earth's consciousness won't be able to do anything harmful to humans. After all, you wouldn't want yourself to have high blood sugar and high cholesterol, right? On the contrary, Earth's consciousness will also prevent humans from making fatal errors, because if there are no humans, Earth might also decay."
"I understand." Big Adventure Batman said, "Earth may be a naturally formed planet, but the magical defense network is a human creation and requires human maintenance. Without humans, who supplies its brain with blood? Saying humans are the blood seems quite apt. So letting the super body give life to the magical defense network is essentially letting Earth's brain first awaken from confusion?"
"Exactly. The system gradually forms and develops, much like a human infant. However, which part develops first is crucial. Developing the brain first ensures that nutrients aren't grabbed elsewhere. Thus, what emerges is not a vague consciousness but a highly intelligent lifeform. Moreover, because the magical defense network is constructed by humans, during its development, it will also absorb human brainwaves, eventually merging with human thoughts, becoming akin to a collective human consciousness."
"That's pretty good." Big Adventure Batman nodded, "So can our magical defense network be developed in the same way?"
"Maybe it can develop this way over time, but definitely not now. If this universe's magical defense network development is equivalent to the human brain, ours is probably comparable to an amoeba. To reach this level, it could take hundreds or thousands of years."
"Alright. Get the super body to open a backdoor for me and I'll see if I can find Prime Universe Ant-Man, have them help us solve the mystery of this thing."
Primary Universe Batman nodded. Soon, Big Adventure Batman flew away in a spaceship. This might take some time, not because finding people on Earth is challenging, but because finding Earth itself is tough. The planet hasn't returned to the Solar System and its location is unknown.
Primary Universe Batman continued to look toward the dimensional entrance. However, Barbados's dark power also affects the operation of monitoring equipment, and signals were not very good, making it hard to see inside clearly.
However, he learned from Battleworld messages that some people weren't killed by the explosion but couldn't be contacted for now. Primary Universe Batman suspected they might have been pulled into some strange space and trapped, possibly the same space that once contained Superman.
While Primary Universe Batman was thinking this, his communicator unexpectedly received a message from the opposing command center asking for assistance:
"Greetings, Batman. This is Earth Command Center. We regret to inform you that the aftermath of the explosion resulted not only in losses of personnel on both sides but also in the invasion of forces that shouldn't exist in the real dimension. This also brought highly aggressive and extremely powerful nightmare phantoms. Once these phantoms enter the real dimension and wreak havoc, countless ordinary beings without revival opportunities will fall victim. This is something neither of us wishes to see."
"To restore these forces to their original dimension and eliminate the terrifying dimensional phantoms, we must destroy both the forces and the phantoms' master — the Incubus. Our side has dispatched personnel to annihilate, but the Incubus's dwelling in the Dream Dimension is too complex. We need your power. Please offer us assistance. Thank you."