The endless Dark Power originating from the DC World and the Power of Dreams from the Marvel World, together with the previously escaped strength of the Nightmare Phantom, were all infused into Darkseid, making him transcend the barrier of an Individual Universe almost instantaneously, becoming a brand-new existence in the Multiverse—"Nightmare Darkseid".
As he was elevated to a Multiverse level, his origin story changed accordingly. Simultaneously, he fused with the counterparts of other Individual Universes in the Multiverse, and all other Darkseids became his projections. His form of life transformed from a carbon-based bioform to something akin to a rule-based existence, becoming the source of nightmares across the Multiverse.
Of course, due to the vast authority of the DC Dream Realm, and the formidable power of the dream god, even a Multiverse level Darkseid still couldn't control the Kingdom of Dreams. The Power of Nightmare is a brand new force, a fusion of the Power of Dreams and the world's origin dark power, creating a polluted nightmare realm within the Kingdom of Dreams. Though it is still part of the Dream Realm, it has a certain degree of independence and is solely governed by Nightmare Darkseid.
Before Jack and the agent ventured into the Dream Dimension to seek Dream Power Doctor Strange, Greed first approached the homeless Darkseid. Naturally, under the guise of Mephisto.
"The opportunity has come, Your Majesty," he said, standing on the desolate planet, looking at Darkseid.
"Do you really have a way for me to advance further?" Darkseid turned his head to Shiller, saying, "Apocalypse Star has been destroyed, and even returning to my former level is difficult. You'd better not be trying to trick me."
"Of course not. Whether Apocalypse Star exists or not won't affect my plan," Shiller said with a smile. "The method is quite simple. As long as you have sufficiently strong power, elevate yourself above Individual Universe level, and all problems will be resolved."
"Where does this mighty power come from?" Darkseid seemed more convinced that Shiller was indeed tricking him. He said, "Who would give me such power for nothing?"
But Shiller shook his head and said, "The strength of a power doesn't lie in its quantity, but whether it is close enough to the Cosmic Origin. As long as the power's tier is high enough, not much is needed to elevate you above an Individual Universe level."
"Then where can I find such a high-tier power?"
"You don't need to worry about that. You only need to appear where I tell you to, as per our agreement, and everything will unfold."
"How do I know if you are deceiving me?"
"What else is there to deceive you about, Your Majesty? You've lost the Apocalypse Domain and are almost alone now. If you can't reverse the situation in this war, you may never return to your homeland. For that, isn't it worth taking the risk?"
Darkseid fell silent, and Shiller didn't push him further, knowing he would make the right choice.
The next step was to persuade Dream Power Doctor Strange. When he found out that Shiller intended to give both the Power of Dreams and another Cosmic Origin Power to Darkseid, he truly thought Shiller was mad.
"You'll never persuade me, Shiller! I know Darkseid belongs to another world, but isn't he here with us now? Allowing him to become such a powerful entity would be disastrous for us first! It's too risky, and I won't agree!"
"If the power given is not very strong, then we indeed would be in danger; but if the power given is too strong, we would actually be safer. Do you know why that is?"
Dream Power Doctor Strange looked at him puzzled.
"If the power isn't very strong, he would choose to deal with us or Batman, because he wouldn't have the power to tackle both sides simultaneously; but if he's incredibly strong, he will definitely want to take both sides down at once. That's why I chose Darkseid, his ambition is strong, and once he has matching capabilities, he certainly won't hesitate, but will forge ahead, seeking the greatest benefits for himself."
"But even if we join forces, we might not be able to deal with him. Don't forget, all that's left in the universe are some scattered remnants..."
"That's exactly what I want," Shiller laughed and said, "And don't forget, are the Superheroes that are here now from the Multiverse the only ones?"
"Of course not," Dream Power Doctor Strange instinctively replied, "That's far from it, only I came from our universe...wait, you're not trying to drag all of them into this, are you?!"
"Exactly. If Darkseid hasn't broken the Individual Universe barrier, then dealing with him is the responsibility of the people from our universe; but if he becomes Multiverse level, then it becomes a Multiverse-level disaster, and who in the Multiverse can stay out of it?"
Dream Power Doctor Strange couldn't help but curse: "You've created a Multiverse-level disaster just to drag them all into this, what good does that do?!"
"Batman has just been through an Ultron invasion, which barely counted as a Multiverse disaster, so of course we should have one too to see where the problems lie, right?"
Dream Power Doctor Strange took a deep breath and said, "But...but...that's far too dangerous. Darkseid, crafted with two Cosmic Origin Powers, will definitely be much stronger than Ultron."
"But our lineup is also much stronger than Batman's was at that time," Shiller shrugged, "Not to mention Franklin and other Mutants, Batman has the Manhattan Batman and the Super Body, without a strong opponent, Batman's efforts would be in vain."
"No way, I still think this is too risky. If it goes wrong, I'll be the criminal of the entire cosmos!"
"But if it succeeds, you'll be the hero." Shiller stepped closer, looking into his eyes and said, "The more Individual Universes that are dragged into the depths, the greater the scope of the war, and the more indispensable you become. Because the Dream Power that Darkseid commands originates from you. You're the one who knows him most, and the one who can deal with him most easily. The entire Multiverse is counting on you. This is a great opportunity to elevate the status of your universe in the Multiverse. Are you willing to let it slip away so easily?"
"I don't want to be any kind of Multiverse leader!" Dream Power Doctor Strange finally expressed his true thoughts. He said, "If it's by creating a disaster that plunges the whole Multiverse into crisis just to highlight my own status, that's definitely not the act of a hero. Improper conduct makes it hard to wield power, and everything gained in such a way is nothingness; sooner or later, the price will be paid for it."
"Very well, if you don't want to do it, I'll go find Incubus." Shiller finally showed his true colors, he said, "At that time, Incubus absolutely won't help us deal with Darkseid, might even collude with him, become his most powerful ally, causing even greater harm to the Multiverse..."
"Can't you just not do this?!"
"Sorry, I can't." Shiller's gaze gradually turned cold, he said, "Steven, you have no choice. Either you do it, and after success, receive cheers from thousands; or I go find Incubus, and when he borrows Darkseid's momentum, guess who he'll take revenge on first?"
Dream Power Doctor Strange felt a chill all over his body, he couldn't help but say, "You should stay in that Psychiatric Hospital for a few more years, take a good look at your brain, you're a complete madman!"
Shiller laughed again, stretched out his arms and said, "Welcome to join the ranks of madmen. Come on, why not?"
Dark Power and Dream Power intertwined in Dream Power Doctor Strange's eyes, he gritted his teeth, infused the last bit of power into Darkseid's body, until he was almost exhausted, letting his body fall down. Penetrating through layers of dream curtains, he finally fell into a calm water area. Shiller was sitting on a duck-shaped swim ring, propping his chin with his hand and smiling at him. In the distance was a forest of continuously extending water slides.
"Are you satisfied now?" Dream Power Doctor Strange asked.
"Not yet. Next, we'll see how Batman plays his cards."
The moment Darkseid ascended, the Primary Universe Batman understood the plan of Greed. This guy never intended to rely on the Nightmare Phantom from the start, or rather, his target wasn't the Three Great Empires of this universe either, which were insignificant to him. When he drew this sword, it was aimed directly at the Marvel Multiverse.
At the same time, he was also forcing himself to act. Darkseid is someone from his side, once he causes any harm in the Multiverse, he cannot shirk responsibility. From then on, it will be very difficult to interact with the superheroes on this side, even from a standpoint of interest, he must stop Darkseid.
The Primary Universe Batman gently closed his eyes, sighed deeply. Although he had long thought he would face off against Greed someday, when that day truly arrived, he was still restless. The violent roar from this out-of-control engine was deafening, Batman couldn't accurately describe this sound, it was like a sudden volcanic eruption under the Deep Sea, everything vibrating in the silence; also like the canticles lingering under the chapel dome for millennia, trembling tremendously when the soul departs.
Fortunately, he had prepared well for this war. The Primary Universe Batman picked up the communicator and walked out of the office door, just in time to meet the returning Injustice Superman, who said, "The person is rescued, but Batwoman has sacrificed. You better ask them for the specific situation."
The Primary Universe Batman wasn't surprised by this result, he nodded, quickly heading to the hospital. The Arkham Batman of the Dark Multiverse had varying degrees of injury, all looking very silent.
"Take a good rest." The Primary Universe Batman said.
"There's something we need to tell you." Mechanical Batman spoke up, "To be precise, someone wants to contact you through us."
On the other side, Bruce narrowly escaped death, any slower and he would have been sucked into the Dream Dimension along with his power, then ground to pieces. Even though he could be revived in the Battleworld, he definitely didn't want to die once.
Clark found him on a planet near the dimension entrance. Seeing Bruce, he let out a sigh of relief, then said, "Good thing you're alright. Diana sacrificed herself, Hal is severely injured, Ron has already returned to Battleworld, leaving just us two and Barry."
"Is he okay?"
"I let him hide in Divine Speed all the time, he's doing fine for now." Clark said, "Diana was too close to the center of the explosion and couldn't evade; Hal blocked a bit with a barrier but then got stabbed by the Nightmare Phantom; Ron was spiritually polluted, chose suicide. However, according to them, death wasn't painful, just a moment of pain, then back to Battleworld."
"That's good." Bruce sighed in relief, crawled up from the ground. He was indeed a bit battered, although he spread his wings at the last moment, breaking free from the suction consumed too much power, leaving hardly any physical strength.
Clark flew with him, and on their way back they encountered Arkham Batman and two Constantines. They hadn't participated in the main battlefield, so were fine. They noticed the changes here, hence came over.
"Give us a ride, please." Clark said, "I can't fly easily either."
"Hey, you're here!" Another voice came from behind them. Turning around, they saw two Jokers sitting on a truck, one being Jack, the other Clown Hero. "Get in!"
Arkham Batman skillfully drove the Batmobile into the truck compartment, and Clark took Bruce flying in as well. Once the door closed, they flew towards the Dark Quadrant.