"Darkseid, I'm here to negotiate terms."
On the desolate Apokolips, an endless army of Parademons roared at the figure in the sky.
Doctor Doom shouted boldly in front of the entire Apokoliptian legion, sending the Parademons into a frenzy.
SWOOSH~~
SCREECH!!
Instantly, countless Parademons took flight, swarming toward Doctor Doom.
Facing these ferocious creatures, green light flickered in Doom's eyes. An invisible barrier expanded, freezing thousands of Parademons mid-air.
To demonstrate his power and secure a deal, Doctor Doom unleashed his true strength from the start.
BOOM!!
His right hand emerged slowly from his robe, the golden gauntlet gleaming with six vibrant Infinity Stones.
HUMM~
In an instant, the surrounding Parademons didn't even have time to scream before disintegrating into ash under the Infinity Stones' power.
Ashes scattered in the wind, and Charlie, watching from the shadows, felt his expression shift.
He knew the Infinity Stones were powerless in other universes—just ordinary gems.
But somehow, Doctor Doom had managed to carry their power across universes, unaffected by cosmic rules.
Charlie had never seen him use the Infinity Stones before.
Talk about playing it close to the chest.
Compared to the Time Variance Authority's drawer of useless Infinity Stones, stripped of power outside their native universe, Doctor Doom clearly knew how to wield true might.
But… That cheesy line was bound to rile up any villain.
This time was no exception.
BOOM!!
A massive roar erupted from the mountain fortress surrounded by Parademons. A gray, rock-like giant strode through the ashes.
His gaze was cold, tinged with wildness.
He calmly stared at the uninvited guest in the sky.
With just a look, Doctor Doom felt an overwhelming confidence and faint pressure from the figure.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward.
He knew he'd found the right guy.
The one Spider-Man was after was right here. From Steppenwolf, he'd learned Earth's greatest enemy was Apokolips.
And Apokolips' master was Darkseid, a legendary figure.
The one Spider-Man feared most.
Doctor Doom wasn't confident he could complete his mission alone, so he needed this guy's power.
But first, he had to keep Spider-Man in the dark.
And that's what he did.
Spider-Man, the warrior, had no guard up around him, making it easy for Doom to leave Earth with an excuse.
Backstabbing Spider-Man was a reluctant move.
But he had his plan.
Gain greater power here, secure the Resurrection Match slot, and even without Spider-Man, he could save the multiverse alone.
With that thought, Doctor Doom felt much lighter.
But that lightness turned to shock in an instant.
BOOM!!
Darkseid's eyes blazed with blinding light, the force piercing Doctor Doom's body in a flash.
No warning, no time to react.
This was the Omega Beam, capable of killing anything.
And reviving anything.
WHOOSH~
As Doctor Doom froze, his body turned to ash. But as the Omega Beam refracted back at multiple angles, the ashes reformed into his body.
This eerie scene sent a chill through Charlie's heart.
Was this setting for real? But before he could think, the Omega Beam seemed to detect him, refracting across space to reach him instantly.
PUFF!!
As the beam pierced his forehead, Charlie lost all consciousness.
…
[You have been eliminated and cannot obtain a Resurrection Match slot. Reward: Purification +1.]
[Remaining 177 retries. Would you like to restart?]
Restart!
Atop the Empire State Building, Charlie glanced at Doctor Doom beside him.
His direction was mostly right, but Darkseid had taken him out with just the Omega Beam, without even using the Anti-Life Equation. This left Charlie conflicted.
It was now almost certain Darkseid was the mastermind.
But his power was far more terrifying than Charlie had imagined.
In Charlie's mind, if Clark could defeat Darkseid, it meant Darkseid wasn't at "full power," only slightly stronger than Clark.
Didn't Spider-Man take down Doomsday, a near-invincible entity, in a similar way?
But that last encounter showed Charlie the DC Universe's raw malice.
Without a protagonist's aura, you really just get one-shotted?
If Clark could beat Darkseid, then Spider-Man definitely could too! Definitely! Charlie studied Doctor Doom, pondering how to find Darkseid's weakness.
But on second thought, if he couldn't beat Darkseid, taking down Doctor Doom would have the same effect.
With his connections in the DC Universe, even together, they'd struggle against Doom.
So the turning point might still lie with Darkseid.
After much thought, Charlie decided to keep tailing Doctor Doom to Apokolips.
Before he could speak, Doom shot him a resentful look.
"This is all your fault. If you hadn't let Thanos—"
"I was wrong," Charlie cut in.
Doctor Doom blinked. "What did you say?"
"I'm sorry," Charlie said, expressionless.
He didn't want to waste time with this guy.
Doom clearly hadn't expected this, and his heart wavered.
Spider-Man's apology was so sincere, he almost felt bad.
But no matter. I'm not a good guy either.
Doom calculated internally.
This time, they didn't fight but teamed up.
After the Paradise Island incident, Doctor Doom had already met Steppenwolf, leaving Earth under the guise of hunting a mature Celestial.
Charlie followed.
Finally, they arrived at Apokolips, one after the other.
"Darkseid, I'm here to negotiate terms."
PUFF!
Darkseid appeared, his Omega Beam first destroying Doctor Doom's body, then instantly reviving him.
It also took out Spider-Man's clone.
Done, Darkseid stared at the shocked Doctor Doom with cold eyes.
"Your companion's been dealt with. State your purpose, or you'll meet the same fate."
"Companion?"
Doom had no time to process this. As a being who'd roamed the multiverse for countless years, this was the first time he'd met someone who could one-shot him.
Yes, the last time didn't count.
The Living Tribunal wasn't an individual but a force of rules.
He never worried about being judged by the Tribunal; he'd just been unlucky to get caught up.
But this was different.
This universe's terrifying entity wielded a power that could destroy and revive at will—mind-boggling.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. "I'm here to make a deal."
"A deal?" Darkseid's tone carried a hint of mockery.
No one was worthy of dealing with him.
But Doom didn't get it. He said, "I'll help you secure the Mother Boxes. You help me take out Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man?"
Darkseid mused. He'd studied Earth and knew Spider-Man was a new superhero, rivaling Clark in power.
But… The guy he just took out looked familiar.
Spider-Man? Well, it was him, but also not him.
With that thought, Darkseid smiled.
"I agree."
With those words, Doom was elated, only to be invaded by an unknown force, becoming Darkseid's servant.
Under Charlie's watchful eyes, Doctor Doom, uncharacteristically, knelt before Darkseid, pledging allegiance.
Charlie understood—Doom was controlled.
The Anti-Life Equation could control anyone.
Otherwise, with Doom's pride, no one could make him submit.
It all clicked for Charlie.
It wasn't Doctor Doom who hypnotized Diana—it was Darkseid.
After getting the Mother Boxes, Darkseid had already arrived on Earth.
In a flash, Darkseid's gaze snapped to the void where Charlie hid.
"Spider-Man. Interesting."
A strange orb in his hand glowed with orbiting streams, the Anti-Life Equation's power ignoring space and time, surging into Charlie's mind.
Oh no!
Sensing the anomaly, Charlie's heart skipped.
But then he shuddered, and the invading force dissipated.
"Hm?"
Both Darkseid and Charlie were stunned.
The Anti-Life Equation failed! Darkseid was shocked; Charlie was thrilled.
Though he didn't know why, he didn't hesitate, diving into a portal and vanishing.
Due to special reasons, Darkseid couldn't descend to Earth, so he could only watch Charlie disappear.
After a long pause, he exhaled slowly.
No wonder he's the invincible Spider-Man. Truly a pain.
He raised a hand, ordering Doctor Doom, "Go to Earth. Take him out."
Doom bowed his head. "Sorry, I can't. My strength matches his. I can't kill him."
Darkseid waved it off. "I'll help you."
His eyes glowed with Omega Beams, sealing their power into an ordinary blade.
"This can kill Spider-Man."
Doom took the blade, his gaze thoughtful.
Spider-Man's spider-sense could warn him early. Even with a killing blade, a sneak attack would be tough.
So… "I understand."
Doom stood. "The Inheritors' totem power can partially counter the Spider Totem. With Celestial power and my magic, I can craft a spell to avoid detection by his spider-sense."
Having studied Spider-Man, he knew how to deal with him.
He just hadn't acted because he needed Spider-Man to save the multiverse.
"The Inheritors? Celestial power?" Darkseid frowned, unfamiliar with these terms.
"Yes," Doom said. "So we need to control the Inheritors first, then slay the Celestial."
"You decide."
"Yes."
…
Doctor Doom began crafting a god-slaying blade for Spider-Man.
Back on Earth, Charlie faced his final struggle.
With Darkseid's help, Doom would surely create a weapon targeting him.
With his spider-sense unable to warn him, Charlie couldn't guard against it.
With that, he gathered Clark and the others, explaining the situation.
Batman was the first to react.
Bruce Wayne frowned. "Since Doctor Doom and Darkseid made a deal, our first priority is guarding the Mother Boxes."
"The Mother Boxes can't be guarded," Charlie said. "Doom's strength rivals mine, and with Darkseid's help, you could all be controlled by the Anti-Life Equation, siding with them.
Even if you're not controlled, Doom knows too many weird spells. We can't stop him from stealing the Mother Boxes."
"Then why weren't you controlled?" Bruce asked suddenly.
Charlie blinked. "I don't know."
"You must know."
Bruce stared at him. "Every event has its underlying logic. If you're immune to the Anti-Life Equation, you must have something special."
"Something special…"
Charlie pondered.
The Spider Totem?
The twelve talismans?
The power of fate?
When he was nearly controlled, none of these reacted noticeably.
Not noticeably… Charlie's heart stirred. He raised a hand, conjuring a nearly transparent force.
Purification power! Though he hadn't lost any, it was clearly more active.
He hadn't noticed before.
So its purpose wasn't to purify Corrupted Supermen but to block the Anti-Life Equation.
Charlie finally got it.
With just one unit of purification power, he could resist the Anti-Life Equation without any cost.
No wonder he hadn't noticed.
This explained why Darkseid, after arriving on Earth with the Mother Boxes, didn't control Spider-Man immediately.
It wasn't that he didn't want to—he couldn't.
The puzzle was coming together, but the problem remained.
He looked at the others, distributing purification power to them.
"With this, you won't be controlled by the Anti-Life Equation," he said.
They took the nearly transparent energy, and as it sank into their hands, they shivered in unison.
"Is this really it?" Bruce Wayne wanted confirmation.
Charlie nodded. "You can test it."
Bruce thought for a moment. "I'll pass."
He continued, "Spider-Man, I need your cooperation. I'm sure I can devise a plan to keep you from being killed by that weird weapon."
"No way!"
Diana and Clark shouted in unison, their faces changing.
Working with Batman was extremely dangerous.
If Batman learned more about Spider-Man, he'd be in serious trouble.
Seeing their agitation, Bruce looked at them helplessly.
"Relax, I won't take advantage of him." He knew what they were thinking.
His reputation was getting in the way of future team-ups.
What a headache.
Charlie didn't mind too much.
He didn't have high hopes for Batman anyway.
Unless a protagonist's aura kicked in, how could a mortal stand against Darkseid, the DC Universe's sole New God? No amount of intellect could bridge that gap.
But a dead horse was better than none, and Charlie had no other options.
With purification power, Batman should be trustworthy.
He nodded in agreement.
"No problem. You'd better hurry, though. I've only got a month."
"Trust me, this is my specialty."
"Heh."
"Your smile's full of doubt."
"So prove yourself."
"I will."
Batman's confidence made Clark instinctively step back.
He still couldn't shake the shadow Batman cast over him.