Charlie merely sized up the pale-faced Darkseid—no, Uxas, as he was called now—ignoring the contempt in his tone.
In his plan against the Laughing Bat, Charlie had concluded that Bruce Wayne's strategy was doomed to fail. So, he acted on his own terms.
If he couldn't defeat the Laughing Bat, he'd force a cosmic restart.
A cosmic restart would make the Laughing Bat vanish, at least from this universe.
Conveniently, Charlie knew how to trigger a DC Universe restart.
Disrupt the timeline enough, and the universe would reboot to repair itself.
But each restart introduced subtle differences.
Take Apokolips post-restart: Darkseid hadn't yet acquired the Omega Beams or the Anti-Life Equation. Clark was just a young man newly arrived on Earth, grappling with growing pains.
Compared to the pre-restart universe, this timeline was far less predictable.
And he, Spider-Man from the Marvel Universe, had still arrived in the DC Universe with the same mission.
Survive for a month.
But there was a difference. Charlie's eyes slowly glowed with a faint red light, a power that sent a shiver through Steppenwolf and Darkseid, as if they were prey locked in the gaze of something terrifying, unable to escape the crimson force.
"What is that?" Steppenwolf instinctively stepped back, his face shocked. "The Omega Effect?"
"What?"
Darkseid was equally stunned by the power.
"The Omega Effect?" His face was full of disbelief. "How is this possible? This guy found the Omega power before Drax!"
Charlie watched their shock and shrugged. "Sorry, the Drax you're talking about must be the guy I met in the cosmos, right?"
Drax, the eldest prince of Apokolips, Darkseid's brother, was the first to find the Omega power in this timeline.
How he found it was a long story.
Charlie didn't know how other versions of Darkseid had beaten Drax to the Omega Beams.
But in this cosmic restart, Drax had encountered Charlie, who came from Earth. Charlie retained the Omega Beams' power post-restart.
This meant Drax claimed to have found the Omega Effect, but the so-called Omega Beams were actually the power Charlie had received from Darkseid.
The universe had restarted, like a cycle, returning to its origin.
Since the Omega Beams now originated from Charlie, the Invincible Spider-Man no longer had to fear Darkseid's threat.
The Omega Beams were truly his.
With them, the next step was to pursue the Anti-Life Equation and replace Darkseid as the sole New God of the DC Universe! As for surviving a month, Charlie had other theories.
An invisible hand was pushing him toward an unknown path.
The survival mission was merely a catalyst.
Realizing this, Charlie didn't hesitate to come to Apokolips, where he became Drax's honored guest.
As the only cosmic powerhouse with the Omega power, Apokolips was his playground.
So, he sought out Steppenwolf and met with Darkseid.
After intimidating them with the Omega Beams, Charlie dimmed the red glow and smiled at Darkseid.
The tables had turned—now it was his time to shine.
"Uxas, want to be King of Apokolips?" he asked directly.
Darkseid swallowed hard at the question.
"Of course, I dream of being King of Apokolips." He looked at Charlie eagerly.
Charlie grinned. "Good. You want to be king? I can help you."
"Awesome!"
Darkseid exclaimed, "Mr. Spider-Man, if you help me become king, I'll make you Grand General."
Steppenwolf's expression turned odd.
"Dear Second Prince, you promised me Grand General," he said resentfully.
Darkseid looked embarrassed. "Uncle, that was then, this is now."
Steppenwolf: "."
Thankfully, Charlie's next words eased his tension.
Charlie shook his head. "I'm not interested in Grand General."
He hated Grand Generals.
Post-restart, Doctor Doom hadn't revived, but Charlie wished he could, just to show him nobody cared about being Grand General! Darkseid thought for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Spider-Man, what are your terms?"
"Good, you know I'm here to negotiate."
Charlie smiled. "I hear you've created something called a Mother Box, capable of taking someone anywhere they want to go."
Darkseid nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, but Mr. Spider-Man, your Omega Beams can also traverse time and space."
Charlie shook his head. "It's not the same. The Omega Beams can cross time and space, but where I want to go is special. Only a Mother Box can take me there, and controlling it precisely is a major challenge requiring intricate calculations."
The Mother Box's advanced tech gave Charlie a headache—he couldn't wrap his head around it.
He was just an ordinary, straightforward brawler.
Darkseid relaxed. Controlling Mother Boxes was his specialty.
If it were any other condition, he might not have been able to help.
Otherwise, Drax might've gotten the upper hand.
He patted his chest confidently. "Mr. Spider-Man, that's my forte. Tell me, where do you want to go?"
"The Anti-Matter Universe!"
Charlie's words left Darkseid and Steppenwolf stunned.
"The Anti-Matter Universe?"
Darkseid's expression turned strange. "Who's in the Anti-Matter Universe that makes you willing to take such a risk?"
Anti-matter is the opposite of normal matter.
When matter and anti-matter meet, they annihilate each other, causing an explosion and releasing immense energy.
The Anti-Matter Universe is filled with anti-matter—anything entering it would be consumed.
A Mother Box could indeed open a portal to the Anti-Matter Universe, but no one dared enter. It was tantamount to suicide.
But Charlie was different.
The Anti-Life Equation originated from the Anti-Matter Universe.
Darkseid's Omega Beams coexisted with the Anti-Life Equation, suggesting they could, to some extent, resist the Anti-Matter Universe's destructive properties.
Now that Charlie possessed the Omega Beams, entering the Anti-Matter Universe shouldn't be an issue.
To obtain the Anti-Life Equation, he had to take this step.
And Darkseid just happened to have the ability to open a portal to the Anti-Matter Universe.
But this Darkseid was Uxas, lacking the power and courage of his later self.
He hesitated. "I can help you, but first, I need to become King of Apokolips."
He looked helpless. "You know, I'm just the second prince. I don't have the authority to activate a Mother Box on my own."
"I know."
Charlie nodded. "Your father wouldn't allow it either, which is why I came to you."
He continued, "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"
Darkseid glanced around, then leaned in and whispered, "My father will soon leave for the multiverse to explore the secrets of the Source Wall. That's our chance."
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "You mean, while your father's gone, I help you seize the throne of Apokolips?"
"No."
Darkseid shook his head. "If he returns, I still won't be king."
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, sending a chill down Charlie's spine.
Killing one's father to usurp the throne was one thing to hear about, another to witness.
As expected of Darkseid—ruthless!
"Alright, I get your meaning."
Charlie grinned. "Perfect. I also want to test how strong the legendary God of Apokolips is."
As soon as he spoke, a shadow appeared in the training room. A massive, horned figure loomed behind Charlie, its overwhelming presence making Darkseid instantly pale with fear.
Unable to bear the pressure, he dropped to his knees without hesitation.
"Father."
Darkseid bowed his head. Steppenwolf also knelt halfway, trembling with fear.
Damn it, the king had overheard their conversation! Charlie, however, tilted his head slightly. "Yo, he's here."
He turned slowly to face a figure resembling Steppenwolf but far more imposing—the God of Apokolips himself.
The God of Apokolips, Yuga Khan! Real name: Zonuz, Darkseid's father.
Zonuz studied the diminutive Spider-Man, his face etched with divine runes, calm yet faintly intrigued.
He spoke, "Spider-Man, you've grown bold since the cosmic restart."
His words left Charlie frozen.
Wait, was Darkseid's father this overpowered? Even a cosmic restart couldn't erase his memory.
Right, Charlie remembered.
Zonuz, the true mightiest New God of the multiverse, operated on a level far beyond other New Gods. His power was among the highest in the DC Universe, capable of knocking the moon out of orbit with a glance or annihilating a civilization in a blink.
He could freely warp reality and was said to be the only being capable of breaking free from the Source Wall with sheer strength.
Even Darkseid, who later proclaimed himself the mightiest New God, would flee at the sight of his father, utterly powerless before Zonuz.
Yet, Zonuz's obsession with the Source Wall's secrets led him to climb it again.
Charlie had assumed the cinematic universe omitted this character, but this Resurrection Match proved far more intense than expected.
As the mightiest New God, Zonuz was unaffected by the cosmic restart.
In fact, the restart freed him from the Source Wall, giving him a second chance to return to Apokolips.
With one glance, Zonuz saw through Charlie's origins.
His lips curled slightly. "Invincible Spider-Man, interesting. Come with me to explore the Source Wall—you're worthy."
Charlie: "!!!!"
"Wait, I'm here to help your son kill you and seize the throne, not to go die with you!" he explained.
His explanation made Darkseid and Steppenwolf tremble.
Damn it, if you can't talk, don't!
Darkseid cursed inwardly, filled with fear.
He didn't dare explain—couldn't explain.
He knew his father too well.
As expected, Zonuz didn't care about the talk of usurpation.
Ignoring Darkseid, he stared at Charlie. "If you can help him kill me, that's your skill. In the multiverse, the strong rule. I can lose, but you won't win."
His simple words made Charlie realize this mightiest New God was far harder to deal with than Darkseid.
Still, he decided to try.
"I'll go with you to explore the Source Wall, but only if I get what I want."
"I know. The Anti-Life Equation."
Zonuz snapped his fingers, and a blue beam shot from Apokolips' high tower.
The beam pierced the sky, rippling as it opened a portal to the Anti-Matter Universe.
Charlie was stunned.
So was Darkseid.
Their earlier terms were nullified.
Charlie hadn't expected it to be this easy.
"Your time is short, Spider-Man," Zonuz urged.
Charlie snapped back, giving Zonuz a deep look.
"No need to thank me. I'm only doing this for the Source Wall," Zonuz said.
Charlie shook his head. "I wasn't going to thank you. I meant, you're helping me get the Anti-Life Equation."
Zonuz: "."
"Annoying bug. If you lack the strength, you'll die there!"
Somewhat irritated, Zonuz's eyes blazed with light, and he unceremoniously tossed Charlie into the blue portal.
Hum~
The moment he passed through the anti-matter portal, the Omega Beams flared red, forming a thin film over Charlie's body.
In this universe of eerie auroras, Charlie's vision gradually adjusted.
Hum~
His eyes flashed red as the Omega Beams sensed something.
Having coexisted with the Anti-Life Equation in Darkseid's body for so long, they were familiar with its essence.
Following the Omega Beams' guidance, Charlie opened a portal without hesitation.
Hum~
One step away.
Charlie arrived at the heart of the Anti-Matter Universe—Qward!
A planet devoid of life.
Black meteors encased the planet, steeped in death and despair.
The source of the Anti-Life Equation lay here.
Stepping onto Qward's surface, Charlie was greeted by an indescribable mist—gray, perhaps black.
Maybe the color of life itself.
He walked across the jagged, rocky terrain.
Occasionally, strange stones shot out beams of light, coalescing into bizarre, colorful symbols in the sky.
These unknown entities tried to invade Charlie's mind, corroding his soul and devouring his body.
Anyone who came here would face this nightmare, which is why no one could take the Equation away.
But this time was different.
The Purification Power within Spider-Man repelled them.