"Your power is much weaker than I expected."
In the base hall of the Black Quadrant, Darkseid met with Thanos through the Anti-Life Equation energy pre-placed on Mera, the Sea Queen.
He scrutinized the warlord Loki had described, and this was the conclusion he came to. This wasn't a deliberate insult, but a very objective assessment.
Loki had described the mighty Thanos as a terrifying force, with the Black Order under his command, an undisputed ruler of the universe.
But now that he saw him, Darkseid was a little disappointed. He had expected the one who raised a being like Lothar to be a worthy opponent who could excite him, but after this brief encounter, Thanos had failed to live up to his expectations.
Just as he said, Thanos's power was much weaker than he imagined.
"Didn't your father tell you that underestimating your enemy will get you into trouble?" The surprise flashed in Thanos's eyes, but his expression remained calm.
"You are not worthy to speak of my father." As the DC universe's infamous "unfilial son," Darkseid detested anyone mentioning that person in front of him.
"It seems you and your father had an experience that you find hard to talk about," Thanos said with a laugh.
The sight of Thanos with his unperturbed and calm demeanor was particularly irritating to Darkseid.
"However, I'm not interested in your family affairs. Take your hand off this universe." Thanos, who had dedicated his life to the balance of the universe, now looked at Darkseid with cold eyes and gave him an ultimatum.
"Of course. Give me Lothar," Darkseid agreed readily, though he proposed a condition that Thanos could never accept.
"Is it just because Lothar killed one of your avatars?" Thanos's knowledge of Darkseid was limited to Woz's previous report. Because of this, when he heard Darkseid's condition, the first thing that came to mind was the battle in that report, the one that made Lothar surpass his Super Saiyan limits.
"What do you think?" Darkseid neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply stood there, in the same pose as Thanos, staring at him without blinking. The pressure from his power gradually spread throughout the hall.
Thanos narrowed his eyes and summoned his giant blade.
"I told you, hand Lothar over to me, and your universe will be safe. This is the second time I've said it. I won't say it a third time." Darkseid was unconcerned with Thanos's actions and gave his own response.
"That's usually what I say to people," Thanos said calmly, swinging his blade forward. The sharp energy was aimed directly at Mera's head!
WHOOOM!!!
A violent surge of energy instantly disrupted the calm above the Black Quadrant. Everyone, from the Black Order generals who were busy with their own tasks, to Lothar who had just returned to his private chambers to confront Hela, turned their gazes toward the hall.
"Father?!" Lothar frowned, ignoring the rule against flying in the Black Quadrant. He appeared in the center of the hall in a flash.
The unconscious Mera lay bleeding, and the majestic Thanos had several gashes on his face. His giant blade was broken in two!
The Black Order generals and Hela, who had all arrived moments later, were speechless at this unprecedented sight.
"What... what happened... Father?"
"Nothing. She's not dead. She's just a paper tiger with limited energy." Thanos waved his hand, signaling Lothar not to worry.
In that single clash of energy across two universes, he had seen through the fact that Darkseid's true form was currently unable to enter this universe.
Meanwhile, in the DC universe on Apokolips, Darkseid's eyes suddenly flew open, and a playful smile appeared on his lips. "Interesting."
With just one strike, he had discovered Darkseid's current weakness. That Thanos guy was just as Loki had described. Though his power was a bit weaker, his insight and decisive actions were not something an ordinary universal being could compare to.
If it were in the past, he might truly have been defeated by Thanos.
Unfortunately, The Flash Barry Allen resetting the universe didn't just benefit Earth.
The smile on Darkseid's face slowly faded. He stood up from his throne and began walking toward Apokolips's secret prison.
Although he hated the fact that Lothar forced Barry Allen to reset the universe, as it instantly ruined his countless years of preparation, he had to admit that Barry Allen's reset was also beneficial to him.
The most direct benefit was that he had completely collected the Anti-Life Equation, which had plagued him for a long time. He even used the Anti-Life Equation to control the annoying Barry Allen and the others on Earth, precisely to prevent a cornered Lothar from forcing Barry Allen to reset the timeline again.
Darkseid felt it was better to have the Speed Force, a power that allowed one to reset a game one couldn't win, in his own hands.
He probably didn't notice, right?
After Darkseid left, Loki, who had escaped surveillance with the advanced body-doubling techniques he had learned on Asgard, looked in the direction Darkseid had gone and fell into thought.
His cooperation with Darkseid was like walking on a knife's edge. Even if only Loki himself considered it a collaboration.
Darkseid's true form could not easily enter, otherwise it could easily cause the collapse of the multiverse.
Loki had confirmed this after a long time of secret observation. This was also why he dared to secretly take matters into his own hands. Even the Darkseid currently on Apokolips was probably just a duplicate and not his true self.
Using a borrowed knife to kill his enemy and then driving away Darkseid—that was the purpose of Loki's "cooperation" with the Lord of Apokolips.
Frowning, Loki's figure slowly disappeared. He had to go and prepare.
....
Marvel Universe, New York, Earth.
The frozen city, which was being watched closely by people all over the world, welcomed an uninvited guest today.
"I'm still too late..." Thor, who had escaped Sakaar just before it exploded, looked at the still-frozen figures and sighed.
"Lothar..." His anger flared, and Thor's mind naturally placed the blame for New York's state on Lothar, who had left Sakaar in a hurry.
"Thor?"
In his rage, a breeze passed before Thor's eyes. Then, the spirit of Tony Stark appeared before him. "Where have you been?!"
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