Chapter 416: Twenty-First Rank, Ancestral Chaos Dragon
On a desolate, lifeless planet.
Supreme Superboy and the Black Death Emperor were silently waiting for their plan to progress.
Through the endless consumption of human vitality by the Black Lantern Ring, they sought to draw out the hidden forces protecting the human realm.
The human world occupied a uniquely strategic position, serving as a nexus between upper and lower dimensions.
A prime target for conflict, and yet it had remained unharmed for ages—an indicator in itself.
What's more, Supreme Superboy and the Black Death Emperor were both powerhouses from higher dimensions. They feared making a reckless move might fall into a trap laid by hidden human-world experts.
"Someone's coming!"
Suddenly, Supreme Superboy turned his gaze in a specific direction, his entire body tensing up, ready for battle.
"Who dares step into this place?"
The Black Death Emperor raised his scythe, taking a combat stance.
This planet was the main base of the Black Lantern Corps, and no intruders could be allowed to destroy it—especially the central Black Lantern power source. If it were destroyed, the dark power they had cultivated over so long would be lost.
Even the Anti-Monitor imprisoned in the Central Battery might escape.
If that happened, they'd be facing an utterly terrifying foe.
After all, they were the ones who had made the first move; this enmity could only end in death.
The void twisted—and a crimson beam shot forth, followed by a towering figure.
"Darkseid?!"
Supreme Superboy's expression darkened, a trace of wariness flickering in his eyes.
In truth, Apokolips was an exceptional planet—having given rise to two origin-level beings.
One was Yuga Khan, who could no longer appear in the multiverse, and the other was Darkseid.
In the infinite universes, one of Darkseid's avatars had successfully achieved biochemical transformation, ascending to origin-level, allowing him to sense the state of all his avatars.
If, one day, Darkseid's true self transcended and left the multiverse, all his avatars would vanish simultaneously—as if wiped from existence.
Unless another origin-level being rose to take his place.
Of course, even if this wasn't the true form, a single avatar's power was just beneath a Dimensional Lord.
Supreme Superboy couldn't touch that level—he was merely a refugee from another universe. The Black Death Emperor by his side was only a clone and might not be able to defeat the opponent.
"Don't misunderstand—I'm not here to fight." Darkseid spoke bluntly.
On the way over, he had mulled things over countless times and could find no allies.
Having committed countless atrocities and built a fearsome reputation, all the strong in the universe avoided him—none would willingly court death.
After careful consideration, he approached the two currently stirring up trouble.
"What do you mean by this?" the Black Death Emperor asked warily.
"My Apokolips… is gone."
"What?!"
With full sincerity, Darkseid explained the situation.
Supreme Superboy and the Black Death Emperor couldn't hide their changing expressions as they listened.
Allen had ascended from the human world to Apokolips and even forced Darkseid to abandon his home—a truly fantastical story.
Most shocking was that they had never even heard of this Allen figure before.
Moreover, their current efforts were focused on the human world—undeniably placing them in direct opposition. A clash was inevitable.
"Welcome aboard."
After careful thought, the two accepted Darkseid's offer to join them.
…
Under the devastating bombardment of the Death Frost Dragon, every Parademon in Apokolips's capital was annihilated.
However, more than two hundred million Parademons were still stationed across the planet.
As a war-driven civilization, Apokolips routinely maintained a force of three hundred million.
Moreover, having not launched a campaign in over a millennium, they had amassed a massive stockpile of war resources. Once the Mother Box was retrieved, they could initiate a new wave of invasions.
While the Skeleton Legion was transporting materials, Allen once again approached Kalibak.
Ruling Apokolips held no interest for Allen, so he intended to install a puppet leader.
"Please, don't hit me again…"
By now, Kalibak had lost all of his earlier ferocity, clutching his chest and trembling the moment he saw Allen, like a terrified quail.
Allen squinted, eyeing his cleavage with appreciation. "Cover your face—it's not entirely unworkable."
"…"
Are you insane?
I'm a big, burly man.
Kalibak wanted to run, but there was nowhere left to hide.
Even his father had been defeated. Unless he fled into space aboard a ship, he had no other option.
But that would be an utterly foolish choice.
Traveling the universe alone, he'd undoubtedly be targeted by countless enemies seeking revenge.
After all, with so many civilizations destroyed, there were always survivors forced into becoming bounty hunters. Once they heard what happened to Apokolips, they'd join forces to hunt him down.
"Want to sit on Apokolips's throne?"
Allen's tone was laced with temptation.
Kalibak instinctively shrank back, not daring to respond. He figured there would surely be an unreasonable demand—like… offering up his body.
He was the mighty First Warrior of Apokolips! He couldn't possibly degrade himself like that.
"…What do you want me to do?"
In the end, the lure of power overcame his pride.
Kalibak had always dreamed of succeeding the throne, and now the opportunity was right in front of him. A little pride was nothing.
It's not like it would cost him a piece of flesh.
Just close your eyes and get through it.
"Here, wear this."
Allen pulled out an oversized bra from his bag—something he'd picked up from a store earlier.
Given Kalibak's size, and the volume Allen had crafted through "special training," only a super-size would fit.
Tears of humiliation welled up in Kalibak's eyes.
He'd guessed right—this guy was now forcing him to wear women's clothing.
Next up, would it be gender reassignment surgery?
Considering how advanced biotech was these days, he could easily get it done and leave the hospital the same day.
"Not fond of this one?"
Allen pulled out another bra—black with lace trim—and warned, "If you don't put it on, I'll cut them off."
Waaah…
Kalibak burst into tears and obediently took it, putting it on with a dead-eyed expression.
The fury and humiliation surged inside him.
He, the eldest son of Darkseid, being forced to wear a bra—what a disgrace.
"My taste really is unmatched—fits perfectly."
Then Allen added seriously, "From now on, keep your chest covered. It's indecent."
Truthfully, Allen had no tolerance for shirtless indecency—unless it involved attractive women.
Not long after—
Kalibak, using his communicator, summoned a group of administrative officials.
With immense reluctance, he livestreamed his announcement of assuming the throne of Apokolips.
The audience watching had very peculiar reactions.
"What the hell? Does Kalibak swing that way?"
"Damn, with that kind of volume, how are real women supposed to compete?"
"…Why do I find myself oddly intrigued?"
That's right—Kalibak livestreamed the whole thing while wearing a bra, his face filled with utter despair.
He had started to question whether becoming ruler was worth it.
Allen didn't care about any of that. He dispatched the Nether War God to sweep up the remaining Parademons.
The next day—
Allen emerged from Apokolips's Foundry.
This building housed the most advanced tech on the planet and had once produced legendary gear—like the Mother Box.
After a flurry of activity, Allen now wore a pair of gleaming silver flip-flops.
"Supreme Slippers Kid—damn, that's slick."
He also had an itch-scratcher tucked into the collar behind his neck.
Using the leftover metal from the Mother Box, he'd fashioned a new personal weapon.
"Great for scratching people… or itches. I'm a genius."
Kalibak, standing nearby, was utterly speechless.
This guy was nuts.
Forging a pair of flip-flops out of Element X—the Tenth Metal?
That was something only a madman would do.
Element X was unimaginably rare. Apokolips had paid a massive price just to obtain a tiny bit of it.
This was a colossal waste.
Transport shuttles were busy piling up Parademon corpses in the plaza center.
Allen's first order had been to collect the corpses.
Kalibak didn't object.
He had never truly commanded the armies spread across the planet.
Some of the generals had even threatened to overthrow him, denying his right to rule.
Apokolips was a place of endless scheming and treachery. While Darkseid had ruled, absolute strength had kept rebellion at bay.
But now? He was a disgraced son of a fallen tyrant—why should anyone listen to him?
The key was that Kalibak hadn't inherited the Omega Beams and thus lacked true legitimacy.
But that no longer mattered.
With Allen's support, he took the opportunity to purge the disloyal.
After confirming that Allen wasn't into men, Kalibak stopped weeping. At least his chastity was safe.
However, one major issue remained—his chest hadn't stopped swelling. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse.
Could this be… mammary gland inflammation?
Kalibak fretted constantly but didn't dare seek a doctor. He feared losing his newfound "figure" and upsetting Allen.
"You've got real potential."
Allen shot him a crooked grin, his eyes flitting toward Kalibak's impressive bust. "Give it a few days—you might go up a cup size."
"…?"
Kalibak cautiously asked, "My lord, what's happening to me?"
"A normal physiological reaction."
Allen turned away mysteriously, offering no explanation.
Nothing Allen made could ever be normal.
The flyswatter—crafted from rare Eighth and Ninth Metals—had all kinds of hidden effects. Not using them would be a waste.
One such effect: perpetual swelling and inflammation.
It's over. My life is ruined!
Judging by Allen's expression, Kalibak knew the truth—he'd never go back to normal.
At the center of the plaza, the Death Frost Dragon had been waiting for a long time.
As Allen approached casually, soulfire flickered in the dragon's eyes—clearly eager.
Now a sixteenth-rank being, the Death Frost Dragon had intelligence equal to a sentient creature and understood that Allen was the key to its advancement.
"Greetings, Master."
The Death Frost Dragon lowered its proud head.
A sight that filled Apokolips's native officials with envy.
To control such a dragon meant ultimate power—it was a dream beyond dreams.
"Xiaobing, are you ready?"
"Master, I've been waiting for this."
The Death Frost Dragon blinked, then asked curiously, "Master, weren't you calling me Arlong before?"
Allen paused to think. "Did I?"
"…"
What a memory. He was practically on the verge of Alzheimer's.
"'Arlong' sounds too gangster. I'm a proper protagonist—I can't risk getting this story banned. A hundred thousand paying readers would be devastated."
Nonsense, delivered with complete seriousness. No one knew how to respond.
Enough chatter—down to business.
Allen activated the Bone Refinement skill.
Threads of gray light emerged from the corpses, swarming into the Death Frost Dragon's body.
At rank sixteen, the bone dragon could already challenge New Gods—a testament to its fearsome strength.
If it hadn't lacked divine power, even Darkseid might not have escaped unscathed.
Rank 17: Nether God Dragon.
Rank 18: Hellfire Demon Dragon.
Rank 19: Calamity Wyrm.
Rank 20: Forbidden Divine Dragon.
As the bone dragon's aura surged higher with each stage, by the time it ascended to the eighteenth rank, its power was enough to engulf the entire planet of Apokolips.
Its awakened abilities were no longer classified as magic—they were now marked as divine arts.
At the same time, its attributes had expanded beyond just ice elements, now leaning toward the domains of chaos and death.
For example, the divine art of the Eighteenth-Rank Purgatory Demon Dragon—"Purgatory Divine Realm"—could directly distort space-time to merge with a stretch of purgatory.
At the nineteenth rank, its divine arts bred disaster, functioning like a massive curse. These abilities weren't limited to targeting individuals—they could be unleashed upon an entire planet, causing the continuous birth of catastrophic creatures that brought death in their wake.
At the twentieth rank, its divine art became a forbidden transformation. It could generate a forbidden domain governed by rules of its own design. Although it was restricted from violating these rules itself, the enemy remained unaware of the domain's laws—and any violation meant certain death.
Barely stepping into the twentieth rank had already consumed over 150 million units of material.
Fortunately, waves of starships were returning, unloading corpses directly from the skies above.
With the Nether War God personally handling the slaughters, wiping out one fortified military base after another was easy work—though the transport process was troublesome and time-consuming.
"Still haven't ranked up?"
Allen maintained his Bone Refinement skill, sensing that nearly a hundred million more units had been consumed.
Buzz...
Suddenly, the aura of the Forbidden Divine Dragon underwent a dramatic shift.
The white clouds across the sky darkened in an instant, transforming into roiling storm clouds.
Gales twisted into cyclones like dancing dragons, stirring the clouds into a massive vortex.
The sudden change in weather resembled the onset of an apocalypse.
Lightning flickered faintly in the dark sky.
Apokolips officials watching this terrifying spectacle were pressed to the ground by sheer pressure, struggling even to breathe.
Rank Twenty-One: Ancestral Chaos Dragon.
"It's done."
Allen looked up at the Ancestral Chaos Dragon, its massive form blotting out the sky—easily hundreds of meters tall, crushing nearby buildings under its bulk.
At this point, if he ran into Darkseid again, Allen figured a single tail swipe would be enough to take him out.
But the most attention-grabbing feature was the Twenty-First Rank Divine Art:
Chaos Light.
Once it illuminated a target, the being would instantly be broken down into a state of chaotic nothingness—and could even be reversed and reconstructed back to life.
Of course, starting from the eighteenth rank, the bone dragon had already developed flesh. By the twenty-first rank, its entire body was a uniform ashen gray, and its appearance was vicious and majestic—like a world-ending beast born from destruction.
"Master."
A stream of gray light flickered.
The Ancestral Chaos Dragon transformed into the form of a burly, muscular man.
"Holy crap, it can shapeshift? That's amazing!"