Chapter 424: Darkseid Gets Betrayed
In the film, a major reason the Eternals betrayed the Celestials was that they had lived among humans for so long that they developed compassion.
This emotional growth led them to resolutely stop the emergence of a Celestial.
In truth, the Celestials weren't unaware of this phenomenon.
Thanos' homeworld, Titan, was actually a civilization that evolved from the Eternals.
That's why the Celestials later changed their approach—Eternals were no longer stationed on planets long-term. Instead, they would only be sent out when the time was right to minimize variables and ensure the successful birth of a new Celestial.
"That's not a god. That's a world-ending demon."
Clearly, sacrificing all of humanity—indeed, the entire world—to birth one god was something the heroes simply could not accept.
In their eyes, deities were meant to protect mortals, not bring about catastrophe.
"Seems like a lot of demons are actually Celestial experiments."
Allen recalled how the Celestials loved studying bizarre phenomena. Many powerful cosmic civilizations had their fingerprints all over them.
Naturally, in their madness, they didn't spare even Hell.
Of course, beings who stand above the cosmos wouldn't mourn the lives of ants.
In fact, the Celestials had visited Earth long ago and conducted numerous experiments.
"We need to stop the emergence," Tony proposed.
All the heroes frowned.
How exactly were they supposed to stop it?
The Eternals had hidden themselves after arriving on Earth.
Furthermore, the Celestial was inside the planet's core—a place far beyond the reach of current human technology.
"Guys, I remember Asgard has records on the Celestials."
Thor lifted his hammer and said, "I'll return to Asgard and see what I can find."
Indeed, at his peak, Odin could go toe-to-toe with regular Celestials.
Or at least beat up the ones involved in research.
Even so, it was an incredibly fearsome feat.
"Please hurry."
Tony nodded seriously. "If the data's usable, I might be able to build an anti-Celestial mech suit."
Hahaha…
Suddenly, Allen burst out laughing, clearly mocking Tony's overconfidence.
The other heroes immediately looked displeased.
Whose side are you even on?
"Kiddo, I'm not questioning your intelligence—honestly, aside from someone like me, there aren't many as smart as you—but if you think you can beat a Celestial with a mech suit, I can only say you're incredibly bold," Allen said bluntly.
In the comics, Tony did build a Celestial armor—using the corpse of a Celestial as the base.
Using materials available on Earth? Pure fantasy.
At best, gather all the rare metals in the world—and every ounce of Vibranium from Wakanda—to create a stripped-down version.
And Allen had left out one crucial detail.
When a Celestial dies, their body can turn into Vibranium.
Wakanda's meteorite wasn't just some random space rock—it was the remains of a dead Celestial.
Without a doubt, if they could destroy the unborn Celestial, Earth would never run short on Vibranium again. Technology would skyrocket—humanity could become a spacefaring civilization within a century or two.
Of course, a Celestial's death was extremely rare.
Allen suspected that the N-Metal on Thanagar had the same origin—also from a Celestial.
After all, in a merged Marvel-DC universe, rigorous origin tracing wasn't exactly consistent.
"Nanaue, let's go."
Allen called out, and Nanaue stopped crying, happily following behind.
Seizing the chance, Morgan tried to sneak along too.
"What do you think you're doing?"
But Pepper was already standing behind her, towering over with the imposing air of a mother.
Morgan fidgeted with her fingers awkwardly. "Mom, I'm just worried about Grandpa Allen and Nanaue."
"They don't need your worry. Go home and study Mandarin," Pepper said firmly.
Huh?!
Morgan's little face instantly fell.
Everyone knew learning Chinese was a serious challenge.
Different language family, totally different writing system…
"What are you whining about? You're getting more out of line by the day."
Pepper was completely unmoved by her daughter's attempt at acting cute.
Seeing how strict she'd become, the other heroes couldn't help but shake their heads and feel bad for Morgan.
So young and already crushed by the pressure of studying. Talk about intense.
——
Watchtower
Allen and Nanaue were sneaking into one of the Justice League's headquarters.
Last time, Allen had made the entire League kneel. It was honestly out of line.
If not for them thinking he was mentally unstable, they might've beaten him to a pulp on the spot.
"Shark Robin, no noise. Let's give them a good scare."
"Okay, Master. Nanaue likes scaring people."
Truth was, their sneaky antics were fully visible on the security monitors.
At the central console, Bruce sat with his hands under his chin, an expression of growing exasperation.
He was clearly… not thrilled to see these troublemakers.
"Yee-haw… Comedic Bat reporting in!"
"Yee-haw… Shark Robin reporting in!"
Allen and Nanaue leapt out from a corner together, only to find the hall completely empty—awkward silence.
"What's going on? Did the whole League take the day off?"
Allen scanned the room, eyes locking onto the control panel. "Yo, Bats! What a coincidence!"
"..."
Bruce hunched down behind the monitors, staying silent.
"Come on, your pointy ears gave you away," Allen said with a grin.
Reluctantly lifting his head, Bruce asked, "Allen, why are you at the Watchtower without any warning?"
"It's a long story—I'll make it short."
Allen's face turned serious. "I realized Marvel heroes are shallow. Their emotional arcs feel like they're written for elementary schoolers. So I've decided to join the Justice League and build a real hero legacy."
Sorry, the League isn't hiring.
Then again, Bruce probably couldn't kick him out even if he wanted to.
"Yo… studying reproductive biology on the job, huh?"
Allen leaned in, clearly spouting nonsense.
On the monitor, the League's heroes were chasing an enemy.
"I'm on duty today. Let's talk another time."
The Watchtower had a rule since its inception—members took turns on duty.
Especially being a space station, its importance and cost were astronomical.
The Watchtower was DC's equivalent to S.W.O.R.D. from Marvel.
"I'm here for something serious."
Allen explained everything about the Eternals and the impending Celestial emergence, hoping to get the League prepared.
Even the Avengers might struggle against the Eternals, let alone a fully awakened Celestial.
Bruce's expression kept shifting as he listened.
After the lesson from the Dark Knights, he no longer took Allen's words lightly.
"This isn't something I can decide alone. I'll need to discuss it with the team."
When the fate of humanity's on the line, all past villains seem trivial.
"My mount."
Allen's thoughts took a sharp turn as he pointed excitedly at the screen.
Uh…
Bruce looked at the footage and was instantly concerned for Allen's mental health.
Onscreen was Faora, the Kryptonian warrior—when did she become your mount?
And then, in real time, a portal opened mid-air on the screen. Allen leapt out and landed squarely on Faora's back in an ambush.
Bruce's eyes widened in shock. He turned to his side—and sure enough, Allen had vanished. Only Nanaue remained, cutely pointing his finger.
"Your master just ran off. Why didn't you follow?" Bruce asked.
"Uh… Nanaue can't do teleport magic."
Fair enough.
The big dumb shark had clearly put all his points into durability, not mana.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
The heroes had been in the middle of an assault but halted the moment Allen suddenly appeared, afraid of friendly fire.
Faora, a genetically engineered Kryptonian warrior, hadn't been subdued even with their combined effort.
Recently, a ship containing Kryptonian war criminals had escaped the Phantom Zone and arrived on Earth.
General Zod was killed.
By Superman snapping his neck, no less—a ridiculous way to go out.
Faora, having learned from that, never exposed her back to Superman again, terrified of suffering the same fate.
"Get off me!"
Faora thrashed wildly, trying to shake Allen off.
But Allen clung to her like a koala, his face nuzzled happily against her back.
"I'm never letting go. I'm in this for the long haul," Allen said shamelessly. "I've never ridden a Kryptonian babe before."
Faora was tall and athletic, short-haired and dressed in a battle-ready suit that exuded mechanical elegance.
"Get. Off."
BAM!
Faora slammed backward.
Allen crashed hard into the ground.
Unfortunately for her, it didn't hurt him at all.
Instead, she'd exposed herself to a new hold.
Allen quickly slipped his arms under her armpits, locked his fingers behind her neck—
"Eternal Love, Interlocked Fingers Technique!"
"Ancient Rooted Tree, Soul-Destroying Leg Lock!"
He wrapped his legs tightly around her waist.
It was an absurd sight.
Faora was 5'7", Allen well over 6'. Tangled together, they looked like a tiny girl giving a piggyback ride to a burly man.
"Feel that full-grown-man embrace?"
Allen grinned. "We're bound together now."
"Aaaaaah—!"
Faora thrashed in fury, unable to reach behind her.
Completely helpless and rage-filled.
The League members watching all felt a little sorry for her.
What a nightmare—stuck with a certified lunatic.
"A wild woman's like a wild horse. The more you resist, the more excited I get." Allen's shamelessness earned him admiration from the sidelines.
Clearly, only a madman could handle another madman.
THUD.
After a long struggle, Faora dropped to her knees in humiliation, on the verge of tears.
"What'll it take for you to let go?"
"Be my mount," Allen offered gleefully.
"..."
Faora froze for a moment, then roared in rage. "A Kryptonian warrior doesn't accept such humiliation!"
With that, she blasted off skyward.
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!
Sonic booms thundered through the air.
"If you don't let go, we'll die together!"
Determined to take him down with her, she rocketed into the clouds.
But then—
A tremor ran down her legs.
Something… strange was happening.
What was that? Why did I suddenly… feel something?
Faora was stunned. She was a warrior, genetically engineered to suppress unnecessary sensations—created solely for war.
"I'm very curious—what happens when I use Kun's Inflation Technique on a woman?"
When it came to Kryptonians, Allen's approach was simple: just slap a magic spell on them.
"What did you do to me?!"
Faora no longer had the look of someone ready to die—her face now showed fear.
"Forbidden Jutsu: Tidal Surge of Shame and Physiological Collapse!"
"..."
Back on the ground, the other heroes gazed up.
Aside from Clark, who could see clearly with his x-ray vision, the others only saw blue skies and white clouds.
"Clark, is Allen okay?" Diana asked, trying to sound casual.
"Uh… well… he seems fine, I guess." Clark's expression was complicated—he had no idea how to describe what he saw.
"Pfft! What the—why's it raining on a clear day?"
Barry wiped the moisture from his face. "It smells weird… and it's kinda sticky."
"..."
Knowing the truth, Clark remained silent and quietly moved a step away.
The gathered heroes had been waiting, looking up for some time, until Faora finally descended slowly from the sky.
However, her face no longer bore that arrogant defiance from earlier. Instead, it was flushed with a lingering blush and unmistakable shyness.
No more tantrums. She had become docile and obedient.
This sight made the heroes desperately curious about what exactly Allen had done.
"I hereby declare, this is my new mount," Allen boasted smugly.
Damn it, get down and let me ride!
That was, without a doubt, the shared thought of every male hero present.
"Mount?"
Diana's expression darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Allen teased shamelessly, "Diana, don't tell me you're jealous?"
"Jealous? That's ridiculous."
Though her face showed indifference, her eyes betrayed her.
What a mess.
With so many outstanding heroes in the Justice League to choose from, she just had to fall for a lunatic.
What's wrong with this world?
There was no denying it—Allen taming Faora all by himself had left them all in awe.
…
Apokolips.
After a thousand years of reform, Uxas had ruled with tireless effort and finally transformed this once-chaotic and evil planet into a structured cosmic civilization.
And yet, he still chose to take on the name "Darkseid," using it to proclaim his dominance.
Gazing upon the fruit of a millennium's labor, Uxas's eyes were filled with pride.
An official stepped forward and respectfully presented a document. "Your Majesty, Genesis has agreed to sign the peace and trade treaty."
"With Genesis backing us, Apokolips can finally integrate into the galactic trade network and usher in a true era of explosive development."
Uxas nodded in deep satisfaction. But as his gaze swept across the official, he suddenly caught sight of a strange black mist seeping from the man's face.
On instinct, he immediately tossed the document aside.
"Your Majesty… it's already too late."
The black mist on the official's face grew denser, his expression twisting into one of madness—a man at death's door giving in to one final frenzy.
With a hideous grin, he growled, "You tyrant… having you die with me makes it all worth it."
"You poisoned me?!"
Uxas looked down at his hands, now tinged with a creeping black hue. Shock and fury surged in him as he demanded, "Why?! I gave you a good life—why would you still betray me?!"
"Allow me to answer that."
"Steppenwolf!"
Following the sound of the voice, a figure in silver armor stepped into the palace.
Steppenwolf spoke coldly: "Apokolips was meant to embrace destiny, not cling to your delusional dreams of pitiful, pathetic peace."
While Uxas reeled from shock and rage, Steppenwolf delivered an even crueler blow.
"The Genesis world you so longed for? They also have no wish to see Apokolips become weak."