Chapter 190: The Fragment of the Super-Soldier
Darkseid and Thanos were fundamentally different.
Thanos had no concept of a Main Body. There were countless Thanoses in innumerable parallel universes, and these Thanoses did not share memories or power.
Darkseid was different. That guy had a Main Body, as well as clones scattered across numerous universes. Of course, the number of clones was certainly not as great as Thanos's, because the number of universes in the DC Multiverse had plummeted since the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
But all versions of Darkseid could share the power known as the "Omega Effect."
What was even more interesting was that many of Darkseid's clones possessed a strong sense of autonomy.
There was the Darkseid who joined the Dark Army formed by Barbatos, the master of the Dark Multiverse, and became a mere grunt in the crowd; the Darkseid who defected to The Batman Who Laughs; the Darkseid who was turned into a baby and repeatedly used as a puppet by the Justice League, serving as an Omega Emitter…
Regarding these versions of himself that had been miserably humiliated, the other Darkseids made no move. The Main Body, located outside the Multiverse and said to be capable of crushing the entire multiverse just by appearing, also remained completely still.
It was as if those clones trapped in predicaments and suffering humiliation were nothing more than familiar strangers to the other clones and the Main Body, completely disregarded. It even reached a point where an adult Darkseid and a baby Darkseid could be seen standing side by side.
Therefore, Du Wa was somewhat interested in the Thanoseid before him. He was curious how much of Darkseid was inside this being, and how many of Darkseid's godhead fragments that portion contained.
Darkseid's complete godhead had shattered during the major event known as The Multiversity. Most of the fragments coalesced into his Main Body outside the Multiverse, while a smaller portion scattered across the Multiverse, becoming individual clones.
A key objective of the Main Body's series of actions was to reclaim all the fragments and return to his peak.
"If Barbatos, The Batman Who Laughs, and the Justice League can use Darkseid as a tool, then so can I. Besides, Thanoseid is only half Darkseid."
Du Wa watched as Thanoseid was suppressed by the Mephisto Xenomorph, watching as the being faced defeat in utter disbelief.
Only then did he finally act, appearing before the madly struggling Thanoseid.
He was like a hunter examining his successfully captured prey. It was a look Thanoseid recognized; in the past, this was how he had viewed those he had conquered and defeated.
"There's no need to be angry about this. I've already told you, you are confined to this universe. You haven't witnessed how magnificent the vast worlds outside are. You don't even know what kind of being Mephisto is, let alone anything about me."
Du Wa said, "If you knew about me, you would be at peace with this, because there is no shame in losing to me."
"No shame in losing to you? Is that a popular joke in your outside world? You haven't even made a move yourself, only sending out this demon or whatever it is!"
Red rays of light continuously shot from Thanoseid's eyes, but at this point, he no longer had the power to turn the tide of battle.
Thanoseid, who struck terror across the world, was being completely suppressed by Du Wa's side. Du Wa hadn't even used his full strength, only dispatching a single subordinate and casually bestowing a portion of power upon it to end the fight.
"I am not it, but it is me. I know you won't understand, because you are ultimately not my type of deity, but I promise you will understand very soon."
Du Wa commanded the Mephisto Xenomorph to maintain its intense pressure on Thanoseid. He then personally intervened, forcefully disrupting the various energy waves erupting from within Thanoseid's body, and finally pressed his hand against his chest.
Compared to the tall and burly Thanoseid, who was like a mountain of rock, Du Wa's figure seemed tiny. Yet, it was this small figure that caused Thanoseid to feel an unprecedented sense of dread.
It was not death, but an extremely foul sensation.
Because Du Wa's concept was invading him.
"Tsk, I'm facing resistance as expected. Rather than Thanoseid himself resisting me, it's more like the godhead fragment of DC's Darkseid is clashing with my concept."
Du Wa instantly assessed the situation. He became thoughtful and struck even more viciously, completely overlaying his own symbolic concept onto Thanoseid.
If Darkseid can be a dog for others, what's so wrong with you, the supposedly noble Thanoseid, being a dog for me?
As Du Wa's concept invaded on a massive scale, it gradually transformed Thanoseid into another shape.
Thanoseid was enraged to discover that a living being had appeared out of thin air on his chest.
What stunned Thanoseid even more was that this damned thing, created from nothing by Du Wa's concept, began invading every aspect of his body the moment it appeared, cracking his life code.
"The more powerful the life form, the more astonishing its life signs are. Even a single tiny cell contains a massive amount of information, making it difficult for even the most brilliant scientist to decipher. This itself is the most incredible form of genetic encryption," Du Wa said slowly.
It was normal for a high-level life form to be more difficult to understand and clone.
Du Wa's divine imbuement ability certainly had its limits, but it was nowhere near failing against Thanoseid. The moment the parasitism succeeded, it was only a matter of time before he gained complete control over Thanoseid's body.
The xenomorph larva rapidly assimilated Thanoseid's genetic bloodline.
When the Mephisto Xenomorph released its grip and immediately followed up with a whip of its tail, it sent Thanoseid stumbling.
Thanoseid's face darkened as he realized his body was no longer his own.
The damned thing on his chest was a complete replica of him, a parasite living on him, drawing sustenance from him, and even interfering with his actions. This was truly…
A monumental humiliation!
"So that's how it is. I finally understand what kind of deity you are, and I finally get what's going on with these two strange subordinates of yours. So this is how you create your underlings." Thanoseid's expression was ugly. He used various means to compete with the xenomorph larva on his chest, even going so far as to open his eyes and blast himself.
What disgusted him even more was that, due to their shared bloodline and intertwined genes, his resistance felt as if he was fighting himself, an incredibly awkward sensation.
"You should be honored to become a member of my side. If not for me, who would be willing to take in a guy like you, who has a foot in both camps but fully belongs to neither?"
Du Wa spoke words that Thanoseid could not fully comprehend.
Immediately, Du Wa extended a finger and poured a massive amount of information into Thanoseid's mind.
This vast sea of information included a rudimentary overview of the DC Multiverse.
Because at this moment, with his discovery and successful entry into Universe 9602, there was no longer any need to keep many things hidden.
"This universe of ours is a hybrid universe? Two beings from different multiverses constructed our world? Every single individual in our universe is essentially a fusion of beings from two multiverses?"
Thanoseid digested this explosive information and immediately believed it. He was convinced that a being of Du Wa's caliber had no reason to use a low-level tactic like lies to achieve his goals, especially since he was already under Du Wa's control.
And there wasn't a single top-tier Cosmic Celestial in the world who would rely on deception to make gains, right?
As he pondered, Thanoseid struggled painfully, repeatedly washing over himself with immense energy in a torturous confrontation with the other "self" on his chest, attempting to find a flaw or vulnerability in the xenomorph larva.
But unfortunately, under Du Wa's influence, he found nothing. Instead, he fell into an endless, vicious cycle, performing the same futile actions over and over. Yet his intense unwillingness and inner pride compelled him to continue.
"So Thanos and Darkseid are my predecessors? It seems you've already created Xenomorphs from those two," Thanoseid sneered.
"Only from Thanos. And I didn't chestburst him. He's still active at this very moment, serving me."
"Then you'd better be prepared. Once you go to another multiverse, your control over your old territory will inevitably loosen. Someone among your subordinates will definitely start a rebellion," Thanoseid cursed with malicious intent.
"You're right. But I am a conceptual god. Even if I always have subordinates plotting against me, I won't be like you, where the moment a problem arises, your home base descends into chaos."
Du Wa casually pointed in a direction—the direction of Apokolips.
When the news that Thanoseid was battling a foreign god of equal standing spread throughout the entire universe, Apokolips had erupted into chaos.
The rules of the game on Apokolips were actually very similar to Hell: whoever has the biggest fist is the boss.
The battle between the Mephisto Xenomorph and Thanoseid had thrown the entire universe into turmoil, and it also made the heavy-hitters of this universe realize that Thanoseid had met a powerful opponent and might fall this time.
If nothing else, Du Wa's group had three members. Thanoseid was already struggling so much against just one of them. If he had to fight one against three, wouldn't he be finished?
The result proved their suspicions. The invincible Thanoseid had been overthrown, which gave certain individuals an opportunity to stir up trouble.
But stirring up trouble was one thing; all the gods were watching Du Wa's every move with great anxiety, wondering what this foreign god planned to do after achieving victory in battle. How should they respond?
Should they surrender immediately, or should they unite for a great divine war?
These few gods couldn't even figure out what was going on with Thanoseid's current behavior. He had clearly been defeated, yet he was suddenly free again.
The strangest thing was that after the arrogant and conceited Thanoseid regained his freedom, he seemed to have been completely subdued, launching no further attacks on Du Wa. This was far too abnormal.
"It's almost as if he's been brainwashed. But is that possible? I've never seen a Thanoseid with such a tough mouth but a brain that seems to have turned to mush."
Some of the gods muttered under their breath, tense, trying to discern Du Wa's next move.
But Du Wa merely took the seemingly docile Thanoseid to Earth.
And then there was nothing. This, in turn, left the gods feeling bewildered.
"Is that it? He sent a god of an unknown race to defeat Thanoseid, and perhaps reached some kind of agreement with him—from this perspective, it's possible he subdued him—and then he just stays on Earth and doesn't leave? Is he recuperating?"
"No move to conquer the universe, no sign of challenging us old-timers. Then what on earth did he come to our universe for, after going through all that trouble?"
The gods were perplexed.
The superheroes on Earth were also confused, and they were even more terrified than the gods.
It was as if a group of prehistoric beasts had barged into their home. Their mass was terrifying; a slight movement could flip the house over. The family's entire hope for survival rested on the beasts' mood.
"Mmphh, mmmphh!"
The Super-Soldier struggled to make a sound, Heat Vision continuously shooting from his eyes, trying to make some effort, but he remained pinned down by the Hyperion Xenomorph.
"Stop embarrassing yourself with that low-level Heat Vision. Even my guaranteed-hit rays couldn't kill these guys," Thanoseid cursed savagely. Looking at the Super-Soldier, who seemed like a clown, made him even more irritable.
Not long ago, he had formulated a plan to attack Earth, which included viciously torturing the Super-Soldier. Now, wasn't this great? Both the Super-Soldier and he had become the ones being tortured.
"When are you planning to turn me into a Xenomorph? My replica will definitely be stronger than these two of yours."
"I have no such intention."
Thanoseid grinned ferociously, "Although I haven't personally seen the legions you've assembled in other universes, don't treat me like those other guys you've used for parasitism. I will definitely find a chance to start a rebellion. You will suffer for it."
"Many people have said that, but without exception, they are all working for me. I don't mind one bit if they curse me or rebel against me behind my back, as long as they perfectly carry out the missions I assign," Du Wa said as he walked on Earth. A crowd of despairing and terrified superheroes watched him from a distance, prepared for a life-or-death struggle.
"I can tolerate your betrayal, but I absolutely cannot tolerate your incompetence. Get the job done, and we can talk about anything. Screw things up and hinder my progress, and you will be the ones to suffer."
Du Wa desperately wanted to progress.
For an ambitious man who had gone through the transformation from human to god step by step, even the slightest delay in progress was an intolerable form of torture.
"Now, it's time to get down to business."
Du Wa glanced at the constantly resisting Thanoseid. He planned to take this guy to the DC Multiverse. At the very least, he was a flawed version of Darkseid and might be useful in the future.
Right now, what was more important than Thanoseid was the amalgam of Captain America and Superman, the Super-Soldier.
Within this being's body were fragments of the two universes that existed before the birth of Universe 9602.
One was a fragment of the Marvel Universe, and the other was a fragment of the DC Universe.
Obtaining these fragments meant Du Wa would grasp a part of two multiverses. Even though this part was so insignificant, for a conceptual god, size didn't matter, as long as it was real.
(end of chapter)