Elias was drifting, eyes closed, dreaming of chili dogs, when the universe cracked.
It wasn't a subtle sound. It sounded like a mountain snapping in half, amplified by the echo chamber of the cosmos.
He opened one eye.
"No," he whispered. "No way."
The Source Wall—the barrier that held back the unknown, the prison of gods—was trembling. The statue of Darkseid, frozen only moments ago, was cracking. Fissures of red light spiderwebbed across the stone surface.
CRACK.
A massive chunk of the Wall exploded outward.
From the dust and debris, Darkseid emerged. But he wasn't the same.
He had fused with the Source Wall energy. His grey skin was now etched with glowing Promethean runes. His size had doubled. The Omega effect leaking from his eyes wasn't just red anymore; it was a swirling void of black and crimson. He had absorbed a fraction of the Source itself.
"YOU CANNOT TRAP THE TIGER," Darkseid's voice didn't just vibrate the air; it rewrote the vacuum. "I AM INEVITABLE."
Elias groaned, floating upright. "Inevitable? You're annoying! Stay dead!"
Darkseid raised a hand. He didn't fire a beam. He fired a reality erasure. A wave of nothingness swept toward Elias.
Elias checked his mental HUD.
Hyper Form: Cool-down active (System Overheat).
Base Form: Insufficient.
Options: Cycle Protocol.
"Fine," Elias gritted his teeth. "If one form won't work, I'll use them all. Combo breaker style."
Phase 1: The Dark Knight
"Let's start with the sword."
Transformation: Excalibur Sonic.
A flash of golden light. Elias was clad in gleaming golden armor. A red cape fluttered in the cosmic wind. In his hand materialized Caliburn, the sacred sword, humming with noble energy.
"Have at thee!" Elias shouted.
He flew at the wave of erasure. He swung Caliburn.
Soul Surge.
The sword cut the wave of nothingness in half. Elias spiraled through the gap, closing the distance to Darkseid.
He slashed at the giant. Golden sparks flew as Caliburn struck Darkseid's Source-infused skin.
"A toothpick," Darkseid scoffed, catching the blade with two fingers. He snapped Caliburn in half.
Elias didn't panic. He used the momentum.
"Switch!"
Phase 2: The Beast
Transformation: Werehog.
The armor shattered. Elias expanded, blue fur growing shaggy, muscles swelling. He became the brute.
He roared, his elongated arms stretching out to wrap around Darkseid's neck like pythons.
"Get over here!" Elias growled.
He used his elasticity to swing around Darkseid's back, putting the New God in a cosmic sleeper hold. He squeezed with enough force to crush a moon.
Darkseid elbowed him. The impact shattered Elias's ribs (which instantly healed thanks to the System). Darkseid grabbed the Werehog by the scruff and threw him.
"Switch!"
Phase 3: The Genie
Transformation: Darkspine Sonic.
Mid-throw, the blue fur vanished, replaced by deep indigo skin and rings of fire.
Elias stopped his momentum instantly with telekinesis.
"Burn."
He thrust his hands forward. A vortex of purple soul-fire engulfed Darkseid. It wasn't just heat; it was the emotional weight of a thousand lifetimes of rage.
Darkseid walked through the fire. The Source energy protected him.
"Your magic is weak against the Truth," Darkseid intoned. He reached out, and the space around Elias began to collapse into a singularity.
"Switch!"
Phase 4: The Glitch
Transformation: Super Sonic (Cyber Corruption).
Elias turned gold and digital. Blue sparks of corruption flew off him.
"Parry this!"
He activated the Cyloop. He ran circles around Darkseid at faster-than-light speeds, creating a digital cage.
Grand Slam.
He launched Darkseid upward. Elias blurred, appearing above him, delivering a Cyber-Rush kick that drove Darkseid down through a nearby moon, shattering it into an asteroid field.
Darkseid rose from the rubble of the moon. He looked... irritated.
"You change your face," Darkseid rumbled, flying up to meet him. "But you are still a rat."
Darkseid grabbed Elias's cyber-form. The corruption tried to delete Darkseid, but the New God simply absorbed the data and purged it.
He squeezed Elias's head.
"I will crush your mind."
Elias screamed as the Omega energy poured into his brain.
"SWITCH!"
Phase 5: The Darkness
Transformation: Dark Sonic.
The gold vanished. Elias turned pitch black. No pupils. Just the void.
He exploded with negative energy, breaking Darkseid's grip.
He didn't fight with technique. He fought with hate.
He tore into Darkseid, a shadow demon ripping and tearing. He moved so fast he was invisible, just a series of impacts appearing on Darkseid's body.
Darkseid laughed. He enjoyed the hate. He fed on it.
"Yes! Give in!" Darkseid taunted. "Become what I am!"
Elias realized the trap. Dark Sonic was feeding Darkseid.
"No," Elias gasped, pulling back. "Not that one."
He floated back, panting. He had cycled through everything. The Excalibur armor was broken. The Werehog lacked range. Darkspine lacked punch. Cyber was too unstable. Dark was too dangerous.
Darkseid loomed over him, larger than ever, the Source Wall runes glowing bright red.
"You are out of tricks," Darkseid said. "I am the end of stories."
Elias looked at his hands. He was back in Base form. Blue. Small.
"I'm not a story," Elias whispered.
He looked at the System notification blinking in his mind.
Hyper Form Cool-down: Complete.
System Sync: 100%.
New Fusion Protocol Available.
Elias looked up at Darkseid. A smile—the true, cocky Sonic smile—returned to his face.
"I told you," Elias said. "I'm a Paradox."
"What are you doing?" Darkseid hesitated, sensing a shift in the energy.
"I'm not switching anymore," Elias said. "I'm combining."
He closed his eyes.
He pulled on the Hyper energy.
He pulled on the Darkspine reality warping.
He pulled on the Cyber corruption.
He pulled on the Excalibur valor.
"System," Elias commanded. "Execute Fusion."
WARNING: FORM STABILITY 0%.
OVERRIDE ACCEPTED.
Elias exploded.
Not into light. Into Noise.
The universe screamed as a new form took shape—something that shouldn't exist, something that broke the rules of color and sound.
When the light faded, Elias stood there.
He was pure white, like Hyper Sonic. But his quills were edged in sharp, digital blue glitches. Rings of purple Darkspine fire rotated around his wrists. And in his hand, reformed from pure energy, was a blade of golden light.
Omni-Sonic.
"Round Two," Elias said. His voice was every voice he had ever had, speaking in unison.
He pointed the energy sword at Darkseid.
"Let's finish this."