The black torrent surged toward the Green Lantern Corps.
Hal Jordan clenched his ring tightly as the fourth energy barrier trembled violently. On the opposite side, John Stewart reinforced the structure, but the energy lattice continued shattering piece by piece.
The rune barrier Kyle Rayner had just manifested was instantly ripped apart.
"We can't hold it!" Guy Gardner roared.
He swung his gigantic will-forged warhammer into the torrent with all his strength, yet it failed to create even the slightest ripple before being completely swallowed.
The rings' glow visibly dimmed.
Although the energy Levi had poured into them was vast as an ocean, it was being consumed at the speed of a collapsing galaxy.
The Anti-Monitor's will carried the terrifying pressure of countless annihilated universes. Every strand of antimatter possessed enough destructive force to erase a planet.
"All units, fall back!" Hal ordered.
He knew perfectly well that once the torrent broke through the defenses, the Watchtower would be consumed within three seconds—and Earth itself would begin disintegrating thirty seconds later.
The fifth barrier was about to collapse.
Then a hand rested on Hal's shoulder.
Levi walked past everyone toward the core of the rift.
The black torrent raged less than ten meters away, yet his eyes remained utterly calm.
"Move."
Every Green Lantern immediately retreated.
Levi raised his right hand.
The golden alchemical formation in his palm erupted with light, mysterious radiance coiling around his arm like living creatures.
He spread his fingers toward the world-destroying torrent—
and gently clenched his fist.
In that instant, silence fell across everything.
Time and space seemed frozen simultaneously.
The rushing antimatter torrent abruptly halted in midair.
Its violent black energy rapidly faded, revealing a cold metallic sheen beneath. The fundamental particles composing the torrent were being forcibly rewritten by an incomprehensible supreme law, transforming from void into physical substance.
Hal's eyes widened.
The torrent compressed and reorganized within Levi's grasp before finally condensing into a dark golden crystal no larger than a fist.
"That's impossible…" John muttered.
Changing matter's form was one thing.
Transforming antimatter into ordinary matter—
that completely transcended the laws of physics.
Levi stared at the crystal in his palm.
Strange patterns flowed across its surface—the traces of the Anti-Monitor's will.
During the transformation process, Levi sensed an information stream hidden deep within the energy itself.
A set of coordinates.
Levi closed his eyes, his spiritual power piercing into the crystal.
Countless images flashed through his mind—
shattered civilizations, burning planets, enslaved species.
At the center of it all was a formula, every symbol radiating submission and despair.
The Anti-Life Equation.
Following the information stream, Levi traced its origin.
Suddenly, immense malice erupted from deep inside the crystal!
The Anti-Monitor had noticed someone peering into its secrets.
Black mist burst from the rift, forming a twisted face that released a piercing screech.
"Mortal… you dare…窥视…"
The low voice echoed directly within everyone's consciousness.
Superman groaned, veins bulging across his forehead.
Wonder Woman tightened her grip on her divine sword and dropped to one knee in the void.
Hal and the other Green Lanterns bled from their eyes, ears, and noses as their rings flickered wildly.
This was the mental pressure of a multiversal-level existence.
A mere fragment of its will was enough to instantly shatter the minds of nearly any being below Skyfather level.
Yet Levi stood motionless at the center of the storm.
Deep within his pupils, thirteen different laws rotated rapidly.
Spatial law formed defensive barriers.
Mental law resisted corruption.
At the core of everything was the conceptual power of greed and the support of the Phoenix Force.
"You want the Anti-Life Equation."
Levi sneered.
"I want it too."
His spiritual power transformed into a spear that pierced directly into the core of the Anti-Monitor's will.
The concept of greed was pushed to its absolute limit.
He wanted to devour.
To plunder.
"Impossible!"
For the first time, fluctuation appeared in the Anti-Monitor's voice.
It had underestimated this mortal.
Levi's spiritual spear tore through its defenses and latched onto that fragment of divine consciousness, frantically absorbing, converting, and devouring it.
The black mist churned violently.
Levi became an insatiable black hole, swallowing the energy entirely.
As the devouring deepened, he finally captured the complete coordinates—
Earth.
40 degrees north latitude.
74 degrees west longitude.
New York City.
Queens.
Beneath an abandoned industrial district.
A fragment of the Anti-Life Equation was hidden there.
The information flooded into his mind as the Anti-Monitor's will collapsed.
The crystal lost its luster and crumbled into dust.
Meanwhile, deep within the void layer beyond the multiverse, the Anti-Monitor's true body opened its eyes, fury blazing within them.
"Damn insect…"
---
The rift stopped expanding.
Without the support of the Anti-Monitor's will, the black spatial wound slowly began healing.
The laws of space regained dominance while the distorted physical constants gradually returned to normal.
At last, the Green Lantern Corps' energy barriers stabilized.
"Is it over?" Kyle stared at the edge of the rift as the antimatter energy receded.
"Only a temporary retreat."
Levi opened his eyes, traces of dark golden light still lingering within his pupils.
He turned toward Superman and Wonder Woman.
"You two alright?"
Green light formed in his hand—the power of life law itself.
Superman shook his head and took a deep breath. His Kryptonian healing rapidly restored him.
"I'm fine. That voice just now…" His expression darkened. "Was that the Anti-Monitor's true body?"
"Only a projection of its will."
Levi sent the life energy into both of them, repairing the damage to their consciousness.
"The true body is still trapped in the void layer beyond the multiverse. It can't cross over yet. But it has already set its sights on this universe."
Wonder Woman tightened her grip on her sword.
"Then we'll wait for it here and drive it back!"
Levi glanced at her but said nothing.
If the Anti-Monitor's true body actually descended, the entire Justice League combined wouldn't survive a single strike.
Unless…
At that moment, Batman's voice sounded through the communication channel.
"Levi, what exactly did you do just now?"
Bruce Wayne's tone remained as calm as ever, but Levi could hear the caution hidden beneath it.
"The Watchtower's sensors recorded localized physical constants being forcibly rewritten the moment you touched the antimatter. That kind of power…"
"Beyond your understanding, right?"
Levi interrupted him with amusement.
He could practically picture Bruce's current expression.
The communication channel fell silent for several seconds before Batman continued.
"I need an explanation. Who exactly are you? Why are you here? What is your objective?"
Three questions.
Straight to the core.
"You'll get your explanation—but not now."
Levi changed the subject.
"Tell everyone to regroup at the Watchtower. I have something important to discuss."
"About the Anti-Monitor?" Superman asked immediately.
Levi nodded.
"About its true objective."
---
Five Minutes Later — Watchtower Conference Room
The round table was filled.
Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Hal Jordan, who had just returned from the medical bay.
Batman stood before the tactical screen with his arms crossed, eyes locked firmly onto Levi as he entered.
Levi spoke immediately.
"The Anti-Monitor's goal isn't the destruction of the universe—not yet. It's searching for something."
"The Anti-Life Equation."
Silence filled the room.
Batman narrowed his eyes.
"The Anti-Life Equation…" he said in a low voice while pulling up files from the Batcave database.
"The legendary ultimate weapon capable of stripping all life of free will. But that was always considered a myth pursued by Darkseid. Its existence has never been proven."
"It has now."
Levi raised his hand.
Golden light formed above his palm, condensing into a three-dimensional map clearly marking a location in Queens, New York City.
"Right here. A fragment of the Anti-Life Equation is sealed underground. Part of the Anti-Monitor's projected will was being used to locate these coordinates."
Superman's expression changed.
"New York? There are millions of civilians there!"
"That's why we need to secure it before the Anti-Monitor does."
Levi's tone allowed no disagreement.
"If it gathers all the fragments, every living being in the multiverse will become its slave."
Flash—Barry Allen—raised a hand.
"Wait. If the Anti-Life Equation is that dangerous, why not just destroy it?"
"Destroy it?"
Levi glanced at him mockingly.
"Why do you think the Anti-Monitor is searching for fragments instead of simply crushing everything by force? Because every fragment of the Anti-Life Equation is part of the universe's origin itself. Destroying one would tear apart the foundation of reality."
"At that point, the universe would collapse on its own without the Anti-Monitor needing to do anything."
Batman remained silent for several moments before suddenly asking:
"How do you know all this?"
Levi answered calmly without hesitation.
"Because I devoured the fragment of the Anti-Monitor's will just now and extracted part of its memories."
Silence descended over the room once again.
Everyone stared at Levi in disbelief.
Devouring the will of a multiversal-level existence sounded like mythological nonsense.
But the Watchtower's tactical data didn't lie.
Batman pulled up the recorded energy fluctuation graph.
The moment Levi touched the antimatter torrent, the energy curve spiked violently—
and then the massive energy signature vanished entirely.
There was only one explanation.
It had been devoured.
"Who exactly are you?"
Batman asked each word slowly and deliberately.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~