"How could a vortex appear?!"
He-El watched as a vortex similar to the one that had appeared when Doctor Manhattan showed up last time formed above the Blood-Cleansing Instrument. It was illusory, unrelated to New Fusion Universe 588, and was gradually expanding.
Impossible!
He-El had not sent Doctor Manhattan into action, nor had the He-El Universe opened a Traversal Vortex leading to New Fusion Universe 588.
This was not a Traversal Vortex from the He-El Universe!
He-El's heart tightened slightly, and he faintly sensed that something was wrong.
He did not know why a vortex like the one from Doctor Manhattan's previous appearance had emerged.
But the fact that someone could create an illusory vortex that looked almost identical was enough to prove that its creator knew every detail of Doctor Manhattan's last operation and possessed power great enough to imitate a Traversal Vortex.
Who was it?
Was it some Monitor above the third-level Source Universe overseers within the Monitors who harbored selfish ambitions?
Or was there someone like himself, hidden among the third-level Source Universe overseers, who had merely obtained the information and come to imitate Doctor Manhattan's previous operation?
What was the purpose of imitating the previous Traversal Vortex's appearance in New Fusion Universe 588?
Was it aimed at the Monitors...
Or at him...
He-El could not settle on an answer, and his heart grew heavy.
"He's here!" a third-level Source Universe overseer shouted delightedly in the four-dimensional surveillance room.
"Doctor Manhattan has appeared! He really did only just obtain the Lesser Omniverse. He needs the Blood-Cleansing Instrument to purify the Heavenly Blood!" another third-level Source Universe overseer cried excitedly.
"It is exactly the same as last time. The illusory vortex does not intertwine with the universal operating logic of New Fusion Universe 588. This illusory vortex is