Recruiting Allies

Kino walked up to him and calmly looked at the four enormous eyes filled with humiliation and fear.

"Join a war."

"I need some capable helpers. You barely qualify."

"War? You want me to serve you? Don't even think about it!"

The projection of the Trigon fluctuated violently.

"Yeah?"

"It seems the waking-up treatment just now wasn't enough."

Kino tilted his head, his tone eerily calm.

He raised his hand again.

The projection of the Trigon suddenly shrank.

The feeling of being beaten like a ball, of having his strength completely crushed, of having even the very foundation of his being kneaded at will, was more suffocating to him than death.

"Etc!"

"Can I know what kind of war it is?"

Kino did not explain in detail.

"A war that will determine survival."

All you need to answer is, go or not?

The projection of the Trigon remained silent, its energy surging violently, revealing the intense struggle within him.

Kino seemed to see through his hesitation.

"It's okay if you don't go."

His gaze swept over the ravaged and dilapidated Sealed Space, his tone tinged with amusement.

"I think this 'small single room' is a bit dilapidated, but with some reinforcement, it should be fine to live in until the Heat Death of the Universe."

What do you think? It'll save your daughter from worrying all the time that you'll run off and wreak havoc on the world."

Heat Death of the Universe!

Being sealed within this dark and sunless gem, his power bound layer by layer, was already an endless torment for him.

If he were to be completely sealed off by this being with even greater power, there would be no hope of ever rising again. What he seeks is the freedom to conquer and destroy!

"... After the war ended?"

"The war is over, you'll be released."

Kino made a promise.

"As for what you want to do after you get out, as long as you don't mess with me, it's up to you. Of course, the prerequisite is winning this war."

"... good!"

The four giant eyes projected by the Trigon stared intently at Kino, filled with resentment and humiliation, but in the end, the desire for destruction and the yearning for freedom overwhelmed everything.

"I... agree! In the name of Trigon! But if you dare to deceive me..."

"Deceive you?"

"You're not worthy of my effort."

"I will call you when the war begins."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kino's figure vanished from the ravaged Sealed Space like a phantom.

Only the massive yet wretched projection of Trigon remained, panting heavily in the shattered and distorted crimson space, its four burning eyes fixed on the spot where Kino had vanished, filled with humiliation, anger, and terror...

In the end, it only turned into a suppressed growl that shook the entire broken space.

"Satan!!!"

"Is there something you're unhappy about with me, Trigon?"

A soft female voice rang out in the space. Upon seeing the newcomer, Trigon showed fear for the first time.

Apokolips.

Darkseid looked at the figure that appeared in front of him and chuckled.

"New God, what brings you to Apokolips?"

Kino sat down on the Stone Chair opposite Darkseid.

The empty Stone Chair seemed to have been prepared for a long time, with Darkseid's subordinates standing silently around it.

"A war is about to begin."

I need your legions, and your own strength."

Darkseid's crimson Omega Ray surged and coalesced silently deep within his sunken eye sockets, as if they might tear space apart at any moment.

"In the multiverse, there are very few wars worthy of my personal involvement. And you, the New God, what makes you think you can command Darkseid and his legions?"

"Because I have this."

As soon as Kino finished speaking, all of Darkseid's men knelt down and shouted in unison.

"For the great His Majesty the Demon King!"

For the first time, a crack appeared on Darkseid's rock-hard, Eternity indifferent face.

It wasn't anger, but pure greed and desire; they were determined to get it.

"The complete Anti-Life Equation."

Kino took out an Energy Orb composed of various runes.

"Of all the multiverses, aside from the Anti-Monitor is still resurrecting, only I possess the complete version. Do you want it?"

Darkseid remained silent.

Only the runes of the Anti-Life Equation flowed silently, each flicker of light seeming to directly question Darkseid's meaning of existence—the ultimate desire to conquer, dominate, and rule over everything.

A moment later, a deep, resonant laugh broke the silence.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

"New God."

"You have indeed brought an invitation that I cannot refuse."

After giving the Anti-Life Equation to Darkseid so that he could absorb it and increase his power, Kino left Apokolips and went to other places, using coercion and enticement to persuade people one by one.

The First Lantern, the Ring of Calamity.

When Kino found him, he said it Ring of Calamity:

"I will join a war, and after it's over, I will save your homeland."

"Fine, but before that, I want my revenge."

The eyes of the First Lantern were filled with the flames of hatred.

"Those the Smurfs? Whatever."

Kino responded calmly.

The Origin Wall.

Batman's plan took the Origin Wall into account in advance; the multiverse remained intact.

All the Origin Wall are intact.

The surviving beings at the Origin Wall watched Kino reappear.

What is this guy trying to do?

A dazzling white light erupted from Kino's body, like a white flame.

Then countless white rings spewed from the flames, shooting towards the white bones on the Origin Wall.

They shot irresistibly toward the ancient beings on the Origin Wall, beings long forgotten by time, reduced to nothing but skeletal remains.

[From beyond time...]

[From a concrete concept...]

[From the remnants of the multiverse...]

On each skeleton, flesh, nerves, and blood vessels began to grow wildly... like a rewinding video of destruction.

[Reborn!]

These ancient beings had just been resurrected when the rings on their hands shot beams of light toward Kino, who grabbed Kino and pulled them toward him like ropes.

The entire Origin Wall trembled violently, desperately absorbing these ancient lives. Under Kino's pull, it began to leave only human-shaped craters.

They moved their newly formed limbs, feeling the long-lost freedom. Power surged and collided within them, causing ripples in the surrounding space and tiny dimensional cracks.

Their gazes, whether curious, greedy, or simply indifferent, ultimately focused on Kino —the being who gave them new life and freedom.

Kino's gaze swept over this group of cosmic-level beings, as if inspecting a group of dangerous weapons.

"War is imminent."

Your payment has already been prepaid.

The rings on their hands, radiating a soft white light, were both the medium of resurrection and the shackles of bondage.

"Now, await your summons in silence."

There was no explanation, no reassurance, only a cold command.

They sensed a power within the ring that far exceeded their current understanding.

If they resist, they will die again.

After Kino finished speaking, he disappeared from this dimension, leaving behind only these ancient beings who had just been resurrected.

Some disdainfully chopped off their own fingers, only to vanish into white bones the next second; others tried to twist the ring's owner, only to disappear into white light.

They were once legends of the universe, ancient deities, lost creators... Now, they have only one identity: Kino's weapons of war.

Although these guys will fight for survival when war comes, unity and fighting alone are two different things.