Darkseid stared hard at Homelander, his mind racing.
The Dark Fortress had been damaged. He did not know how this man had done it, but he clearly had a way to hurt it.
Whatever it took, Darkseid had to go back and stop him.
The safety of Apokolips came before everything else.
Yet this foolish Earthling had dared to choose Apokolips as the place to fight him.
There, Darkseid was all-knowing and all-powerful! With his home planet behind him, no living being could defeat him there.
Besides, this man was Earth's last hope.
Once Darkseid killed him, Earth's will to resist would crumble. The Anti-Life Equation could swallow the planet without hindrance, including the madwoman in his grip who had caused him so much trouble.
This was a battle he could not refuse—and one he could never lose.
All those calculations took only an instant.
"As you wish."
Darkseid let go.
Harley Quinn hit the ground hard and fell unconscious.
Batman rushed forward at once, shielding her with his body.
Darkseid spared them no further glance and flew straight toward the enormous Boom Tube.
"You'll pay for today's foolishness, Earthling. I'll nail you above the fire pits of Apokolips and let you spend eternity screaming."
As Darkseid crossed the boundary of space, the Boom Tube above Metropolis twisted shut and vanished into the night sky.
With Darkseid gone, the battle for Earth had come to an end—for now.
The Amazon warriors lowered their bloodstained shields and leaned on one another, gasping for breath.
Resistance soldiers lowered their overheated rifles and collapsed onto streets littered with shell casings.
Quiet returned to Metropolis. The night wind swept through, stirring the lingering smoke.
But the weight pressing on everyone's heart remained.
No one cheered. No one celebrated.
They knew the true final battle—the