A Souvenir for Apokolips

Arbitrator Tower - Tactical Conference Room

In the center of the conference room, a blindingly dark blue holographic star map shone brightly. The scarlet dot "Universe 4 - Apokolips" flickered like a malignant tumor.

With the core members all gathered, Tony leaned back in his chair, his face pale from staying up all night, his fingers tapping anxiously on the table.

Captain America's brow furrowed, Banner fidgeted. Natasha held a cup of coffee. Cyclops, Iceman, Falcon, and Quicksilver all looked grave. In a corner, Daredevil Murdock "listened" to the tense atmosphere.

Chen Tian walked straight to the star map, his back disappearing behind the red dot, his voice resolute:

"I've gathered you all here for one thing." He raised his hand and pointed to the Apokolips."

"What?!" Tony jumped up as if he'd been pricked in the butt. "Are you crazy?! That's Darkseid's lair! We just stirred up a hornet's nest!"

He pointed at Goku, who was patting his vest and playing with gravity, and Saitama, who seemed to be in a daze next to him, "Are you sure this is a surprise attack? This is like delivering takeout! Darkseid's special offer for today!"

Captain America said in a deep voice, "This is a risk, Chen Tian! Blue Planet needs you to defend our rear! Rebuild our defenses, be wary of other threats, and gather our strength—that's the safest course of action!"

Banner's voice was filled with concern. "From what I understand, the environment there makes the laws of physics seem like a joke! The risks are too high!"

Cyclops: "The X-Men can provide support, you're too few in number!"

Falcon chimed in, "Blue Planet cannot lose its pillar of strength!"

Quicksilver flashes. "Take me with you! My speed will definitely come in handy!"

Natasha didn't speak, her gaze fixed on Chen Tian's face.

Chen Tian let the waves of opposition wash over him until silence fell, leaving only heavy breathing.

He looked at everyone. "Are you done? I know you're worried."

He placed both hands on the table. "You all know how dangerous it is there, but it's necessary."

"Passively taking the hits? Waiting for his 'annihilation order' to fall will wipe us all out! Actively destroying his War Machine is the only solution!"

He stared at Tony: "Uatu handed in the 'delivery slip.' Environment?" A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, "The laws of physics are distorted? Then shatter them and piece them together into a shape that suits our hands!"

His gaze swept over everyone. "As for Blue Planet... your tasks: Tony, upgrade the defenses. You should have retrieved the wreckage from Steppenwolf's side by now. See if there's anything that can improve our defenses! Steve, Natasha, Sam, stabilize the rear, consolidate your forces, and keep a close watch on the globe! Banner, you and Shuri work together to help Tony build shields, especially against higher-dimensional impacts! Scott, Bobby, handle the Mutants! Pietro, your speed will be more useful for surveillance on Earth!"

Chen Tian said in a deep voice, "If we can't defend our home, it'll be useless if we destroy Apokolips and come back! Defend it! Your mission is far more important than mine! Only with you here can I confidently launch a surprise attack!"

Tony clicked his tongue in annoyance, ran his fingers through his hair, and resigned himself to it.

Captain America took a deep breath, his eyes resolute. "Understood."

The crowd agreed, their worries barely concealed.

Chen Tian turned to Tony and added, "Tony, there's one more thing. Run an errand for me while I'm gone."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Sending warmth or collecting corpses?"

"Find Hank Pym. Dig up all his secrets about Quantum Tunnel and the Quantum Realm."

Tony's eyes sharpened. "The Quantum Realm? What does that have to do with Apokolips?"

Chen Tian said meaningfully, "Apokolips is the immediate problem. The key is to completely clean up Ultron's mess and retrieve the Soul Stone. Quantum technology may be the key."

Tony pursed his lips. "Fine, although I don't want to talk to that stubborn old man who's always disliked Stark, since you asked, I'll go and have a proper 'talk' with him."

On the star map, crimson dots flickered silently, like the Eye of Darkseid.

Chen Tian took a deep breath, and seeing that no one had any further objections, he smiled, "You don't need to worry too much, just leave it to me. I'm your assault team leader."

After he said that, Chen Tian, who was supposed to make everyone laugh, found that everyone was laughing instead.

Natasha walked up to him, straightened his collar, and said, "Now that everything is settled, you need to help us all upgrade properly, otherwise, we won't feel like we're part of the process."

After hearing this, Chen Tian ruffled Natasha's red hair. "Nat, don't worry, when your brother comes back, I'll definitely stay put and upgrade your 'equipment'."

Natasha slapped Chen Tian's hand away, rolled her eyes at him, and said, "I'm the older sister."

Chen Tian smiled without speaking, his gaze sweeping over everyone. Suddenly, his expression turned serious, and his voice boomed like thunder. "Arbitrators!"

The air in the conference room suddenly froze.

"Whoosh!" Tony, Banner, and the others who were sitting instantly straightened their backs; Natasha and Quicksilver who were standing tensed up like bows; Captain America and Falcon reflexively stood at attention with their legs together, their military posture so standard it could be used as a textbook example.

All eyes were fixed on Chen Tian like burning torches.

"Blue Planet is in your hands now." Chen Tian grinned. "Now—"

"Action!"

The two words rang out, and the conference room erupted in chaos!

Tony snatched the holographic star map data and stuffed it into his wristwatch; Captain America grabbed his Vibranium Shield and Falcon and sprinted out the door; Quicksilver transformed into a silver hurricane and swept away the tactical bag; even Banner ran wildly towards the lab, his glasses bouncing wildly on his nose. Natasha was the last to leave, giving Chen Tian a deep look before quickly exiting the conference room.

The surface of Apokolips, where crimson lava flows, trembles.

Parademons! Endless Parademons! Bat wings that blotted out the sky beat against the sulfurous air, emitting a piercing, teeth-grinding screech, gathering into a deathly cloud that covered the earth.

Their scarlet compound eyes gleamed with a morbid thirst for destruction, their claws rubbing together, eager to tear that fragile world called "Blue Planet" to shreds.

The defeat of Steppenwolf was like a brand of shame, searing the nerves of every Apokolips soldier.

Beside this boiling ocean of howls and steel stands Darkseid's war phalanx. They are the true elite, the Iron Fist of the Dark Tyrant used to crush all realms!

The Granny Goodness's "Female Furies": A ferocious line of muscular, killing female giants, their heavy warhammers resting on the blood-stained ground, their eyes cruel Bloodlust.

Kalibak's "Feral Army": War behemoths clad in heavy bio-armor spew sulfurous steam from their nostrils, their backs covered in ferocious bone spikes, and their deep roars combine to form earth-shaking waves.

Desaad's "Terminator Corps": Silent and cold killing machines, their entire bodies covered in jet-black alloy armor reflecting the red glow of lava, their energy weapon matrix glowing eerily, exuding a precise and efficient aura of death.

A massive deep-space fortress, as colossal as a moving mountain, hovered low in the sky, its surface riddled with countless cannons undergoing calibration and charging, while its core, the "Omega Matrix," emitted eerie and unsettling fluctuations.

The menacing "Apokolips War Engine" resembles a crouching steel behemoth, awaiting the onslaught of destruction.

The entire planet is like a giant, boundless war meat grinder, its Bloodlust gears already jammed, waiting only for the order to unleash a destructive torrent that will burn down the entire galaxy!

However, at the heart of the storm—between Darkseid's thrones—there was a suffocating silence and oppressive atmosphere.

Darkseid sat upon a throne forged from an unknown dark metal.

His Red Eye, brimming with ferocity, pierced through the thick walls of the fortress, as if envisioning a scene of destruction unfolding in the endless the Void.

Below, Desaad, Kalibak, the Granny Goodness, and other top generals and war lords of Apokolips held their breath, not daring to utter a sound.

The low growls of raging beasts and the Parademons sounded like indistinct background noise outside the throne room, doing nothing to shake the cold atmosphere here.

Kalibak twisted his bony neck restlessly, making a grumbling sound in his throat.

The Granny Goodness's scarred fingers gripped the handle of the warhammer tightly, veins bulging.

Desaad stood seemingly calmly to the side, but the rapidly flashing data in his hands betrayed his inner calculations. They were all waiting for the supreme command, waiting for the Charge call that would ignite their pent-up destructive desires!

Darkseid's massive fingers tapped slowly on the cold armrests of the throne, each tap striking the hearts of every general present.

His mind worked at a speed far exceeding the speed of light, deducing countless attack plans and assessing the risks brought about by every tiny variable.

Steppenwolf's defeat not only resulted in the loss of a fleet, but also exposed the existence of "abnormal entities" and mysterious forces on Blue Planet that could threaten the very foundation of Apokolips —the individual that erupted with golden flames, the bald man who shattered the fleet with a single punch, and Chen Tian...

"Power..." Darkseid's deep voice echoed in the throne room, like a reverberation from the abyss, instantly tensing all the generals. "Absolute power suppression is needed! Saturation attack! Leave no gaps! Cut off the battlefield! Isolate reinforcements!" Every word carried a chilling killing intent.

"The Female Furies is ready to tear apart their core!"

"The Feral Army crushes all resistance on the ground!"

"Terminator Corps precisely eliminates high-value targets!"

"World Forge... locking the planet's core... how is the Omega Matrix charging?" His crimson gaze turned to Desaad.

Desaad immediately bowed. "My lord, the Omega Matrix is 93% charged, and the World Forge is ready to launch the Planetary Annihilation Beam's at any time! The 'War Engine' assault array is also ready!"

Darkseid nodded slowly, but the solemnity in his eyes did not dissipate. What he wanted was not victory, but Eternity Oblivion! He wanted to completely erase the Arbitrators Chen Tian and his two damned individuals, as well as the will to resist of the entire Blue Planet, from the map of the Multiverse! Any oversight in any link could be seized upon by the enemy and evolve into unpredictable variables.

He needed to ensure that this pent-up torrent of destruction could, the moment it Descent Blue Planet, utterly reduce everything to Void!

Darkseid was still on his throne, devising the perfect plan to Oblivion the Blue Planet, the rhythm of his fingertips tapping out a countdown to destruction.

Outside the fortress, the indistinct clamor, like waves crashing against the rocks, grew louder and closer.

The Eternity, sulfurous, and bloody battle cry of Apokolips changed—it was mixed with a sharp, violently torn lament, the muffled crash of a massive building collapsing, and... an unprecedented, heart-stopping burst of energy!

A flicker of interrupted rage flashed deep within Darkseid's crimson eyes, and his displeased brows furrowed.

"Boom--!!!"

A deafening roar, far more terrifying and direct than the roar of the World Forge, was like billions of stars exploding right next to your ears!

The entire war fortress, forged from dark metal, looked as if it had been punched hard by an invisible giant!

The fortifications, strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a planet-destroying cannon, groaned in a teeth-grinding manner. Countless thick cracks instantly spread for hundreds of meters, and blinding red light, like lava, burst from the cracks, illuminating the throne room as if it were a living hell!

Huge chunks of metal collapsed from the dome, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

The data stream in Desaad's hands flashed wildly, almost causing him to collapse. "Warning! Unknown high-dimensional energy impact! Outer defense array... all offline! Energy reading... unable to be deciphered!"

Kalibak roared in alarm and fury, "What is that?!?"

The Granny Goodness suddenly raised her warhammer, her muscles bulging.

Without waiting for any response--

A terrifying blade of light pierced through the entire fortress, like lightning tearing through the sky, accompanied by a chilling declaration. "Dimension Slash - Annihilation!"

The fortress's dome, like a fragile eggshell, was completely cleaved open!

Above, the crimson sky of Apokolips was no longer visible, but rather a chaotic torrent churning within a shattered dimensional rift!

Above the turbulent waters, a figure hovered.

White hair, blue robe, Yamato pointing diagonally downwards, eyes as cold as ancient ice—it was Vergil!

Immediately afterwards, an extremely arrogant laugh, more ear-piercing than the combined roars of all the Parademons on Apokolips, slammed into the eardrums of every being:

"Hahahaha--!! Darkseid!!!!!!" Chen Tian's figure crashed onto the cracked floor in the center of the throne room, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread to the foot of Darkseid's throne!

He looked up, grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth, his smile wild, his voice tearing through the deathly silence and clamor within the fortress:

"I am coming"

He opened his arms as if to embrace this fortress that represented the ultimate terror of the universe:

"Let's start a grand party!!!!"

Before the words were even finished, a series of even larger explosions rang out!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The fortress walls were as if they had been struck from the outside by countless giant hammers, and several huge holes were blasted open! Broken metal fragments were swept into the hall like a storm!

Amidst the smoke and Kakkō, figures gradually appeared:

From the breach on the east side, golden flames shot skyward! Goku hovered in mid-air, arms crossed, his golden aura like a burning stellar Furnace, evaporating all the sulfurous mist that rushed in. He grinned, his eyes filled with pure, predatory fighting spirit. "Haha, let's have a big battle!!"

From the breach on the west side, a bald man in a yellow, tight-fitting battle suit, wearing a hooded cape, casually brushed the dust off his coat. His gaze swept over the menacing yet Granny Goodness and the Feral Army, finally settling on the mountain-like dark monarch on the throne. With a hint of... seriousness, he said, "Oh... you're the boss?" (Saitama's battle suit is inspired by Shazam's, but the color scheme is still in his style: yellow, red, and white.)

The breach on the south side was blasted away by a powerful force! The deep blue, Perfect Susanoo stood majestically, like a demon god descending to earth! The giant Chakra blade in Susanoo's hand swept across, cleaving several Terminator that had just raised their cannons in two, along with their thick armored barriers, creating a shower of sparks! Madara stood within the diamond-shaped Crystal on Susanoo's forehead, his Rinnegan surveying the ant-like Legion below, a cold smile playing on his lips, "No matter how many ants there are, they are nothing but dust."

The breach on the north side was the most audacious! A fiery red figure, stepping on the wreckage of a bat-shaped fighter jet that had gone out of control and rolled around, crashed into the hall like a surfer! The Rebellion was slung over his shoulder, and Ebony and Ivory were twirled in his hands in a dazzling display.

Dante kicked away the twisted metal, gave an exaggerated bow towards the throne, and smiled so brightly it was dazzling, "Yo! How can a party be complete without the signature 'Devil May Cry'?"

He casually pointed his gun at the nearest Female Furies, and shouted, "Let the music start!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A magnificent triple shot struck the female Warrior's massive warhammer with pinpoint accuracy, sending up dazzling sparks.

Darkseid, his body as solid as a mountain, trembled slightly for the first time on his throne. His enormous fingers, enveloped in destructive energy, sank deeply into the cold armrests of the throne, the hard, dark metal groaning under the weight of his palms!

His crimson gaze swept over Chen Tian, Vergil, Goku, Saitama, Madara, Dante... The aura emanating from each intruder was like cold water thrown into boiling oil, tearing his meticulously constructed blueprint for destruction to shreds!

A grand party?

These lunatics... they've turned Apokolips into their playground!

Facing the Darkseid generals who were on high alert, Chen Tian paid them no heed, only looking up at the Dark Tyrant sitting firmly on the throne.

Darkseid's crimson eyes, like two pools of blood leading to the end, coldly looked down at the tiny challenger at his feet. Chen Tian, however, had a wildly unrestrained smile on his face, carrying a hint of provocation.

"Hey!" Chen Tian raised his hand, his index finger pointing rudely at the throne. "Guests have arrived, and you, as the host, are you glued to your seat?" He exaggeratedly slapped his forehead. "Oh! I get it! You think I didn't bring a gift?"

His smile vanished abruptly, his eyes burning with fighting spirit as he pierced those eyes of destruction: "Don't rush—"

"This is the 'souvenir'..."

"Here you go!"

"Smack!"

The crisp the Snap, amidst the deafening noise of the battlefield, seemed to shatter the boundary between reality and the abyss!

Outside the fortress, the sky of Apokolips, which was Eternity burning with sulfurous flames and flowing lava, suddenly changed drastically!

Buzz--rumble rumble!

A deafening roar, so muffled it could crush the soul, echoed from the far reaches of the Void!

The crimson clouds were churned wildly, and countless enormous vortexes appeared out of thin air, spinning madly!

At the center of the vortex, space cracked and shattered like fragile glass, revealing a destructive world churning beneath—a world of broken pieces, flames, lava, and the stench of sulfur!

The next second--

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A meteorite burning with the flames of purgatory!

Like a wrathful hammer of divine punishment, they tore through the shattered sky, dragging trails of incinerating black flames as they descended from the heavens! Their speed ripped through the sound barrier, emitting a continuous, heart-shattering, terrifying shriek!

The target—is the vast, assembled Apokolips Legion below, ready for action!

"No--!" Desaad's scream was drowned out by the destructive roar.

The first meteorite struck the flank of the Kalibak Feral Army!

The earth bounced back violently, as if struck by a heavy blow!

The violent shockwave spread instantly, and hundreds of massive war beasts, clad in bio-armor and possessing astonishing weight, were torn into burning fragments without uttering a sound, by the violent energy and extreme heat!

Bone spurs mixed with viscera and fragments of metal armor shot out like a deadly rainstorm! Leaving behind a giant crater thousands of meters in diameter, the bottom of which churned with a viscous slurry of lava and infernal fire!

But this is just the beginning!

Boom! Rumble!

A barrage of infernal meteors rained down! Precisely targeting and eliminating enemies within the dense ranks of the Legion!

The Female Furies was struck squarely in the core by a meteorite. A dozen muscular and ferocious female giants writhed and swelled in agony under the burning flames of purgatory, before finally exploding into clouds of acrid, bloody mist!

The Terminator Corps's cold ranks were shattered by a meteorite, their metallic shells rapidly melting and twisting under the onslaught of infernal energy!

The Parademons clouds were torn open, revealing a massive hole, and countless bat wings turned to ashes in the flames!

The infernal meteorite crater spread like wildfire across the land! Fiery, hellish magma churned and boiled within, emitting a stench of burning sulfur and flesh! Yet, the crater's depths were not silent, but rather...

"Roar--!!!"

"Hiss--!!!"

"Ugh--!!!"

Countless chilling roars, howls, and shrieks erupted from the depths of every impact crater! The sounds contained pure evil, brutality, and a thirst for destruction! Then—

Click! Click!

The pit walls were torn apart by thick, clawed claws covered in hard keratin or flowing with lava! Huge, twisted figures crawled out of the abyss of purgatory!

A gigantic ram-headed demon, engulfed in Hellfire, dragged its heavy axe across the ground, carving out lava trenches!

The colossal, mountain-like Hell Colossus, with every step it took, caused the earth to flow with pus and blood, wielding a giant hammer forged from its spine and skull!

Hordes of Torture Queen, their limbs contorted and emitting piercing screams, distort the very air in their wake!

A pack of Hellfire Hounds, their skin charred like burnt charcoal, their joints twisted in the opposite direction, and spewing foul demonic flames from their mouths, roared as they pounced on the nearest Terminator, licking the molten metal with their barbed tongues!

Rotting zombies, writhing aggregates of flesh and blood, and shadowy figures formed from pure pain and resentment overflowed from the pit like a plague, their mind-wrenching hissing sounds overwhelming the remaining Parademons!

At the heart of this blasphemous scene, the crimson pillar of flame that had descended from the sky suddenly changed color!

It was no longer the pure flame of judgment, but had transformed into a deep, viscous, dark red evil light, as if it were formed from congealed blood and boiling hatred!

Like a blasphemous scepter, it brutally pierced the earth! The rocks around the point of impact silently Oblivion, and the lava was pushed aside, forming a scorched field flowing with blasphemous runes.

The evil light dissipated.

A figure appeared.

A brown-haired human girl appeared, but her scarlet eyes flashed with excitement.

Behind her, the towering phantom of a demon god loomed faintly— Leah.

Her appearance instantly froze all the demons who had just climbed out of the volcanic crater and were in a frenzy of Bloodlust!

The shrieks that Torture Queen abruptly ceased; the Hellfire Hounds tucked their tails between their legs; and the Goat Demon and the Hell Colossus knelt heavily...

Originating from the deepest recesses of the soul, absolute surrender to the "Source of Fear" overwhelmed all their destructive desires!

Countless eyes, burning with malevolent fire or dripping with pus and blood, were fixed intently on that figure radiating ultimate evil!

Dark red Fel Energy surged behind her like a blasphemous cloak.

She didn't look at the millions of demons bowing their heads behind her, nor at the Apokolips Legion in front of her, whose ranks were thrown into disarray by chaos and blasphemy.

Her abyssal gaze pierced through the barriers of space, ignoring the ruins of the fortress, like two poisoned daggers steeped in original sin, pinning precisely to the throne—the one that symbolized the ultimate violence of the physical universe!

Leah's lips slowly parted to the sides, revealing sharp teeth that were not human.

Her voice rang out, not a roar, but a soft female voice. Yet behind that voice lay the echo of countless souls wailing in an endless abyss, directly imprinted on the deepest recesses of the consciousness of every living and dead being, and like a cold, venomous snake, coiling around Darkseid's steely nerves.

"My little ones..."

"Please me..."

"So"

"Let 'Carnage!"

Leah's declaration ignited the destructive signal of the Purgatory army.

"Awooo--!!! Roar--!! Hiss--!!!"

The boundless hatred and destructive desires accumulated by billions of infernal demons were ignited!

They were no longer merely Charge, but transformed into a blasphemous tidal wave sweeping across the heavens and earth!

Enveloped in hellish flames that burn souls, filthy pus that can corrupt planets, and madness that tears apart all order, it launched a most thorough Oblivion Charge against the Apokolips Legion, which had just been desecrated!

The demonic blasphemous tide clashed violently with the steel torrent of Apokolips!

The skeletal hammer shattered alloys, its foul breath corroded armor, hellhounds tore at steel bodies, and energy rays evaporated and twisted flesh! Limbs, pus, burning scraps of iron, and fragments of shattered souls... instantly created the most blasphemous and bloody scene of destruction in the universe!

Inside the throne room of the fortress, the red light emanating from the cracks was no longer that of lava, but rather the dark red of a desecrated abyss.

Darkseid's five fingers, which had sunk into the armrest of the throne, slowly released, leaving five deep burn marks on the surface of the armrest. The dark metal at the edges sizzled as if corroded by strong acid, emitting wisps of black smoke.

His blood-red eyes, like pools of crimson, slowly shifted away, and for the first time truly fell upon the dark red figure outside the fortress—the incarnation of Diablo —a figure radiating an aura completely different from his own, yet equally representing ultimate destruction.

"Hey."

Chen Tian's voice once again drew Darkseid's attention.

Chen Tian looked at him with a smile, but that smile was full of sarcasm, while the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even stronger.

"Dark Tyrant, do you like this 'gift' of mine?"