Chapter Summaries

Earth’s heroes prepared for the approaching tournament by evacuating the planet and making plans to confront its dangers. As the evacuation continued, heroes from the Omega and Roland universes chose their own preparations for the coming battle.

• Superman and Batman discussed the danger of villains entering the tournament, while Roland offered to help stop them.
• The heroes reached an agreement with world leaders, and Superman promised that Earth would not suffer the fate of his destroyed home.
• Cyborg announced a complete planetary evacuation, with major companies building arks using modified Brainiac technology.
• Batman of the Omega universe and Batman from the Roland Universe agreed to cooperate against illegal teaming.
• Diana, King of the Gods, offered Wonder Woman a share of her divine authority, while the Emperor-class Titan invited Cyborg to follow the Omnissiah.
• Superman equipped himself with sun-powered gauntlets he had forged in the Fortress of Solitude.

More than a hundred heroes entered the Scartaris Nexus and fought through the Heart of Apokolips’ first trial. The second challenge began with sixteen hidden items, and Hal Jordan and The Flash each drew power rings to themselves.

• Booster Gold fired an Omega Beam that briefly stopped the Heart of Apokolips, whose visions vanished as the heroes reached the arena gates.
• Batman and Roland joined forces, while Francis and his master unleashed Hell Reincarnation Sword, and the heroes charged through the Parademons to pass the first trial.
• The Heart of Apokolips announced that contestants had to find sixteen items hidden among the old gods’ remains, and that anyone without an item when time ran out would die.
• Hawkman and Cyborg sensed items, while Lex Luthor mapped the arena and spotted the power rings flying toward Hal Jordan of the Roland Universe.
• Hal Jordan drew the power rings to himself, and The Flash summoned a Speed Force Ring to his finger.

As the multiverse melee continued, Francis and Shatterpressure took Venom from Lobo while Jason’s Homies fought Starro’s controlled heroes. The competitors claimed fifteen of the sixteen items, leaving Superman and Lex Luthor still fighting as Jason, Red Hood, and Roy prepared to leave the arena.

• Lobo injected himself with Venom after Starro tried to steal it, but Shatterpressure ripped the Venom out and passed it to Francis before she and Francis chased Lobo.
• Jason’s Homies army fought Starro-controlled heroes on an icefield, and Jason took Blue Beetle while searching for his next-round ticket.
• Roy joined Jason and Red Hood, learned that the Omega world’s Arsenal had died, and saw photos of his daughter Lian.
• Jason, Roy, and Red Hood discussed the possibility that Red Hood had a daughter named Xiao Yue in this universe, though Roy quickly backed away from the claim.
• Fifteen items were claimed by competitors from the Roland and Omega Universes and by three mysterious figures, while the final item remained unfound and Superman continued fighting Lex Luthor.
• Roy headed for the spectator stands with a white feather, while Jason said he had his own way to get an item.

Superman and the other contestants advanced through the Heart of Apokolips’ tournament, while Roland revealed he had secretly claimed Booster Gold’s wrist detonator. The Flash’s victory sent Batman to the Absolute Universe, where he reunited with his living mother, Martha.

• Superman used the Kryptonite Spear on himself to claim the Omega Sanction, and the Heart of Apokolips eliminated contestants who had no items.
• Roland revealed that he had taken Booster Gold’s wrist detonator at the start, allowing him to remain in the contest.
• Superman defeated Lex Luthor, and Absolute Batman killed Joker to win their matches.
• The Flash defeated Batman after Roland arranged their matchup, while Darkseid refrained from entering the battle.
• The Flash sent Batman to the Absolute Universe, where Batman saw that Martha was alive and wished her a happy Mother’s Day.

Wonder Woman of the Roland Universe defeated Absolute Superman in the tournament, then teamed up with Absolute Wonder Woman against Absolute Batman and Superman of the Omega Universe. The battle left Wonder Woman stunned when Absolute Wonder Woman revealed that her mother had taught her Circe’s transformation magic.

• Roy complained that the tournament format had set Wonder Woman up for a difficult match, but she insisted she would defeat Absolute Superman.
• Wonder Woman fought Absolute Superman and destroyed him with Zeus’s Thunderbolt Staff and Divine Might Like a Prison.
• The Heart of Apokolips announced a two-on-two match pairing Wonder Woman and Absolute Wonder Woman against Absolute Batman and Superman of the Omega Universe.
• Wonder Woman and Absolute Wonder Woman rode Pegasus and separated Superman from Absolute Batman, while Absolute Wonder Woman transformed Pegasus into a nine-headed serpent with her Lasso of Sacrifice.
• Absolute Wonder Woman said her mother had taught her the transformation magic, leaving Wonder Woman wondering how an archenemy could become a mom.

Roland fought Darkseid in a prolonged battle that revealed them as opposing forces shaping reality. After Roland defeated him, Darkseid warned that an Absolute Crisis would sweep across the infinite Multiverse, and Roland killed him with the Spear of Longinus.

• Wonder Woman defeated Superman and Absolute Batman before Roland and Darkseid entered the ring for the main event.
• Green Lantern attacked Darkseid, while the Flash tried to affect him with the will of Love's Fragrant Aura, but Darkseid ignored them and charged Roland.
• Roland blocked Darkseid's mass attack with a gigantic sacred figure and shattered the illusory Spears of Longinus.
• Roland and Darkseid continued fighting across different worlds for days as their battle took on the scale of opposing realities.
• Roland gained control of the fight and defeated Darkseid, who warned him that battles across the infinite Multiverse were fueling Omega Energy and an Absolute Crisis.
• Roland told Darkseid they would fight again and drove the Spear of Longinus into his head.

Green Lantern defeated the Flash, then surrendered to Roland, leaving five contestants in the arena. The tournament was interrupted when two Batmen arrived with their families, and the Omega Universe’s Batman reunited tearfully with Absolute Martha.

• Green Lantern wore down the Flash with defensive, wide-area attacks and won their fight.
• Green Lantern surrendered when Roland entered the arena, leaving Roland, both Wonder Women, the Roland Universe’s Flash, and Harley Quinn as the five remaining contestants.
• The arena shattered, and the Omega Universe’s Batman arrived with Alfred Wayne and the Bat Family while the Roland Universe’s Batman appeared with Absolute Martha.
• Absolute Martha embraced the tearful Omega Universe’s Batman, while he stopped his Red Hood from asking her a troubling hypothetical about a son being killed.
• Roy learned that the little white-haired girl was his daughter, then declined Kara’s suggestion that he spar with Cassie.

Roland refused to leave Apokolips unclaimed and announced he would make it a colony, but Martha’s praise softened him enough to end the argument. After the Heart of Apokolips shattered and everyone returned to the real world, Roland assigned the gathered heroes their tasks.

• Roland refused the Omega Batman’s proposal to stop fighting and declared that he would keep the victory’s spoils, then clarified that he planned to make Apokolips a colony.
• Wonder Woman suggested a beauty trap, and Martha praised Roland for resolving the crisis and being a good friend to Bruce, leaving him embarrassed and agreeable.
• The Heart of Apokolips shattered, returning everyone to the real world, where Superman and Aquaman from Roland’s universe arrived to help.
• Roland ordered the Teen Titans to return the evacuees, Superman to lead the Justice League in clearing Darkseid’s remaining Omega Effect, and Thomas to keep Martha company.

Cyborg stopped a bank robbery in Gotham but was frightened by a child's reaction and returned to Wayne Manor discouraged. There, Roland proposed turning Gotham into a tourist destination to undermine its reputation as the crime capital.

• Cyborg from the Omega Universe stopped a brick-like robot from robbing a bank and handed it over to the police.
• A girl called Cyborg scary and said Robin was cooler, leaving Cyborg disheartened.
• Cyborg returned to Wayne Manor, where the heroes from different worlds discussed their lives in Gotham.
• Roland proposed building an antique-style tourist district with food stalls to change Gotham's image, and the Roland Universe's Batman recognized the idea as resembling the Nanjing Confucius Temple.