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[Superman] Chapter 220: The Darkness Devours Everything
🕑 Added 2024-09-04 03:37:13 +0000 UTCAt this moment, Cyborg, who had been incredibly excited upon seeing that the Speed Force energy could indeed hit the dark energy, suddenly gasped in shock.
The Speed Force energy did not disperse the dark energy as they had hoped. Instead, as the Speed Force energy beam struck the dark energy, it seemed to nourish and feed it, causing it to expand rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, the dark energy grew from covering just a small portion of Earth to engulfing the entire planet.
In an instant, the whole Earth was cloaked in darkness, with sunlight completely blocked out.
What was once a relatively normal world was now plunged into absolute darkness.
It was as if the entire world had completely fallen into oblivion.
"No, what is happening? Why has our plan had no effect and instead fueled the growth of the dark energy?"
At this moment, everyone was in disbelief over the situation.
They couldn’t understand why their meticulously crafted plan had not only failed but had made the situation worse.
The dark power seemed to have been amplified enormously, expanding dozens of times in an instant.
It was still expanding at a rapid pace, as if devouring an entire planet was not its true goal.
Its plan seemed to involve devouring Earth and the entire universe beyond.
"Damn it, we have to stop it!"
Everyone was stunned into speechlessness by what they were witnessing.
But they quickly regained their composure, knowing they couldn’t let things continue like this, or not only would they fail to save Earth, but the entire universe might fall into utter ruin.
Yet, even though they knew they needed to stop the dark energy from spreading, the situation was not as simple as they imagined.
They had previously resorted to kidnapping another universe's Flash, using the cosmic treadmill to generate powerful Speed Force energy to activate the Speed Force Cannon.
But now it was clear that their plan had failed.
The Speed Force energy could indeed cross dimensional spaces, achieving what they previously couldn’t in attacking the dark energy.
But it was only able to do so much.
The Speed Force energy not only failed to dispel the darkness but seemed to become nourishment for the dark energy, helping it grow stronger.
...
"Futile struggles, ignorant plans, will only bring about greater destruction in the end!"
At this moment, in an imperceptible void, a blue figure gazed at the ever-expanding darkness, which had swallowed the entire Earth and was continuing to spread outward, as if it would devour the entire universe.
The developments were exactly as he had anticipated.
The course of the universe would not be rewritten by individual efforts.
This universe was doomed to fall into endless darkness, and the universe's descent into oblivion had become a certainty.
The plans of those people not only failed to halt the encroaching darkness but also accelerated its growth.
"The Speed Force, an essential power in the universe's origin, transcending dimensions of time and space, connecting countless individual universe realities within the multiverse, is the most mysterious and powerful omnipotent force in the universe..."
"Yet now, it has become the greatest accomplice in the universe being devoured by darkness!"
The blue figure, who was none other than Doctor Manhattan, close to a divine existence, understood why the dark energy could expand so rapidly.
Just like the nature of the dark energy, which transcends cosmic dimensions, it was completely unaffected by most forces in the universe.
This was the real reason it could ignore all attacks and couldn’t be dispelled.
However, the Speed Force was also a type of energy that transcends cosmic dimensions, allowing it to interact with the strange dark energy.
Unfortunately, the level of dark energy was not inferior to the Speed Force and had the characteristic of consuming everything.
So, the result was that after absorbing a large amount of Speed Force energy, the dark power grew even stronger.
More importantly, this meant that the dark power could, like the Speed Force, draw even more powerful strength from countless cosmic dimensions to enhance itself.
This would lead to an extremely terrifying outcome: the dark energy's rate of consuming the universe would accelerate infinitely.
"Perhaps the scene of the complete destruction of the multiverse that I have foreseen will soon become reality."
The figure bathed in blue luminescence was Doctor Manhattan, whose origin was not from this universe.
He came from a universe that had already been destroyed.
In that universe, there were no heroes like Superman, nor a famous Justice League.
But that universe also had its own guardians of justice and villains disrupting the world's order.
Doctor Manhattan was the most powerful entity among them.
His birth was the result of an accident.
His physical body was completely destroyed by an experimental mishap, but fortunately, his consciousness and thought survived and entered another realm, a near-divine realm.
He gained god-like powers.
Able to manipulate everything in the material world, he remade his body in the material world.
Then, he found his abilities were approaching divinity. He could control everything and even predict the future.
He discovered that the universe he was in would inevitably face destruction.
And he himself, having become a god and gained immense power, lost the emotions he once had as a human.
In the end, he could even watch with an expressionless face as his universe headed toward destruction.
And he moved away from the universe's destruction, towards a more expansive domain.
Wandering between endless multiverses, witnessing the history of countless universes, from weakness to prosperity and then to destruction.
To him, the history of the universe was like a dull movie.
It could no longer stir any emotional turbulence within him.
Until he sensed a hidden dark power merging into this ordinary universe.
It piqued his interest.
Thus, he came to this universe to sense the dark energy's purpose.
However, upon entering this universe, he immediately predicted its destined destruction, consumed by darkness.
Even the endless universes beyond this one would also be engulfed by the strange darkness!
...
As Doctor Manhattan watched with a calm expression while darkness consumed the reality of the universe,
Cyborg and the others were doing everything in their power to stop the expanding dark force.
In their desperation, they disregarded the Justice League's previous rules and used the sealed Apokoliptian Mother Box.
They activated the nearly inexhaustible energy within the Mother Box, hoping to halt the dark expansion.
However, their efforts were doomed to fail.
Even after absorbing the Speed Force, the dark energy, now possessing the same characteristics as the Speed Force, could reach the reality of this universe.
The entire Mother Box was entirely devoured, gaining even greater power and causing the darkness to spread even faster.
In just a few seconds, to the astonishment and frustration of everyone, the Watchtower space station in space was consumed.
Everything inside the space station was almost instantly devoured by the dark energy.
Despite Cyborg and the others continuing to resist until their last moments, they could not stop the overwhelming tide of darkness.
They were completely consumed by the ultimate darkness in an instant.
"Everything has ultimately been destined; the momentum is irreversible..."
Seeing the Watchtower, which represented humanity's last hope, also engulfed by darkness, Doctor Manhattan foresaw the complete downfall of the universe.
"Hmm? Someone is still surviving amidst the darkness?"
Just as Doctor Manhattan was preparing to leave the universe doomed to be consumed by darkness,
He suddenly felt that someone was surviving within the endless dark reality.
This made the usually expressionless Doctor Manhattan show the first sign of curiosity on his face.
In the next moment, he vanished, becoming a streak of blue starlight.
The starlight then entered the boundless darkness, heading towards the faint trace of life.
"Hmm? It’s him..."
As Doctor Manhattan delved deeper into the endless dark energy, he finally encountered the survivor from the dark abyss.
The survivor was none other than the Flash from another universe, whom Doctor Manhattan had met before, attempting to alter the timeline.
"Unfortunately, he still cannot escape the fate of being consumed by darkness. The Speed Force can only protect him temporarily but cannot save him from being devoured by darkness."
Seeing the situation the Flash was in, Doctor Manhattan could only regretfully acknowledge that the Flash could not escape the fate of being consumed by darkness.
At this moment, the only reason he was still alive was that the dark energy had tainted the Speed Force, barely sustaining his life, unlike other universes that were instantly consumed by the strange darkness.
But the dark power had already penetrated his very essence, and he ultimately could not escape the fate of being devoured by darkness.
For now, it was merely a matter of prolonging the inevitable.
"Is it you? I sense your presence!"
At this time, the Flash was desperately trying to prevent the surrounding endless darkness from engulfing him.
But with the Speed Force lightning on his body weakening, he knew in his heart that he could not hold on much longer.
The dark force had even penetrated his Speed Force, battling for control over it.
This also meant he could not use the Speed Force to transport to another universe and escape the dark energy’s consumption.
Just as he was about to be completely swallowed by darkness,
He suddenly felt a familiar presence within the endless darkness.
Life was nearing its end, but Barry did not regret his decisions.
He had tried hard to save this universe and the infinite multiverse.
He had merely failed, and the cost was his own life.
He felt regret that his power was too weak to prevent this dark force from consuming the entire multiverse.
But the familiar presence gave him a glimmer of hope.
Suddenly, as Barry spoke, a streak of blue starlight materialized before him, resisting the encroaching darkness.
The dazzling blue light dispelled the surrounding darkness and coalesced into a familiar figure.
"Yes, we meet again. But your current situation doesn’t look very promising."
The reformed Doctor Manhattan looked at Barry, whose situation was far from good, and spoke slowly.
"Indeed, my situation is dire. Perhaps soon, I will be completely consumed by this darkness, just like everyone else!"
Facing imminent death, Barry appeared surprisingly composed.
"Is it really worth it? After all, you once had the opportunity to leave this universe..."
Doctor Manhattan, with an emotionless gaze, looked at Barry for a long time before finally showing some curiosity.
He had already informed Barry of the crisis facing this universe and the future that was about to unfold.
If Barry had heeded his advice, he might have lived a bit longer by leaving this universe.
And the intervention might have avoided the now worsened outcome.
"Of course it’s worth it!"
Barry nodded firmly.
"At least I faced the crisis and made an effort, rather than choosing to retreat!"
"Yet you, knowing all this would happen, chose to remain a bystander to the impending disaster..."
Barry noted that Doctor Manhattan, despite possessing immense power,
Could foresee everything that would happen in the future, and displayed no fear of the dark force.
But he had not intervened to save the universe threatened by darkness.
Instead, he chose to remain a bystander to the unfolding calamity.
"Unfortunately, I chose to stand by because I knew that everything you did was meaningless!"
"Just like my past attempts to save my universe..."
Doctor Manhattan’s expression finally showed a hint of fluctuation, as if lost in some unpleasant memories.
"And I actually did not oppose the dark force..."
Doctor Manhattan, despite his god-like power, found himself unable to expel the overwhelming dark force.
This dark power had surpassed him and was an entity he could not defeat.
"Perhaps. But without effort, how can one be sure they cannot overcome evil?"
Barry didn’t blame Doctor Manhattan; he was merely expressing his sentiments.
"I have one request. I wonder if you can..."
After a while, as the dark energy's encroachment became more severe and dark lines began to appear on Barry's body,
He looked like he was about to be completely swallowed by darkness.
Finally, he spoke to Doctor Manhattan, making a request.
Doctor Manhattan hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded, signaling him to state his request.
"I hope you can inform other universes about this crisis that could destroy the multiverse as you travel to them. Let them prepare and find ways to fight the darkness!"
Barry, a hero deserving of admiration, despite his imminent death, remained concerned about the multiverse-destroying crisis.
At that moment, a spatial portal suddenly began to appear around them.
...
(End of Chapter)
