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[Superman] Chapter 177: The Fall of the Palace, Darkseid's Wrath
🕑 Added 2024-07-22 16:21:34 +0000 UTCSuperman unleashed an astonishingly immense strength, slowly pushing Apokolips away from Earth.
"Yes! We're saved!"
Countless survivors on Earth cheered, celebrating the return of their hero, Superman.
"Roar!"
However, countless Parademons, witnessing their home being pushed away, displayed fierce anger in their crimson eyes. Many, unable to contain their intense fury, opened their gaping maws and charged at Superman.
"Clark..."
Batman and the others looked at Superman with deep concern. Even Mera, who had once harbored a fierce hatred for Superman and wished to kill him herself, felt the same. They had all suffered under Superman’s attacks and persecution, but they knew the true source of evil and hatred was the demon controlling Clark, not Clark himself.
At this critical moment, when Apokolips was about to descend and Earth was on the brink of destruction, Superman miraculously regained his senses.
"This can't be just a coincidence... could someone have planned this?"
After the initial surprise, Batman quickly calmed down. His keen mind focused on the mysterious figure that hadn't reacted since Apokolips appeared. In Batman's view, Clark's sudden clarity seemed too abrupt, almost unreal.
He couldn't help but suspect that Clark's awakening was somehow connected to that mysterious figure. Perhaps, their previous battle with Superman was designed to awaken Clark's obscured heart, breaking free from his controller's grasp.
...
It must be said that Batman's observational skills and judgment are incredibly powerful.
Throughout the ordeal, even as the sudden arrival of Apokolips threatened to destroy the entire Earth, Peter's face showed no sign of panic.
This was partly because Peter was confident in his own abilities and knew that even if Earth were to be completely destroyed, it wouldn’t affect him.
Moreover, Peter felt Superman’s rebirth and realized that Superman had indeed freed himself from Darkseid's control as Peter had hoped.
Peter had just personally killed Superman, but he had only killed the Superman whose heart had been corrupted and who could no longer act on his own free will.
He had awakened Superman’s inner justice and hope, allowing the truly kind-hearted Superman to be reborn as a protector of humanity.
Now, Superman was no longer a fearsome figure that made humans and resistance fighters tremble, but a superhero guarding humanity and Earth.
As Apokolips was slowly pushed away, countless Parademons could not stand to watch it happen.
They rushed towards Superman, trying to stop him from continuing.
"Roar!"
The leading Parademons, after flying for some time, finally approached the Superman who was pushing Apokolips. They opened their gaping, slime-covered mouths and roared ferociously at the sky before lunging at him.
Superman, however, made no attempt to dodge the Parademons' attack. He continued to exert immense strength and effort to push Apokolips further away from Earth.
Even as the Parademons' sharp fangs touched his skin, their vicious faces and crimson eyes seemed to want to tear a piece of flesh from him, Superman showed no sign of distraction.
Suddenly, as the Parademons attacked, a dazzling light erupted from Superman. The light, stained by the magma and fierce flames of Apokolips, appeared to turn golden.
"Ah... No!"
The golden light flashed suddenly, and the terrifying power swept over all the Parademons approaching Superman.
The horrifying golden flash, like a raging fire, instantly ignited all the Parademons.
The blazing flames, as if from hell itself, burned the souls of the demons.
The Parademons' twisted faces showed immense pain as they howled and screamed, being gradually burned to ashes.
"Sss..."
The Parademons, who had been advancing relentlessly to stop Superman, were now stunned by the terrifying sight.
They all halted their advance, their grotesque faces showing signs of fear.
The golden flames surrounded Superman, forming a fiery force field that incinerated all Parademons daring to come close.
Countless fearless Parademons rushed towards Superman, only to be instantly engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes that drifted into the void.
Gradually, after thousands of Parademons were burned, the Parademon army realized they could not stop the immensely powerful Superman.
Superman's immense willpower and steadfast belief in saving humanity and Earth made him seemingly invincible.
...
“Damn traitor, I will personally send you to hell to experience the pain of being completely erased from existence by the Omega Beams…”
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Darkseid finally stood up from his throne, facing Superman's sudden outburst and the gradual pushing away of Apokolips from Earth.
With his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes glowing a crimson red, Darkseid seemed capable of spanning endless time and space.
The next moment, crimson beams resembling heat vision shot out from Darkseid's eyes.
The beams tore through the void, tracing an erratic, lightning-like path through the air, instantly traversing the vast distance to reach Superman, who was surrounded by countless Parademons.
The terrifying Omega Beams, carrying immense force and a presence seemingly capable of destroying everything, struck Superman’s body with a resounding impact.
“Ah!”
At this moment, Superman, hit by the Omega Beams, could no longer remain unaffected as he had with the Parademons.
The immense force ravaged him, and the terrifying energy continuously assaulted his body.
Even with his incredibly strong steel frame, Superman seemed unable to withstand the overwhelming destructive power for long.
Suddenly, just as the Omega Beams began to burn and crack his skin, turning it red-hot and seemingly igniting in flames, the attack abruptly stopped.
His strong healing abilities gradually repaired the damage.
“Hm? Are you the mysterious person who defeated the Kryptonian?”
Darkseid, surprised, looked at the figure slowly descending from the void.
This figure had suddenly appeared and intercepted the Omega Beams intended to obliterate Superman.
The Omega Beams, capable of causing severe harm to a Kryptonian, were now stopped by this mysterious individual with a mere gesture.
Such an unbelievable sight even astonished Darkseid, the tyrant of the universe.
Although he had never seen Peter in person, Darkseid now regarded him with significant caution.
...
"The tyrant of the universe, the dark lord, the destroyer of all things, Darkseid..."
"Haha, I've long heard of your infamous reputation. This time, I have the opportunity to see if you truly live up to the legends."
In an instant, Peter appeared on Apokolips, interrupting the Omega Beams from Darkseid's eyes and indirectly aiding Superman in pushing away Apokolips. Now, he looked at the infamous tyrant with a smile.
"Hmph, you are not worthy to face the great Lord Darkseid..."
Before Darkseid could respond, his loyal subordinate, the white-haired Granny Goodness, stepped forward, wielding a specially crafted Apokoliptian weapon, and angrily spoke up.
However, before she could finish, golden light emanated from Peter's eyes. Two beams of energy, like golden flames, shot out instantaneously.
"Hmph, how dare you show off in my presence..."
Though Darkseid was still uncertain of the mysterious figure's true origins, he could not let an attack on his subordinate go unanswered. His eyes glowed crimson again, and two red beams shot out.
The famous Omega Beams, known for their ability to change direction mid-flight, intercepted the golden beams in front of Granny Goodness.
As the beams collided, a terrifying explosion of energy erupted in the air.
A visible shockwave, like a dense electric net, spread outwards. The immense power instantly destroyed the massive palace where Darkseid stood, leaving only his throne intact, shielded by his presence.
"No!"
Granny Goodness, closest to the explosion, was consumed by the overwhelming energy. Her flesh disintegrated, leaving behind only her skeletal remains, which eventually crumbled to dust under the continued energy onslaught.
The powerful explosion even forced the haughty Darkseid to step back, nearly causing him to fall back onto his throne. He finally steadied himself, his expression one of shock and fury.
"You... You've thoroughly angered me!"
As he regained his composure, Darkseid's cold gaze swept over the ashes of his subordinate before locking onto the airborne, relaxed Peter. His eyes burned with nearly tangible rage.
...
A terrifying surge of energy suddenly erupted, sweeping through the entirety of Darkseid's palace.
Boom!
The massive palace collapsed instantly under the powerful energy shockwave.
Simultaneously, countless soldiers, who had just been assembled and prepared to attack Earth, suffered heavy losses from the immense energy impact.
Numerous Parademons turned to ash, completely dissipating into the cosmos.
Darkseid's entire palace was reduced to ruins at this moment.
Even in the distant area where Superman was, the impact of such a terrifying energy surge was felt.
The Parademons surrounding Superman, waiting for an opportunity to interrupt him, were instantly destroyed by the explosion of energy.
Their anguished howls of defeat were completely silenced.
Only Superman withstood the terrifying force.
However, even he couldn't prevent his body from trembling while pushing Apokolips.
"What… what just happened up there?"
Although only a minute had passed since Superman's revival, he had already used his immense strength and potential to push Apokolips several kilometers away from Earth's surface, disappearing into the clouds.
It was impossible to see what was happening on the surface.
Furthermore, Darkseid's palace was on the far side of Apokolips, facing away from Earth.
At this moment, no one knew about the intense clash of power between Peter and Darkseid.
However, they could see a terrifying energy shockwave sweeping across Apokolips' surface at a visible speed.
The already hostile environment of Apokolips, with its flaming surface, became even more severe.
Mountains spewing lava were flattened.
Molten lava flowed across the ground, forming a pattern that glowed red.
Meanwhile, Darkseid could no longer contain his intense anger.
This was the second time he had felt the sting of defeat.
The first time was when he was eight years old, during his initial invasion of Earth, when the three major races of Earth united and the gods defeated him, forcing him to flee back to Apokolips.
This time, after thousands of years of invading various civilizations across the universe and converting intelligent races into his Parademon army, he had nearly lost everything in an instant.
Even his loyal subordinate, Granny Goodness, the commander of his forces, did not survive.
The palace he had spent countless years building was also obliterated.
Such intense humiliation and defeat filled Darkseid with rage.
He blamed everything on his earlier carelessness.
He hadn't anticipated that Peter's attack would be so overwhelmingly powerful.
Enraged, Darkseid transformed his fury into even greater power.
He slowly extended his right hand, which had been clasped behind his back, and clenched it in the air.
Suddenly, from beneath the shattered palace, a streak of light broke through the debris, shooting into the sky and rapidly approaching.
Thud!
The streak of light landed precisely in Darkseid's hand.
It was a weapon resembling a battle axe, with four sharp edges and a radiant red glow like molten lava.
The blade's tip was particularly striking, resembling a fiery red dragon's eye, shining brightly.
As soon as the weapon was in his hand, Darkseid leaped into the air.
He soared nearly a kilometer high, then plunged towards Peter and the ground below like a fiery meteor from the heavens.
…
(End of Chapter)
