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Chapter 250: Declaration of War
The Trickster exploded.
Orin Vale witnessed the entire process—from a New God being turned into a casually toyed-with inflatable doll to, finally, having his forehead burst from the unbearable humiliation.
To be honest, Orin Vale was a little surprised.
*That* unyielding? If you don't want to talk, then don't. Is blowing your own head off at the slightest disagreement really the way to go?
Of course, he quickly realized the man hadn't done it voluntarily. Even Orin Vale hadn't anticipated the backlash from the Trickster's mental invasion. It seemed the skeleton head couldn't withstand such immense light and simply exploded under the strain.
But that wasn't the crucial part.
In the instant before the Trickster's head exploded, Orin Vale's brow furrowed slightly. He accelerated his thoughts, slowing time itself. Dust particles froze in mid-air as electric light radiated outwards. Orin Vale used his enhanced vision to watch the New God's skull shatter in slow motion. Cracks crawled across the horrifying cranium at a turtle's pace, and brilliance shot out from the fissures. It looked as if the New God's body was about to disintegrate.
His Ultra Vision penetrated the head, revealing a surge of energy.
A domineering, tyrannical energy swept through the Trickster's body, destroying it from within, devouring his physical structure while simultaneously erupting from the shattering husk.
With just a single glance, Orin Vale could tell it would be a massive explosion. An incomparably powerful energy would annihilate the husk, bursting forth like a beast breaking free from its cage.
A conservative estimate would put the blast radius at a minimum of ten kilometers.
The consequences of such a detonation within a ten-kilometer radius of Metropolis were easy to imagine. Of course, with Orin Vale present, that wouldn't happen.
He reached out, grabbed the Trickster's withered wrist, and with a flicker of his body, vanished from the frozen spacetime amidst a transparent blue ripple.
With a single instantaneous movement, he flashed outside the atmosphere and into the vacuum of space.
The flow of time resumed, and the Trickster's body exploded violently. An unimaginable amount of energy pulverized the New God's skin and bones as a blinding flash of light erupted from the ruptured body.
It was a powerful impact, but Orin Vale casually activated an Ultra Barrier. Sustained by his battlesuit's power output, it enveloped him like an eggshell. He floated inside the transparent protective bubble, watching the New God's detonation up close without blinking.
Orin Vale had a rough idea of what was happening.
The death of a New God was always a major event in the DC Universe. In the *Earth 2* comics, the energy released when Steppenwolf died tore a hundred-mile-long chasm across Earth. In the major event *Darkseid War*, the energy burst from Darkseid's death shook time and space, and the members of the Justice League affected by his divine power all became gods on the spot.
And that energy was called "The Source."
In the lore, The Source is described as the ultimate foundation of all expressions of energy in the universe, the very power of creation. The birth of the New Gods was a result of the influence of The Source.
Even for Superman, DC's top star, one of the key factors that made him more special and powerful than all other Kryptonians was also from The Source. Superman is naturally protected by the power of The Source, which is why Darkseid's Omega Beams, which could kill and erase anything they hit, were completely useless against him.
Because even the Omega power that Darkseid was so proud of was not on a higher level than the power of The Source.
When many New Gods fall, they release a divine wave of The Source from their bodies. This was the first time Orin Vale had such a precious opportunity to observe and record it up close. He didn't miss a single frame; his brain was calculating and operating at full speed the entire time. All recordable readings were also logged by the battlesuit, awaiting repeated study back home.
He floated in the universe for a short while after the Trickster had completely turned to ash, digesting the insights he had just gained.
In his daily life, the person closest to him related to The Source was Superman, but the protection The Source afforded him was elusive. It was normally completely hidden, possibly present but unobservable by any means. It would only manifest at critical moments, like during a power-up or when he was hit by the Omega Beams.
The fall of a New God was Orin Vale's only opportunity so far to observe the power of The Source.
Unsurprisingly, he benefited greatly. The knowledge and secrets contained within The Source were more profound than all his research to date. This time it was too hasty, and he had only glimpsed its outline, but he could already feel its wonders.
The only pity was that the process was too fast; the Trickster died instantly. It seemed like he observed it for a long time, but the entire explosion occurred in a flash. If not for Orin Vale's accelerated thoughts, it would have been over before an ordinary person could even react.
Orin Vale was left wanting more, feeling a bit regretful, and even had the passing thought of killing a few more New Gods just to observe them…
Of course, it was just a thought.
After handling the emergency, he teleported back, only to find Kalibak gone. However, he had previously ensured that all the Parademons in this stronghold were wiped out and that Kalibak had lost consciousness.
Energy readings from a Boom Tube lingered at the scene. He figured Kalibak probably hadn't left on his own; someone must have opened a Boom Tube and picked him up.
Although he really wanted to go into seclusion right now to study the data on The Source he had just recorded, Orin Vale hadn't forgotten he had important business to attend to.
Just then, a call came in. It was from Kara.
"Orin Vale! Orin Vale, where are you?"
"I was just about to head back. I discovered quite a few things. The person we're looking for is on Deherein—"
"Deherein, yes! That's the place! Something's happened!" Kara said urgently.
"Hm?" Orin Vale frowned slightly. "What's the problem?"
"Anyway... ugh, do you have a TV? It's all over the news. Just turn on any channel and you'll see."
At Orin Vale's signal, Pal connected to a television feed inside the battlesuit, projecting the news onto the screen in front of him.
It was a battlefield.
A burning battlefield, the sky swarming with fighter jets like locusts, advanced aircraft, massive warships, and many smaller figures who appeared to be soldiers in some kind of armor.
Lasers crisscrossed the sky, smoke was everywhere, and the flames of war burned across the entire battlefield. Continuous explosions shook the earth, blasting deep craters of all sizes across the landscape.
Orin Vale's sharp gaze quickly identified the two opposing sides from the footage.
One side was the army of Deherein.
On the warships and weapons of the other, the A.R.G.U.S. logo was clearly printed.
"People of Earth..."
A large face appeared in the center of the screen. It was a weathered face with deathly pale skin, the body clad in heavy, silver armor, topped with a steel helmet bearing a pair of horns.
Steppenwolf, vanguard of Apokolips.
"Your people infiltrated my nation in secret. Your armies launched a war, giving it their all, I am sure. But I tore them to pieces and threw them back to you in body bags, amidst the flames of war.
"Yes, my name is Steppenwolf, and I come from a place so great you cannot even imagine it. And now, I command the nation you call Deherein. I consider the actions of your army a declaration of war.
"I promise you, when our great Dark Lord arrives, by this time tomorrow—within twenty-four hours—this planet... will belong to me, Steppenwolf!"
(end of chapter)
The Trickster exploded.
Orin Vale witnessed the entire process—from a New God being turned into a casually toyed-with inflatable doll to, finally, having his forehead burst from the unbearable humiliation.
To be honest, Orin Vale was a little surprised.
*That* unyielding? If you don't want to talk, then don't. Is blowing your own head off at the slightest disagreement really the way to go?
Of course, he quickly realized the man hadn't done it voluntarily. Even Orin Vale hadn't anticipated the backlash from the Trickster's mental invasion. It seemed the skeleton head couldn't withstand such immense light and simply exploded under the strain.
But that wasn't the crucial part.
In the instant before the Trickster's head exploded, Orin Vale's brow furrowed slightly. He accelerated his thoughts, slowing time itself. Dust particles froze in mid-air as electric light radiated outwards. Orin Vale used his enhanced vision to watch the New God's skull shatter in slow motion. Cracks crawled across the horrifying cranium at a turtle's pace, and brilliance shot out from the fissures. It looked as if the New God's body was about to disintegrate.
His Ultra Vision penetrated the head, revealing a surge of energy.
A domineering, tyrannical energy swept through the Trickster's body, destroying it from within, devouring his physical structure while simultaneously erupting from the shattering husk.
With just a single glance, Orin Vale could tell it would be a massive explosion. An incomparably powerful energy would annihilate the husk, bursting forth like a beast breaking free from its cage.
A conservative estimate would put the blast radius at a minimum of ten kilometers.
The consequences of such a detonation within a ten-kilometer radius of Metropolis were easy to imagine. Of course, with Orin Vale present, that wouldn't happen.
He reached out, grabbed the Trickster's withered wrist, and with a flicker of his body, vanished from the frozen spacetime amidst a transparent blue ripple.
With a single instantaneous movement, he flashed outside the atmosphere and into the vacuum of space.
The flow of time resumed, and the Trickster's body exploded violently. An unimaginable amount of energy pulverized the New God's skin and bones as a blinding flash of light erupted from the ruptured body.
It was a powerful impact, but Orin Vale casually activated an Ultra Barrier. Sustained by his battlesuit's power output, it enveloped him like an eggshell. He floated inside the transparent protective bubble, watching the New God's detonation up close without blinking.
Orin Vale had a rough idea of what was happening.
The death of a New God was always a major event in the DC Universe. In the *Earth 2* comics, the energy released when Steppenwolf died tore a hundred-mile-long chasm across Earth. In the major event *Darkseid War*, the energy burst from Darkseid's death shook time and space, and the members of the Justice League affected by his divine power all became gods on the spot.
And that energy was called "The Source."
In the lore, The Source is described as the ultimate foundation of all expressions of energy in the universe, the very power of creation. The birth of the New Gods was a result of the influence of The Source.
Even for Superman, DC's top star, one of the key factors that made him more special and powerful than all other Kryptonians was also from The Source. Superman is naturally protected by the power of The Source, which is why Darkseid's Omega Beams, which could kill and erase anything they hit, were completely useless against him.
Because even the Omega power that Darkseid was so proud of was not on a higher level than the power of The Source.
When many New Gods fall, they release a divine wave of The Source from their bodies. This was the first time Orin Vale had such a precious opportunity to observe and record it up close. He didn't miss a single frame; his brain was calculating and operating at full speed the entire time. All recordable readings were also logged by the battlesuit, awaiting repeated study back home.
He floated in the universe for a short while after the Trickster had completely turned to ash, digesting the insights he had just gained.
In his daily life, the person closest to him related to The Source was Superman, but the protection The Source afforded him was elusive. It was normally completely hidden, possibly present but unobservable by any means. It would only manifest at critical moments, like during a power-up or when he was hit by the Omega Beams.
The fall of a New God was Orin Vale's only opportunity so far to observe the power of The Source.
Unsurprisingly, he benefited greatly. The knowledge and secrets contained within The Source were more profound than all his research to date. This time it was too hasty, and he had only glimpsed its outline, but he could already feel its wonders.
The only pity was that the process was too fast; the Trickster died instantly. It seemed like he observed it for a long time, but the entire explosion occurred in a flash. If not for Orin Vale's accelerated thoughts, it would have been over before an ordinary person could even react.
Orin Vale was left wanting more, feeling a bit regretful, and even had the passing thought of killing a few more New Gods just to observe them…
Of course, it was just a thought.
After handling the emergency, he teleported back, only to find Kalibak gone. However, he had previously ensured that all the Parademons in this stronghold were wiped out and that Kalibak had lost consciousness.
Energy readings from a Boom Tube lingered at the scene. He figured Kalibak probably hadn't left on his own; someone must have opened a Boom Tube and picked him up.
Although he really wanted to go into seclusion right now to study the data on The Source he had just recorded, Orin Vale hadn't forgotten he had important business to attend to.
Just then, a call came in. It was from Kara.
"Orin Vale! Orin Vale, where are you?"
"I was just about to head back. I discovered quite a few things. The person we're looking for is on Deherein—"
"Deherein, yes! That's the place! Something's happened!" Kara said urgently.
"Hm?" Orin Vale frowned slightly. "What's the problem?"
"Anyway... ugh, do you have a TV? It's all over the news. Just turn on any channel and you'll see."
At Orin Vale's signal, Pal connected to a television feed inside the battlesuit, projecting the news onto the screen in front of him.
It was a battlefield.
A burning battlefield, the sky swarming with fighter jets like locusts, advanced aircraft, massive warships, and many smaller figures who appeared to be soldiers in some kind of armor.
Lasers crisscrossed the sky, smoke was everywhere, and the flames of war burned across the entire battlefield. Continuous explosions shook the earth, blasting deep craters of all sizes across the landscape.
Orin Vale's sharp gaze quickly identified the two opposing sides from the footage.
One side was the army of Deherein.
On the warships and weapons of the other, the A.R.G.U.S. logo was clearly printed.
"People of Earth..."
A large face appeared in the center of the screen. It was a weathered face with deathly pale skin, the body clad in heavy, silver armor, topped with a steel helmet bearing a pair of horns.
Steppenwolf, vanguard of Apokolips.
"Your people infiltrated my nation in secret. Your armies launched a war, giving it their all, I am sure. But I tore them to pieces and threw them back to you in body bags, amidst the flames of war.
"Yes, my name is Steppenwolf, and I come from a place so great you cannot even imagine it. And now, I command the nation you call Deherein. I consider the actions of your army a declaration of war.
"I promise you, when our great Dark Lord arrives, by this time tomorrow—within twenty-four hours—this planet... will belong to me, Steppenwolf!"
(end of chapter)
