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Chapter 260: The Fall of a God
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"You're a New God?"
Orin Vale sized up the Madman from head to toe.
"A commander under Darkseid? From Granny Goodness's Apokoliptian Female Furies? Or a soldier under Big Barda? Wait a minute, is Barda still a captain on Apokolips? And why don't I remember ever seeing you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Madman's heart skipped a beat.
This is bad. I've really run into a Big Shot.
Before the war, they had investigated all the uniquely powered individuals on Earth—Kryptonians, Martians, Almeracians, and so on. They had dug up everything with crystal clarity: which galaxy or corner of the Universe they came from, what their abilities were, what kind of background they had.
The only exception was this guy.
Ultraman.
According to the intelligence gathered by Apokolips, this person seemed to have appeared out of thin air. His origins were unknown, and no matching race could be found anywhere in the known Universe. His abilities were also unknown; in fact, the list of his abilities only grew longer the more they investigated, to the point where they almost didn't dare to investigate further. It was as if his abilities were adjusted on the spot according to his needs.
But while Apokolips knew nothing about him, it now sounded as if the same was not true for him regarding Apokolips.
He knew of Darkseid, and he even knew of the Female Furies—the special forces of Apokolips who answered directly to Darkseid. They were a super-elite unit, a special power not to be deployed for a conventional invasion of an ordinary planet. Most people in the Universe shouldn't even know they existed.
And Granny Goodness and Big Barda, those were all top-level New Gods of Apokolips. Compared to them, the Madman was just a minion.
This was undoubtedly information that only beings of a sufficiently high level in the Universe could possess.
The man before him wasn't just strong; he knew so much about Apokolips. This meant he couldn't just be some random supernatural being who had mutated in some backwater corner of the galaxy. It strongly suggested he had a faction behind him, a very high-level faction.
"Could you be from New Genesis!?" the Madman asked, shocked and uncertain.
New Genesis was known throughout the Multiverse as the rival planet to Apokolips. The race of New Gods was basically divided into these two great camps, one representing guardianship and light, the other darkness and destruction.
The two sides had clashed many times over countless eons. Their leaders, Highfather and Darkseid, had personally fought on numerous occasions. Both had suffered great losses, but a victor was never decided. In the end, they signed a truce, mutually promising not to interfere in each other's territory.
And although this Ultraman didn't feel like a New God, he was glowing and radiating heat like a sun, which did fit the aesthetic of New Genesis.
"Stop guessing. You won't figure it out. Now, give the order for your men to retreat."
"Don't even think about it."
The voice came from behind.
Turning his head, he saw Steppenwolf, staggering back from the hole he had been blasted through. He was still clutching his axe, but he looked a bit pathetic as he limped.
Orin Vale glanced over.
To be able to stand after taking that punch, the physique of a New God was certainly impressive. But he had held back just now. After all, casually killing a New God would cause too much of a stir and would easily earn him a scolding from Aihara Ryuu. Besides, the data from the god-slaying process was precious; he still needed to observe and record it.
"You think this means you've won? Heh."
Steppenwolf spat, a mouthful of blood hitting the floor.
"This isn't over!" Steppenwolf said coldly. "You are strong, but you can never protect what you want to protect. That is the destiny of a guardian, to always have to compromise with..."
"Stop beating around the bush," Orin Vale interrupted mercilessly. "Let me guess, you're about to say you have an Anti-Matter Detonator. If things go south, you'll activate the device and tear a huge hole in the Earth, right?"
Steppenwolf's mouth fell open, and he froze for a moment.
"You knew?"
"Let's just say, I know exactly what cards you're holding. Did you really think I'd just swagger in here and charge head-on without knowing anything?"
"What? Do I look like a Green Lantern to you?"
Steppenwolf was stunned for another two seconds.
He quickly followed with a heavy snort. "So what if you know? Once the Anti-Matter device is detonated, Earth will turn into an inferno. Hundreds of millions of humans will die. You would never allow..."
"Yeah, yeah, so my original plan was to come in, find your Anti-Matter Detonator, and dismantle that ticking time bomb. But I took a look around when I came in and found that it wasn't necessary. Because someone already did the job for me."
As he spoke, Orin Vale looked toward a certain spot in the shadows of the palace.
"Stop spectating, it's already over. That's enough."
After a moment of silence, a figure actually walked out from somewhere within the darkness.
He had been as one with the shadows, as silent as a ghost. Stepping out of the shadow revealed him to be none other than Machis Malone, the human leader that Steppenwolf himself had appointed for being so competent.
"You?" Steppenwolf was astonished.
"Your Anti-Matter Detonator has been disabled. By the way, a virus has also been uploaded to the central control system within Dehryan. Right about now, your troops' systems on the main battlefield should be paralyzed," Machis Malone said coldly, his voice sinister and icy, a complete change from his previous minion-like tone and inflection.
"You are... you are..." Steppenwolf vaguely realized something.
Marlon ripped off his shirt and his own face—which turned out to be a digital mask. As the mask came off, a stream of data flowed across his face. After a moment of distorted imagery, the cold, bat-like face of Batman appeared.
"Sorry, I am Batman."
Steppenwolf looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
Batman?
The D-minus clown from his assessment of Earth's superheroes, the one he had written off for having no superpower?
Steppenwolf had glanced at the man's file for a second and dismissed it with utter contempt. Yet all this time, the one human subordinate he found to be ruthlessly efficient and competent, the very leader he had personally appointed...
...was actually Batman?!
Orin Vale figured the Old Master must have been holding back these past few days. Finally being able to get in his face and say the long-awaited "I am Batman" must feel pretty good right now...
Steppenwolf gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with rage as he stared at Batman.
With a furious roar, he raised his battle-axe to strike. But he only saw a flash of an afterimage before a terrifying heavy punch struck his jaw, and then he couldn't feel anything at all. It was as if that single punch had shut down his entire nervous system. His body shot upward like a rocket, crashing through the ceiling, soaring so high it felt like he would soon be shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun.
The next moment, Orin Vale followed like a bolt of lightning, catching up to Steppenwolf outside the atmosphere. A spinning light wheel had already materialized in his raised hand.
Eight-Part Light Wheel!
With a slash that could cut through steel like mud, Steppenwolf, his eyes wide with disbelief, was split completely in two, from the top of his skull all the way down.
A powerful origin fluctuation erupted above the atmosphere, blasting out a terrifying wave of energy.
The New God Steppenwolf, has fallen.
(end of chapter)
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"You're a New God?"
Orin Vale sized up the Madman from head to toe.
"A commander under Darkseid? From Granny Goodness's Apokoliptian Female Furies? Or a soldier under Big Barda? Wait a minute, is Barda still a captain on Apokolips? And why don't I remember ever seeing you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Madman's heart skipped a beat.
This is bad. I've really run into a Big Shot.
Before the war, they had investigated all the uniquely powered individuals on Earth—Kryptonians, Martians, Almeracians, and so on. They had dug up everything with crystal clarity: which galaxy or corner of the Universe they came from, what their abilities were, what kind of background they had.
The only exception was this guy.
Ultraman.
According to the intelligence gathered by Apokolips, this person seemed to have appeared out of thin air. His origins were unknown, and no matching race could be found anywhere in the known Universe. His abilities were also unknown; in fact, the list of his abilities only grew longer the more they investigated, to the point where they almost didn't dare to investigate further. It was as if his abilities were adjusted on the spot according to his needs.
But while Apokolips knew nothing about him, it now sounded as if the same was not true for him regarding Apokolips.
He knew of Darkseid, and he even knew of the Female Furies—the special forces of Apokolips who answered directly to Darkseid. They were a super-elite unit, a special power not to be deployed for a conventional invasion of an ordinary planet. Most people in the Universe shouldn't even know they existed.
And Granny Goodness and Big Barda, those were all top-level New Gods of Apokolips. Compared to them, the Madman was just a minion.
This was undoubtedly information that only beings of a sufficiently high level in the Universe could possess.
The man before him wasn't just strong; he knew so much about Apokolips. This meant he couldn't just be some random supernatural being who had mutated in some backwater corner of the galaxy. It strongly suggested he had a faction behind him, a very high-level faction.
"Could you be from New Genesis!?" the Madman asked, shocked and uncertain.
New Genesis was known throughout the Multiverse as the rival planet to Apokolips. The race of New Gods was basically divided into these two great camps, one representing guardianship and light, the other darkness and destruction.
The two sides had clashed many times over countless eons. Their leaders, Highfather and Darkseid, had personally fought on numerous occasions. Both had suffered great losses, but a victor was never decided. In the end, they signed a truce, mutually promising not to interfere in each other's territory.
And although this Ultraman didn't feel like a New God, he was glowing and radiating heat like a sun, which did fit the aesthetic of New Genesis.
"Stop guessing. You won't figure it out. Now, give the order for your men to retreat."
"Don't even think about it."
The voice came from behind.
Turning his head, he saw Steppenwolf, staggering back from the hole he had been blasted through. He was still clutching his axe, but he looked a bit pathetic as he limped.
Orin Vale glanced over.
To be able to stand after taking that punch, the physique of a New God was certainly impressive. But he had held back just now. After all, casually killing a New God would cause too much of a stir and would easily earn him a scolding from Aihara Ryuu. Besides, the data from the god-slaying process was precious; he still needed to observe and record it.
"You think this means you've won? Heh."
Steppenwolf spat, a mouthful of blood hitting the floor.
"This isn't over!" Steppenwolf said coldly. "You are strong, but you can never protect what you want to protect. That is the destiny of a guardian, to always have to compromise with..."
"Stop beating around the bush," Orin Vale interrupted mercilessly. "Let me guess, you're about to say you have an Anti-Matter Detonator. If things go south, you'll activate the device and tear a huge hole in the Earth, right?"
Steppenwolf's mouth fell open, and he froze for a moment.
"You knew?"
"Let's just say, I know exactly what cards you're holding. Did you really think I'd just swagger in here and charge head-on without knowing anything?"
"What? Do I look like a Green Lantern to you?"
Steppenwolf was stunned for another two seconds.
He quickly followed with a heavy snort. "So what if you know? Once the Anti-Matter device is detonated, Earth will turn into an inferno. Hundreds of millions of humans will die. You would never allow..."
"Yeah, yeah, so my original plan was to come in, find your Anti-Matter Detonator, and dismantle that ticking time bomb. But I took a look around when I came in and found that it wasn't necessary. Because someone already did the job for me."
As he spoke, Orin Vale looked toward a certain spot in the shadows of the palace.
"Stop spectating, it's already over. That's enough."
After a moment of silence, a figure actually walked out from somewhere within the darkness.
He had been as one with the shadows, as silent as a ghost. Stepping out of the shadow revealed him to be none other than Machis Malone, the human leader that Steppenwolf himself had appointed for being so competent.
"You?" Steppenwolf was astonished.
"Your Anti-Matter Detonator has been disabled. By the way, a virus has also been uploaded to the central control system within Dehryan. Right about now, your troops' systems on the main battlefield should be paralyzed," Machis Malone said coldly, his voice sinister and icy, a complete change from his previous minion-like tone and inflection.
"You are... you are..." Steppenwolf vaguely realized something.
Marlon ripped off his shirt and his own face—which turned out to be a digital mask. As the mask came off, a stream of data flowed across his face. After a moment of distorted imagery, the cold, bat-like face of Batman appeared.
"Sorry, I am Batman."
Steppenwolf looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
Batman?
The D-minus clown from his assessment of Earth's superheroes, the one he had written off for having no superpower?
Steppenwolf had glanced at the man's file for a second and dismissed it with utter contempt. Yet all this time, the one human subordinate he found to be ruthlessly efficient and competent, the very leader he had personally appointed...
...was actually Batman?!
Orin Vale figured the Old Master must have been holding back these past few days. Finally being able to get in his face and say the long-awaited "I am Batman" must feel pretty good right now...
Steppenwolf gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with rage as he stared at Batman.
With a furious roar, he raised his battle-axe to strike. But he only saw a flash of an afterimage before a terrifying heavy punch struck his jaw, and then he couldn't feel anything at all. It was as if that single punch had shut down his entire nervous system. His body shot upward like a rocket, crashing through the ceiling, soaring so high it felt like he would soon be shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun.
The next moment, Orin Vale followed like a bolt of lightning, catching up to Steppenwolf outside the atmosphere. A spinning light wheel had already materialized in his raised hand.
Eight-Part Light Wheel!
With a slash that could cut through steel like mud, Steppenwolf, his eyes wide with disbelief, was split completely in two, from the top of his skull all the way down.
A powerful origin fluctuation erupted above the atmosphere, blasting out a terrifying wave of energy.
The New God Steppenwolf, has fallen.
(end of chapter)
