Chapter 1: The Calm Before The Storm
Summary:
The Heroes spend time with their loved ones before the Crisis comes.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Steve Rogers and Kal-El of Earth-167 were sitting together in a bar on Earth-199999, having drinks as they downed one glass each.
"And then, I managed to push back Darkseid after taking my first flight", Kal was telling Steve, reminiscing about that moment. "The body of Earth-168 Lionel was gone, after that I put on the suit and flew up, pushed Apokolips back."
"Right, so that's how you pushed a planet", Steve realized, patting his friend's shoulder. "First great victory after first flight, am I right?"
"Yeah, you'd be right", Kal nodded.
"As for me, we were all just fighting Thanos, Morgoth and the rest, Mjolnir flew to Aragorn first when Saruman tried to kill Legolas", Steve told his friend, thinking back to that moment as well. "Then after that, it flew to me, because I was worthy too, both of us were, and we took on the bad guys together with it for a bit."
"Must be nice, being chosen by a weapon that only those worthy may wield", Kal said with a smirk.
"I try not to think of it, except as a duty", Steve told Kal, then they looked ahead, their faces, as they were talking of old days only to relive themselves of the stress of what was coming. "Two years. Two years since Thanos, and our world just kept on getting bigger."
"Never would have thought it'd come to this. A Crisis to end it all." Kal said with a sigh, remembering the Crisis he and his friends had faced a few years ago themselves.
"Feels like more than a hundred years since I got out of the ice, still can't believe we're here, after everything." Steve noted, shaking his head a little while looking at his empty glass.
"What will we do, Steve?" Kal asked, turning to face his friend and fellow leader of a superhero team.
"What we always do." Steve turned to Kal. "We fight."
"I think we will have to prepare the best we can", Kal said immediately. "Not the first time I've faced a Crisis like this though."
"What happened?" Steve inquired.
"It was a group known as the Monitors", Kal explained to Steve. "They wanted to end all of existence as a twisted way of maintaining order. They used this technology known as Bleed to destroy all Universes, destroyed Earth-168 too, that was next to ours, but after a hard battle, we managed to stop them from rebooting everything. One female Monitor remained but we sent her to the Phantom Zone."
"You think that Crisis and this one could be connected somehow?" Steve inquired. "I mean, Universes died then as well so-"
"Not sure, but I guess we'll have to find out soon enough", Kal realized. "All of this while preparing as well."
"I know, but considering what's coming, I think it'd be a good thing if we spend our time with our loved ones", Steve told Kal, patting his shoulder. "We do not know what may happen later, so I think we should stay with them."
"You're right, me and Lois should spend all the time together that we can before this starts", Kal agreed with a nod as he grasped Steve's shoulder. "While you should spend your time with Diana then."
"Was planning to do that", Steve said, leaning back in his chair for a bit. "And the rest of us as well, this is what we must do now. Prepare, and spend time with our loved ones. And not take stress because-"
"If we do that, we will only make it worse for ourselves, so be calm and prepare", Kal said, leaning back in his chair as well. "I guess we should go back to our worlds, and inform the others ones too one by one, while starting preparation."
"My thoughts exactly", Steve said as both of them stood up and embraced each other before parting, and nodded at each other with smiles, before turning around and walking off, out of the bar, where Kal opened a portal with his extrapolator.
"Bye Steve", he waved as he stepped into it.
"Bye Clark", Steve waved back, Kal going through the portal which then closed as Steve walked back to the Avengers Compound, deciding to get his breacher to go pay Diana a visit.
Tony was sitting with Pepper in their farmhouse as both cooed over baby Morgan, the former saying. "Man, I really thought Thor had lost it, but he made it through at the end of it all, fortunately."
"All of us have our Demons inside", Pepper said, rocking Morgan. "At least he managed to face his and take out two big threats, even if people died, sadly. And now there's something even worse coming soon enough." She sounded grim, looking at baby Morgan and clutching her close.
"Yeah, at least it took that", Tony muttered before looking at Morgan. "I'm done after this."
Pepper looked at him in surprise. "Like, done-done or-"
"Done-done", Tony confirmed, taking Morgan as he looked at her lovingly. He had his flaws but his daughter and Pepper brought out the best in him. "I haven't been able to rest so far, but after this….I think this would be it for me. We can rest together then."
"I'll wait", Pepper said, the two of them kissing each other before playing with Morgan.
Bucky and Natasha were in Middle-earth together, roaming Gondor together as she was showing him the sights properly, pointing to the White Tree. "That Tree came alive when the King returned."
"Now they got the greatest King", Bucky added with a smile from his end, looking around at the Citadel. "This place is very well-constructed, with all the levels and all that."
"We are glad the two of you like it", Boromir said to the both of them as he arrived, the two simply nodding at him.
"Well, just doing sightseeing here, as she never got the chance to show me this beautiful world", Bucky told Boromir, looking around.
"If you two need anything, you can call upon me", Boromir assured them.
"As long as you're not busy", Natasha added.
"For our friends, we are not", Boromir told her, before walking away, as Bucky noted why he was so close to Steve as well.
Steve really did make the best kind of friends wherever he went.
"You know, once this is all over, I want out", Natasha said to Bucky as he turned to face her, "of all of this."
"Like…" Bucky trailed off. "Stop?"
"Yeah, just stop", Natasha told him, stroking his face. "Both of us. We've fought whatever came our way for a long time now, and-"
"I agree", Bucky said to her surprise. "I too am tired, Nat. Have been for a long time now. I only fight because its necessary, to make up for something. But after meeting all those people whom I wronged and helping them, I think I have made up for it. So after this, we're done."
"Yeah, we are", Natasha nodded as they leaned in to each other and kissed lovingly.
Loki was sitting right at the edge of Asgardia, with Rebekah sitting on his lap, his arms around her waist and his chin upon shoulder as they shared loving glances every now and then.
"This feels amazing", Rebekah had to say, her hand glowing for a bit before the light faded. "And I'll never get tired of saying that."
"I'll never get tired of hearing you say that", Loki said, making her chuckle as they shared a kiss, before he spoke of something he'd never thought he would want. "So, I remember you also wanted a family, right?"
"Well….before I was an Original Vampire, yes", Rebekah confessed, her head resting on his chest now. "After that, too many things happened, and I was never sure if I'd ever get anything again."
"But now", Loki pointed out, "you have what you want. You're no longer an Original Vampire. You're an Asgardian now. So-"
"I did always dream", Rebekah confessed. "Just never thought it'd be a reality." They looked into each other's eyes. "Still, little ones like Hope, only mine, the thought is very intoxicating. In a good way that is." She imagined holding a baby in her arms. "I'd love the child with everything I am and everything I have. I'd give them everything-"
"As would I", Loki found himself saying, lost in the moment with Rebekah, making her look at him. "Huh?"
"Guess both of us wanted things but never thought them possible", Rebekah realized, the two sharing a look. "What would you call our child?"
"If it's a girl, Frigga", Loki confessed to her, and she knew why he'd do that, and smiled at him. "If it's a boy, perhaps Balder."
"You mean basically, we will have a Norse God who only exists in myths?" Rebekah asked, getting a nod as she chuckled. "I'd be honored to be Balder the Brave's mother. But I wanted Henrik to be honest."
"Well, we can always mix and match", Loki smiled at her.
Earth-29
Freya and Erik were walking together at Mystic Falls, holding hands as Freya looked at the spot where her family's house would have been back when they were children.
"You miss it?" He asked her.
"If I'd been here for it all, I would have", Freya sighed, looking down, then back up. "I do wish I was here though, with them, for all this time."
"I know how you feel", Erik said, his face grim as Freya rested her head on his shoulder.
"I know, only you can understand", she told him, both sharing a look, before looking at the spot again. "If only things were different before."
"If only indeed", Erik sighed, then pointed out. "But then we may not have met, you know?"
"Huh?" Freya realized he was right. "Guess sometimes bad is needed before the good then."
They held hands and continued walking.
Caroline was with Jo and Lizzie as they showed her drawings they'd made, the latter saying. "Look mommy, what we made for you."
Caroline looked at both their drawings, which depicted her marriage with Stefan, both showing her as 'mommy angel', and Alaric in the corner as 'daddy angel', while Stefan was called as 'uncle Stefan', and they both were part of the drawing too, with their names to depict them.
"You like it, mommy?" Jo asked.
"I love it", Caroline hugged both of them with a smile and happy tears. "I love both of you." She kissed their heads, hugging them close, before looking up at Alaric watching them happily.
She parted from them, gesturing to the children to go to Alaric, and they did, while she turned to see Stefan, as they held hands and went upstairs together.
"Those two girls are the sweetest", Stefan had to say to her.
"I know, I'm happy to have brought them into this world", Caroline told him, before looking into his eyes. "Just as happy as I am to have married you."
"Me too, Care, me too", Stefan said, both of them leaning in to kiss each other before Caroline kicked the door shut, and they started making love to each other.
Bonnie was performing on stage now, in front of a small crowd, playing the guitar and singing her song known as 'Wanna Say', which everyone seemed to love as well.
As it ended, everyone applauded for her, and she smiled, bowing, then looked at Enzo, who was clapping the loudest, both smiling at each other.
After it was done, the two walked off together, Bonnie carrying the guitar on her shoulder and holding Enzo's hand with her other one. "Well, it took off faster than intended, I've to say."
"That's what happens when you've a magical voice, luv", Enzo told her as they continued walking. "So, after this-"
"Well, I'm just hoping that we all survive what's coming, so assuming that, yep, gonna start recording the whole album within two months", Bonnie told him as they turned a little grim now.
"Yes, that which is coming", Enzo groaned. "We will survive it. We've survived a lot of stuff."
"Yeah, but something that is destroying the Multiverse, gonna be too much", Bonnie muttered. "Still, we have allies to help us at least, powerful friends."
"They are like a boon", Enzo said before telling her. "Now, let's not talk of this anymore until it really happens."
"I'd like that", Bonnie smiled, both of them kissing each other on the lips before continuing to walk.
Hope Mikaelson held the brush up as Klaus held his daughter's hand, helping her paint, both feeling happy to be with each other.
"So, where should it go?" Klaus asked her, wondering what she was trying to paint.
"Here", Hope pointed, and Klaus moved her hand gently, as they seemed to paint a circle.
From behind, Hayley watched, a smile on her face as she felt nothing but joy that her family was together and happy now, even if it was coming, they were happy and fulfilled until then.
Later, the three sat together at the table, eating dinner as Klaus told Hayley. "This is good, you cook well, little wolf."
"Thank you", Hayley smiled as they shared a little kiss before she looked down at Hope. "How does little Hope like it?"
"Its great, mommy", Hope said, and the little family of three continued eating.
Earth-92
Willow and Tara were in their room, the latter petting Miss Kitty Fantastico as the former said. "Reminds me of those old days. When we used to be in our dorm room-"
"With Miss Kitty, and play with her", Tara finished, cooing at her cat as she held her up, and Miss Kitty purred in affection too. "Feels like a lifetime ago."
Willow's face turned into a frown, because for Tara it was. Tara noticed her face and held her hand. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that."
"I know baby", Willow assured her, before smiling again. "I'm just happy we're together now, and we'll stay that way."
"I was planning to", Tara agreed, putting Miss Kitty down as she walked around the room, while Tara leaned over Willow and they shared a kiss on the lips. "I love you, Willow."
"I love you too, Tara", Willow said, then looked away before looking back up at her. "You know, while gay marriage is not yet legalized in our world, it is legalized on other Earths."
"Huh? Are you asking me to marry you?" Tara inquired.
"Well, yes, just us", Willow shrugged. "Private ceremony, you and me."
"When?"
"Well, this week's end maybe?"
"You got it, I'll definitely marry you, Willow Rosenberg", Tara said as they shared another loving kiss on the lips.
"And that will make me the happiest woman alive, Tara Maclay", Willow replied, both of them holding hands and staring at each other, waiting for the end of this week when they would finally marry each other.
Of course their souls were always bound, married or not.
Angel and Cordelia were on the beach, wearing swimwear, and sunglasses, in the daylight! Angel's daylight ring made things much easier of course, so now the two of them could spend time in daylight, and he could enjoy the sun very well.
"Feels great, doesn't it?" Cordelia asked.
"Yeah, and with you its even greater", Angel admitted to her, both of them looking at each other with smiles and kissing before looking back up.
"You've even gotten rid of all those handicaps. Now you can walk in sunlight, and no perfect happiness crap either", Cordelia had to say, Angel smirking.
"Might as well be the best day of my life, that one", Angel told her. "Got to walk in sunlight, lost the perfect happiness clause, and most importantly, I got you back."
"Yep, very happy to be back for sure", Cordelia smirked.
"Connor is coming to visit on the weekend", Angel then added from his end.
"We'll be welcoming him", Cordelia shrugged, both of them just happily basking in the sunlight.
Spike and Buffy were walking together in the daylight too, holding hands, the daylight ring being a good thing for Spike as well.
And since these were from other worlds, other Vampires did not know of these, so Spike and Angel were the only ones to have these without anyone else threatening them for the rings.
"Sunlight doesn't traumatize you, does it?" Buffy asked, and Spike chuckled, but noticed her face was serious. "Because of how you were…."
"That was my choice, Buffy", Spike reminded her. "Besides, it was like a hero's end for me."
"Still, has to be a bit traumatizing", Buffy pointed out.
"If I lose this", he lifted up his ring on the finger, "and then I'm in the sunlight, and start burning up, that'd make it traumatizing and give me flashbacks." He smiled at her. "Still, the concern is appreciated, luv."
"I know", Buffy said as both of them shared a kiss.
Earth-199999
Fitz and Simmons were in their little apartment that they had gotten after the Morgoth and Thanos mess, the former on his computer at the table and the latter on her tablet on the bed.
"There is literally no way to track this thing", Fitz finally said, groaning as he leaned back in his chair. "And I don't think any other Earths have it either."
"You know, Fitz, if we can't track it", Simmons started suggesting, "maybe we should just wait for it to come."
"But it'd be too late then!" Fitz snapped, and she got out of bed, holding him from behind and stroking his hair.
"We've Thor's warning, don't we?" She asked, and he didn't reply. "I'm pretty sure he and the rest of Asgardia are preparing too, and they will help everyone when the time comes."
"So…" Fitz trailed off, then let out a deep breath. "Right, you're right, you're right. I shouldn't take too much stress."
"Indeed", Simmons helped him stand and led him to the bed where they started kissing each other hungrily.
Bobbi and Hunter were in a restaurant together as the latter said. "Can't believe this is how it will now end."
"Threat after threat to the Multiverse came", Bobbi commented. "And we were part of the battles, always. Never thought it was all just a prelude to the end of everything."
"Does it have to be the end though?" Hunter then asked, looking at Bobbi meaningfully.
"Well", Bobbi thought about it. "All of the previous times did seem like the end as well. Morgoth and Thanos, Dormammu, Galactus, Grandmaster, and Knull, but we did make it out at the end of it."
"I think we'll make it out this time too, will be harder than all of the previous times, but we will", Hunter said, putting his hand on hers. "Together."
"Together", Bobbi agreed, both leaning in and kissing each other.
Scott and Hope were in their shrunken car, holding little Cassie, watching another movie together.
"I liked the previous one more, daddy", Cassie confessed to her father.
"In that case, next time, we'll watch it again", Scott said, and she cheered happily.
He turned to Hope and mouthed. 'There will be a next time.'
"I know", Hope said, the two sharing a kiss.
In England, Merlin and Lena were walking together, looking around at the sights.
"You know, I've wanted to see the Buckingham Palace, a lot", Lena said to him. "I think it'd be the same on this world, right?"
"Well, considering what's coming, we should have no qualms in fulfilling our wishes", Merlin shrugged, Lena smiling at him.
"Thank you, Merlin." She then added. "And let's not be scared of what's coming, right?"
"True", Merlin sighed, looking away, remembering what Kilgharrah had told him once, and now wondered if this was why Arthur had finally been brought back.
Either way, Merlin knew that Arthur would be playing an important role in what was to come, and this was probably his destiny.
Still, he and Lena, as well as Arthur and Guinevere, should at least have some fun until then, they'd deal with it when it came.
"Let's go to Buckingham Palace then", Merlin smiled, and Lena smiled back as the two kissed each other on the lips.
"Let's go", Lena said, the two of them disappearing.
Arthur was looking out of the window, at the city. "They're all so unaware of what is to come. Yet we are the ones who have to protect them when it comes."
"And I know you will", Guinevere said, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "You and Merlin, you two and the rest will beat it, I know it."
"That's the hope", Arthur told her, kissing her fingers one by one before shutting the window, and then he turned around, making out with Guinevere.
Oliver and Sara were together roaming the plains of Rohan in Middle-earth, enjoying the sights as Sara commented. "Couldn't see the sights of this place properly last time, what being carried by the Uruk-Hai and all that."
"Well, now here we are", Oliver said as they reached a wide plain full of hills and rocks. "I remember me, Steve, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli came here while looking for you, Boromir, Merry and Pippin back in the day."
"Guess you couldn't enjoy the sights either then, looking for us and all that", Sara noted.
"Yeah, too worried about you, as well as the others", Oliver had to say. "Especially since this is where we realized that Saruman is behind all of this."
"Damn!" Sara sighed, then turned to Oliver. "And now we're up against something even worse. The worst probably."
"And like every time, we will come out on top", Oliver assured her before frowning. "Huh? Aragorn, Steve, Earth-167 and Earth-96 Clarks, and Barry have rubbed off on me too much."
Sara chuckled. "I kind of like you this way."
"Then I'll stay like this", Oliver smiled before they kissed.
Earth-63
Amy Pond-Williams and Rory Williams walked out of their house to see the TARDIS materialize, and shared a smile as out walked The Doctor and River Song.
"Mother, father", Song hugged both her parents as they hugged her back.
"Raggedy Man", Amy greeted The Doctor, who waved at her, then Rory, before kissing both of them on the cheeks.
"Nice to be back here after a while", The Doctor told them.
Soon, they were all sitting down as Amy frowned in confusion. "Really? She looked and sounded like me?"
"Yes, just blue, alien and cyborg, mother", Song confirmed to her mother. "But Nebula was your doppelganger."
"Seems she had a hard life though", Rory said sadly, hearing of how Thanos had abused her as well as her sister Gamora.
"Indeed, but she came out strong at the end, and a good person", The Doctor pointed out, leaning back against his chair.
"And now….." Amy trailed off. "This, whatever this is, you say its supposed to end everything?"
"Seems like it", The Doctor sighed. "We're preparing though."
"Doing our best there", Song added. "But yeah, this will be the biggest thing any of us ever face."
"Guess all of us must face it together, like always", Rory realized. "And your new friends from the Multiverse? What about them?"
"Powerful and very kind", The Doctor said. "We can all rely on them for help too."
"Let's not get over reliant though", Amy pointed out from her own end. "Or we will get lax."
"Mother has a point", Song agreed. "All of us must rely on ourselves and each other."
"Now isn't that right?" The Doctor finally said, smiling at all three of them. "But at least we get to spend time together now, that's a good thing as well."
The other three couldn't disagree, all four of them together like the family they were, was the best thing for them all.
Earth-199999
Thor, Hercules, Bill, Logan, Aquaman and AC were having drinks together.
"So, the King of Asgard, Son of Zeus, a guy with Thor's power, two Kings of Atlantis and a Mutant walk into a bar", AC trailed off, "I'm waiting for someone to finish the joke."
That made all six of them laugh as Aquaman thought about it, then looked down. "Don't think I can finish it."
"If only Stark was here, he would have known how to finish this joke", Thor commented, getting chuckles again.
"Shall I bring him here then?" Bill inquired.
"No, let him spend his time with his wife and daughter", Logan put a hand on Bill's shoulder, and he stopped.
"Finishing this jest will be like a thirteenth labor for me", Hercules quipped, getting laughs from all of them again, but his face then turned slightly grim. "Though I believe I might just perform one when the Crisis comes."
"Indeed", Thor muttered. "Still trying to prepare and warn all."
"I mean, all of us together should be able to stop it", AC said, though he wasn't as confident as he sounded. "Right?"
"That's the hope", Aquaman simply said.
"Until it comes, my friends", Thor got up, finishing his drink finally. "I believe we should all go back to our homes and spend time with loved ones, of course this was fun too."
"You can bet on that, bub", Logan raised his drink as they all except Thor finished their drinks too.
Thor later flew back to Asgardia, finding Sif waiting for him.
"Nothing yet", Sif said, looking up at the empty night sky. "Of course that's under the assumption it strikes here first."
"I believe it will first strike weaker Universes, might even be ones we've never come into contact with", Thor had to say. "But eventually, it will be here."
"And we'll be ready", Sif said, she and Thor sharing a kiss.
"Yes, we'll be ready."
Logan knocked on the door and it was opened by Sarah, and her face said how happy she was to see him. Without saying a word, the two of them started kissing each other.
Outside, John and Terminator worked on another car before seeing the kissing, as Logan shut the door with his foot.
"Let's go out in the night in this car when we're done working on it", John said to Terminator.
"That sounds like the right option", Terminator agreed in his robotic tone.
Universe-502
In the Serenity Ship, in one room, Kaylee and Simon lay together, naked, covered only by the bedsheets, panting in exhaustion.
They looked at each other as Kaylee started. "Now that was-"
"Tiring?" Simon asked.
"I was gonna say amazing, but tiring too, yes", Kaylee agreed, climbing over his chest and laying her head on it. "Still, been a while, so I enjoyed it."
"I can say the same", Simon told her as they looked into each other's eyes. "So, anywhere you wanna go?"
"Thinking about it", Kaylee looked up, looking to be in thought, then looked back down. "Let's just go where the mission is, huh?"
"Well….sounds good", Simon finally shrugged.
Wash was flying the ship, Zoe sitting nearby next to him, both looking ahead as Wash said. "Thinking we'll dock for tonight, then pick up tomorrow."
"Yeah, sounds good", Zoe agreed. "If there is one."
"Come on, its not gonna come tomorrow", Wash told her in a reassuring tone. "I mean, that'd be too fast."
"Things like this don't warn", Zoe pointed out as she looked at him. "We're lucky we know of it, but that's it really."
Zoe knew Wash would have died if Nebula had not caught the spear meant for him, so having almost lost him, these things now rattled her more than they usually would have.
"Well, if we know of it, we shouldn't constantly live in fear, right?" Wash pointed out, looking into his wife's eyes, and that Zoe had to concede. "Let's just live like normal, when it comes, we'll deal with it."
Zoe looked down in thought, then looked back up at her husband. "I think I'd like that."
The two of them shared a kiss.
"Inara", Mal said as she turned to him. "Look, what's coming, I've no idea what's gonna happen to us-"
"So, what does that have to do with me?" Inara asked.
"Just…" Mal couldn't finish, then instead crashed his lips onto hers, and Inara felt compelled to return his kiss.
They parted, breathless, as Mal now finished, "…shut up and listen!"
"I'm listening", Inara said.
"I…" Mal actually felt frightened for once. Nothing frightened him, except this. "I love you, Inara. And I'm a gorram moron for not realizing it until now."
"Took you long enough", Inara smiled, kissing him on the lips again as he kissed back, then they parted. "Just remember not to call me a whore or anything, otherwise-"
"Got it", Mal assured her as they kissed again and started stripping each other.
Earth-199999
Marc and Faith were in another building as she asked him. "So, you bought this too?"
"Oh yeah, long time ago, and no one lives here", Marc shrugged, the two looking at each other with lust in their eyes. "So, what do you say we-"
"Yup", Faith nodded as she jumped into his arms, and they started kissing heavily, breaking the building while they were at it, which was the intention of course.
Cooper threw a ball as Nathaniel caught it, while Clint was teaching Lila some archery, with her aiming for the target. "So, you can see that?"
"Yeah."
Clint playfully covered half her face with her hair. "How about now?"
She chuckled as he let the hair go, and she fired, managing to get the target as he high-fived her. "Nice job, Hawkeye."
"So, who wants some hot dogs with mayo or mustard?" Laura's voice came.
"Who likes mayo on hot dogs?" Lila asked in a whisper.
"Your mom does", Clint muttered. "Mustard for us."
"Same here", Cooper called out.
"What about Nate?" Lila asked.
"How about ketchup?" Nathaniel inquired.
"Ketchup, right, we got some ketchup too", Laura said, as the five spent time with each other happily.
Yelena moaned, riding Adrian as they looked into each other's eyes, and finally, they reached their points of bliss, and she lay down next to him, both panting.
"Okay, that was….." Yelena trailed off. "Too good."
"Thank you", Adrian said, rubbing his face.
"Would be fun if we invited Chris as well", Yelena added with a naughty smirk, making Adrian's eyes widen.
"But….." He trailed off, remembering that time with Amber Calcaterra. "Never mind."
The door opened and Kate walked in, her eyes wide at what she was seeing. "Did you two just…."
"Well, what does it look like?" Yelena asked with a naughty smirk.
"This….." Kate gestured around, before pointing at the bed. "That's my bed!" Then she gestured to the whole room. "And this is my parents' house!"
"So, I'm pretty sure they used to do this stuff here too", Yelena shrugged, making Kate gasp.
"We're not gonna talk about that, or even think about that!" Kate snapped angrily. "I hate you two!"
"We love you", Yelena gave a flying kiss, and Kate scoffed before storming out, Yelena and Adrian sharing a look and chuckling.
Earth-72
Kal, Superman, Big Blue, Clark and Kent flew over the Earth, the people feeling hopeful on seeing them, as they waved to Billy, Becca and Ryan on the way, then went up into Space.
"Now that never gets old", Kent had to say.
"It's a good feeling", Clark agreed. "Bringing hope to everyone, making them happy."
"And all of us together, that works better I think", Big Blue commented.
"Yeah, you all up for doing this in my world sometime?" Superman requested.
"Would love to, not today though, but we will", Kal assured him, before the five parted ways back to their worlds.
Earth-96
Superman knocked at his son's door, as Jason looked up.
"Hey son", Superman smiled.
"Dad", Jason nodded, as Superman sat down next to him.
"What are you doing?" Superman inquired.
"Applying for an internship", Jason revealed to him.
"Maybe I could help with that", Superman offered. "I mean, as Chief of the Daily Planet-"
"No dad, I'll get this on my own merit", Jason said, looking into his father's eyes, which had pride in them.
"Very good, son. Very good."
Earth-93
Big Blue returned home, flying out of the portal as his son ran to him, and he lifted him up, before walking to Lois-93, both sharing a kiss.
"How was the flight?" Lois-93 asked.
"As well as you can imagine", Big Blue shrugged, both chuckling before walking into their home.
Earth-167
Ollie and Chloe walked out of the shower, having washed each other and made out in there, and now they got dressed up, still exchanging loving looks every now and then.
Baby Moira, who'd recently learnt to walk, bumped into Chloe's leg as she gasped, then lifted her daughter up. "Oops, sorry baby."
"You okay?" Ollie asked, stroking her head.
"Yes daddy."
"Good", Ollie smiled before seeing Jonathan watching TV ahead. "Let's watch with him, what do ya say?"
"Yeah, would be the best way to pass time", Chloe agreed, she and Ollie sharing a kiss before the two with baby Moira sat near Jonathan, all four of them watching TV now.
Lois leaned back in her chair, relaxing as Kal massaged her arms, causing her to moan in pleasure at the sensation. "Yeah, just there-"
"Here?" Kal got the right spot, and Lois sighed in pleasure again.
"Yeah, here it is, your hands are magic, Smallville", Lois muttered, eyes closed as she felt him massage her. "As is the rest of you."
"Thank you", Kal said, before Lois opened her eyes, Kal's face over hers, and he leaned down, kissing her on the lips, which she returned happily.
They parted, Lois asking. "Did you ever imagine we'd get here after that day I found you in the cornfield, naked?"
Kal chuckled, slightly blushing at that memory. "Not really, I couldn't stand you, or at least I thought I couldn't."
"For people who couldn't stand each other, we sure did talk a lot, even if it was to insult each other", Lois quipped, smiling fondly at the memories. "Maybe there was always something, what do you think?"
"I think there was, and our constant arguing was just foreplay and denial", Kal finally admitted what it really was. "So yeah, I always loved you, Lois."
"I always loved you too, Clark, doesn't hurt that first time I saw you, it was all of you", Lois said, causing both of them to snort. "And yeah, you're still like all of Smallville for me."
"Now here we are, facing another Crisis, worse than the last one", Kal said, both looking ahead. "But we'll be prepared for it."
"Yeah, we're gonna beat it, like always", Lois agreed as they shared another kiss.
Peter Maximoff and Bart Allen were running together, as the latter asked. "Hey, so, wanna try and cover the whole world this time?"
"Huh?" Maximoff looked to be in thought, then shrugged with a smirk. "Oh yeah, totally, let's take a round of the whole world and see how long it takes, eh?"
"You got it", Bart agreed, and the two sped away to take a round of the entire Earth-167.
Earth-38
In an expensive hotel Batman, Bruce, Wayne, Detective, Knight, Crusader and Bats were all sitting together in their civilian suits.
"So, how's it going?" Batman asked the rest of them.
"As well as you can imagine", Bruce shrugged.
"Well, found our Robin recently, from the Circus", Wayne revealed to them. "Had to talk him out of revenge."
"Guess some things are just constants", Knight noted.
"Yeah, like my Clark getting his own Kara too", Detective added. "And all of us being glum people with rich facades."
"I'm still trying to figure out how to put it up", Crusader said to the rest of them. "Any tips?"
"Oh yeah", Bruce put an arm around Crusader and looked around at the hotel. "This hotel is very expensive. I'm gonna buy it!"
Some of them actually managed to crack a chuckle at this.
Later, Earth-1
Bruce returned to his manor, finding Catwoman waiting for him with a sultry smirk. Without exchanging any words, they simply started kissing.
Earth-38
Batman sat in his apartment, petting Ace, as Terry arrived, arm-in-arm with Melanie Walker, his girlfriend after his fling with Yelena had gone nowhere.
"Hey Bruce", Terry waved, then introduced his girlfriend properly. "Meet Melanie."
"Hello Mr. Wayne", Melanie waved at Bruce as well.
"Its just Bruce, dear", Batman assured them, getting up and walking off as Ace followed. "This whole place is yours, just don't stay up too late."
The two were off as Melanie muttered to Terry. "Huh? He's better than I thought."
"Oh you've no idea", Terry told her as they kissed. "I'm pretty good myself."
"Can't wait to find out", Melanie said, and both of them started making out right there.
Earth-199999
Spider-Man, Peter, Parker, Miles, Miguel, Gwen, Spidey and Pavitr were in a bar together, in their civilian clothes, all of them sharing drinks.
"This is fun", Spider-Man finally said. "Can't believe I didn't try this before."
"After weird dreams, this gets even more fun, especially if you wanna see 'em again", Peter quipped with a chuckle.
"So", Miles turned to Gwen, gesturing to the dance floor. "Wanna dance?"
Gwen looked down, pretending to be in thought, then looked back up at Miles. "Sure."
The two walked to the dance floor, dancing happily and crazily.
"Don't they look happy?" Parker quipped as the rest shared a chuckle.
"Quite happy, yes", Miguel agreed. "Like they've never danced before."
That made them laugh more as Pavitr noted. "Dusshera is coming soon."
"What kind of festival is that?" Spidey inquired.
"Basically, the great Hero Lord Rama killed the evil Demon King Ravana and rescued his wife Sita from her on this occasion", Pavitr explained. "Can't wait to celebrate that."
"Are we invited?" Spider-Man asked jokingly, as they all chuckled.
A while later, the entire Spider-Clan, in their spider suits, swung together over New York City, all whooping and cheering, as soon, they were joined by Matt and Elektra too, who swung with them using the Billy club and a grapple rope respectively.
Frank watched from one rooftop and said. "Now they're having fun."
Earth-2002
Spider-Man returned home via breach, noting MJ had made dinner for them both. "MJ, you didn't have to do this."
"I think I did", MJ told him. "Come on, tell me how it is Tiger."
Spider-Man sat down, taking one bit. She hadn't been the best cook before, but she was improving. "Really good, thanks MJ."
And with that, the two had dinner together.
Earth-2012
Peter and Felicia leapt upon rooftops together as the latter said. "Think the coast is clear tonight."
"Huh?" Peter muttered. "Guess criminals at least take rest for one night then."
"Yeah, go take your senorita out on a date", Felicia told Peter, making him chuckle as she leapt off. "Bye Peter."
"Bye Felicia."
So, a while later, Betty waited for Peter outside her home, and he arrived, holding flowers. "Here, managed to keep them in one piece this time."
"Nice, much appreciated", Betty joked, both of them kissing before walking off on their date, arm-in-arm.
Earth-199999
Maria, Sharon, Yo-Yo and Melinda were sitting together in a bar, having drinks.
"You know, I think we should do this more sometime", Maria told the other three. "Girls' night out. SHIELD girls' night out."
"Sounds like fun to me, even if I'm not SHIELD anymore, but still, Agent, so Agent girls' night out", Sharon said from her end, getting chuckles from them.
"I would not mind it", Yo-Yo had to say, as they all looked at Melinda, who had a neutral expression right now.
Then she smirked. "Sure thing."
Jessica, Trish, Claire, Misty and Colleen sat together in Josie's Bar as well, all sharing drinks as Misty said. "Been a long while since it was just us ladies out here, ain't that right?"
"I think last time was when you got into a fight, and it was just you and me", Colleen reminded Misty.
"There was a fight and I wasn't here?" Jessica asked, eyes wide. "Well fuck!"
That got some chuckles out of the rest as Trish said. "Please don't pick a fight right now with anyone Jess, please."
"If you do, we won't be involved", Claire added, as all of them snickered again at that.
Middle-earth, Gondor, Minas Tirith
Faramir and Eowyn cooed over their son Elboron, who was walking now.
"It seemed like just yesterday, he was still only a newborn", Eowyn said, noting how fast time had passed. "Now look at him."
"Brother says he looks just like I used to back when I was this age", Faramir told her, patting his son's head as Elboron let out a cheer, then continued walking.
"You must have been quite beautiful then", Eowyn commented, making him smirk and chuckle.
"Am I still not?" Faramir then asked jokingly.
"I am still deciding", Eowyn looked ahead, making him chuckle again.
"I must say, you are beautiful though", Faramir told her, and both of them shared a kiss.
Aragorn and Arwen were walking back to their chambers from the throne room as Arwen said grimly. "Day by day, it keeps coming closer."
"I know", Aragorn nodded, his face grim as well. "But as our friends told us, it is not wise to live in constant fear of it either."
"That is true", Arwen agreed upon that as well. "It seems we will just have to wait it out."
"Waiting out it is", Aragorn sighed, hoping they would defeat this evil too like they had defeated Sauron, Morgoth, Thanos, Doomsday, Dormammu and Grandmaster. "We will face it when it comes."
"And defeat it", Arwen finished as they looked at each other and kissed lovingly while arriving at their bedchambers.
Earth-199999
Balthazar Blake and Veronica were showing Legolas and Gimli around, who'd managed to dress themselves up in modern clothes somehow, with Gimli finding stuff to barely fit him.
"Its quite tight", Gimli was saying, struggling to move as Legolas had to help him. "But I can move, not to worry."
"These clothes….they are quite strange", Legolas had to say as he looked at his sleeve. "How do the people even wear these?"
"It's a habit, they're in fashion everywhere in the modern world", Balthazar told him, one arm around Veronica. "So people grow up with 'em, ya know?"
"If you try them more, you might get more accustomed as well", Veronica added.
"No, I shall not try this again", Gimli shook his head to chuckles, while Legolas looked like he would not mind trying these clothes again, as he was an Elf and could fit himself into such things easier than a Dwarf could, fortunately.
Earth-1, Los Angeles
Lucifer stood outside the hospital room, trying to contain his senses, when the doctor came out. "Congratulations, you're a father to a baby boy now."
Lucifer smiled and kissed the doctor on the forehead. "Thank you, Doc."
He went into the room, where Decker lay, holding a beautiful baby boy in her arms, looking tired, but happy. Lucifer was next to her, looking into his son's eyes.
"Lucifer", Decker looked at him, then at the baby. "Meet Samael."
"Hello Samael", Lucifer held out a finger, stroking his face. "I'm daddy." He gestured to Decker. "And this is mommy."
Amenadiel and Linda Martin arrived as well, the latter holding their baby as Amenadiel looked down at Aurora. "He is so beautiful."
"I know", Decker said happily.
"Samael, meet Charlie", Linda held out her baby to Samael, as both of them let out cute sounds.
"Oh my God!" Wade Wilson suddenly appeared out of nowhere, in his suit, as he kissed Lucifer on the forehead. "You're a daddy now!" He looked down at Decker. "Hello, mommy!"
All groaned. While Wade was a friend, he could be very inappropriate and annoying too.
"That's because of you, Aragorn", Wade pointed at the screen, confusing the rest. "Yep, just you! Didn't even put me in the cover photo you jackass!"
Earth-98, San Francisco
Piper and Leo watched Wyatt walk about, studying from his little book, as Chris was sleeping, the two happy to be with their children.
"Leo", Piper said, making him turn to her. "You remember that restaurant I'd talked of opening?"
"Yeah, I remember that", Leo nodded.
"Its getting inaugurated next month", Piper revealed, making her husband's eyes widen. "Yes, really."
"Whoa!" Leo was amazed. "This is…this is amazing, Piper."
"I know", Piper nodded. "Figured could finally get that going, considering what's coming."
"We will just take on it when it comes", Leo said. "Until then-"
"Yeah", Piper agreed as they both kissed.
Earth-199999
"Do you, Willow Rosenberg, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"Do you, Tara Maclay, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"Then you two may kiss."
Willow and Tara kissed each other happily, dressed in beautiful wedding dresses, now feeling utterly blissful at having married each other as well.
Wanda was playing with her two children Billy and Tommy, as they ran around her at super speed, or more accurately Tommy held his brother and ran around, Billy saying. "Catch us, mommy!"
"Slow down and I will", Wanda joked.
"No we won't, mommy", Tommy added.
"Guess I'll have to put in some effort", Wanda said, when webbing shot out, making Tommy stop.
"Oops!" He said.
"Not fast enough", Parker said, walking in as the two children hugged their father. "Now we're missing one."
"I think I know", Wanda looked up, and they saw little Benny crawling up on the ceiling.
"Got me", Benny said, dropping down as he too joined his family in this happy moment.
Wanda's eyes opened as she sat up, looking around. Parker woke up next to her and asked. "What is it, Wanda?"
"I had a dream", Wanda confessed to him.
"Bad one?"
"No", she shook her head, smiling. "Good one." If this dream was true, they were going to get through this. It'd be hard, but they would. "Very good."
"Guess that's a good thing", Parker said, both of them kissing before going back to sleep again.
Steve and Diana were walking together in his neighborhood in Brooklyn again, and Diana told Steve. "You only bring me here when you have to say something really important."
"Yes, that's right, that's what I do", Steve confessed, and, to Diana's surprise, he got down on one knee, holding out a box with a beautiful ring inside. "When I woke up in this present day, I never thought I'd find love again. I made friends, close friends, but I could not fall in love. Then you came, beautiful, smiling, graceful, everything good with the world. And I realized, I did fall in love. With you. Princess Diana of Themyscira, will you marry me?"
With happy tears in her eyes, Diana nodded. "Yes, yes I will!"
Steve put his ring on her finger and got up, both of them kissing and getting lost into each other.
The Crisis may come, but right now, everyone was happy to be with those whom they loved.
Notes:
And finally, the big first chapter is done, and it doesn't have action, just everyone spending time with their loved ones.
Tillow get married and Deckerstar have their baby boy too, which were both my favorite parts to write. And Amenadiel and Linda Martin are together, I liked them together, no idea why the show decided to break them up, stupid decision.
I know Lucifer and Decker had a baby girl in the show but I haven't reached that part yet and I read a nice, sweet fic where they'd a boy so I did that.
Steve proposes to Diana as well.
Now I didn't cover every single couple I liked, for example Barry/Caitlin and Banner/Betty were missed, but couldn't fit in everyone at the end of it.
Still, got the majority of them, fortunately, including my two favorite Tolkien couples that are Aragorn/Arwen and Faramir/Eowyn.
And Bonnie continues to sing Kat Graham songs to continue her career, LOL!
Wanda had an interesting dream, didn't she?
Yelena and Terry were meant to be a fling only, their endgame pairings were always supposed to be Adrian and Melanie respectively, and how the fling went will be covered in 'When Heroes live their lives'.
Also got to have Mal finally confess to Inara, LOL! And The Doctor, Song, Amy and Rory spend a happy family moment together.
This was the calm before the storm though, now after this, its gonna begin very soon.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 2: It has begun
Summary:
The Crisis on Infinite Earths begins at last.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.
Also, while I trashed Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths in the last chapter, I do love the Crisis on Infinite Earths from the DC Comics, the original one, now that one was epic. A few elements of it will be used here.
And thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again, as well as Stand with Ward and Queen for a suggestion.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"In the beginning there was only one. A single black infinitude. Then the infinitude found release, and, finally, the darkness broke, filling it with life."
A lotus was shown rising from a blue navel, as a voice spoke "Eä", and the infinitude broke and many Earths in their different Universes were formed.
"With the Multiverse. Every existence multiplied by possibility. And spread out before Space and Time in infinite measure. Civilizations rose and fell. And rose again across reality's grasping expanse. Life. A precious gift persevering in the face of every obstacle, until, finally, the Age of Heroes was born."
Team Arrow, Team Flash, the Legends, Supergirl and J'onn battled the army of robots.
Oliver, Barry-Red, Sara, Constantine, Danvers, J'onn and Cisco ended up on Earth-199999.
Logan's claws popped out.
Steve Rogers and Tony Stark shook hands in front of their own as well as Earth-1's and Earth-38's Heroes.
Steve, Tony, Natasha, Matt, Elektra, Frank, Bucky, T'Challa, Wanda, Falcon, Clint, Logan, Vision, Oliver, Barry-Red, Sara, Constantine, Danvers, J'onn and Cisco battled MODOK's forces.
The Fellowship of the Ring ran across the Bridge of Khazad-Dum with Steve, Natasha, Oliver and Sara.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf declared to Durin's Bane the Balrog.
Steve and Oliver performed awe-worthy feats at Helm's Deep.
"FORTH EORLINGAS!" Theoden declared as he led the army of Rohan, also consisting of Sara in armor, against Sauron's forces.
Sara battled the Witch-King of Angmar.
Natasha cut off Gollum's arm before he and Frodo struggled as they dropped into the lava, Gollum falling into it as the One Ring was destroyed while Frodo was saved.
The Tower of Barad-Dur collapsed.
The Fellowship of the Ring reunited.
Aragorn was crowned King with Arwen as his Queen, before they bowed to the Hobbits and Heroes from other Worlds.
The Arda, Earth-199999, Earth-1 and Earth-38 crews faced Morgoth's and Thanos' forces together.
Thor with his Odinforce destroyed Morgoth's metallic Dragon.
Theoden was slain by Saruman.
Thanos snapped his fingers.
Phil Coulson passed away.
Fitz and Harry started making a new Gauntlet.
The remaining Heroes with more allies battled the army of Villains.
Thor destroyed a crashing moon with the Odinforce.
Thor snapped his fingers.
Mjolnir flew into Aragorn's hand, and then Steve's.
Many portals opened as Heroes arrived for battle.
"Avengers…Assemble!" Steve said before the armies of the Heroes and Villains clashed.
Earth-199999 Ghost Rider took out Thanos.
Lord Elrond snapped his fingers and passed away while Morgoth and the rest were destroyed.
The Earth-1, Earth-2, Earth-3 and Earth-19 speedsters met Barry-Blue before saving Bart and Pietro.
All the speedsters ran together, joined by Peter Maximoff now.
The speedsters talked to the Earth-10005 X-Men.
The Heroes together battled Ryu's Dragons.
Merlin battled Morgana.
Lena and Morgana were split.
Earth-96 Superman and Steve met each other.
The Heroes took on the mind-controlled Supermen.
The Heroes battled Doomsday now.
Steve was chosen by the Green Lantern Ring.
Steve wielded his shield, Mjolnir and the Green Lantern Ring in tandem.
Frank killed Earth-50 Lex Luthor.
Earth-38 Lex Luthor was killed by Doomsday.
Morgana was imprisoned in the Dark Dimension.
A resurrected Arthur reunited with Merlin.
The Spider-Men all swung together happily.
The Spider-Men and the other Heroes battled Mysterio's drones.
Mysterio formed an illusion where Steve and illusion Sauron clashed using the Green Lantern Ring and the One Ring respectively.
The Batmen, Deathstrokes, Catwomen, Titans and Jokers took on The Batman Who Laughs, Earth-9 Slade Wilson and Evil Bat.
Parker rescued Gwen Stacy from the crashing rubble.
Moon Knight battled Earth-199999 Green Goblin.
Balthazar Blake looked up from a book he was reading.
Thor and Kal fused into SuperThor and fought Dormammu.
Parker, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin and Barry-Red prevented Dormammu's release.
Wade, Logan, Korg, Miek and Cable saw Terminator saving Sarah Connor before the T-1000 arrived.
The T-1000 was thrown into Mount Doom.
Thor battled Silver Surfer.
Thor battled Galactus' other Heralds. "I AM THE SON OF ODIN! THE KING OF ASGARD! THE GOD OF THUNDER! THOR ODINSON!"
Strange talked to the other Entities that Doctor Doom had made deals with.
Earth-167 John Constantine sent The Batman Who Laughs into the Dark Dimension.
Doom shot Earth-167 Lex Luthor in his cell.
Women all over the Multiverse became Slayers.
Team Angel was joined by not only the Scoobies, but various Heroes from other worlds in their final stand.
Thor and Kal fused into Thor-El fused and defeated Glory and Dromos.
Lucifer brought Tara to life with his coin.
Strange and Fate destroyed the Senior Partners.
"Chaos. The constant enemy of life kept at bay by Champions from across the Multiverse….."
The Earth-199999 Heroes battled Galactus, his Heralds and the Silver-Men.
Some of the Heroes went to Taa II to get the Ultimate Nullifier.
Strange threatened Galactus with the Ultimate Nullifier.
Barry-Blue time-travelled.
The Earth-167 and Earth-50 Justice Leagues battled Darkseid's forces together.
Kal pounded Darkseid. "What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you just how powerful I really am."
Steve managed to repair his Ring with willpower alone.
Arthur unsheathed Excalibur.
Kal rescued the plane on Earth-72.
Steve beat up Homelander.
Steve and Kal talked to a revived Lex Luthor.
Homelander broke his body trying to fight Kal.
"Parker" took off his mask to reveal Earth-2002 Spider-Man instead.
The Spider-Clan and Heroes battled Earth-199999 Norman's army of villains.
Wanda formed her Scarlet Witch suit.
Parker pounded upon his Norman angrily.
Crusader tried to fight back against Earth-38 Ra's.
The Batmen, Catwomen and Earth-38 Bat Family fought against Ra's forces.
Detective saved Red Hood from Bane breaking his back.
Ra's al Ghul was finally killed.
"…..joining forces to fight on behalf of all Creation. They found each other just in time…"
Bucky and Falcon together fought the Flag Smashers.
Yelena Belova emerged from the shadows.
Steve subdued Karli.
The Doctor, River Song and Guardians of the Galaxy ended up in Universe-502.
Gamora beat up The Operative.
The Doctor and Quill gave badass speeches to The Operative.
River Tam, with help from Gamora, Nebula and Drax fought off the Reavers.
Mal fought The Operative.
The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to take on some Alliance soldiers before a ball he'd dropped flashed.
The Scooby Gang, Team Angel and Constantine took on Blackheart as the Earth-29 Mystic Falls Gang watched in horror.
The Scooby Gang, Team Angel, Constantine and the Charmed Ones took on Blackheart's Demons.
Earth-2002 Stephen Strange started absorbing Blackheart.
Angel and Cordelia reunited.
The Grandmaster forced many Heroes to be his Gladiators.
The Originals knelt before Thor.
Barry-Blue realized his face was different now.
Steve was "killed" by the five Supermen.
"Avengers, Assemble!" Aragorn cried out as the Heroes battled the Grandmaster's army and Champions.
Steve returned, now both a Green and Blue Lantern, knocking Grandmaster out.
Parker was taken over by Knull completely.
Earth-2012 Peter jumped down to save a falling Wanda, redeeming himself for Gwen's death.
Earth-2002 Spider-Man stopped the possessed Parker from killing Steve.
Lord Krishna used the love of Parker's loved ones and Parker's own love for them to create a shield with divine Cosmic light that protected Parker's loved ones from Knull while damaging the Dark God.
Richard and Parker talked.
The Necrosword turned against Knull and stabbed him.
Thor was given the Power Cosmic by Galactus.
Thor managed to overpower Galactus.
The Black Winter was destroyed.
"…because now, the entire Multiverse is about to come under attack. There is a malevolent force at work, one driven by a singular goal. The destruction of all there is. I have planned, there are those who say I have schemed, but the time for preparation has passed. The Crisis is now upon us all. Everything dies. You. Me. Everyone on this planet. Our sun, our galaxy and, eventually, the Universe itself, then finally the Multiverse. This is simply how things are. It's inevitable. And I accept it. What I will not tolerate - what I find unacceptable - is the unnatural acceleration of that end. Which is why I did what I did to protect it all, even if I manipulated people... as the untimely end of everything is what we now face."
Uatu the Watcher was once more watching his projections, looking quite grim when Mar-Novu the Monitor appeared behind him.
"Why are you here?" Uatu inquired, as their last meeting had not been a pleasant one for very obvious reasons.
"I thought you'd leave what I did behind, it was just a necessary test", Mar-Novu shrugged, Uatu scoffing mentally while Mar-Novu continued. "Besides, people like us are above those kinds of things or emotions."
"Indeed", Uatu said in a neutral tone, trying not to really do anything to Mar-Novu for now.
"Though some of my allies like The Powers That Be and the Elders got one-upped by this new Council of Godheads that has popped up", Mar-Novu then added, Uatu's smirk unseen to him as he sighed. "Seems like I'll have to try something else there."
"Even you can't win all the time, Mar-Novu", Uatu told him, which was him being generous because Mar-Novu was really just losing most of the time actually.
"No, I can't", Mar-Novu actually bought it, to Uatu's mental amusement while he then noted one world in Uatu's projections and realized. "And so it begins."
Only, Uatu the Watcher, his tone very grim, with his white eyes looking empty, corrected the Monitor with his very next words. ""You are wrong, Monitor...it has already begun."
And the two of them knew that no matter happened, this time the entire Multiverse really was in for a ride, of the horrible kind, and it really was a burning question if they'd survive or not.
Earth-98
Henry was on his desk when he looked up to see Paige standing there. "Oh, hey."
"Hey", Paige smiled at him as they shared a quick kiss. "Remember lunch?"
"Right, yep, just wait a minute", Henry told her as he stacked some files, then got up as they walked out hand-in-hand, Paige also having her purse in her other hand, when suddenly, everything seemed to shake.
"What the hell?" Henry said as the two of them looked up, and to their, the skies had now turned red.
"Okay, now that is…" Paige trailed off, not having any words for that. "What is that?"
The other people too looked up at the red skies in horror, pointing at those.
Paige's phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello, Phoebe?"
"Paige, I just had a vision. The skies turned red. A bug man was there too. Then everything was gone! Come back here!"
"Well, the skies are red", Paige noted before saying. "We're coming!"
She cut the call as Henry realized. "Looks like it has all officially gone to Hell now."
"Yeah", Paige told him, grasping Henry's hand as they orbed away from there.
The two appeared back into the Halliwell Manor, where Wyatt and Chris were both crying, Piper and Leo trying to comfort them as Phoebe looked panicked, Coop rubbing her back, and Phoebe also held the Book of Shadows.
"That bug thing is nowhere in the book either!" Phoebe snapped, the two sharing a look.
"Dad!" Piper suddenly remembered. "We need to-"
"Sure", Paige said, orbing away.
Victor was watching the red skies when Paige orbed next to him. "Paige?"
"We need to go", Paige told him as she grasped him and orbed him away.
The two were back in the Halliwell Manor where Piper and Phoebe hugged their dad tightly, him hugging them back as Leo noted. "We need to get Darryl and his family as well."
"Billie too", Piper realized. "Let's-"
Suddenly, Sandra orbed in front of them. "I'm afraid that's not an option anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked her. "We need to-"
"The Universe is about to be destroyed", Sandra said grimly as all of them shared looks of horror. "You don't have time anymore. All of you, just leave right now."
Piper started. "But-"
"Leave! Your survival shall be important for the Multiverse, please go!" Sandra said, and the Charmed Ones saw that she had genuine concern for them in her eyes, unlike the other Elders.
Reluctantly, Coop held out the reality breacher, nodding at Sandra with tears in his eyes, the others doing the same as she nodded back. All of the Charmed Ones and their husbands had tears, while Victor was confused. Then, Coop went into portal, with Piper gesturing Victor to go in as well, and he did.
Then went in Phoebe holding the Book of Shadows, followed by Paige and Henry, and then Piper and Leo went into it, holding their babies while the portal closed.
Sandra orbed away once more.
The Elders were sitting together as Sandra appeared between them, looking at them sadly. "Our Universe goes, and us with it. I guess its punishment for trying to manipulate our Champions."
None of them responded, realizing Sandra was right as the anti-matter wave swept in, disintegrating all of them, and the rest of the Universe too.
Earth-167
Kal, Lois, Ollie, Chloe, Bart and the rest of the League looked out at the red skies as Kal realized. "Looks like it has started now."
"And we're in for it", Ollie muttered.
Earth-92
Willow and Tara were on a rooftop, looking up at the red skies grimly.
Angel and Cordelia shared a look on seeing the red skies as Lorne noted. "The end of all is here. At least we're together for it."
Middle-earth, Gondor, Minas Tirith
Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir and Eowyn looked up at the red skies, the latter two holding their baby as Arwen said. "It has come at last."
"Now all of us will have to unite and fight", Faramir noted.
"We will unite, or we will fall", Aragorn remembered what Elrond had said during his Council.
"I hope we defeat this", Eowyn muttered.
Legolas looked up from his spot in Mirkwood. "Blood will be spilt now. Of Universes."
The Dwarves, including Gimli looked as well in Erebor as Gimli noted. "The end has come."
Earth-199999
At the Avengers Compound- Steve, Natasha, Wanda, Bucky, Parker, Falcon, Rhodes, Hercules and Surfer looked up at the red skies as Natasha sighed. "And now we're all in for it I think."
"This is it. The end of the path", Bucky muttered, sharing a grim look with Steve when suddenly a portal opened, and they turned to see the Charmed Ones stagger in, with their husbands, father and the two babies, and behind them, they all saw the anti-matter wave consume it all just as Coop closed the breach.
"In the name of Zeus", Hercules whispered in horror, speaking for all of them.
"I thought I'd seen the worst destruction, I had not", Surfer said sadly.
The Charmed Ones were in tears as Steve walked to them, looking at all in sympathy. "I'm sorry."
"Our world….its gone", Piper started crying. "Darryl…..his family….Billie….all of them….."
Leo hugged her for comfort, their children crying too, but he was in tears himself.
"I just had a vision….of red skies and a bug man…then it was gone, and then the red skies happened", Phoebe said, her voice husky as she struggled not to break down like her sister, not that she was succeeding.
Coop staggered and fell onto a chair, while Paige fell to her knees.
"So, our whole world….." Victor trailed off as it sank in for him. "Its all gone?"
"Yes", Henry nodded sadly. "Its all gone."
Victor's face was stricken, while Paige grasped the ground with her fingernails, letting her tears fall onto the ground. "The Power of Three, it could do nothing!"
Earth-2005
Johnny Storm of this world, who happened to look like Steve Rogers, was flying when the skies turned red. "Okay, what the….?"
Then the whole Universe was gone too.
Earth-2003
The Daredevil of this world, who looked exactly like Detective aka Earth-50 Batman, sensed the distress everywhere, people screaming and running as the sky seemed to change.
Then this Universe was gone too.
Earth-14
The young Batman of this world looked up at the red skies as people were horrified. "Looks like its going to go down."
With that, this Universe was also gone.
Earth-2019
Arthur Fleck aka Joker was in the police car, being led to the police station, having caused riots all over Gotham. He laughed as the skies turned red.
And that was when this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-712
The Squadron Supreme watched the red skies in horror, Nuke wondering. "What is that?"
Their Universe was also destroyed.
Earth-4290001
The Great Society too looked at the red skies as Zoran said. "The end has come."
And it came, this Universe also destroyed.
Earth-911111
The Superman of this world, who looked like Steve Rogers, and the Captain America of this world, who looked like Kal-El of Earth-167, looked up at the red skies, their Justice League and Avengers Teams behind them.
"So, you know what to do?" Superman asked Captain America.
"Yes, we fight", Captain America told him. "Avengers, Justice League! Assemble!"
Only, they couldn't assemble as the Universe was destroyed now.
Earth-66
Bats and Robin watched the red skies as the latter said. "Holy Crimson skies of Death, Batman!"
"Indeed, my dear Robin", Bats told him sadly as they grasped each other's shoulders.
Wonder Woman-66 too watched the red skies, eyes wide in horror. "Seems like we're not making it."
She was right, as this Universe met its end too now.
Earth-89
Wayne and Selina looked at the red skies, their Robin near them as he asked. "Can we fight it?"
"I'm afraid not by ourselves", Wayne told him sadly.
"Probably not us", Selina muttered, the red skies expanding now.
This Universe too met its destruction.
Earth-9
Dick looked up at the red skies, Donna Troy next to him as she asked. "You think this is the Crisis?"
"I think it is", Dick told her, the red skies now coming closer. "And I don't think we'll make it."
They looked at each other, grasping hands and smiling in their final moments.
Then their Universe was destroyed.
Earth-8
Crusader looked up at the red skies expanding and sighed, remembering what Batman had once said. "This time, I'm alone. But I hope you all are not when you face it."
Then this Universe was ended.
Earth-19
Accelerated Man who was Hunter Zolomon's doppelganger, held his family close, seeing the red skies.
"Good luck Cisco", Gypsy muttered, sharing a look with her father Breacher.
And the Universe was then destroyed.
Earth-928
Miguel was swinging as the skies were now red. "Looks like I'll have to go now." Only, the red skies now started expanding. "Okay, not an option." He thought about the rest of the Spider-Clan, and the Heroes as well. "Good luck, guys, I hope you all make it."
This Universe was destroyed now as well.
Earth-65
Spidey looked out from his window at the red skies, knowing he wouldn't make it. "It looks like the end has come now."
The Hulk of this Earth who was called David Banner, looked up at the red skies too. "Now what is that?"
And then, this Universe too was gone.
Earth-84
Eddie Brock aka Venom-84 looked up at the red skies as Eddie sighed. "So, this is it?"
"Seems like it", Venom-84 told Eddie. "Its been a pleasure, Eddie."
"Same here, buddy, same here", Eddie told him.
With that, this Universe also met its end.
Earth-40
Laurie Strode, Allyson and Karen looked up at the red skies as Karen asked. "Now what's that?"
"I don't know, baby", Laurie confessed.
"Looks bad", Allyson sighed.
And then their Universe was destroyed.
At long last, the Crisis of Infinite Earths had begun, and it was already looking bleak for the Multiverse.
Notes:
So, some unknown worlds are gone, those being Daredevil 2003, Fantastic Four 2005-2007, Gotham TV Series, Joker 2019, as well as worlds of the Squadron Supreme and the Great Society (thank you to anikendrajha499 for suggesting those two worlds), plus the Earth where Marvel and DC actors were interchanged.
Then the known worlds like Miguel's world, The Amazing Spider-Man TV Series world which also had Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno version of David Banner/Hulk, along with the Venom movies, Batman 1966/Wonder Woman 1975, Batman 1989, Batman 2022, Titans 2018 and Halloween 2018.
And Charmed Earth is also gone with only the sisters, their husbands, the two babies and Victor surviving, and the Book of Shadows is with them too.
Sad stuff, but necessary to show the stakes.
Hope you liked the montage at the beginning and how Mar-Novu's speech was combined with Reed's 'Everything Dies' speech, thank you to the Guest who suggested it.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 3: Claiming another
Summary:
The Heroes start gathering finally to combat the Crisis.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help as well.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-199999, Avengers Compound
By now, some other Heroes of this Earth were in the Compound too, those being the Defenders, Marc and Frank, as well as Arthur, Merlin and Guinevere, and Lena from Earth-38 was with them too, while the rest would also eventually come.
The Charmed Ones, their husbands as well as Victor were all sitting in a corner, looking stricken. Wyatt and Chris were too young to really realize what had exactly happened but they too weren't much better in looks, sadly.
Steve sat near them and said again. "I'm sorry."
They didn't respond until Piper asked. "How does one deal with it? Losing everything? Their whole world?"
"While not exactly the same thing, I have lost my world once before", Steve admitted to her, and the other Earth-98 survivors as well. "I was frozen in ice in the 40s, and when I woke up, it was a different century, everyone I loved was either gone or too old. Only Bucky was alive, which I didn't know then, and he too was a brainwashed assassin for Hydra until we saved him."
"How did you move past it?" Paige asked, finding it the hardest thing ever. "Because it feels like-"
"It was impossible", Steve had to tell her, and the rest. "But eventually, I did regain it in some way."
"He is right", Arthur said as he walked next to Steve. "I had the same experience as him. I died, then when I came back, Camelot was nothing more than a myth for the people of nowadays, and I couldn't deal with it for quite some time. But eventually, I had to move past it. And I still had the woman I loved, and my best friend, and sister, even if it was a different version of her."
The Earth-98 survivors weren't exactly inspired on hearing that, which was to be expected, but they were a bit better, and realized in their cases too, their family was at least together, though the loss of Darryl and his family, and Billie, and the rest of their whole Universe was still hard hitting.
"Will we ever get it back somehow?" Leo inquired. "Because our-"
"Honestly, I don't know", Steve confessed with all honesty in his voice, putting a hand on the former Whitelighter's shoulder. "But we'll do our best for you all."
"Our world hasn't been attacked yet", Matt noted. "How long do we have?"
"Its not exactly a pattern", Natasha said to him. "Besides, I think it will come to our world much later because-"
"Apparently, it's the most powerful Universe", Bucky shrugged. "So while not safe, we probably have more time than the rest of them."
That was when a portal opened, and out of it came Willow, Tara, Angel, Cordelia, Spike, Buffy, Faith, Dawn and Fred, the Wicca couple holding Miss Kitty Fantastico.
The portal then closed as Wanda asked. "Red skies then for you too?"
"Yeah", Willow confessed with a nod. "And we figured we'd come here for help."
"They're out there too", Falcon pointed outwards and they looked, seeing the red skies in this world as well.
"Damn! Its going around", Cordelia commented as they all stood for a bit.
Faith walked to Marc as they shared a loving kiss.
Then Buffy saw the Charmed Ones, and seeing their faces made it pretty clear what had happened. "Did they-"
"Yeah", Rhodes told them. "They did."
"I'm sorry", Tara said, nothing but empathy in her voice as they simply nodded.
"And, what about the rest from your world?" Parker inquired.
"They're still there", Dawn said to them. "The destruction hasn't started yet. We just came to tell you all right now."
"Your world probably isn't going to be destroyed yet if the red skies have been there for a while", Danny predicted, based on the only pattern he could find. "But that's all I can say really."
"Let's just try to coordinate and figure out which world is next so we can save as many as we can", Merlin finally said. "That's what needs to be done."
That was when another portal opened as Oliver, Barry-Red, Sara, Cisco, Caitlin, Patty, Roy, Bruce and Catwoman came out of it.
"Red skies here too", Oliver noted as he looked up at the skies. "Looks like its already spread everywhere."
"What are we planning to do?" Barry-Red asked. "So far-"
"Right now, we're only waiting and thinking of how exactly to tread this all", Steve confessed. "So right now, we don't have a clear idea yet, sorry."
"We'll have to think fast, whatever it is, because I think its worse than anything else we've faced until now", Sara had to say, and she wasn't wrong about this either.
That was when another breach opened and out of it came Klaus, Hayley, Hope, Freya, Erik, Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan, Enzo, Alaric, Jo, Lizzie, Damon, Elena and Jeremy.
"Got the red skies, people", Damon told them all. "So that means we need-"
"You're not the only one with that, git", Spike said, making Damon glare at him. "Our world has the red skies too, as does this one." He pointed upwards. "Look."
They did and saw that, yes, this world too had red skies in it as Stefan muttered. "Well, sucks really."
"So, is our world gonna go now?" Caroline asked, looking concerned, and pretty scared too, as this was beyond anything their Earth had gone up against, and was worse than Grandmaster as well.
"We do not know what will happen yet", Elektra told them. "Its too soon, and already very unpredictable."
"I want there to be a home to go back to", Alaric simply said, holding both his daughters close. "For my girls."
"That world is my home now, I can't lose it", Erik said as well.
"We will do what has to be done", Steve assured him, and his words at least had a temporary affect.
Then another portal opened as Kal, Lois, Ollie, Chloe and Bart walked out of it with Ollie and Chloe also having their 2 kids, looking around at everyone, Ollie commenting. "Huh? Looks like it really is spreading already."
"Any plan yet?" Kal asked Steve.
"No, not yet, but all of us are gathering around already so I guess there will be one soon", Steve simply said.
"The rest of us are still back there, the red skies are there but nothing's gone yet", Lois told them all.
"Of course, it can get worse anytime", Bart muttered.
"Elijah!" Klaus suddenly realized, as he looked up. "Rebekah and Kol are both on this world."
"But Elijah…" Freya trailed off. "What world could he be in?"
"Actually, he's in our world", Roy revealed, surprising the Earth-29 crew. "Yep, he's with us."
"What's he doing there?" Hayley asked.
"I think it'd be better if he is the one to tell you guys what", Oliver simply said. "You'll meet him again, because our world still stands, so not to worry for now."
"I'd say a lot to worry but in time, one thing at a time, you know?" Chloe commented, and she wasn't wrong about that either.
Then another portal opened as Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and Arwen came out of it, looking between the rest of them, with Legolas being the first to notice the red skies.
"Seems we are all now part of the greatest battle already", Legolas noted grimly.
"Indeed, one that the entire Multiverse has to face", Aragorn said with a sigh.
"Seems like a good bunch of us are here now", Steve noted. "So I'd say the plan is to-"
That was when Tony walked in. "Remember we had decided to break out all Infinity Stones if something really bad was upon us?"
"Yeah?" Natasha half-asked, half-said.
"Well, I figured this is the time", Tony told them all. "Already talked to all those who have the Stones, they're on their way."
As if on cue, Kent, along with Batman and Diana appeared, with Kent having the Power Stone in a container and Diana having the Mind Stone in a box.
"Diana", Steve whispered as the two kissed each other lovingly, sharing an embrace as well, the rest seeing the soft moment for a little while.
They parted as Kent put the container down. "Here you go."
"And this is the Mind Stone as well", Diana put it down.
"Our skies are red too right now", Batman told them, grimmer than usual. "We're wondering what to do."
"It's the same with all of us really", Bruce simply said.
Loki then appeared, with Rebekah and Kol on either side of him.
The Originals were happy to see them as Rebekah and Kol rushed to their family, happy embraces of reunion going about between them all while Loki smiled at that, then turned to Tony.
He lifted up his hand, and the Space Stone in its container appeared. "Here you go." He put it down. "Now you can use this as well."
"You said you'd get the Reality Stone from the Valar as well", Tony reminded him.
"About that", Loki cringed a bit, then raised his hand as the Reality Stone in its container appeared too, and he put it down on the table. "I never actually returned it to the Valar."
"What?" Gimli said in shock. "You mean to say you had it with you the whole time?"
"Yeah, gave them a fake by putting a similar signature on it magically", Loki revealed, surprising them all. "Kept the Reality Stone in a secret place. Just found it fun is all."
"Old habits die hard, don't they?" Parker simply asked him.
"That would be true, young Parker", Loki chuckled a bit before begging everyone. "Please don't tell Thor."
"We will try our best not to", Arwen smirked as he sighed at that.
"Well played, Reindeer Games, well played", Tony told him as he smirked, which was to be expected for sure.
Then Adam Warlock landed outside the Compound before walking in, looking at Tony, and pointing to the Soul Stone in his forehead. "I too have what you want, and you will have it in time."
"Ramon", Tony then said as Cisco looked at him. "Here you go." And then a suit flew in, wrapping around Cisco. It was black with yellow stripes on the shoulders there was a line in the center which was hotrod red. The lower torso and waist were also colored dark while the helmet had a long thin eyehole for his glasses. The palm gauntlets had black circles to allow him to fire his vibe blasts. And they would enhance their powers as well.
"Oh! Its this baby!" Cisco said happily as he looked at the suit he'd used during the War of the Infinity Stones. "I've missed this. Thank you Tony, been a while since I got this."
"No problem, Ramon", Tony assured him before turning to Parker. "I know you're supposed to be street-level but this threat is too much, so-"
"Yeah, I'll be using that suit this time", Parker agreed and Tony nodded.
"So, what will be done with all of the Stones?" Lena then inquired out of curiosity as Tony looked between all of them.
"I will make an armor to handle the stress of taking a small Big Bang", Tony revealed what he was really trying to do. "Because otherwise, I do not think there is a way anyone using the Stones will come out unscathed, no matter how much power they wield, as much as it sucks, ya know?"
"Reasonable idea", Kal agreed. "So you'll be making that suit then with all the Stones."
"Yep, that's what I'm gonna do", Tony nodded before Kal noticed the Earth-98 survivors.
"Their Universe is gone", Steve told them, to the shock of those who did not know. "They've nowhere else to go now."
Kal and Kent shared a look, then turned to the Earth-98 survivors, looking at them with empathy as Kal sat near them. "I'm sorry, I know how you feel."
"Really?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah, I lost my planet when I was a baby since I was sent to Earth", Kal told them. "I was the only survivor, until Kara came around."
"Same with me", Kent revealed. "So trust us, we know how you feel. Its one of the worst feelings in the world. We're sorry."
They nodded in appreciation before Boromir then asked. "So, shall we stay here and wait for Tony to make his suit, or is there anything else to be done?"
"That depends upon what happens after this", Aragorn told them.
And in that moment appeared Uatu the Watcher, with Thor, Strange and Fate appearing there as well, making all look at them.
"Who are you?" Steve asked Uatu.
"His name is Uatu, he is from a race of beings known as the Watchers who watch over Universes but cannot interfere", Strange revealed. "But he has interfered once before for our sakes. He is the one who told me of the Ultimate Nullifier."
"And I still keep it with me", Uatu told all of them.
"Thank you for what you did for us then", Steve said humbly as Uatu simply smiled.
"Now, I will have to break my oath again to directly aid all of you", Uatu said, with the ones from Earth-92, Earth-98 and Earth-29 surprised on seeing a being like this, with power yet also kindness.
"Damn!" Faith muttered.
"You were making your suit, right?" Strange turned to Tony, before taking off his amulet with the Eye of Agamotto. "For once in my life, I'm giving this up. Don't make me regret it." He put it down on the table with the rest of the Stones.
"I won't", Tony assured as Strange nodded simply.
"Uatu the Watcher knows about the Crisis, and shall enlighten us about it", Fate then told all of them.
"When the Multiverse was formed, it was made up of what we call positive matter", Uatu revealed to everyone present in the room. "But, there must always be a counter for everything. So, an anti-matter Universe was also formed at the same time our positive matter Multiverse came into existence."
And then appeared Mar-Novu himself as Kal noted he looked similar to the Monitors with the way he was dressed.
"Who are you now?" Kal inquired, as Uatu and Mar-Novu shared a look.
"I am called Mar-Novu", Mar-Novu introduced himself to the room of Heroes. "And I shall continue where Uatu left off. The culmination of this anti-matter Universe formed a being known as Mobius, the Anti-Monitor."
"Anti-Monitor?" Kal asked. "Like the-"
"Worse than those whom you faced", Mar-Novu told him, Uatu shooting the Monitor a look from where he stood. "He and I battled for centuries, until I managed to imprison him, sealing him behind a door in an Eternium-encased chamber, on Earth-1 itself."
"He was on our Earth the whole time?" Caitlin asked in horror as Mar-Novu nodded. "Oh my-"
"Then Thanos used the Infinity Stones and the breaches between Dimensions started weakening", Uatu continued now. "And that weakened the prison of the Anti-Monitor, bit by bit it was decayed, until now, when its finally broken, and he is out."
"So its all because of Thanos then?" Steve asked and got nods from both Cosmic Beings.
"That bastard", Thor snarled in anger, holding up Stormbreaker, and all noted he too looked quite weary. Perhaps because of his vision that he had, and now it was coming true.
"I am sorry for your loss", Uatu said to the Earth-98 survivors in sympathy before telling the Heroes. "Many more worlds are gone too, including some that you know. Earth-8, Earth-9, Earth-19, Earth-40, Earth-65, Earth-66, Earth-84, Earth-89 and Earth-928."
The news struck everyone's hearts like a bag of bricks as they staggered back, Parker falling to his knees. "Miguel…..Old man….Eddie…" He looked down, crying for them as Wanda hugged him from behind for comfort, though she wasn't much better, and the rest weren't much better either, due to these losses as well as the other ones. Frank put a hand on Parker's shoulder.
"No….." Batman whispered in horror as he, Bruce and Catwoman looked at each other, realizing Crusader, Bats, Robin, Wayne, Selina and the Titans from Earth-9 were all gone. "Our-"
"We lost them", Bruce said sadly, Catwoman putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'd told our Earth-8 counterpart he'd never be alone", Batman remembered, feeling guilty for not being there with him. "Now he died alone."
"Mom…." Chloe whispered, thinking of Wonder Woman-66, who was her mother's doppelganger, and fell onto a chair in tears, Ollie embracing her for comfort, as her two children did the same.
Lois too put a hand on her cousin's shoulder, while Kal rubbed her back from behind, the former saying. "I'm sorry, Chlo."
"Hunter", Barry-Red muttered, as Bart too looked down, thinking of him and his passing, Cisco and Caitlin having similar expressions.
"The family that was saved from Michael Myers, they'd be gone now", Buffy realized as the Earth-92 crew shared sad looks as well.
"We're losing a lot of loved ones already", Dawn muttered, clutching her fists, trying to control herself.
Mar-Novu started. "I know this is hard but-"
Uatu suddenly looked down, sensing something, and then looked back up.
"What is it?" Thor asked him. "What did you see?"
Uatu looked at Kent, Batman, Diana and Lena. "There are no words to describe the pain that you will feel."
"Our Earth…." Kent gulped, realizing what was happening. "Its….."
"I erected a Tower upon your world, in National City", Mar-Novu revealed as the four Earth-38 Heroes looked at him. "It can slow down the wave, but now Anti-Monitor's minions will come to battle and finish what he did."
Steve looked at all of them and gave his order. "Assemble!"
Earth-38
It was already chaos, because while the Tower had slowed down the wave, it was still spreading bit by bit, and had destroyed a lot of the world already, though National City still stood.
The Shadow Demons of the Anti-Monitor were upon them, as Danvers flew into the air, firing her Heat Vision at them with a roar as she took out a group of them.
Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Arwen, Oliver, Sara, Bucky, Natasha, Falcon, Matt, Elektra, Jessica, Luke, Danny, Colleen, Frank, Marc, Roy, Patty, Bruce, Catwoman, Batman, Ollie, Lois, Chloe, Buffy, Faith, Angel, Spike, Dawn, Cordelia, Klaus, Hayley, Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan, Enzo, Damon and Kol moved through the Tower that the Monitor had erected, with the Earth-29 and Earth-92 crews all having a weapon or the other. Klaus still had the sword he'd gotten during the Grandmaster mess, while Clint kept his Adamantium sword at the Compound so Kol had gotten it again.
Then they saw an army of Shadow Demons outside as Oliver raised his bow, Legolas, Ollie and Roy doing the same on all sides of him. "Time to show them all."
"This might be the biggest army I've seen", Boromir said grimly. "And its not even all of it."
"Does not matter, we will face it", Arwen simply said, and all agreed.
As they all sped in, the four archers fired special arrows, getting them already as Gimli swung his ax, destroying three of them as Arwen killed two more, and Boromir got one.
Bucky and Frank fired their guns, killing more of them. "Stay together and look out for each other!"
Natasha flipped and struck one with Widow's Bite, while Falcon flew around, shooting some more, and Patty too took out one while Batman and Bruce threw special Batarangs that sent out pulses, getting a group of them.
Catwoman got another one as Chloe fired, taking out some more, and Lois struck out, getting one herself.
Cordelia glowed, disintegrating three of them near her. "Yeah, how do you like that?"
Matt took out one as Elektra sliced another, Danny slamming his fist down and getting more, while Colleen sliced three down and Luke hurled another away, Jessica taking out another. "Fuck you!"
Trish also got one while Marc struck two, getting them, fighting alongside Faith and Buffy.
Buffy killed two with the M? as Faith took out another with the Troll Hammer, Dawn taking out another with a fireball as Angel and Spike took out two each.
At the same time, Klaus sliced one down as Kol stabbed through another, while Caroline, Stefan, Enzo, Hayley and Damon got one each.
"There are too many!" Damon cried out.
"Thank you for stating the obvious", Klaus shrugged.
Bonnie chanted as some Shadow Demons were blown back and incinerated by flames.
Outside, Danvers looked up as the sky darkened, and lightning struck down at various Shadow Demons, killing a chunk of them as Thor flew down next to her. "We stand with you."
"I know, thank you", Danvers smiled as Kal flew next to them, blitzing through more Shadow Demons and taking out more with Heat Vision.
Steve was then in the air, making a green machine gun and firing as some were killed, before he made a blue hammer and used it to launch his shield, killing more, while Rhodes too killed some, and Arthur flew, slicing down three with Excalibur.
Then Mjolnir struck another group of them, taking them down as Aragorn caught it on return.
Parker swung through the air, now in his Iron Spider suit as he took out another group of Shadow Demons.
Merlin held out his hand as some of the Shadow Demons disintegrated into nothingness while Lena froze a group of them and they shattered.
Cisco was making breaches for the people all over, as Fate too transported them, and Strange opened portals for the same reason.
Killer Frost also froze some of them, killing them, while Wanda wrapped a group in her energy and nothing was left of them, Willow and Tara flying together as their aura simply disintegrated more Shadow Demons.
But no matter how many they took out, more kept coming.
Erik was then there, using his powers to hurl pieces of buildings at the Shadow Demons, taking them out, and then lifted vehicles containing people, transporting them through Cisco's breaches, Fate's rips or Strange's portals.
An Adamantium arrow flew about, striking and taking out another group of Shadow Demons as Freya hurled it around telekinetically, while Hercules then ripped apart a group of them effortlessly. "I AM HERCULES!"
Surfer flew on his surfboard, slaughtering another group.
Barry-Red ran on the ground, killing Shadow Demons with lightning as Bart evacuated people and blitzed through more Shadow Demons. Pietro, who'd joined them just before they'd arrived on Earth-38, was doing the same as Bart on a slower rate.
Loki covered some Shadow Demons with his magic and pressed his fists as all turned to smoke and were gone, while Rebekah was near a group of them, and bright light shone from her, disintegrating them into nothingness as well.
Kent then flew in, holding Diana, both looking very grim and shattered.
"What happened?" Tara asked.
"Smallville, Themyscira, Gotham, Freeland, they fell already, as did the DEO just now", Kent said, tears rolling down his cheeks as Danvers' jaw dropped. "Lois, Mom, Bruce's family…."
"My mother, my people….." Diana trailed off. "All gone."
"Oh Rao! Alex!" Danvers started crying. "Mom! J'onn!"
Steve embraced Diana as she cried into his chest, while Kent flew into the Tower, killing some Shadow Demons with his Heat Vision as he looked at Batman. "I'm sorry, Gotham fell."
Batman fell to his knees, looking shattered as well. Terry, Nightwing, Red Hood, Tim, Selina, Jim, Barbara, and Ace, his good boy, all gone.
The Monitor then appeared and said to all of them. "This world has fallen now. All of you must retreat."
Uatu appeared next to him as they pointed at the Heroes, making them disappear back onto Earth-199999.
However, Danvers looked up to see Annihilus, and Bart and Barry-Red stopped too, looking up at him as they recognized him.
"Its Annihilus", Barry-Red said.
"So he is Anti-Monitor's willing helper too", Bart scoffed.
Danvers now was enraged and flew at him, trying to punch, only for him to dodge with speed he hadn't shown before as he sliced her shoulder, making her gasp.
She tried to ram into him again but he sliced her abdomen, making her double down before kicking her up.
From there, she fired her Heat Vision but he blocked with his Rod, twirling it as the Heat Vision dissipated.
Before Danvers could do anything else, Annihilus rammed into her, making her crash to the ground painfully, and then he stabbed her through the chest, blood pouring out of her mouth.
Earth-199999, Avengers Compound
All of the Heroes had been transported back here by Mar-Novu and Uatu, as Batman staggered away, grasping a wall for support, Steve still embracing Diana who cried into his chest over her loss.
Caroline immediately hugged Jo and Lizzie as Klaus and Hayley held up Hope, the rest of the Originals family gathered around the girl too.
Ollie and Chloe embraced their children as Well as Willow and Tara picked up Miss Kitty.
"Many were saved", Mar-Novu told them, looking grim. "But many perished as well."
"Kara", Kent suddenly looked around. "Where's Kara?"
That was when Uatu appeared, and pointed at the table nearby, as Danvers appeared on it, mortally wounded.
"Kara!" Kent ran to her, standing over his cousin, as Kal stood behind him too. "Kara, oh no! Please…"
"Kal….." she held out her hand, grasping his, while Kal had tears.
"We can fly you into the-"
"No…." she shook her head, coughing blood. "Its too late now."
Lena made to help with magic but Uatu said. "What she was stricken with, it contained anti-matter inside, you can't help her now."
That made her stop, as she fell to her knees, tears in her eyes as she looked at Kara. "Kara…I…"
"You're…my friend still…." Danvers coughed out blood, and Lena nodded, a bittersweet smile on her face, Oliver and Barry-Red on either side of her, the latter also having tears.
Then, Danvers tilted her head. She was gone!
"No…." Kent whispered, sobbing into his cousin's chest as Kal put a hand on his shoulder, and Lois put hers on his other one, both trying to offer comfort, but not sure how to, since Kent had lost Lois, his mom, and his cousin, as well as J'onn and the Danvers family, and his whole Universe.
Lena was sobbing too, with Merlin, Arthur and Guinevere all embracing her to offer some comfort.
Bruce and Catwoman looked at Batman, whose face showed how broken he was, while Steve too tried to comfort the sobbing Diana.
Barry-Red started crying as Oliver put a hand on his shoulder
While many from Earth-38 had been saved, the four surviving Heroes had lost their Universe, and everyone on their world whom they cared about.
So it wasn't a victory, and the Crisis had claimed another, as Earth-38 had now fallen!
Notes:
And done one more. While I don't like Danvers, it was still hard writing her death, especially due to Kent's reaction.
So the only surviving Heroes from Earth-38 are Kent, Batman, Diana and Lena. Danvers is dead, as are J'onn, Astra, Alex and anyone else.
The Charmed Ones did not go to Earth-38 as they're still getting over their loss, while Tony is making his suit, and Warlock is yet to give up his Soul Stone to him.
Mar-Novu and Uatu meet the Heroes properly at last too.
Hope all enjoyed (or not) and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 4: More evil rises
Summary:
The surviving Heroes of Earth-38 are comforted as more worlds and beings fall.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
And now comes more, enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-26
Tori turned to look at Brandon, who was still in his red mask, standing still and staring at her, while she was panting.
"Mom", he called out to her.
"Brandon", she whispered, trying to get him to lower his guard. "Listen to me. I have never stopped loving you." She walked closer to him. "I believe, I still believe, that you are a blessing that fell to this Earth."
Now she was right in front of him and gently took his mask off, now looking right into his face, grasping it in her hands lovingly. "When we found you, you were so tiny and fragile. And all we could do was keep you safe." She looked into his eyes now. "Whatever you've done, I know there is good inside you."
She seemed to reach through to him now as he told her genuinely. "I want to do good, mom. I do."
Tori embraced him as he embraced her back. "And you will." She had tears in her eyes now and her voice was cracking since she was now going to kill him with the piece of his ship.
Only, before she could, the skies seemed to turn red, and both of them looked up, confused, as Brandon asked. "What is going on?"
"I don't know", Tori shook her head.
And in that moment, this Universe was destroyed as well.
Earth-21
Mark Grayson aka Invincible was amongst the rubble, looking at the split hand of that girl he'd tried to rescue, and the sight was breaking him, like everything else that was happening to him right now.
Seeing that, he fell to his knees, panting, struggling not to break down before he saw a shadow, and looked up to see his father Nolan Grayson aka Omni Man looking down upon him.
Most versions of J. Jonah Jameson would have been horrified on seeing Nolan's face, because he was their doppelganger. And he was a monster.
His expression was blank as Mark asked in a broken tone. "How could you do this?"
"That was your fault", Nolan told his son coldly. "Your stubbornness against the inevitable killed all of those people. How many more need to die, Mark? Its up to you." Tears rolled down Mark's cheeks while Nolan continued. "And what were they all doing with those fragile little lives anyway?" He tried to get Mark to listen to him. "Listen to what I'm saying. You know in your heart that I'm right."
"Right?" Mark stood up defiantly. "About how pathetic and pointless humanity is?" He wiped his tears and asked the big question. "Is mom's life worthless?"
Nolan's reply was worse than he'd expected it to be, though he'd no idea what he was expecting to be honest. "In the grand scheme of things, yes."
"How can you say those things?" Mark asked, almost begging now. "How can you say that about mom?"
Then he roared. "LIAR!" He flew at Nolan, punching his face thrice, and then continued to pound upon him, sending him staggering downwards.
Mark then made to charge and hit his father again but Nolan grabbed his hand. "For the first time in your life, I'm telling you the truth!" He slammed his son down to the ground, breaking it all before crashing upon him, sending them down into the subway, because of which neither noticed the skies had now become red.
Their crash in the subway killed many people already there, while Nolan pinned Mark's head on the tracks.
"I need", Mark tried to get up but Nolan held him down. "I need to save them!"
"No", Nolan told him before seeing a train coming in their way. "Maybe this time you will learn."
He held Mark up in front of the train, meaning the train would shatter and the people too would die on ramming into him.
Only, that never happened, because the whole Universe was destroyed in that moment, showing that in the grand scheme of things for the Multiverse, even the Viltrumite and their grand plans were insignificant, tiny and pointless at the end of the day.
Earth-10
From their mansion, the Doom Patrol team consisting of Jane, Rita Farr, Larry Trainor, Cliff Steele and Victor Stone aka Cyborg looked up at the red skies as Rita inquired. "Now what is that?"
"My systems detect its some form of energy, but nothing like the ones that we know", Victor told her, and then their Universe was destroyed by the anti-matter wave coming upon them.
Earth-203
Huntress of this world was running across rooftops, looking up at the red sky as she called out on comms. "Oracle, it's Huntress. Come in."
"Huntress, the comms are barely functional", Barbara's voice came to her.
"Barbara, can you hear me?" Huntress then asked again.
"I need more time."
"The wave's coming too quickly. You're gonna have to evac right now", Huntress immediately said, seeing the wave coming closer and closer by every second.
"I'm sending all relevant data before the wave hits."
The comms went off as Huntress asked. "Oracle? Oracle, please answer me."
They seemed to come back for a very small bit. "Sending all relevant data."
But it was too late as the anti-matter wave destroyed this Universe, disintegrating everything, including Huntress who could only stare in horror at the sight before her just as she too disintegrated into nothingness.
Earth-23
The Bruce Banner of this Earth was in an Amazon rainforest, treating the people there when pro-government soldiers came in, one of them ordering to take all the medicine.
One of them looked at Banner who told him. "The medicine is needed here for the sick."
"Who are you to decide what the people here need?" The leader asked him in a taunting tone. "These people are helping our enemies." He pointed at Banner. "And maybe you are too." He ordered the soldiers. "Take it all. This is the government's property now."
"You're making me angry", Banner now smirked at the leader, who stared at him. "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
And then his eyes turned green as a moment later, a loud roar was heard in the entire forest.
But that was as far as it went because next moment, the skies went red, and the Universe was destroyed as well.
Earth-41
Takuya Yamashiro, or Spider-Man, put on his suit, before doing some poses, and made to swing out when the skies turned red.
"Is this from Hell?" This Spider-Man randomly said before making four poses, as if preparing to fight it. "Beware, I am Spider-Man, emissary from Hell."
Unfortunately, he did not know that this was a threat even he couldn't face, as this Universe too was destroyed the very next moment.
Earth-85
The Punisher of this Earth, who happened to look like Konstantin Kovar from Earth-1, looked up at the red skies too and wondered. "What the fuck is going on here?"
He did not find out what was going on as the Universe was then destroyed.
Earth-88
The Clark Kent of this Earth, who was still known as Superboy, looked up at the red skies and spoke. "What is this?" He made his decision. "Whatever it is, I must stop it."
He flew up, but the Universe was destroyed, and him along with it.
Earth-209
Nite Owl II, Rorschach and Silk Spectre II glared at Ozymandias, having found out his plan, when someone broke the glass above.
It was Dr. Manhattan. "I am disappointed in you, Adrian. Very disappointed."
Ozymandias slid off to avoid the shattering glass when the skies turned red, shocking even him. "Okay, what the hell is that now? That wasn't part of my plan."
"That is something greater than any of you in this world, you cannot face it", Dr. Manhattan told all of them. "Your plan is a tiny speck compared to what has come now, Adrian."
The anti-matter wave destroyed everything in this Universe, while Dr. Manhattan survived, but he was converted into pure energy, and it would take him a lot of time to recreate his physical form now.
Earth-87
Duncan MacLeod was horrified as Connor MacLeod had his sword pointed at him, wanting Duncan to fight and kill him, and take his Quickening so he could defeat Kell with the combined power.
"No", Duncan shook his head. "We can beat him together."
"Then we are in agreement", Connor commented, and was about to fight, just as the skies then turned completely red, making both of them look up.
"What is going on?" Duncan asked Connor.
"I do not know, Duncan, I do not know", Connor shook his head.
"Looks like the end times have come, and even Kell won't survive this", Methos commented, looking up at the red skies, having seen some writings about death and world's end with red skies in his long life as an Immortal, but nothing really concrete.
"Are you sure?" Joe Dawson asked him.
"That's what it looks like", Methos replied, and he was proven right when this Universe too was destroyed in the next moment.
Earth-205
The Lucifer of this world was outside the hotel where those 'Pagan Gods' had gathered to oppose him.
He was going to go in and kill them all.
Inside, Dean Winchester was talking to the Archangel Gabriel as the latter said. "I can't kill my brother."
"Can't or won't?" Dean asked him.
Then suddenly, they felt it all shake, and looked out to see the skies had become red.
"What the hell?" Dean wondered as his brother Sam Winchester walked next to him, also looking out.
"Is the Apocalypse already here or what?" Sam inquired.
"No", Gabriel shook his head. "This seems worse."
Lucifer looked up and sighed. "And then that happened."
Chuck sensed the anti-matter wave and looked around, knowing this was it. "Looks like now my reign comes to an end."
Amara also saw the anti-matter wave, and realized nothing could be done. "This is it."
With that, this Universe was also destroyed.
And where these destroyed Universes once used to stand, now there was nothing but darkness, and from that darkness rose some evil beings of great power.
"The Blackest Night Falls form the skies,
The darkness grows as all light dies,
We crave your hearts and your Demise
by my Black Hand - The Dead shall rise!"
What rose, were none other than the powerful Black Lanterns, formed from the dead people of these Universes who had been reformed now, and as the darkness was replaced by the anti-matter wave of the Anti-Monitor, these Black Lanterns now became part of his army, having no memory of who they used to be once, not even resembling those people they were once upon a time even in the slightest way.
The people of these dead worlds were now nothing more than Zombies equipped with Power Rings that were fuelled by none other than Death itself, and they too would help Anti-Monitor bring Death upon the whole Multiverse now.
Earth-199999
Kent was looking ahead, a blank look on his face. He had lost not only his entire world again, but also his cousin, who had alleviated his loneliness, as well as the woman he loved, his mother who had raised him, and the Danvers family who had raised his cousin so lovingly. His good friend J'onn was gone. Winn and James were also gone, as was Argo City where a still-alive Alura had resided, and Astra as well upon having found it.
Hearing footsteps, he turned to see Kal standing next to him, also looking ahead, and Kent knew that out of everyone, Kal could probably come the closest to understanding his pain.
"I don't know what to say except I'm sorry", Kal simply told Kent, who just nodded, knowing Kal was only trying to be there for him, but he had no idea how to, and to be fair, if their positions were interchanged, Kent too would have no idea on how to really comfort Kal either.
"I guess that's all you can say really", Kent finally said, struggling not to break down, because other worlds needed him too
Kal put a hand on his shoulder and assured him. "We will do our best."
"Yeah, we will", Kent nodded in agreement. They had to do their best.
Lena was sitting, staring at the table where Danvers' corpse had been. They had moved the body to the med-bay now to be contained and preserved, with artificial sunlight upon her.
Merlin sat next to her but did not speak a word, and she told him. "When I first found out Supergirl and Kara were the same, I felt a bit angry. Of course I too had stocked my Kryptonite, so I guess it makes me a hypocrite, but human nature, you know? So when I left to find myself, it was also because I needed some time before I could face her again." Tears rolled down her cheeks again. "And now she's gone."
Arthur and Guinevere were near her too as she continued in self-loathing. "Because of my actions as Morgana, you all lost everyone you cared about, your world and time, but still live. Now I lost my world and I live. Guess its my punishment."
"No!" Arthur said forcefully as he knelt next to her, taking his 'sister's' face in his hands and making her look at him. "You are not the evil person Morgana became. You are the Morgana I grew up with. And you are also Lena Luthor. This is not a punishment, because you are too kind to deserve one."
"Its just another unfortunate loss in the Crisis", Guinevere added from her end.
Seeing these two, whom Morgana had hurt so much and taken everything from, comforting her, it seemed to make her feel a bit better.
She then looked at Merlin who embraced her into his chest and she cried again.
In their Domain, the Celestials had gathered together. They had gathered a total of three times before this as a Host, and now this Host was the fourth of its kind.
And it was obvious why they had gathered together like this. The Crisis on Infinite Earths had come, and it was destroying everything, including what they had built.
Arishem the Judge opened the proceedings. "The whole of creation is being destroyed, little by little."
"This anti-matter wave has dared to move against what we have created and destroy it", Eson the Searcher spoke next, not sounding pleased at all.
Jemiah the Analyzer then said. "The Universes we had constructed before, played a part in, they are all gone one by one."
"This insolence has to be stopped now", Hargen the Measurer said. "Countless have been destroyed, and countless more could be soon enough."
"Which means we must face this threat to everything now", Nezarr the Calculator concluded.
"Right all of you are", Arishem finally concluded the proceedings since the decision was clear. "We must leave now and face the Anti-Monitor."
Only, a portal opened into their own domain, without their permission, and that was a huge shock to them all.
"Who enters our domain without our permission?" The Mad Celestial asked as giant, blue beings with glowing centers on their foreheads and chests appeared, now facing the Celestials.
"Oh, it is you!" The Celestial Guardian immediately recognized them all.
"The Exterminators", Arishem spoke once more. "The creations we discarded for you turned on us and tried to devour us all."
"And now we have found purpose with the Anti-Monitor, so we shall finish what we started", one of the Exterminators spoke, only amusing the Celestials.
"Arrogant of you to think you can destroy us who created you", Eson told them, but the Exterminators looked undeterred.
The Celestial Gardener generated powerful light, intending to use it to exterminate the Exterminators, but one of them absorbed that light into itself, shocking all of the Celestials once more.
"Like we said, we have found new purpose", that Exterminator said as he rose up, and struck the Celestial Gardener so hard his head flew off and crashed upon the domain, now actually horrifying the Celestials at the great power their own discarded creations possessed.
The rest of the Celestial Gardener's body too crashed upon the domain as all of it shook, while another Exterminator spoke. "And it is greater than the purpose you had bestowed upon us, so now you too shall meet your end."
"Celestials, let us end this insolence", Arishem ordered, and the Celestials and Exterminators began to battle, shaking their entire domain with the power.
Earth-199999
Diana sat, looking ahead, as Steve stood next to her, knowing just how lost and broken she was. Sitting in front of her, he grasped her hand in both of his, and she looked at his hands, while also the engagement ring on her finger, before turning to look up at his face, finding only kindness and empathy in his eyes.
"How did you deal with the loss of your world?" Diana asked Steve, knowing he had lost it all on waking up from the ice. "How could you keep going on after everything that you lost?"
"It was hard, I usually just took it all out on punching bags, I had lost my time, and become a man out of time", Steve told her gently. "But eventually, after I met the Avengers, I let them in, they became my family. Letting others in, letting them be there for you, that was how I learnt to move past it."
Diana looked at Steve, and realized she too needed to let him in now, and collapsed into his chest, sobbing again as Steve stroked her hair gently, comforting her while kissing her forehead and cheek.
Aragorn and Legolas were looking out at the red skies, their faces grim and serious.
"I remember a time when the two of us and Steve stood like this", Aragorn reminded his friend. "In Edoras."
"I had said the Eye of the Enemy is moving", Legolas remembered. "Now, the Enemy is moving, and destroying everything, all of Eä is under threat from this."
"We had never thought that existence was larger than our world", Aragorn noted sadly. "But we never thought something more evil and powerful than even the first Dark Lord would forth to destroy all of that."
"And like before, us and our friends are all that stand in its way", Legolas told him the state of affairs, so once more, the Heroes would have to battle this great threat.
The Charmed Ones saw Batman, looking at a wall blankly, and Paige, the most sensitive one out of them, tried to talk to him. "We're sorry, we-"
Only, Batman punched the wall with his fist, and then continued pounding the wall, to the shock of the rest, as the wall cracked.
"I was going to give it." He admitted, which shocked the others, more so Bruce and Catwoman, who were there behind him. "Hang up the cowl. Retire. Settle down. Be at peace. Like our parents always wanted. Like Alfred always wanted...I lost...everything. My sons...Barbara…..Jim…..Ace...Selina."
He seemed to be struggling not to break down, as Paige put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him while he told all of them in the room. "I lost my parents when I was eight years old. I dedicated my life to make sure no one lost their parents like I did, but now...I lost everything that ever meant something to me."
Bruce knelt near Batman, putting a hand on his other shoulder. "I'm sorry for what happened. I don't know how exactly you feel, but we all have lost people. Earth-8, Earth-9, Earth-89, your world, our friends from there are gone too, so I feel the pain still."
"So do I", Catwoman said, standing before him. "So we'll be together now, please, let us in."
Batman seemed reluctant, even if he knew they were trying to help him, and simply stood up, not saying a word, but allowing them to stand there with him in silent support.
One Exterminator now held Eson's Staff in his hand, and used its power to slice Eson himself into two, slaying him as well, leaving only a wounded Arishem, who tried to subdue them all once more with his telepathy.
"Your mind games are no match for us now", one Exterminator told Arishem, as the domain darkened and powerful winds blew, lightning striking at the Exterminators, now damaging them to some extent, but still not being enough.
Arishem tried to hold them back telekinetically, but they pushed against his power, making him stagger back as his heels dug into the domain, but he was being overpowered.
Then, his Cosmic light came out of him, and all of the Exterminators absorbed the Cosmic light into themselves, with Arishem's powerful body reducing bit by bit until it was reduced to nothingness.
The Celestials had been destroyed!
And then, the anti-matter wave came upon the domain of the Celestials as the Exterminators all disappeared in a flash of light.
Earth-199999
Yelena stood near the window, a tear rolling down her cheek before she heard footsteps and knew Natasha was next to her.
"I and Terry, we may not have worked out, but he still meant a lot to me", Yelena told her sister. "He was sweet, kind, he was too good for me."
Natasha did not say a word, simply hugged Yelena who cried a bit into her sister's shoulder, the older Black Widow simply being there for her sister.
Parker was sitting, Wanda next to him as he told her. "It feels like I failed. Miguel is gone, old man is gone, Eddie of Earth-84 is gone, now we tried to save Earth-38 but its also gone, and Terry, he….."
Wanda held his hand and told Parker comfortingly. "You tried your best, okay? You did all you could." Her face turned grim. "This thing was just too much."
"I know", Parker sighed.
Rebekah stood near her family, Klaus and Hayley holding Hope before Klaus realized something, and looked up at Rebekah. "You were not there with us when we fought the Shadow Demons."
"Yeah", Hayley noted. "You were out there. Only the more powerful ones were out there."
"What were you doing?" Freya asked.
"Oh, you don't know?" Kol asked his family with a smirk.
"Guess its time to tell you", Rebekah said, and a divine light shone from her temporarily, making them avert their gazes before she came back to normal. "I am no longer an Original Vampire. I am a Goddess."
That made their jaws drop as Klaus asked. "Are you…are you…..?"
"Yes brother, I am", Rebekah told them all.
"With power over light", Freya noted with interest. "A Vampire's weakness."
"So you are a powerful Goddess now, aunt Rebekah?" Hope asked innocently.
"Yes little one, I am, and I am going to watch over our whole family now", Rebekah said to her, as Klaus walked to his sister and gave her a hug.
"I am happy for you, really."
"Thank you, brother", she said before Freya too embraced her.
"Live this life to its best, sister."
"I will", Rebekah said, then also sharing a nod with Hayley and Erik.
Stefan, who was in the corner, told her. "I am happy for you, Rebekah, really."
"Yeah, congratulations", Caroline said as well.
"Now you can have you always wanted", Bonnie smiled at her.
"Good for you, luv", Enzo said as well.
Rebekah knew these four were genuine and kind, and nodded in appreciation. "Thank you."
"So, a former Vampire gets power over light, eh?" Spike muttered to Angel, Cordelia, Buffy and Faith. "Think there's a joke there somewhere."
"Yeah, just not sure what kind", Angel sighed.
"Eh, we'll figure it out", Cordelia shrugged. "Right guys?"
"Right", Buffy noted.
"Yeah, until then let's think of what to do next", Faith sighed.
Loki then walked in there, as Rebekah smiled at him and grasped his arm, clinging to him. "My God."
"My Goddess", Loki looked into her eyes, and the look he had, it was as if he was worshipping her, Rebekah knowing she had truly found love now.
Apokolips
Darkseid stood, the remaining Furies and other New Gods all assembled, for he knew what was coming upon the Multiverse, and he was going to fight it, because only he could be the ruler with the Anti-Life Equation.
The anti-matter wave spread across Apokolips while the skies were red already.
The ruler of the Hellish Planet grew to gargantuan proportions to face off against his equally, or rather, even more fearsome opponent.
"I am entropy, I am death, I am the Destroyer, the Dark God, the Darkness, the God of Evil, I am Darkseid!"
However, throughout all of this, the Anti-Monitor was simply silent, not responding to a single title Darkseid had spoken to threaten him.
Then the Black Lanterns flew in, using their powers upon the Furies who tried to fight back, but while they took out some, eventually, the power of the Black Lanterns dwarfed theirs, and they were taken out one by one.
Five Black Lanterns tried to attack Darkseid himself but he punched three of them so hard they shattered before holding the remaining two in his fist, crushing them into nothingness.
"Is this all you can conjure?" Darkseid boasted, and in that moment, the anti-matter seemed to form the shape of a person.
And then, it appeared.
A bluish being with glowing yellow eyes stood there with blue gauntlets to cover red hands and a silver armor with golden linings across it.
The Anti-Monitor had come!
The other New Gods tried attack him, but the anti-matter wave blew them back, slowly destroying them.
Darkseid struck first, using the Darkness to strike the Anti-Monitor, but to his horror, it was blocked, though Anti-Monitor did very slightly stagger, but that was it.
Then Anti-Monitor struck, and Darkseid was thrown back, rolling upon the ground.
He tried to blow back Anti-Monitor with telekinesis, but Anti-Monitor easily powered through it, and so he warped the whole area, trying to crash it upon Anti-Monitor.
But the anti-matter wave emanated from the Anti-Monitor and Darkseid's reality warp shattered into pieces while being consumed.
Darkseid produced a powerful shockwave that seemed to shake the whole Apokolips and break a lot of stuff, but Anti-Monitor still resisted it.
Seeing no choice, Darkseid finally fired his Omega Beams. "Now you shall perish!"
Anti-Monitor formed a shield with the anti-matter wave which actually absorbed the Omega Beams, now Darkseid looking on in utter horror.
"For my anti-matter to consume it all, your pitiful existence must be ended", Anti-Monitor pointed at Darkseid, and a wave of anti-matter consumed the Dark God, making him scream until there was nothing left of him.
And then, the anti-matter wave spread upon Apokolips as well, the Hellish Planet being the next to fall.
Notes:
Another chapter over, and I used it for some cameo fun too. So now we had Brightburn, Invincible, Japanese Spider-Man, Hulk 2003, Doom Patrol 2019, Superboy 1988, Punisher 1989, Birds of Prey 2003, Watchmen 2009, Highlander and Supernatural worlds, which are all gone too.
There were some of these like Watchmen, Japanese Spider-Man, Highlander and Supernatural which I originally planned to include in bigger roles but just couldn't figure out what to do, so they are just cameos in this Multiverse now.
Now I know Supernatural has its own version of God and Archangels and Lucifer and 'Pagan Gods', so, here's the explanation- Chuck is not God, rather a powerful Primordial Being, and when 'Supernatural' Universe first came into existence, it had nothing in it, then Chuck found out about the actual God and Lucifer and Gods and Archangels, so Chuck decided to become God of that Universe and some other empty ones, and created life there, now being hailed as God in these Universes, and the Archangels and Lucifer here are all inspired by the real deals, but are just other beings who share the name without realizing it, and 'Pagan Gods' too are beings with the same name with similar power but much weaker in scale.
And Amara is another Primordial Being who is Chuck's twin sister of course.
The implication being that the actual Kali would slaughter Chuck, Amara, Lucifer and the Archangels effortlessly.
Put too much thought into this cameo but needed to explain it due to my own series' lore.
Now I know Dr. Manhattan is very, very, very OP, but this is the movie version of him, and I haven't seen the HBO show so I don't know how powerful he became there. While Anti-Monitor is closer in power level to the comics version of him, which is why even Dr. Manhattan couldn't do much.
When I originally planned to have Watchmen in a bigger role, Dr. Manhattan would have gotten more to do but now he's just a cameo.
Still, due to his great power he did not die, just got reduced to pure energy, and it would take him a long time to recreate his physical form, which is how he is taken out of Crisis.
And Darkseid is also destroyed, hell of a way to introduce Anti-Monitor, isn't it? Especially since it took two Justice Leagues- the OP Smallville Justice League and the less powerful but still powerful DCEU Justice League, to drive Darkseid back in my series.
So defeating him like this establishes Anti-Monitor as a powerful threat.
The Celestials also get destroyed by the Exterminators who now work for Anti-Monitor, as do the Black Lanterns, and Annihilus.
In between, we had some moments of comfort, and also a heart-warming moment with the Originals family.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 5: Time to fight back
Summary:
More worlds fall as the Heroes decide to save the people.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again, and Marcus S. Lazarus for a suggestion.
Also, since this is a COIE fic, I'm using it for more cameo fun, basically expect a few fandoms to be wiped out here and there in the next few chapters.
And thank you to those who suggested fandoms as well.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-211
Scott McCall was narrating what had happened to Alec. "They ran that night."
That moment, the skies turned red and they looked up to see those, Alec asking. "What's that?"
"I don't know", Scott sighed just as this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-218
Snow White and Prince Charming were getting married just when Regina Mills the Evil Queen appeared. "Sorry I'm late."
However, that was as far as her entrance went, since the skies suddenly turned red, making them look up in surprise.
And then they were all gone due to their Universe being destroyed.
Earth-52
The Buffy Summers of this Earth, along with her husband Pike, looked up at the red skies as Pike asked. "You think you can slay that?"
"I don't think I can", Buffy said as they held hands and looked at each other in their last moments before their Universe was wiped out.
Earth-219
The Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris, who was a half-Vampire, of this World Without Shrimp, looked up at the red skies.
"Now that, I have no idea what that is", Willow commented.
"Maybe Anya or Giles would know?" Xander suggested.
"Yeah, let's ask them", Buffy agreed, but they never got a chance to since the Universe was wiped out in the next moment.
Earth-95
The Elena Gilbert of this world faced the risen Klaus Mikaelson, stricken with utter horror.
"Unscarred," he said. He spoke softly, but his words resonated across the clearing. "I'm whole again." He tipped his head back to see the three-quarter moon high above him and his smile widened. "And back home," he said.
Ethan wriggled out of a shocked Stefan Salvatore's loosened grip and dropped to his knees.
"Klaus," he said worshipfully.
Klaus glanced down at him with an indifferent sort of curiosity. Ethan opened his mouth to say more, his face ecstatic, but before he could, Klaus reached out, wrapped his strong, graceful hands around Ethan's jaw, and pulled.
Ethan's head came away just as the skies turned red and everything shook.
And then, with that, this Universe met its end.
Earth-710
Sookie Stackhouse, who looked exactly like Rogue of Earth-199999, was in tears, knowing she had to stake Bill Compton now, and kill him.
Only, before she could, the skies turned red, making both of them look up in shock and horror.
And then this Universe was destroyed as well.
Earth-97
Harry Potter was facing Lord Voldemort in the graveyard, the magic from their wands clashing while Cedric Diggory's corpse lay nearby.
The Death Eaters were there as well.
That was when the skies turned red, making them all look up in shock as Voldemort lowered his wand, and so did Harry.
Then this Universe was destroyed as well.
Earth-25
Percy Jackson watched in horror as Kronos had just found out that Charles Beckendorf had fooled Ethan with a lie.
But in that moment, the skies turned red, and everything shook, as Percy wondered. "What's going on now?"
Kronos looked up, and that was when the Universe was destroyed.
Universe-215
Rey was about to battle Kylo Ren, when the skies turned red, making them look up in shock, as the Universe was destroyed moments later.
Earth-206
Claire Bennet, Peter Petrelli, Hiro Nakamura, Nathan Petrelli and Matt Parkman looked up at the red skies, Parkman wondering. "Is this is a threat or something?"
"Looks like it", Peter told him.
"So, we should find out about it then?" Hiro inquired.
"Sounds like the only reasonable option", Nathan said.
"Okay then, let's go", Claire said, all of them preparing to go up against this, only, they couldn't, due to the unfortunate destruction of their Universe.
Earth-1997
Al Simmons aka Spawn looked at the red skies covering his Universe, but couldn't do much about it due to his Universe then being destroyed.
Earth-70
Natasha Romanoff had just helped Captain Carter defeat Rumlow, and was leading her to somewhere in the ship to show her something.
Suddenly, the skies turned red, making them both look up in shock.
"What's going on now?" Carter asked.
"No idea", Natasha said as the Universe met its end.
Earth-71
Star Lord T'Challa was flying around with Peter Quill of this world on Earth, having just made Quill his sidekick.
Then in that moment, the skies turned red, Quill looking up. "I don't think that looks good."
"I feel the same, Quill", T'Challa agreed, the Universe destroyed then.
Earth-73
Clint Barton had aimed at human Thor, who was trying to lift Mjolnir, when the skies turned red, making him and Thor both look up in shock.
Then the arrow launched by itself, but the Universe was destroyed before it could hit its mark.
Earth-74
Stephen Strange of this world was driving with Christine Palmer, the two of them still a couple here.
Suddenly, the skies turned red as Christine asked. "Now what's that?"
"I'm not sure", Strange told her just as the Universe was gone.
Earth-75
The Secret Avengers had arrived to battle the Zombies of this world, but before the battle could start, the skies all turned red.
And then this Universe too was gone.
Earth-76
Tony Stark groaned, having been rescued by Killmonger on this Earth from being abducted by the Ten Rings.
But before anything else could be done, the skies turned red and this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-77
Party Thor struck Captain Marvel with Mjolnir for being a 'party pooper', sending her flying off by many feet.
He then flew after her when the skies turned red, shocking him. "Now are these red skies also party poopers?"
The red skies were worse than that, as the Universe was then destroyed as well.
Earth-217
Sydney Barret had just convinced David Haller to master his powers, when they looked up to see the skies had turned red.
"You know any mutant who can do that?" Haller asked Syd randomly.
"No, I don't think so", Syd told him just as their Universe was destroyed.
Earth-207
Reed Strucker and Caitlin Strucker, who happened to look like Winifred 'Fred' Burkle, looked up with Lauren and Andy Strucker at the red skies.
"What is going on?" Lauren inquired.
"No idea", Andy told her.
"Do you know?" Caitlin turned to Reed.
"No", Reed shook his head, the Universe meeting its end.
Earth-229
Logan was escaping Pierce and his men alongside Laura and Charles, when the skies turned red. "Shit!"
And then this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-44
Daimon Helstrom looked up at the red skies, knowing something was wrong, but couldn't investigate further due to the destruction of the Multiverse.
Universe-193
On the Krypton of this world, Seg-El looked up at the red skies covering Krypton, realizing this was bad, this was probably the end.
And then, this Universe too was destroyed.
Earth-20
The Clark and Lois of this Earth, who happened to look exactly like Earth-38 Clark and Lois, watched the red skies with their sons Jordan and Jonathan from Smallville.
"Are you going to go out there, dad?" Jonathan asked his father.
"Yeah, I think I am", Clark told them.
"I know you'll save us", Jordan said happily.
"Go get 'em Superman", Lois said with a smile as Clark smiled at her and they shared a kiss.
Then he made to fly out in his suit, but the Universe was destroyed before he could.
Earth-110
The Swamp Thing looked up at the red skies and let out a grunt before its Universe was destroyed.
Earth-64 aka Pete's World
Rose Tyler with the Meta-Crisis Tenth Doctor looked up at the red skies, asking. "Do you know what it is?"
"I don't think I can do anything about this either", he told her.
Jackie and Pete watched it too, holding hands.
And with that, this Universe was destroyed as well.
Earth-72
Hughie and Annie, along with MM, Frenchie and Kimiko behind them, looked up at the red skies.
"What is this?" Frenchie wondered.
"What Steve called to warn us about", Hughie said. "Looks like we were too slow."
The reality breacher was with Lex Luthor, and they were all going to go to him and escape with him, but now it was too late.
"Yeah, but at least we're together", Annie held Hughie's hand as they stared at each other.
Kimiko looked at Frenchie, giving him a smile as he smiled back.
MM sighed. "Wish I was with my family for this."
Maeve and Elena shared a look, then looked up at the red skies, their arms around each other.
Lex looked out at the red skies, knowing the end was near, and opened a breach, while also holding something in his other, a virtual version of a boat or something.
"I really wanted you all to come with me", Lex said sadly to the absent Boys group, as well as their families, Maeve and Annie. "But its too late. I'm sorry."
There were other things he needed to do, which he'd been brought back for. As much as he hated it, he could not save his allies from this world now.
So he went into the breach with his stuff, including the virtual boat, as well as the Lexosuit, ending up on a random Earth.
Butcher picked up Ryan, and engulfed him as well as Becca in a hug. "I love you so much. Never forget that. Neither of you."
With that, he held his wife and HIS son in their last moments, the Universe soon destroyed as well.
Earth-199999
Uatu the Watcher appeared before the Heroes again, looking sad. "I tried to save some worlds, only managed to save some people." He sighed sadly. "Earth-72 is also gone now, I'm sorry."
Steve and Kal, who'd been the closest to that world, felt this news hit their hearts like a bag of bricks, a slightly better Diana now wrapping her arm around Steve as Lois grasped Kal from behind in an embrace.
"No…." Jessica felt a tear drop down, thinking of Starlight.
"Lex…" Kal realized, looking down before looking back up. "He would be…."
While they still weren't friends, they'd parted on good terms, and now he was gone too.
"I'm sorry, Clark", Lois said to him gently.
"How many more are we going to lose?" Mack said angrily, Yo-Yo putting a hand on his shoulder as the other Agents shared looks as well.
Suddenly, a breach opened and out staggered the Serenity Crew, and they all saw their Universe being taken over by the anti-matter wave behind them, Mal closing the breach in that very moment.
"Gorramnit!" Mal said in anger. "Here we thought we could get here in time."
"Our ship is gone now", Kaylee said, looking stricken, as River fell to her knees.
"Gone", she muttered. "All gone."
"We lost it all", Wash sighed, Zoe looking away too.
"I'm sorry", Steve said to them in sympathy, putting a hand on Mal's shoulder, while the Serenity Crew looked around at the rest of them.
The Originals looked up to see Elijah walking to them. "Hello everyone."
"Brother", Klaus muttered, walking to Elijah as they shared an embrace, and then he and Hayley hugged too.
After that, Elijah hugged Rebekah, Kol, Freya and Hope one by one.
"We were worried about you", Rebekah told him.
"Captain sent alerts to all of us", Elijah said to all of them. "Our world is still standing, but I came here."
He then looked at Klaus and Hayley, and told them. "I would like to tell you both that I have now found myself after all this soul-searching." He looked to Klaus first. "I am no longer obsessed with redeeming you, brother." Then he turned to Hayley. "And I can now move on from our relationship as well."
"Good, I'm happy for you", Hayley patted his shoulder with a smile, and Klaus nodded at his brother.
"Now, I'd like you all to meet my girlfriend", Elijah told them, and, to their surprise, Black Siren walked in, winking at everyone.
"Hello, all of you", she waved at them. "I think we know each other from that dratted contest. Name's Laurel Lance, aka Black Siren, from Earth-2."
"Right", Kol noted this was his brother's girlfriend now.
"Well, we're happy for both of you", Klaus told them both.
At the same time, the TARDIS suddenly materialized, staggering a bit before standing still, and out staggered The Doctor, with Song behind him, and then came Amy and Rory, Donna Noble, Wilf, Donna's husband Shaun, Martha, Mickey, their children Adiola and August, and Jack Harkness.
"Damn it!" The Doctor said, looking stricken with grief. "Our world…."
"All gone", Song said sadly, before they noticed the Serenity crew.
"Our world's gone too", Zoe told them, sadness in her voice, as they shared looks of grief.
"We're sorry", Kent told them. "Many have been lost already."
Shaun looked at TARDIS. "That was something." Then he looked down sadly. "But our world…."
"I couldn't save them", The Doctor punched the wall, angry for once.
Donna looked at her grandfather, who walked to The Doctor and put a hand on his shoulder. "You tried your best, so don't blame yourself."
"What else can I do?" The Doctor said as he looked at him, and Donna. "All of you lost your families, the world is gone. I failed."
"No, you didn't", Kal said, making The Doctor look at him. "You did what you do, you tried to save people to the end."
"This Crisis, it is just something that even all of us together struggle to face", Aragorn noted sadly.
Donna then fell to her knees. "Mom….." Tears rolled down her cheeks over losing her mother, as Shaun hugged her from behind to comfort her.
While all this time travel and Multiverse stuff was already blowing his mind, his wife needed him, and she came first.
"Is no one else alive?" Amy asked The Doctor.
"I'm afraid not", The Doctor sighed sadly.
"Damn it!" Rory groaned, the two looking at each other, realizing their whole world was gone now.
"Thank you, for coming for us", Martha thanked The Doctor, who nodded at her.
"Yes, thank you", Mickey said as well, even if both grieved for those they'd lost.
"What happened?" Adiola asked, but Martha gently shushed her, as Mickey patted August's head.
Sara noticed Rory and muttered. "Well, I'll be damned."
Oliver's eyes narrowed on seeing Malcolm, and then Sara, Roy and Barry-Red noticed him as well, Oliver saying. "Not as much as I'll be."
"Oh!" Jack turned to them, waving. "Name's Jack Harkness."
"Oliver Queen", Oliver muttered, not having a very good poker face for this moment.
"Is something wrong?" Jack inquired.
"Nothing, you just look like someone we know", Sara told him.
"Oh I wish I knew you two before", Jack looked between them, and then Roy, as well as Barry-Red. "Damn! You two are hotties!"
Oliver and Sara shared a weird look, cringing, while Jack looked around, noticing the rest. "Huh? The place is full of pretty people. If only my Universe was also around, so I could bring you lot with me."
"I think I need to go to sleep", Roy muttered to Oliver and Sara.
"We all do", Barry-Red said.
Song sighed, looking around at everyone. "Guess this is among what remains."
Donna now looked up, controlling herself for now, as Shaun and Wilf helped her up, and she looked around before noticing Song, narrowing her eyes, which Song noticed, as did Amy and Rory.
"What?" Song asked. "Is there….."
The Doctor sighed, Donna looking at him next, and he knew it was time to reveal it now.
"Is there something we should know?" Amy asked, the Earth-199999 crew now noticing she happened to look like a human version of Nebula.
"Yes, there is", The Doctor finally said, looking at Donna, then at Amy, Rory and Song. "Something I never told you, but should have."
"Does it have anything to do with me?" Song asked.
"Everything", The Doctor told her, looking like he was struggling not to break down, and it wasn't over the loss of their Universe. "My previous self and Donna, we were summoned to a planet-sized Library once", he looked at Song, "by you."
"Me?" Song realized. "My future self."
"And….." Rory trailed off, realizing this wasn't going to go anywhere particularly good.
"It was overrun by these creatures called the Vashta Nerada, which had claimed it as their own due to the books being made from their forests", The Doctor continued. "There was a computer core there, where people were trapped, including Donna." The Doctor and Donna shared a look.
"I think you were going to do something, right?" Amy inquired.
"I was going to hook myself to the terminal, even if it would kill me", The Doctor turned to Song, letting a tear roll down his cheek. "But then you came, knocked me out, because we needed to meet in my timeline. And then you made the sacrifice. I saved your pattern to the core."
He staggered back, sitting down on a chair. "So when I met you again, and we got together, I knew every moment between us, it has to be treasured, because I knew." He wiped his tears. "I wanted to tell you….."
"Why didn't you?" Rory asked, sounding a bit angry. "We deserved to know."
"Yes, Raggedy Man", Amy agreed there. "That kind of secret, you shouldn't have kept it."
Song felt conflicted, not liking that he'd kept this, but also realizing the changes to the timeline that would be caused, so he had no choice. He likely wanted to tell them about this the whole time, but couldn't, due to the timeline.
"He wanted to, he just couldn't", Song turned to her parents. "He was probably trying his best to save me using advanced technology without changing history. You two should understand."
Amy and Rory shared a look, then looked at The Doctor's face, and thought about Song's words, before thinking of Lake Silencio, as they realized The Doctor had no choice, and was hurting the whole time, knowing the woman he loved, their daughter, was doomed, and he could just spend time with her.
"Oh Raggedy Man", Amy said, empathy in her voice as she sat next to him and wrapped her arm around him, while Rory came to his other side, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"You were keeping that with you the whole time?" Rory asked, The Doctor looking at them both in appreciation.
Song knelt in front of The Doctor and told him. "I do not like that you kept this, but I understand why you did."
"Thank you", The Doctor told her, as she wiped his tears, and the Pond family helped The Doctor stand up.
"Guess I spilled the beans", Donna cringed, looking at The Doctor. "Sorry."
"No, don't apologize, you shouldn't", he told her.
"Besides", Harkness pointed out. "Our Universe is now gone. So, River Song's final fate is no longer a possibility."
"But, not really a good thing", Martha pointed out. "Overall, that is. We lost our Universe."
"Yeah, yeah we did", Mickey said sadly, looking down.
"You're not the only ones", Piper said from where she was. "We lost ours too."
"Sorry, about that", Wilf said.
"Thank you", Victor told him.
"I'm still trying to get used to this all", Shaun looked around at everything. "Time-travel, time machine, other Earths, and superpowers, aliens…."
"Join the club", Henry raised a hand. "I had to get used to magic. Now all of this stuff is real too."
"We're sorry you lost your world", Tara said to the Earth-63 and Universe-502 crews. "But we're glad that you are all safe with us."
"Yeah, couldn't lose you all too", Willow agreed there.
"Now", Steve said as all looked at him. "This has gone on long enough. We will start going on other Earths, and evacuating them to prevent the people from dying when they lose their lives."
"Can't fit everyone on this Earth though, Cap", Tony pointed out.
"Well, time to do what I did when Galactus came", Strange said, everyone looking at him now. "The Mirror Dimension."
"Right", Natasha realized. "Keep them safe there and prevent overpopulation."
"Should we bring Earth-10005 here as well?" Logan asked, having arrived a while ago with Storm, Piotr, Beast, Rogue, Kitty, Iceman, Terminator, Sarah and John.
"I do not think that would be necessary for now", Thor told them as they looked at him now.
"And why is that?" Erik inquired, having just come out with Loki, Black Siren and the Earth-29 crew.
"Because the Phoenix Force is on Earth-10005, it would be a threat to Anti-Monitor, so he would wait before striking against it", Thor pointed out why Earth-10005 was not in any immediate danger. "And, as much as I hate to say, that Earth also has Doctor Doom."
All of them knew what Doom was capable of. While he was their enemy, he too would protect his world from the Crisis, it seemed.
"Guess it really is safe for now", Freya commented.
"But, there are other Earths which are not", Steve told all of them. "And those must be saved now."
Mar-Novu suddenly appeared before them, not looking pleased as he said. "It is a waste of time to save the mundane."
"How can you say that?" The Doctor demanded angrily.
"That is the worst kind of mentality", Simon agreed from his end.
Mar-Novu looked unmoved. "You are meant for a higher purpose. They are not."
"And that means we should not save them?" Aragorn asked. "If we are meant for a higher purpose, then that means it is our duty to save them."
"Aragorn's right", Kal agreed, looking at Mar-Novu. "Every decent life matters. Not just those who can fight threats."
"Guess to you we all look small from up there", Lois spoke back to him as well. "But we're gonna do what's right."
"And if that's not what you want, we don't really care", Oliver added from his end.
"Yeah, we're gonna save people", Barry-Red nodded as well.
Mar-Novu said. "But you all need to fight the Crisis. They can't fight it, what use will they be to you when you save them?"
"Use? Use?" Cordelia asked incredulously. "That's why you think we're going to save them? Because they will be of some use to us?"
"We save them not because of any use, but because its our job to help the helpless", Angel said to him.
"Using people is not really our thing", Caroline said as well.
"And even if we have done it, we regret that", Freya told him.
"I'm pretty sure you won't have that decency", Logan added from his end.
"Considering how he is talking, doubt it", Storm shook her head.
"With great power, comes great responsibility", Parker now told Mar-Novu. "We have great power, so its our responsibility to save the people who can't save themselves."
"He is right, it is our job, our duty, to protect the innocent", Arthur said, raising Excalibur.
"So, we will go save people", Paige stood up, facing Mar-Novu as well. "If you've a problem with that, well, you can keep it to yourself."
"Yup, like said before, we will do the right thing", Piper agreed as well.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing", Matt quoted The Bible. "By letting these people die, we are doing nothing."
"And that's something we don't usually do", Rory added as well.
"Oh no we don't", Donna agreed as well. "Even if we lost our world, there are others that need saving. The people there need saving."
"And we're up to the task, they shouldn't suffer like we did", Mal said with a snarl.
"So you all choose to waste your time saving people with lower purpose", Mar-Novu sighed.
Now Steve was the one who spoke to Mar-Novu directly. "Just because they can't fight in the Crisis, doesn't mean they're worthless. No one is a nobody. Every life is worth something, I'm not the one who can measure that worth, but neither are you. Whether they can contribute or not, I'm going to save every life I can. Get in the way, and I promise you, you won't like what happens."
Seeing the look in Steve's eye, even Mar-Novu backed down, as Uatu smiled in pride at all of these Heroes. "I approve of what you're doing." He suddenly closed his eyes and opened them in horror. "Earth-167 is under attack."
Kal, Lois, Ollie, Chloe and Bart shared a look of horror before Aragorn raised Mjolnir. "We will not let the people die this time."
Thor, who had been looking down silently with a grim expression until now, finally looked up. "No, we won't."
"Let's go", Steve said.
Earth-167
Like with Earth-38, Mar-Novu had erected a Tower on Earth-167 too, to slow down the wave.
Martha Kent looked up at the red skies from where she was working when Doctor Fate appeared before her.
"Did Clark send you?" She asked.
"We are saving this world", Doctor Fate told her before making her disappear to Earth-199999.
And soon, they started rescuing the people of this world.
In the Tower, those who had fought in the last Tower now arrived, joined by Logan, Yelena, Colossus, Beast, Rogue, Kitty, Sarah Connor, The Doctor, Song, Amy, Rory, Harkness, Donna, Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Elijah, Black Siren, and the whole of the Agents of SHIELD and Serenity Crew.
The Shadow Demons came at them once more, and the battle began, with Logan roaring as he unleashed his claws, taking out five of them effortlessly, while Yelena shot two down, and Colossus ripped apart three of them. Beast two got one, as Rogue dodged one's attack and Kitty went through it, disintegrating it on a molecular level, while another one grasped Rogue but she drained and destroyed it.
The Doctor and Song flashed their sonic screwdrivers, managing to take out one Shadow Demon each, as Amy, Rory, Harkness, Donna, Sarah Connor, the SHIELD Agents minus Daisy and Yo-Yo, and the Serenity Crew minus River fired at them, managing to take some out, as all were decent to good shots.
Elijah sliced one with his sword, and River struck, managing to take two of them out very swiftly.
Piper held out her hands, making a group of Shadow Demons explode, and Paige orbed four of them in front of Bobbi, Hunter, Fitz and Simmons, who shot them down in that moment.
Black Siren unleashed her sonic scream, destroying some more of them as Daisy used her blasts to kill another group, and Yo-Yo rammed into three of them, taking them down.
The Charmed Ones held hands and once more chanted 'The Power of Three will set you free', using their power to destroy a huge group of Shadow Demons.
But more of them kept coming.
Outside, the people were being saved and evacuated.
Kara Kent and Superboy flew around, flying people into evacuation portals or rips through reality, or breaches by Cisco, and Kal was doing the same, as was John Jones.
Jones stopped to destroy some Shadow Demons with fireballs, as Kara and Superboy got some more with Heat Vision, Tess disintegrating a group of them with a cyclone she fired.
Down below, Knight, Nightwing, Mia, Zan and Jayna were gesturing to people, to go into the portals, rips or breaches, while Wonder Woman protected a group of them from Shadow Demons, using her sword to slice them down.
Terminator was in the air, firing a machine gun fitted to its arm and killing more Shadow Demons, while the sky darkened and lightning shot down upon more of them from Storm.
Iceman slid around on an ice-slide, freezing and shattering another group of them with his powers.
Blue Beetle flew above, taking down another Shadow Demon, while Booster Gold got two more.
Raven stopped some Shadow Demons with her powers and disintegrated them, as Zatanna was surrounded by some. "etargetnisiD."
They too disintegrated into nothingness as nearby, John Constantine of this Earth chanted, sending a blast of flames and killing some more, before a portal opened next to him and out came Constantine of Earth-1, with his Zatanna Zatara.
"dniB dna yortsed", Zatara chanted, as the Shadow Demons were bound by an enchanted rope and destroyed, while Constantine chanted too, making the ground shake as the Shadow Demons were hit by a sonic blast that destroyed them.
Stargirl leapt down, slamming her staff and destroying some more Shadow Demons, before leading some people away.
Megan Morse grabbed another from behind, destroying it, while waves swept in, sweeping away some Shadow Demons as AC appeared with Mera, both of them getting on the ground to engage.
Dinah Lance let out a sonic scream, destroying another group while Vic fired his canon, managing to destroy a line of them.
Up above, John Stewart sent out boxing gloves that punched and destroyed a group of them, before making a machine with two hammers, that slammed another group of them, destroying those too.
Barbara Gordon, a Blue Lantern, flew next to him, as she used her Ring to create a sonic pulse that took out more of them.
The two Lanterns shared a look before fighting more.
Kal was in the Fortress of Solitude now, having taken a detour.
"This is the end of the Universe, my son. But know that I was proud to see you become the Hero you are now."
"I know, thank you", Kal nodded in appreciation. While his methods had been shady, Jor-El was part of the reason too that he had become who he was now.
Jor-El, Lara, Jonathan, Martha, Lois, Chloe, Ollie, Bart, Tess, Jones, Vic, AC, Alicia, Kyla, Raya, Ryan, Lionel Luthor, even Lana and Lex, the whole of Justice League and Smallville, were the reason he was Superman now.
And he would never forget.
"However, I need this Phantom Zone Crystal", Kal picked up the Crystal. "It might have some answers I need. Goodbye, dad."
"Goodbye, son."
With that, Kal flew off.
The anti-matter wave was coming, as Steve, Stewart and Barbara together used the power of their Rings to try and hold it back.
They were joined in their efforts by Erik, using the power of the Earth's electromagnetic spectrum. Then Wanda joined them as well, followed by Aragorn using Mjolnir, along with Merlin, Lena, Willow, Tara, Freya, Loki, Rebekah, Arthur, Constantine, John, Zatanna and Zatara.
Strange, Fate and Cisco tried to hold it back as well, and then Kal, Kara, Kent and Superboy flew in, along with Jones, trying to help the Lanterns and magicians hold up their barrier against the anti-matter wave.
Annihilus was there, aiming his Rod at them and trying to destroy the force field, and was joined by Black Lanterns.
"Oh my…." Stewart trailed off in horror.
"This can't be!" Barbara said too, equally horrified.
"Black Lanterns", Fate whispered in horror, as some of the Black Lanterns joined Annihilus in trying to destroy the field, but the Heroes didn't move either, gritting their teeth, and then Thor flew between Annihilus and the Black Lanterns, and the defending Heroes.
"You shall go no further", Thor pointed Stormbreaker at Annihilus, looking very stoic and firm. "This is where you stop."
Annihilus spoke in his tongue that Thor understood due to All-Speak and All-Tongue. "I serve the Anti-Monitor, you cannot hope to stop me."
"Well, we're going to find that out, aren't we?" Thor asked, tilting his neck.
"Brother!" Loki cried out in concern.
"Leave Annihilus to me", Thor said to all of them. "This has gone on long enough. Kara Danvers has to be avenged."
"He is too powerful!" Steve called out to him.
"You can't face him alone", Kal said as well.
"Let us help you", Aragorn said as well.
"No, I will handle this myself", Thor said, glaring at Annihilus. "Keep that barrier up, do what you have to."
They all shared looks of reluctance as Kent inquired. "What do we do?"
"Well, it doesn't seem like we can change Thor's mind", Strange pointed out.
"Brother…" Loki whispered, concerned for Thor.
"Well, you're always in over your head", Steve said before adding. "Unless you're Thor."
"You think Thor can face Annihilus?" Aragorn inquired.
"I think he can", Steve nodded. "We will have to save the people, that's what we came here for."
"Right", Rebekah nodded reluctantly, as Steve looked at Loki, who looked at Thor facing Annihilus and the Black Lanterns one more time.
Then, all of them flew off or teleported away.
"We shall strike you down", Annihilus declared to Thor.
"Can't wait", Thor smirked, facing down against them all.
Notes:
Thor now faces Annihilus and some Black Lanterns by himself. Can he face them all alone as the rest of the Heroes evacuate the world?
Find out in the next chapter of 'Heroes from Infinite Earths'.
And we got more fandom cameos- Teen Wolf, Once Upon A Time, the 1992 Buffy movie, the 2019 Buffy reboot comics, the original books of 'The Vampire Diaries' by L.J. Smith, True Blood, Harry Potter books, Percy Jackson books, the Disney Trilogy of Star Wars (took sadistic pleasure in destroying Disney's trash here), Heroes (so, the 'Heroes' TV Series was destroyed in the 'Heroes' Series), Spawn 1997, all the 'What…If?' worlds except the Infinity Stone Ultron one since in this series there are only six Infinity Stones in the Multiverse, Legion, The Gifted, Logan 2017, Helstrom TV Series, Krypton TV Series, Superman and Lois and finally Swamp Thing 2019.
Plus also Pete's World from Doctor Who goes.
And Earth-63 and Universe-502 are also gone but have some survivors at least.
Poor Oliver, Sara and Roy for seeing Jack Harkness, LOL! And poor Sara for seeing Rory as well, HA!
Now Amy, Rory and Song know of Song's passing due to these events.
Adiola and August are Martha's and Mickey's OC twin children, a girl and a boy respectively, created by my friend Flashraven in his spin-off to my series 'All This for a Jacket'.
The Boys world is also gone before they could escape, but Lex Luthor still survives, fortunately.
If you got more cameo ideas, please send me. Though there won't be cameos in the next chapter, but the one after that, yes.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 6: Holding it back
Summary:
Thor engages Annihilus by himself.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again here.
Also, forgot to say, but since Black Lightning and his family existed on Earth-38, they are also wiped out now.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"What you are seeing now is just me", Thor told Annihilus, who watched in amusement, knowing he'd strike this Asgardian down anyway.
Then lightning struck Thor and he was covered in a lightning cloak. "Now, you see me with a lightning cloak."
"And this…" With that, he was surrounded by a glow of the Odinforce and said. "This is when I've ascended past my usual power, it is called the Odinforce."
Annihilus told him. "You can gather as much power as you want, I will strike you down."
Thor actually chuckled and said. "Just wait."
Loki had his eyes closed and wondered to the rest near him. "Has he really found a way to surpass even his Odinforce power? Is that possible?"
"Maybe he's bluffing to stall for time", Rebekah suggested, also sensing Thor's power with closed eyes.
DBZ Super Saiyan 3 soundtrack plays
"And this…"
"What's he doing?" Willow wondered, also sensing Thor's power, alongside Tara.
"I don't know, but I know he has something up his sleeve", Tara said.
"Is. To go. Even further beyond!" Thor said, clutching his fists, and then let out a loud, long and powerful scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Loki and Rebekah gasped on sensing the power.
So did Willow and Tara.
Aragorn, Steve, Kal, Kara, Jones, Kent, Wanda, Hercules, Storm, Vic, Merlin, Arthur, Lena, Tess, Surfer, Stewart and Barbara did the same.
And Erik and Freya gasped on sensing it as well.
As did Strange, Fate and Cisco.
Legolas, Arwen, Cordelia, Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Dawn and Bonnie were no different.
Thor continued his scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"No, stop it Thor", Mar-Novu said with wide and horrified eyes. "This amount of power can destroy the world. And that's not what we are doing!"
Annihilus now watched with interest as down below, the ripples on the water grew larger due to Thor's power, managing to reach the surface in all directions. Even the clouds were now flying away due to Thor's power. He continued screaming, this time even longer.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Its unreal", Piper told the rest. "How is he generating that much power?"
Dawn had seen Thor's power and what he could do before, better than the Earth-98 and Earth-29 people, and smirking, said. "Do it Thor."
"Do what?" Phoebe wondered.
Superboy stopped flying and looked at the moving clouds. "Huh? What's going on?" Then he realized what. "Thor is putting out more energy than he ever has before." He remembered what he was supposed to do. "I should go and get the people out."
With that, he flew off.
Thor continued screaming as clouds flew around him.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The ripples turned into huge waves, overturning an empty ship at the docks and even drenching the coasts, while the remaining people in the city screamed due to how much it was shaking, with a board even falling down just as Bart ran them off into a portal.
Thor continued screaming, now surrounded in a red light.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The red aura started glowing even brighter slowly as he screamed. "AAAAAA! AAAGH! AAA! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Annihilus and the Black Lanterns were blown back by the power Thor was generating, horrifying even Annihilus.
"STOP IT!" Mar-Novu cried out. "STOP IT NOW THOR!"
As the waves flowed even higher, Thor continued. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The people in the city watched in horror as giant cracks formed on all buildings around them.
One car skidded to a halt as the traffic sign over it exploded into pieces while other people ran around to avoid huge glass shards falling from a huge glass building.
Then Kal flew in and saved them all, alongside Kara, getting them into rips, portals or breaches.
In the Watchtower, Emil Hamilton was watching the whole thing on the news, the anchor saying. "The terror in the streets-"
The monitors turned into static and exploded just as Fate appeared and made Emil disappear onto Earth-199999 via rip.
Thor, surrounded by the red light, continued screaming. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
As the world around them shook, Strange said in shock. "What is Thor doing? The whole world feels like its tearing apart. If he doesn't stop, everything could be destroyed."
Cat Grant of this world hid under her bed, stuff falling here and there. "Someone please make it stop!"
Then Kal flew in and flew her to safety.
Thor's aura grew brighter than it was before while clouds flew as he continued his screams.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH! AHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! AHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! HHHHHHH! HHHHHYYYAAAAAAAAAH! HHHHHH! HYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! HHHH! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Annihilus was actually blown back by several feet, as were the Black Lanterns, while the sky seemed to crack with a lot of lightning all over the world for a moment.
When Annihilus recovered, he looked at the sight before him in horror.
Bright red light was emanating from Thor, and he was looking down. Then, he looked up, and his eyes were totally red as well, with red glows underneath them, making it look like he had bloodshot eyes and blood was dripping down them.
Odinforce was around him too, while lightning cracked from his body.
Loki and Rebekah were shocked on sensing this power.
As were Willow and Tara.
Aragorn, Steve, Kal, Kara, Jones, Kent, Wanda, Hercules, Storm, Vic, Merlin, Arthur, Lena, Tess, Surfer, Stewart and Barbara were also in shock.
And Erik and Freya were quite shocked as well.
Same could be said for Strange, Fate and Cisco.
Legolas, Arwen, Cordelia, Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Dawn and Bonnie had their eyes wide by the shock.
The flying Superboy also gasped in shock.
"This is rage that you have awoken in me, a Warrior's Madness", Thor snarled at Annihilus and the Black Lanterns. "It is a sickness, but today, I focus it upon you."
"He activated Warrior's Madness", Loki said in horror. "That is going to be something."
Arthur held up Excalibur, eyes wide on sensing Thor's power. "How did he become that powerful?"
"His power always increases", Merlin noted. "Just hope he can once again do what he has always done."
Thor hovered in the air, his power making the water below ripple a lot, as Annihilus regained his bravado and growled. "I am still more powerful than you are."
Thor didn't say a word as Annihilus told him. "And now, the whole world will be watching when I strike you down."
"I'm ready", Thor said, voice laced with a deathly calm. "Show me what you've got."
Thor twirled Stormbreaker and kept at his belt as Annihilus aimed his Cosmic Rod and said. "Now I shall take you down."
Suddenly, Thor flew at him with speeds he had never shown before, and was right above Annihilus, to the horror of the creature from the Negative Zone.
Thor kneed Annihilus on the face hard, sending him crashing downwards while lightning emanating from him struck some Black Lanterns, sending them flying back, damaged.
As Annihilus was falling, Thor suddenly appeared below him and kicked him back above, making him fly upwards.
Then, Thor grabbed Annihilus by one of his wings, and pulling, punched hard, making him fly off, but Thor kept the grip on his wing, meaning Annihilus would now go back and forth.
And then, Thor continued punching Annihilus while holding him by the wing, making him go back and forth.
"Oh yeah!" Harkness cheered from within the Tower. "He should have done this in the first place!" He added with a smirk. "And this just made him a lot hotter."
"I knew it, Thor will find a way again", Dawn said with a smirk.
"Perhaps", Arwen said, making all turn to her. "Its true that Thor has once more proven to be stronger than any of us foresaw. But I still do not believe he can stop all of them by himself."
"Well, if Thor can't do it, is there anyone who can?" Bonnie inquired.
"We will have to hope", Legolas told all.
Thor was still punching Annihilus while holding him by the wing as he went back and forth. Then, with a particularly hard yank, Thor pulled Annihilus again and punched him very hard.
With that, Thor grabbed Annihilus' wing with both hands, and spun him around at high speeds, before hurling him downwards.
Annihilus crashed into a now empty building, breaking it apart as the debris fell everywhere.
"Did he kill it?" Kara inquired. "Is Annihilus dead?"
"I don't think he is", Jones said grimly.
Suddenly, the debris fell away as Annihilus flew back up, now hovering below Thor, and glared at him.
"He is still unharmed, not even a scratch", Storm said, watching with wide eyes.
Then, Annihilus held up his Cosmic Rod, and fired blasts of Cosmic Energy at Thor
Thor held out Stormbreaker and wielded it, using it to deflect the blasts of Cosmic Energy at high speed, before Annihilus flew up to level with him, on his other side.
Growling, Annihilus suddenly elongated his Rod and struck Thor on the face, making his head tilt away as he flew downwards from the blow.
But, a few moments later, Thor looked back up, smirking, as Annihilus was now concerned.
"Thor, stop it! You are using too much power!" Mar-Novu said in horror.
Thor flew at Annihilus and managed to kick him away. Annihilus recovered and flying back, punched Thor's face as he staggered backwards.
Then, Thor retaliated with a powerful punch to Annihilus' face, sending him back again. The two then clashed using Stormbreaker and Cosmic Rod, Thor firing lightning and Annihilus firing Cosmic Energy as they clashed, growing in size and power, until they formed a combined ball of power, giant in size, that touched the water below, making it flow heavily again for a moment.
When the glow cleared, Thor and Annihilus were hovering at a distance from each other, glaring.
Thor knew though, that there were still people to be evacuated, so he'd have to stall for more time.
He flew at Annihilus at high speed, right above him, and kicked his face as he crashed downwards, before stopping himself, but Thor was upon him, kicking his face many times.
"That's it! Show that bug who's boss!" Cisco cheered.
"Get him", Dawn whispered as well.
"I think he just might", Cordelia said.
As Annihilus managed to recover from the assault, Thor punched his face, sending him down. Annihilus recovered and fired a blast of Cosmic Energy which Thor deflected with Stormbreaker.
Annihilus then charged, trying to strike with the Cosmic Rod a few times, but Thor dodged each time.
Then, Thor spun and struck with Stormbreaker, making Annihilus lower his Cosmic Rod from the force before Thor kept his ax back, and then started pounding Annihilus with a flurry of punches, making him stagger back as Thor continued pounding him.
The energy from the clash struck some more Black Lanterns nearby and they were damaged for then, staggering back.
Then Thor gave Annihilus a powerful uppercut, sending him off again before he recovered, grunting and glaring.
With that, he charged Thor again as Thor raised his ax, their weapons clashing and sending out energy, that being lightning and Cosmic Energy.
"If they keep fighting like this, they shall bring this city down", Aragorn told the rest of them.
"City? I think the whole world will go", Lena said. "Meaning we need to work as fast as we can."
"Indeed", Aragorn nodded in agreement.
"Keep it up, Thor", Spike cheered for him.
"I think he's winning", Paige said as well.
"It is getting more dangerous though", Arwen pointed out. "Because Annihilus is still standing."
Thor managed to strike Annihilus multiple times with Stormbreaker, forming cuts all over, and then Thor made to charge when Annihilus opened a black hole between them using his Cosmic Rod, as Thor started getting sucked into it, bit by bit, while the black hole widened, sucking things from that side.
"Oh no!" Freya said in horror. "Get out of there!"
"He will", Tara assured, flying next to her and Erik with Willow. "He has been in tighter spots than this."
Suddenly, an aura of the red light around Thor, the Odinforce, and lightning, all exploded from within the black hole as Thor let out a roar. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGHH!"
And then, next moment, the energy formed a ball of bright light, then, after that, Thor was back out, smirking, the black hole gone, while Annihilus was sent flying back.
"That's what you get for thinking you can defeat my brother", Loki commented with a smirk.
"Yeah, I think he might just go down", Rebekah agreed.
Thor flew at Annihilus, punching his face again as he was sent down, and then Thor kneed him, sending him away again.
Annihilus fired blasts of Cosmic Energy again that Thor deflected with Stormbreaker, before firing lightning, but Annihilus too deflected it with his Cosmic Rod.
With that, both charged each other again, their weapons clashing and letting out energy, before Thor managed to kick Annihilus away once more.
During that time, some Black Lanterns managed to pass Thor, unfortunately, and were pounding upon the barrier.
The others came to contain it but Steve stood in the way now. "Go, evacuate the people, I'll hold the line."
"Are you sure you can?" Storm asked, concerned for him.
"I will", Steve assured her.
Storm knew Steve had never let them down before, so she and the rest flew off, as Steve looked at the Black Lanterns. They were zombie version of dead heroes from dead worlds, he could see, as one of them looked like Flash, another like Wonder Woman, which sent a stab through his heart, even if it wasn't his Diana or any other ones he knew, and another looked like an Aquaman.
Steve held out his hands, as they became fists, while the green and blue Rings became shining beacons.
The wave against the wall got more powerful, but Steve held against it, the wall too growing stronger and staying in place, while Steve was surrounded in a blue aura, and above it, a green aura, gritting his teeth with his power.
Wanda, Strange and Fate then aimed at those Black Lanterns, surrounding them with red, orange and blue magic respectively, but their presence could decay power, and it was happening to Steve too, as well as the three magic-users.
Suddenly, Strange twirled his fingers as portals opened upon all Black Lanterns and consumed them, before closing, Strange telling the rest. "Sent them to a dead Universe. You can't kill what's already dead."
Annihilus, at the same time, charged Thor to strike him, but Thor sped away, now standing at a distance from him.
Roaring, Annihilus charged again, to the same result, and now lightning came off of Thor, touching the sky and the water below as well.
Then, Annihilus charged again but Thor used his speed to back off once more, and Annihilus did it one more time, to the same result.
He tried a few more times, but to the same result.
Then, as Annihilus charged again, Thor charged with a knee, and got him on the face, making his face bleed as he grunted in anger while Thor backed off.
After that, Annihilus charged Thor at high speed and head-butted him, sending him crashing away.
"Oh damn!" Faith said in horror. "Where the hell did he crash to?"
"You need to hold up just a little longer, Thor", Legolas whispered to him.
Then, Thor rose back up, making them smirk.
Thor continued to pound against Annihilus, their weapons clashing, before Annihilus let out a blast of Cosmic Energy, which consumed Thor, sending him back as he gritted his teeth.
Until Thor let out a roar and used his power to send the blast away. Annihilus glared, elongating his Cosmic Rod to strike Thor, but he dodged, and he dodged again, before kicking Annihilus on the face, once more sending him back.
However, Annihilus used the opportunity to recover and headbutt him away in time.
At that moment, Thor heard Jones' voice in his head. "Its done, Thor. The people are evacuated."
Thor smirked, as Annihilus let out another powerful blast of Cosmic Energy at Thor, the anti-matter wave spreading once more.
Only, Thor sliced Annihilus' blast in half with Stormbreaker, before spreading his arms as the anti-matter wave was actually pushed back by a bit.
"Oh boy! He's pushing it back!" Lois said, eyes wide.
"Do it Thor!" Chloe cheered.
"Yeah, show 'em!" Ollie said as well.
At that moment, a Cosmic Storm surrounded the whole of Earth too.
Those who were holding up the wall to push back the wave felt the pressure upon them lessen a bit as well.
The Cosmic Storm surrounded now not only the planet, but the entire Solar System, as now Thor's power filled the air and everywhere else.
But, Thor focused it where he wanted, which was the Black Lanterns, who were struck brutally by the power of his lightning.
All watched in awe, Steve smiling. "Son of a gun."
Freya actually ended up kneeling, remembering Thor was still her God, and this made her fall to her knees.
Rebekah, while an Asgardian now, had the same reaction as Freya, while Loki's jaw was dropped.
Klaus, Kol, Hayley and Elijah also fell to their knees in awe and reverence.
The lightning then struck Annihilus as well, making him screech due to its power, and it was followed by Thor charging with a roar, ax held up.
And then, Thor sliced the native of the Negative Zone into two, before exploding with magical, divine power, that engulfed the two halves of Annihilus, obliterating them, and anything else in the vicinity, including the Cosmic Rod of Annihilus.
Annihilus was dead! And this world's population had been saved!
The red aura around Thor slowly faded, as did the Odinforce and lightning cloak, and he turned to Loki and Rebekah, smiling as they smiled back.
Earth-199999
Kal walked to Martha, embracing her happily as he told her. "I'm glad you're safe, mom."
"Yeah, nice to see you, Mrs. Kent", Lois patted her shoulder as Martha embraced her too.
"You two, and the rest of you, you really were Heroes there, saving all of us", Martha said to all of them, and Frank raised an eyebrow on noticing just who she looked like.
"These doppelgangers are going to give me headaches", he muttered to himself.
Kal, Lois, Ollie, Chloe, Tess, and the rest of the League hugged Emil too one by one, happy to see him alive as he said. "Glad to be here with you."
Jack Harkness during that time walked Fred and introduced himself. "Nice to meet you…"
"Oh would you behave!" The Doctor said to him.
"It's the end of the Multiverse, I should be allowed a little leeway."
"Nothing is "little" with you."
"You got that right", then he turned to see Fred was gone. "Damn it!"
Others reunited with their loved ones, Martha and Mickey holding up their children, as Donna hugged Wilf, then shared a kiss with Shaun.
"I still can't believe you can do all of this", Shaun told her. "Time-travelling with The Doctor before, now fighting against the Multiverse's end."
"Saving people is just part of me", Donna told him, as they looked at each other affectionately, while the Charmed Ones reunited with heir husbands and father, Piper holding up her children as well.
Thor then walked in with Steve, Loki and Rebekah by his side, Barbara muttering. "Well, this was tiring."
"But we did it", Caroline realized. "All of us, we managed to save the people of this Universe at least."
Thor, still broody, pointed out. "We saved a population in the entire Universe, and I fought the weakest of Anti-Monitor's cohorts outside of the Shadow Demons, that being Annihilus, who was leading the wave, and we couldn't damage the Black Lanterns permanently, so it was far from a victory."
He walked off to brood more, as Cordelia muttered to Angel. "Think right now, he has you beat."
"Well, he was the one who had the vision about this, so he's still rattled from it", Loki pointed out to the rest of them.
"Still, you held back a wave by yourself", Stewart said to Steve. "That's the bright side I'd say."
"And Annihilus is gone", Kent pointed out. His cousin's killer had been taken out.
"Yeah, he got what he deserved", Lena agreed as well with a sneer.
"I think we do have a chance still", Sarah said, holding John close to her.
"That's the hope", Constantine shrugged.
"I felt my whole body getting crushed", Steve told them all. "I'll go see Thor, then recharge my Rings."
He shared a kiss with Diana, then walked to Aragorn. "Can I have Mjolnir?"
"Yes, you can", Aragorn gave it to him.
Steve walked off, Bonnie saying. "That much humility will kill us all."
"I know, right?" Piper asked as well.
"Thor", Steve said, as Thor turned to face him. "Look, you did your best, even if you killed the weakest one, you still killed an important member of Anti-Monitor's force, and you are the reason we are able to get this far as well."
"Still, I feel like a failure", Thor said with a sigh. "Especially after all that I did when the Black Winter came."
"Then let's put those doubts to rest", Steve held up Mjolnir for Thor. "Come on, hold it. I know you can."
Thor looked at his hammer for a moment, then walked off. "No, I do not want to." Steve could tell he feared to hold it now.
Steve walked off to recharge his Rings.
Kal was saying. "We saved the people, but lost the world."
"Yeah, still does hurt", Kara had to agree, before noticing Kent. Walking to him, she gave him a hug, catching him off-guard, but he returned it still.
They parted as she told him. "Figured you could use one."
"Thank you", he smiled gratefully.
Thor now came back out, a bit better than before, if still sullen. "Odin and Heimdall once told me that "Asgard isn't a place, it's a people." You may have lost Earth, but the humans that make up the world, that's Earth, more important than any rock or field."
Hearing that, Kal and Kara shared a look, then back at Thor, nodding.
Steve had returned Mjolnir to Aragorn and was in a corner, holding both his Rings, using Willpower and Hope to charge the Green and Blue one respectively.
"In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power-Green Lantern's light!"
Steve and his Green Lantern Ring glowed green, and the Ring was recharged with his Willpower alone, before he recited the other oath.
"In fearful day, in raging night, With strong hearts full, our souls ignite, When all seems lost in the War of Light, Look to the stars, for hope shines bright!"
With that, Steve and his Blue Lantern Ring glowed blue, and now the Ring was recharged again, this time Hope.
Everyone watching was awed by what he'd done, as Barbara told him. "You may not be a natural Blue, but you suit the Blue Lantern Corps very well."
"They are gone though, as the Green Lantern Corps", Stewart sighed sadly. "We saved the people of Earth, couldn't save the rest."
"Still, better than before", Kal pointed out. "But I'm sorry."
They nodded in appreciation, Cordelia commenting to Steve. "That green and blue, all of it really suits you, ya know?"
"Careful, or your guy might get insecure", Caroline quipped to Cordelia, Angel groaning and shaking his head.
"Oh, don't tell me you don't think the same?" Cordelia asked sarcastically, making Stefan groan too.
"Well, he does look good in that, let's not start snarking over it, shall we?" Donna inquired.
"Snarking is in their nature, and yours too, I think, so that'd be more of a dream", Spike said, making Cordelia, Caroline and Donna all snicker.
"Well, its in the nature of us Englishmen as well, ain't I right?" Enzo asked Spike, both putting arms around each other's shoulders, as Klaus joined them too.
"Indeed, its in our nature", Klaus agreed.
Damon started. "Its in my nat-"
"Oh sod off!" Spike, Klaus and Enzo said together.
"Shut up!" Cordelia, Caroline and Donna said at the same time as well, making Damon groan as he shut up, while Angel and Stefan shared a chuckle at that.
"That was fun", Buffy muttered.
"Yeah, lot of fun", Faith agreed as well.
Aragorn and Arwen were now looking out, the skies still red as she told him. "We managed to save the Men of one Earth at least."
"Indeed, we did", Aragorn told her with a nod. "But there are many more, all under threat. I am worried about how this is going to go."
"We have fought evil before, not this mighty, but we have, and defeated it", Arwen reminded him, holding his hand. "We will defeat it again."
"Yes, we will, and save everyone", Aragorn agreed, the two sharing a kiss, before they walked in, joining the others.
Steve started. "This is the fight of our lives."
Kal continued. "Everything has led to this moment."
Aragorn picked up next. "All of us must stand together if we are to make it out with our lives."
And Steve finished it. "Our homes, our families, nothing is safe. Remember, we fight for them, and everyone else who doesn't stand a chance unless we stand together."
"So, orders Cap?" Tony asked.
"You continue working on your suit", Steve looked at the rest. "We saved one Earth, but there are more. Go to the ones you know, gather their Heroes too, and start evacuating to here. We have to save them all."
And, now more hopeful than before due to having saved the humans of Earth-167, all of them began with the next phase of their mission.
Notes:
And done. Annihilus is destroyed finally, hope all enjoyed the DBZ reference there.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
Hope all enjoyed and see all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 7: In a Flash
Summary:
The evacuations start as more worlds are gone.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
And thank you to all those who suggested fandom cameos as well, this chapter probably has the largest number of cameos.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-51
The Superman of this Earth, alongside its Lois Lane, was confronting a mob outside a hospital, the mob wanting to take the injured Mole Man inside.
Suddenly, they looked up to see the red skies, as Superman commented. "Now this looks like a job for Superman."
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2117
The Fantastic Four of this world watched the red skies in horror, and Johnny Storm here happened to look exactly like Earth-199999 Killmonger.
Then, this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-1979
Captain Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew watched the red Universe, as Captain Kirk told the rest of them. "Its been an honor."
And then, this Universe was no more.
Earth-53
Vi watched in horror as Jinx, formerly known as Powder, fired her rocket launcher weaponized with Hextech gemstone at the Piltover Council Chamber.
Only, before anything could happen, the skies turned red and the Universe was gone.
Universe-54
House Atreides was being invaded by their enemies, even though they were putting up the best fight under dire circumstances.
Then they looked up to see the skies turn red as the Universe was wiped out.
Earth-55
The Hargreeves children were reluctantly reunited for the funeral of Sir Reginald Hargreeves, only for the skies to turn red, and as they looked up, the Universe was gone.
Earth-56
Eddie Munson was fighting the bats all by himself, and getting overwhelmed bit by bit, until the skies turned red, and the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-57
The 'Red Light, Green Light' game had just been revealed, where people were being shot on being caught moving, and Seong Gi-hun was horrified.
That moment, the skies turned red, and even these games became pointless due to the destruction of the Universe.
Earth-58
Aang the Avatar was battling the Firelord Ozai, using his powers to hurl a boulder at Ozai who leapt away to avoid.
Then, the skies turned red, making both look up in horror.
"What is going on?" Ozai wondered.
"This looks bad", Aang said as well, just as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-59
Oya Koukou and Housen Academy were battling the army of Kidra, when the skies turned red, making all look up in shock, the Universe being destroyed.
Earth-2360
Captain Jack Sparrow was drinking some rum when he noticed the skies turn red. "Am I drinking too much rum? Where's me ship?"
And then, the Universe was gone.
Earth-61
Sonic the Hedgehog was running happily when he noticed the skies turn red.
"Huh, neat", he commented, starting to run faster, but the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-62
Luke Hobbs was trying to move a torpedo on ice, and managed to do it. Then suddenly, the skies turned red. "What the hell?"
Dominic Toretto had a feeling the end was near, but was glad to be with his family in this chase in these last moments.
"Family."
And then the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-64
Ethan Hunt was running after Wistrom, as a sandstorm came up behind them.
Then, the skies turned red, making Ethan look up in shock. "What is going on now?"
The Universe was gone in the next moment.
Earth-67
Indiana Jones looked upon the Golden Idol, only for everything to shake, as Satipo wondered. "What is happening?"
"No idea", Indiana Jones shook his head, neither of them knowing of the red skies as the Universe was gone.
Earth-68
John Rambo, who looked exactly like Stakar Ogord, was about to start a Krabi-Krabong match, when the skies turned red, making all of them look up in shock as Rambo muttered. "What the hell?"
The Universe was then destroyed.
Earth-69
John McClane was forced to wear a racist sign, with a guy called Zeus Carver who looked exactly like Earth-199999 Nick Fury, genuinely curious about why, as a mob of black men moved towards them.
Then the skies turned red, McClane feeling compelled to say. "Yippee-Ki-Yay, motherfucker."
"Motherf-" Zeus trailed off, as their Universe was gone.
Earth-79
John Matrix, who looked exactly Hercules and the Terminator, had just thrown Sully off the cliff, when the skies turned red. "Fuck this!"
And then the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-1986
An Alien and a Predator engaged each other in battle, both screeching, when all shook, for the Universe was filled with red skies, and destroyed.
Earth-80
John Wick was running with his dog, knowing he was 'excommunicado' now, phones ringing all around him when the skies turned red.
"What is going on?" He wondered, the Universe destroyed then.
Earth-1980
Jason Bourne was swimming away in the East River, when the skies turned red, making him float up and pant a bit, as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2718
Bryan Mills was walking out of the yacht, with his daughter Kim Mills whom he'd rescued, when they saw the skies turn red.
"What's happening, dad?" Kim asked with a gulp.
"I don't know", Bryan said, the Universe destroyed.
Earth-1112
Rama, Bowo and Wahyu were out of the apartment block, Andi turning around to walk off, when the skies turned red, and the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-1006
Yuri Boyka and George "The Iceman" Chambers were about to engage in a rematch, when everything shook, the skies outside turning red, and this Universe was also gone.
Earth-1130
Dredd, who happened to look exactly like Eomer from Middle-earth, and Billy Butcher from Earth-72, threw Ma-Ma down the atrium to her death after forcing her to inhale Slo-Mo, but the skies turned red, making him look up.
And this Universe was destroyed too.
Earth-115
James Bond was fighting Patrice atop a moving train, when the skies turned red, making both look up in shock.
"You must be joking", he muttered as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-20424
Jack Bauer looked at the red skies, a grim expression on him as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-7669
Rocky Balboa walked away from his wife's grave with a sad smile, when the skies turned red, making him look up with narrowed eyes, as his Universe was destroyed.
Earth-268
Homelander was horrified on seeing that Black Noir had been his clone all along, and had done all those horrible things.
Only, in that moment, the skies turned red, and the Universe was no more.
Earth-222
Knighthawk looked at the red skies and realized that The Speed's words- "What if you're wrong Atticus?", happened to be correct, as the preparations for the arrival of Galacron were for naught, the Universe now gone.
Earth-2809
The Sarah Connor of this Earth, along with John Connor, and Cameron, who happened to look exactly like River Tam, looked up at the red skies as Sarah asked Cameron. "Did Judgment Day come?"
"This looks worse", Cameron admitted.
"What could it be?" John wondered as the Universe was wiped out.
Earth-9903
Neo had just awoken in the real world and was being helped up, as Morpheus said to him. "Welcome….to the real world."
Suddenly, all shook, the skies turning red, as Neo asked. "Is that supposed to be normal?"
"No", Trinity said, the Universe gone as well.
Earth-2421
Godzilla and Kong were battling furiously, before the skies turned red, and both looked up, realizing what was happening, and stopped their fight just as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2007
The Autobots watched the anti-matter wave in horror. But, in their last moments, to raise hope, Optimus Prime said. "'Til all are one."
And then, this Universe was also gone.
Earth-201
Dante and Vergil were told to run by their mother Eva, who was being attacked by Demons. At that moment, the skies turned as the little twin brothers looked up.
"What is that, brother?" Dante asked.
"I got no idea", Vergil said, the Universe being destroyed.
Earth-2013
The Dante and Vergil of this world were about to engage in battle, when the skies turned red, making them look up, their Universe destroyed.
Earth-1993
The battle on the moon was raging, as Drakkon was about to use the stolen morphers, only for the skies to turn the red as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-215
Geralt of Rivia had just defeated King Eredin of the Wild Hunt, and was about to interrogate him in regards to the Avallac'h, only for red skies to appear.
Eredin was horrified. "Oh no!" He knew exactly what this was.
And then, this Universe also went.
Earth-1999
The Digidestined, along with the 02 team, had their Digimon digievolve to the highest level, but not even Omnimon and Imperialdramon could defeat the incoming waves after waves of Shadow Demons under the red skies, their Universe consumed soon after.
Earth-195
Liu Kang and Shang Tsung were about to engage in battle, as Johnny Cage, standing between Sonya Blade and Kitana, whispered to Sonya. "Nice dress."
She scoffed, just as all shook, the skies turning red, and this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2014
Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and their sensei Splinter looked up at the red skies in horror.
"What is that, sensei?" Leonardo inquired.
"I do not know", Splinter confessed to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as their Universe was destroyed too.
Earth-1984
Son Goku had just met Bulma Briefs for the first time, and she was shooting at him in fear, when the skies turned red.
"Aaaarggh! Why are the skies red?" Bulma wondered.
"Huh?" Goku wondered as well, the Universe being destroyed.
Earth-81
Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno watched as Kakashi Hatake was using Sharingan to copy Zabuza's moves, when the skies turned red, making all look up.
"What is happening?" Naruto asked no one in particular, as their Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2004
Ichigo Kurosagi had just kicked Rukia Kuchiki down, and asked her. "First, you scare the living daylights out of me, then you ignore me?"
Only, then, the skies turned red and the Universe was gone.
Earth-2006
Light Yagami laughed at L's grave while standing alongside Ryuk, happy to have finally won, only for the skies to turn red. "What is that, Ryuk?"
"Looks like your victory is hollow, Light", Ryuk smirked at him just as the Universe was gone.
Earth-2008
Lelouch vi Britannia had just used his Geass for the first time, the soldiers all killing themselves.
Suddenly, everything shook and the skies turned red, him wondering. "Now what is that?"
The Universe was destroyed.
Earth-991
Edward Elric was in his State Alchemy Exam, when suddenly, the skies outside turned red, making all look out in shock.
"What's happening?" Edward asked as the Universe was gone.
Earth-103
Zoro was about to engage Mihawk in battle, when the skies turned red, Zoro looking up. "Uh, what?"
Mihawk didn't say anything, their Universe gone now.
Earth-1998
"You going?" Guts walked out with heavy footsteps. "Don't get yourself killed."
The skies were red, but Guts did not care, as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-250
Ben Tennyson had just found the Omnitrix, when the skies turned red. "Huh? What's going on?"
The Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2060
The Incredibles Family was prepared to battle Underminer, when the skies turned red, surprising them all, and the Universe was destroyed.
Universe-1950
Peter Pevensie, Susan Pevensie, Edward Pevensie and Lucy Pevensie were leading the Narnian Army against the White Witch, Aslan roaring from the mountaintop when the skies turned red.
All were horrified, except Aslan, who heard the voice of The Emperor-Beyond-The-Sea, telling him it was time.
With a roar, Aslan had no choice but to disappear as the Universe was gone now.
Earth-983
Eragon was riding upon Saphira, when they noticed the skies turn red, shocking both, and their Universe too was gone.
Earth-290
Bayonetta had just awoken from her sleep, when the skies turned red and the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-1996
Jill Valentine was making her way through the mansion, when all shook, and she did not know that the red skies had come, as the Universe was gone.
Earth-2205
Kratos watched Ares' corpse, having slain him, when the skies turned red, making him look up.
"Has the downfall of all now come?" Kratos wondered, the Universe destroyed.
Universe-2802
Sora, Riku and Kairi were all running happily on Destiny Islands, when the skies turned red, making them look up.
"Uh, what's that?" Sora asked.
"I got no idea", Riku said honestly.
"Me neither", Kairi said too as the Universe was gone.
Earth-7
Professor Gast was investigating the remains of Jenova he had excavated, when the skies turned red, making him look up, the Universe destroyed in that moment.
Earth-2122
Mel Vera, Maggie Vera and Macy Vaughn looked out from their mansion, seeing the red skies, knowing something was wrong.
But before they could do something about it, the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-100
Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake looked up at the red skies, the latter wondering. "Now what's this?"
"Looks bad", Bellamy said, the Universe gone.
Earth-2617
In the town of Riverdale- Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones and Cheryl Blossom looked up at the red skies, clearly terrified.
And in Greendale, Sabrina Spellman too looked up at the red skies, eyes wide. "Now what is this?"
Then, the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-1974
Leatherface was chasing Heather, who'd managed to escape in the back of a pickup truck, and was laughing madly, when the skies turned red.
Leatherface performed a macabre dance with his chainsaw as Heather continued laughing, and the Universe was then ended.
Earth-1982
Jason Voorhees was battling Freddy Krueger, Freddy managing to chop off Jason's fingers, when the skies turned red, making both of them look up.
Jason was silent as Freddy said. "Think now I'm gonna scream!"
And then the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-988
Chucky the killer doll had arrived at the hospital where Andy Barclay was being held, only to see the skies turn red, making him groan. "What the fuck?"
This Universe was also destroyed.
Earth-1959
Ash Williams turned around, about to be struck by something, when the skies turned red, and the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-19975
Sydney Prescott looked between Billy Loomis and Stu Macher in utter horror, now knowing they were the killers, the faces behind the Ghostface mask.
Suddenly, the skies turned red, making them look out in horror as Stu wondered. "What's that, Billy?"
"Justice, I guess", Sydney muttered as the Universe was gone.
Earth-1991
Ned Stark was about to be beheaded, Arya Stark and Sansa Stark watching in horror from where they were, when the skies turned red, making all of them look up in utter horror.
And the Universe was gone after that.
Earth-10222
John Henry Irons looked out at the red skies, shocked by them, as his Universe was destroyed.
Earth-X
The Ray was flying in the sky before looking up to see the red skies. "Now what's that?"
And this Universe was also gone.
Earth-838
Professor Charles Xavier looked out at the red skies from his wheelchair, a solemn look on his face.
Reed Richards, Susan Storm-Richards, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, along with little Franklin Richards, looked up at the red skies, holding each other.
At Attilan, Black Bolt, alongside Medusa, and the rest of the Inhuman Royal Family, looked at the red skies.
Maria Rambeau was flying in Space, when she too saw all turn red, horrifying her.
Captain Carter looked up at the red skies from a rooftop.
Karl Mordo also looked at the red skies, then looked down.
The Peter Parker of this Earth, along with Wanda Maximoff, his wife, held their children Billy, Tommy and Benny close, looking at the red skies grimly.
And then, this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-10005
Charles Xavier gasped, feeling it in his head, as Reed and Jean, who were nearby, turned to him.
"What happened, Professor?" Jean inquired.
"Everything okay?" Reed asked.
"I'd established a mental link with the Charles Xavier of Earth-838", Charles told all of them, a tear rolling down his cheek at the humongous loss of life. "That Universe is gone."
Both could only look down in sadness at this mass loss of life across Universes.
Earth-199999
By now, more Heroes had been gathered to help with the mass evacuations of what was left of the Multiverse.
Spider-Man, Peter, Parker, Miles, Pavitr, Gwen and Brock stood together, Wanda near them, as Spider-Man said in sadness. "I…I can't believe it."
"Miguel, old man, Eddie and his Venom", Peter thought about them. "Both gone." Him, Spider-Man, and the rest, all looked like they were about to break down.
"This thing, it really is taking everything from us", Miles said angrily, looking out at the red skies.
"How are we even going to stop this?" Pavitr inquired, as he had never faced something this threatening ever before.
"Well, we're all together now", Gwen pointed out. "And Thor did take out Annihilus, and we saved one world."
"So now, we must save all worlds together", Parker told the rest of them. "They, they'd want us to."
The rest of the Spider-Clan shared a look, then looked at Parker, nodding, knowing he was right.
"Let's get started then", Brock said.
"Yep, just need to divide the Earths, one at a time", Wanda told all of them, as their mission began.
Batman was sitting in a corner, as Bruce, Catwoman, Knight and Detective all walked to him, on either side of him now.
"We're sorry", Knight said to him first. "About your world….and your family."
"Yeah, sorry", Detective said, feeling the grief himself, especially of the loss of Jason Todd, two of them now, they were gone.
"I was going to give it up to Terry", Batman told them, looking ahead. "Now its all gone."
"We have lost people, but we can't imagine losing everything you hold dear", Bruce said as he sat next to Batman. "But trust us, we're here for you."
"Yeah, you don't need to face this alone", Catwoman added as well.
"They, they would want the rest of the Multiverse to be safe", Bruce reminded Batman. "Maybe we should make sure they're not alone."
That seemed to awaken something in Batman, even if he wasn't going to be normal now, not that he ever was.
Looking up, he got up and walked forwards. "You're right, let's go."
Kent was being comforted by Kal, Superman, Clark, Big Blue, Kara and Supergirl, as Supergirl also gave him a hug now. "Sorry, about your Kara."
"Thank you", he whispered to her, grateful that all of them were being there for him.
"At least the one who did it is gone now", Clark pointed out. "But still…won't bring her back."
"No, it won't", Kent shook his head, wiping a tear.
"We're here for you though", Superman assured Kent. "If you need us, just say it."
"Yeah, we are there for our own", Big Blue put an arm around Kent's shoulder, making him smile in appreciation.
"Thank you, for helping save mine", Kal told Kent.
"Yeah, we appreciate it", Kara said as well, when Steve walked to them, looking at Kent with empathy.
"Are you up for more?" Steve asked Kent.
"I have to be", Kent told Steve. "The rest of the Multiverse needs us all."
Steve nodded, patting his shoulder, and walked off.
Thor was looking out of the window, when he felt Sif and Loki on either side of him.
"How are you?" Sif asked Thor, and he looked at her.
"Ever since the disbanding of the Berserkers, Warrior's Madness was outlawed", Thor said to both of them. "Because of the danger it causes to everyone around. Now I did it to fight Annihilus, and broke a rule set up for a reason."
"Brother, you did it to save people, and only went after the one who deserved it", Loki pointed out. "So this wasn't wrong."
"Loki is right", Sif agreed with him. "What you did was not wrong."
"Yet it feels like it was", Thor sighed.
"Damn it!" Tony sighed, his latest combination also a fail, as Clint, Banner and Pepper were near him, having come to the Compound with their family, Betty and little Morgan respectively.
"Still didn't get it?" Pepper asked, and he shook his head.
"No!"
"Look", Clint said, making Tony look at him. "I know this is the biggest thing we've faced, its already destroying Universes, and taking people we cared about, but", Clint pointed at Tony's forehead. "I know, that you are one of the smartest people in the Multiverse, so you can figure it out."
"And I'm here to help you out with it", Banner assured him. "So, we can work it out."
"Thanks", Tony said to Banner, before turning to Clint. "You're not Cap, Aragorn, or a Superman, but you are good with pep talks as well."
Clint simply smirked.
"So, do we have to stay here?" Sam Gamgee asked Aragorn, with Merry and Pippin close to him.
"I'm afraid yes, Master Gamgee", Aragorn told him. "Your family, and the rest, shall be safe in the Mirror Dimension."
"Is our world safe from this?" Pippin asked.
"No Pippin, its not, the red skies", Merry reminded, and Pippin nodded.
"Ah, right."
"Never thought we would be in conflict with something worse than even Dormammu", Sam muttered, not believing it. "And we would have to fight again."
"Things rarely go how we want them to", Arwen told him sadly.
Faramir and Eowyn were nearby, tending to Elboron, with Boromir, Eomer and Lothíriel near them, as Faramir looked out at the red skies. "We really are facing the worst this time, it seems."
"Indeed", Eowyn sighed. "But now it is our duty to save what remains of the Multiverse."
"It almost seems impossible", Boromir said, looking out as well. "It was all so big once, now not much is left."
"And what is left is also under threat", Eomer said with a sigh. "Things truly have gotten the worst."
"Worse than Sauron, Thanos and Mogoth, Dormammu, or anything else", Lothíriel muttered. "But, I believe we have to get through this."
"Indeed we do", Faramir agreed with a nod. "Even if it looks hopeless, all of us need to fight it."
"Boromir."
Boromir turned to Nyssa. "Oh, greetings, Nyssa."
The rest shifted away, as Nyssa asked. "So, how's it going now?"
"Not well", Boromir told her. "But, we are trying our hardest to save the Multiverse, as you can see."
"Now I'm here too, along with the rest of my Earth", Nyssa told Boromir, holding his hand. "So, we'll be doing it together."
"I look forward to it", Boromir said with a smile.
Prince and Wonder Woman saw the ring on Diana's finger, as Wonder Woman said. "Oh, that's nice, congratulations."
"Yes, we're happy for you", Prince's smile then turned into a frown. "But your Universe…"
"Yeah", Diana said sadly. "I lost my Universe. But he's there for me."
"So, where are our people?" Mera of Earth-167 asked AC.
"They've been put in this place called the Mirror Dimension", AC told Mera. "Alongside the people of Themyscira, and people from all Earths."
"Shall keep them safe, right?" Mera asked and got a nod.
"I had my Mera stay there too", Aquaman told them, walking nearby. "Got scarily violent, but ended up following."
"How violent?" Namor asked from nearby.
"You wouldn't want to know", Aquaman told him.
"We'll take your word for it", AC said, tapping his shoulder.
Nearby- Daisy, Melinda, Fitz and Simmons shared looks on seeing Mera.
"And we see another doppelganger", Daisy said.
"At least she seems nicer", Fitz added from his end.
"Well, she is the Queen of Atlantis, not an escapee from Asgard", Simmons pointed out.
"The Earth-50 Aquaman did say his could get scarily violent", Melinda pointed out then.
Adrian had his arm wrapped around Yelena, as Kate was on her other side, the former asking. "How you holding up now?"
"As well as you can imagine", Yelena said, looking at Adrian. "You're still my guy, but he was nice."
"I know, I saw it myself", Adrian said, thinking about the Contest.
"We're here for you", Kate assured her. "As is Natasha."
"I know", Yelena nodded.
Peacemaker, Harcourt, Leota, Economos, Bloodsport, Ratcatcher II, Harley Quinn and Nanaue all sat together at one spot, as Harcourt asked. "So, our Universe is evacuated?"
"According to the Justice League, yes", Peacemaker told her. "And this time they were on time so I trust 'em."
"We really are in for it this time, huh?" Leota muttered.
"Yeah, alien invasion was one thing, now we got the Multiverse being threatened", Economos muttered.
"Seen the Multiverse before during the Contest, kind of thought it was fine", Bloodsport had to say.
"Me too, friend", Nanaue told him, making all chuckle a bit at his innocence, which was also endearing.
Harley Quinn suddenly noticed Mal, and now finally recognizing what he looked like, walked to him. "Hey, you! How did you come back? Did everything join back or what?"
"Gorramnit! What do you want with me?" Mal asked her.
Ratcatcher II pulled her back. "Sorry, ignore her."
"But I want to know!" Harley whined.
Scott and Hope were nearby as the former asked Ratcatcher II. "So, you can control rats?"
"Yeah", she nodded.
"Cool", Hope said. "We control ants."
"Cool."
Jack Harkness then saw Harley and walked to her. "Hello miss, my name is Captain Jack Harkness."
"Ooooh, you know how to respect", Harley said, flattered at being called 'miss' as Ratcatcher II let go with a sigh. "And you look nice."
"Oh I know", Harkness gestured to himself, before looking at her. "But you look better."
"Awww, I know."
Thea, sitting alongside Roy, watched Harkness flirt with Harley, and told him. "I can't believe that guy is Malcolm's doppelganger."
"Must be weird", Roy said to her.
"Yeah, very", Thea nodded. "Still, if Malcolm was more like him, might have accepted him as my dad."
Jessica was staring ahead as Trish asked her. "Thinking of Starlight?"
"When I hugged her, she never knew why, she didn't even know why I saved her", Jessica looked down. "I wish I could-"
Trish simply hugged her, trying to provide comfort.
"Kind of feels weird", Kaylee said to the rest. "With our ship gone, it feels like a part of me is gone."
"I know how you feel", Wash told her. "I used to pilot it. Does feel like we lost something, and then our whole Universe is gone as well."
"But, we are still here", Zoe said to them. "So its up to us to make sure others don't lose it."
"Right, she is right", River said about Zoe. "We need to save all."
"Well, we're all up for it", Simon told them all.
"Except me", Jayne raised a hand.
"Except Jayne."
"Okay, so", Stefan spoke up. "We've heard this Doctor Doom mentioned a lot, they say he and this Phoenix Force are the reason why Earth-10005 is safe."
"Like, we did see him that one time", Caroline added. "But, what is he really?"
"He is the worst thing we've faced, outside of the Crisis", Angel told all of them.
"Yeah, caused a huge mess on our Earth", Dawn commented, shivering a bit as she remembered being wiped out.
"And he could have done worse, if he wanted", Buffy added from her end.
"The guy basically knows how to make things go his way", Xander said.
"And that was what he had done on our Earth too", Giles noted.
"Yeah, it was like the worst defeat ever", Gunn muttered.
"His mind and power are….quite astounding", Illyria said, actually sounding impressed for once, which said something.
"Yeah, from what I hear and saw, he is something else", Connor agreed as well.
"I'm glad to not be against him", Gwen Raiden simply said. "At least directly."
"I think I need a change hearing about him", Lorne commented, making them chuckle.
"I saw him from up there before I was banished", Cordelia said. "Man, was he scary!"
"Took the words right out of my mouth", Spike muttered.
"Yet, now, he is something to put our trust in for Earth-10005", Willow sighed.
"Life works funny that way", Faith quipped.
"Sure does", Tara agreed with a sigh.
"So, he is really, really bad", Enzo muttered. "Got it."
"Yeah, never mess with him", Bonnie said as well.
"Let me tell you", Klaus now said, making them all look at him. "Think of every dark and inhumane thing I did when we were at odds, and during the course of my long life, as well as my family's, and amplify it by a thousand, it still means nothing compared to that..."man". He was locked in a cell, and I never felt more fearful of another being my whole life. Doom looked the Devil in the eye and never blinked."
Seeing the genuine fear Klaus seemed to have of Doom, the Mystic Falls Gang felt fear as well. A lot of it.
"Whoa! If he is worse than the Devil, must watch out for him", Piper had to say.
"Yeah, that amount of power would be too much for any of us to go up against", Paige said as well.
"So, glad to never face him", Phoebe also said.
"I'm from his world", Erik pointed out. "And yeah, the only ones who've been more feared than me when I was bad, were Apocalypse, and Doctor Doom."
Shazam was looking out of the window, his family all working to evacuate the Earths as well, when he looked to see Aragorn next to him.
"Are you afraid?" Aragorn asked.
"Yeah", Shazam nodded. "Like, I have so many powers, but I'm still a kid. Its so big for me out there."
"It is for all of us", Aragorn assured him. "But, they count on us now." He put a hand on Shazam's shoulder. "Remember, there is always hope."
Shazam actually felt his hopes rise just on hearing that, and nodded with a smile. "You're right, there is."
"Damn! Never thought I'd see a doppelganger of Rip Hunter", Ray Palmer said to Sara.
"Yeah, and he's much nicer, an actual good guy", Sara said. "Suck it Rip!"
"Yes, suck it!" Mick said as well.
"Yeah, the few times I met him, he was annoying", Nora had to agree as well.
"So, nice to see a better version of him", Zari commented.
"We thought Judgment Day would be the worst thing", Sarah said to Logan, John and Terminator. "And we prevented it."
"Now, the Multiverse is at stake", the Terminator simply said.
"But we're gonna fight it", Logan told Sarah, holding her hand as they looked at each other.
"Yeah, we are", John nodded in agreement as well.
"So, where's Maximoff?" Bart asked Barry-Red.
"Cap and Professor had a talk", Barry-Red said. "For now, its been decided they should stay put on their world."
"Because of the Phoenix Force", Pietro added with a slight cringe. "And Doom."
"That man is something", Barry-Blue had to say. "And my dad is also evacuated into the Mirror Dimension, so that's good."
"Well, more people have to be put in there", Wally said to them.
"Let's get to saving some people, and get our speedster friends as well", Barry-Red told them, and all nodded in agreement. "In honor of Accelerated Man."
All nodded again, deciding to honor him.
"So, you have any idea how we can track this wave?" Vic asked Cyborg, who shook his head.
"Tried it, didn't work", Cyborg said with a sigh. "Its bad."
Earth-3
Jay Garrick and his wife Joan Williams looked at the red skies before hearing something and turned to see Barry-Red. "Hey."
"Barry", Jay hugged him, as Barry looked at Joan, seeing she was his mom's doppelganger.
"Hello, Jay had told me a lot about you", Joan waved at him, and Barry-Red waved back, before looking at Jay.
"We're evacuating this Universe, wanna give a hand?"
"Oh you bet I do."
Earth-92
This Universe was also being evacuated at the same time with rips, portals and breaches all opening for the people, as Giles, Xander, Lorne and Fred were gesturing them towards their escape routes.
"Okay Gunn, I did not know it could get this bad!" Anne said to him.
"I know, but please go", Gunn said, and she nodded, leaving into a rip with the children behind her.
Willow and Tara hovered in front of where the Seed of Wonder was, and Willow held out her hand as the Seed flew to her.
When Lucifer and Amenadiel had sent it back, they'd made an enchantment so that moving the Seed to a different world won't make people lose magic.
"Now we have this with us", Tara said.
"Yeah, so let's go", Willow nodded, both hovering away.
"Its coming", Drusilla muttered from where she was, somewhere in the ruins of a place, underground, holding her head. "The end, its here. Its come. Its here."
The world was mostly evacuated as Lorne said. "Think we got all of 'em, Demons too."
"Let's go", Strange said and they nodded, all leaving into a portal.
But Drusilla had not escaped, still sitting here, and held her head. "It has come."
The anti-matter wave came and the Universe was destroyed, with Drusilla.
In their Dimension, The Powers That Be watched the coming anti-matter wave in horror, as the PTB called Behmen was terrified and started running in a vain attempt to escape it, the other PTB being destroyed one by one by the wave.
Behmen ran, trying to escape in vain.
Lord Krishna told Behmen. "Soon, your death shall come after you just like this, and you will try to run and hide the way you just did. However, you will fail. Because there is no use running or hiding from death."
Behmen fell down, and rolled over, seeing the anti-matter wave coming towards him.
Lord Krishna told all of the Powers That Be and Elders. "The day the threat to the Multiverse comes, all of you shall be reduced to ashes, and so shall he! These are the consequences for your manipulations. You shall interfere in the lives of your Champions no more."
The anti-matter was upon Behmen now.
A giant Lord Krishna stood over Behmen, the anti-matter wave around him, as he raised his finger upwards.
The anti-matter wave was about to consume Behmen.
Lord Krishna pointed his finger downwards at Behmen who screamed in utter agony as he was disintegrated.
Behmen screamed in utter agony, disintegrated from the anti-matter wave at last.
Earth-199999
Barry-Red and Jay ran back to the Compound, sighing in relief as they patted each other's shoulders, as Jay walked off to his wife.
Barry-Red saw Cisco, Caitlin and Patty near him, and told them. "Running alongside him, its like running alongside my dad again. He is like my dad, in more than just looks."
"I know how you feel", Caitlin said to him, holding his hand, as she'd lost her dad as well.
"Yeah, me too", Patty said with a nod. "I'm happy for you."
"So, where to next?" Cisco inquired.
"Earth-2", Barry-Red told them all.
Kal held up the Phantom Zone Crystal, with Superman, Clark, Big Blue, Kent, Lois, Lane, Lois-93, Kara, Supergirl, Ollie, Chloe, Bart and Deathstroke near him.
"Time to go in there, get the female Monitor", Kal told all of them.
"And we're all coming with you", Superman said as well.
"Yes, if this gives us answers, we are", Big Blue nodded in agreement.
"So let's all go", Kent said.
"We will lose our powers, but we all got each other", Clark said as well. "And we can hold our own too."
"Besides, we aren't letting you go alone", Lois said to them all.
"Yep, all of us come", Lois-93 nodded, before turning to Big Blue. "Our boy is being looked after by Jonathan and Martha, and Earth-50 and Earth-167 Supermen's Martha, and also Jason, in the Mirror Dimension."
"Let's go then", Lane said as well.
"And you have my sword", Deathstroke promised them. "I shall help you all."
"Wait", Banner said as they turned to him. "I'm coming as well."
"Why would that be?" Kara asked
"I know you can hold your own, but still, there might be powerful aliens who still have powers", Banner pointed out. "So, you'd need my help."
"He raises a good point", Supergirl agreed there.
"Yep, no harm letting him come", Ollie nodded as well.
"Besides, powerful backup never hurt anyone", Chloe said as well.
"So you got fast, that is me, and strong, that is him", Bart noted. "Let's all go then."
Kal held up the Crystal, and a portal was opened to the Phantom Zone. "All of us, we stay together."
They nodded, and went into the Phantom Zone together.
Earth-2
Barry-Red and Jay arrived, only to see that the anti-matter wave was already here.
"Damn it!" Barry-Red said in horror. "We're too late."
"Let's just get your friends out then", Jay told Barry-Red.
Stargirl of this Earth looked up at the anti-matter wave in horror from the Blue Valley.
Harry and Jesse were looking out at the red skies, when Barry-Red and Jay ran to them, the latter saying. "We need to go, now!"
Harry nodded, slinging a bag over his shoulder, as Barry-Red grabbed him and ran, with Jay and Jesse running after him now.
They were getting closer to the portal now, the Earth being destroyed behind them. Unfortunately, Jay and Jesse both were not fast enough, and it was catching up to them, bit by bit.
Jay turned around to look at the wave, then made his decision, as he grabbed Jesse. "What are you doing?"
He hurled her forwards, adding his speed to hers, and she was thrown through the portal just as Barry-Red with Harry ran into it.
When they turned around, the anti-matter wave consumed a smiling Jay just as the portal closed.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Barry-Red as well as Joan, who'd seen it happen, cried out in horror and disbelief, the latter falling to her knees, sobbing already, as Jesse and Wally came to either side of her, hugging her for comfort, not that it was doing much.
Barry-Red too fell to his knees, his tears dropping to the ground. He had lost his dad….again!
As the group in the Phantom Zone moved around, two Phantoms soared around them, screeching sounds coming from it as Lois, Chloe, Lane and Lois-93 raised their guns.
Bart was slower here than on Earth, but the Speed Force could be felt here too, so he was fast enough. He ran at one Phantom at high speed, using his speed to make it dissipate away.
Ollie fired another arrow which seemed to let out some sort of pulse, and it made the other Phantom screech as it too went off.
"That's two down", Bart noted.
"And many more to go till we find her", Ollie said, all of them continuing to move.
Earth-199999
Barry-Red was in a corner, crying, before hearing footsteps as he looked up to see Caitlin, Cisco, Patty, Oliver, Ralph, Barry-Blue, Harry and Jesse near him.
Wally was still with Joan, trying to comfort her, and the other speedsters were on their own errands.
Barry-Red asked them. "Why do I keep losing him? How can I run at Mach speeds but never fast enough when it counts?...why am I even the Flash?"
Caitlin knelt near him, hugging him for comfort. "Its not your fault, Barry, you tried your best. Sometimes, its not enough."
"If its not enough, then why am I a hero?" Barry-Red wondered.
"Because you try", Patty said, also kneeling near him. "You've always tried, that's what makes you special. You are a hero, Barry."
"I don't feel like one", Barry-Red sighed.
"Failing sometimes, its part of it", Cisco told Barry-Red, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You taught me that when I gave you up to Snart."
"Look", Barry-Blue knelt near Barry-Red. "When you first met me, you gave me hope, that I could have my dad back, and put my mom's killer to justice. Now, because of you the rest, my mom's killer is imprisoned, and the case is reopened. You, you are the one who gave me hope. So you're a hero to me, Barry."
"Yeah, you gave me a chance as well, and because of you, I am who I am, so you're a hero, Barry", Ralph said as well.
"And so was Jay", Jesse said to him. "He would tell you the same, that you're a hero."
Harry nodded as well. "You were born to save people, Barry."
Oliver was the one who spoke now, knowing his friend needed to hear this. "You, are a hero, a better man than I ever could be. It all seems dark and hopeless, and I've been there, believe me, I have, but let me tell you something Steve once told me. "You can try to save everyone you can, sometimes it doesn't mean everyone, but if you can't find a way to live with that, next time, maybe no one gets saved." Barry, Your father, Jay, they would want you to keep on being the good man you are, the loss will eat at you inside, and it will only get worse by sitting around. Mourn for them, by fighting for what they believe in."
Barry-Red now looked up, looking into the eyes of everyone who was there for him, as Joan, her face still teary, walked to him, along with Wally, Joe and Cecile.
"My husband sacrificed himself because he was a hero", Joan said to Barry-Red. "It was not your fault. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself."
"Yeah man, you've done your best, and still are", Wally told him. "So, this is not your fault at all."
"Sometimes, you just can't save everyone, Barr", Joe said to him. "I know you've taken it to heart, and I understand, but others need you as well."
"And you must save them", Cecile finished, as Barry-Red looked at all of them, and, with Caitlin and Patty grasping him, he stood up finally, a renewed fire in his eyes.
He was still blaming himself, but he knew he shouldn't just sit around either.
As the Phantom Zone group continued to move, they saw some Zoners, who wanted a fight.
They were strong, but not super-strong, and they attacked as well.
Bart sped around, tripping a good number of them, as Kal blocked one's blow, and punched his face, sending him back, before spinning and tripping him, while Lois leaned backwards to avoid the punch of another, and with a flip, kicked his chin, sending him back as well.
Chloe grasped one's arm as he tried to punch her, and whacked his face thrice with her gun, knocking him out, as Ollie spun and struck one's face with his bow, before spinning and kicking him back, and fired an arrow that sent a shock through him, knocking him out.
Kara elbowed one's face, then gave him an uppercut as he fell down, while Supergirl kicked another from behind, sending him down, as Clark punched one's face thrice, then head-butted him as he was sent back.
Kent blocked the blow of one of them, then struck his face, before striking his throat, as he was down, while Superman managed to catch the foot of the one trying to kick him, and tossed him downwards, with Big Blue having one more in a chokehold, whom he knocked out.
Lane spun and elbowed one in the abdomen, then spun and kicked his face, sending him down, as Lois-93 punched one on the face before shooting him with her gun, and he was down too.
Banner blocked the blow of one more, then punched his face before managing to flip him over, and kicked his face.
Deathstroke dodged a blow of their leader before brandishing his sword, and cutting off his arm, making him scream in pain, and then Deathstroke cut off his head, finally killing him. "That's a scumbag down."
The Zoners were getting back up, and more were coming. Bart then sped around, getting his allies away, and then sped around the Zoners in a circle, managing to form a speed tornado just for a moment, which sent all of the Zoners flying up, and then crashing to the ground, knocked out.
"Whoa man!" Ollie said in awe. "Now that was cool."
"Thanks", Bart said. "Let's move."
They nodded, continuing to move, before hearing a voice. "Why do you come here now?"
The group turned around, and saw it was the female Monitor they were looking for. Kal spoke first. "We are here because we were looking for you."
"And why is that?" She asked, glaring down at them. "You are the ones who put me in here."
"We need to ask you something", Lois said immediately.
"I will only take you all down!" She roared, about to strike, when Banner enlarged all of a sudden, becoming Hulk, as he blocked her fist, and with a roar, punched her face, sending her flying backwards.
She got back up and roaring, struck his face as he staggered back, before he dodged her next blow and punched her back too.
It was on.
Barry-Red, Cisco, Caitlin and Patty were preparing to go somewhere, when Uatu the Watcher appeared before them, looking very grim.
"I am sorry for your loss", he said in sympathy.
"Where were you until now?" Patty inquired.
"Trying to find the source of the anti-matter wave", Uatu told all of them. "A constantly moving weapon that inhabits the worlds left in its wake before moving on, until there are no worlds left. The antimatter cannon focuses the Anti-Monitor's power to sweep through the Multiverse. It has been clouded from my sight for some time, I had to use much of my power to see through the haze, but now I have found where it now resonates his destructive power."
"Where?" Caitlin asked.
"One of the Anti-Monitor's latest victims, what you call Universe-2."
That shocked them all, as Barry-Red then inquired. "What else did you see?"
"My gaze is still clouded", Uatu informed them regretfully. "I can see the weapon, but not how it works."
"Can you take us there?" Cisco asked.
"I can send you there, but", Uatu said immediately. "Just take a look at the weapon, and come back, we will decide how to stop it after that, all right?"
The four nodded, as Uatu held out his hand, and a rip was opened. "The weapon is there, go now."
With that, the four of them went into the rip.
Earth-1
Lucifer and Decker were in bed with little Sammy, Decker feeding him milk from a bottle.
Lucifer was in awe. "How can something so beautiful come from me?"
"You are beautiful, Lucifer. You're better than you know."
"I don't feel I deserve you, him, Trixie, any of this, yet I feel like without all of you, there would be nothing left for me."
"Hey, look at me," she gently cupped Lucifer's cheek as she picked up her son, cradling him between her and his father. "You will always have us. No one, not even God can take that away. I wouldn't change anything that happened between us, because it led to this, to us, to Sammy. I love you, Lucifer."
"I love you, Chloe." Sammy reached up his little hand to his father's other cheek, it brought the Lightbringer to tears as he smiled down at his little miracle. "And I love you, Samael. More than I ever thought possible."
A knock on the door, and Lucifer felt his world pulled from under him as he got out of bed and opened the door.
Behind were Amenadiel and Maze, waiting. A confused Decker came too, holding Sammy, and asked. "What's going on?"
"Our time is over, we need to go where we belong", Lucifer told her. "And thankfully, we are allowed to take a few people with us. Trixie, Dr. Linda, Charlie, Ms. Lopez, even Dou-…Dan, have ascended."
"I don't-" Decker started but was interrupted by Maze hugging her.
"I'll miss you", Maze said, then looked at Samael, stroking his cheek. "Goodbye, little prince."
She stepped away and Amenadiel flew her to Hell, while Lucifer took hold of Sammy one last time.
"No. No! We are a family! Family stays together."
"I can't go to Heaven, I'm banished. There's only one place for me, and neither you nor Sammy will EVER go to Hell."
"Lucifer…I can't lose you."
"You, Detective Chloe Decker, the mother of my child, the love of my life, are my everything."
Amenadiel returned, and Lucifer kissed Sammy one last time, handing him to Decker as his brother took hold of his nephew and her child.
They flew up as the antimatter wave began engulfing an empty Earth-1, since while Lucifer was with Decker and Samael, the Heroes had come and saved everyone else. They were the last.
Lucifer's brilliant white wings flapped as he followed his brother, his eyes never leaving his son or his love, who kept on staring back at him, trying and failing to stop crying as she reached out to him.
Lucifer reached out his hand, and their fingers grazed each other, which is all that can be done, for Lucifer's wings stopped flapping, and he began to fall into the destruction, Decker only able to weep and hold a crying Samael while Amenadiel did his best to keep going, even as tears streamed down his eyes, until they ascended beyond the sky, beyond the Multiverse, to the Silver City.
Lucifer then descended to Hell, alone as the ash fell like snow. He felt so hollow, everything that meant something to him was gone.
The Devil was not allowed to enter the Silver City, not since the rebellion, and so, he remained in Hell.
Forever.
Wade came up, wearing casual clothing, and grasped Lucifer's shoulder, no quip or joke or anything, he knew what happened (he saw it via the script), he just held him, reminding him, he is not alone.
Barry, Caitlin, Patty and Cisco found themselves in some sort of chamber, with Cisco looking around at it. "This place has some crazy vibrational frequency surging through it."
"I think its the nexus between the anti-matter Universe and our own", Barry-Red said before they looked at the weapon, some sort of cannon, with the anti-matter wave coming off of it, and there was a blur on it.
"So this is his weapon", Patty realized
"The Anti-Matter Cannon", Barry-Red named it.
"Gus, I think this blur is alive", Caitlin noted.
"Let me check it out", Barry-Red ran at it, managing to see who it was from his point of view. It was a speedster dressed just like him, but much older, and seeing the lower half of his face, Barry-Red realized who it was.
"No!" He screamed before a force field made him fall back.
"Barry!" Cisco, Caitlin and Patty rushed to him.
"What happened?" Cisco asked.
"It's a force field. I couldn't get through", Barry-Red confessed sadly. "And the guy inside, he's another Flash, just like me, and he is my dad's doppelganger too. He's trapped on that treadmill."
"Wait, he is another Barry Allen that looks like your dad?" Patty asked and got a nod.
"The Anti-Monitor must have destroyed his Universe, and abducted him to power up his weapon and destroy more randomly", Barry-Red realized.
"How can we stop it?" Caitlin wondered.
Barry-Red put his science knowledge to use. "The force field that contains this is anti-matter based obviously. So, I don't think anything made of positive matter can penetrate it. We have to get the Flash off that treadmill."
"I'll do it", Cisco said, and fired a breach, this old Flash running into it and falling out of the treadmill.
Suddenly, the Anti-Matter Cannon started beeping as Barry-Red ran to this older Flash, who was his dad's doppelganger.
"Thank you for the reprieve", this Barry Allen said. "But you gotta put me back on it."
"Guys", Patty called out and they turned to see the Anti-Matter Cannon beeping as lightning was coming off of it.
Allen revealed to them as Barry-Red helped him up. "The Anti-Monitor designed that treadmill with a failsafe so that if I ever got off of it, it would erupt, destroying all remaining Earths at once. We only have a few minutes."
All started shaking as Allen said. "Put me back on that treadmill."
"No", Barry-Red shook his head. "If someone runs on it in reverse, it will be destroyed, the weapon will be gone."
"Then let me do it", Allen requested.
"No", Barry-Red turned to Cisco. "Put me on it."
"WHAT?" Cisco cried out in horror. "Look, this weapon is destroying the Multiverse. If you do this…."
"You will die", Caitlin finished. "Don't go there, please."
"I am going to", Barry-Red said. "There is no other way now."
"No! Let me go there!" Allen cried out. "My world is all gone, I lost Christina too. I've nothing left. I am going to go!"
"But you still live, and there's still the remaining Multiverse to save", Barry-Red said to him. "You're not going to go."
"Barry, this will kill you", Patty said. "Think about it."
"More than just me is at stake, Patty", Barry-Red told her, and the rest of them. "And all of them need to be saved. Please, understand."
"But…" Cisco was crying now. "I can't let you…."
Caitlin had tears, but Barry-Red kissed her on the lips, as she went back and forth between herself and Killer Frost, before they parted, and she was sobbing already.
"Don't go…..please", she begged in a voice that was a mix of hers and Killer Frost.
"I love you", Barry-Red said to both Caitlin and Killer Frost.
"We love you too", both Caitlin and Frost replied, as he then hugged Patty, both kissing each other's cheeks.
"Take care, Patty", Barry-Red told her. "I love Caitlin and Frost now, but I loved you too then."
"I know", Patty told him, a tear rolling down her cheek. "And this won't change anything, but I still love you, Barry."
Barry-Red nodded, as Patty cried, while he turned to Cisco, who had tears as well. "You're like a brother to me. So is Oliver, tell him that. Ralph too."
Cisco nodded, him and Barry-Red hugging, before they parted, and Cisco held out his hand, crying. "I'm sorry."
"Its not your fault", Barry-Red assured him before turning to Allen.
"Let me go, please!"
"No", Barry-Red said, only for Allen to speed towards him, trying to steal his speed, but Barry-Red saw it coming and dodged, flipping Allen over, as Cisco opened a breach, Barry-Red turning to it. "My dad is not dying again."
With that, he ran into the breach and was on the treadmill, running in the reverse direction now.
Allen got up, slamming on the force field. "NO!" He turned to Cisco. "Let me in!"
Cisco was sobbing, as were Caitlin and Patty, while he said. "I can't. Its leader's orders."
Allen tried to punch the force field again, but Caitlin and Patty held him back.
"We need to go", Cisco said, his voice utterly hollow, devoid of any emotion except sadness.
Caitlin looked at the running Barry-Red one more time, covering her mouth, as Patty looked down, crying, but then, they pulled Allen back, who reluctantly stopped resisting, and Cisco backed too, seeing his friend one last time.
Barry-Red continued running, his eyes closed as he remembered moments of his life.
Nora Allen put him to sleep.
Barry-Red was comforted by Iris as kids.
Barry-Red hugged Joe, who comforted him.
Barry-Red met Oliver, Felicity and Diggle for the first time.
Barry-Red found out who Oliver was.
Barry-Red was struck by lightning.
Barry-Red woke up to meet Cisco and Caitlin.
Oliver encouraged Barry-Red. "I don't think that bolt of lighting struck you, Barry. I think it chose you.
"I'm just not sure I'm like you, Oliver. I don't know if I can be some... vigilante."
"You can be better, because you can inspire people in a way that I never could, watching over your city like a guardian angel... making a difference... saving people... in a flash."
Barry-Red undid Mardon's tornado.
Barry-Red talked to his father in prison.
Barry-Red saved everyone from the train Captain Cold had attacked.
Barry-Red shared a kiss with Felicity.
Barry-Red ran on water for the first time.
Barry-Red was brought back to normal by Oliver.
Now Oliver was encouraged by Barry-Red. "You were wrong when you said you couldn't inspire people. Not the Arrow, that guy's a douche. But, as Oliver Queen."
Barry-Red faced Captain Cold and Heatwave, now the whole city seeing him.
Barry-Red time-travelled for the first time.
Barry-Red phased for the first time too.
Henry found out Barry-Red was the Flash.
Barry-Red's team told him they won't let him go, even if he wanted to be alone.
Barry-Red and Henry hugged after he was out of prison.
Barry-Red met Patty for the first time.
Barry-Red and Patty shared a loving kiss.
Oliver again encouraged Barry-Red. "Barry, I get that you're desperate to help and you want to be the hero and you want to save her yourself, but I think she has to have a part in it, too." Barry-Red scoffed. "What?"
"I-it's just the rules keep changing. It's one day I have to run through time, the next I'm fighting a telepathic gorilla, a-a-a-and now we're, what, we're-we're chasing down an immortal madman on a rampage against a reincarnated warrior priestess? I just never thought I had superpowers and feel more powerless than I have in my entire life."
Oliver assured him. "That part I understand."
Barry-Red managed to speed through Turtle's waves and take him out.
Barry-Red said farewell to Patty as Flash.
Barry-Red caught Danvers on Earth-38 as the two met for the first time.
Barry-Red managed to destroy Zoom.
Barry-Red saw Jay Garrick was behind the iron mask.
Barry-Red and Caitlin shared their first kiss.
Barry-Red and Caitlin were on their first date.
Barry-Red, Cisco and Caitlin all just having fun in STAR Labs, with Harry and Jesse joining them at times, and even Joe doing so.
Barry-Red met the Earth-199999 Heroes for the first time.
Barry-Red managed to take out Thawne finally.
Oliver once more comforted Barry-Red. "Barry, doing whatever you have to in order to save your family and protect your city doesn't make you a monster. If you'd enjoyed killing him, that would make you a monster. But you didn't. You're one of the best guys I know and no evil speedster from another world or another time is gonna change that."
Barry-Red met Barry-Blue, Bart and Pietro for the first time, then Maximoff too.
All the speedsters ran together, laughing and cheering.
Barry-Red was comforted by everyone over the death of Jay.
With that, Barry-Red closed his eyes, and screamed while continuing to run, the anti-matter wave going back into the Anti-Matter Cannon, the lightning also inside now, and Barry-Red disintegrated into nothingness just as the Anti-Matter Cannon was destroyed.
He had saved the Multiverse for now! But he was gone!
Earth-199999
The Phantom Zone portal was still open, and the unconscious female Monitor was tossed out, before being hit by a Pym Particle that shrunk her.
Hulk came out, turning back into Banner, and grasping his rags to cover his dignity. Bart sped in and got him clothes that he wore, while the others came out as well, the portal closing finally as Kal held up the Crystal.
Oliver, Sara, Roy, Wally, Barry-Blue, Jesse, Ralph, Matt and Elektra returned from a mission as well, having saved the population of an Earth.
Uatu looked grim, as Cisco, Caitlin, Patty and Allen came out of the portal he'd opened, just as it closed.
"What happened?" Harry inquired. "Where's Allen?"
Caitlin had tears in her eyes, and fell to her knees, sobbing, Patty hugging her and sobbing as well, while Cisco shook his head, letting a tear of guilt roll down his cheek.
"No…." Oliver whispered, staggering away as he put his hand on the table to support himself, and Sara hugged his shoulder, tears in her eyes too, as Deathstroke put a hand on Oliver's other shoulder for comfort.
Wally fell to his knees, a look of disbelief on his while Barry-Blue looked away, trying to wipe his tears, and Jesse's face was quivering too as she began to cry.
Joe and Cecile couldn't believe it, and were already in tears, as was Iris, and even Joan.
Roy had a look of disbelief, as Matt and Elektra lowered their heads sadly, Ralph putting a hand to his face to cry.
Tony looked down in sadness as well.
Bart sat down, unable to process this in spite of his speed, as the others who'd gone to the Phantom Zone also were utterly numb in grief and shock.
Barry-Red was gone!
Notes:
Rest In Peace Barry Allen of Earth-1 and Jay Garrick of Earth-3. You were both Heroes.
Like in the actual Crisis, a Supergirl and a Flash are now gone.
We got a lot of fandom cameos here- Superman and the Mole Men starring George Reeves (RIP to him), Fantastic Four 2015, the original Star Trek, Arcane, Dune 2021, The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things, Squid Games, Avatar: The Last Airbender, High and Low: The Worst, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Fast and the Furious, Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones, John Rambo, Die Hard, Commando 1985, Alien and Predator in Alien vs. Predator, John Wick, Jason Bourne, Taken, The Raid, Undisputed, Dredd 2012, James Bond (Daniel Craig), 24 TV Series, Rocky Series, The Boys Comics, The Guardians of Justice, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Matrix, Monsterverse, Michael Bay's Transformers, Devil May Cry, DMC Reboot, Power Rangers during the Shattered Grid event, The Witcher, Digimon, Mortal Kombat 1995 movie, Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Code Geass, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, One Piece, Berserk 1997, Ben 10 2005, The Incredibles, The Chronicles of Narnia, Inheritance Cycle, Bayonetta, the first Resident Evil, God of War, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, Charmed Reboot, The 100, Riverdale/Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th in Freddy vs. Jason, the original Child's Play, Evil Dead, the first Scream, Game of Thrones, the world of John Henry Irons from 'Superman and Lois', Earth-X, and Earth-838 that is the Illuminati Earth.
Out of these, it pained me to destroy all of them except FF 2015, The Boys Comics (Love the show, not a fan of the comics since they're just Garth Ennis' edgy fantasy), Bay's Transformers (they're entertaining but still a disgrace to the real deal), DMC Reboot (original Devil May Cry forever!), Bay's TMNT (again, entertaining but a disgrace to the real deal), Charmed Reboot (screw this trash, original forever!) and maybe Game of Thrones considering the last 2 Seasons of it.
Now there were some very, very OP worlds shown here like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, Devil May Cry (the original one), Bayonetta, Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts and Ben 10. So, these worlds were shown at around their starting points, when they were not so OP, hence they go for now as well.
Thank you to all for the cameo suggestions too.
The Stargirl who appeared on Earth-2 was from the TV Series. The female Monitor has weakened during her imprisonment while Hulk is closer to his comic book level strength, hence he won the fight.
Killing the PTB was fun, with Lord Krishna's flashback from 'When Heroes live their lives' also showing.
And now they mourn Barry-Red as well as Jay, while the Flash from the 1990 TV Series is here. The female Monitor has also been brought in for questioning.
The Supermen were all trained by Steve in H2H, and Smallville Lois and L&C Lois trained DCEU Lois.
Hope all enjoyed (or not) and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 8: Dashavatara Part 1
Summary:
The Heroes mourn Barry-Red. Gandalf, Radagast, Merlin and Balthazar have to go. Lord Vishnu remembers his past incarnations.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-199999
Cisco was simply staring down at his hands, shaking ever since Barry….he couldn't even finish his thought.
He threw off the armor around his hands, curling them into his fists as he covered his mouth to muffle his sobs, feeling his nails cut into his palm, causing them to bleed, but Cisco didn't notice, or even care.
The pain of his best friend's death was worse than anything he could do to himself. He was really starting to hate himself and his powers, one thing he could do about it though.
Remembering all that he'd seen in the past of Erik and Logan, he made his way to Beast, and asked him. "Hey."
"What?" Beast turned to him.
"Do you still have the serum that took away the Professor's powers in the past?" Cisco inquired.
"I do", Beast admitted finally. "I occasionally use it too, for a little while." Then his eyes widened as he realized why Cisco was asking. "Whether you have powers or not doesn't change-"
"Change what? That I killed my best friend?!"
"It wasn't-"
"DON'T SAY THAT!" At that point, Parker finally arrived on the scene, the rest of the Spider-Clan behind him. "Don't say it wasn't my fault...I opened the breach...and I closed it...and Barry, he..." Cisco collapsed to his knees and broke down.
"He did what any one of us what have done." Parker's voice made the Earth-1 Metahuman look up to see the young Spider-Man shedding tears with him, and rest of the Spider-Clan also had tears of grief. "That's what we do. We make the sacrifice play, no matter how scary, or how painful it would be, we do it so we can save lives. It's what makes us Heroes." Parker knelt beside Cisco, laying a hand on his shoulder while Beast and the rest of the Spider-Clan gave them some privacy. "What happened...you have every right to cry, Cisco, but Barry, my parents, Uncle Ben, whoever it is we lose, we can't stop fighting. To make sure they didn't die in vain, we have to keep going as if they were still here, because they would want us to, and it will be more painful than you can ever imagine, but you just know they would be proud, because you would be too, if the roles were reversed. Fight for Barry, for everyone that we lost, and don't give up until we make it right." Cisco tearfully nodded, before leaning his head on Parker's shoulder, who wrapped his arms around his friend, letting him grieve. He earned that right, they all did.
Caitlin was in a bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she saw Frost staring back. Tears were on her face, and they turned into icicles due on Frost's cheeks, with the sink she was gripping also turning into ice as it crumbled in her grip.
Patty walked in, and seeing the scene, she just knew, because she was feeling the exact same.
She put a hand on Caitlin's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know how you feel."
Caitlin knew that, and told Patty. "I remember….the first time we went on a date, or the closes to it, since it wasn't exactly a date, it was a karaoke, we sang together. I was terrible, he was great. I always felt a connection with him since that night, but it took a long time before we finally embraced what we felt for each other."
"At first, I was jealous when I saw you two together", Patty admitted to her. "In fact, I always regretted having left him that night, the worst mistake of my life. I should have stayed." Her voice quivered. "But, I was happy for him, and you, for both of you."
Both of them just stood there, crying silently, reflecting on the man both of them had loved.
Pietro had tears in his eyes, Wanda having comforted him a while ago, but it was going to take time. "He was a great guy. Always ready to help others, he always saw good in people, and now….."
"Now he's gone", Bart muttered. "And we weren't there. We should have been there!"
"Yeah…." Barry-Blue trailed off. "All of us should have been there. Why weren't we?"
Suddenly, his eyes flashed with lightning, and he ran off as fast as he could, making Bart and Pietro run after him.
Bart managed to catch up, knowing what Barry-Blue was trying to do, and tackled him to the ground. Angrily, Barry-Blue ripped off his mask and yelled. "Why did you do that?!"
"We're all hurting, but this isn't how we do things!" Pietro said to him.
"Time travel won't make it better." Bart said as well.
"He didn't deserve this! No one deserved to die like that! This whole mess shouldn't be happening. Why can't I run back, just to save him? To stop Barry from learning about the cannon, take his place-"
"Then we'd be mourning you. Whether we like it or not, nothing will change, someone will die, and it will hurt like hell, for all of us. No one can pick whose life means more than the other."
Barry-Blue knelt, rubbing his eyes to wipe away the tears. "I owe you guys so much, and I can never repay it, saving Barry though...I just want to stop the pain."
The speedsters shared a look, one of pain that they all felt. All of them stood together, hands on their shoulders, all they can do for now, as they lost one of their key members.
Harry was fiddling with tech in the lab, away from Tony, who was lost in his own world, trying to get the right combination to make his suit, while he himself was trying to busy himself in anyway, to make himself forget who they just lost, but he can't.
Whatever contraption he made, equation or sketch he made, he threw it all away, and slammed his hand on a desk, resting his head on it, panting, huffing repeatedly to try and hide his own sobbing.
Then he felt Jesse wrap her arms around him, her tears wetting the back of his shirt, and both of them wept silently over their lost friend, who'd given them hope and reunited them when Zoom had separated them.
"Its all my fault", Allen said, his mask off as he tried to prevent himself from breaking down, and Joan was staring at his face, the pain on her own clear. "He took my place. I should have stopped him!"
Ralph was nearby, grieving with Joe, Cecile, Wally and Iris, while Joan stared at Allen sadly.
"He died because of me!" Allen snapped.
"No", Joe shook his head, a lump in his throat, making Allen look at him. "It wasn't because of you."
"How can you say that?" Allen inquired. "I should have stopped him!"
"If he wants to do something, no one can stop him", Joe told Allen. "I raised him for years, I know."
"Yeah, Barry, he…." Ralph trailed off. "He would never back down, he'd always put himself before anyone else. He would have stopped you from taking his place no matter what."
"So, you're not at fault", Wally told Allen, wiping his own tears. "He was a Hero, he saved you, and the rest of us for now."
"Yeah…." Cecile nodded. "Don't blame yourself. You just couldn't have stopped him, none of us could have."
"Its just…" Allen trailed off, looking down. "He was so young, and he still has people who love him! I feel like I failed to protect him!"
"He failed to protect you before", Joan told him with tears in her eyes, making him look up at her in confusion. "You are the doppelganger of his father. And so was my husband. He failed to save both of them, so he couldn't let you die."
The realization made Allen sink to his knees, as he finally broke down, grieving for not only Barry-Red, his alternate son who'd died for him, but also his whole world, especially Christina, the woman he loved, and still did, even though she and the rest of his world was gone.
Joan put a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer what comfort she could to the doppelganger of the man she loved.
Oliver went crazy on a punching bag, roaring in rage, until he stopped, leaning against a wall as he slid down, and then Sara, Roy and Ray came over, seeing his face.
"I never thought I was a hero, despite what a lot of people tried to tell me. Putting arrows in bad guys, beating them black and blue on a good day, never seemed very heroic. Yet when Barry...when he tried to tell me I was a good man...I almost believed him. There was a part of me that always wanted to be like him. Barry had this...light in him, it drew people in, and raised them up. He raised me up. I...I just wish...I could have been there, one more time...and said goodbye to my little brother."
Then Oliver finally cracked, becoming a weeping mess, as the three embraced him, trying to console him, while shedding tears over his loss themselves.
Earth-10005
"No…" Maximoff fell to his knees, tears rolling down his cheeks on learning the fates of Barry-Red and Jay, which added to his grief over Danvers and Accelerated Man, and all the others. "This can't be…."
"I'm sorry, Peter", Charles said to him in sympathy.
"I should have been there!" Maximoff snapped. "I should have been the one to run on that darned treadmill!"
Charles put a hand on Maximoff's shoulder, who muttered. "Fastest speedster in the Multiverse, yet I wasn't even there when it counted! What a joke!"
"Barry was a hero", Charles told him. "He wouldn't want you, or anyone else, to blame yourselves."
Earth-199999
Steve and Aragorn stood in the middle, with some others around, including the loved ones of Barry-Red.
Steve spoke first. "Barry Allen has been a part of our community since the very beginning, when he and his group ended up on this Earth. In fact, it was Barry himself who opened the Multiversal door. Thanks to him, we had the pleasure of meeting and knowing each other. Barry, Jay, and Kara, everyone we have lost, meant something dear to many of us. There was no fight too big or enemy too strong that they wouldn't volunteer and fight against. It wasn't in their nature to back down. They were the definition of Heroes."
And then Aragorn picked up from where Steve had left. "Kara died protecting her Earth to the end, Jay gave himself up to save another, and Barry made the sacrifice of saving one life, while stopping the Anti-Monitor's wave of destruction to save the rest who remain. We cannot thank them enough for what they have done."
Steve finished it. "All we can do now is remember them for who they were, fight in their names, and when the smoke clears after finally ending this Crisis, they'll be smiling down at us, because we made sure their sacrifice was not in vain."
All were silent, simply mourning all those who'd been lost in this Crisis.
Then, a portal opened, and out of it walked Gandalf, Radagast, Balthazar, Veronica, Dave and Becky, all of them looking glum and grim.
Gandalf looked at Merlin. "Its time, my friend."
Merlin sighed, knowing this was coming, but it didn't hurt any less, and he turned to Lena, Arthur and Guinevere.
"Time for what?" Lena asked. "What's he talking about?"
"Yes, what is it, Merlin?" Arthur inquired.
"It's a Law, from above", Merlin told all of them. "That we cannot interfere in this directly now."
"What?" Ollie went. "But that's ridiculous."
"We do not know why it exists, but we have no choice but to follow it now", Radagast said sadly. "We are sorry, we wish to stay and help, but we can't now."
"Yeah, we just have no choice", Balthazar said, looking guilty.
"But….." Lena trailed off. "All of us…"
"I know you will all get through this, with or without us", Merlin told her.
"When we were evacuating Earth-1 before it was gone", Kal said as all looked at him. "I met Lucifer and Amenadiel there. They told me that Angels are confined by God's Law and can't do anything about the Anti-Monitor. So they can't."
Doctor Fate was the one who explained this law properly. "No matter how much they integrate into human worlds, there are some beings that do not belong here forever and obey powers you cannot comprehend. They follow their own set of rules and laws, with nothing getting in their way. Whether they chose to leave or not, there was never an option for them to stay, no matter how strongly they wished to."
All realized that there really was no choice now, as Merlin turned to Lena, and kissed her on the lips passionately, her kissing him back, before they parted, staring at each other. "I'm sorry, I wish I could stay."
"Its all right, we will meet again, when this is over", Lena assured him.
He then turned to Arthur, and both embraced each other. "You're my brother, Arthur."
"So are you, Merlin."
As they parted, Merlin embraced Guinevere. "Take care."
"You too", she whispered, as Merlin shared a sad nod with the rest too.
Balthazar kissed Veronica on the lips as she kissed him back, and they parted. "I love you."
"I love you."
He patted Dave's shoulder. "I know you can do it."
"Won't disappoint", Dave assured him.
"Take care", Balthazar told Becky.
"Yeah, you too", Becky told him.
Gandalf and Radagast nodded at the Middle-earth crew sadly, as they nodded back, Sam saying. "It's a shame you all have to go, but we will still fight back against this. We must stand on our feet too."
"Indeed, Master Gamgee", Gimli agreed with Sam. "It is time to stand on our own feet and fight back."
Gandalf smiled in pride, and the four looked at everyone one last time, especially their loved ones, and then went into the portal reluctantly, with heavy hearts, as it closed.
After a few moments, Aragorn spoke. "They may not be able to aid us, but we must fight it now, and stand on our own feet, we cannot always rely on higher powers to aid us, benevolent or not, we are the ones who defend this Multiverse, it is our duty now, and we must protect it from annihilation."
Hearing that, everyone felt a fire burning inside of them, and it showed in their eyes too. No matter what, they would fight this, and defeat it.
The Council of Godheads were sitting in a circle surrounding a sphere that projected the representations of the many Universes, some of them getting engulfed by antimatter or destroyed via Exterminators and Black Lanterns.
The Gods present were those who's other Multiversal selves had combined into these beings as they warily stared at the dwindling number of Universes with sadness.
They also grieved for the Heroes that were lost, but the resolve of some remained just as strong as they continued to save as many as they can.
Ulmo wasn't here anymore, being a Vala, so he too was bound by the Law, and had to leave, unfortunately.
Secretly, the Council had aided in evacuations too using their power, but not revealed themselves to the Heroes while doing so, and now they sat here.
"Now these are Heroes." The Dagda said, impressed. "In spite of the odds, they stand firm against the Anti-Monitor."
"The wave has stopped with the Anti-Matter Cannon gone", Hades noted, then said. "But we still can't find the Anti-Monitor."
"The growing horde of the Black Lanterns is quite worrisome too", Persephone noted. "While the habits of the Exterminators are as elusive as their Celestial creators."
"And we still don't know who the benefactor of this Anti-Monitor is", Sun Wukong sighed.
Lord Vishnu had worry on his face, but not for himself, rather for what remained of the Multiverse. They needed to be saved, and he had done it before.
Nine incarnations he had taken before, to save humanity, from total annihilation, or even the evil in their own hearts.
His mind drifted to the incarnations he had taken before.
First to come had been the Matsya incarnation. King Manu while performing severe austerities had found a fish in the river that had begged him to save its life. Overcome with compassion, Manu had placed the fish in a jar of water, but the fish had managed to outgrow it.
So the king had thrown it into a river, only for the fish to outgrow that too, and then the king had thrown it into the divine Ganga river, but the fish outgrew even that.
Next, the king threw the fish into the ocean, and the fish grew even larger.
Now Manu knew this wasn't a normal fish and wondered. "This fish was so tiny when it came into my hands, now its so big even the ocean seems small for it. This must be no normal fish. Who are you? Show me your true form, please." He joined his hands as the Matsya (Fish) glowed brightly with a divine light, making him cover his eyes.
When he lowered his hand, Lord Vishnu was now before him, looking down at him with a smile.
"Lord, its you", Manu went down on his knees, both hands joined. "I am blessed to witness you before myself."
"You are a great man, Manu", Vishnu said to him, his tone neutral. "In seven days, this world will come to an end from a huge flood. Build a huge boat, and take the seven sages, seeds of all plants, and an animal of each type on it. I will appear before you seven days later in the form of this Matsya, and propel the boat to Mt. Himavan so all of you can survive the flood to the next eon."
Manu put his joined hands to his head while bowing. "I will do as you say, oh Lord!"
The Demon Hayagriva had stolen the Vedas from the mouth of Lord Brahma the Creator when he had yawned, but then Matsya floated towards him.
Hayagriva tried to attack but Matsya simply struck him with his mouth, sending him crashing into a rock, before coming upon him, as Hayagriva was crushed under Matsya, and in his dying screams, the Vedas came out of his mouth, Matsya taking those back to return to Lord Brahma when he began the process of creation again.
Seven days passed, and the flood had come, with Manu and the rest waiting for their Lord near the boat.
Then suddenly, Matsya appeared, everyone bowing to him, before the boat was tied to Matsya using the royal serpent Vasuki.
As all climbed the boat, Matsya then took all of them to Mt. Himavan, crossing any obstacles effortlessly, and as the sun rose on a new eon, Manu and the rest were on Mt. Himavan, bowing to Matsya again as he transformed back into Lord Vishnu and disappeared.
Next had been Kurma incarnation. The sage Durvasa had gifted a garland to Lord Indra the King of the Devas, and Indra had given the garland to his elephant Airavat, only for Airavat to trample the garland under his foot.
An angry Durvasa had then cursed all Devas to lose their strength.
Now they'd approached Lord Vishnu for help who told them. "Even I cannot revert the curse of Sage Durvasa."
"So will this remain our state?" Indra asked. "Defeated, powerless, unstable?"
"Will I allow that to happen?" Vishnu asked with a smile. "No! All of you have to churn the ocean. The result is, whatever riches you gather from it will re-establish the lost supremacy of Devlok. After taking the nectar obtained from the churning, you will once more be strong, wealthy and respectable." Then he added. "But, for this mission you will have to take the help of the Demons."
"Help from the Demons?" Indra asked in shock. "Why should I ask help from my enemy?"
"This is punishment for not controlling your ego when you gave the garland to Airavat", Vishnu told Indra. "But I will still help all of you."
"What must we do then?" Indra inquired.
"Tell the Demons you will share the nectar with them, they will agree to help you", Vishnu revealed what would work. "And do not fight the Demons until you get the nectar. Go use Mt. Mandara as the churning stick and the royal serpent Vasuki as the rope."
The churning began, and Indra played a Machiavellian trick, asking the Demons for the head end of Vasuki. But the Demons, suspecting foul play, took the head end, only to be deceived as the poison from Vasuki was slowly weakening them.
Suddenly, Mt. Mandara started sinking, but under it came a giant Kurma, or Turtle in English, Vishnu's second incarnation, who held Mt. Mandara upon his shell for the whole duration of the churning.
First a powerful poison came out of the ocean, threatening to destroy everything, but Lord Shiva appeared and drank it, trapping it in his throat and saving everyone else.
Then Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, came out of the ocean, as Indra joined his hands and begged. "Goddess Lakshmi, please come and reside in the Heavens again, so that it can be wealthy and prosperous once more. Have mercy, Goddess."
"If I am to reside in the Heavens, I shall only stay there as Vishnu's consort", Lakshmi immediately said.
Then Lord Vishnu appeared and told her. "Devi, I accept you as my consort."
The two of them put garlands around each other as flowers were showered upon them, and now married, they disappeared.
The churning was continued, as many other things came out, then finally Dhanvantri the Divine Physician appeared with the pot of nectar.
It was taken by the Demons first, when a beautiful and seductive woman called Mohini appeared, and the Demons were all taken in by her beauty.
"You do not need to fight for this nectar", she said, taking the pot from the Demons. "I shall distribute it to you, one by one."
Such was her beauty all agreed, as she distributed the nectar. Only, she distributed it to the Devas first, and when it was the turn of the Demons, it was finished.
"This was a trick!" One Demon said in rage as Mohini turned into Lord Vishnu, horrifying the Demons, while he disappeared, and the Devas with their regained strength from the nectar managed to defeat and drive back the Demons.
After that was the Varaha incarnation. A Demon called Hiranyaksha had prayed to Lord Brahma and got awarded a boon that no beast nor man nor God could kill him. But somehow from the list of beasts the name of boar was missing.
He had plundered many worlds, and then kidnapped the entire Earth itself, pushing it into a Cosmic Ocean, while stealing the Vedas from Lord Brahma.
Now Vishnu took the form of Varaha, or Boar in English, and dove into the Cosmic Ocean, carrying the Earth out on his tusks, and placing it back where it belonged.
Then he turned as Hiranyaksha attacked him, hurling a giant rock, but he destroyed it with his tusks, then Hiranyaksha hurled a sword which also got destroyed by his tusks.
Varaha charged Hiranyaksha and impaled him with his tusks, the Vedas coming out of his mouth with his dying breathe as Varaha took them to return to Lord Brahma.
Then after this was Narasimha incarnation.
Hiranyaksha's brother, Hiranyakashipu, King of Demons, wanted to become immortal and wanted to remain young forever. To this end, he meditated to Lord Brahma and because of his severe penance, the Devas were frightened and asked Brahma to pacify the king. Brahma was impressed by his austerity and granted him a wish. Hiranyakashipu wished that he be neither killed by a Man nor God nor beast, nor in daylight or at night, neither on the ground nor in the sky and neither inside nor outside a building, and also not by any weapon. Having obtained the wish he considered himself the Supreme God and forbade all worship of Gods by anyone.
But his son Prahlada, was an ardent devotee of Vishnu. This enraged Hiranyakashipu very much. He ordered numerous ways to kill Prahlada.
Hiranyakashipu's sister Holika sat on a bonfire with Prahlada on her lap, Prahlada having been tricked into sitting on her lap. Holika also had a special cloak that protected her from the fire.
Only, a wind blew and the cloak ended up on Prahlada instead while Holika burnt to death.
One day, an enraged Hiranyakashipu asked his son. "Why do you worship Vishnu so much? Tell me, where is he? I know, he is hiding from me in the Heavens out of fear."
"No father", Prahlada shook his head. "He is everywhere."
"Oh really?" Hiranyakashipu laughed, amused, pointing at a pillar nearby. "Is he inside there then?"
"Yes, he is", Prahlada nodded.
"Go embrace him then", Hiranyakashipu laughed, as Prahlada walked to the pillar, praying to it and then embracing it.
That enraged Hiranyakashipu as he ordered his soldiers. "Soldiers, bind him to the pillar!"
Two demonic guards came in, binding Prahlada, who simply continued to pray to Vishnu, while Hiranyakashipu brandished a sword, aiming at his son's throat. "Remember when you die, your Lord did not save you."
Suddenly, the pillar shattered into pieces as Prahlada fell away, his ropes now falling down, and Hiranyakashipu fell down.
In front of him was a half-lion, half-man creature, the Narasimha. As he stood up, it roared loudly. Hiranyakashipu struck out with his sword but Narasimha grabbed the sword, then pulled him forwards before punching him down.
He got up and struck again but Narasimha grabbed his hand and threw him into a pillar, before throwing him onto his throne as it toppled.
Hiranyakashipu tried to get up but Narasimha kicked the sword out of his hand, then grabbing his foot, spun him on the ground.
The Demon King got up, charging Narasimha and trying to push him back, only for Narasimha to grab him and hurl him, breaking a pillar as he fell down.
The roaring Narasimha marched to him, as Hiranyakashipu got up and summoned a mace, striking Narasimha twice, but he couldn't even budge Narasimha. He tried to strike him on the head but Narasimha grabbed the mace and used its handle to whack his stomach, making him topple over a chair.
He immediately got up to strike again as Narasimha snatched the mace and whacked his abdomen before hurling him into another pillar while throwing the mace away.
Hiranyakashipu now summoned a sword and charged, trying to strike Narasimha, but he still didn't budge, then grabbed his hand when he struck again, disarming him and spinning him around before throwing him down.
Holding up a hand, Hiranyakashipu demanded. "Who are you? Tell me, who are you?"
"I am your death", Narasimha growled, grabbing Hiranyakashipu's throat and lifting him up, before walking some distance and sitting down, placing Hiranyakashipu on his lap.
"You can't kill me", Hiranyakashipu laughed. "I cannot be killed by a Man or God or beast."
"I am an incarnation and half-man, half-lion, not just one", Narasimha said to the Demon King's horror.
"But I can't be killed during daylight or night!"
"Look towards the sky, its twilight", Narasimha revealed as Hiranyakashipu did and yes, it was twilight.
"You can't kill me inside or outside a building", Hiranyakashipu boasted.
"I have taken you to the threshold of the courtyard, which is neither inside nor outside", Narasimha revealed as he looked around and to his horror, he was in the threshold of the courtyard.
"But I can't be killed on the ground or in the sky!"
"You are neither on the ground nor in the sky, rather in my lap", Narasimha pointed out.
"No weapon can slay me!" Hiranyakashipu finally said.
"These fingernails of mine are not weapons, yet they are deadly", Narasimha lifted up his fingernails, and ripped open Hiranyakashipu's stomach, the evil Demon King dying with a wail of agony as his blood splattered.
Looking at Prahlada, Narasimha transformed back into Lord Vishnu who smiled at him. "Your devotion and dedication compelled me to take the form of Narasimha and descend to this Earth. Otherwise, this sinner's end was not possible. Now this Earth is free of sin so without fear and adhering to justice, rule your kingdom. May you live long!"
And so Prahlada was crowned King and became a just ruler in time.
Next came the Vamana incarnation.
After Prahlada, his son Virochan and grandson Bali too were great devotees of Lord Vishnu, and spread it all over the world.
However, Lord Indra was worried, because the other Devas were not worshipped anymore, and as offerings given to Devas during yajnas were their food, they started starving.
Eventually, Indra resorted to trickery and slew Virochan, which caused Bali to now oppose the Devas.
Gaining great power, he managed to establish his rule over the Earth and Heavens, upsetting the Cosmic balance.
So once more, Indra's arrogance was the reason for the Devas running around helplessly.
The mother of the Devas, Aditi, prayed to Lord Vishnu as he appeared before her.
"Mother, I am appeased by your devotion", Lord Vishnu told her. "Tell me, what is it you want?"
"Lord, kill Bali and all his Demons", Aditi requested. "And protect my sons! Return them to their place in the Heavens."
"I will do what is right", Vishnu simply said, for while a Demon, Bali was still kind and generous, only having grown stubborn due to his power. "I will soon be born from your womb and protect the Devas."
Soon, Vishnu was born to Aditi and Sage Kashyap as Vamana, or a Dwarf, a priest.
One day, Bali was performing a yajna when Vamana approached him, and he happily gave Vamana a seat. "Please sit, oh priest! Tell me, what do you want? Riches, gold, grains? I shall grant you anything."
"I simply want three steps of your land", Vamana revealed, to his surprise.
"Priest, do not embarrass me", Bali offered. "Ask for anything."
"I only ask for what is necessary to me", Vamana told Bali, who nodded, accepting.
"I shall grant you three steps of my land", Bali promised, getting on his knees as he first washed Vamana's feet with holy water.
Then getting up, he joined both hands and bowed. "Priest."
Vamana suddenly grew in size until he was a Cosmic Giant, and with his first step, he covered the entirety of Heaven, then with his second, he covered the Earth, before looking down at Bali. "I covered the Heavens and Earth that belong to you with two of my steps, what about my third? Your promise was left incomplete."
"No", Bali bowed his head again. "You can keep your third step on me. Nothing is more precious to me than my life!"
Vamana smiled, placing his third step upon Bali, stopping the foot just above his head, and told him. "I am thoroughly impressed by your devotion and way of fulfilling your promise. You may be a Demon, but you are as worthy as the Devas of prayer and reverence."
Then he transformed into Lord Vishnu as Bali bowed. "I do not want to humiliate a pious soul like yours. I have established my authority over the Heavens and Earth. You can rule the Underworld as a just, merciful and pious King. May you live long!"
And thus, Bali was crowned King of the Underworld where he then ruled.
Then next came the Parashurama incarnation.
The Kshatriyas, that were warrior aristocrats, had become arrogant and were suppressing the Brahmin priests all over the world, so Parashurama was born to Sage Jamadagni and his wife Renuka.
Parashurama always carried an axe presented to him by Lord Shiva of whom he was an ardent devotee. Kartavirya was a powerful king, who once went to Jamadagni's home when Parashurama was out, and after a meal, stole the divine Kamdhenu cow, which was supposed to give endless quantity of milk.
When Parashurama found out, he went outside Karatvirya's palace, and demanded the guards. "Where is your evil King? Tell him to return Kamdhenu, and I will forgive him! Or I must punish him for his crimes!"
Kartavirya, of course, did not listen, and soon, an army came out to confront Parashurama, who slammed his ax on the ground, causing giant cracks.
Karatvirya came on his elephant and ordered. "Capture him!"
Parashurama fired divine arrows, felling many, then used his ax to kill even more, as at the end, just Kartavirya was left, and he had many arms, all holding weapons.
Kartavirya hurled one weapon that Parashurama deflected with his ax, then fired divine arrows that cut off all his arms, only for them to grow back.
So Parashurama hurled his ax, chopping off all arms and his head too, and caught the ax on return, the evil King dead as Parashurama returned home with Kamdhenu.
Later, in revenge, Kartavirya's son snuck into the hermitage when Parashurama was away and killed Jamadagni.
Renuka found her husband's corpse and wailed, calling out for Parashurama who arrived, seeing she had beaten her chest 21 times in her grief.
And so, he killed all the unrighteous Kshatriyas in 21 battles full of bloodshed, but then also lived a life of meditation and repentance.
Being a hermit, he was going to live forever, and even co-existed with the next incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Notes:
Took a break from all the doom and gloom to show the tales of the great Lord Vishnu's great incarnations. There are three more to go, and one of them has a huge story, but it will come tomorrow, and then flashbacks end.
So now Gandalf, Radagast, Merlin and Balthazar can't help anymore, same for all the Valar and Maiar, and Angels too.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 9: Dashavatara Part 2
Summary:
Lord Vishnu remembers his last 3 incarnations, while Anti-Monitor meets someone.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Also, these flashbacks of Lord Vishnu's incarnations are also to give context and backstory for some stuff that happens later.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
After Parashurama, was Lord Rama, who was a Kshatriya himself, born to redeem them of their unrighteousness. He was the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya and his Chief Queen Kaushalya, while Vishnu's Sudarashana Chakra turned into Bharat, Rama's younger brother who was son of Dasharath's second Queen Kaikeyi, and the third Queen Sumitra gave birth to twin sons Lakshmana and Shatrughna, who were Vishnu's devotee the primordial snake Sheshnag and his conch respectively.
The four Princes studied at the hermitage of Sage Vashistha, and one day, the Sage Vishwamitra came to Ayodhya, wanting help since some evil Demons were interrupting his rituals and killing fellow hermits.
Rama and Lakshmana accompanied him, and in the forest, Rama caused a 'twang' from his bow. The Demoness Tadaka appeared, growling at them. "How dare you disturb me with that sound?"
Lakshmana fired two arrows, as she staggered back, then Rama drew an arrow and chanted a mantra, before firing as Tadaka was hit on the head and fell down, dying.
Later, the two Princes guarded Vishwamitra and the hermits during their yajna as more Demons flew down, led by Maricha and Subahu, sons of Tadaka.
Rama and Lakshmana engaged, easily slaying most of them with their arrows, as Rama killed Subahu, who flew by many feet and fell down, dead, though Maricha escaped.
Later, the two were gifted divine weapons by Vishwamitra for their services, and he led them to the Kingdom of Mithila, where Princess Sita was set to be married, and there was a competition.
Whoever lifted the bow of Lord Shiva the Pinaka, gifted to King Janaka of Mithila by Parashurama, and strung the bow before wielding it, could marry Sita, who herself was an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu's consort.
All failed, then came the turn of Rama, who lifted the bow and strung it, but it broke from his power.
That was when Parashurama arrived, angry at Rama for this, and gave him the bow of Lord Vishnu called the Sharanga, asking him to wield it.
When Rama held it, Parashurama realized he was Vishnu's next incarnation, so he left to meditate, while Rama and Sita fell in love and were married, as were the other Princes of Ayodhya to other Princesses of Mithila.
An ageing Dasharatha wished to crown Rama as the King of Ayodhya, and all seemed to agree due to Rama being very beloved.
Kaikeyi, Bharata's mother, was happy too, but her maidservant Manthara hated Rama, and wanted what was best for Kaikeyi.
A long time ago, Dasharatha had been wounded in a battle, and Kaikeyi had ridden his chariot away, saving his life, so in gratitude, he'd decided to grant her 2 boons of her wish. Kaikeyi hadn't taken the boons then and had saved them for a later date. Manthara urged Kaikeyi to throw a tantrum and demand the boons from Dasharatha so that they can be in Bharata's favor.
While Kaikeyi was a good person, she let herself be manipulated here and became a bit power hungry, so she threw a tantrum like Manthara had asked, and then Dasharatha came to see her. She reminded him of the 2 boons and he agreed to grant them. Her first wish was Bharata be crowned King instead of Rama, which shocked Dasharatha but he reluctantly agreed to that. Her second wish was Rama be sent into exile for 14 years.
That made Dasharatha faint, and later he was in medical care, and very heartbroken, but since he'd given his word back then, he had to agree to Kaikeyi's demands.
Rama was not angry and with perfect self-control, left for exile. However, Sita and Lakshmana accompanied him, so all three left, and Dasharatha eventually passed away of grief.
Bharat and Shaturghna were visiting Bharat's maternal uncle at the time, and then returned. When Bharat found out what his mother did, he got angry at her, refusing to profit from her actions, as she now regretted what she did, and an entourage from Ayodhya led by Bharat, Shatrughna, Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra went to Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, informing them of Dasharatha's passing as they mourned, and Bharat begged Rama to return and rule, but he refused due to wanting to carry out his parents' orders, so Bharat took Rama's sandals that he placed on the throne and ruled as a regent in his name.
After 13 years, in the forest of Panchavati, a Demoness called Surpanakha desired Rama and taking a beautiful form, asked him to marry her. He refused, introducing her to Sita, his wife, so Surpanakha angrily took her true form to try and kill Sita, only for Lakshmana to cut her nose and ears, making her flee.
Surpanakha's brother was Ravana, Demon King of Lanka, who was enraged by the insult to his sister, and Maricha, the Demon who had escaped when Rama and Lakshmana were guarding Vishwamitra, was his uncle.
Maricha took the form of a golden dear and passed Rama's hut, Sita desiring it as Rama chased it, but figured out it was a Demon and killed him, only for Maricha to mimic Rama's voice as he died and call out to Lakshmana for help.
Sita urged Lakshmana to go help his brother, and he drew a protective line around the hut before leaving. Ravana disguised himself as an ascetic and came to the hut, begging for alms, and he couldn't cross the line, so Sita stepped over, only for Ravana to take his true form and abduct her.
He placed her on his flying chariot the Pushpak Vimana, and carried her away, as the Vulture Jatayu who had befriended the trio tried to save her but was mortally wounded.
Rama and Lakshmana came across the dying Jatayu who told them of what happened as they gave him a funeral.
Eventually, in their search, the two brothers arrived at the Rishyamukha Mountain.
There, a Brahmin appeared in their way and joined his hands, bowing. "Greetings to you both."
"Greetings, Brahmin", Rama greeted back.
"Who are the two of you and why are you here?" The Brahmin inquired.
"We are sons of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. This is my younger brother Lakshmana, and I am Rama", Rama introduced them both.
The Brahmin knelt, transforming instead into a monkey like creature, a 'Vanara', as he said. "My apologies, I could not recognize you, My Lord. Accept the greetings and devotion of your greatest devotee, Hanuman."
"Hanuman, I am blessed to have a devotee like you", Rama gestured Hanuman to stand, and he did.
"If my brother is your Lord, will you embrace me like I am your younger brother?" Lakshmana asked.
"Of course I will", Hanuman said, embracing Lakshmana, before asking. "How are you two here?"
"We are in exile, and my wife Sita has been taken from me", Rama revealed.
"My King Sugriva will help you both", Hanuman told them.
Hanuman lead them to Sugriva, who had been banished from the Kingdom of Kishkindha, where his brother Vali ruled. Sugriva and his supporters lived in this mountain, and Ravana had flown over here while abducting Sita, and some of her garments fell here, and seeing them made Rama weep.
Then Sugriva told them about why he was banished by Vali- Once upon a time a Demon had come to Kishkindha and challenged Vali, so Vali and Sugriva came forth to battle, and then the Demon got scared and ran off into a cave, where they chased it.
Vali told Sugriva to wait outside while he'd take on the Demon, and went in. Sugriva waited for days, and then one day a trail of blood poured out of the cave. Sugriva thought Vali had been killed and was stricken with grief, and to prevent the Demon from coming out, blocked the cave with a boulder, then returned to Kishkindha and became King.
However, turned out the Demon had died and it was his blood. Vali removed the boulder and returned to Kishkindha to find Sugriva as King, and thought his brother tried to kill him to be King. Sugriva tried to explain what actually happened but Vali was stricken with a rage unmatched and beat up Sugriva, and would have killed him too, but Sugriva fled to this mountain where Vali cannot come because of a curse, and has a group of Vanara supporters, and also a great humanoid bear named Jambavan.
Now Sugriva needed to regain the kingdom, and he and Rama made a pact where Rama would kill Vali to help Sugriva be King while Sugriva will help search for Sita.
Vali also had a boon that if any opponent faced him head-on, half of the opponent's power would be reduced and be added to Vali for that duration. Once upon a time, Ravana himself had tried to fight Vali but Vali wrapped Ravana's throat in his tail and then went about his daily business with Ravana wrapped up in his tail, humiliating the Demon King until he let him go.
So the plan was Sugriva would battle Vali while Rama shot him from hiding. Sugriva called Vali out and they fought but unfortunately, they happened to look alike so Rama was unable to tell the difference.
Sugriva was beaten up but fled again before he could be killed, and this time Rama gave him a garland of flowers to wear to differentiate. So Sugriva went back to challenge Vali, and they battled.
Sugriva tried to strike Vali with his mace but was disarmed and pushed back, before Vali struck his face with his mace, making him fall down, and raised his mace for the kill, only for Rama to fire his arrow as Vali was struck in the chest and fell down, dying.
Rama approached him with Lakshmana by his side, as Vali angrily pointed at him. "Who are you? And why did you kill me by hiding?"
"I am Rama, and you did an even worse thing by trying to kill your brother and taking the Kingdom", Rama said as Vali's wife wept over him. "Do not worry, I shall take care of your son Angad."
Sugriva cried over his dying brother now as Vali realized his mistake. "Forgive me brother, I should not have treated you like that. You can be King now."
"I shall take care of Angad and he shall be my successor", Sugriva assured Vali.
"Since you are angered due to me killing you by hiding, I give you a boon, in our next lives, you shall kill me in the same way", Rama granted Vali a boon.
Vali joined his hands and passed away.
Sugriva became King again but for a while, forgot his promise as Lakshmana in his rage almost destroyed the citadel, only for Vali's wife to calm him down and remind Sugriva of his promise.
A repentant Sugriva sent search parties to North, East, West and South. The former 3 search parties returned without success. The last one that went South consisted of Hanuman, Angada, Jambavan, and twin monkeys called Nala and Nila. They reached the edge of the country across which there was the Ocean, and then Lanka on the other side.
At that point they met a vulture called Sampati, who was Jatayu's brother, and informed him of Jatayu's passing. Sampati mourned his brother, then informed them that Ravana took Sita south to Lanka, across the ocean on his flying chariot.
Now, with the party knowing Sita was in Lanka, they wondered how to cross the ocean to get to her.
Hanuman was the son of Vayu, the Hindu wind God, as he'd blessed a Vanara couple called Anjani and Kesari with him. And when Hanuman was a kid, he'd seen the sun, and thinking it was a ripe fruit, jumped into the sky to eat it, but Indra King of Gods intervened, and considering it disrespectful, struck Hanuman with his Vajra, a diamond thunderbolt like weapon which was his main one.
Hanuman fell into a swoon, and Vayu angrily took away all the wind, making people suffocate everywhere, and so Lord Shiva intervened and resuscitated Hanuman, making Vayu return the air. Indra now repented for his mistake and gave Hanuman a boon that his body would be as strong as the Vajra, and also that the Vajra would never be able to harm him again.
The other Gods granted Hanuman boons too- Agni the Fire God told him fire won't harm him, Varuna the Water God told him water won't harm him, Vayu told him that he'd be as fast as the wind, and Lord Brahma told Hanuman he could move to any place he wanted, while Lord Vishnu gave him a 'gadda' or mace, and it became Hanuman's weapon.
And he got a lot of other powers too, like being able to grow into Cosmic proportions or shrink to atomic size, and even become the heaviest thing ever, or have negligible weight.
Hanuman was now near invincible, but used his powers to prank innocent people, and one day pranked a meditating sage who angrily cursed him that he would forget the vast majority of his powers, but the sage later revealed to Anjani and Kesari if someone reminded Hanuman of these powers, he will remember.
Now Jambavan, who was aware of all this, reminded Hanuman of his powers, and so Hanuman chanted a shloka and grew into a gargantuan size, as big as a mountain, and then started flying across the ocean to Lanka.
The Devas decided to test Hanuman, so on the way, a mountain rose and told Hanuman he can rest on it, but Hanuman refused as he wanted to find Sita for Rama, and continued flying, then met a creature called Surasa who said she'd been given a wish by the Gods that she can eat him.
Hanuman agreed, but kept growing in size, and Surasa kept opening her mouth wider but it fell short, then Hanuman suddenly became as small as a fly and flew into her mouth and came out before she could close it, passing the test and impressing Surasa who let him pass.
Then a sea monster called Simhika attacked him by trapping his shadow, which stopped him, and she ate him, but he grew in size in her stomach until it burst and he was out, coming to Lanka where he became as small as a fly and investigated.
There, he was met by Lanka's guard called Lankini who tried to fight him but Hanuman softly pushed her back and made her bleed, and Lankini let him go due to a prophecy that the day an opponent would make her bleed would be the day the age of Demons starts coming to an end.
Hanuman then found Sita in the garden, where Ravana tried to ask her to marry him but she refused and Ravana left after taunting her. The Demoness guards harassed Sita but one of them called Trijata was a kind person who cared about Sita and chased them away. In that moment, Hanuman revealed himself to Sita, and said he is Rama's messenger, and even had a ring from Rama to prove it to Sita.
Sita was happy, and blessed Hanuman, but did not want to go back with him yet for Ravana had many other innocent prisoners who Rama needed to free, and it was his destiny to kill Ravana, that's what he was born for.
Hanuman agreed, then got her permission to eat something, his true motive being to gauge the strength of Ravana's army.
Hanuman started ripping out fruits and eating them, then uprooted trees, and started fighting the guards too. Ravana's son Akshay Kumar arrived to fight Hanuman but was killed, so Ravana sent another son called Meghnada who was also called Indrajeet, which translated to 'Victor over Indra' as he'd beaten Indra once.
Indrajeet fired the Brahmastra, Lord Brahma's weapon. Hanuman surrendered to it and instead of killing him, it bound him, and Hanuman was led to Ravana in his court. Hanuman told Ravana to let Sita go back to Rama if he wants to save himself, and even said he himself could kill Ravana but its Rama's destiny.
Ravana wanted him dead, but his younger brother Vibhishana was a decent man, and was actually Lord Vishnu's devotee too. He told Ravana a messenger can't be killed, so Ravana instead decided to set Hanuman's tail on fire.
When the tail was set on fire, Hanuman broke free of his bonds and lighted the whole Lanka on fire, sparing only the garden where Sita stayed and also Vibhishana's house.
Hanuman then went into the ocean to put out the fire and met Sita one more time, taking her blessing, while Indrajeet used his powers to stop the fire.
Then Hanuman flew back across the ocean to give the search party the news, and they informed Lord Rama, who was overjoyed, and they started the journey to Lanka.
The army reached the ocean. During that time, Vibhishana begged Ravana to give Sita back but Ravana kicked and disowned him angrily, so Vibhishana flew across the ocean and joined Rama's side, and Rama accepted him.
They wondered how to cross the ocean, so Rama prayed to Varuna the Water Lord to give them a way.
3 nights passed but nothing happened so Lord Rama got angry and drew an arrow to dry the ocean, and then Varuna appeared and said he can't give them a way by himself due to the risk it poses to marine life, but told Rama that if his name is written on a rock and its thrown into the water, the rock won't sink but float, and the twins Nala and Nila can do it.
Rama agreed, but couldn't deactivate the powerful arrow, so Varuna directed him to a nearby island where an evil Demon lived, and Rama fired there, killing the Demon.
Then the bridge was made, with Rama's name written on stones that were thrown into the ocean, and they floated, and that's how the bridge was formed as the whole army arrived at Lanka.
Rama then sent Angad to Ravana's court one last time as a peace messenger, but Ravana still refused. Angad at that point challenged the court to try to move his leg, saying if anyone can move it Rama will go back and forget about Sita.
Everyone tried but failed, including Indrajeet, but when Ravana tried, Angad moved his foot away and said- "Don't fall on my feet, fall on Lord Rama's feet." And then he grabbed Ravana's crown and threw it away before fleeing.
The crown fell in Rama's camp and he crowned Vibhishana the King of Lanka instead.
Then the war began, and losses happened on both sides, with most of Ravana's sons and generals slain.
Ravana at one point went to battle Rama but Rama managed to humiliate him so he returned. Ravana had another brother called Kumbhkarna, who was cursed to sleep forever, but on Ravana's request the curse was reduced and so Kumbhkarna would sleep for only 6 months, and then wake up, eat a lot and cause havoc, and then sleep again.
But if he's woken outside of the timeframe when he can be woken, he'll die.
Ravana disregarded that and woke up Kumbhkarna to fight Rama, since Kumbhkarna was a giant and possessed great strength.
Kumbhkarna at first also tried to convince Ravana to return Sita but Ravana refused so Kumbkharna had to fight due to loyalty to his brother.
Kumbhkarna arrived to battle, and devastated the army, due to his strength, and also shared a moment with Vibhishana, assuring him he doesn't hold Vibhishana taking Rama's side against him even if it makes him a traitor, and he refused Vibhishana's advice to change sides.
Eventually, he lifted up Sugriva to take prisoner, when Rama approached him. Sugriva struck Kumbhkarna's eye with his tail and was let go as Rama said. "I am here to battle you!"
"Now you've invited Yama to take you by walking up to me!" Kumbhkarna boasted.
"I see Yama too, but he is here to take you away when I slay you", Rama revealed as Kumbhkarna laughed, and threw a boulder, only for Rama to shatter it with an arrow.
A shocked Kumbhkarna threw an ax, which met the same fate, and then a mace which too was deflected. He hurled a tree which Rama shattered as well.
Then Rama chanted a mantra and fired the Vayuastra at him, severing his left arm as Kumbhkarna screamed, with Rama chanting another mantra and firing the Indrastra, severing his right arm.
Kumbhkarna wailed in pain, but was still formidable and walked forwards, opening his mouth to swallow Rama whole, as Rama fired a volley of arrows which decapitated Kumbhkarna, his head falling into the ocean.
Then Indrajeet arrived to battle Lakshmana and hit him with a powerful weapon called the Vasavi Shakti that made him faint, and he'd die.
The army is told of some special herbs that can cure him, but they're in the Himalayas, which are in the North of India, while the army was in Lanka.
Hanuman now used his powers and flew to the Himalayas, but didn't know the herbs, so he took his giant form and ripped off the whole mountain, then flew back to Lanka, where Lakshmana was healed with the herbs and Rama embraced Hanuman.
The healed Lakshmana interrupted a ritual of Indrajeet he was using to increase his power, and cut off his head.
An enraged Ravana came out to battle again, while Lord Indra sent a chariot with his charioteer Matali to Rama, so he could fight Ravana who was on his flying chariot.
"Why are you happy with this chariot? Bow before me!" Ravana demanded.
"If you'd bowed before now, I would have spared you. Now you have to be beheaded", Rama told Ravana who laughed.
"I am more powerful than all you killed before, and if you do not flee, I shall have my revenge by slaying you!" Ravana boasted. "I am Ravana, the greatest, all fear me, even Celestial Guardians are my prisoners!"
"Lowly Demon!" Rama immediately said. "You are a coward whose valor is limited to preying on helpless women. You are no warrior. You are a sinner who violates Dharma! Today you shall receive punishment for your sins."
"A King is the one who punishes, and here is your punishment", Ravana fired a powerful arrow, but Rama fired one back, and his arrow destroyed Ravana's arrow, shocking Ravana.
With Rama on the chariot of Dharma and Ravana on the chariot of sin, they clashed, Ravana firing powerful arrows as Rama destroyed them each time with his own arrows, the two engaging in the final battle.
Ravana's chariot went up as Rama gestured to Matali to fly up too, and there their arrows clashed once more.
Ravana's chariot advanced towards Rama as Rama told Matali. "Matali, move forwards swiftly, I must fight with my whole concentration."
Matali moved the chariot forwards, the two firing arrows as they multiplied and clashed, and then Rama fired an arrow that decapitated Ravana, only for the decapitated head to laugh madly as another grew.
Rama decapitated him again, to the same result, and it happened again, until Ravana laughed at Rama with ten heads.
Suddenly, Vibhishana flew next to Rama and revealed. "Ravana has been given a boon of immortality by Lord Brahma, the nectar resides in his navel. Use the fire weapon and dry the nectar up, then slay him."
"Vibhishana, you traitor! I will slay you!" Ravana snarled as Vibhishana flew down.
Rama chanted a shloka and fired the fire weapon, which struck Ravana's navel, making him gasp as the nectar was dried up.
"Use the Brahmastra and slay him, Lord", Matali urged Rama. Rama again chanted, and fired the Brahmastra, which struck Ravana, finally ending his evil once and for all.
Then Rama and Sita reunited lovingly, as Vibhishana became King of Lanka, and with the exile period over, all returned to Ayodhya, Rama forgiving Kaikeyi and finally becoming King with Sita as his Queen.
Sita gifted Hanuman a necklace, as he inspected it, but kept tearing it off, angering Vibhishana.
"Hanuman, Mother Sita has gifted you such a beautiful necklace, yet you keep tearing and throwing it off?" He asked in rage. "Why?"
"I do not see Lord Rama or Mother Sita anywhere on this necklace, so it has no value to me", Hanuman simply replied.
"So anything without Lord Rama or Mother Sita lacks value?" Vibhishana asked.
"Yes, it does to me."
"Then this body you carry and care for so lovingly, do Lord Rama and Mother Sita reside in it?" Vibhishana asked. "If not, why do you keep your body?"
"Lord Rama and Mother Sita are in every part of my body", Hanuman said.
Ramayana 2008 Hanuman Chalisa plays
Hanuman declared. "JAI SHRI RAMA!"
The Earth shook and lightning cracked, before Hanuman ripped open his chest, showing a projection of Lord Rama and Mother Sita inside, as all got up in awe and shock, joining their hands and bowing to him, Vibhishana too, realizing how wrong he'd been to doubt Hanuman's devotion.
Rama and Sita shared a smile, raising their hands in blessing to Hanuman who got up, his chest rejoining as Rama told him. "Hanuman, you are the greatest devotee of all time. I am blessed to have your devotion."
"Lord", Hanuman smiled, as Rama embraced him happily, Hanuman embracing him back.
After many years, both Rama and Sita returned to Vaikunth after passing, and took upon their true forms of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi once more.
Then, following Lord Rama, was Lord Vishnu's complete and most glorious incarnation- Lord Krishna.
The King of Mathura, Kamsa, who'd deposed and imprisoned his own father Ugrasena, and was a tyrant ruler, had happily gotten his sister Devaki married to Vasudeva of the Yadava Clan.
Suddenly, a voice from the Heavens told him that Devaki's eighth son would kill him. Angry, he'd tried to kill Devaki but Vasudeva had stopped him, saying he could imprison them and they'd give up the eighth child to him.
Kamsa imprisoned them, but also killed the first six babies they had, alongside any babies born in the city in that timeframe. However, the seventh baby was transported to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva's other wife who stayed in the village of Gokul with Vasudeva's friend Nanda the village chief.
This baby was the incarnation of Sheshnag the Primordial Snake once more, and was named Balarama.
Kamsa was told the seventh one was miscarried.
Devaki was heavily pregnant with her eighth child when a divine light appeared in front of her and Vasudeva, both of them seeing Lord Vishnu smiling down at them now.
Mahabharata 2013 Shanta Karam Bhujaga Shayanam plays
"Do not fear, Vasudeva of the Yadavas and Devaki daughter of Devak", Lord Vishnu assured them as they bowed to him. "Bless you!"
They joined their hands, Vishnu continuing. "When Hiranyaksha had submerged the Earth in the Cosmic Ocean, I had assumed the Varaha Avatar and saved the Earth. In my Narasimha Avatar I had slain Hiranyakashipu. In my Vamana Avatar, I had established King Bali in the Underworld. Whenever righteousness is threatened, people forget their virtues, with conflict replacing love in their hearts and desire for power replacing the desire for truth, and a King starts torturing his own subjects, I take form. Now I must take another Avatar."
Vasudeva and Devaki shared a look as Vishnu told them. "You two have made numerous sacrifices for righteousness. Upon seeing your agony, the Gods in the Heavens too are overwhelmed with sorrow. However, through your medium, the world shall receive righteousness and peace as sacraments." He smiled and then revealed to Devaki. "I shall be born as your son now, and play in your lap, mother. I shall enter your womb with all my skills and powers."
Devaki and Vasudeva once more shared an overjoyed look as Vishnu requested Devaki. "I, Vishnu, bless the entire world, but today, I seek your blessings for this endeavor, mother."
Devaki had happy tears.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
Lord Vishnu smiled and transforming into a divine light, entered Devaki's womb, as she stroked it lovingly, and soon, Krishna was born.
Everyone in Mathura except Vasudeva and Devaki fell asleep as Vasudeva put baby Krishna in a basket and escaped the prison where the doors had unlocked by themselves.
It rained heavily as Vasudeva carried Krishna in the basket through the River Yamuna, flooded due to the heavy rain, his feet submerging in it.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
The baby's feet touched the river and it parted, giving way to Vasudeva as he now walked through the river with Krishna in his basket on the head.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
As the rain got worse, Sheshnag the Primordial Snake appeared over Vasudeva and Baby Krishna, protecting them from it, and as they reached the end of River Yamuna, he left them.
Vasudeva climbed out of the river and turned to see the parted way was filled by the water again.
Vasudeva gave up Krishna to Nanda, who gave his and his wife Yashoda's newborn daughter to Vasudeva very sadly and reluctantly, but knew it was necessary for the future.
Vasudeva returned to his cell where Devaki was, and the doors were locked again with all waking up. Kamsa came to kill the baby girl, but she transformed into a Goddess called Yogmaya instead, to his horror, and revealed his destiny to him, including where his death now resided.
So an angry Kamsa hired a Demoness called Putana who assassinated babies, and she took a beautiful form, going to Gokul where everyone was fawning over the newly born and divine looking baby Krishna.
Seeing her beauty, all thought she was a Goddess and Yashoda gave Krishna to her to breastfeed and bless, and left him alone with her.
Putana breastfed Krishna with an evil smirk, looking down at him. Her breasts had poisoned milk inside.
"Drink my milk, child, it's the last thing you shall drink."
Then suddenly she felt weakened and numb, and started screaming. "NO! LET ME GO! ARRRGHHH!" She transformed back into her true Demonic form, which Yashoda and the others saw.
She ran out of the house, screaming in pain, because Krishna was sucking out her life force as well. Putana eventually fell down outside the village, dead, with Krishna on her chest, as Yashoda arrived and picked him up, crying.
Kamsa sent more Demons who were also slain. Krishna and Balarama grew up in Gokul, and later the nearby village of Vrindavan, and Krishna was a mischievous person, being a butter thief, but he was also loved by all in both villages, and whenever he played the flute, all the women in the villages who were gopis or female cow-herders used to come and start singing and dancing with him, with the closest to him being Radha.
During this time Kamsa sent various other Demons to kill Krishna but they were slain by either of Krishna or Balarama, the beloved miracle boys of the villages.
A serpent known as Kaliya had poisoned the River Yamuna, so no bird or beast could go near the water. However, Krishna jumped into the river, making his friends and others call out in horror for him.
Swimming to the bottom of the river, Krishna found Kaliya's tail, and kicked it, making Kaliya screech and face him. He was a many-headed serpent.
"Foolish boy, who are you?" Kaliya hissed. "How dare you come to this river that is my abode?"
"Everyone has a right to this river's water, Kaliya, not just you", Krishna said to him. "Leave this place, or I will punish you."
"You fool! Look at my size, and look at yours! I will destroy you!" Kaliya hissed again, and fired a blast of poison from his mouth, but Krishna swam up to avoid, then came back down.
Kaliya charged Krishna, who leapt to his other side to avoid, and Kaliya charged again to the same result.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
Kaliya hurled his tail towards Krishna, trying to constrict him, but Krishna swam up and then landed on one of Kaliya's heads, his footprints upon the head now.
Krishna then danced and jumped on all of the heads, his footprints upon all heads of Kaliya, as Kaliya's wives then appeared, and one of them begged. "Please, do not kill him!"
"Show him mercy!" Another added.
Kaliya realized the greatness of Krishna too, and now subdued, he said. "Forgive me. Let me go, and I will follow your orders. I am only here because I am safe in these waters."
"Now my footprints upon you will keep you safe, as long as you don't harm a living being", Krishna told Kaliya.
Soon, Kaliya rose out of the water, and Krishna performed a beautiful dance upon his heads while also playing the flute, with the villagers, including Nanda and Yashoda, happy and mesmerized now.
The villagers used to pray to Lord Indra and perform a yajna for him, but Krishna knew that sometimes, Indra could get arrogant, and that arrogance needed to be broken. And, the people were praying to pacify Indra, praying out of fear was not the right way to pray.
So, Krishna urged the whole village to instead pray to the nearby mountain of Govardhana, which provided them with a lot of resources.
The villagers agreed, and an angry Indra then caused heavy rains which caused floods and deluge all over the village, and he caused thunderstorms as well.
"It is all because of this Krishna!" One hermit angrily pointed at the boy as people ran here and there. "Because of him, all of us are doomed! There is still time, boy, pray to Lord Indra and seek his forgiveness."
Krishna simply smiled and walked to Govardhana nearby. Joining his hands, he prayed. "Lord Govardhana, help us."
Then, he knelt near the mountain, and put his little finger at the edge of it, as cracks were suddenly formed and everything shook.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
All watched in utter shock as soon, Govardhana was being held up, above the ground.
"Krishna!" Radha called out to him.
Then, all were stunned at what they saw next- Krishna had held up the entire Mt. Govardhana on just his little finger, and was smiling too.
Nanda and Yashoda shared a look of shock yet joy at the sight, as the entire village ran under the mountain, now protected from Indra's wrath, while Krishna played his flute.
Then the mountain shook, the people staggering a bit, for Indra had struck it with a fireball, but Krishna was unbothered.
"Krishna", one villager cried out to him, "Mt. Govardhana can't stand against Indra's wrath."
Krishna simply continued playing his flute as a bolt of lightning struck the mountain next, and nothing happened, Balarama smirking at his brother.
Then, a tornado came down.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
Krishna played the flute as the tornado then got sucked into it, and couldn't do any damage at all.
At that point, the clouds were gone as the bright sun shone once more upon everyone.
Then, a bright light appeared as except Krishna and Balarama, all were blinded from it. It was Indra!
"Krishna", he joined his hands and bowed to Krishna, "you've humbled me today."
"But that was not my intention", Krishna simply said to Indra. "I just wanted to increase the Yadavas' self-confidence is all."
Indra smiled, and then said. "You've broken my arrogance today, Krishna. I wish to bless you."
"If you wish to bless me, tell me how to put down this mountain I've lifted", Krishna replied innocently as Indra chuckled and Krishna joined him in it.
"I will of course help you in putting it down, but the mountain of righteousness you've lifted up is a tough one to tread", Indra admitted. "If you put that down, those who want to follow you on it will be left wandering." Krishna nodded, as Indra bowed to him. "I bow down to you."
Krishna nodded, accepting it.
Kamsa soon decided to invite Krishna and Balarama to a wrestling match in his Kingdom. The two brothers knew they wouldn't return to Vrindavan now, as there was a lot more to do.
So Krishna had tearful farewells with Radha, Nanda and Yashoda, and Balarama too had tearful farewells with the latter two, and the brothers had tearful farewells with the entire village.
When they left, everyone in the village cried.
Soon, they were led to Mathura by Akroor of the Yadavas, whom Kamsa had sent, though Akroor too wanted the brothers to kill Kamsa.
At Mathura, Kamsa's wrestlers Mushtik and Chanur challenged Krishna to lift another bow of Lord Shiva which four wrestlers together couldn't lift.
Krishna lifted it effortlessly, and managed to break it too, as the people cheered for him due to having one-upped the two wrestlers of the tyrant King.
Then Krishna and Balarama saw a lady with deformities, whose body was crooked at three places because of which she needed a walking stick, and she fell on Krishna's feet.
"Who are you, lady? Why do you fall at my feet?" Krishna asked.
"My body is crooked at three places, Lord", the woman said to him. "So they call me Trivakra. But are you truly the one who has come to slay Kamsa?"
"No, I have not come to slay anyone. I have come to cure crookedness", he said, surprising her. "Whether its of the body, or soul. I merely heal things."
Krishna knelt and grasped the woman by the shoulders.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
Her body started moving suddenly, and shook, including her crooked spots, as she suddenly stood up, fully straight, her crookedness all gone.
That made her smile as the people all cheered, and she joined her hands, bowing her head, before kneeling to Krishna, and everyone else in the city did the same, Balarama and Akroor smiling, while from above, Kamsa watched furiously at how easily Krishna had won over the subjects he'd tortured for years now.
Then, the time came for the wrestling, where Krishna and Balarama easily defeated Chanur and Mushtik respectively, and then it was Kamsa's turn.
"Wrestle with me, Krishna!" Kamsa demanded. "If I die, then my guards will slay your parents."
Krishna and Balarama looked up, where Vasudeva and Devaki were chained, two guards ready to pin them and slay them.
The two brothers joined their hands and bowed their heads to their parents, who raised their hands in blessing.
"If you die, your parents will be spared", Kamsa then said. "So, do you still wish to wrestle, or save your parents?"
"There are many parents all over the world I've to protect", Krishna declared to Kamsa. "How many of them can you kill?" Kamsa laughed as Krishna urged him. "I'm ready, wrestle with me uncle."
At that point, Kamsa stood up, taking off his crown and royal robes as he stepped into the arena to battle, both circling each other.
Kamsa leapt at Krishna who avoided and grabbed him from behind in a hold. Kamsa tried to free himself, but Krishna lifted him up and tossed him down.
Kamsa angrily got up and grabbed Krishna from behind in a hold now, trying to squeeze him, only Krishna knelt and tossed Kamsa down over himself again.
As Kamsa got up, Krishna grabbed him, Kamsa trying to struggle. Krishna looked up at Vasudeva and Devaki, then pushed Kamsa back.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Krishna then walked to Kamsa and kicked him, making him fall down, and then grabbing him by the hair, Krishna picked him up and spun him around, before tossing him away again as he fell down.
Before Kamsa could recover, Krishna leapt at him and struck his throat with his knee, pinning him down.
He looked up to see the guards about to kill Vasudeva and Devaki, when suddenly protective shields appeared around both, deflecting the guards who fell down, while the chains on Vasudeva and Devaki came off.
The two shared a look of relief as Vasudeva raised his hands in blessing for Krishna.
Krishna looked back down at Kamsa, who instead of Krishna now saw Lord Vishnu himself, with all four arms, holding his mace in the lower right hand, his lotus in the lower left, his conch in the upper left and his Sudarshana Chakra spinning in the upper right hand's finger.
He was smiling down at Kamsa, who, in his dying moments, joined both hands, then passed away, as Krishna and Balarama were hailed by all.
Krishna then made his maternal grandfather and Kamsa's formerly imprisoned father Ugrasena the ruler of Mathura again, while he and Balarama had their education, and the King of Magadha Jarasandha who'd been Kamsa's father-in-law attacked Mathura seventeen times in revenge, but Krishna defeated him each time while establishing the Kingdom of Dwarka for the Yadava Clan.
Then one day Krishna, now an adult, got a letter from Princess Rukmini of Vidarbha, who wanted to marry him, but was being married to Shishupal, an ally of Jarasandha, by her brother Rukmi against her will.
Rukmini was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu's consort Goddess Lakshmi, so Krishna knew it was time for them to unite in this life as well.
Krishna snuck into Vidarbha, with Balarama and the army at a distance, and he arrived at the temple where Rukmini was, and she turned to face him as he emerged, the sunlight illuminating him.
Mahabharata 2013 Krishna Manmohana plays
Rukmini was overjoyed to see Krishna as she saw his flute, touching it, then ran her hands over his peacock feather on the head, happy tears in her eyes as she backed off, unable to believe it.
Krishna smiled and wiped her tear, holding it out to her on his finger, the two happy to be united in this life.
Later, Krishna was off with Rukmini on the chariot while Balarama and the Yadava Clan easily took on and beat up Vidarbha's army, as Rukmi stopped Krishna outside the city.
"Rukmini, you insult me by running off with him!" Rukmi said to her in anger. "You are so disgraceful and disrespectful, you two will be separated forever!"
Rukmini was horrified on hearing that when Krishna angrily said while pointing at Rukmi. "Did you not feel fear in your heart saying such harsh words about your own sister? For this audacity of yours, I will take your life!"
Mahabharata 2013 Jai Jai Sudarashana plays
Krishna raised his index finger as the Universe shook and the sky itself split apart, a light shooting down at his finger, as to Rukmi's horror, the Sudarshana Chakra appeared on Krishna's finger.
"No, Lord!" Rukmini requested. "He is still my brother, do not slay him!"
"I will still punish him", Krishna told her, as the Sudarashana Chakra flew, breaking Rukmi's bow while he fell down, his crown falling off too, and now, his hair and beard had been shaved, an insult to a Kshatriya.
The Sudarshana Chakra flew back to Krishna's finger and disappeared, as he and Rukmini rode away while Rukmi was left on the ground, humiliated.
Krishna and Rukmini were soon married, and later Krishna married seven other women as well, who too were incarnations of Goddess Lakshmi, so he had eight chief Queens.
Then one day Krishna and Balarama were invited to the wedding competition of Princess Draupadi of Panchala, where the task was to string a mighty steel bow and shoot a target on the ceiling, which was the eye of a moving artificial fish while looking at its reflection in oil below.
The two did not participate, just attended, and there, five brothers known as the Pandavas attended too, disguised as Brahmins. They were the sons of Pandu, former King of Hastinapur, and Kunti, who was Vasudeva's sister.
Pandu had 2 wives, Kunti and Madri, but had once accidentally killed a hermit during a hunt when the hermit and his wife had been mating in dear form, so the hermit had cursed him that he too would never be able to have intercourse.
A repentant Pandu had exiled himself with his wives while his older brother Dhritarashtra who hadn't become King first due to his blindness was now crowned King, and was married to Princess Gandhari of Gandhar, who had blindfolded herself to share her husband's pain.
Kunti had a boon that she could call upon any God to bless her with a child, so she'd used that, and she and Pandu had been blessed with 3 sons- Yudhisthir, Bhima and Arjuna, and then she'd shared the mantra with Madri who'd been blessed with the boys Nakul and Sahadev.
Pandu had still engaged in intercourse with Madri one day, and died from his curse, so a guilty Madri had jumped into the fire during his funeral.
Kunti had returned to Hastinapur with the Pandavas, where Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had a 100 sons called the Kauravas, the oldest being Duryodhana, though he was younger than Yudhisthira.
Growing up, there was friction between the brother clans, even as they studied under the hermit Drona.
Then when they were all adults, Duryodhana had arranged for the Pandavas and Kunti to stay in a house made of flammable material, that had been set on fire during the night, but Vidura the Prime Minister and brother of Dhritarashtra had informed them and sent a miner to dig a tunnel, saving their lives, but they were assumed dead.
Now they were in hiding and were attending this competition as Brahmins.
Yudhisthira was the oldest and a master spear fighter, and also a Paragon of truth, justice, righteousness and Dharma. Bhima was second, and the strongest man in the world, with the strength of a hundred elephants. Arjuna was third, the greatest archer in the world, and an invincible warrior. Nakula was fourth, the most handsome man in the world, and skilled in sword-fighting and horse-keeping, while Sahadev was fifth, also a skilled swordsman and astrologer too.
Duryodhana and the Kauravas had also attended, with Duryodhana's friend King Karna of Anga, who was originally the son of a charioteer but seeing his archery nearly rivalled Arjuna, Duryodhana had made him King and an ally.
However, what none but Kunti knew, was that when Kunti had first been given her boon to call upon Gods to bless her with children, she'd called upon Surya the Sun God to test it. Due to the boon's power, he couldn't back down and had blessed her with Karna.
Kunti was ashamed at the time, being unmarried, and had sent Karna floating away to Anga in a basket, her heart heavy with grief and turmoil, and there Karna had been found by the charioteer and his wife.
Karna tried his hand at this competition but failed too. However, Arjuna succeeded, and Draupadi married him, especially as Krishna had befriended her and told her to look out for Arjuna.
The other Kings got angered by Brahmins winning and attacked but were all defeated by the brothers, as Krishna befriended the Pandavas, his cousins, finally.
Then the Pandavas returned home to Kunti with Draupadi and told her- "Look what we brought." She was not looking as she was praying, and due to the wrong phrasing thought its food and told them to share amongst themselves.
Since they'd to obey her, all 5 brothers married Draupadi.
Draupadi's father Drupada and brother Dhristadyumna were angry at this at first but Krishna convinced them.
With the wedding done, the Pandavas went back to Hastinapur and after negotiations, the Kingdom was split fairly. The Pandavas named their section as Indraprastha and it was magnificent, even better than Hastinapur.
Later, Krishna and one of his wives Satyabhama a warrior woman went to battle a Demon called Narkasur who had pillaged many lands and taken over 16,1000 maidens captive from everywhere.
He could only be slain by a woman, so Krishna upon his divine Eagle Garuda destroyed his army while Satyabhama killed Narkasur.
The 16,100 women then begged Lord Krishna to marry them to save their honor which Narkasur had tainted by abducting them.
So, Krishna agreed, and now, he was married to 16,108 women, who all got to live luxuriously in Dwarka.
Arjuna later also married Krishna's sister Subhadra, to which Krishna agreed.
Yudhisthira wanted to do a ritual to establish himself as Emperor but Jarasandha was still at large and powerful, so he'd to be defeated first.
Disguised as Brahmins, Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna went to Magadha, and after a formal meeting, revealed their identities to him, Krishna challenging Jarashanda to a duel and letting him choose anyone.
Jarasandha chose Bhima, and so the battle was on.
All watched as Bhima and Jarasandha wrestled, with Bhima being tossed down before getting back up, grappling against him, both throwing each other down.
They got up, Bhima punching Jarasandha back, before Jarasandha leapt at him and threw him down, punching his face thrice.
Bhima rolled them over and then struck Jarasandha's face a few times, before they parted, Bhima tiring out.
Bhima then looked at Krishna, who broke a straw into two and threw the pieces in opposite directions.
Getting the hint, Bhima tossed Jarasandha down, and pinning him to the ground with his foot, tore one half of his body off, now tearing him into two.
And then he tossed both halves into opposite directions too, finally ending Jarasandha and freeing all Kings he'd imprisoned.
During Yudhisthira's ritual, many were invited including Shishupal who was Jarasandha's ally and was to be married to Rukmini had Krishna not intervened.
Shishupal was born with 3 eyes and 4 arms, and his parents were trying to cast him out but a voice from Heaven itself warned them not to for his time had not come, plus it foretold that these deformities of his would vanish in the presence of a certain person, but whoever that person is will also kill Shishupala one day.
So, Lord Krishna was Shishupal's cousin, and when he came to visit, those deformities disappeared, so his mother now asked Lord Krishna to promise not to kill Shishupal, as according to prophecy he'll be the one to do it. Lord Krishna said he'll forgive 100 sins of Shishupal but will kill him after the 101st one.
Shishupal had grown up to be a horrible and arrogant person, and hated Krishna too due to having married Rukmini, whom he wanted.
At the ritual, Krishna was made Guest of Honor, and then Shishupal started insulting him, increasing his sin count.
"You insult us Kings by honoring this cowherd in our places, King Yudhisthira!" Shishupal cried out. "What about the great teacher Drona, or Duryodhana, or Drona's son Ashwatthama, or what about Grandsire Bhishma here?"
Bhishma was the son of Hastinapur's former King Shantanu and the Goddess Ganga of the holy river. The marriage had been short-lived, and Shantanu had one day fallen in love with a fisherman chief's daughter called Satyavati, but the fisherman chief was going to agree to the wedding only if Satyavati's child became the ruler after Shantanu.
Hearing that, Bhishma had vowed to give up the throne of Hastinapur, and then when the chief was still unsure, Bhishma had even vowed to be celibate forever, which was when the marriage happened.
An impressed Shantanu had given Bhishma a boon to die when he wished to, and Bhishma was now loyal to whoever sat on the throne of Hastinapur.
The Pandavas and Kauravas were all descended from Shantanu and Satyavati, and Bhishma was their guardian and revered grandsire.
"Shishupal, I do not mind Krishna being honored, why are you arguing in vain?" Bhishma asked.
"Of course you wouldn't mind, you are a eunuch!" Shishupal laughed, angering Bhishma and everyone else as well.
"If this wasn't my beloved Yudhisthira's auspicious occasion, I'd have slain you!" Bhishma declared.
"Let him speak, Grandsire", Krishna shrugged. "He is insulting me."
"I do not need your permission, cowherd!" Shishupal boasted.
"I will rip out your tongue", Balarama angrily stood up before turning to Krishna. "Why aren't you doing anything?"
"I promised our aunt to forgive a hundred sins of his", Krishna reminded.
"You might have, but I didn't", Balarama angrily turned to Shishupal. "He insulted Grandsire Bhishma, our aunt Kunti, and he's insulting you yet you smile?"
"Not smiling, brother, I'm counting", Krishna smiled. "He still has 3 sins left."
"Do not frighten me! I will insult you not 3 but 300 times and you can't do a thing!" Shishupal boasted. "You have no honor so I can't even insult you! That's 98. You are nothing more than a thief! That's 99. And you are a lewd man who married 16,108 women! That's 100. And then-"
"Now stop", Krishna raised a hand. "You've reached a 100 sins."
"No!" Shishupal continued. "You are just an imposter in King's garbs, insulting us real Kings."
Krishna looked forward, and raised his finger as the Sudarshana Chakra appeared, horrifying Shishupal while Balarama smirked, and it flew forth as his head was chopped from his body, flying off and falling at Krishna's feet.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Shishupal's head lay at Lord Krishna's feet, staring at him in horror as the body convulsed, and Krishna stood with the Sudarashana Chakra spinning on the index finger of his right hand.
Looking at the head, Krishna said. "It is time for you to quieten down, Shishipal."
The head closed its eyes while the body stopped convulsing, the Sudarshana Chakra fading away while Krishna looked at the body. "May your soul rest in peace."
Draupadi noticed Krishna's finger was bleeding from having handled his Chakra and said. "Govinda, your finger!" Krishna simply smirked but she tore a small piece of her saree and wrapped it around his finger, as he smiled at her.
After the ritual was done and Krishna and Balarama left, the Kauravas explored the Pandavas' palace, which was full of illusions to those unaccustomed to it.
Duryodhana at one point tried to open a door, but it was actually just a wall looking like a door. Then at one point he leaned against a wall but it was a door that opened to the other side and he fell into it.
And then at one point Duryodhana tried to walk on a floor but it was a pool looking like a floor and he fell into it, humiliating himself. The Pandavas except Yudhisthira laughed at him and so he wanted revenge.
Their uncle Shakuni who was Gandhari's brother and King of Gandhar, had magic dice that listened only to him, so he suggested to Duryodhana, to invite the Pandavas to a gambling game.
So, the Pandavas and Draupadi went to Hastinapur for the gambling game, though Draupadi stayed in a chamber provided for her, and Yudhisthira was urged to stake everything he can, including his Kingdom, then his brothers, and then even himself, and he lost everything due to the dice listening only to Shakuni.
Then he was urged to stake Draupadi too. This was questioned because he had already lost the rights to himself, so he didn't have the right to her, but they pointed out a husband does have a right to his wife as well, and vice-versa, so Yudhisthira staked Draupadi and lost her too.
Draupadi was furious when she heard this, as Yudhisthira had lost himself first. She was summoned to the court but refused, so Duryodhana sent his younger brother Dushasana to forcefully bring Draupadi to the court.
Dushasana grabbed Draupadi by the hair and dragged her to the court, and the Pandavas were helpless as they lost the game and were now basically servants to the Kauravas. No one else was able to stop this humiliation and degrading behavior either, not even the more honorable people like Bhishma and Drona due to being duty-bound. Vidura and one decent Kaurava called Vikarna protested but logic was overruled.
Draupadi was in tears first and tried to argue to everyone that she couldn't be staked and was no maid to the Kauravas, but it fell on deaf ears. Duryodhana then mockingly gestured Draupadi to sit on his thigh, and ordered Dushasana to disrobe Draupadi, which horrified everyone, and Bhima swore to tear Dushasana's arms and bathe Draupadi's hair with his blood and then drink it, and also to break Duryodhana's thighs.
Karna mocked Draupadi, calling her a whore for having 5 husbands, and commented that such a woman, whether clothed or not, it makes no difference.
Draupadi was now at the center of the hall, Dushasana starting to pull at her saree as she joined both hands and prayed. "Govinda."
She spun around, slowly being disrobed as some laughed while others, including the Pandavas, Bhishma, Drona and Vidura cried.
Krishna heard Draupadi's call, and looked at the piece of saree wrapped around his hand, that she'd done when his finger had been injured.
Grasping the cloth, he started unwrapping it.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
A bright light shone in the Hastinapur court as all froze in horror, Dushasana looking up when the curtains transformed into saree fabric suddenly.
Undeterred, Dushasana continued pulling when the fabric wrapped around Draupadi, protecting her grace and dignity, the Pandavas watching, hopeful now.
Krishna continued unwrapping the saree piece from his hand.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
More saree fabric came down, covering Draupadi, and more covered her, as Dushasana continued to pull but failed, everyone watching this in awe or shock, depending upon who they were.
Krishna glared downwards.
Duryodhana's garments fell off, followed by his robes, as Dhritarashtra, Karna, Dushasana and the rest too got disrobed, with the Pandavas losing their garments too, as did Bhishma, Drona and Vidura.
Shakuni was disrobed as well, the robes and garments of all men falling at Draupadi's feet, but Draupadi was covered from head to toe in saree fabric.
Krishna continued unwrapping the saree piece around his hand.
Dushasana was horrified to see he was disrobed now, and how much saree he had pulled, yet Draupadi was still clothed. Bhishma, Drona and Vidura joined their hands in prayer.
Krishna finished unwrapping the cloth from his hand, a tear rolling down his cheek at this degrading behavior Draupadi had to go through, and then he dropped the piece on the ground.
Dushasana fell down as well, exhausted fully, while the saree fabric disappeared, Draupadi's grace having been saved.
While Draupadi was saved, since the Pandavas lost, a condition was made- The Pandavas have to go into exile for 12 years and incognito mode for 1 more year, and if they're discovered in the incognito year, they've to go into exile for 12 years again and then incognito for another year, and so on unless they spend an incognito where they're not discovered.
The Pandavas agreed and left into exile, Draupadi going with them. Subhadra during this time stayed at Dwarka, pregnant with Arjuna's son Abhimanyu, who Krishna raised and trained himself to be a great warrior.
The Pandavas and Draupadi went into exile and some adventures happened during this time too, with the Pandavas being gifted divine weapons by Gods. They also secretly prepare alliances for a potential future conflict.
At one point, a man called Jayadratha who was the husband of Duryodhana's sister saw Draupadi during her exile period and tried to abduct her but the 5 Pandavas stopped him, but spared him due to not wanting to make their sister a widow. Still, they shaved his head at five places to humiliate him.
An angry Jayadratha meditated to Lord Shiva for years, and ultimately, to pacify him, Shiva had to grant him a boon. He requested he be able to best all Pandavas next time he faced them. But they were too powerful so Shiva said he'd only be able to best all of them except Arjuna once whenever he faced them.
In their final incognito year, the Pandavas and Draupadi spent it in disguise in the court of King Virata, and there Draupadi had another dangerous admirer called Kichaka who was the commander of the King's army, and he tried to molest her at one point but she escaped. She told Bhima and they made a plan, so Draupadi asked Kichaka to come to the bedchambers at night. Kichaka did, thinking Draupadi will make love to him, but in the darkness, he met Bhima who brutally killed him for trying to molest Draupadi, and later Kichaka's brothers tried to kill Draupadi in revenge but Bhima killed them as well.
Kichaka was a mighty warrior, and news of his demise reached Duryodhana, who believed the Pandavas were in the kingdom, and launched an assault, but the Pandavas revealed themselves and Arjuna single-handedly drove his forces back.
Duryodhana claimed they lost since he discovered them during incognito period, but turned out the incognito period barely did pass before they were discovered, so the Pandavas have fulfilled the game's conditions.
Duryodhana was still mad though and didn't want to give them anything, and would rather have war.
Duryodhana and Arjuna both wanted Krishna to help them. Krishna offered both the Pandavas and Kauravas to choose between his elite Narayani army, or himself without any weapons and only as a charioteer.
One day, Krishna slept in Dwarka as Duryodhana arrived, standing at his head's side, hoping Krishna would see him on waking up, as Arjuna arrived after him, and sat at Krishna's feet, massaging them.
When Krishna opened his eyes, from his position, he saw Arjuna first. "Parth my friend, since I saw you first, you shall have your chance first."
"This is deceit!" Duryodhana claimed angrily as Krishna stood up. "I came first and stood at your head's side."
"Showing your arrogance, you think yourself above all, yet Arjuna sat at my feet, in spite of being the greatest warrior, he is humble", Krishna countered, making Duryodhana fume before Krishna walked to the window, gesturing to his elite Narayani army, standing in formation. "This is my army, you can either have this, or you can have me but without any weapons and only as a charioteer. I will not lift a weapon during the war."
Duryodhana was concerned, because since Arjuna had the first chance, he could take the army.
"I choose you, Madhav", Arjuna said without hesitation, making Krishna smile as Duryodhana smirked happily, thinking Arjuna a fool.
"Which means I get the army", Duryodhana realized.
"Indeed, but remember, even an elite force is only as good as the army commander", Krishna pointed out to him.
"Grandsire Bhishma is the commander, he is one of the greatest!" Duryodhana boasted.
"And what happens when Bhishma dies?" Krishna inquired.
"He has the boon to die when he wishes to, he can't die!" Duryodhana pointed out in maniacal glee.
Balarama did not want to fight and left on a pilgrimage instead.
Still, in one last attempt to prevent the war, Krishna went to Hastinapur's court, trying to stop the war, and asked to only give the Pandavas five villages.
However, Duryodhana still refused, and declared to the entire court. "I can embrace a foul-smelling bull, but not grant the Pandavas five villages! I can make an adulterous woman my wife, but not grant the Pandavas five villages! I can behead myself before Yamraj, but not grant the Pandavas five villages!"
He turned to Krishna and held up his fingers in a pinch. "Forget about five villages, I won't even give the Pandavas land equal to the tip of a needle point." Then he smirked and said. "The Pandavas are so arrogant with you at their side, isn't that right, cowherd? Soldiers, arrest him!"
"Duryodhana!" Dhritarashtra begged. "Do not do this, please!"
"Vasudeva Krishna will slay you right here for this!" Vidura declared.
"No, Prime Minister, I will not", Krishna shook his head with a smile. "Because elder brother Bhima has taken that vow."
Duryodhana smirked, as soldiers came in with chains to shackle Krishna, while Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, Drona, Vidura and Kripa were in dismay.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Krishna smirked as suddenly, the chains got too heavy and the soldiers stopped in their tracks, grunting, trying to move, but failed, before collapsing to the ground, the chains falling as well, to everyone's shock.
"Foolish soldiers, get up! Shackle his wrists! Get up!" Duryodhana ordered as the soldiers got up, trying to lift the chains, but couldn't even budge them.
Duryodhana watched in anger, the rest watched in surprise, and Krishna watched with a neutral expression as the soldiers fell down again.
"Soldiers!" Duryodhana cried out as now all the soldiers came in, trying to lift the chains.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
But no matter how hard they tried, the soldiers still couldn't lift the chains, to the shock of all, and suddenly, they fell to either side of the room as Krishna smirked at Duryodhana.
"Your soldiers cannot bear the weight of your sins, Duryodhana", Krishna told him, Duryodhana fuming in rage. "Can you?"
"I'll do it myself!" Duryodhana snarled, lifting up the chains as he walked to Krishna.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Krishna held up his index finger as the Sudarshana Chakra appeared, making Duryodhana freeze in his tracks in horror, as Krishna grew to a giant size, taking his Virat Roop, and a bright, divine light shone from him.
Bhishma, Drona, Vidura and Kripa basked in the presence of the divine light, smiling, as Duryodhana, Dushasana, Shakuni, Karna and the rest all covered their eyes in pain.
Dhritarashtra, who was blind, stood up. "What's happening? Will someone tell me what's going on?"
"I shall grant you sight, King Dhritarashtra!" Krishna declared, to Dhritarashtra's shock. "See for yourself."
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
Divine light shone from Krishna's hand into Dhritarashtra's non-functioning eyes, and bright flames exploded inside his eyeballs, forming an outline of a person, which was Lord Krishna, and now Dhritarashtra fell back on his throne in horror and shock at the divine sight.
"What kind of sorcery is this?" He wondered, rubbing his eyes. "What is it am I seeing?" Joining his hands, he begged. "Please take this sight back. I do not want it! Forgive me, Vasudeva! Forgive me!"
There was a bright flash of light as Dhritarashtra was blind again, while Krishna was back to normal.
"Farewell, King", Krishna said with joined hands before leaving.
Krishna also informed Karna of his true parentage as a way to motivate him to fight for the Pandavas, but when Kunti approached him, he refused, pointing out the Pandavas had mocked him due to being a charioteer's son and she too had abandoned him, while Duryodhana had supported him.
At the end of it, Karna finally promised Kunti five of her sons would live, as he won't kill Yudhisthira, Bhima, Nakul or Sahadev, but he will fight Arjuna and only one will survive.
Arjuna before the war hesitated as a lot of the people on the opposing side were his respected and beloved family, like Bhishma, and his teachers Drona and Kripa were beloved to him as well.
Krishna narrated the 'Bhagavad Gita' to Arjuna, reminding him of his duty to fight for what is right, and do what is required of him without thinking about the fruits of his actions, as Arjuna's despair was gone now and the war began , Krishna being Arjuna's charioteer and guide.
On the ninth day, Krishna noticed Arjuna was fighting Bhishma half-heartedly and now enraged, jumped off the chariot.
"I shall end you, Grandsire Bhishma, at this very moment!" Krishna raised his finger as the Sudarshana Chakra appeared, and Arjuna was shocked that Krishna was breaking his vow.
"Madhav, no!" Arjuna cried out, jumping off the chariot and grabbing Krishna by the foot, though Krishna continued walking, dragging Arjuna with him.
"Madhav, don't do this, do no break your vow!"
"It is time for me to break my vow, Parth", Krishna replied, looking at Bhishma, who lay down his arms.
"You broke your vow to end me", he joined his hands happily. "It is my good fortune that you are my slayer. Please, end my life!"
"Madhav, if you do this, people will call you an oath-breaker forever!"
Krishna knew that oaths should be broken if their circumstances got outdated, or if they actively caused harm to society. In these cases, oaths had to be broken instead of being kept for personal honor, which was what he was trying to teach Bhishma.
"People will call me all sorts of names when this war is over, Parth", Krishna pointed out. "I do not care."
"No Madhav! I vow that I will not fight anyone half-heartedly from now on, including Grandsire Bhishma. Do not make history look back on me as a horrible friend who made his friend break his vow, please Madhav!"
Krishna's Sudarshana Chakra faded as he smiled, pleased, and looked at Bhishma. "Lift up your arms, Grandsire Bhishma, and engage in battle."
Bhishma joined his hands and bowed respectfully before lifting his weapons to battle.
Next day, Drupada's child Shikhandini came to the battlefield. In her last life, she was a princess whom Bhishma had rejected due to his vow, so she'd angrily sworn to slay him in her next life, and gotten a boon from Lord Shiva to do so.
Now Shikhandini had done a ritual to become a man for a day and fight.
Since Shikhandini, or Shikhandi as a man, was a woman, Bhishma lay down his arms on seeing Shikhandi, not wanting to attack him, and taking the opportunity, Arjuna, screaming in grief, fired at Bhishma from behind Shikhandi, fatally wounding him as he lay on a bed of arrows, out of the fight but still alive due to his boon.
He still blessed Arjuna with long life and victory, as both sides mourned him, and Arjuna used his arrows to dent the Earth, causing Bhishma's own mother the holy Ganga to flow out and quench her son's thirst.
With Bhishma gone, Drona was commander of the Kaurava forces now, and on the thirteenth day, Krishna and Arjuna were busy in another part of the battlefield, so Drona made an impenetrable formation to capture Yudhishthira.
Only Krishna and Arjuna knew how to penetrate and escape it, but Arjuna's young son Abhimanyu knew how to penetrate it. He did not how to escape, however, so the other four Pandava brothers asked him to go in while they'd follow him to protect him.
When Abhimanyu entered though, the four Pandavas were stopped by Jayadratha, whose boon activated and he defeated all four of them for that once, preventing them from aiding Abhimanyu, who killed thousands of warriors, and even defeated Karna, Drona, Kripa, Shakuni, Dushasana, Duryodhana, Ashwatthama and many more by himself, causing them to gang up on him and break his chariot and bow, and disarm him of his sword.
Abhimanyu fought back with his chariot wheel, but eventually, was grievously wounded as they slew a young boy together brutally by ganging up on him, with Drona doing nothing to stop this dishonor.
They danced around his corpse as well, the four Pandava brothers crying in grief and guilt for being unable to protect Abhimanyu.
At night, Arjuna returned with Krishna and on seeing his son's corpse, was driven to a rage unmatched, as he blamed Jayadratha, who'd stopped the other four from aiding Abhimanyu,
Angrily, he swore to either kill Jayadratha by sunset the next day, or kill himself if he failed.
And he was unstoppable the next day, killing many warriors. Bhima reluctantly battled Vikarna, and killed him, but also grieved, for Vikarna had defended Draupadi during her humiliation.
Duryodhana and Shakuni had hidden Jayadratha back at their camp, as now Arjuna and Krishna were confronted by Duryodhana and other warriors.
"Welcome, my beloved younger brother, Arjuna", Duryodhana beckoned mockingly. "You cannot kill Jayadratha today. Look, we built your funeral pyre for you."
Arjuna saw the pyre made for him, as Duryodhana laughed alongside Dushasana.
Suddenly, the sun set, making the two laugh harder, while Arjuna looked down with a blank look.
"Didn't you ask for this Vasudeva, alone and unarmed, instead of the elite Narayani army?" Duryodhana inquired, laughing again. "Now see where that got you."
"Madhav, you're divine, my failure must be your plan, I accept", Arjuna told Krishna before getting down from the chariot, when Jayadratha now appeared, holding a flaming torch.
"Either you light my pyre, or I light yours", Jayadratha reminded Arjuna. "Now you've failed, so I'm here to light your pyre, Arjuna."
From a distance, the four Pandavas watched sadly as Bhima cried out. "Arjuna, stop!"
"No Bhima, Arjuna will not stop today", Yudhisthira told him glumly.
Arjuna walked towards his funeral pyre, with the Pandavas, Krishna, Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, Drona, Ashwatthama and Kripa all watching.
Then Shakuni rode in as Jayadratha told him. "Come, uncle, your plan was a success, now you have the opportunity to watch Arjuna die today."
"Vasudeva Krishna!" Shakuni addressed Krishna directly, as Krishna turned to face him. "Why have you hidden the sun with your Sudarshana Chakra?"
That caused Duryodhana's, Dushasana's and Jayadratha's smirks to vanish as they, Ashwatthama, Drona, Kripa and Karna all looked to the sky, while Arjuna looked up with a glint in his eye, and the Pandavas looked at the sky too.
Krishna smiled at Shakuni. "I can't cause sunset, but I can certainly create the atmosphere of sunset, uncle."
Duryodhana grabbed his head in his hands in horror, as Jayadratha's jaw was dropped, while Dushasana was in disbelief.
Arjuna looked up with a smirk while Krishna turned to the sky.
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
The Sudarshana Chakra flew off, uncovering the sun, its rays causing daylight once more, as Duryodhana, Jayadratha, Dushasana, and the rest were all stricken with horror.
"Jayadratha, my vow is about to be complete", Arjuna declared. "As is your life!"
"No Arjuna", Jayadratha held up a hand, terrified for his life. "If my head falls to the ground because of you, you will be reduced to ashes! My father gave me this boon!"
"Do not worry, Jayadratha, if your life is a boon from your father, in your dying moments too, you should receive his blessings", Arjuna shrugged as Jayadratha backed off in terror. "So I will use the Lord Shiva's Pashupatastra, that he gifted to me, on you, so that your head falls in your father's lap."
Arjuna lifted his divine and powerful bow, the Gandiva, and chanted a shloka as Jayadratha was horrified.
The Pashupatastra appeared, Jayadratha begging. "No Arjuna!"
Arjuna fired the Pashupatastra at Jayadratha.
"Warriors, help King Jayadratha!" Duryodhana ordered as he, Dushasana, Drona, Karna, Ashwatthama, Kripa and Shakuni all fired or hurled weapons to deflect the Pashupatastra, but those weapons were all deflected while the Pashupatastra struck Jayadratha, decapitating him, as his headless corpse fell to the ground, still holding the flaming torch.
The Pashupatastra carried Jayadratha's head and dropped it in his meditating father's lap, who opened his eyes and dropped the head in horror, being reduced to ashes.
That was when the sun actually set.
"The King of Sindhu, Jayadratha's head, became the reason for his own father's death", Krishna noted.
"In this very manner, in this very manner, all the sinners will die!" Arjuna declared angrily to the opposing army. "Rivers of blood will flow. One by one, all of you will die." Some of them glared back at him in anger as he continued. "Those who have sinned more, will die at the end, after witnessing the destruction of their capabilities, and suffering for their wrongdoings!"
Bhima had married a Demoness called Hidimbi and had a son called Ghatotkacha with her, and Ghatotkacha wreaked havoc on the Kaurava army, before Karna used a divine weapon called Vasava Shakti, gifted to him by an impressed Lord Indra for donating his impenetrable sun armor to him, to kill Ghatotkacha.
He'd been saving it for Arjuna but now Ghatotkacha had sacrificed himself and saved Arjuna. While dying, Ghatotkacha took giant form and collapsed upon the Kaurava army, killing many of them, as Bhima grieved his son too now.
Next day, Kings Drupad and Virata were both killed by Drona, before Bhima, on Krishna's suggestion, killed an elephant called Ashwatthama and declared he'd killed Ashwatthama, which was also the name of Drona's son.
Drona asked Yudhisthira, who never lied, to confirm it.
Yudhisthira replied that Ashwatthama had died but he wasn't sure if it was the human or the elephant, causing Drona to fall to his knees and meditate.
Yudhisthira's chariot that floated a few feet above the ground due to him being King of Righteousness now landed on the ground due to his lie.
The Pandavas tried to arrest Drona but Drupad's son Dhristadyumna cut off his head in revenge for his father. Once more, both sides mourned their beloved teacher.
On the seventeenth day, when Karna was now commander, Bhima ripped off Dushasana's arms and tore open his chest, drinking his blood, like he'd vowed, and took some of the blood back to Draupadi at the camp, bathing her hair with it.
Draupadi herself had vowed not to tie her hair again until bathing them with Dushasana's blood, and now both of their vows were complete.
Arjuna killed many more, including Karna's son Vrishasena, and then Karna and Arjuna duelled once more.
Arrow after arrow they fired at each other, neither coming out on top as Arjuna told Krishna. "Ordinary arrows will not stop him today."
So both he and Karna summoned divine arrows, firing at each other as the arrows destroyed each other. Then Karna fired an arrow that managed to break Arjuna's bowstring, though he tied it back.
Suddenly, Karna's chariot wheel got stuck in the ground, but he declared. "Even if my chariot is stuck, I shall slay you with the Brahmastra!"
Karna tried to summon it, but failed, to his shock. He tried again, and still failed. So now he said. "Arjuna, my chariot wheel is stuck in the ground. Stop your arrows as I free it."
Karna got down, trying to move his chariot, as Krishna told Arjuna. "Parth, slay him right now!"
Arjuna looked reluctant as Karna angrily said. "But this is unrighteous!"
"Calling Draupadi a whore in front of Hastinapur's entire court was also unrighteous, Karna King of Anga", Krishna reminded him as Karna's eyes were wide in horror and shame on remembering that.
"But Madhav, he is unarmed and on the ground", Arjuna pointed out to Krishna. "He can't even remember his knowledge of weapons."
"That is his own fault. He once approached Parashurama to be taught by him, but since Parashurama hated Kshatriyas, Karna lied that he was a Brahmin. When Parashurama found out the lie, he cursed Karna to forget this knowledge that he'd earned with deceit right when he needed it most", Krishna told Arjuna, before pointing to Karna. "And this Karna, along with many other warriors, ganged up on your young son Abhimanyu and brutally killed him, and they danced around his corpse too. He too was unarmed and on the ground, Parth. So slay him!"
Arjuna looked at Karna, still trying to move his chariot, and remembered holding his son's corpse, then remembered his brothers telling him how the Kaurava army, including Karna, had ganged up on him and brutally killed him, and danced around his corpse.
Roaring in rage and grief, Arjuna fired an arrow that decapitated Karna, ending the life of Surya the Sun God's son finally.
Duryodhana's mother Gandhari had gathered great power in her eyes due to her blindfold, and beckoned Duryodhana to meet her in camp where she'd remove her blindfold and use her power to make him invincible.
Duryodhana was grieving for his best friend Karna, whom he loved more than his brothers, and then he was met by Krishna who taunted him that he'd appear indecent in front of his own mother.
Hearing that, Duryodhana covered his privates, and so when Gandhari made him invincible, his thighs were still vulnerable.
On the eighteenth day, Yudhisthira killed Shalya the new commander and Nakul's and Sahadev's uncle in combat, grieving for him, while Sahadev defeated and killed Shakuni finally. Nakula killed Shakuni's son Uluka.
Duryodhana took refuge in the nearby lake, as the Pandavas confronted him, and now Bhima and Duryodhana engaged in a mace fight.
While Bhima was stronger, Duryodhana was more skilled with a mace, having been trained by Balarama himself once, and now he was invincible too. Bhima had been trained by Balarama too, but Duryodhana had been his best student.
The two battled, Duryodhana striking Bhima and sending him staggering as his crown fell off. Bhima dodged the next blow and they clashed a few a times, both struggling against each other.
Bhima tried to strike Duryodhana who dodged and struck his shoulder, then chest, sending him back, before Bhima struck him and sent him rolling.
Duryodhana got back up, striking Bhima's face as he was sent rolling, and his face bled too. Bhima stood back up, blocking Duryodhana's strike, then hitting him right on the head as he went to his knees, then got back up and pushed Bhima back, their maces clashing again.
Bhima pushed Duryodhana back and struck his chest, then his face, only for Duryodhana to laugh. "More forcefully, come on!"
Bhima continued striking Duryodhana, but could not even dent him as Duryodhana struck his face and he bled, falling down again, but blocked Duryodhana's next strike, standing up, trying to push him back, but Duryodhana dodged and struck his side.
Bhima again struck his face but Duryodhana was unaffected and taunted. "More forcefully."
"Arjuna, remind elder brother Bhima of his oath to break Duryodhana's thighs for he'd invited Draupadi to sit on his thigh", Krishna told his friend.
"But Krishna, this is mace warfare, hitting below the waist violates those rules", Arjuna pointed out.
"This is war, it must be won", Krishna pointed out. "I could watch the beauty of Duryodhana's mace skills, and Bhima's too, for hours if this was a game, but its war, so tell him."
"No Krishna, I can't", Arjuna shook his head.
"Then watch the battle", Krishna shrugged, before cheering for Bhima. "Great move, brother Bhima."
As the battle continued, Krishna cheered louder. "Very good, brother Bhima!"
Bhima stopped, looking at Krishna, who cheered while pointing at his own thigh. "Nice move, brother Bhima. Nice move!"
Getting the hint and being reminded of his oath, Bhima turned to Duryodhana, who tried to attack, but Bhima struck his thigh with his mace, breaking it as Duryodhana screamed in pain, with Bhima striking his other thigh as Duryodhana fell down, wailing in pure agony.
"Bhima! You violated the rules of mace warfare and killed me by deceit!" Duryodhana screamed.
Bhima angrily put his foot on Duryodhana, trying to crush him. "I remember when you beckoned Draupadi to sit on your thighs, and today I've broken those and fulfilled my oath."
Yudhisthira pulled Bhima off of Duryodhana. "No Bhima, you may have defeated him, but do not kill him so brutally. He is not only our brother but a King too. Let him die like one."
"Unrighteous rule-breaker!"
They all turned to see Balarama standing there, looking very angry. He raised his hand, lightning cracking in the sky as his plough weapon appeared.
"You have violated the rules of mace fight!" Balarama said, marching to Bhima who lay down his mace and went down on his knees, joining his hands. "Get up and battle me!"
"No, Revered Guru, I will accept your punishment", Bhima said to him.
"I shall wash my plough with your blood, get up and fight!" Balarama demanded.
"No Revered Guru, punish me for this", Bhima replied.
"In that case, I shall slay you for breaking the rules of mace fight!" Balarama angrily raised his plough for the kill.
"Elder brother Balarama!"
Balarama stopped, turning to Krishna, who stepped forwards. "Are you fighting at Duryodhana's side?" Smirking, he reminded. "But you'd taken an oath to not battle. So, that means you too are committing an unrighteous deed."
"By violating the rules of mace fight, Bhima has committed a grave injustice!" Balarama declared in a rage. "So if I have to commit an unrighteous deed to punish him, I will!"
"So you too are engaging in unrighteousness, brother", Krishna pointed out while Duryodhana moaned in pain nearby. "Why is brother Bhima at fault here? He was bound by an oath to strike Duryodhana's thighs and break them. Besides, even if Duryodhana was your greatest student, you know how he has repeatedly committed unrighteous deeds too. He beckoned Draupadi to sit on his thighs and humiliated her, he had poisoned Bhima once when they were children, he tried to kill them and aunt Kunti by burning a house he'd provided for them to stay, having created it with inflammable material. And there's much more, brother. So why do you excuse all of that and punish Bhima instead?"
Balarama looked down, relenting. "You really know how to argue, brother. I have no reply for this argument of yours." His plough weapon disappeared. "Today you've deceived your own elder brother."
"You are my elder brother, who will I deceive if not you?" Krishna asked as both brothers shared a smile. "Fate had laid the foundations for this war to be fought on deception itself, so deception was bound to be part of it." He put a hand on Balarama's shoulder. "If elder brother Bhima had acted righteously today, the whole world would have suffered from Duryodhana's unrighteousness, so this had to be done."
Balarama looked down at Duryodhana, saddened that his greatest disciple had this kind of fate due to his own sins.
Ashwatthama, Kripa and Kritavarma were still alive though, and met the dying Duryodhana, who made Ashwatthama his commander.
Krishna and the Pandavas were away as Ashwatthama led a night raid on the Pandava camp, first choking Dhritadyumna to death in revenge for his father, and also killed the five sons of Draupadi and the Pandavas called the Upapandavas, before killing many more, including Shikhandini/Shikhandi, as anyone who tried to escape was killed by Kripa and Kritavarma.
The three then relayed the news to the dying Duryodhana who was overjoyed and breathed his last as they performed his cremation rites.
Next morning, Krishna and the Pandavas returned, finding out what happened as Yudhisthira fainted and the Pandavas became inconsolable, with Bhima wanting to kill Ashwatthama most of all as he'd massacred the most.
Draupadi stayed behind to mourn her sons and brothers, while Krishna and the Pandavas found Ashwatthama at the hermitage of the sage Ved Vyas.
Ashwatthama invoked the Brahmastra to slay Arjuna, and on Krishna's instruction, Arjuna invoked the Brahmashira.
They fired their weapons, but Ved Vyas stepped in between, using his divine power to stop both in their tracks.
"Arjuna, Ashwatthama, these weapons can destroy the Universe on clashing. Krishna, why didn't you stop Arjuna?"
"Ashwatthama had already fired his weapon, Sage Vyas, so Arjuna was forced to use his weapon to nullify it", Krishna pointed out.
"Withdraw your weapons, both of you!" Ved Vyas demanded.
Arjuna joined his hands and chanting a shloka, withdrew his Brahmashira, before Vyas turned to Ashwatthama. "What are you waiting for? Withdraw your weapon."
"But I don't know how to", Ashwatthama admitted.
"If you didn't know how to withdraw it, why did you fire it you fool?" Ved Vyas demanded before saying. "Hit something barren with it instead."
However, Abhimanyu's wife Uttara who was King Virata's daughter, was pregnant with Abhimanyu's son, so Ashwatthama decided he'd destroy the Pandavas' legacy instead.
"I shall destroy Abhimanyu's son, Pandavas! You may have won, but you will die without heirs!" Ashwatthama declared, as the Brahmastra changed direction and sped towards the Pandava camp.
Draupadi, sitting and grieving over her sons' and siblings' corpses, looked up to see the Brahmastra in horror as it passed her and entered the tent.
Uttara, who was being cared for by her mother-in-law Subhadra, looked up to see the Brahmastra as it entered her womb, making her wail in agony as she felt her baby die, and Subhadra cried out in horror. "Uttara! What's wrong, my dear? Uttara!"
Draupadi ran inside, sitting on the wailing Uttara's other side. "Uttara, be strong, my dear! Be strong!"
Both Subhadra and Draupadi watched the wailing Uttara in utter horror.
Krishna glared at Ashwatthama in anger. "You are a repulsive person, Ashwatthama. What you have just done, no one in this whole world has done it until today." Krishna pointed at Ashwatthama. "Duryodhana, Dushasana, King of Gandhar Shakuni, Kamsa, Ravana and Hiranyakashipu…..you shall be punished more severely than all of these."
Ashwatthama simply glared in defiance as Krishna raised his index finger.
Mahabharata 2013 Jai Jai Sudarshana plays
The Universe shook and the sky split apart, Ashwatthama horrified as a light shot down towards Krishna's index finger, the Sudarshana Chakra now appearing.
There was a gem in Ashwatthama's forehead that granted him great power.
The Sudarshana Chakra sped at Ashwatthama, striking his forehead as his gem came off and went into Krishna's hand, while Ashwatthama had a permanent wound in his forehead in his gem's place, looking like his brain had been ripped out of his skull.
He fell to his knees, wailing in agony as the blood kept pouring while Krishna's Sudarshana Chakra went back to his index finger and faded.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
"You will never die Ashwatthama, you will remain immortal! And this wound on your head shall be eternal, giving you agony and bleeding forever as you roam the corners of this world till the end of time! The entire society shall condemn you, but you shall continue to breathe, Ashwatthama, you shall continue to breathe!"
Ashwatthama wailed, his bleeding and agony now permanent forever, as Krishna and the Pandavas left.
The six of them returned to their tent where Uttara was still wailing, and the five Pandavas watched in horror, Arjuna falling to his knees. "Our future is destroyed. We have nothing left."
Subhadra got up in tears and joined her hands in front of her brother. "Brother Krishna, please, my Abhimanyu's son cannot die! Please, do not let this happen."
Krishna grasped his sister's hands gently. "Subhadra, I won't let him die, do not worry. There will be destruction, but there will also be recreation."
He sat down, touching Uttara's womb with a smile. "I, Vasudeva Krishna, with the fruit of the noble deeds of my life, revive Uttara's womb."
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
A divine light glowed from Krishna's hand, reviving Uttara's womb and saving her baby as the Pandavas' horrified expressions turned to ones of relief, Subhadra too crying in relief as Krishna and Draupadi shared a smile, while Uttara went to a peaceful sleep.
Krishna got up and declared. "This boy has been tested in the womb itself, so he shall be called Parikshit!"
After this, Bhishma gave a sermon on Dharma to Yudhisthira on his bed of arrows before finally passing away, as the Pandavas cremated him, and returned to Hastinapur.
Dhritarashtra, with his great strength, tried to kill Bhima with a powerful hug for he had killed all his sons, but Krishna put a statue in the way that Dhritarashtra destroyed instead, not killing Bhima but killing his anger as he conceded defeat, and allowed Yudhisthira to be King.
Krishna was chosen to crown him, and the process began.
"STOP!"
All turned to Gandhari, who asked angrily. "Why is Vasudeva being given this honor? He should not receive it!"
"Gandhari, only Vasudeva Krishna should get this honor. We are fortunate he was present here during this auspicious occasion", Dhritarashtra told her.
"Elder brother is right, sister-in-law, no one is more powerful than Krishna in this Universe", Vidura agreed.
"I am aware of his powers and his miracles. I know the Pandavas won because of him!" Gandhari pointed at Krishna accusingly. "I know he protected Draupadi's honor after the game of dice. Yet he did not stop this great war. Why?" She had tears in her blindfolded eyes as she snarled. "You have committed the gravest sin on the Kurukshetra battlefield. We were all just your puppets, and you used us to perform this dance of death! You deserve to be punished." She raised her hands in grief. "Listen to the wail after the battle." She was crying. "Listen to the pain of a mother's soul." She declared in anger. "I, daughter of the pious King Subal! I, the devoted wife of King Dhritarashtra!" Her voice broke in her grief. "I, the unfortunate Queen Mother of the Kuru Dynasty, curse you-"
"No Gandhari!" Dhritarashtra cried out.
"No, Your Highness!" Arjuna screamed as well.
"YES!" She screamed, Krishna watching her in nothing but sympathy and understanding, as she looked at him. "I curse you! The manner in which my clan was wiped out, your Yadava clan will be wiped out before you very eyes!"
Everyone except Krishna had utter horror on their faces as they heard that, Gandhari continuing. "All the Yadava men will kill each other like beasts, while the children will wail like calves", she shook her finger, "but no one will wipe their tears." She then said in grief. "The way my city is immersed in grief", her sadness gave way to more rage, "your city will be submerged in the ocean, and the water will drown the gold in your palace! And you! You will wander in a forest, crippled by age and unarmed, and ultimately be shot by a hunter!"
Tears rolled down Subhadra's cheeks at her brother's fate, Krishna's own eyes watery, but not for himself or his people.
"The curse of a mother who has lost all her sons is never in vain!" Gandhari declared, the horror on everyone's face still clear, as she then fell to her knees, weeping.
"Gandhari, what've you done?" Dhritarashtra asked his wife.
"You repaid Vasudeva's favors with such a terrible curse", Yudhisthira said, crying himself.
"You should have cursed us 5 Pandavas to wander in Hell for eternity", Arjuna told Gandhari, tears in his own eyes. "But by putting this grave curse upon Madhav, you have orphaned the whole Universe."
As Gandhari wept, Kunti begged. "Sister-in-law, tell us how to remedy this curse."
The crying Gandhari joined her hands in front of Krishna, her anger now spent. "Forgive me, Vasudeva! The deaths of my 100 sons made me utter such harsh words. Please, forgive me!"
All others wept too, as Krishna walked to the wailing Gandhari, kneeling near her and wiping her tears. "No, mother. You haven't done anything wrong." Then Krishna helped the sobbing Gandhari stand, embracing her to his chest. "Your wrath is justified. It is natural that you are devastated. Even I have felt this pain every moment. When someone was losing his limb on the battlefield, I was the one who was bleeding. When someone got slayed, he gave me his share of the pain. If I have tasted victory, then I alone have suffered defeat." Then he parted from her and looked at her blindfolded self. "I am your foe, mother, and also your friend. I am even your son. I am the one who cursed Ashwatthama, I am also the one who is suffering the curse. When Duryodhana's thigh was broken mother, I was the one who screamed in agony. All my life, I have received blessings from mothers. Hence today, I, Vasudeva Krishna, accept this mother's curse as well." All the while, he was smiling as she cried. "I promise you, when the time of my clan's destruction arrives, I shall be the first to attack."
Gandhari cried. "No! No! How could I utter such a terrible curse?"
Krishna assured her. "No mother, you are completely blameless. Humans are manipulated into uttering blessings and curses by Time. Your words have just been a means to execute a predestined event." He then looked ahead and said. "The destruction of the Yadavas is predestined as well."
"Is the destruction of the Yadavas inevitable?" Kunti asked. "You are one of them. You struggled to give them so much protection, and established Dwarka for them. Will you destroy your own people?"
"No, I won't, Time will", Krishna explained to her. "If the Yadavas had participated in this war, they'd have perished as well. But now, they are confined by old systems and traditions, and are growing worse, tyrannical. So they too will perish one day, with our land."
Krishna had the power to violate the curse, but he accepted it due to Gandhari's pain, and knew his clan needed to be destroyed one day to prevent them from growing in power, arrogance and tyranny. Gandhari's curse was his tool.
36 years later, the Yadava clan was prosperous in their Kingdom, but also became frivolous and hedonistic, as Krishna's mischievous son Samba played a prank on some hermits, dressing up as a pregnant woman and asking them to predict the baby's gender.
One hermit saw through the prank and angrily cursed Samba to give birth to an iron bolt that would destroy his own clan.
A frightened Samba told his father, who knew the destruction was near, and told Ugrasena. When Samba actually gave birth to the iron bolt, Ugrasena had it pulverized and the iron powder cast into the sea.
Then the town witnessed many dark omens and people started becoming worse, Krishna suggesting to go on a pilgrimage to the sacred waters of the sea.
There, the Yadavas revelled in merrymaking and alcohol, as Krishna's inebriated friend Satyaki insulted Kritavarma for scheming with Ashwatthama, but Kritavarma retaliated as well.
As the arguing continued, Satyaki decapitated Kritavarma, before trying to slay more as Krishna tried to stop him. It escalated, other Yadavas killing Satyaki and Krishna's son Pradyumna.
Beholden with a wrath, Krishna walked to the miraculous erakā grass nearby and ripped it out as it became an iron bolt. The iron powder from Samba's bolt had washed up on this shore and grown into long reeds of this grass.
Turning to the Yadava men, Krishna struck, slaying the violent amongst his own clan, to protect the future from their growing tyranny.
Other men plucked the grass too as it became iron bolts, and they killed each other, with Krishna surviving, alongside his charioteer Daruka and Vabhru. Balarama survived too for he hadn't been here when the conflict had escalated.
Krishna sent Daruka to Hastinapur to tell the Pandavas and ask Arjuna to come for help, before sending Vabhru back to the Kingdom to protect the women and wealth from robbers. However, an iron bolt killed Vabhru, so Krishna went to Dwarka, consoling Vasudeva, who then gave up his life, as Devaki, Rohini and his other wives cremated themselves.
Krishna went out, meeting Balarama, who gave up his life by Yoga, passing on and becoming Sheshnag again.
Krishna sat in a forest with his foot out, smiling, remembering his whole life, and the curse upon him that had now come to fruition.
Suddenly, an arrow pierced his foot fatally, and he felt his life slip away, smiling. A hunter called Jara, who'd shot his foot on thinking it to be a dear's head, came out now, horrified on seeing who he'd shot.
A piece of the iron powder had been eaten by a fish that Jara had fished out and cut open, using the piece of the bolt to make an arrow that he'd now shot at Krishna's foot.
"Oh no!" He fell to his knees at Krishna's feet in horror. "What have I done? I shot you, Vasudeva Krishna! How could I commit such a grave sin?" He was in tears now. "Forgive me, please! I have committed a sin!"
Krishna smiled and told Jara. "In your last life, you were the great Vanara King Vali, and I was Rama. I had killed you with an arrow by hiding, then given you a boon that in our next lives, you shall kill me in the same way. Now today, your arrow has hit me. This was how I was going to die, do not blame yourself, Jara, you were not at fault here."
The crying Jara joined his hands, falling at Krishna's feet who raised his hand in blessing, then closed his eyes, his body fading as a great bright divine light shot out of him towards the Heavens.
And thus, the most glorious incarnation of Lord Vishnu passed due to his own boon, and after his passing some of his wives like Rukmini too cremated themselves, all forming Goddess Lakshmi again, and others like Satyabhama went to the woods for penance, as Dwarka was submerged while Arjuna came and led the survivors to Hastinapur the best he could, assaulted by robbers on the way who he could not fully defeat, to his horror, his Celestial weapons not working as the robbers took some of the women away, though he still killed as many as he could when he stopped wasting his time by trying to summon the Celestial weapons.
Arjuna went to Ved Vyas who revealed that the job of Arjuna's Celestial weapons was over, so they have gone back to where they came from, but he was still undefeated, and it was fate, he couldn't fight it.
Arjuna realized the time had come, and now, Karna's son Vrishaketu whom he'd adopted on finding out Karna's true parentage, was the only one alive with knowledge of these Celestial weapons, and he was the King of Anga, promising not to reveal the secrets of these weapons to anyone.
Soon after this, the Pandavas and Draupadi passed, ascending to Heaven with the rest of the family as Parikshit became ruler.
After this, was the Buddha incarnation.
Prince Siddhartha was predicted to be a great King, or religious leader. His father wanted him to be a King and kept him in the palace, but one day he wanted to go out, so his father allowed it, the charioteer leading Siddhartha around the city.
Then Siddhartha saw an old man with a walking stick. "White hair, wrinkles on him, why is he so weak?"
"He is old, Prince", the charioteer revealed. "This is the rule of nature."
Later, they saw a man wailing in agony as Siddhartha asked. "Why does he wail?"
"He is suffering from leprosy, my Prince", the charioteer said. "People suffer from disease a lot, it's a fear, but the body is vulnerable to it."
Then they saw a dead man being carried for cremation as Siddhartha asked. "What happened to that man?"
"He has died", the charioteer explained. "Those who are born always die too, it is the cycle of nature. After that, the person attains Heaven or Hell based on their deeds."
"Will I die too?" Siddhartha asked.
"Forgive me Prince, but yes you will."
Later, passing a forest, they saw an ascetic meditating as Siddhartha asked. "He is so peaceful, how?"
"He is an ascetic, he has given up the world and found true knowledge", the charioteer said, as the four sights put Siddhartha in great thought.
Eventually, Siddhartha too gave up the worldly pleasures and one day, meditated under a Bodhi Tree, doing penance.
And soon, he got answers to all of his questions, becoming enlightened with true knowledge as he became Gautama Buddha, his disciples increasing in number too, and he started the religion of Buddhism, spreading it outside of India as well.
This was his last incarnation, Lord Vishnu mused, as Kalki, his tenth incarnation, was supposed to come in the future as an apocalyptic horseman, but he was going to save existence from itself, removing Adharma and unrighteousness from all living beings' hearts, and start a new cycle of Dharma and righteousness.
But this was not the time for it, as right now, existence had to be protected from the Crisis. He still took his previous nine forms depending upon the occasion. He took the Krishna form a lot, and had taken the Buddha form once, humbling the unstoppable Sun Wukong who'd then been imprisoned before starting his redemption years later.
Now, seeing the Heroes, he knew they were the ones who could fight back, and he would do what he had done as Krishna during the Mahabharata war- punish the unrighteous, and guide and bless the Heroes.
That was what he and the Council of Godheads had to do now, protect the Heroes so they would fight back against this.
Beyond the Multiverse, beyond the very concept of creation, there lay a realm of which was indescribable, incomprehensible. All that can be seen by outsiders was a bright, shining white light that blinded whoever gazed into the unknown.
This was where the Anti-Monitor stood as a being of comparable size circled him, grey skinned head with black eyes, no nose, and the body encased in machinery, eyeing the inhabitant of the Antimatter Universe with distaste.
"We grow weary of waiting, Mobius."
"Linger here all you want, I will see our will enacted, there will be nothing left."
"Yet you hesitate. You fear these inferiors. You have had the means to wipe them out, but still they exist."
"They hold power."
"We did not cloak you from wandering eyes so you could fail us now in face of these meagre oppositions. You promised absolute destruction of everything. Have we erred in allowing your survival?"
"Have care with whom you speak to, Beyonder."
"And you should know your place, Mobius. You question our power? We who longed to the extermination of the Multiverse, a promise that is now doubtful to be accomplished. You have been defeated. Your weapon, gone."
"I have no need for it, or you."
The Beyonder surged forward with it's hand hovering over the Anti-Monitor's head but made no other action.
"But until the last pillars of creation have fallen, until there is nothing left, you cannot take that which you have coveted for so long." The Beyonder sneered at Mobius' words as it lowered its hand. "I have the power to bring to you what we all desire, and you Beyonders have but words."
The Beyonder stepped back from the Anti-Monitor, standing closer to its own kind. "You are wrong. You do not have the power…but you will."
Then it started blasting at the Anti-Monitor, joined by two more as they fueled him, making him fall to his knees as his power increased.
But one Beyonder in the corner disagreed with this course of action, of empowering the Anti-Monitor to get what they wanted. "If this dreaded "Anti-Monitor" cannot succeed, then fine, I'll do it myself."
And this Beyonder left the Beyonders' realm in that moment.
Notes:
Today is Lord Krishna's birthday, that is Janmashtami, and it shall be celebrated until tomorrow, so fitting that I posted this chapter with Lord Krishna's tale on this day. Happy Janmashtami to all Indian readers of mine.
And this ending, this is bad.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 10: Judgment
Summary:
The Anti-Monitor continues destroying Universes with his new power as the female Monitor reveals something that horrifies the Heroes, while a devastating attack happens.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again, and also to Stand with Ward and Queen for some suggestions, and to anikendrajha499 for one more great suggestion.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-1422
Izuku Midoriya looked up, and was horrified on seeing an all-consuming white light, as he felt himself shake, and the Universe was destroyed by this.
Earth-3110
Clary Fray looked up at the dazzling white light in the sky, and it seemed to strike her with horror, and others in this world too, the Universe being destroyed.
Earth-1013
Rex Salazar too was stricken by horror on seeing the all-consuming white light in the sky which took his Universe.
Earth-11132
The Super Friends of this Earth that consisted of Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman saw the white skies, which were pretty scary.
"This looks scary", Robin said, and the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-192
The Justice League of this Universe, that consisted of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, watched the dazzling white light, looking pretty grim.
"What should we do about this?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Try to stop it", Superman simply said. "That's what we must do."
Unfortunately, they couldn't as their Universe was consumed.
Earth-1192
The Justice Lords too were stricken with horror upon seeing the white light which took their Universe with it.
Earth-2123
The Batman, Robin and Batgirl looked at the white skies in horror while the people below were running, and then this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2124
The Teen Titans were horrified too on seeing this, as Cyborg turned to Raven. "Can….can we do anything about it?"
"…..No…" Raven muttered, the Universe being consumed.
Earth-2126
The Teen Titans of this Universe were having fun, when they saw the white skies and Robin cried out in horror. "GAAAAAAAH! That's so horrifying!"
And he was right as this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-2610
Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, M'Gann and Artemis Crock saw the dazzling white light as Artemis Crock actually muttered. "I'm scared."
Down below, everyone was running in fear, Robin saying. "Me too."
All of them were, as the Universe was gone.
Earth-11152
The Justice League of this world, consisting of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg and Shazam watched the white light in terror as the people were running.
The Universe was gone before they could do anything.
Earth-11123
The Batman, Blue Beetle, Green Arrow and Plastic Man of this world too were terrified by the dazzling white light in the skies.
"Uhh, do we know what that is?" Green Arrow inquired.
"I don't think so", Batman sighed as the Universe was gone.
Earth-11097
The Batman and Katana of this Earth were horrified by the dazzling white light, as Alfred's voice came on comms. "Sir…"
The Universe was destroyed as well.
Earth-423
In a world where everything was made of Lego, Joker crashed the winter gala with more villains, when the skies were white, making people run around in horror.
"Uhhh…..what?" Joker looked at the white skies. "Is that supposed to happen?"
"Looks bad", Bruce muttered, this Universe gone too.
Earth-1109
The Batman of this Earth was treading through the rooftops of Arkham City, when he looked up at the dazzling white light, stricken with horror, the criminals down below running around in fear as this Universe was taken.
Earth-8095
The Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Namor of this Earth looked at the white skies, Namor muttering. "This looks annoying."
It was worse than that as the Universe was destroyed.
Earth-8096
The Avengers of this world, consisting of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Ms. Marvel, Black Panther and Vision, saw the white skies, and were all horrified.
"What are we going to do about this?" Iron Man wondered.
"This seems like quite the threat", Thor commented. "We must battle it."
The people down below ran in fear as Captain America said. "Avengers, Assemble!"
But they couldn't assemble, the white light taking their Universe too.
Earth-8097
The X-Men of this world, consisting of Wolverine, Cyclops, White Queen, Beast, Storm, Nightcrawler, Angel, Shadowcat, Iceman, Rogue, Colossus, Jean and Forge looked at the white light in the sky.
Before they could do a thing, the Universe was gone.
Earth-12041
The Avengers of this world, consisting of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Falcon also watched the white skies in horror, Falcon turning to Captain America. "Shall we do something?"
"We have to", Captain America said while looking at the people down below who were terrified.
Spider-Man of this Universe stopped his swinging as his lenses widened. "Ummm…..uhh…that…."
And this Universe was destroyed.
Earth-26496
The Spider-Man of this Earth was swinging through New York City, before the skies all turned white, making him freeze on a rooftop in horror while people were running around in terror.
"Seems to me this is…." Spider-Man trailed off as this Universe was taken as well.
Earth-92131
At the same time, this Earth's Spider-Man too looked at the dazzling white light in the sky, horrified, and could hear people screaming and running.
"Now what do we have here?" He muttered.
The X-Men of this Earth, consisting of Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Rogue, Jean, Beast, Jubilee, Gambit and Professor X too watched the white skies with wide eyes.
"Uhh, I think we're supposed to fight that, bub", Wolverine commented as this Universe was also gone.
Earth-11052
The X-Men of this Earth, which consisted of Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Jean, Rogue, Spyke, Shadowcat, Beast, Nightcrawler and Professor X looked at the dazzling white light.
"It seems this is the end", Professor X said sadly, the Universe gone.
Earth-101001
The Blade of this world looked up at the white skies. "What the fuck?"
Iron Man of this world looked at the white skies too. "Uhh…what?"
The X-Men of this world were horrified by the white skies too.
And this Universe was gone as well.
Earth-218700
The Miles Morales of this Earth was swinging happily before the skies turned white, and he was horrified. "Uhh…..what?"
And this Universe was also gone.
Earth-1048
The Spider-Man of this Earth swung through New York before the skies turned white, making him freeze in horror, the people all running. "Huh? Now what's this?"
Miles Morales too looked at the white skies. "What's going on?"
And this Universe was gone too.
Earth-199999
The female Monitor was now at a more human size via Pym Particles, and restrained using some tech of T'Challa, and due to her weakened state, she couldn't break out of it either.
Loki stood in front of her, Rebekah next to him, with Erik and Freya on another side, and the Punishers all in a corner with Logan, Oliver, Marc, Deathstroke, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Vigilante, Spike, Faith and Angel.
Mal, Zoe and Jayne were there as well.
Loki was the one who began it, his daggers appearing in the air and hovering, as he asked her. "So, shall you tell us what we want to know? About the connection between your Crisis and this one? Do you know anything important about the Anti-Monitor? He is your master, isn't he?"
She didn't speak a word, remaining mum, as Loki shrugged. "All right, we can talk about this."
And then he hurled two daggers, stabbing her legs, then her arms, making her gasp, as Frank added. "Worse can be done to you."
"So if you don't want that, talk right now", Logan said as well.
"I'd listen to them if I were you", Rebekah shrugged as well.
"Come on, say something gorammnit!" Mal cried out as well.
Nothing was said by her as Oliver sighed to Loki. "Well, you should carry on."
"Indeed I should", Loki nodded, and then one dagger stabbed through her eye, making her scream a bit before she stopped.
Loki had other methods to make her talk alongside this torture though, like his silver tongue.
"You do realize, the end is literally on our doorstep? Whatever kind of resistance you exhibit will be worthless. You will be destroyed, but not before you will scream loud enough to shake Ginnungagap itself. Keep in mind, I am enjoying this, but there are so many more who want to join in the fun, like the ones who stand here with me, and many more outside. All of them with so imaginative ways to deal excruciating pain. I am quite fascinated to learn of their methods myself, but it's still my turn." Loki's smile turned downright chilling, as his skin turned blue-grey, and his eyes red. "And I have only just begun."
The female Monitor stared for a few moments, then finally cracked. "All right, I'll tell you!"
"Aw come on! Cracked already? I wanted to do something as well!" Vigilante snapped with a groan.
"Let her talk, Adrian", Peacemaker told his friend.
Loki snapped his fingers as the daggers disappeared, and then he asked her. "So, what can you tell us about your master, the Anti-Monitor?"
"He is not."
"What?"
"The Anti-Monitor was not our master", the female Monitor said, surprising all of them.
"Then who is your master if not him?" Rebekah inquired.
At that moment, the other Heroes started coming in too, as they'd been listening from outside, and now wanted to know the secret.
"Tell us!" Kal said as well, as his world had been attacked by these Monitors, and that itself had been a Crisis too.
What she said next confused all of them.
"Our master is the Monitor."
"What's the Monitor's name?" Ollie inquired. "Tell us that!"
"Yeah, tell us right now", Steve said as well.
And what she said, it horrified all of them.
"His name is Mar-Novu!"
All of them shared looks of confusion and horror now, as Natasha asked. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, his name is Mar-Novu", she told all of them. "He is the one who created us and gave us the Bleed Technology to do what we did."
Controlling her anger, Lois then asked. "And why did he do that?"
"He told us a Crisis was coming in the future, and we had to wipe out existence to maintain order", she revealed, and that horrified them even more.
"But, isn't he also helping us here?" Superman inquired. "I mean, yeah, we don't agree with his callousness, but why would he do that?"
And then, Uatu the Watcher appeared between all of them, as they turned to him. "It was a test from him, to see which Universes could handle the Crisis by the Monitors, in an effort to gauge the strength of the Multiverse against the Anti-Monitor."
"That's ridiculous", Kent said immediately. "Isn't he increasing the Anti-Monitor's chances if his Monitors destroy Universes?"
"You know about this all?" Clint asked and got a nod. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because", Fate spoke up for him now. "For the Crisis, he believed that working with Mar-Novu was a necessary evil."
"And he'd have been punished after it. My apologies for not telling you sooner", Uatu apologized to all of the Heroes. "But, if you want to know, and want him punished now, I will not stop you."
"So, he is the one behind the previous Crisis, a test by him", Chloe muttered. "What a scumbag!"
"That is not the only thing he did", Uatu said, as they turned to him and he told them all. "A lot of your lives, your worlds, they have been manipulated by Mar-Novu over his long life, to get what he wanted."
"Like what?" The Doctor asked.
"The Monitor knew that the Heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-38 were not enough for the Crisis, and needed help, so he was the one who used Sivana to send you all to Earth-199999", Uatu revealed to the remaining Heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-38, as well as the Earth-199999 Heroes.
"That was Mar-Novu?" Cisco asked in shock, Uatu nodding.
"Yes, it was him, and he used his power to neuter Sivana, so any inconsistencies in the plan you'd have noticed then, it was due to the fact that nothing was thought beyond opening the door to Earth-199999."
"Yeah, the plan did seem quite out there", Caitlin had to say. "Makes sense now."
"Well, this wasn't as bad", Sara pointed out. "I mean, we did get stuck in another world, but we got new and powerful friends too."
"Guess this is the only good thing by that scumbag", Tony noted.
Uatu turned to the Earth-29 crew, mainly the Originals. "The werewolf attack which killed Henrik…..was orchestrated by him as well."
Now that made them share looks of horror, Rebekah looking down as a bright light shone from her for a second due to her anger, making the other Vampires avert their gazes for a moment.
"That bastard…" she snarled. "I'm going to kill him."
"How dare he?" Klaus sneered, before turning to Uatu. "Why?"
"When Henrik died, he met Mikael in human form, and convinced him to turn all of you into Vampires", Uatu then continued explaining, as the horror kept increasing.
"So, we became these…" Elijah looked at his hands. "Because of him?"
"He made us monsters", Rebekah felt a tear roll down her cheeks.
"Why did he do all that?" Hayley inquired.
"Part of the tests for your world", Uatu said, then turned to the Earth-63 crew. "Mar-Novu was also behind the creation of the Silence, the organization."
And that horrified them as well, mainly those who were specifically affected by it.
"So, the TARDIS exploding", The Doctor trailed off, then turned to Amy. "You getting kidnapped…"
"And sterilized", Amy muttered, and looked at River. "And me and Rory losing you…"
"All because of him?" Rory asked as he turned to Uatu.
"Yes, all because of him", Uatu confirmed sadly.
Song clutched her fists. "I'm not going to let him leave in one piece now."
"He won't even leave in one piece!" Amy snapped. "He has to die now!"
"Indeed", Rory said with a deathly calm, and when one made a good man angry, that one must watch out.
"That little…" The Doctor couldn't even finish his sentence, the rage overtaking him.
"Oh what a scumbag!" Harkness said as well, all agreeing with him. "So, who wants to go first?"
Uatu turned to the Earth-167 crew once more. "And he wasn't just behind the Crisis of the Monitors. He was also responsible for the creation of Veritas."
"Veritas….." Ollie trailed off, before realization struck him. "So, my parents died because of him indirectly?"
"Why did he do that?" Kal inquired.
"As a way to make sure the Heroes of your world, like you all, ended up great and powerful, does not mean his actions are justified", Uatu added as well, then continued his revelations, looking between Steve and Kal. "You two were sent to Earth-72 by Mr. Mxyzptlk, and he'd been sent by Mar-Novu."
"Huh?" Steve realized. "But that Mxyzptlk, he was causing such a huge mess-"
"He is an unpredictable creature", Uatu told them all. "Mar-Novu took a huge risk by using someone like that." He looked at the Earth-167 crew again. "And he is the one who brought Lex Luthor back to life after Doctor Doom killed him, and sent him to Earth-72, 2 years before the current year."
"He really loves interfering a lot, doesn't he?" Lois muttered as well.
"Yeah, so many messes, indirectly or even directly caused by him", Kal muttered.
"What else?" Thor asked.
Uatu looked between the Earth-92 and Earth-98 crews. "The Powers That Be of Earth-92 and Elders of Earth-98 had a close relationship, their power was not as great as they would proclaim, but through Mar-Novu, they had gained new advantages, in return, he would dictate to them tasks to carry out, more tests and manipulations. They all followed his orders like well trained dogs, except for one, they were obedient. The one known as Sandra." Uatu looked directly at the Halliwells. "She was the only one to question the motives of the Monitor."
The Charmed Ones and their husbands shared looks, Paige muttering. "Yeah, she did seem to regret things that happened to us because of them."
"And she always seemed reluctant compared to the rest", Piper noted as well. "Guess she was the only decent one."
"When I was a Power That Be, they did ghost me a lot", Cordelia said as well. "In their realm, never told me anything beyond some vague crap. It was really annoying and fishy."
"Well, now we know why", Angel noted.
Uatu continued revealing, this time specifically to the Earth-92 crew. "Mar-Novu was the one who aided the two other Hell Lords in banishing Glorificus to your Earth, and he was the one who created the mortal prison for her as well within Ben Wilkinson."
"What?" Buffy was horrified. "So, Glory went after us, my sister, for one year, because of him?"
"Yes, she did", Uatu confirmed.
"Can we all take turns on him?" Dawn asked. "I wanna hit him too! Many times!"
"Yeah, scumbag!" Willow sneered in disgust too.
"He was also the one who mentally influenced Warren to be able to create his inventions which led to him opposing all of you", Uatu said, the Scoobies sharing looks of shock.
"Guess that's why the pathetic nerd ended up trying to fight the Slayer herself", Xander said, gesturing to Buffy, who was absorbing this, as were the rest of them.
"He also told Jasmine about all of you", Uatu revealed to Team Angel, horrifying them too. "And got Sahjhan to pick out Holtz, to indirectly help Jasmine with her plan."
"I grew up in a Hell Dimension because of him?" Connor asked, a tear rolling down his cheek, and Uatu nodded sadly.
"Now I want my turn too, and a long one at that", Angel sneered as well.
"I was used and then died because of him as well", Cordelia muttered, covering her mouth.
"And he was the true cause of the release of the First Evil, not any of you", Uatu looked between Willow, Tara and Xander, while also indirectly referring to Anya, "unlike what the Beljoxa's Eye claimed."
"That was a test as well?" Willow asked in horror.
"It was", Uatu said, then turned to Team Angel once more, looking at Illyria specifically. "And he was the one who helped your followers free your sarcophagus."
Now they were shocked once more as Fred realized. "So my death….."
"All because of him", Uatu told all of them, before revealing the big one, looking at Willow and Tara. "When Warren came to shoot Buffy, and accidentally shot you, Tara, do you remember, you two seemed to be frozen in position for a few moments, even after hearing the gunshots, and that was when you were killed?"
Tara winced, remembering the worst day of her life, when she had died, and she and Willow shared looks, eyes widening as they realized Uatu was right.
"Yeah, we heard the gunshots but stood in place", Tara realized as well. "Was he…"
"He froze the both of you, he was why you died", Uatu revealed to Tara, as the Scoobies and others were all even more horrified.
Willow clutched her fists now. "I'm going to tear that rat bastard apart piece by piece and make him beg!" Her eyes even turned red for a fraction of a second before she controlled herself, coming back to normal. "I'm going to kill him."
"So, I was killed because of him", Tara realized in horror.
"Well, now he'll be dead because of us!" Dawn said in anger too.
"And a bullet is not a natural death", Uatu pointed out. "Mar-Novu told Osiris not to resurrect Tara when you called him, Willow."
"More reason to take him out", Willow snarled. "'Bullet is a natural death' my ass."
"So, all of us have reason to want him brutally dead", Buffy realized.
Uatu looked at the Earth-98 crew next. "And he whispered into Gideon's ear until Gideon believed he'd no choice but to kill Wyatt."
"That was because of him too?" Leo asked in horror, getting another nod. "That….."
"Oh he's gonna be ripped apart now", Piper snarled. "By all of us."
"All of these were tests?" Tara asked.
"Indeed they were", Uatu nodded sadly. "And there was one Power That Be called Jossetta Whedonasta who was Mar-Novu's main man on Earth-92."
"I remember him, he was a jerk", Cordelia said as well, shuddering at the memory. "He even taunted me about the time when I was used by Jasmine, and asked me if I actually got pregnant, would I keep the baby?"
"What a sodding piece of work!" Spike said in disgust, speaking for everyone.
"Yeah, who says that?" Caroline said as well.
"I'm going to kill him too if he's around", Angel snarled.
"No need, he was killed a while ago, brutally too", Uatu said to them, and told Cordelia. "Also, the Elders were not going to turn Kyra human. They were going to give you up back to the Powers That Be so they could have you and use you." He looked at Tara as well. "And they wanted you dead so you could be a Whitelighter on Earth-98, that didn't happen since your blood kin bound your soul to Hell until Lucifer saved you, but they wanted you dead again to make you a Whitelighter."
"What?" Tara was horrified, holding both Willow's and Dawn's hands. "They were going to-"
"Fortunately, I knew of it, and some allies of mine taught both the Powers That Be and Elders a lesson", Uatu said, remembering Lord Krishna scaring the both of them during their meeting, and Sun Wukong killing Jossetta Whedonasta. "Now they're all gone."
"Thank you", Giles spoke on behalf of Earth-92 to Uatu. "Thank you for what you did."
Uatu simply nodded, as Fate looked at Parker. "And he also knew of Knull within you, but did not think to warn anyone."
"What?" Parker said, horrified. "So, was my Knull phase also a test?"
"It was", Fate told him sadly.
"Now I'm waiting for my turn as well", Wanda sneered, as they shared looks of horror.
"And, there is one more", Uatu sighed, looking at every single person in the room now. "The Grandmaster got the Cosmic Cube because of Mar-Novu. He sent it to him, and managed to slip past my gaze when he did so."
Now every single person in the room was angry and horrified by this revelation, of what had happened.
"That bastard!" Punisher roared. "We're all going to kill him now, all in?"
"He calls these tests?" Paige said as well. "These are more like torture, for all of us."
"Yeah, this guy is a complete hundan", Mal snarled as well.
"I think all of us are going to take turns in beating him up", Erik said too.
"Yeah, we are", Logan snarled as well.
Uatu said sadly to all the Heroes. "It is a curse, to merely watch as you suffer, but I felt your pain, and I felt the same rage you will feel for what Mar-Novu has done to many of you. All for the sake of finding the answer to the Crisis."
While the Heroes all hated Mar-Novu and wanted him punished for what he'd done to them, they were thankful to Uatu at least for his empathy, and the fact that while late, he'd at least started helping them, including these allies of his preventing The Powers That Be and Elders from executing their schemes.
"I think of all you very dearly", Uatu said to all of them. "But I cannot act, not without fear of consequences, from my own actions, and those of my kind. Our vow to merely watch was made for a reason...a reason that become more difficult every second of every day. I have grown...very fond, of all of you."
Suddenly, Uatu sensed something and screamed. "GET BEHIND ME!"
They all did as he formed some sort of shield, and then something crashed upon the Compound, destroying all of it, but the Heroes were all protected by the Watcher's power.
As the dust cleared, Uatu lowered his shield, and all of them looked in horror at the Beyonder that had now come before them. This was the one who'd decided to do it himself.
Thor recognized this being, remembering it from his vision, this was one of them too, but he did not know exactly what this was, that being a Beyonder.
It stared at the Heroes in disgust while Thor looked at it in such fear he couldn't even move.
Uatu made to attack the Beyonder but was struck by a powerful blast that sent him flying off into a corner, shattering the ground, as he was knocked out.
Steve then ordered. "TAKE IT DOWN!"
At that moment, the Heroes with ranged weapons started blasting at the Beyonder, who wasn't affected much.
Aragorn tossed up Anduril into the air, and used Mjolnir to hit the pommel, sending the sword flying forth like a steel lightning bolt.
The Beyonder simply glanced at the blade as it made contact, and, to the horror of Aragorn, as well as the rest of the Middle-earth crew, shattered into pieces.
Aragorn could only stare at his sword's shards in horror now. The blade that had been remade was broken once more.
Then Terminator flew towards the Beyonder, firing, only for Beyonder to grab Terminator in its grip, and destroy it by crushing it.
"NOOOOOOO!" John cried out, tears in his eyes as Sarah held him.
Kal then sped forward but was hit by a backhand that caused a deafening shockwave, with Strange using magic to protect the nearby Matt's ears, while a broken Kal was sent hurling through Space, barely conscious.
"CLARK!" Lois called out to him in horror, as they turned to the Beyonder.
"Strange, Fate, Stephen, Clea, Cisco", Steve called out to the five of them. "Anyone who can't fight this thing, take them out right now."
"On it", Clea said as immediately she, Strange, Fate, Stephen and Cisco got to work.
But, the Beyonder, while standing, did send out energy beams from time to time, and some were struck and killed before the magic-users or Cisco could get them out.
First to be struck were Danny and Colleen, and then Luke, and then Trish, as they all were gone.
"NO!" Jessica cried out, while Matt, Elektra and Frank had expressions of horror, Jessica falling to her knees in tears. "Trish…no. Luke!"
The four of them were transported away in time, as were Oliver and Sara, and Ollie, Chloe and Lois, as well as the Batmen, while Barry-Blue ran to save some people but even he wasn't fast enough, and one blast killed him instead.
"NO!" Bart knelt near him, as did Pietro, both of them grieving him as well, when some more blasts struck.
Some of them started chasing the fast ones who were now forced to run and couldn't protect the others.
And so, Aquaman, Earth-50 Martian Manhunter, Stewart and Hal before they could defend themselves, Beast, Piotr, Earth-2016 Colossus, Mick Rory, Nate Heywood, Ray Palmer, Nora Darhk, Zari, Giles, Punisher, Castle, Xander, Gunn, Phoebe, Coop, Damon, Elena, Jeremy and Jayne were all struck and died upon the spot.
"JAYNE! NO!" Mal knelt near him.
"Phoebe!" Piper and Paige were in tears over their sister's death, and were grieving Coop too, as Victor fell to his knees, sobbing, Leo and Henry also having tears as the babies were crying, but Fate managed to transport them away.
"Arthur…." Clark whispered in horror and rage.
"Xander, come on!" Willow was over her friend, as Buffy was over Giles, sobbing into his chest.
"Wake up, please", Buffy whispered. "Dad, please wake up. Daddy?"
No response, as both Buffy and Willow were breaking down over the loss of Giles and Xander, as were the rest of the Scoobies, and Team Angel stood over Gunn's corpse, tears in their eyes too.
"John…" Knight looked at Stewart's corpse sadly.
Stefan was in tears over the corpse of Damon, as well as Elena and Jeremy, while Caroline and Bonnie both cried over their friends' loss, Alaric looking down with tears as Enzo sighed sadly.
Frank looked down sadly at the fate of his two doppelgangers, Peter kneeling and closing Castle's eyes as Spider-Man did the same for Punisher.
"Hank", Logan muttered in grief. "Piotr."
"He killed them all", Storm had tears too, while Strange transported the Scoobies and Team Angel, as well as the Earth-63 crew, and the remaining Earth-29 crew except Rebekah in time, along with Black Siren.
Wally and Jesse were not fast enough, and were struck and killed, while Harry, Joe, Cecile and Iris also died, with Bart, Pietro and Allen still being chased by the beams after them, and other Heroes were trying to protect themselves or others, but the chaos was too much.
The Middle-earth crew other than Aragorn too were transported away by Cisco, who was controlling his emotions over losing Harry, Jesse, the West Family and the Legends, and the street-level Heroes were transported away by the magic users, and any loved and weaker Heroes who couldn't fight here.
Caitlin and Patty were in tears over the loss of their loved as well.
The Beyonder eyed all of them in utter disgust. "This is what he feared?"
Then Steve, blazing green/blue after having defended himself, swung a large fist at the Beyonder, and it actually made it stumble. "You're damn right it is!"
Clark, Supergirl and Kent all charged Beyonder together, but very powerful beams from him, much more powerful than what he was using till now, disintegrated them all into nothingness, while a stray blast hit Lane and killed her too.
"NO!" Superman screamed in horror.
Hulk was upon Beyonder but was tossed away effortlessly.
"Where's Thor?" Loki suddenly asked, as they realized Thor wasn't here.
Kal, with his remaining bit of strength, flew towards the Sun, gaining strength the closer he got to it, and then submerged himself beneath the surface of the star.
Kal continued soaking in the sun, gaining more power, but suddenly, his skin turned a burning red-gold, as did his eyes.
On Earth, Superman, Big Blue, Kara and Earth-167 Superboy felt like they were exploding with power now, and looked up in the sky to see three more suns there.
"Huh?" Kara muttered, and they saw it was Thor, who'd used his powers to drag them all closer, empowering Kal, and the other Kryptonians left also got empowered.
Strange and Fate shared a look, then flew up, as the people had been evacuated pretty much.
Steve, Superman, Big Blue, Kara, Jones and Superboy together charged Beyonder from different sides now, and flew up, away from the Earth, managing to restrain him with all of their combined power.
But not for long, as Beyonder tired of this and sent an omnidirectional burst of energy that hurt and burnt all of them, making them fall off here and there.
"If Mobius could not end you all, then I will."
The Beyonder glowed blue with power.
Friedrich Habetler Music version of Vegito Blue Theme plays
Thunder boomed across the Universe, the Beyonder stopping and looking around, as golden lightning surrounded it, and a figure emerged from the Cosmic storm, golden electricity raging across his burning body, and a furious stare with red glowing and burning eyes looking dead in the Beyonder's eyes as Thor-El Prime now exclaimed in the voice of both Thor and Kal.
"No! You won't!"
His skin and armor were in a burning glow due to Kal having sun-dipped, and the golden electricity of Thor's power was radiating off of him, long hair aflame.
"You", Beyonder snarled at Thor-El Prime.
"We are what Thor Odinson and Kal-El make together- Thor-El!" Thor-El Prime introduced himself, before clutching his fists and screaming as an aura of Odinforce surrounded him too. "And this is- Odinforce Thor-El Prime!"
"Parlor tricks", the Beyonder said, firing a powerful blast at Odinforce Thor-El Prime now.
But, Odinforce Thor-El Prime held out his hand, and actually struggled against the blast, gritting his teeth as he fought against it, until the blast was actually destroyed, to Beyonder's shock.
And, due to his shock, Odinforce Thor-El Prime managed to charge and with a spin, kicked Beyonder away while striking him with his ax, hurting him but not drawing blood as Beyonder fell away. And then Fate opened a rip as Odinforce Thor-El Prime tackled Beyonder through it, now both at the other end of the Universe which was empty.
Friedrich Habetler Music version of No More/Vegito vs. Zamasu plays
Then Beyonder got back up and charging Odinforce Thor-El Prime, struck at him, managing to hit him hard and throw him by a few feet.
Then Thor-El flew in the air, charging at Beyonder as both clashed, destroying some planets nearby, and then fought, Thor-El using Stormbreaker and fists while the aura of Odinforce and sunlight of four suns empowered him.
He managed to spin and kick Beyonder on the face, as Beyonder tried to uppercut but he backed to avoid, only for Beyonder to spin and kick him away by a few feet.
Then Beyonder let out a blast from his hand which Thor-El flew up to avoid and another planet was gone.
Then Thor-El charged Beyonder, who managed to block Stormbreaker, only for Thor-El to spin and kick the back of his head as Beyonder fell into the ground, shattering a lot of it, and Thor-El tried to pin him down.
But Beyonder fired a blast from his eyes which hit Thor-El and sent him flying off by many feet, but he managed to steady himself on the ground of another planet, and as Beyonder charged with an energy-filled first, Thor-El struck back with his own fist which had the power of Odinforce and four suns.
The fists clashed, Thor-El having an blue and red-yellow aura, and Beyonder having a white one, as the auras seemed to destroy planets nearby.
Then Beyonder pulled back and gave Thor-El a powerful uppercut which sent him flying up and rolling on the ground, spitting out blood.
As Beyonder charged, Thor-El very powerful Heat Vision which struck Beyonder and sent hm flying off by many feet too, hurting him as well.
Thor-El stood up, Beyonder firing a blast which he jumped back to avoid, and the planet was gone.
Friedrich Habetler Music version of Gogeta vs. Broly soundtrack plays
Beyonder fired many powerful blasts at Thor-El, who flew and manoeuvred to avoid them, spinning in the air, and then hovered in front of Beyonder, screaming as his aura got brighter.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!"
Beyonder punched him, sending him down by a few feet, but Thor-El flew back and punched Beyonder as well, sending him back too.
Both of them clashed in the air, the shockwaves affecting even the stars, before Thor-El managed to uppercut Beyonder back. He charged Thor-El, striking his head as he fell downwards, before striking Beyonder's chest, and grabbing him, hurled him downwards on another planet.
As Beyonder started getting up, Thor-El roared. "EEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHH!"
And then he fired powerful lightning, mixed with Heat Vision, which struck the planet and Beyonder multiple times.
The planet was gone and smoke rose up, before Beyonder flew out, charging at Thor-El, and both hovered around each other over a lava planet.
Then they clashed, Beyonder punching Thor-El as his nose bled, and he countered with a kick to the neck.
As they clashed again, Thor-El now the God Blast combined with Heat Vision from his eyes, with Beyonder firing an energy blast to counter it, and the clash of these actually managed to shatter Dimensions as both were now in a different Dimension, some sort of 3-D Dimension.
Thor-El was shocked, as Beyonder charged and managed to punch him back, then Thor-El punched him back in return.
He then charged and punched a few time, until Beyonder let out a roar and as Thor-El punched again, Beyonder grabbed his wrist and punched his abdomen before tossing him away as he felt his back hit something.
Beyonder flew at Thor-El who roared, his aura growing brighter, and then Beyonder fired multiple energy blasts that Thor-El had to fly to avoid, as they broke the Dimension bit by bit.
Then Thor-El fired Heat Vision which Beyonder barely avoided, and their fists clashed as the Dimensions were broken again, and both were in a Dimensions with just cliffs.
Beyonder charged Thor-El to smash him but Thor-El managed to get on his other side, as Beyonder fired a powerful blast which Thor-El countered with his lightning and Heat Vision combined, causing a small blast.
And then, with a spin, Thor-El kicked Beyonder on the face as he staggered back, and Thor-El charged with Stormbreaker.
Beyonder fired a blast of power upon him, but Thor-El summoned a mystical shield in time and trudged through it, before leaping to his other side, and fired powerful Heat Vision, striking Beyonder's back as he grunted and turned, and was struck by lightning, then a combination of God Blast and Heat Vision, which blasted the place apart quite a bit, and smoke rose as well.
Thor-El watched, as the smoke cleared, and the Beyonder was still there, but damaged, with some white liquid flowing in blood's place, and he was angry.
He flew towards Thor-El, who flew up into the air and kicked twice, but Beyonder blocked both times, before a powerful energy blast sent Thor-El flying off, bleeding, until he recovered and flying at Beyonder, punched his face as he was sent back too.
Then he fired blasts of energy which Thor-El had to fly and dodge, and he managed to kick Beyonder back again.
Friedrich Habetler Music version of Super Dragon Ball Heroes Gogeta Theme plays
Thor-El then charged with a punch which Beyonder actually blocked, and the shockwave again destroyed a few planets. Then Beyonder gave Thor-El and uppercut before hurling him downwards, destroying another planet.
Thor-El flew back and sliced Beyonder with Stormbreaker, sending him back by a few feet as well.
Then, energy appeared Beyonder's arms and seemed to spin like a tornado, as he charged to punch, but Thor-El barely dodged, and then dodged again while the tornado energy struck a planet and destroyed it.
Then Thor-El blocked the punch with Stormbreaker, gritting his teeth as he was being pushed back, until a blast of Odinforce struck the tornado energy and sent Beyonder flying off.
Beyonder fired three blasts of energy. Thor-El deflected two but the third hit him as he was sent back, but then more were fired which he flew to avoid and flying at Beyonder, punched him away again.
Beyonder flew back as they interlocked fingers, until Thor-El kneed Beyonder, but was punched down onto a planet in return.
As he looked up, Beyonder hovered in the air, and a giant asteroid, larger than the planets, came down, slowly lowering itself towards Thor-El.
Thor-El roared loudly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGHHHHHH!"
His aura once more got brighter, and he grabbed the asteroid with both hands. It was pushing him down, but eventually, his aura got even more brighter and he pushed it back towards Beyonder, who was struck on the face as the asteroid exploded upon him.
When it was gone, Beyonder made to charge, but Thor-El roared as his energy aura turned into a blast and struck towards Beyonder, hitting him and actually damaging him as he was sent back, and then, with a roar, he added Heat Vision into it, striking him more, before firing both lightning and God Blast together, now all of these powers together hitting the Beyonder who gritted his teeth, trying to resist it, but, to his horror, he was now being overpowered finally.
Roaring, he tried to fire his energy, but it was overpowered by all of this, and Thor-El let out a declaration.
"WE WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY OUR WORLDS!"
And with that, the combined powers all consumed the Beyonder, who actually screamed in agony, and was totally consumed.
When the powers faded, the Beyonder was gone!
Thor-El panted, this being a hard fight even for him.
Earth-199999
Fate, Stephen and Strange used their magic powers to push the other 3 suns away, since while Kal needed empowerment, it'd be harmful to people for a longer duration.
Then Fate opened a rip as Thor-El staggered out, and the people who'd been sent away all returned too via portals, as this threat was done for.
All looked at Thor-El in awe, forgetting even their grief for a moment due to how he looked, until he panted, and faded into nothingness, while two astral forms shot out and went into Thor and Kal nearby, who woke up, standing and panting.
"This was hard even with both of us together", Kal said to Thor, who nodded.
"Indeed, and this was only one, I saw an army of them", Thor told Kal, and everyone was stricken with horror upon hearing that.
If it took this much to beat just one Beyonder, how would they do against the Anti-Monitor now?
Uatu woke up with a groan, seeing the ones who'd died, and his heart felt nothing but grief, while those who'd lost their loved ones were again over them, tears in their eyes as they were mourning.
Then, in that moment, destruction was heard and they looked ahead, Uatu sighing. "The Exterminators have come too."
"Oh come on!" Clint snapped.
A bright white light was in the sky as well, but seemed to be frozen, when Mar-Novu appeared, looking down upon them all. "The Beyonder managed to destroy 50% of the Universe already, and it took all of your power as Thor-El to beat him. Now the Exterminators are here. This is bad."
"SHUT UP!" Rebekah screamed, glowing with a bright light as she glared at him. "You are the reason my brother died and my family became monsters! I HATE YOU!"
"Those were all tests to see how ready you were to face this", Mar-Novu said coldly.
"So, letting that thing possess me, and then rape me and Connor who I loved like my son, and then kill me while Angel lost me and his son both, those were just tests?" Cordelia asked angrily. "Fred dying was a test?"
"The First Evil, Glory", Buffy sneered. "You've any idea how much damage they caused?"
"Minimal compared to this Crisis", Mar-Novu shrugged.
"The woman I loved died because of you!" Willow roared, a shockwave actually emanating from her power, but Mar-Novu seemed unconcerned still, while Tara glared at him too.
"And my baby, what did he ever do to you?" Piper asked angrily. "Don't say test again!"
"All those Universes your Monitors destroyed, you're just as bad as the Anti-Monitor you're trying to stop", Kal snarled at Mar-Novu as well.
"You took my life from me!" Song roared at Mar-Novu, glaring at him with her family and The Doctor.
"And now we….we can't have kids by ourselves", Amy felt a tear roll down her cheek before glaring at him as well.
"My parents also indirectly died because of you", Ollie snarled. "And many more."
"You knew Knull was controlling me", Parker snarled.
"Yet you sat back and let it all happen", Wanda added angrily.
"You gave the Cube to Grandmaster as well, knowing the damage he could do", Steve snarled at Mar-Novu. "You can claim these were tests for the greater good, but you've shown what kind of person you are."
"Indeed, you are just another threat to the Multiverse that has to be taken down now", Aragorn declared, pointing Mjolnir at Mar-Novu.
"You all still condemn me rather than understanding why I did what I did, the weak had no chance at all against this, so the strong needed to survive and fight this. You all did pass my tests, yet now you show weakness?"
Suddenly, a bright light glowed, making all cover their eyes, including Mar-Novu and Uatu, and when it faded, Lord Vishnu had appeared in a giant form, only two hands on him right now.
Mahabharata 2013 Shanta Karam Bhujaga Shayanam plays
Pavitr was overjoyed on seeing his Lord and fell to his knees, his hands joined as he put them to his head. "Lord Vishnu!" Tears of happiness rolled down his cheeks. "प्रभु आज आपको देख के मेरा जीवन धन्य हो गया ।"
Lord Vishnu raised his hand in blessing, making Pavitr happier as a divine light from Lord Vishnu's hand shone upon him, gracing him, and then he stood up, Lord Vishnu saying. "जैसे भक्त भगवान के बदले अधूरा वैसे ही भगवान भक्त के बदले अधूरे हैं।"
Tony started. "Is he an ali-"
"No", Uatu shook his head. "A God. A powerful God."
Uatu fell to his knees before Lord Vishnu, and seeing that the Watcher was doing that, everyone else fell on their knees as well, while Lord Vishnu turned to Mar-Novu, the only one not kneeling.
The rest got back up as Mar-Novu said to Lord Vishnu. "Why are you here now?"
"We know of your manipulations of the Multiverse, Mar-Novu", Lord Vishnu told him. "What you have done to them."
"You have to understand, these tests were necessary to make them stronger for this coming Crisis", Mar-Novu defended himself the best he could, not that it was a good defence. "Now it is here!"
Lord Vishnu calmly told him. "This Crisis is as much your fault as the Anti-Monitor's. Your crimes have come due."
"If doing what needed to be done were crimes, then I am a criminal", Mar-Novu said without hesitation. "But at least I tried to do something."
Lord Vishnu replied. "Mar-Novu, chaos follows you as a moth seeks the flames, yet, you do not extinguish the fires, you make more. It is through your actions that many undeserving have been burnt by those flames."
Now what Mar-Novu said next enraged everyone present due to his callousness. "If they died, they deserved it. They were too weak for this Crisis, and would have just been unneeded, additional baggage. I did what I had to do, those who passed my tests, they are the worthy ones, and will fight back against this Crisis. Their suffering too was for the greater good only. If I had to sacrifice millions to save billions more, it was the right choice."
The Heroes were all about to snap at Mar-Novu, as was Uatu, but it was Lord Vishnu who spoke in a voice that was calm, terrifying and booming at the same time.
"Wretched Mar-Novu, you have misused your powers and committed vile actions of evil and tyranny under the name of good for the last time!" He pointed at Mar-Novu while declaring. "Thanos, Morgoth, Darkseid, Sauron, Doomsday, Earth-38 and Earth-50 Lex Luthors, Morgan le Fay, The Batman Who Laughs, Carnage, Glorificus, Dromos, the Senior Partners, Blackheart, the Grandmaster, Knull, Galactus and Black Winter…you shall be punished more severely than all of them!"
Mar-Novu glared in defiance when Lord Vishnu raised the index finger of his right hand.
Mahabharata 2013 Jai Jai Sudarashana plays
The entire Universe shook and the sky split apart while Lord Vishnu's other two arms appeared as well, with him holding his mace in the lower right hand, his lotus in the lower left and his conch in the upper left.
A light shone down from the sky that had split apart while Mar-Novu's eyes widened, as the light shone down on the index finger of Lord Vishnu's upper right hand, and then, the Sudarshana Chakra appeared, glowing brightly while Mar-Novu could only stare in utter horror now.
Pavitr joined his hands again on seeing the Sudarshana Chakra.
Lord Vishnu turned to Mar-Novu and the Sudarshana Chakra flew at him now.
Mar-Novu fired a powerful blast, trying to stop it, but couldn't even slow it down slightly, as it sped towards him.
And then, in front of all the Heroes, the Sudarshana Chakra split Mar-Novu into two halves from the middle as he let out a scream of utter agony before the two halves fell upon the ground at Lord Vishnu's feet.
The Heroes and Uatu all watched in satisfaction now, the Sudarshana Chakra flying back to Lord Vishnu's finger and fading, while Mar-Novu's two halves turned into energy and faded away as well.
And then, Mar-Novu appeared in a spectral form instead. This was his spirit!
While being killed by the Sudarshana Chakra provided peace and liberation, in Mar-Novu's case, Lord Vishnu had made an exception.
As Mar-Novu looked at his spectral form, blood oozed out of him to his horror, along with bile, as he wailed in agony. "AAAAAAAAAAARGHH!"
He looked at Lord Vishnu, who was staring at him.
"EAAAAAARGHH!" The spirit of Mar-Novu, oozing blood and bile, fell to his knees, wailing in utter agony now.
Lord Vishnu stepped forwards, looking down at the wailing spirit.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
"Your spirit shall never find peace."
Mar-Novu now stared at Lord Vishnu in horror.
"Every part of your body shall be in eternal decay. All pores of your body shall eternally ooze blood and bile." Mar-Novu shook his head, in a vain attempt to beg for mercy. "No being shall lurk near you, Mar-Novu. Alone, your spirit will keep lurking the corners of the Multiverse till the end of time!" Mar-Novu had tears now due to the pain he was in. "You shall pray for mercy and peace every moment you haunt these worlds, but you shall receive neither. You shall exist in ignorance! You shall exist in darkness! You are as much responsible for the Crisis as Mobius. The Heroes of the Crisis will be remembered for their greatest deeds, and their praises sung, while the entirety of existence shall condemn you, and you will know it, Mar-Novu! You will know it."
Mar-Novu had a look of horror upon his face, realizing the eternal fate of his spirit, while the Heroes and Uatu all looked at the scene in nothing but utter satisfaction.
Wailing again, the spirit of Mar-Novu fell to the floor, feeling nothing but pain and agony while he eternally oozed blood and bile while every part of his body was in utter decay, and Lord Vishnu looked down at him, having passed the judgment of the Council of Godheads upon this manipulator who had made the whole Multiverse suffer in the name of good.
Then, Lord Vishnu looked at all the Heroes as the Sudarshana Chakra appeared in the index finger of his right hand once more.
"As we have said before, the Gods are with you!"
And then Sun Wukong, Hades, Persephone, the Dagda, Horus, and many more Gods like Bast, Ra, Lir, Svarog, and even Khonsu all appeared behind Lord Vishnu, while Lord Vishnu disappeared in a bright, divine light.
Pavitr joined his hands and put them to his head one more time, as T'Challa bowed to Bast, his Goddess, and Marc shared a nod with Khonsu.
These Gods all turned to look at the white dazzling wave of destruction, which they'd managed to freeze for the moment, thought it wouldn't last forever, and now, it was time for them to stand for the Heroes against the Crisis.
Notes:
And another done, so many horrible things Mar-Novu did in the name of the greater good, but now, Lord Vishnu has punished him as well, like he deserved, and he got his as well, an eternal punishment.
Here's the translation of the conversation between Pavitr and Lord Vishnu-
Pavitr: Lord, seeing you today my life has become complete.
Lord Vishnu: The way a devotee is incomplete without God, God too is incomplete without a devotee.
Now time for the Gods to fight the Exterminators, and hope Thor-El battling the Beyonder was enjoyed, but many have died in its attack as well.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more, and to Stand with Ward and Queen for some suggestions, and to anikendrajha499 for another suggestion as well.
This is the last time we got fandoms being destroyed, so first we had My Hero Academia, The Mortal Instruments Universe and Generator Rex. MHA I planned to put earlier but forgot, and figured 'The Mortal Instruments' was a good one to put in. Same for Generator Rex which had a crossover with the old Ben 10 before.
Rest were all animated and video game worlds of Marvel and DC.
In DC we had- the old Super Friends cartoon, DC Animated Universe (with the Justice Lords Universe as well), The Batman 2004, Teen Titans 2003, Teen Titans Go! (Die trash!), Young Justice, DC Animated Movie Universe, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Beware the Batman, Lego Batman and Arkhamverse.
In Marvel we had- the old The Marvel Super Heroes cartoon, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Wolverine and the X-Men, then Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man in the same world (the former is trash so die, while the latter is a mixed bag), The Spectacular Spider-Man, Spider-Man: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series in the same world, X-Men: Evolution, Marvel Anime, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and finally Marvel's Spider-Man 2018 video game alongside the Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales spin-off video game.
Now I know some worlds like 2011 Green Lantern, Defender Strange, and some other animated or video game stuff from DC and Marvel never appeared, but imagine they were destroyed off-screen, I've reached my cameo quota finally.
But thanks a lot to all those who suggested these cameos for sure.
It pained me to destroy all of these except Teen Titans Go! (trash), DC Animated Movie Universe (started good but sucked later, and Apokolips War is an overrated, annoying film IMHO), Avengers Assemble (trash), and Ultimate Spider-Man (not the worst, more of a mixed bag but doesn't appeal to me either).
Now I know it was said the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Wolverine and the X-Men happened in the same Universe but we saw no indication of it, and the writers confirmed that if EMH had a Season 3 they'd have broken continuity with the X-Men show.
Avengers Assemble had continuity with Ultimate Spider-Man first but then had continuity with the trashy 2017 Spider-Man for whatever reason from Season 5, but all of its trash so no one cares.
While the Spider-Man and X-Men animated series from the 90s were in the same Universe as well.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 11: Paragons
Summary:
The Gods battle the Exterminators. Uatu tells the Heroes about the Paragons.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help too, and some others.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The Heroes watched as the Gods were now facing the Exterminators coming, and then Beta Ray Bill landed on the ground, slamming his hammer before rising.
"Brother Bill", Thor greeted him with an embrace.
"Brother Thor", Bill greeted him back, before turning to the enemy army. "I shall deal with them."
"Let's all fight them now", Steve said and was about to give orders. "Avengers…"
"No!" Hades said immediately, making everyone turn to him in shock. "You all need to go."
"What are you trying to say?" Aragorn asked in confusion. "We have to help you he-"
"The Exterminators are too many and the Anti-Monitor's power is great", Persephone pointed out to the Heroes. "No matter what the outcome of this battle is, this Universe is not going to be in good shape, if its here that is, and you all cannot go with it."
"But this is what we're supposed to do!" Kal pointed out. "We're Heroes, we fight, we shouldn't run here."
"Its not running if it's a tactical move", The Dagda pointed out. "Did you know that Lord Vishnu's greatest incarnation was thought to have run from the battlefield when it was a tactical retreat to save his clan from their powerful enemies?"
"I knew that", Pavitr raised a hand. "So, is this Universe gonna go too now?"
"One way or the other, sadly", Horus commented as he looked ahead.
"We can't leave you here though", Steve said. "You have to let us-"
"No, you must leave us here", Horus told all of them. "There is no cowardice in this, it is a calculated move to buy you more time."
"If we do leave", Thor then started. "How do we know we can even beat this?"
"You are, all of you, Heroes", Hades said to every Hero present here. "And you have beaten impossible odds before too."
"They were not as bad as this, but they were quite bad, and you won", Persephone pointed out. "You can do it again. But we will buy you time."
"Hey Watcher", Sun Wukong turned to Uatu. "Take 'em all away, will you?"
"I will, indeed", Uatu nodded.
"If this is a stand by the Gods", Hercules started, making them look at him. "Then Hercules must join in. Let this be my thirteenth labor."
And then Hercules stood alongside the Gods as Thor started. "Hercules, don't-"
"And I shall stand with you, brother", Ares stood alongside Hercules, looking at the Heroes. "Take care of my son now."
The Wonder Women were quite stunned by the selflessness of this Ares.
"I can feel my power increase with you by my side", Marc looked at Khonshu, who simply nodded.
"What are you saying?" Faith asked Marc, not liking where this was going now.
"I shall stay here, and help the Gods in this battle with the power I now have", Marc told Faith, and her eyes widened.
"No!" She cried out, grasping his hand, shaking her hand. "No, no, no! Don't go please! I can't just let you-"
"The fate of the Multiverse is important", Marc whispered to her, and she had tears in her eyes, while he did as well. "And you all must survive."
"Please, don't go", Faith begged, as he kissed her on the lips, Faith kissing him back passionately.
They parted as he told her. "I have to do this. We will meet again."
He then went to stand with the Gods, alongside Khonshu and Horus, and Faith was close to breaking down as Angel hugged her from behind, and Marc said to him. "Take care of her."
"I will", Angel nodded.
"What about all the people in the mirror dimension?" Parker asked. "They-"
"Are lost now", Uatu said sadly. "We cannot help them anymore, I am sorry."
"But our people will die!" Aragorn pointed out.
"As long as we have these", Tony held up a shrunken miniature lab in which he kept his equipment and the Infinity Stones, "there is hope too."
They realized he was right, and the question of who would snap to bring all of them back would be saved for later.
"If my people are to go, I shall stay here for them", T'Challa said as he walked forwards too, to the shock of everyone, and felt himself being empowered by Bast.
"Brother…." Bucky trailed off. "Don't do this. Don't go."
"The King of Wakanda does not abandon his people", T'Challa told all of them.
"I can't abandon you either", Bucky said.
"Do not worry over me, brother", T'Challa assured him as they shared an embrace. "This is where I must stand, and Wakanda must live on", T'Challa tapped Bucky in the heart, "through you. Bast be with you, my brother."
Bucky nodded with tears.
"I shall stay too", Namor walked forwards. "And defend this place."
"Yeah, I'm staying as well", AC said, cracking his neck as he and Mera walked forwards, standing together now.
"Let's take 'em", Mera said as well.
"AC….." Kal called out, as AC turned to him and shook his head.
"No man, this has to be done."
"Will we see you again?" Ollie asked sadly.
"I hope so", AC simply said.
"Be safe please", Lois requested.
"Yeah man, hope we meet again", Vic shook hands with him.
"See you", Bart waved as AC and Mera waved back.
"You are staying as well, brother Bill?" Thor asked Bill, who gave a nod.
"I am", Bill confirmed to him. "You are meant for more than making a stand here, Thor. So you need to leave."
Thor looked reluctant, but accepting, and passive, as he and Bill embraced like brothers one more time.
"And I'm staying here as well now", Surfer flew forwards. "You all need to go."
Thor looked at Surfer, but his mind was made up too.
"I must stay too", Aragorn then said, making to walk forwards, with Arwen, but Fate grasped both of them.
"No, I cannot see it yet, my vision is clouded, but you two are needed for more than this as well." And he looked at Eomer, who too stopped. "You all cannot stand here."
"You have the Soul Stone with you, right?" Warlock asked Tony.
"Yeah, here", Tony lifted up the shrunken lab, holding hands with Pepper who held Morgan.
"Then I am also staying, I shall make my final stand alongside all of you", Warlock stood with the Gods too now.
"Lord Thor", Thor turned to Valkyrie. "You need to live and make sure to defeat all of these with the Heroes, but I am not needed there. So I stand with them."
"And me as well", Thor turned to Sif, and was now concerned for both of them.
"Do you two really have to stay?" He asked as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"We must", Sif said to him. "There is no other way now. We will stand with this Universe. And you are not abandoning your people, it's a tactical retreat."
"We know you'll fix it later", Valkyrie said as well, before Thor and Sif shared a kiss.
"I must be the Hero now", Loki said, now all turning to him in shock, while he looked at Thor. "It's your destiny to save us, brother. I'll just get in the way. This is my glorious purpose. For once, let me be the Hero."
"Brother…" Thor trailed off, trying to hold Loki back, but Loki put his arm down.
"No illusions this time", Loki said, and Thor just looked passive about all of this.
Then Loki looked at Rebekah. "I have to go."
"No...no. No no no no NO! We're meant to stay together. You and me! Forever!" Rebekah grasped him by the shoulders.
"I need to do this, Rebekah." Her lip quivered as tears flowed non-stop from her eyes and he cupped her face. "The sun will shine on us again. I swear this to you. My love. My Goddess."
He kissed her on the lips, and she kissed him back, before they parted and Loki walked off to stand alongside the Gods.
Rebekah tried to go with him but Thor had to hold her back, knowing Loki would want him to. He himself wanted to go with Loki, Sif and Valkyrie, but it seemed that was not to be now.
"Now, all of you must go", Uatu said to the Heroes, and pointed at them.
All of them looked at the Gods standing against the unstoppable wave one more time, with the original six Avengers seeing their first ever foe too was standing to sacrifice himself for them.
And then they all disappeared into a portal as Uatu turned to the Gods and other Heroes who'd stayed, the Dagda asking him. "You know what has to be done after this, right?"
"Indeed, and I know who is who", Uatu nodded, now getting it in his head. "All of them. Thank you."
With that, he disappeared as well.
Loki, Sif and Valkyrie stood together.
"You know, I still don't like you, Trickster." Sif said.
"Lady Sif, you flatter me." Loki quipped.
"Shut up. But I will not say it won't be an honor to die by your side." Sif added now. "And alongside you too, Valkyrie."
"Same here, I did alongside the Queen and the Trickster", Valkyrie said as well.
"And I will not say it has been an equal pleasure to have lived by yours, my Queen. And you too, Valkyrie."
"To Valhalla."
"Valhalla."
"Valhalla."
"Now Hercules shall accomplish his thirteenth labor", Hercules said, walking next to them. "And all shall remember this day when us Gods fought for the Heroes!"
"And it is going to be glorious!" Ares said as well.
"This is our end." Namor said to T'Challa, AC and Mera.
"Then let it be the noblest ending in the history of the Multiverse." T'Challa said to him.
"Yeah, can't wait for it", AC agreed while twirling his Trident as the water rose.
"We will show them what we're all made of", Mera smirked.
"So it will be. Shall we, Wakandan and fellow Atlanteans from other Earths?"
"We shall, Atlantean." They said together.
"I sacrifice myself today for my brother and the rest", Bill raised his hammer. "And I know they shall honor us all."
Marc then appeared, wrapping his arms around the lot of them, annoying Sif and Namor the most while he smiled in glee, his mask retracted. "This is going to be so much fun!"
Bast and Khonshu empowered T'Challa and Marc respectively now.
"This might be some of our last stand", Persephone told Hades as they held hands, looking at each other lovingly.
"Then let's make it memorable", Hades told her as both shared a loving kiss.
And now, the Exterminators had come as the Gods and other Heroes charged them, clashing against them in a bright flash of light.
Hercules struggled against one before managing to push him back. "BEHOLD THE MIGHT OF HERCULES!"
Ares too fought one himself.
The Dagda slammed his staff on the ground, sending two staggering back before striking another with his staff, as Hades struck one with his Bident, and Persephone held out her hand, mystically throwing one more back.
T'Challa, Marc, Khonshu, Bast and Horus all charged and fought together too bravely, as Bill called down lightning and storms from above, striking the Exterminators.
AC, Namor and Mera called upon the water which started sweeping some Exterminators who trudged through it, as Loki used his magic on one, standing on all his sides as illusions, and when the Exterminator a shockwave from within himself, the illusions disappeared before Loki struck him from behind with a magic blast.
Valkyrie sliced one more as Sif leapt and stabbed that one.
Warlock sent one off with a strike from his staff, as Surfer struck one with his board too.
Sun Wukong was holding up the best as he froze one Exterminator, then lifting up two effortlessly, spun them around with a laugh before throwing them off.
"That all you got?" Sun Wukong asked with another bout of laughter. "I shall take you all!" He elongated his staff, striking one more very hard, before landing and wrapping another in his tail, slamming him here and there.
But, at the end of this, the Universe-199999 would not be able to take this battle either.
From above- Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, and Lord Brahma and Goddess Saraswati looked down at the battle that was taking place, as Lord Vishnu turned to Lord Shiva. "You know what has to be done now."
"I do", Lord Shiva nodded.
"The Heroes will find a way, like they have until now", Lord Brahma said confidently.
"Indeed, we have our faith in them", Goddess Parvati nodded. "They have shown us that while they need guidance, now they can stand on their own two feet."
"Their faith in us was rewarded, now ours will be too", Goddess Lakshmi said.
"Indeed, but this has to be done too", Goddess Saraswati pointed out.
Earth-10005
The remaining Heroes all found themselves in the garden of Xavier's Mansion, some of them falling to their knees, as Uatu was there too, and some of the X-Men looked at them, Charles sensing their grief already, before looking at Erik who looked back into his eyes, and Maximoff's too.
This was the only place for the Heroes now.
Later
Charles Xavier was in the office, with Aragorn, Arwen, Steve, Kal, Oliver, Angel, Alaric, Mal, Erik and Maximoff near him, while he looked down at the grounds, and noticed some were out there, others were inside, like Tony in his lab, and he could feel overwhelming emotions from all of them. "I've never felt such loss, such sadness, such pain."
Parker was sitting with Wanda, Aunt May, Spider-Man, MJ, Peter, Felicia, Betty Brant (Peter had revealed himself to her just before the Crisis), Miles, Gwen, Pavitr, Frank and Brock all of them looking solemn and sad.
"We lost so many again", Wanda muttered, trying to control herself, and she could sense the grief from the rest too. "We thought we could save them, yet-"
"It just came back even worse", Spider-Man sighed sadly. "Barry sacrificed himself, and we still couldn't save the people."
"Now even more of us are gone", Peter sighed. "What are we even gonna do?"
"I don't know man", Miles shook his head. "I am just….how can things get this bad for us?"
"I'm wondering the same. So many times we came out on top, but this time, we just keep being pushed back and losing", Gwen sighed. "And our loved ones are dying as well."
"Well, Tony still has those Stones, so there's some hope", May pointed out. "And night's darkest before dawn."
While they knew she was trying to be encouraging, it wasn't working, MJ sighing. "Its too dark this time."
"Yeah, and we just don't see light anywhere as well", Betty muttered.
"Can we really come out on top this time?" Felicia wondered as well.
"Kind of wish we all could be one with our souls", Pavitr muttered.
"What do you mean?" Spider-Man inquired.
"In Hinduism, there is one omnipotent God, we call Him Brahman, perhaps you Christians call the same Being as God", Pavitr said to all of them. "And the Gods of Hinduism are all manifestations of Brahman. Brahman is the Ultimate Soul, and our souls are part of Him, so if we manage to be one with our souls, we can ascend and be one with Him, and be Him from then on."
"Wow, that's….." Peter trailed off. "That's beautiful."
"If we had the ability to do that, man, things would have been different", Gwen had to say.
"If I still had the power of Knull inside me", Parker wondered. "Would it have changed anything? Could we have stopped it?"
Wanda and May were about to comfort him, but Frank beat them to it as he told Parker. "Look kid, I know this is bad, the worst we've faced, my two doppelgangers even died, but don't blame yourself, you're not at fault here, and that thing was evil, your soul ain't worth this."
"Besides", Wanda added. "He too wanted the Multiverse gone so he could restore this to before the Big Bang. So he'd have just helped Anti-Monitor."
"And we'd have been his puppets", Brock reminded Parker. "So, you're not at fault."
An angry Jessica was smashing around, looking for some booze.
"This is a school", Matt's voice told her from behind, as she groaned, realizing he was right.
Looking at Matt, she got into his face and asked. "You're a believer, right?"
"Yes."
"How can you believe in God after everything that just happened?" Jessica now asked, as Matt sighed.
And then, Matt told Jessica. "If I start to doubt, than I have nothing left, but we're still alive, we're not out yet. Uatu shows that there are powers out there looking out for us, I have to believe that's a sign that we can stop this, and if not, then...we might as well give up now. Faith can be a deadly weapon, or our greatest shield."
"Huh? I actually bought it", Elektra said as she held his hand.
Maximoff, Bart, Pietro, Allen, Cisco, Caitlin, Patty, Ralph and Joan were all together as well, thinking about everyone who was gone now.
"He sacrificed himself for the Multiverse", Cisco muttered. "And now Harry, Jesse, Joe, Wally, Cecile, Iris, they're all gone too."
"The other Barry as well", Bart sighed. "We couldn't honor his sacrifice."
"Or Jay's, or Kara's, or anyone else's", Pietro sighed. "Now the Gods also fought the Exterminators and sent us here instead."
"What are we even supposed to do now?" Allen sighed. "We just keep failing, and losing people we care about."
"Well, Fate did say some of us had more to do", Patty reminded. "Maybe we can still take them out."
"But how? We lost so many of us just like that", Caitlin sighed.
"Including some of the powerful ones", Ralph reminded. "Its just….too much."
"Will we get past this?" Joan wondered, and none of them had an answer.
Kal, Superman, Big Blue, Lois, Lois-93, Kara, Superboy and Steve sat together, thinking of those who'd died.
"Now our Earth-50 and Earth-38 selves are gone too", Kal sighed. "Along with Earth-50 Kara. And AC, Mera, Stewart, Hal, and so many more."
"Dropping like flies, and he wasn't even trying", Lois-93 muttered, shuddering a bit.
"Yeah, its just so…hopeless", Lois had to say.
"We are considered beacons of Hope in our worlds", Superman told the rest of them. "But now, I don't think I've a lot of it."
"Me neither", Big Blue muttered. "Considering what's happening."
"Even you and Thor fused with the power of the Odinforce and four suns barely beat the Beyonder", Kara said to Kal. "How are we supposed to beat the rest of them?"
"Yeah, sounds really impossible", Superboy muttered as well.
"Look", Steve said, making all of them turn to him. "I mourn for all those we lost as well, it was devastating, and their lives mattered, all of theirs did. But….we can't lost it yet, they're still out there, and we're here, we have to stop them."
While grieving, the rest of them could not deny Steve's words either.
Batman, Bruce, Knight, Detective, Catwoman, Grayson and Barbara of Earth-167 stood together now.
"He was the hope of our Universe", Detective said about Clark. "And now he's gone."
"And mine as well", Batman muttered. "Is there no end to this?"
"Probably not", Bruce sighed. "I'm not feeling it really."
"Now the strongest Universe and the second strongest one are gone too", Knight sighed. "Its just getting hopeless."
"And our numbers have dwindled, how are we even going to stop this?" Catwoman wondered.
"I got no idea", Grayson said.
"You know, this Ring represents Hope", Barbara held it up. "Yet, now we lost our close ones. John Stewart is gone, and AC and Mera are gone, and many more. I just don't feel it."
Arthur, Lena, Guinevere, Dave, Veronica and Becky stood together as well.
"Now me and Batman are the only ones left from our Universe", Lena sighed. "And those we'd saved are also gone."
"So much for our evacuations", Guinevere sighed. "It all ended up being in vain."
"Even the Gods could not stop it all", Dave said. "How are we supposed to do it?"
"I wish Balthazar, Merlin, Gandalf and Radagast were still here", Becky muttered. "They could have done something."
"Considering the scale of this, doubt it", Veronica sighed.
"We are all that's left", Arthur told all of them. "So now it falls to us."
Mal, Inara, Zoe, Wash, Simon, Kaylee, River, Book, The Doctor, Song, Amy, Rory, Donna, Wilf, Shaun, Harkness, Martha and Mickey were all sitting together, Adiola and August having been put to sleep.
"Jayne", Mal muttered, looking at the rest of them. "He could be a hundan, but he was-"
"He was still one of us", Zoe finished for him. "And he didn't deserve this."
"While he was looking for money before, he did regret it", Simon said too. "He started caring."
"We lost our Universe, and now we lost one of us", Wash sighed. "Its just so hopeless."
"Do you still have faith, Shephard?" Kaylee turned to him.
"I do", Book sighed. "Look, I know it looks bad, and it is horrible, but we're still here, and we saw great powers coming to defend us."
"So you're saying we can win after all of this?" Inara inquired.
"I think that's exactly what he says", The Doctor noted. "Not feeling a lot of it myself but what can you do?"
"At least Mar-Novu is gone now", Song snarled. "He ruined so many of our lives."
"Yeah, and greater good?" Rory scoffed. "What does he think he is?"
"Was", Donna reminded him. "Now he's gone, and it was just what he deserved."
"Oh yeah, now that was a glorious punishment", Harkness had to say too. "Just what he deserved."
"That's what he gets for playing God with people's lives", Shaun commented. "From an actual God."
"I hope they're all right", Wilf said about the Gods. "At least some of them."
"Yeah, I mean, they're Gods", Martha said too. "Some of them can pretty powerful."
"Let's just hope", Mickey sighed.
"The Guardians are gone too with that Universe", The Doctor muttered, as they grieved them too alongside Jayne. "Couldn't save them."
"All gone", River muttered, when she heard Charles' voice in her head.
"River, whatever happens, I'm not leaving you. You're safe with me."
Hearing his voice calmed her down a bit as she closed her eyes.
Oliver, Sara and Roy sat together, all three of them in grief.
"They were goofballs", Sara said about the Legends. "But they were all my friends. Now they're dead. And dad's gone with the mirror dimension."
"So is our team", Roy sighed sadly. "What are we supposed to do now?"
Even Oliver was stumped. "I….I have no idea."
Aragorn, Arwen, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Eowyn, Faramir, Eomer and Lothiriel all sat together as well, among the few survivors of their own world.
Rosie was here too and had put hers and Sam's children to bed, and was also asleep, and so was Elboron.
"The blade that was broken", Legolas muttered about Anduril, "was remade, and now….."
"Now it broke again", Aragorn sighed sadly, still having the pommel in his hand, feeling incomplete without his sword.
Sure, Mjolnir was a much more powerful weapon, but without Anduril, he just felt incomplete.
"And we lost everyone else", Gimli muttered, a tear rolling down his cheek.
"Our people are gone as well", Eomer said, not feeling good about that. "Yet we live."
"Even great powers couldn't stop this Crisis", Lothiriel sighed. "What can we do?"
"I do not know now", Faramir sighed.
"It looks too dark and bleak", Eowyn said as well.
"I thought the worst was going to Mount Doom with Mr. Frodo", Sam muttered. "Then it was Thanos and Morgoth. And then Dormammu, now-"
"This is too much", Merry had to say. "And makes us all feel so little."
"And we were little already", Pippin sighed.
"Indeed, all of us are little in front of this threat", Arwen noted sadly.
"Even if we are though, we shouldn't give it all up", Aragorn pointed out. The loss of his sword did not mean all hope had to be lost. "We still have people left."
It didn't work fully, but did work slightly at least.
Buffy, Willow, Tara, Spike, Faith, Dawn, Angel, Cordelia, Lorne, Fred, Illyria, Connor, Raiden, Piper, Paige, Leo, Henry, Victor, Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan, Enzo and Alaric all sat together, with Wyatt, Chris, Jo and Lizzie sleeping in the mansion, and Miss Kitty was sleeping between them.
"She was always eager to learn", Piper muttered about Phoebe. "Always."
"And she'd finally found happiness too", Paige sighed, thinking of both Phoebe and Coop. "Now they're gone."
"I didn't even have a chance to know her when she was a kid", Victor muttered sadly, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Why is she gone and I'm still here?"
Leo put a hand on Victor's shoulder. "We ae all having the same thoughts."
"And its still out there", Henry sighed. "Even here, its just a temporary reprieve."
"Giles", Buffy muttered. "He was…..he was my dad. Not in blood, but in ways that mattered. And Xander was always there when he knew I needed him."
"He was my best friend, oldest friend", Willow said, all of them in tears over their losses now. "Now he is gone, and so is Giles."
"And we couldn't do anything", Tara muttered sadly.
"Why are we even here?" Dawn now wondered. "Like Henry said, this world is a temporary reprieve too."
"Nowhere else to go, bit", Spike reminded her, as she sighed.
"And it will come here too sometime", Angel groaned. "Now Gunn is gone too…"
"He was a good soul", Cordelia muttered, thinking about her time with him. "Reckless, but good."
"He…..he made me feel like I was normal", Raiden said, wiping a tear. "I thought we could be something. Now….."
"Yeah, I thought things would get better", Fred sighed. "But they got even worse now."
"This power has taken those we called friends", Illyria of all people said. "And we are still left."
"May not be for long", Lorne sighed.
"Guess so", Connor said glumly.
"I hated him for a long time", Stefan said about Damon. "And he hated me. Then….we thought we could move past it."
Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Now he's gone. With Elena. And Jeremy. And so many more."
"They were all my friends", Bonnie muttered, especially Damon and Elena. "So many times they relied on me to save them. This time even I was useless."
"How are we supposed to do anything about this?" Caroline wondered as well, all of them having tears, close to crying.
"Its just….such a sodding mess", Enzo sighed, not sure of what else to say.
"That it is", Alaric said, looking down.
"Marc's gone…" Faith sighed, a few tears rolling down her cheeks too. "He was….he was all that I wanted. Now he's dead."
Angel hugged her, as all of them mourned those they'd lost.
Prince, Cyborg and Shazam stood together as well.
"We've lost so many now", Cyborg sighed. "Clark, Barry, Arthur, Hal, Martian Manhunter, all gone."
"As are my people", Prince looked up. "How are we to go on without our world's hope?"
"I'm still a kid", Shazam muttered. "And this has all freaked me out too much."
"Trust me, you're not the only one", Cyborg said to him.
Ollie, Chloe, Tess, Jones, Vic, Wonder Woman, Stargirl, Emil, Dinah, Booster Gold, Constantine, Zatanna, Zatara and John sat together as well, thinking about their losses.
"That thing dropped Stewart", Ollie muttered. "And now AC and Mera are gone too-"
"Should we have stayed to help them?" Vic now wondered.
"Would it have made a difference?" Tess asked, and none had a response.
"Probably not", Chloe said with a sigh.
"And we lost those who were saved as well", Wonder Woman muttered.
"Dropped like flies", Stargirl groaned.
"And our magic is not being enough either now", Constantine muttered.
"Yeah, huge mess it is", John sighed.
"We are all powerless before this", Zatanna said too.
"And none of us have much of an idea", Zatara sighed. "Not even Uatu."
"So we're stuck pretty much", Jones muttered.
"Yeah, until we get something or they're here", Booster Gold muttered.
"Hoping we get something first", Emil commented.
"Slim chance", Dinah had to say.
Bucky was looking out the window, when he felt Natasha next to him, and then Falcon, Yelena, Walker, and even Adrian, Chris and Harcourt on his other side, Eagly on Chris' shoulder.
"I know what he was to you", Natasha held Bucky's hand. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, sorry", Falcon said too. "Won't ask how you're holding up because it's a stupid question."
"He told me to keep Wakanda alive", Bucky pointed at his heart. "In here. But I….."
"Don't know how to right now, right?" Yelena asked and he nodded.
"I know, man", Walker put a hand on his shoulder. "It's the same with me and Lemar too. Its just….."
"A hole in the heart that can never be filled", Peacemaker said, thinking of his own brother now.
"What are we going to do?" Harcourt looked forward.
"I really can't tell", Adrian muttered.
Clint and Laura looked at their sleeping children, holding hands as she asked. "What do you think is going to happen now?"
"Now…" Clint sighed, grieving for Loki and the rest. "Now, I just don't know what will happen."
"Anything?" Banner asked Tony, Betty next to him, while Pepper sat there too, holding Morgan.
"No, but I think I might be getting closer", Tony continued working.
"Well, that's good", Betty sighed.
"Wish I could have done it sooner", Tony muttered now.
"Do it now", Pepper told him. "As soon as you can."
Logan, Sarah, John Connor, Storm, Rogue, Kitty, Bobby, Nightcrawler, Scott, Jean, Kurt and Hank all sat together, also mourning the ones they'd lost.
"He was…" John Connor tried to say about Terminator, but couldn't finish it, as Sarah hugged her son.
"I know", she told him, Logan holding her hand.
"Bastard killed our Hank, Piotr and his doppelganger too", Logan sighed. "And we couldn't save them."
"My doppelganger…." Hank muttered, rubbing his chest a bit.
"We thought losing Jean, the Professor and Scott was the worst, and then the Snap", Storm sighed. "But now….." She trailed off.
"I've no idea what we can even do now", Rogue muttered.
"Me neither", Kitty said. "This is just too bad."
"And it can come here anytime too", Bobby sighed as well.
"You still putting your faith in up there?" Kurt asked his doppelganger.
"Great powers did come to save us", Nightcrawler reminded. "We are still under attack, but we are not alone."
"Wish I had the same optimism", Scott commented.
"Yeah, it can come here, and we'll have to fight it", Jean said, looking ahead, knowing she'd have to use the Phoenix Force when that happened.
Steve and Diana were sitting together now as she asked him. "Now your world is lost too."
"I know", Steve sighed sadly, rubbing his face. "With so many people."
"But?"
"Still not lost it completely", Steve told her. "We're all that remains. And I think its up to us to fight for what's left."
"How do you stay so hopeful?" Diana asked him.
"I don't know", Steve told her honestly.
Rebekah was outside in the gardens as well, weeping, then she heard her family (except Hope who was asleep) walk up behind her, and turned to them, Freya embracing her to offer some comfort, Rebekah now crying into her sister's shoulder.
"He did so much for me, he worshipped me, loved me in ways I never thought possible", Rebekah muttered, Freya patting her hair now. "He was everything to me."
"I know how that feels", Klaus muttered, thinking of Camille as he put a hand on his sister's shoulder as well. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah", Freya sighed, also knowing how that felt as she thought of Matthias. "We're here for you."
"Yes, we're all gonna be here for you", Kol agreed there. "You don't have to face this alone."
"Indeed", Elijah said as well, stroking her face gently.
"Yes, we're your family so you don't have to be alone", Hayley assured her too.
Rebekah suddenly backed away from them, and what she said shocked all of them.
"I'm pregnant."
All of them shared looks with wide eyes, as Rebekah felt more tears. This news was supposed to be happy, joy bringing. She meant to reveal it to Loki after Crisis but never saw any of it coming, the destruction, the death, and now Loki died not knowing of their child.
All her family could do was hold Rebekah as she wept, grieving for the father of their unborn nephew/niece and everyone else they lost.
Thor was alone and isolated, staring at a wall as he used his senses to hear the pain of everyone else, and had listened to some talks too, and now, he heard what Rebekah had just said.
Stoic up until now, he fell to his knees and started crying.
A while later, Uatu had called everyone to tell them something, and Steve could tell the mood was somber, so, he suddenly was covered in a Blue Light, and turned entirely into a Blue Lantern.
"In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite. When all seems lost in the War of Light, look to the stars - for hope burns bright!"
While not better my much, this did raise them slightly, and that was when Uatu decided to speak.
"When I consulted with the Council of Godheads, we found about certain kind of people", Uatu told all of them. "Across Space and Time exist 25 Heroes, beings of the purest will who can ultimately defeat the Anti-Monitor, and help save the Multiverse. They are known as Paragons."
"Paragons?" Lois asked. "And why're you dropping this on us just now?"
"I did know of the existence of Paragons, but did not know who they were", Uatu said. "But the Gods, before I left, they'd found out finally using their powers and resources, and put it in my head."
"So, they number 25", Steve realized.
"Indeed", Uatu nodded as a portal opened, and out of it walked Frodo Baggins, looking around.
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam rushed to him as they shared an embrace.
"Oh my dear Sam!" Frodo embraced him happily, and then Merry and Pippin were upon him too, all four of them laughing happily to be reunited, and Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Arwen, Faramir, Eowyn, Eomer and Lothiriel all had smiles too as Frodo embraced them as well one by one.
"Now we have everyone we need", Uatu said, the portal closing, having been opened by Gandalf to send Frodo here.
Uatu first looked at Piper. "Piper Halliwell, in spite of all that you have been through in your life, you have come out on top and been successful because of you inner strength. You are the Paragon of Inner Strength."
Piper was stunned to hear this, as were the others around her, as her eyes were wide, before she muttered. "You sure? Don't feel like I've much inner strength right now."
"But you've always shown it", Leo told her. "Even in the worst of times."
Uatu then turned to Paige. "Paige Matthews, for most of your life, you've had purpose, to help people, vanquish evil, and you never hesitated to help the ones who needed it, you considered it your purpose. You are the Paragon of Purpose."
"Huh?" Paige looked at herself, all stunned again. "Well, guess stopping the Crisis is the new purpose."
"I know you can do it", Henry said as he and Paige smiled at each other.
Uatu turned to Freya next. "Freya Mikaelson, you have shown extraordinary resilience even in harsh conditions, recovering from the worst of things, including what no one should ever suffer. You are the Paragon of Resilience."
Freya was shocked, as were the rest, before Klaus muttered to her. "If anyone had to be it, I knew it'd be you."
Freya looked at him, then at the rest of her family, as Elijah too told her. "Indeed, he is right."
"Well, wish I was recovering better right now", Freya had to say.
"I'd say it is you", Erik said, holding her hand as she grasped back. "I know it, you are resilient, Freya."
"Thank you."
Next, Uatu turned to Caroline. "Caroline Forbes, you have compassion within you, for many people, it is that same compassion which allowed you to give birth to Jo's children and raise them as your own. You are the Paragon of Compassion."
Caroline was shocked too. "What? I am…"
"Oh he can't be wrong about this", Stefan told Caroline, holding her hand. "We've all seen it, the compassion within you."
"Yeah, this just can't be doubted", Alaric said as well.
"If anyone had to be it, it'd be you", Bonnie told Caroline as well.
"Hope I don't disappoint", Caroline looked at her hands, then at Stefan, who gave her an encouraging nod.
"We all hope the same", Enzo added.
Uatu looked at Willow. "Willow Rosenberg, magic has been an essential part of you for a long time. You have struggled with it too, but eventually, learnt to harness it and use it for good. You are the Paragon of Magic."
Willow was shocked as well, but Tara told her. "See? When you learnt to use it properly and respect it, you were the greatest in our world."
"Yep, we all know only you can be it, Willow", Dawn said as well.
"Easily, this was made for you", Buffy told her too.
"Huh?" Willow muttered. "Well, let's see if its enough this time."
Uatu then looked at Tara. "Tara Maclay, you have always loved unconditionally, even those who did not deserve it, you showed them your kindness. You are the Paragon of Love."
Tara's eyes were wide, as Willow told her. "Wasn't even in question. Only you can be the Paragon of Love, Tara."
"Wow", Tara looked at herself, then at Willow as both smiled at each other. "So, its both of us again."
"Yeah, both of you again", Dawn said too.
Uatu then looked at Angel. "Angel, when you were Angelus, you did despicable things. Yet, when your soul was returned to you, you felt guilty. And eventually, when you came to Los Angeles, you started a journey towards redemption, trying to help others find it too. You are the Paragon of Redemption."
Angel's eyes were wide in shock. "I….huh?"
But it was Spike of all people who said to him. "Oh yeah, mate, that was always gonna be you. I knew it. If there's a Paragon of Redemption, then it has to be you."
"Yeah", Faith put her hand on Angel's shoulder. "You redeem not just yourself, but try your best to do it for others around you, like me."
"And everyone around you eventually becomes better than they were", Cordelia told him too. "Look at me. From high school bitch to this."
"They're right", Buffy told Angel as well, who accepted it.
"Well, I will have to work hard once more now to help", Angel said finally. "What remains of the Multiverse."
Uatu next looked at Oliver. "Oliver Queen of Earth-1, you have been firm and unwavering in all of your missions, and never hesitated to put your life on the line. You are the Paragon of Steadfastness."
Oliver's eyes were wide, but Sara said to him. "Yeah, we know you well, this one can only be you."
"Indeed", Deathstroke said as well. "I know it, kid, this is you."
"Good luck", Roy said to him too.
"Now I'm firm about stopping Crisis", Oliver said, a fire shining in his eyes as well.
Uatu turned to The Doctor. "Doctor, the people you take with you, they always find themselves eventually and become the best versions of themselves, and they are healed of what they think ails them, because of you, their lives become better. You are the Paragon of Healing."
The Doctor's eyes were wide. "Blimey, now that is-"
"He is right though", Amy said, holding hands with Rory. "We were the happiest when we travelled with you."
"And became so many things we never would have imagined", Rory said as well.
"Indeed, I too became the best version of myself when I was with you", Donna told The Doctor.
"All of us did", Martha said.
"So yeah, this is you", Song told him, and he looked ahead.
"Guess now the Multiverse will have to be healed", The Doctor realized.
Uatu looked at Superman after this. "Clark Kent or Kal-El of Earth-96, you have endured more loss than most mortal men could endure but you still carry on, inspiring truth, justice and the American Way. You are the Paragon of Truth."
Now Superman looked at himself, eyes wide, before looking ahead, very firm, not needing any encouragement. "I will do what I must now."
Then Uatu looked at Batman. "Bruce Wayne of Earth-38, you have been a brutal vigilante, and been a terror to criminals, yet, through all of this, you never lost your humanity fully, and regained it when you were close to losing it, you may be stoic, but you have always cared. You are the Paragon of Humanity."
Batman was shocked as well. "Never thought I'd be it."
"Yeah, but he's not wrong, we saw how you were when we first met, and how you're now", Bruce told him.
"So, he's right", Knight said as well.
"Guess so", Batman noted.
And then, Uatu looked at Prince. "Diana Prince of Earth-50, you are a person filled with honor within you, and have always shown it in every situation you were part of, never wavering from your ideals. You are the Paragon of Honor."
Prince was surprised too, as Detective told her. "Figured it'd be you."
"Congratulations", Diana told her as well. "I know we're the same, but from what I've seen of you, you have been on more quests than I have, hence it had to be you."
"Indeed, it was you", Wonder Woman told her as well.
"Congratulations", Steve said to her as well.
"Thank you", Prince humbly accepted the praise.
Uatu looked at Kal now. "Clark Kent or Kal-El of Earth-167, you always had a strong passion for justice within you, never wavering from it, and made sure every evil-doer you faced was brought to justice, the desire for it within you is always strong. You are the Paragon of Justice."
Kal looked at everyone around him, as Lois told him. "Come on, Smallville, there's literally no denying it."
"You are the reason our Justice League became as big as it did", Ollie pointed out too. "This is you, man."
"Oh yeah, no one longs for justice more than you do", Chloe said as well.
"They're all right, amigo", Bart commented too.
Kal nodded, accepting it. "Now its time to get justice for the Multiverse as well."
Uatu looked at Logan next. "James Logan Howlett, you have faced more hardship than people can endure, yet you stand here, still strong, trying to fight the good fight. You are the Paragon of Hardship."
Logan was shocked as well. "Huh? Now this I didn't see coming, bub."
"Yeah, but it is you", Sarah told Logan. "We all saw how much you suffered, but you always came through."
"And you still do", Storm pointed out as well. "This one is you."
"Well", Logan sighed. "Let's hope there aren't more hardships or anything."
Uatu turned to Spider-Man now. "Peter Parker of Earth-2002, you have always used your power wisely and to help people, because you know that with great power comes great responsibility, it is a lesson engrained within you. You are the Paragon of Responsibility."
Spider-Man looked at himself, then looked up, as Peter told him. "Well, he's not wrong, I mean, out of all of us, its most engrained in you."
"Yep, you're the one who taught me about it again too", Parker added.
"So, this one's you man", Miles told him as well.
"Good luck man", Pavitr tapped his shoulder.
"Yeah, now its time for you to show 'em what you got", Gwen added.
"I know you can do this", May said to her alternate husband too. "Good luck."
MJ held Spider-Man's hand. "I believe in you, Peter."
Spider-Man nodded as well now. "Now its my responsibility to save the Multiverse with the rest of them."
Uatu looked at Matt next. "Matt Murdock, you are the man without fear, not because you lack it, but because you always conquered it, and fought against evil, whether on the streets, or in the Multiverse. You are the Paragon of Courage."
Matt was a bit surprised as well, before Elektra told him. "Oh yeah, how can this one not be you, Matthew?"
"Yeah, you got balls of Vibranium", Jessica added as well.
"Hope you can do it again, Red", Frank said too.
"I'll do my best", Matt assured them.
Uatu then turned to Wanda. "Wanda Maximoff, reality is whatever you can make it with the great power that you have, yet you learnt not to misuse it, and use it for good, to defend what reality is now. You are the Paragon of Reality."
Wanda's eyes widened, as Parker grasped her hand. "Oh yeah, this one's you, you protect reality with your powers with which you can do anything."
"Wow", Wanda muttered.
"Right on, sister", Pietro told her too, kissing her forehead. "You have shown your compassion and control from time to time."
"Well, hope I can defend it again", Wanda muttered.
Uatu then looked at Strange. "Stephen Strange of Earth-199999, you have ample control over time, yet you do not mess with it unless it is necessary to save everyone, you did not let such a power corrupt you. You are the Paragon of Time."
"Of course, Sherlock, this one's you", Tony tapped his shoulder as he sighed.
"Looks like it, Sherlock", Strange turned to The Doctor then. "Thought it'd be you though, since you travel through time."
"Having control over it is greater though", The Doctor pointed out, and Strange agreed there.
"Hope this Paragon stuff can make you think of something more", Stephen told his doppelganger.
"Everyone has those hopes", Strange commented.
Then Uatu gazed at Clint. "Clint Barton, the one thing you fight for, is your family, all of it, no matter how big it is, you will move Heaven and Earth for them, and never back down until they are safe and sound. You are the Paragon of Family."
Clint stepped back a bit. "Okay, this is a bit of a shock."
"Shouldn't be though", Laura held his hand, making him look at her. "Because you love our family, all of it, and you always fight for it."
"Yes, you do", Natasha said as well. "This one's meant for you, Clint."
"We all know it", Wanda added as well.
Now Clint had resolve within him and nodded firmly. "I'll protect my family again."
After this, Uatu looked at Natasha. "Natasha Romanoff, you have shown that change is possible in anyone, even those who were made to do horrible things since they were children. Now you have changed into a defender of good, like everyone else who is here. You are the Paragon of Change."
Natasha's eyes were wide as well, but Bucky told her. "Yeah, you changed a lot, from who you were, and it wasn't mind control with you, shows a lot of genuine change into a better person."
"Oh yeah, I've seen the old you and this you, you're this one, Nat", Clint told her as well.
"Yes, and all of us would agree to this", Steve said, Natasha now accepting it.
"Now, don't deny it, sis", Yelena winked at her, making Natasha chuckle.
"So, will have to change the fate of the Multiverse too now", Natasha said.
After this, Uatu turned to Arthur. "King Arthur Pendragon, you were always destined to rule over Camelot, and you were destined to come back to the land of the living and once more protect it from evil. The Once and Future King they call you. You are the Paragon of Destiny."
Arthur's eyes were wide, when Guinevere told him. "He's right, Arthur, you are fit to be a Paragon, and this one is you."
"Yeah, I've seen it too", Lena added from her end. "You're going to fulfil your destiny now."
Arthur was firm. "This is what I came back for. And I must not fail."
Uatu then looked at Frodo. "Frodo Baggins, you chose to take the One Ring of Sauron to Mordor, and did not hesitate, you fought against the One Ring's pull with all your power, and you were determined to reach the end of your Quest, in spite of the One Ring's corruption. You are the Paragon of Determination."
Frodo was stunned too, before Sam told him. "He is right, Mr. Frodo. You showed a lot of determination."
"Even among adventurous Hobbits", Merry added, making him chuckle a bit.
"Yeah, you're the most determined Hobbit", Pippin told him too.
"Indeed, many Men we know are not as determined as you ever were", Boromir told him.
Frodo too was resolute now. "Now I'm determined to help save the Multiverse too."
Uatu now turned to Sam. "Samwise Gamgee, while Frodo had determination, he would never have succeeded without a friend like you, always so loyal and kind, never faltering from helping him, you never left him till the end. You are the Paragon of Loyalty."
Sam's eyes widened, but Rosie stroked his shoulder lovingly, smiling at him, and Frodo turned to him. "Anyone who thinks you cannot be the Paragon of Loyalty is wrong, my dear Sam. No one else can be this."
"Yeah, I remember seeing all of it too", Natasha added from her end. "This one's you."
"I will have to help you again now, it seems, Mr. Frodo", Sam told Frodo, who nodded, the Hobbits all agreeing that Sam was this.
And next, Uatu turned to Aragorn. "King Aragorn II Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom, your presence brought hope even in the direst of situations, one of your other names even means 'Hope', and it was you who brought back hope not just to your Kingdom, but to the rest of Middle-earth, and led them to victory against Sauron, and you have never faltered since then either. You are the Paragon of Hope."
Aragorn was shocked, but Arwen told him. "Estel, you indeed are the Paragon of Hope, like he said, you brought hope to Middle-earth."
"And the hearts of all of us, mellon", Legolas added from his end too, grasping his shoulder.
"Indeed, even if we are in The Void with you, we would feel hope", Gimli added from his end.
"You are the reason I forgave myself as well", Boromir told Aragorn. "And realized I have to be my own Man."
"Hope came to Rohan when you lead us at Helm's Deep", Eowyn said too.
"And you returned hope to Gondor as well", Faramir added.
"They are all right, you are this Paragon", Frodo now said to Aragorn.
"Even my hammer thinks you worthy", Thor added from his own end. "And you use it to continue to bring hope to Middle-earth."
Aragorn was resolute as well now. "I shall have to bring hope to what's left of us now."
And finally, Uatu looked at Steve. "Steve Rogers, you are a natural leader, always have been once the Serum brought out the best within you, and you have shown your leadership quality again and again, even when all Heroes of the Multiverse unite, they look to you to lead them. You are the Paragon of Leadership."
Steve looked at everyone, and their faces said it. They agreed with Uatu on this.
"If me and Hulk follow your orders", Thor told Steve as well. "Then you are the Paragon of Leadership, my friend."
Steve nodded now, and looked at Uatu. "We'll all do our best."
"25 Paragons, now you will be the ones to save the Multiverse", Uatu said, when suddenly, a bright, white ball of light flew in, surprising all of them.
"Uhh, what's that?" Mal pointed at it, and Stephen called the ball towards himself.
Stephen then looked at Clea, Strange, Fate, John, Constantine, Zatanna and Zatarra.
"Let's find out."
Notes:
And one more chapter ends. RIP to all those who're gone once more, and poor everyone for losing their loved ones
Now finally, the Paragons are all revealed, took some time to finalize them, but finally got it, and thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer, Stand with Ward and Queen, Bl4ckHunter and Marcus S. Lazarus for suggesting some of these Paragons and their attributes.
The concept of Paragons in the actual crossover was pretty cool but handled poorly since some of them didn't even deserve to be called Heroes by that point due to how badly written they were, much less Paragons, and other Paragon attributes seemed interchanged.
But here I'll do my best to do them right.
Now what is that ball of light?
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 12: Gifts
Summary:
The Heroes find out what the ball of light is as a reunion happens, followed by another devastating attack.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more, and to Stand with Ward and Queen and Marcus S. Lazarus for a few suggestions on the chapter too.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-10005
Now, Stephen was floating in lotus position with the ball in front of him, magic circles above and below it, and sending waves of blue magic between them as Stephen was scanning all this.
After a few minutes, he was done, and walked to Strange. "It is a message, a gift to be more precise."
"From who exactly?"
"Our divine friends."
"So it's true. They're really gone?"
"Could be. What I can gather from this is that the Universe was at least all destroyed completely. Maybe the Anti-Monitor did it, or the destructive battle did, or something else. It's funny, the Gods first gathered together to stop the threat of the Celestials, and now, they joined forces to fight off the Celestials' own creation."
"In a way, I suppose the Heroes can be considered the offspring of the Gods. Beings of great power and nobility, attributes that put them above humanity. Fitting we'd be the ones to oppose them."
"We are a curious race." Stephen then looked at the orb one more time before gesturing with his hand, and it floated into the possession of Strange. "The last will and testament of the Gods, and it's meant for you, all the Paragons."
"Well then, let's see what we've inherited." He turned to everyone. "Let's all gather in the main hall now people."
A while later, the Paragons and everyone else were in the main hall, as Stephen and Strange held out the orb, with Fate close to them as well.
The orb glowed and parted, as out of it flew an eagle of a humanoid look, and with a screech, the eagle landed on two feet, folding his wings.
Eagly suddenly flew off of Peacemaker's shoulder, and getting on the ground, bowed to the humanoid eagle, while the humanoid eagle acknowledged Eagly with a nod.
"Uhhh, what's going on?" Peacemaker asked no one in particular.
The humanoid eagle then walked to Steve, and joined both hands, before, to the shock of many, speaking. "Steven Grant Rogers, accept the greetings of Garuda the King of Birds, and the mount of Lord Vishnu."
"Oh!" Strange muttered, realizing who this was.
Steve returned the gesture by joining his hands as well. "Accept my greetings as well, Lord Garuda."
"Lord Garuda", Pavitr knelt once more. "I am honored to meet you today, my life has been blessed now."
"It always was, young Pavitr, with the powers you use for good", Garuda assured him, walking to him as he helped him stand up, then turned back to Steve.
"He's talking Merry, the eagle is talking!" Pippin said to him, voicing the shock of many who'd seen an eagle in humanoid shape and talking for the first time.
"We all know, Pippin, we all know", Merry said, the people starting to get over their shock a bit, since there were stranger things than this.
The orb then faded away as many artefacts, all looking and feeling divine and beautiful, were now on the table nearby, with Garuda now walking to them.
"What happened to our Universe?" Steve then asked.
Garuda told them. "The Universe has now been destroyed. Those who were in it when it was are gone too."
Rebekah and Faith were now in tears, both sobbing as their loved ones had to hold them, especially Rebekah since she was pregnant now, while Bucky felt his knees go weak, and Pavitr was in disbelief, utter disbelief, while Thor knelt against a wall.
But Strange, Stephen, Fate, Clea, John and Constantine, and Charles all noted that Garuda was pretty cryptic about this. He had only said the Universe was destroyed and all in it, but he never said how exactly it happened, or who was in it.
Charles also noted he could not read Garuda's mind, must be very powerful and divine.
"But, the Gods left a message for all of you. The shadows will fall and hope will flee, but steel your hearts, for the dawn will come." Garuda said, before lifting up a beautiful and divine looking sword from the collection of artefacts, with a golden hilt as well.
He walked to Aragorn, holding out the sword to him, as Aragorn grasped it by the hilt, Garuda telling him. "Though you have lost your blade, Lord Vishnu hopes you will find his own Sword the Nandaka a suitable replacement."
Aragorn held the Nandaka Sword in his hand now, feeling its power, it was much more powerful than the blade he had just lost, and suitable indeed.
He bowed to Garuda in a thanking manner as Garuda bowed back, before Garuda lifted a divine golden mace, and handed it to Angel. "Often you have fought foes of physical might greater than your own, but with Lord Vishnu's Mace the Kaumodaki, perhaps you shall struggle no more."
Angel held it up, and nodded. "Thank you."
Garuda next lifted up a belt that Thor recognized. "That is my belt", he turned to Tony, "the one I gave to you."
"Oh yeah, it is", Tony had to say as well.
"Yes, this is part of the gifts too", Garuda said.
"I do not mind, I do not need it anymore", Thor himself said as well, and Garuda handed the belt to Kal, who now held it in his hand.
"Your might is known and feared by many, yet with this Belt of Strength the Megingjörð, many more shall know your song."
Kal nodded at Garuda as well. "Thank you for this."
After that, Garuda lifted up a thunderbolt which all the Wonder Women instantly recognized, and he held it out to Prince now. "Though he may have been unworthy, no one could deny Zeus' power, therefore, no one but his own daughter is more fitting to wield his Thunderbolt."
Prince held up the Thunderbolt of Zeus, and told Garuda. "My humble thanks to you."
Garuda nodded, before holding up a Greek helmet, which was once more recognized by the Wonder Women, and now, he held it out to Batman. "Intelligence, tactical prowess and strategy is what you have shown when it comes to fighting battles, from criminals, to foes who outclass you in every way, which is how you come out on top, hence you shall receive the Helmet of Athena."
Batman took the Helmet of Athena, looking at it with interest, before nodding at Garuda, and then Garuda took out a long staff which was golden and red, the Heroes remembering just who'd wielded it before.
He handed it to Spider-Man. "This is the Staff of Sun Wukong the Monkey King, and it elongates too, only one with strength can wield it, and you have that strength, and this shall be fitting for you."
Spider-Man took it and held it up, examining it, then said. "Thank you."
After that, Garuda took out a beautiful, golden and divine bow, which seemed to be curved at its center, and he held it out to Oliver. "This is the Gandiva, the powerful and divine Bow of Arjuna, the greatest and most invincible human warrior in history. Using this, he had victories over creatures even Gods struggled against. May you use it well."
Oliver took the Bow, awed by its structure and feel, and nodded at Garuda in thanks as well.
After that, Garuda took out another bow, which too looked divine and powerful, and this one, while golden, also had shades of purple, while also being curved at the center. He held this one out to Clint. "This is the Sharanga Bow of Lord Vishnu himself, one of the greatest bows ever created, and he used it as Lord Parashurama, Lord Rama and Lord Krishna too, using its power to fell creatures and humans of evil. May you use it well."
Clint now took the Bow, and like Oliver, he too was awed by the structure and feel of this, nodding at Garuda in thanks.
Next, Garuda took out a lotus of some sort, and handed it to Tara. "This is the Lotus of Lord Vishnu, the Padma, it represents purity, and you are among the purest, so this is now given to you."
Tara took the Padma, immediately feeling its divine power add to hers, and said with a smile. "Thank you very much."
Next, Garuda held out a book which gave a divine feeling, and held this one out to Willow. "This is the Atharva Veda, one of the Vedas of Hinduism, and it contains mantras and incantations for many things. The Trimurti trusted you with this."
Willow was awed, realizing just how important this was, and also over the fact that now a Pantheon of Gods trusted her with the purest form of a sacred text that contained mantras and incantations.
"Thank you", she said to Garuda, who now lifted up some powerful gauntlets, which Thor recognized once more.
"Those used to be mine once", he said. "But after the conflict between Asgardians and Olympians, they were given to Olympians as part of a peace offering."
Garuda nodded, knowing that, and held them out to Logan. "These are the Járngreipr, the Gauntlets of Ares and formerly Thor, which gave Ares strength comparable to Hercules himself when he wore them, and now, you shall."
Logan took the Gauntlets, examining them, before nodding. "Thanks bub."
After this, Garuda held out another divine looking sword which not just Thor but others from Earth-199999 recognized too, due to having seen it. He held this out to Matt. "Sight has been taken from you for most of your life, and you made it your strength. Let this Sword Hofund of Sif and formerly Heimdall, belonging to those who can see across the Cosmos, find a fitting home in your hands."
Matt took Hofund in his hand, holding it up, as Thor touched it slightly, to get a feel of Sif in it perhaps, and then put his hand down.
After this, Garuda held out a powerful looking spear which Thor, Rebekah and others from Earth-199999 recognized once more, and he held it out to Wanda. "This is Gungnir, the spear of Loki Odinson and formerly the All-Father Odin Borson. It allows its user to wield the Odinforce which can affect reality as well, so this shall be yours now."
Wanda took Gungnir, running her hand across it, when Rebekah lifted up her own hand to touch it, a tear rolling down her cheek, and Wanda let her, feeling her emotions and pain, knowing this was her way of feeling Loki, and Thor did the same by touching Gungnir himself, also feeling his father.
Now, Garuda held up a wooden chest, holding it out to Superman, the magic-users knowing just what it was. "This is the Ark of the Covenant, which was used by ancient Hebrews to carry the Ten Commandments, and ancient Israelites marched this to battle to bring cities to their knees. You can touch it for it has been bequeathed to you. Perhaps it can help you all in your battle against the Crisis."
Superman picked up the Ark of the Covenant, before putting it on another table nearby, nodding in thanks to Garuda.
Next up, Garuda held up a beautiful girdle which was recognized by the Wonder Women again, and he held it out to Piper. "This is the Girdle of Aphrodite, and it is known for its ability to inspire peace and reconciliation. It is now bequeathed to you."
Piper took the Girdle, then looked at Garuda. "Thank you for this."
After that, Garuda picked up a small bag of seeds, giving it to Paige. "These are the Mystical Seeds of Persephone, that can heal physical and mental wounds on all, now they are yours."
Paige looked at the bag before nodding at Garuda. "Thanks a lot for these."
Next, Garuda held up an ancient cloak, handing it out to Natasha. "This is the Tarnkappe, the Cloak of Invisibility, acquired by the Hero Sifrit, and it shrouds the body of its wearer in invisibility, now it is yours."
Natasha took it, examining its fabric and feel, then nodded at Garuda.
Then, Garuda held up another ancient looking helmet, the Wonder Women recognizing it as he held it out to Sam. "This is the Cap of Invisibility of Hades, used by the great Hero Perseus himself, this is a gift fit for one like you."
Sam took the Cap of Invisibility, examining it, before nodding at Garuda. "Thank you, Mr. Garuda."
After that, Garuda took out a ring, holding it out to Frodo, whose eyes were wide. "This is the Ring of Gyges, one that turns its wearer invisible, and was used by Gyges the Shephard. But do not worry, for this shall corrupt its wearer only if the wearer lets such a power corrupt them."
Frodo took the Ring, examining it, and unlike the One Ring of Sauron, he did not feel heavy by holding it, so he knew, this was not something that'd corrupt him unless he let it.
So he nodded at Garuda. "Thank you."
Next up, Garuda held out a long staff, which was emanating the power, the Heroes recognizing it due to having seen it a while ago. He held this out to The Doctor. "This is the Staff of The Dagda, which holds power over life and death itself, and now, it shall go to you for you can use such a power wisely."
The Doctor held the Staff in his hand, feeling its power, before turning to Garuda. "Thank you for this one, mate."
After that, Garuda held out a mirror which was recognized by the Wonder Women too, with him handing it to Caroline. "This is Aphrodite's Mirror that allows its user to look into the hearts of people, and now, it shall allow you."
Caroline looked at herself in the mirror, and it seemed to shine with a bright glow only for her, because her heart was a pure one.
She looked at Garuda and nodded. "Thank you very much."
Next up, Garuda held out a feather cloak, Thor staring at it with a mix of emotions, as he held it out to Freya now. "This is Fjaðrhamr, the feather cloak of the Goddess Frigga, also known as Freyja, and since you were named after her, this is now yours."
Freya took the feather cloak, its fabric pleasing to her fingers, before Thor held out his hand, touching the cloak himself to feel his mother, Freya letting him, and then he put his hand down as she looked at the cloak in awe before nodding at Garuda.
After that, Garuda held out another powerful looking book, and gave it to Strange, who immediately knew what it was, as did Stephen, Clea and the other magic-users. "This is the Book of the Vishanti, the Patrons of the Sorcerer Supreme himself. This book contains light magic and pages that materialize out of nowhere, and it can counter almost anything. Now they give it to you."
Strange looked at the Book of Vishanti, running a hand over its surface. "Never thought I'd actually see it in person." He nodded at Garuda. "Thank you."
After that, Garuda held up a holy spear which was recognized by the magic-users again, and he held it out to Arthur. "There is no running from destiny, and you have time and again faced it head on, now, at the hour of most need, you stand again, ready. The Spear of Longinus belongs in no one's hands, but yours."
Arthur held the Spear in his hands, feeling its power, and knowing why he'd have to use it now.
The list of artefacts were over now, and Garuda himself then turned to Steve, joining his hands once more. "I, Garuda, shall have you ride upon me, Steven Grant Rogers, for the battles to come."
Steve was humbled that a benevolent and powerful God had lent him his mound, and joined his hands as well. "I thank you for the honor, King Garuda."
"The honor is mine", Garuda told him, before looking at the Paragons. "May you use your Gifts well in the battle against the Crisis."
A while later, Steve found Thor looking into a wall, as he wondered. "What can I even do now? I couldn't save the people, or my loved ones, and I am not even a Paragon so I'm pretty useless."
But Steve put a hand on his shoulder. "Just because you aren't a Paragon, doesn't mean you're not important. We'll need everyone if we are to bring everyone back, especially you, Thor."
Thor looked at Steve, but Steve knew Thor wasn't really agreeing to what was being said.
Tony was making another combination, and shone green now, as he exclaimed in joy. "SON OF A BITCH!"
That made the rest jump nearby as Pepper asked. "What is it?"
"I figured it out finally", Tony told her, Banner and Betty. "I got it!"
"So, now you've to make it, right?" Banner inquired.
"Gonna start working on it right now", Tony told him.
"Good luck", Betty smiled.
There was a knock on the door, and Hank wondered. "Who can this be now?"
It was Kal who went to open it, and was shocked to see who was on the other side, as were the other Earth-167 Heroes.
"Hello Clark", Lex Luthor greeted Kal, holding something miniature in his hand, before waving at the rest of the Earth-167 crew. "Hello everyone, its me. I'm here."
"Lex", Kal noted in a neutral tone, before telling him. "I'm glad you're alive."
"Really?" Lex asked, not really believing it.
"Really", Kal nodded. "I am. We're short of people. So, I'm actually glad you didn't perish."
"Thank you Clark", Lex nodded, Kal stepping aside to let Lex in, only for Ollie to deck his face hard as Lex fell down, holding a split lip, though fortunately, what he was holding wasn't broken.
"That was for last time, you rat bastard!" Ollie snarled, as Lex sat up and wiped his lip.
"Hello Oliver", Lex greeted him, only for Lois to now join Ollie by kicking Lex in the abdomen, making him gasp and double down.
"And that was from my side", Lois added now, Lex groaning in pain, before Chloe smashed her foot on his kneecap, and he let out a gasp of pain once more.
"Finally, from my side too", Chloe said, and Kal noted the other Justice League were also coming.
"Guys, stop", Kal now said, helping Lex up. "I know you all hate him, and you've good reason to, all of you do."
"Damn right we hate him!" Tess sneered, glaring at Lex as well.
"I'm not a big fan of him either", Kal now said, as more Heroes were coming as well. "But, what we're facing, hitting upon Lex, even if he has hurt us before, its not going to do anything."
While none of them were okay with Lex's presence for obvious reasons, Kal's words did seem to have the desired effect, as they backed down.
"If you try anything funny, we won't hesitate to kill though", Natasha said to him, and Lex nodded, accepting it.
"Indeed, you too have crimes to answer for", Legolas said, referring to making the Supermen fight.
"So you are Lex Luthor of his Earth", Superman looked at Lex, Lex looking back at him.
"And you'd be another Superman, I've seen you in the Contest before", Lex told Superman, before seeing Steve.
"Its good to see you're all right", Steve said to him, Lex nodding in acknowledgement.
"I was trying to get the rest out with me, but they couldn't reach me in time, so I'd to go", Lex sighed sadly. "I did my best."
"Sure", Ollie muttered, but Lex ignored him.
"Wait", Kal suddenly remembered, and made Lex face him. "You knew about this Crisis, didn't you?"
Lex nodded sadly. "I did."
"And why didn't you tell us before?" Kal inquired. "Like when me and Steve came to Earth-72."
"I wanted to Clark, but-"
"But what?" Lois asked.
"The one that brought me back", Lex told them. "He did something to me. When I tried to bring it up to you, it just went out of my mind, like, I didn't know anything about it. I don't know what, but he did that to me."
The rest tried to say something, before remembering Uatu had said that Mar-Novu brought back Lex, and considering all the manipulations he'd done, only he could have done this.
"Mar-Novu", Steve growled. "Made you forget it every time you tried to bring it up."
Lex nodded. "I was just another puppet to him. On the bright side, my nose is still normal and I don't have an annoying cricket in my ear, unless you count." He looked at Kal, and both actually shared a chuckle at that like old friends.
"But, anyways", Lex held up the miniature boat-like thing he had. "This, is something I've been working on for a long time."
"What is it exactly?" Oliver inquired.
"Its basically a boat, a lifeboat, to be exact", Lex told all of them. "And, it can protect us from the anti-matter wave and take us to a safe place."
"Are you real?" Cisco asked, clearly in disbelief, like the rest of them.
"I am", Lex confirmed, putting it on a table. "But, I'll need help to finish it here, so that it works when the time comes."
"I'm the smartest man alive", Reed walked to Lex, picking up the miniature lifeboat himself. "So, I'll help you out here." He turned to Fitz, Simmons and Cisco. "You three up for some work too?"
"Yes sir", all three said together, as Reed then turned to Lex, who shrugged, and so they decided to begin work.
As Tony was working, Scott Summers commented to him. "You're taking quite long."
"Well excuse me, maybe you can do better? Go on, try it. I'll wait." Tony crossed his arms and sat down, but now Scott Summers actually shied away, and the Iron Man stood again. "This procedure is going to be unbelievably complicated. I have to combine magic metal with alien biology with nanotech in order to house six Cosmic rocks that can shape the Multiverse. It'll take a minute, maybe two."
"You know, I think its time", Stephen said, making others turn to him. "To ask Doctor Doom for help now."
Lex's eyes were wide now, as he remembered being killed by Doom, and he was stricken by fear, while Kal asked. "Are you serious? You know what kind of guy he is!"
"He only wants to take us all out", Buffy said as well. "He hurt us all, why would he help us?"
"Doom wants to stop the Crisis as much as we all do", Stephen said in a tone that left no room for argument. "Now I agree that he needs to answer for what he has done to all of us, but right now, we need him. There is no other way."
"Besides, unlike Novu, he is self-aware", Strange pointed that out as well. "So we can wait to do anything to him until after the Crisis."
"Assuming the sod isn't prepared", Constantine pointed out.
"Do we really have to take his help?" Lex asked again, sounding scared.
"Unfortunately, yes", Stephen nodded, looking at Strange. "Let's go."
A while later- Stephen, Strange and Fate were all at Latveria.
And Doom's castle was empty! He was gone!
"The one time we need him, he has disappeared off to who knows where!" Strange exclaimed in anger.
"I feel he might be trying to do something as well", Fate noted. "What it is though, I cannot tell."
"Doom is needed no matter how we feel about it", Stephen told the other two, opening a portal to try and follow his trail. "This may have been what he has been planning all along."
"So, you're going to get him?" Strange asked.
"Yes, I will follow his trail and find him, you two go back", Stephen told them both.
"Be careful, he is quite dangerous", Fate pointed out, and Stephen nodded before the portal closed now.
Charles' eyes suddenly widened as he felt it, and then Jean did as well, while Erik looked at Charles. "What is it, my friend?"
"He is here."
The skies all turned a dazzling white once more, and then Black Lanterns and Shadow Demons flew in. The Heroes managed to take out some Shadow Demons, but the Black Lanterns were powerful, and then the Exterminators came too, firing upon the people.
More Heroes were struck now by either of the Black Lanterns or Exterminators and died in this- Kol, Elijah, Black Siren, Victor Bennett, Gwen Raiden, Illyria, Hank McCoy, Yelena, Falcon, Walker, Rhodes, Peacemaker and Eagly both, Ratcatcher II, Adrian, Harcourt, Leota, Economos, Bloodsport, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Detective, Vic, Emil, Raven, Zan, Jayna, M'Gann, Jamie, Shazam, Frank, Brock, Scott, Hope, Mystique, Earth-167 Superboy, Stargirl, Booster Gold, Mack, Yo-Yo, Daisy, Melinda, Cable, Negaonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio, Domino, Ralph, Ororo Munroe, Shazam, Cyborg, Nightcrawler, Kurt and Scott Summers.
"NO!" Klaus screamed, trying to run to the bodies of Elijah, Kol and Black Siren, but had to be held back, as Rebekah was sobbing again.
Angel and Connor knelt near Raiden's body, the former closing her eyes while Fred did the same for Illyria, having tears in her eyes.
Caitlin, Patty and Cisco knelt over Ralph's body in grief too.
"Daddy", Piper cried over her father, Paige alongside her, as their husbands comforted them, while Natasha held Yelena in her arms.
"No, Yelena."
Steve had tears on seeing Falcon dead, as did Bucky, while they mourned Rhodes, Walker, Yelena, Scott, Hope, Peacemaker and the rest too, and Tony cried over Rhodes as well.
Garuda stroked the dead Eagly and closed his eyes.
Parker was crying over Frank. "Frank, NO!" Matt grasped his shoulder as May and Wanda grasped him for comfort, with Matt closing Frank's eyes, and Elektra doing the same for Brock.
Prince knelt down to close the eyes of all those of her Earth who'd passed, while Thor did it for Bloodsport and Shazam due to who they looked like, and also for the Earth-2016 ones.
Kal, Lois, Tess, Ollie, Chloe, Kara and the rest were over Superboy, Vic and Emil in disbelief, and same for Stargirl and Booster Gold and the dead Teen Titans as well, Grayson and Mia in utter shock.
Fitz, Simmons, Bobbi and Hunter too were in tears over their teammates' bodies.
Storm wiped her tears, seeing more of them were dying now, before the Anti-Monitor himself appeared as all were stricken with dread.
Until Thor charged with his ax, roaring in rage, but Anti-Monitor smacked him away, and was about to strike him down, when Doctor Fate intervened, an ankh and various symbols appearing around Mobius, trying to keep him at bay, but Anti-Monitor's power shattered those before he fired a blast of anti-matter at not just Fate, but also Constantine, John, Zatanna and Zatara who stood close to him, before any of them could react, and all five of them were wiped out by this power.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Strange, Clea and Wanda all yelled together in utter horror.
Maximoff, Bart, Pietro and Allen were acting, trying to get the people away from the Anti-Monitor and his minions.
Charles looked down, crying now, because his students were all being killed by the Crisis finally.
Then Jean, who was grieving her love, and everyone else, let out a loud scream while holding out her arms right in front of the Anti-Monitor himself, and for a moment, actually held him and his minions back.
The symbol of the Phoenix appeared around Jean now, her eyes glowing as she hovered in the air, and then the power of the Phoenix Force was unleashed, actually wiping out a few Black Lanterns as well.
"The Phoenix Force", Anti-Monitor greeted the entity. "One of the few who could match me….until now!"
"Let's see about that now, shall we?" Jean Grey, or rather the Phoenix Force itself, asked back, before firing Cosmic fire right at the Anti-Monitor, who held up an arm to defend, though this actually hurt him as he staggered back.
Jean followed up by trying to manipulate the area around Anti-Monitor, trying to crush him into a temporal zone, but a blast of anti-matter from him shattered that, as he fired at her, but she used her powers to transmutate the anti-matter into more Cosmic fire and hurled it right at Anti-Monitor, making him screech as he actually went down on a knee.
Then Jean manipulated the weather on a Cosmic scale, a storm now coming upon Anti-Monitor as a Black Hole opened upon him, but he unmade the Black Hole with his anti-matter before consuming the storm with it too.
As Jean screamed, Charles cried out. "NO JEAN!"
But Erik grasped his shoulder. "You cannot stop her today, my friend."
With another roar, Jean hurled out her disintegration waves at the Anti-Monitor, but he formed a barrier using the power of the Beyonders, managing to defend himself.
The whole planet was slowly tearing apart from this whole clash now, as the Anti-Monitor fired his anti-matter wave at Jean but she managed to absorb it all, increasing her Cosmic Fire inside of her before covering Anti-Monitor in it, and tried to consume him, and this did hurt him as he screeched in pain, once more going down on a knee, but managed to consume the Cosmic fire with a combination of the Beyonder's power and his own anti-matter as well, Jean staggering back from that.
And with that, she fired blast after blast of concussive force upon the Anti-Monitor, and they made him stagger back and almost fall down before he steadied himself. This much concussive force could shatter a planet if used upon it.
As Jean fired it again, the Anti-Monitor held up a construct of power made from his own anti-matter and the power of the Beyonders he had gotten, managing to defend himself, before it snaked around Jean, trying to consume her, only for her Cosmic fire to disintegrate all of that as she held out her palm, now trying to use concussive force and disintegration on Anti-Monitor simultaneously.
The Anti-Monitor gritted his teeth, feeling the power coming upon him, and it damaged him too, before, to Jean's shock, he regenerated due to the power of the Beyonders within him, and then let out an energy discharge which struck Jean, making her fall down, though she got back up immediately as well.
Now she hovered in the air as the power of the Phoenix Force completely surrounded the Anti-Monitor, and another Cosmic storm came upon him, striking him brutally, making him roar, until he seemed to change the shape of his body into some sort of funnel, and that absorbed the entirety of the Cosmic storm before he transformed back into his true form and struck Jean with anti-matter, and it was too fast for her to react as she flew back from it, and then, he grabbed her by the throat, the anti-matter and power of the Beyonders all coursing through him.
Jean screamed in utter agony, and even the Phoenix Force was hurt, before the Anti-Monitor broke Jean's neck, tossing her away.
"No…." Charles whispered in tears, as Logan knelt over this Jean, crying himself, Sarah holding him for comfort.
The Phoenix Force screeched, before collapsing upon itself, and then, there was a bright glow as a big egg appeared, falling into Logan's palm now.
This was the Phoenix Force, now having reverted to a Cosmic Egg.
"My lifeboat's ready!" Lex called out to all of them. "Come on! On it! We can be safe on that now."
But Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben were all struck by the powerful Black Lanterns and Exterminators in that time, all dying too, increasing the grief.
Even the fast speedsters were struggling in all this chaos, but now started moving everyone they could towards Lex's big lifeboat that hovered a few feet above the ground, and had facilities to make sure people lived even without any oxygen.
A determined light shone in Steve's eye as he rose up, glowing Green and Blue once more. "All of you, GO!"
"No, Steve!" Bucky cried out to him.
"Steve no!" Diana called as well.
"Do not do this!" Boromir begged.
"Steve…" Natasha whispered.
"Cap", Tony tried to call him back.
"Steven, come back!" Aragorn screamed as well.
"Please…." Superman said too.
"No", Kal sighed, not wanting to lose Steve again.
But Steve did not listen, and with the power of both Lanterns, charged Anti-Monitor, giving him many punches and kicks, but he did not even budge.
"Steven, please come back", Garuda called out as well, bringing more people to Lex's lifeboat now.
Anti-Monitor then grabbed Steve and hurled him to the other side, making him slide away, but Steve flew back at him, only for Anti-Monitor to toss him down once more.
With a roar, Steve flew up, and dodged two blasts from Anti-Monitor before punching him in the gut with literally all of his power, and this seemed to affect him a bit at least.
Then, Steve continued trying to strike Anti-Monitor with his powers, as Anti-Monitor defended before Steve got behind him and struck him with many replica Mjolnirs from both Rings, and it affected him a bit again.
But next moment, Anti-Monitor punched Steve, making him fly off and spit blood, before giving him an uppercut that sent him flying up, and then he fired a powerful blast of anti-matter and Beyonder's power which completely consumed Steve.
"NOOOOOOO!" Bucky, Diana, Boromir, Natasha, the Supermen, and many more screamed in utter horror and grief, as Garuda looked down sadly, before sensing something.
Uatu, who too was transporting the Heroes to Lex's lifeboat, sensed it, while grieving Steve.
There were three heads in the sky now, golden heads, belonging to a golden body, and seeing that made even Anti-Monitor freeze.
Then, two giant hands popped in, grabbing the remaining 24 Paragons along with Garuda, and took them away.
"Who is that?" Caroline asked in utter fear.
"The Living Tribunal", Strange recognized him. "Here to rescue us."
And then the Living Tribunal disappeared with the Paragons, Garuda, and all of their Gifts as well as the Cosmic Egg of the Phoenix Force, while the rest were all on Lex's lifeboat.
The anti-matter consumed the Universe, and came upon the boat, only for it to rather form a shield around the boat instead.
"See? Using its own power to protect this", Lex told all of them as the lifeboat floated away into utter darkness, and left the destroyed Universe behind.
Suddenly, Lex seemed to glow with a bright light, which made him scream as he raised his arms to either side, and then, he was back to normal.
"What just happened to you?" Dawn asked Lex, as he looked at himself, rubbing his chest.
"I've no idea", Lex said.
"Stephen!" Clea gasped, holding her baby in her hands. "Where is he?"
"Many didn't make it", Big Blue said, wiping his tears, holding his own son's hand as well.
"So few of us are left now", Lois muttered, crying.
Charles looked ahead with a grim look of grief, and said. "We have lost it all now."
"Indeed", Uatu looked down in tears.
Doctor Doom was in the Realm of the Beyonders now, and Stephen opened a portal, appearing behind him.
"What are you doing?" Stephen asked him.
"Saving what can be saved", Doom told him, and, to Stephen's shock, Doom held up what looked like the Cosmic Cube itself.
"But this was destroyed!" Stephen cried out.
"I picked up the shards after all of you were gone", Doom revealed. "And then, created something even more powerful, using my magic and technology."
"What have you done?" Stephen inquired.
Doctor Doom simply stared ahead. "All ends with Doom."
The Beyonders appeared as one demanded. "Who are you and how dare you enter our Realm?"
"I am Doctor Doom, and I shall have your power", Doctor Doom declared, while they glowed with great power, making Stephen look away.
But Doom did not flinch.
"Insolent fool!" One more Beyonder cried out, only for the Cube to glow, as energy tendrils came out of it, and struck every single Beyonder present in the Realm.
To their horror, all of them screamed in pain, their power being drained now into Doom's Cube, and then it passed to him.
Stephen watched as Doom rose into the air, as the color of his cloak and armor all turned into silver now, with golden pauldrons.
He was getting all of their power now, and said. "Now I shall save you from the Crisis."
And Stephen knew that whatever Doom was doing, he believed it'd save them from the Crisis for sure.
Thor Odinson was in the darkness. Lost. And alone. There was no one else here. Just him. With his ax.
He had lost everything now. He was the God of None. He was just a failure now who couldn't save anyone.
Stormbreaker dropped from his hand as he fell to his knees, and started crying.
Notes:
And with that, this devastating chapter is over, though hope Jean with the Phoenix Force against the Anti-Monitor was enjoyed.
Steve is gone as well, in spite of being a Paragon. RIP to him.
And outside of the other 24 Paragons and Garuda, we have some survivors, here you go-
Earth-1- Sara, Roy, Cisco, Caitlin, Patty, Nyssa, Deathstroke, Bruce and Catwoman.
Earth-3- Joan.
Earth-24- Pavitr.
Earth-29- Klaus, Rebekah, Bonnie, Stefan, Enzo, Hayley, Hope, Alaric, Jo and Lizzie.
Earth-38- Lena and Diana.
Earth-63- River Song, Amy, Rory, Donna, Wilf, Shaun, Harkness, Martha, Mickey, Adiola and August.
Earth-90- Allen.
Earth-91- Sarah Connor and John Connor.
Earth-92- Spike, Faith, Dawn, Buffy, Cordelia, Lorne, Fred, Connor, Miss Kitty Fantastico and Dragon Cordelia.
Earth-93- Big Blue, Lois-93, their Superboy, Jonathan and Martha.
Earth-96- Jason.
Earth-98- Leo, Henry, Wyatt and Chris.
Earth-167- Lois, Ollie, Chloe, Lex, Bart, Tess, Jones, Kara, Knight, Wonder Woman, Dinah, Grayson, Barbara, Mia and Martha.
Universe-502- Mal, Inara, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Simon, River and Book.
Earth-2002- MJ, Clea, and her baby with Stephen.
Earth-2010- Dave, Veronica and Becky.
Earth-2011- Miles.
Earth-2012- Peter, Felicia, Betty Brant and Johnny Blaze.
Earth-10005- Charles, Erik and Maximoff.
Earth-199999- Tony, Banner, Bucky, Parker, May, Betty Ross, Pepper, baby Morgan, Pietro, Gwen, Elektra, Jessica, Fitz, Simmons, Bobbi, Hunter, Storm, Rogue, Bobby, Kitty, Blade, Whistler, Johnny Blaze, Robbie Reyes, Laura Barton, Lila, Cooper, Nathaniel, Guinevere and Devil Dinosaur.
Arda- Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Arwen, Faramir, Eowyn, Elboron, Eomer, Lothiriel, Rosie Cotton, Elanor and Frodo Gamgee.
Uatu the Watcher lives too and is on the lifeboat with them.
Earth-50 has no survivors except for Prince who is a Paragon(the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker crew, especially Eagly, were very hard to kill for me), and Earth-2016 also has no survivors except for Wade who is in Hell with Lucifer to comfort his best friend.
These are those on the lifeboat. Obviously Thor lives too but he is alone in the darkness.
Stephen as well but he was with Doctor Doom, also alive, when Doom took out the Beyonders.
So now, these are all who survived this stuff. RIP to the rest of them.
And hope the Gifts to the Paragon made sense, thank you to Brainstorm Sorcerer, Stand with Ward and Queen and Marcus S. Lazarus for their help with that.
Now time for the next chapter people.
Chapter 13: Enlightenment
Summary:
The Paragons and survivors find themselves in a strange world, while Thor is taught some important lessons by someone he did not expect.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more, and to Marcus S. Lazarus for a suggestion.
Enjoy this one.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thor was in the dark. Alone. All alone. No one else around him. Just him, with Stormbreaker, his ax, which was an empathic weapon yes, but not something he could make conversation with either.
The loneliness and failure, it was all weighing upon him, heavier than any planet or Universe could be, and he could not take it. He had failed everyone.
All were gone, yet he was still here, alive. Why?
He let out a loud and powerful roar of pure rage, and the thunder and lightning all echoed through the Void.
Lex and all the survivors were on the shaking lifeboat as the Anti-Monitor's destruction washed over them all. And then, it was all quiet, nothing happening, as they wondered what was going on.
They seemed to stop somewhere too.
"What's it now?" Tony asked with a hoarse voice.
Lex deactivated the safety procedures, and opened the doors, to find themselves on some sort of planet.
"What the fuck?" Blade wondered. "I thought all of these were gone."
"Perhaps this one still remains", Johnny noted. "Which would mean not for long."
"But what world can this be?" Blaze wondered. "It just doesn't feel like a normal planet to me."
"Maybe we should find out then", Stefan suggested, all of them holding the children close, when suddenly a figure hovered in the sky above them, before landing.
All were surprised to see who he was.
"Stephen?" Clea called out to her husband, but they all saw his face, and she could tell, he was much more haunted than he ever had been before.
He was now wearing black and red robes, the chest emblem more emphasized than before.
Stephen ignored everyone else, seeing his wife and baby first. "Clea…Junior…."
He rushed forth to them, engulfing them both as he and Clea shared soft kiss after soft kiss at the reunion, but Stephen was really, really emotional. He then looked at his son with tears, kissing his forehead.
"His name's Oniri…." Clea reminded with a teary smile.
"But I call him Junior", Stephen said, making both of them let out a watery chuckle. "Wong…."
The mood dropped. "He's gone."
Stephen shook from his sobbing, and caressed her face. "I thought I'd lost both of you."
Clea kissed him, assuring him she was here, before she said. "Last anyone saw you, you were going to follow Doom."
"Yea, so what happened, mate?" Spike asked as well.
Bucky revealed in a quivering tone. "The Anti-Monitor, he...killed Steve...then everything was just gone."
Diana was in tears as well.
"You don't know?" Stephen stared at them, as they nervously looked at each other. "The Anti-Monitor's attack on Earth-10005, that was eight years ago."
"How...how...what?" Wonder Woman asked in shock.
"Bloody hell!" Everyone who was English said together.
"How's that possible?" Buffy asked.
"If that was eight years ago, and you're here, does that mean we won?" Dawn now asked.
"No, we survived."
"This might be circling back to before, but how is this possible?" Parker asked now.
"Yeah, its all confusing", Cordelia had to say too.
"We were saved...by Doom."
Thor was now flying through the Void at full speed, his hands to his front, with him holding his ax in his right hand as well, looking down, and to his sides, everywhere pretty much, trying to find any signs of life he could here.
But there was nothing. No one. No soul. Not even a little whisper. It was just him with his ax, all alone in the dark.
The God of None. A failure!
The Paragons, along with Garuda and their Gifts were all suddenly dropped off in a desolate, grey sand, and there was a sun in the sky, but nowhere else in sight.
"Where are we now?" Freya asked, also thinking about the others.
"No idea", Tara told her. "But it does look like a world."
"Perhaps this one was untouched", Aragorn noted, wiping his face.
"But it just…" Strange trailed off. "Feels different."
"Now", Willow turned to Strange. "Tell us exactly, what was that thing that saved us?"
Natasha, Clint, Wanda, Kal and Superman were silent, still thinking of Steve.
Strange told them who it was. "The Living Tribunal represents the judgment of The One Above All, The Presence, you know, God."
"Guess someone really is looking out for us." Caroline said as they looked at Matt, who was holding up his hands up to his face.
"Matt?" Prince now asked.
"I...I can see...everything." Matt gasped to his own and everyone else's shock as his eyes glowed red. "We have incoming!"
Their shock was put aside, only to increase as they saw dozens and dozens of people dressed like Thor, and wielding hammers identical to Mjolnir.
All looked different. One was older, another was a werewolf, another was a tree which said "I am Thor", and one had a boar's head, but all resembled each other, humanoid in appearance with blonde hair, the outfit and helmet, and the armors.
"By the authority granted to us by the God Emperor Doom, we order you to stand down."
"...oh this can't be good."
"It is not", Garuda said grimly.
"Well then, time to try out our new gifts."
"So, what is this place exactly?" Tess asked Stephen, as he paced around to explain.
"This world is called Battleworld", Stephen explained to all of them here. "A combination of worlds saved by Doom and mashed together with survivors to create a new Kingdom."
"Why didn't he just restore everything then?" Faith then asked.
"The worlds destroyed by the anti-matter were all lost, but those destroyed by the Exterminators, Black Lanterns and Anti-Monitor's new power from the Beyonders, they were restored and united with the rest and hence, Battleworld was born." Stephen told all of them. "First, it was chaotic, locked in war, but Doom brought order, and turned the remnants of these realities into domains. He became the God-Emperor of this world."
Stephen conjured a map of the world and put it down, showing the divisions to them as Bonnie asked. "These are the domains?"
"Indeed they are", Stephen nodded. "Each one of them is ruled by a baron or baroness appointed by Doom's blessing, and the borders of each kingdom are clearly defined, travel between them discouraged. It's a crime and would result in intervention by the Thor Corps."
"What are Thor Corps now?" Rebekah asked, rubbing her face.
"The police force of this world", Stephen said. "They consist of multiple men and women across Battleworld who are proven worthy to lift Mjolnir in a ceremony held in the halls of Doomgard. They're under direct command of Doom, and filled with every possible being you can imagine, from werewolves to trees"
"I am wondering what is worse, Hell or this world", Klaus now wondered.
"Hell no doubt", Johnny told him immediately.
"As long as the resolute laws of Doom are followed, each baron or baroness has complete control over their province. Disputes between domains are resolved in the court of Castle Doom, before Doctor Doom himself", Stephen gestured to himself, "and I, Sherriff Stephen Strange, acts as prosecutor and judge."
"What?" Clea asked in horror. "How? Like…."
"Now how did this happen?" Leo inquired.
"Doom", Stephen simply said, and that explained everything.
"Wow, this place is something", Harkness commented.
"No kidding", Mal sighed. "What a world! And he's God here! Now he's even got you under him!"
"I as Sherriff keep the peace, and the Executioner ensures it", Stephen explained. "But all of us are subservient to our God, Doom."
"This can't be…" Clea said in disbelief, seeing her husband like this.
"He is a Deity here, but he once sentenced the rebel Johnny Storm to be punished, the penalty being left to his Susan Storm, who lifted him into the sky and he became the sun", Stephen said, and all of them looked up at the sun in horror and shock.
"That's Johnny?" Charles asked, pointing at him.
"Yes."
"What the…?" Erik trailed off.
"The legend of 'the Man in the Sun' has inspired people to worship Johnny as a Deity too."
"What is even this place?" Tony wondered too.
Strange opened the Book of Vishanti, and read through it, before casting a Vishanti Protection Spell on all of them, including the stronger ones, magic circles appearing underneath them, symbols floating around them, and astral armor covering them all.
"Neat", Angel said, looking at himself.
The Thor Corps used their hammers to strike with lightning as all took cover, and Willow looked through the Atharva Veda before chanting a mantra, which formed a barrier, through which the lightning couldn't go, and the weaker ones like Freya, Caroline, Tara, Piper, Paige, Frodo, Sam and Natasha were all behind her now.
Frodo wore his Ring of Gyges, Sam put on the Cap of Invisibility, and Natasha put on the Cloak of Invisibility, and all three turned invisible, the Thor Corps looking around in confusion.
Strange held up the Book of Vishanti as a Mjolnir was thrown at him, and the book deflected it, while Kal had the Belt of Strength on, and flew at one Thor Corp, managing to punch him away by a few feet.
Another struck his face with Mjolnir, but, while affected, the magic did not damage him, because the Belt had doubled his strength and durability, and combined with Strange's spell, it actually made him immune to magic.
"Huh?" He muttered as the Corp made to strike again, but Kal grabbed his wrist and head-butted him, then threw him off.
Aragorn dodged the tree Thor's swing as he said again. "I am Thor."
"I understood the first time", Aragorn said, blocking with his own Mjolnir, causing a small explosion of lightning before slicing this one with Nandaka, drawing sap as it gasped, and Aragorn struck it with Mjolnir as it was sent flying off.
Superman was struck on the chest by one more's Mjolnir, but the magic did not damage him, and as the Corp was about to strike again, Superman blitzed into him, sending him flying off into the sky. "Guess the Ark does help us after all."
Two more Corps flew towards Willow's barrier when Tara held up the Padma, and shone in a divine light while hovering in the air, which made these two cover their eyes and look away, and then Clint and Oliver just drew their bowstrings of the Sharanga and Gandiva respectively, which made arrows appear out of thin air.
"What….." Clint was in shock.
"Wow!" Oliver said too.
They fired those arrows at the two Corps and they were struck, falling down in pain, as the two looked at their divine bows in shock.
Clint now asked. "Can I keep this?"
"I've the same thoughts", Oliver said too.
Prince dodged one more Mjolnir when Batman, wearing the Helmet of Athena, told her. "Your lightning can counter his as well."
Prince nodded, and as the Corp fired lightning, Prince used the Thunderbolt to fire one back, and the lightning seemed to clash before there was a small explosion of lightning that sent the Corp falling back.
Kal dodged one more Corp's swing, then grabbing his cape, threw him down, breaking the ground, while Wanda held out Gungnir at one more, and the blast of power from it sent the Corp to her knees as well.
Freya hovered with her Feather Cloak, looking at the whole battle. "Now this is a mess."
Matt snuck up behind one Corp who was trying to attack Strange, and sliced him with Hofund, making him gasp and fall to his knees in pain, before Matt flipped back, while Angel leapt at another engaging Superman and hit her on the face with the Kaudomaki, the power of the weapon making her fall down with a broken nose.
Wanda struck another one with Gungnir's power, making him gasp in pain before hurling him away with her powers.
Spider-Man held out Sun Wukong's Staff. "Let's see how this works." He aimed it, and it elongated, striking one Corp right on the head as he was knocked out now. "Wow!"
Garuda sliced one Corp's face, before kicking him away effortlessly.
Logan had put the Cosmic Egg down, and wore the Gauntlets of Ares, using those to leap and punch one Corp as his claws popped out and he sliced that one's chest as well.
The Doctor slammed the Dagda's Staff, the shockwave taking another Corp down, when King Arthur leapt at one more with his Spear of Longinus, and stabbed him through the chest, making him cough out blood while Arthur pulled the spear out, and the Corp fell down before Arthur sliced another on the chest with Excalibur.
Suddenly, something crashed on the ground, the dust kicking up, and faded to reveal Clark Kent of Earth-50, now having Kryptonian armor around him, with the House of El Symbol on his chest.
"Kal-El!" Prince cried out happily.
"Clark…." Kal and Superman trailed off.
The Thor Corps bowed to him. "Executioner."
Now that shocked them all as Tara wondered. "Executioner?"
Frodo, Sam and Natasha became visible again as Frodo asked. "Does he lead them?"
"Seems like it, Mr. Frodo", Sam agreed.
"This is no normal world", Natasha said.
"Stand down", Clark ordered, his eyes blazing red, "or face execution."
Caroline held up the mirror towards Clark, then pointed it at herself as it still glowed brightly. "But…..you're a good person….how are you…"
Clark suddenly charged and punched Kal, sending him off, and Kal noted he was much stronger than before. "Huh?"
Clark charged him again as Kal barely dodged, the ground breaking, and he kicked Clark from behind, making him roll away, before he turned around, firing Heat Vision, and Kal fired back, the Heat Vision causing a small explosion as both staggered back.
Superman flew at Clark and threw him up, blocking a punch from him before dodging a kick. "Clark, snap out of it!"
"Face execution!" Clark grabbed Superman's throat and hurled him downwards, before Kal rammed into him as he was sent flying up, and then Kal came behind him, kicking him into Superman who interlocked his fists and hit his head, throwing him down, but he recovered, and the fight was on.
"Steve….." Diana suddenly cried. "He's gone….." She looked at Stephen. "And he was a Paragon, so, how…..?"
Stephen chanted something, and Lex seemed to glow. "You…."
"Me? What?" Lex asked.
"When Mar-Novu brought you back, he did something to you, to siphon the energy of a Paragon", Stephen said, shocking all of them again.
"Of course he did", Uatu scoffed in anger. "He wanted to make Lex a Paragon."
"But it only worked when one died", Stephen noted. "So when Steve was gone, his Paragon energy passed to you."
"Does that mean…..?" Lex looked at himself. "I'm the Paragon of Leadership now?"
Stephen nodded as Kara muttered. "This is a nightmare."
Suddenly, Stephen sensed the battle and said. "A battle is going on here, and the other Paragons have come."
"They're here?" Tony asked in surprise, and got a nod. "Hell yes!"
"All those who're weaker or with children, go to Isle of Agamotto", Stephen opened a portal, and everyone from Earth-63 except Song and Harkness went into it, along with Leo, Henry and the babies, Alaric and his kids, Klaus giving Hope to him as well, and Lorne and Fred went in with Miss Kitty Fantastico, Parker and May parting ways too, and Lois-93 with their Jonathan and Martha, as well as Martha-167, Joan, Jason, Guinevere, MJ with Oniri who Clea gave to her, Betty Brant, Pepper with baby Morgan, Betty Ross, Becky, Laura with her children, and Rosie with her children, along with Faramir and Eowyn with Elboron, went into it.
"Let's go", Stephen told the rest.
"Wait, my suit is about to be complete", Tony said, working on it. "So I'm staying till then."
"Very well", Stephen shrugged, as Lex put on the Lexosuit.
Tony used his Endo-Sym covered nanotech hand to place the Time Stone in an armor slot while yelling to Lex. "Don't think the end of the Multiverse won't stop me from filing copyright infringement."
"Really, Tony?"
"I made armored exoskeletons cool, now suddenly everyone gets one? A billionaire genius at that? Absolutely."
Kal managed to throw Superman down again, and as he got up, Piper had the Girdle of Aphrodite on, and said. "Please, stop fighting. Can we just talk about this all?"
That made Clark pause a bit finally, and a portal opened as Stephen walked out with the survivors.
"Stefan!" Caroline immediately ran to him as they shared a loving kiss, and she hugged Bonnie and Enzo as well.
"Alaric, Jo and Lizzie are here and fine", Stefan assured her before looking at Piper and Paige. "Leo and Henry are here with Wyatt and Chris too."
They sighed in relief, as Willow and Tara hugged Dawn. "Oh Dawnie!" They embraced the rest too, as Spike said. "Your cat's fine with Fred and Lorne."
"Thank you", both said, Freya and Erik kissing passionately, not wanting to let go, but finally parted, as she embraced her family as well.
"Little Hope is safe", Rebekah told her.
Angel and Cordelia too shared a kiss.
The Doctor and Song kissed each other, and he shared a nod with Harkness who said. "The rest are all safe too."
Kal shared a loving kiss with Lois, as she told him. "Your mom is safe." She looked at Superman. "And your son too. They're all safe."
He nodded as well, reuniting with the rest of the Justice League, while Parker and Wanda kissed now, hugging each other, as Peter hugged Spider-Man, with Parker, Gwen and Pavitr, and then Peter told him. "MJ is safe as well."
"Good to know", he said, Knight, Bruce Catwoman and Batman sharing a nod, while Oliver and Sara too hugged and kissed.
"Ollie!"
"Sara!"
Oliver hugged Roy as well, and the other ones from Earth-1.
Logan embraced Storm, Rogue, Bobby and Kitty one by one, before kissing Sarah and putting an arm around John.
Matt and Elektra shared a loving kiss as well as he hugged Jessica too. "Good to see you."
"Good to see you too", he told them both, holding up Hofund. "With this sword, I can actually see." He looked at Elektra. "And you're the most beautiful woman ever."
She was stunned with wide eyes, then kissed his lips, before parting. "Wow!"
Arthur embraced Lena who told him. "Guinevere is all right as well."
"Hey", Strange waved to Stephen. "Part of this world?"
"Yeah", Stephen said with a sigh.
"Clint, your family is safe here too", Banner assured him, Clint nodding as they hugged.
Aragorn and Arwen shared a kiss as well, as Boromir told him. "Faramir, Eowyn and Elboron are all right."
He nodded, as Frodo and Sam hugged Merry and Pippin, Merry telling Sam. "Your wife and children are all right too, Sam."
Sam sighed in relief.
All seemed to be quite traumatized and grieving too, over all lost, and seemed to be about to break down, when Paige took out one Seed, and held it up, as a mystical essence flowed from it to everyone's heads, making them feel better mentally now.
"There will be time for mourning and other emotions, but later", Paige told all of them.
Stephen now looked at Clark who said. "You know what will happen if we do not do our duty."
"Things have changed, Clark", Stephen tried to reason with him.
"Nothing has changed! Doom rules all! You know better than anyone what that means."
Then, Matt's senses didn't even pick it up before a flash occured, and there he was, clad in silver body armor with a white cloak and hood.
God Emperor Doom!
It was tense as they now stared at the new version of Doom, while the Thors, Sheriff, and Executioner knelt before him, Clea watching her husband sadly.
Lex's eyes were wide in horror on seeing Doom now, especially this powerful.
"Damn!" Strange muttered.
Kal, Superman, Big Blue, Maximoff, Bart, Pietro and Allen all shared looks, and then they sped at Doom, trying to get him.
Only, when they were inches apart, Doom flicked his fingers and all of the Paragons and survivors were laid out, groaning in pain, only Garuda not affected due to being in the air at a distance and Doom not attacking him then.
But he'd laid out the rest. As easily as that.
Thor was now curled up, Stormbreaker floating off, while the God of Thunder wept, for he had lost it all now.
Loki, Sif, Valkyrie, Bill, Rebekah, Korg, Miek, Hercules, Ares, Surfer, Asgardia, Steve, the Avengers, Aragorn, and everyone else. All of them were gone, the entire Multiverse was completely gone now.
He was the last living thing in all of Creation, and he was a failure, he had failed the whole Multiverse and all those that he had cared about, so this was his punishment for it, being alone in the darkness forever.
Finally, Thor stood up, just standing straight while he floated in the dark, not knowing how long it had passed by now. Days, weeks, months, years, none of it mattered anymore to him in his grief.
There was no hope left for him, the sole survivor, the failure, the God of None who couldn't save anyone at all, and was unworthy of even his own life, yet he still lived while the others had all perished, because this was his eternal punishment for sure, and he knew it. He deserved it too, that's what he told himself, he deserved it for being such a failure.
Suddenly, a bright light shone behind Thor, and he turned around to find a figure glowing as brightly as a star.
Mahabharata 2013 Shanta Karam Bhujaga Shayanam plays
The figure was actually a peacock feather, he noted, and bright, divine light was coming from it.
Then, before his very eyes, the peacock feather transformed into a being, and Thor's eyes widened on seeing just who it was.
This being, he looked exactly like Lord Vishnu, except, his skin was not blue, rather a normal human color, and he only had two arms, with the peacock feather now upon his crown. There was a kind smile on his face.
But in spite of the different look, Thor could tell it was him only.
In disbelief, Thor said to him. "I thought you were all dead."
"Death, is not the end", he told Thor, before suddenly, the darkness was completely gone, and instead, they seemed to be in an empty field, it looked like a battleground, Thor noted, an ancient one, and there was a sky here as well.
"What is this?" Thor looked up at the sky, before looking at the being before him. "And you, you are-"
"I am Krishna", Lord Krishna finally introduced himself. "The eighth and complete incarnation of Vishnu."
Thor simply nodded glumly, absorbing the information, before asking. "So, why are you here? Have you survived as well?"
Krishna instead gave a smile, which seemed to confuse Thor. "Why are you smiling right now?" Seeing another with him after what felt like an eternity was a slight relief, but his behavior was definitely confusing the former King of Asgard right now.
Thor then sighed, looking down as Stormbreaker dropped next to him with a clatter. "I have failed everyone I ever cared about, and the entire Multiverse as well. All of them are gone now, nothing left, yet I remain, the God of None. A failure."
He looked at Krishna, whose expression was neutral right now, and Thor was still confused. Why was he not reacting? Why didn't he seem depressed as well?
If they were the only ones still alive and being punished now for their failure, why was Lord Vishnu/Lord Krishna so calm right now?
Then Krishna looked at Thor, and what he said next was a surprise for sure.
"Listen Thor, know the secret of life", Krishna spoke, making Thor tilt his head in confusion now. "Comprehend the actual form of Creation."
Now Thor wondered if this was part of his punishment too, being told all about life and Creation to increase his guilt and depression.
Well, he did deserve it.
Krishna told Thor. "Plunging your fist into the current of river Ganga won't give you anything. But if you dip a cupped palm into the current of river Ganga the holy water of Ganga can be raised to your lips", he then gestured to Thor's head. "Think, Thor. Is it a fist of ignorance or a cupped palm of sacrifice that you have assumed?"
As Thor simply listened, Krishna asked in a kind tone. "Can you comprehend this knowledge?" He gestured to the empty, ancient battlefield around them. "What is this Multiverse, Thor? Humans, Demons, Aliens, Celestials, Gods, Animals, Birds, Parasites, Insects, Fishes, Trees...all kinds of beings. How are all these created? What substance are they created from?"
He looked to Thor once more. "How do they function and how do they survive? How do they die? And what happens after death?... Ponder upon this secret."
Thor wanted to just break down and cry once more, but he knew this was his punishment, perhaps, as he answered these questions, he would be called out for all of his failures, and he deserved it all, he was going to accept it.
So, swallowing a lump in his throat with a quivering lip, Thor told Krishna what he knew, due to the knowledge he had from his own studies. "A being's body is made from dirt, Krishna. Water flows through it as blood and other humours, depending upon what kind of being it is, as long as it is a living one. Fire gives the body heat. And the blank voids in the body consist of Space. Therefore, Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Space... the body is created from these five base elements."
"Therefore, you, and all those destroyed, are nothing more than Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Space. The most learned scholars, and the vilest tyrants, the most powerful beings, and the weakest creatures, all comprise of these five base elements", Krishna held up his hand to show the number five, before gesturing down to the dirt on the ground, and the air around them, then the sky above. "We have all of those here as well, do we not?"
Thor couldn't get it still, wondering what Krishna was getting at. Wait, why was he thinking about this? All of this was part of his punishment to make him angrier and punish himself even more.
He asked. "But Krishna, it is through this body made of dirt that all beings assume their identities. All bonds are rooted in this body made of dirt."
Krishna shook his head. "No, Thor!" He then asked the former King. "If this were true then why is one's body destroyed after their death?" He revealed. "In reality neither is one's identity from their body nor are their relationships rooted in their body. One's behavior and their nature and their deeds are their identity."
Then Krishna asked. "How are behaviors, nature, and deeds even created?... Comprehend that, Thor. A being's life is a merely a harmony of visible and invisible entities, Thor. Yet every being's nature and their deeds seem to vary vastly. The reason for it is the three 'gunas', or factors, of nature. Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva."
While still considering this his punishment, Thor had to admit, now he was wanting to know more of what Krishna was telling him. His mind was still depressed and grieving, yet it was curious to know as well. So he inquired. "What are these three properties, Krishna?"
Krishna told him what all the three properties meant. "'Tamas' means darkness; spending one's life without presuming about good or bad is said to be 'tamas' oriented behavior. Just as birds and animals live. Solely to fulfill their body cravings. 'Sattva' means the light of knowledge; when a person, in every circumstance, thinks about justice, truth, and tradition before acting, then it is termed as 'sattva' oriented way of life. Amidst these two is such a person who does possess knowledge but he is also tethered to the desires of body and mind. Such a person lives with an arrogant mindset which means, 'rajas' oriented mindset. By the very balance of 'tamas', 'rajas', 'sattva' gunas a man's nature is determined." Then he asked. "Think of some of the people in your life, what gunas did you see in them?"
Thor thought about it, then said. "Before he redeemed himself, my own brother, he knew what was just, yet he did not act upon it, so he had less of 'tamas' and more of 'rajas' while 'sattva' was absent, then after he came back to the light, his mindset is a completely perfect balance of all three. I myself possessed sattva as well as rajas, while there are people like Captain Rogers, King Aragorn, King Arthur, and the Supermen, who possess nothing but only sattva in their whole lifetime."
Krishna nodded, agreeing, before telling Thor. "Think about some of your enemies as well, Thor. Like Doctor Doom. He possesses both knowledge and arrogance. Knowledge liberates people, but his arrogance won't let him attain liberation."
Now Thor was questioning everything he ever knew about the whole wide Multiverse, because what he was being told, it was something else entirely, nothing he had ever thought about ever.
"But Krishna, if a being's nature is the union of these three gunas, is a being's actions predestined? That a lion shall eat a gazelle and a gazelle is bound to fear a lion. Then why is justice vital and praised? Why do crimes need to be punished? What is the purpose of that?"
Krishna smiled, and told Thor. "A brilliant question, Thor! But first comprehend what a living being is. A being isn't just the union of the five base elements, not just five entities, five 'gyanendriyas', five 'karmendriyas', and three 'gunas'... not even just the union of 23 such entities." And then, Krishna revealed what it was. "In order for a being to walk around function, they need energy. And energy is termed as 'chetna'."
Now Thor inquired. "So Krishna, is a being comprised of 'chetana'?"
Krishna shook his head once more. "No, Thor. Along with a being's 'chetana' the union of those 23 entities is creation. Residing in this device called being made of 24 entities is a 'living being', which means a fragment of God. That is termed the soul. When the creation and living being become one, which means, when a fragment of God resides in one's body as a soul, that is when a being comes to life."
Thor's curiosity seemed to overpower his grief and depression now, as he inquired. "What is a soul, Krishna? And what is the means to comprehending it?"
Krishna told Thor. "Just as a living being uses a vehicle, similarly the soul uses this device called a body. Through the medium of a body it experiences the joys and sorrows of the body. But the soul is not the body, Thor. The body can be destroyed. But a soul cannot be destroyed, unless it has become too tainted and needs to be wiped out. Otherwise, a soul can neither be pierced by weapons, nor can it be burnt with fire. Nor can water render it weak, nor can the wind dry it. Even though a soul resides in the body it is immortal! Thor, a body can be killed but the soul cannot be killed unless the circumstances are completely different. A soul is omnipresent, intangible, stable, it is eternal. Just as a person discards old garments and wears new ones, the soul discards not just the body, but the world, and finds itself in a different realm, like Heaven, or Hell."
Thor then asked Krishna another doubt. "But Krishna, I experience the world through my body. Without understanding my very body, how can I understand my soul?"
Krishna paced around Thor with a smile and said to him. "Knowing oneself in the form of a soul isn't impossible either, Thor. Even the blind ones live, even the mute ones live, those who do not have hands or legs live too. It is clear that the body is not what makes a living being. The one who loses their energy or loses their consciousness lives as well. Therefore, it is clear that a being's unconscious form isn't the body either. The one who explores within themselves in this way...'I am neither the 'indriyaa', nor the body', 'Nor the feelings', 'Nor the thoughts', 'Now am I the knowledge'. The one who understands this finally understands themselves in the form of a soul."
Now Thor had another question due to how much this soul was being talked of. "What is the purpose of a soul, Krishna?"
"When the Creation was partitioned and when living beings and nature were created, then the being, that is the fragment of God became a soul and dwelled within every entity of creation", Krishna explained to him. "When the Multiverse and nature was created, God's fragment, the soul, dwelled within every entity of Creation. That soul was surrounded by desires and darkness, Thor. Awakening from that slumber of desire and understanding oneself as the fragment of God is the duty, purpose, and the goal of a soul."
But if that was the goal, why did they need to struggle for it? Thor now asked. "But Krishna, if every soul is a fragment of God, are progress and hindrance controlled by God Himself?"
Krishna smiled once more and explained to Thor. "Just as a jewel lying in dirt does not shimmer, similarly the soul that is surrounded by creation's 24 entities doesn't always know that it is the fragment of God. Very often souls assume that their bodies are everything. That they are different from the body itself, is never known to them. The joy, sorrow, smell, tastes, etcetera that the body senses, they assume them to be their experiences and they never strive for change. The souls that do not strive towards change and are consistently committing injustice, punishing them to awaken them is inevitable. You better comprehend this as well, Thor, that you are not a body, but a mere soul. Everyone you have known; they too are souls. Their bodies may have died, but they are still immortal, and the souls will go where they belong, if they choose to, they can even assume their old bodies, or even new bodies, once more. It all depends on if they know themselves as pure souls and if they give up injustice and imbibe justice into themselves."
And, Krishna finished this bit up. "This is the first lesson of 'bramha vidya', Thor. The one who is born shall surely die. And the one who dies shall surely move somewhere else. This great knowledge is called the 'sankya yoga'."
Thor nodded, looking down at the dirt, processing what Krishna had told him, about the soul, the living being, the purpose, and how the soul was immortal unless it was too tainted by injustice it had committed.
And that made him ask his next question. "What are justice and injustice, Krishna?"
Krishna had a smile once more, for he had estimated this to be Thor's next question, especially considering the life he had tread.
"The path treading which a being sees themselves as a soul and knows themselves to be fragment of God, that path is called justice. When a being knows themselves to be a fragment of God, they have an epiphany that Creation is God and God is Creation. There is no difference between Creation and God! The being who comprehends this isn't cruel and harsh towards other beings of any kind. They know that amputating an organ causes pain not just to that organ. The pain is experienced by the entire body. Similarly, when one being feels pain, the entire world experiences that pain. As long as even a single being is suffering in this world, no one can feel true pleasure to the fullest until then. When upon knowing this a being's mind is filled with compassion, it is called justice. When one is under the influence of 'tamas' 'guna', they become harsh, cruel, and selfish towards others. Just for the sake of their perceived pleasure, they inflict sorrow upon others. They cannot grow closer towards God. Therefore, injustice is the path that leads away from God."
Thor picked up something else from this, and considering his own life, he was now wondering, so he asked. "Therefore, injustice is another name for ignorance. So, one needs to feel pity towards an ignorant one. What is the purpose of punishment?"
"When an ignorant one is unwilling to know the value of knowledge and is unwilling to even glance at knowledge then punishment is compassion even towards them and towards others as well. For the Creation's progress to be always towards God is inevitable! But at times situations arise when ignorance, desire and injustice grow and justice in the world is at the brink of extinction and the world is devoid of justice, compassion and truth are both destroyed. In order for the forthcoming generation to get justice, slaying unjust ones becomes inevitable", Krishna explained to Thor. "And you too had this duty to establish justice. Which is why you battled against evil."
Yet, now having lost everything, Thor wasn't sure of anything he had ever done now. "But Krishna, murders occurred at my hands. Lives were ended by me, would it not have destroyed the compassion within me? And if compassion is the basis of justice, did it not make my soul unjust?"
Krishna at that point explained. "The limit of justice is surely created. But the limit of action isn't created, Thor. The difference between actions and deeds is necessary to be understood. All deeds are actions, but all actions aren't deeds. A deed is an action for which an outcome is expected. When one carries out a deed expecting pleasure, wealth, and praise, they are bound by the outcome of that action. When a deed is performed with an expectation of an outcome, it is called 'sakam karma yoga'. And when a deed is carried out without expecting an outcome, it is called 'nishkaam karma yoga'. This is the very reason people end up unhappy. In reality a person isn't bound by a deed, the expectations linked to that deed is what binds them."
"How so, Krishna?" Thor asked now.
Krishna gave Thor an important example. "Imagine if you hope for victory against the Crisis you shall feel immense sorrow upon defeat. And that sorrow shall compel you to do something else which shall not ease your sorrow. If you are victorious, your arrogance shall grow. And that arrogance shall also not keep your mind at ease, and you shall not be happy. Think about it! If in battle you have no desire to win and have no fear of losing, would you feel bliss or sorrow at the end of this war?"
Thor immediately answered the question. "Neither bliss, Krishna, nor sorrow."
Krishna now pointed out to him. "Therefore, your bliss, sorrow, hopelessness, disappointment, arrogance aren't due to the conflict. The expectations that you have from the conflict are what cause them. Is it not true, Thor? Holding joys and sorrow as equal without thinking of gain, loss, victory, or defeat if you engage in the battle O' Son of Odin and Frigga you shall not bear any sins. This is called 'karma yoga'. The one who attains the knowledge of 'saankhya' realizes the fact that they aren't a body but a mere soul. That the bliss and experience of the body are only until death. And therefore, aren't real, but just illusions. For them becoming a 'karma yogi' becomes easier."
At that point, Thor asked another important question. "But, Krishna, if deeds are meant to be restrained isn't it wise to renounce this world and embrace sainthood?"
"Such thinking is the reason for injustice, Thor", Krishna said to him now. "Ponder over it. When the ones who possess all 'gunas' and know justice yet give up the deeds then injustice always grows. Yet, the sad truth is that the virtuous ones benefit the world, but a good number of them have embraced sainthood. Just as water drifts away as steam and dirt keeps lying right there, similarly the virtuous and learned ones give up the world and unjust ones possessed by 'tamas' function in the world. This is the reason sins and injustice grow in the world. But 'karma yoga' protects this world from this bizarre situation! A 'karma yogi' gives up expectations of an outcome but not the deeds themselves. They stay in this very world like a saint. They perform all actions but do not lose themselves in one. A 'karma yogi' expects nothing from their children, from their dear ones, and even their subjects at all. They themselves reap the benefits of sainthood. But they benefit the world like a familial head."
Thor had another important question now. "So, shall we not have hopes and expectations from what we do?"
"If you think deeply Thor, you shall realize soon that there is no deed in life to which linking hopes and expectations is inevitable. When the Creation is God and being is a fragment of God all actions are caused by God Himself. A being does nothing on their own. This is the base principle of 'karma yoga', Thor. Hence it is necessary that you become a 'karma yogi' and do what needs to be done, Thor. By giving up three 'gunas' be free of them, Thor. Be free of this dilemma! Always think of 'sattva' which is the Lord Himself and continue with your duties. The desire to achieve something and the thought of defeating something that was achieved must be given up, Thor, and liberate your soul. Remember, Thor, your right is only to commit deeds. The outcome relies on the Lord. Therefore, neither is it right to run from deeds nor is it right to expect a return for your deeds."
Now Thor inquired. "The one who gives up on outcomes but does not give up deeds, how can such a 'karma yogi' be recognized, Krishna?"
Krishna pointed out to him. "Look, Thor, the one who gives up food just to escape its taste, in reality the craving for taste never leaves their mind. They face a twofold loss. For one they become weak due to which the inevitable effort of attaining the Lord cannot be done by them. And secondly their mind is always full of craving for taste. Hence rather than giving up food, one better give up the craving for taste itself. A 'karma yogi' draws out all cravings in their mind. They accept life as their duty and do their functions. But they are never in harmony with their actions. And Thor, the one who has no hopes and expectations from their actions are the ones whose motives are fulfilled."
The explanation continued. "The one whose mind doesn't falter even after one failure, the one who doesn't think they are the most superior after one success, such a person is called a 'karma yogi'. And such a person succeeds in life repeatedly. Wishes arise out of expectations of outcome and it is a characteristic of wishes to stay unfulfilled. Unfulfillment gives rise to anger and anger gives rise to desire. Due to desire a person forgets the knowledge of behavior and interactions. Loss of knowledge causes loss of virtue. Inappropriate actions take place and the society becomes an enemy of such a person. And in the end such a person meets complete downfall. Like for your sister Hela, who was imprisoned, and then destroyed upon return. Thor, dutifulness is the second step towards the divine knowledge. Strengthen your faith in the Almighty. Know your own self. Break free from the shackles of bondage. Sacrifice the desire of the outcome and do only your duty."
Now Thor asked. "By strengthening my faith in the Almighty how can I become dutiful?"
Krishna told Thor. "Thor, due to 'sankhya yoga' a being keeps reminiscing the Almighty. Reminiscing the Almighty gives birth to a sense of submission and this sense is called devotion. Devotion enlightens a being about what is right and wrong. And that knowledge gives them a glimpse of the Almighty. The one who gets a glimpse of the Almighty, they become the most dutiful. They are freed from it all and it is easier for them to attain their salvation. That is the ultimate aim of all souls and the pinnacle of righteousness."
At that point, Thor inquired. "But how will I submit without a glimpse of the Almighty, Krishna?
Krishna told Thor just how. "To get a glimpse of the Almighty, get rid of greed, pride, anger, and prejudice. If a person sitting in a dark room says that they want to see the sun, what will you suggest to them? Won't you tell them to come out of the room and stand under an open sky? Sun is already present there! Similarly, Thor, this Multiverse is the Almighty. The Almighty is everything. Nothing else other than Him. The one who sees their soul sees the Almighty. Like the taste of a single granule of salt is indifferent from the taste of the ocean, similarly, a soul is indifferent from the Supreme Soul."
And now it hit Thor. Krishna, who knew all of this, and was explaining it to him so well, so calmly, he followed all of it.
If he followed all of it, then that could only mean one thing.
So, Thor asked the big question now. "That means, Krishna, are you the Almighty?"
Krishna gave Thor an all-knowing smile, which was answer enough, but he spoke still. "Yes Thor. I am the Almighty. Just like you are. But you aren't enlightened about it unlike me."
Thor asked the follow-up question. "So Krishna, why isn't submission before you regarded as submission before God?"
Krishna replied to him. "Absolutely. Submission before me is submission before the Almighty. Sacrifice everything and seek my refuge, Thor. I am the Multiverse. I am present in every aspect of the Multiverse. I am the Suns and I am the Moons. I am present in all the constellations and planets. I am more ancient than the Suns and as new as blossoming flowers. I am all of the races. I am the power that creates Heaven and Hell. I am Anti-Monitor. I am Odin. And I am Thor too."
"How is that possible, Krishna?" Thor now asked. "I knew my father. And I know myself. How can we be you as well?"
"When you were saving people from the Crisis, you weren't just doing that", Krishna pointed out to Thor. "You were also making a plan to stall and defeat Annihilus at the same time, and other such ideas. Which means while part of you does one thing, another part does another, correct?"
"Of course."
"So you understand the idea, now take it and multiply it by infinity, and you will only get a glimpse of what I speak of."
Thor nodded, then asked. "And how you can be ancient and modern at the same time?"
Krishna pointed out. "You are seeing the body and I talk of the soul. I have been born innumerable times, Thor. I have many avatars. I have taken up many forms and have died right here! And I will take many births in the future as well when the time arises. Whenever righteousness is harmed, whenever the evil raises its hood, in order to rescue the righteous, to annihilate the evil and to re-establish righteousness, I'll take birth. This has happened in every age and will continue to happen in future, as well."
Then, he declared a shloka in Sanskrit which was what he'd just said. "यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य| ग्लानीं भवति भरत | अभ्युत्थानम् अधर्मस्य| तदात्मनम् श्रीजाम्यहम् | परित्राणाय सौधुनाम् | विनशाय च दुष्कृताम् | धर्मसंस्था पन्नार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे |"
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
"I am the Almighty! I was the Matsya avatar and the Vamana avatar. I am Parashurama and I was Lord Rama, and I was also the Buddha! I am Brahma, Vishnu, And Mahesh! And I am Saraswati, Parvati, and Lakshmi, as well. I am Odin, I am Frigga, Bor, Buri, Loki, Sif, Heimdall, Valkyrie, Thor. I am Hades, and Persephone, and I am also the Dagda, Sun Wukong, the Kami, the Ennead, and I am all of the Valar and the Valier. I am Archangel Michael in Heaven, and also Lucifer the Devil in Hell. I am neither male nor female nor a transgender. I am neither the body nor its parts. I am knowledge, creation, reason, and eternal!" He gestured around them. "I am everything!" Then he looked at Thor. "Yet, I am nothing! This has happened in every age and this will happen in future, as well. When you reflect on your being you will find yourself connected to me. And then, just like me you too would find yourself in the avatar of the Almighty."
He told Thor what to do. "But to gain that position, it's imperative that you dedicate yourself completely to me."
All of this was making sense to Thor bit by bit, and he asked. "What do you mean 'dedication', Krishna?"
Krishna explained. "It is a state of mind where one gives up all wishes, doesn't make a decision for oneself and doesn't take a votive. One does the work that's given to him/her. In reality, dedicating yourself to something is committing yourself, your mind, your wits, your knowledge, your desires, your wishes, your emotions and everything that you have to someone. And such commitment is called devotion."
Thor now noted. "A married person is committed to their spouse. A warrior is committed to their army general. A student is devoted to their mentor. Are all these forms of devotion alike? Do all of them attain God?"
Krishna shook his head. "No Thor. When a person is devoted to something or someone, they mould themselves accordingly. They leave no space for any doubt or questions. Devotion towards someone evil can make a person malign. Like, on Earth-92, there was the tainted soul known as Warren, and Andrew and Jonathan followed him, the former quite a bit, maligning himself until his arrogance led him to losing his life. And reason for that was the devotion of Andrew towards Warren. The punishment he got was not just for what he was, but also for loyalty to an evil man. Hence, O Thunderer, it's necessary to dedicate yourself to what's right. That makes a living being right. Only criminals are shackled with chains made of iron. The temple lamps are fastened by chains made of brass. And gold chains are adorned around your necks as ornaments. Loyalty towards spouse, loyalty towards master, loyalty towards friends, are just a few forms of loyalty. But the true loyalty of all is your loyalty towards God."
Then Thor asked. "But what does devotion towards God have to do with 'sankhya yog' or 'karma yog'?"
Krishna gave the proper explanation. "Because of 'Sankhya yog' living beings know that they are nothing but souls. And because of 'karma yog' they get freed from all the ties. And it's because of devotion that living beings get to know the real form of the Almighty. And having known about Almighty a living being rises above the usual circle of life and attains eternal bliss and knowledge. A living being devotes himself to the Almighty and becomes the Almighty. The way a drop of water, when falls on a river becomes the river itself."
Thor got another doubt. "So you mean this living body is of no worth, Krishna?
Krishna assured him. "It surely is worth, Thor. The living body becomes the medium for a living being to meet the Almighty. Between life and death, the knowledge of the soul remains dormant. With the experience, knowledge, thoughts, and practices you acquire in your life does it enhance your soul. The progression of a soul and its declination is only possible, when it's a part of a living body."
Then Thor asked. "But if I slayed people, did I not destroy their chance of enhancement then?"
Krishna pointed out to him. "Your enemies whom you slayed like Malekith, Hela, Morgoth, Thanos, and many more, crossed all boundaries of righteousness. Unrighteousness became their second nature, the way it was also for Mar-Novu, and is now for Mobius. Enhancement is impossible. A sinner can be given a chance to reform, but only to an extent. I had forgiven 100 sins of Shishupal, but it was necessary to punish him after 101st sin. If a sinner keeps committing sins, their soul degrades more and more."
He paced around, looking the other way. "Evil and sin are a poisonous cycle. A sinner keeps committing sins, eventually without reason, and has no control over themselves. They degrade their souls." Krishna smiled. "The way a toddler has to be stopped from eating mud, a sinner must be stopped from committing sins."
Krishna turned back to Thor, a hand on his shoulder. "This is not punishment, Thor. But sympathy. Those who tread the path of right purify their bodies and through it meets its soul. This is the connection between 'kshetra' and 'kshetragna'."
Thor shook his head. "I couldn't understand, Krishna."
Krishna explained. "When one knows that one's body is just like a part of this land that is, it is just a place which is 'kshetra' and they are the one who understand about that piece of land and reside on it. That is they are a 'kahstragna'. It's then that they, through their body, can gauge the progress. The soul resides in the body and balances three virtues. It eradicates darkness/tamas and paves the way for goodness/sattva. With its devotion of God it unites with the Almighty."
Then Thor asked. "Who is a devotee? Is being devoted, not devotion?"
Krishna again explained. "No Thor. It is the first step to devotion. In reality, devotion is not a task. It is a state of mind. It's necessary for a human being to purify their soul by means of prayers, renunciation, yagna , apostasy, rituals, yoga, and self-learning and to remain devoted to the Almighty. That they devote all that they do, all the moments, every breath, to the Almighty."
Thor got another question. "If devotion is only a state of mind then what importance does prayer, renunciation, and other things hold?"
Krishna gave him one more explanation. "Just the way the utensil you clean today gets dirty again, a living mind becomes oblivious of the Almighty time and again. Hence, it's necessary that with prayers, renunciation, self-learning and other means you keep reminding yourself all the time that your life is devoted for all the Almighty. It's not important, which part of the river you dive into. What's important is, you are diving. There's only one deduction of 'bhakti yog'. That by committing their life to the Almighty a living being should continue their devotion for the Almighty. And that they keep the goodness in them alive."
"What's virtue and goodness, Krishna?"
"Violence without a reason or necessity is unrighteous, Thor. In reality, non-violence is the supreme decree and along with it, truth, abstention from anger, sacrifice, peace of mind, abstention from taunting, mercifulness, not being drawn towards joy, not doing a task without any reason, illustriousness, forgiveness, patience, cleanliness of body, not being proud of one's virtue and not being egoist. All these qualities are called the ultimate possession. Only with the help of these does a being become my true devotee, fulfil the duties in life, establish righteousness and live without any endearment to the fruits of action. I will, undoubtedly grant them happiness, in their life. And absorb them within myself, after their death. Even those who follow some of these, but are not unrighteous, they shall all have peace."
Now Thor seemed to understand it all. "How is your appearance, Krishna? Through the medium of 'sankhya yog', I got to know that I am a soul. I am immortal and reside in this mortal body for some time. Through the discipline of self-less action, I got to know that the one who sacrifices the desire for the fruits of action and fulfils their duty, achieves peace of mind and happiness, in life. Through the disciple of spirituality, I got to know the importance of submission to you."
Krishna finally nodded with a smile. "It seems you have comprehended all I have been telling you so far, to make you understand the importance of your duties."
"Duties….." Thor trailed off, looking at Krishna. "Like…."
"You may not be a Paragon, but only I know, your role is even more important than Paragons, Thor", Krishna revealed, to Thor's surprise. "You are going to be The One To Save Us All."
"What?" Thor asked. "Save all…"
"Indeed, the Paragons and a few others shall assist you, but this is what you are meant to be, this is why you had the vision from the Black Winter as well", Krishna told Thor. "And now, you were broken. But, by telling you all I did, I have reminded you of your duties, and now, you will know that when you act again, it will be as part of God. All of this destruction, it was harsh but necessary, because, destruction is needed for recreation of something even more beautiful than before. And now, it is time for that recreation."
Thor's eyes were wide. He was supposed to be The One To Save Us All? Even beyond Paragons? And he was supposed to recreate something even more beautiful after this destruction? That was unexpected.
Yet, if this was his duty, he had to do it, he must. His will was reignited now, and he was going to do his duty to save all, but there was one more thing.
"But Krishna, you had said, that the Almighty is everywhere, including in nature", Thor said to Krishna while gesturing to the ground, wind and sky. "Yet I see only nature here. Only nature, Krishna."
Krishna smiled, as Thor then got down on his knees next to Stormbreaker, both of his hands joined in front of the Almighty.
"I want to have a glimpse of your true self, Krishna", Thor now put forth his wish. "Your power, your knowledge, illustriousness, and opulence filled divine form. I want to see it, Krishna."
Krishna looked down at Thor with a neutral expression as Thor requested. "Manifest your imperishable form to me, Krishna. And destroy all my doubts and hopelessness."
And then, Thor finally pleaded to Krishna.
"Manifest yourself, Krishna."
Notes:
And done. The Paragons and survivors are in Battleworld now at last, and God Emperor Doom is here.
So, Smallville Lex did replace Steve as Paragon here, as much as it sucks, hope the explanation makes sense.
Krishna is Supreme God here, but let me explain. Remember what Pavitr said about Brahman earlier? Brahman is the Supreme Being in Hinduism, and the same being who is called God by Christians. While I'm biased towards my religion obviously, I have respect for all religions, so I'm respecting all of them.
The Hindu Pantheon is a manifestation of Brahman, and in Hinduism, the soul is part of Brahman, so being one with the Soul is being one with God and being Him, and Vishnu is a manifestation himself, while Krishna is his incarnation, and one with Him too, hence Krishna is Supreme God.
Basically Brahman, God, Vishnu/Krishna (and some other of the Hindu Pantheon), Eru Ilúvatar, The One Above All, The Presence, etc. are all the same being at the end of it.
And Thor heard what Pavitr said of Brahman and soul before, so it was in his mind, and it also depended upon what had to be preached to him, like the comprehension of his duties and the Almighty here, hence Krishna came to him.
Hope all of it makes sense, folks.
Krishna's Sanskrit shloka translates to- "Whenever, O Bharat, righteousness (dharma) declines and unrighteousness is rampant,
I manifest myself. I manifest myself from age to age to defend the pious, destroy the wicked, and strengthen dharma."Now, next chapter we shall see Vishnu/Krishna/God's Supreme Form finally.
It all hit rock bottom, but now we have hope finally. Night is darkest before dawn, and the dawn is coming.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 14: The Supreme Form
Summary:
Thor sees the Supreme Form, while things get worse on Battleworld.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
I used a GIF in this chapter but it is not my own, rather it belongs to a user called chippedcupofchai on Tumblr. I just liked it a lot so I'm using it here for representation.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thor was on his knees, hands joined, and Krishna's face made it clear- he was going to fulfil his wish.
Raising his hands to either side, Krishna declared. "Behold, Thor!"
Suddenly, Thor saw in front of his eyes, the vast wide and endless Space, with the planet Earth on its place in the Solar System. An asteroid floated in Space, before exploding and shattering into pieces.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Next moment, the whole Solar System was visible to him, and the stars nearby joined together, the image of Krishna appearing in Space now, a smile on his face, the peacock feather on his crown, and the Solar System in his hand.
There was a flash of light, and Thor saw Krishna in front of him, holding the Solar System now in one hand. Next moment, he sent it flying up, and it spun at full speed, glowing as the Solar System transformed into the Sudarshana Chakra, continuing its spin until turning into energy that crashed onto the Earth in his vision.
The energy swept over the whole Earth, seeming to have an enlightening and cleansing effect.
Mahabharata 2013 Om Brahmane Namah plays
And then appeared a lotus flower, opening up to reveal Lord Brahma sitting at the center, opening his eyes from deep meditation. All four of his heads were visible, looking kind and graceful, while his four hands were raised too. In one hand he held the Vedas, in another a lotus, in another prayer beads, and in another a Kamandalu.
He used the Kamandalu to pour holy water into his one of his hands, and sent it up into the air, the drops sprinkling everywhere.
Mahabharata 2013 Om Namah Shivaya plays
One drop fell onto the closed third eye of Lord Shiva, sitting on Mt. Kailash, and the third eye opened, Lord Shiva sitting calmly, a smile on his face, the snake on his throat, and his Trishul next to him, while Goddess Parvati sat with him too, a calm smile on her face.
Holding more water in an invisible grip, he sprinkled it onto his face calmly, the vision changing and speeding away, as now appeared a Bodhi tree, under which sat the Buddha, opening his eyes from a meditation of his own, his face calm, for he had been enlightened.
The vision changed once more, and now he saw Mahavira Jain under a Sāla tree, having achieved omniscience, and then he saw Guru Nanak teaching something to his disciples, followed by Sai Baba standing and smiling.
Dark Greek Music – Hades plays
And next, the vision sped downwards to a river, flowing with souls, leading to a throne room, where sat Hades God of the Dead, looking ahead neutrally, his bident in his hand, the dog Cerberus lying next to him, while Persephone the Goddess of the Dead sat on another throne by his side.
Earth to Asgard plays
Then suddenly the vision went up, high into the skies, into Space, and the next sight made Thor's heart almost jump to his throat.
Asgard!
And in the palace stood Odin the All-Father himself, looking down at the Realm with his one eye, smiling at the peaceful and happy state of his people, with Frigga next to him as well.
The vision changed again, returning to Space, then speeding down to a glorious, Heavenly, even serene place, where sat the Valar and Valier together, around a round table, the Guardians of Arda.
Then the vision came downwards, to a place of fire and torture.
Hell!
And there stood none other than Lucifer Morningstar himself, looking ahead at the realm he had to forever watch.
The vision sped upwards, and now all of the Ennead sat together in a Council chamber of Egypt, all interacting with each other, before the Dagda appeared, holding his staff and smiling, and after him was Sun Wukong, twirling his own Staff.
You Make Me Lie Down in Green Pastures plays
After that, the vision sped forth and now stood with a kind smile Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior himself, giving water to a starving man in need. Looking up, he smiled, and his kindness touched Thor's heart.
Next, Thor suddenly saw the Silver City, and there was Archangel Michael, looking down like the watchful protector he was.
Then, the vision changed, and in front of him was an old man with a bushy moustache and bright smile, waving happily, and the Norse God of Thunder recognized him, knowing how many times he had seen this man, in different forms, but only now knew who he truly was.
And finally, the vision returned to what was in front of him.
Mahabharata 2013 Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya plays
Krishna, or rather Vishnu, or rather God Himself stood there, towering over everything and everyone, His color blue even if His face was still the same, a long garland of flowers around His neck. On His right side appeared the head of Lord Shiva, then Lord Ganesha, then Narasimha, then Lord Hanuman, followed by Buddha, then Mahavira, then Guru Nanak, then Sai Baba, then Hades, followed by Odin, and many more.
On His left side appeared the head of Lord Brahma, then Amun-Ra, and then Ra, then the Dagda, then Sun Wukong, and then the old man with the bushy hair and moustache, then Jesus Christ himself, then Manwe, followed by Archangel Michael, and many more.
There were so many heads, with so many different personalities. Some were calm and serene, some were angry, some were even breathing fire, showing He had many sides, some serene and non-violent, others vengeful for justice.
In one hand He had the mace, in another the lotus. Many, many more hands appeared, all holding something or the other. One had the Sudarshana Chakra, another had the conch, one held an ax, another held a book, one held the Thunderbolt, another held Gungnir, one more held the Dagda's staff, one more held a sword in the shape of the tail of the comet, one had the Holy Cross, another had the Spear of Destiny, and much more.
Thor knew that he was witness to the true form of the Supreme Being, the Vishwaroop, that transcended everything. And while it made him afraid due to its sight, he knew witnessing it was truly a privilege, one that before him only Arjuna had, but now, he had it too.
And that destroyed his doubts and hopelessness.
As Thor looked at the Supreme Being before him, He spoke, and His words were calm, gentle, caring, soothing, terrifying, destructive, all at the same time.
"From divine knowledge to the discipline of selfless action. From the discipline of selfless action to spirituality. And from spirituality does one achieve knowledge. Witnessing my ultimate form is true knowledge, Thor."
Thor still had his hands joined, and was now on one knee.
"This is the supreme knowledge, that forms the basis of all other knowledge and sciences. This knowledge grants salvation. Even other Deities don't get to see this form so easily, the only other person to see this form, is Arjuna, and now I have manifested this form to you as well, Thor."
Thor actually managed to smile, feeling enlightened at seeing the ultimate knowledge for himself.
"I dwell in each and every particle of this Multiverse. The Earths, Suns, Moons, Galaxies, Constellations, and Universes all dwell within Me."
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
A tear rolled down Thor's cheek, as he looked at the Supreme Being for a few moments, basking in the presence of the Ultimate, which was an honor very few got, and he felt blessed to be one of those rare few.
"I am the truth! I am complete! I am life and I am God! I am prime alphabet! I am Samveda among Vedas! I am the Old and New Testament! I am Indra among Devas! I am Manwe and Varda among Valar! I am Hades in the Underworld! I am Odin the All-Father in Asgard! I am the consciousness in animals! I am Kubera among the Yakshas! I am Shankar among the Rudras! I am Amun-Ra among the Ennead! I am Fire among the Demi-Gods! I am Sumeru and Olympus among the mountains! And I am Bhrigu among saints! I am Omkar among sounds! I am the chant in Yajnas. I am the holy Peepul and Yggdrasil the Tree of Life among trees! I am the memory of intelligence! I am intellect, constancy and patience!"
Thor absorbed everything, being filled with hope on hearing every word.
"I am glory! I am Chitrarath among Gandharvas! I am Narad among divine Saints! I am Kapil among sages! I am Asgard and Valinor among cities! I am Devlok among the realms! I am Uccheswaha, Sleipnir, Nahar and Shadowfax among horses! I am Airavat among elephants! And I am the lion among animals! I am King Garuda, Thorondor, Gwaihir and Hræsvelgr among eagles, the King among humans, and the Sudarshana Chakra, Trishul, Nandaka, Kaudomaki, Vajra, Sharanga, Pinaka, Gandiva, Vijaya Dhanush, Stormbreaker, Mjolnir, Stormbringer, Thunderbolt, Eye of Agamotto, Gungnir, Odinsword, Infinity Gauntlet, Lasso of Truth, Bracelets of Submission, Power Rings, Spear of Destiny, Sword of Salvation, Mother Boxes, Excalibur, the Valar's and Valier's weapons, Glamdring, Orcrist and Andúril among weapons! I am Vibranium, Adamantium, Uru, Promethium and Mithril among the metals! I am Kami among the Shinto! I am Kamdhenu among the cows! I am Vasuki among the serpents! I am Sheshnag! I am Yamraj! I am Mandos! I am the Water God and the Wind God as well! I am Lucifer Morningstar and I am also Archangel Michael in Heaven! I am Lord Rama! I am Holy Ganga! I am the origin, sustenance and end of creation! I am Brahma's knowledge, I am Mahakaal, I am Brahma, I am Odin's wisdom, I am effect, victory, nutrient, and decision. I am punishment, power, strategy, silence and elemental knowledge as well. I am Buddha and Mahavira among the ascetics, Sai Baba and Guru Nanak among the gurus, the Dagda among the Celtic Gods, Hanuman and Sun Wukong among the great monkeys, and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior! I am Vasudeva, Arjuna, Thor, Ymir! There is nothing that is not me!"
Thor closed his eyes, letting some more tears fall at the magnificence before him.
"There is no place where I am not present! I am time, and I am life and death, Thor!"
As Thor watched, He continued.
"I stand here as the death of Mobius the Anti-Monitor himself!"
Thor thought he heard everything break down at the declaration.
"Even if you do not raise your weapon, I shall slay him!"
Thor realized that at day's end, whatever he chose to do, God would always reach a goal in any way possible, without putting in any effort, because it was all Him.
"Therefore, overcome your emotions, and comprehend your duties! Shoulder the burden of justice! Raise your Stormbreaker ax and commence the battle! Do what you have to Thor, and make it all right! Fight back, Thor Odinson, fight back!"
Thor looked at the Supreme Being, tears rolling down his cheeks and his voice cracking as he finally spoke.
"Hail God! Hail the Supreme Being! Hail the Lord of the Multiverse! Today, all my doubts and hopelessness have been obliterated!" While awed, Thor was also scared, and this was the only sight that could scare him. He requested. "Kindly return to your human form! I shall obey whatever order you give me!" And then he spoke in Sanskrit using his All-Speak, as a way to ensure that he had understood it all. "करिष्ये वचनं तव!"
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
The blue head broke into a smile, and He opened His mouth, inside was the entire vast Multiverse, every Earth, every Galaxy, every Constellation, every single Universe, with every single person living in it.
And then, Lord Krishna stood before Thor again, in his human form, his size and skin back to normal.
Thor looked at the smiling Lord, then closed his eyes and bowed his head, while touching his forehead with his joined hands. And then, he opened his eyes, looking up while lowering his hands.
Krishna smiled in pride as he raised his hand in a blessing gesture, and then Thor knew what he had to do.
Thor's IW entrance soundtrack plays
Thor looked down at Stormbreaker, lying next to him, and grasped its handle, feeling it in his hand, before standing up once more, holding out the powerful weapon, lightning coming off of him, a short but powerful storm covering the God of Thunder and The One Above All, before he stopped, as he then looked at Krishna's smiling and encouraging face.
And then, Krishna gestured behind Thor as he turned to see a glowing blue raven appear, who transformed into a beautiful woman.
She knelt to Krishna, touching his feet as he raised his hands over her head in blessing. "Bless you, Prudence Halliwell."
Thor's eyes were wide on recognizing the name, as she got up and turned to Thor, who said. "Prudence…..you are the sister of Piper and Phoebe, and half-sister of Paige."
"Yes, I am", Prue Halliwell nodded, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Thor."
Thor shook her hand, before both looked at Krishna, who told Thor. "I know the answer you seek. And she knows where it is. Follow her, Thor Odinson. Follow her."
Both of them bowed their heads one more time, and Krishna acknowledged with a nod, before the two turned around and left, as Thor then asked Prue. "How come you met Him?"
"After my death, well, I was closed off, and didn't want my sisters to see me, so they could move on", Prue told Thor with a sigh. "Then I started studying stuff, and eventually, Krishna came to me, and told me that my death has opened a door for me, to a room of infinity. He was right. I read about things I'd never know of otherwise. I know about every single mystical thing in existence, including their current whereabouts. I am a fountain of knowledge in that regard, and that is what you need right now."
Thor had a feeling this would end better, and then told Prue. "Sorry about your death all that time ago."
"Yeah, another thing done by Mar-Novu", Prue revealed, to Thor's surprise. "There are these Cleaners in our world who interfere when magic is exposed, but he stopped them from interfering when it was in our case then, so time travel happened, and I died."
"Of course, its always him", Thor sighed. "So, you shall be taking me where I need to go, right?"
"Yes, I shall. It is the only way to recreate an even more beautiful Multiverse, and bring back all who were lost, including my world, my sister, my father", Prue sighed, looking at Thor and holding his hands. "But I'm only your guide, it is up to you at the end of it. Are you ready for it?"
"More ready than I've ever been for anything in my life", Thor told her, and Prue nodded, before chanting and glowing with power, as both of them were transported elsewhere at that point.
At Battleworld, some of the Heroes got up, trying to attack Doom once more, only for him to twist his fingers as Hulk rolled away, and Wonder Woman fell down, dead. And Tess too shattered into pieces, while Whistler and Miles dropped dead too, to the horror of everyone else.
"NO!" Kal, Lois, Ollie, Chloe and the other Wonder Women knelt Tess and Wonder Woman with the rest, as Blade knelt near Whistler, closing his eyes, and Spider-Man, Peter, Parker, Gwen and Pavitr were in tears over Miles, along with Wanda.
At that point, Johnny Blaze of Earth-199999 let out a powerful roar, making Earth-2012 Blaze's eyes widen. "What in the…..?"
Zarathos took over Earth-199999 Blaze completely, as he was now surrounded by an aura of Hellfire, and glared at Doom, who stared back without flinching even once.
"Zarathos."
"Doom."
"You wish to be Baron here?" Doom asked, trying to show mercy. "Very well. I permit you to keep the horde if you can find your faith. Call it an endowment of good will, or not-"
"You offer me a gift?" Zarathos asked incredulously. "I am more powerful than Gods and Demons, wielding power the likes of which you fail to understand. Power I use to judge. You are a weak God. A pretender. It is you who should bow before me."
Doom only hummed as the former Ainu continued.
"I am Zarathos. The Ravager of Souls! And for the likes of you, human, that is more than enough!"
And with that, Zarathos let out a powerful blast of Hellfire upon Doom, which consumed him. Only, to the horror of everyone present, including Zarathos himself, Doom pushed through the immensely powerful hellfire, when it'd have consumed the likes of even Thanos effortlessly.
Doom finally got to the Spirit of Vengeance, reached his hand through the leather and hellfire, into the skeleton itself, and pulled out the spine with the skull attached, the rest of the bones crumbling to the ground and fading to ash.
"That appears…untrue."
The horror was just increasing for them all, as Robbie tried to charge Doom in grief and rage. "YOU-!"
"Robbie, no!" Earth-2012 Blaze tried to stop him, only for Doom to snap Robbie's neck effortlessly too, to everyone's shock.
Doom then looked at the Watcher, and sent him to his knees with a gesture, before looking at all of them. "All of you….intrude in my world, without my permission. For that, the penalty is….death!"
And then, he singled out Lex, pulling his terrified former ally forth and force choking him like Darth Vader. "You should be dead. Yet someone has defied the will of Doom. Every breath you take is an insult to my power. No more."
Lex stared in horror as he felt his body explode in pain, only for a purple blast to strike Doom from behind as he actually staggered forward from it, dropping Lex, who coughed, while Doom turned around to see Iron Man, having fitted all six Infinity Stones into his new Endo-Sym armor, and having walked here though a portal made via Space Stone.
Now, Iron Man with all six Infinity Stones faced God Emperor Doom, who had the power of the Beyonders.
"Nice suit. Mine's better."
"Stark."
"Vicky."
Thor and Prue were now at the bottom of Yggdrasil the World Tree, which survived due to being in its own Dimension, separate from the rest of the Multiverse and Realms. And at the root of this World Tree, was the Well of Mimir.
"To gain wisdom from here, Odin sacrificed one eye into the Well", Prue told Thor, who simply nodded. "And after that, he did not speak of this place to anyone, as it was lost to time, until now."
"What I need to do, it demands an even greater sacrifice", Thor said to Prue, and then, he ripped out both of his eyes, making Prue wince at the sight while he dropped them into the Well, which suddenly began to fill with glowing blue water.
Thor drank the water, and then glowed himself, learning the truth now, of everything that was, the wisdom of the past, and much more. He shut his eyelids as the blood from the now empty sockets flowed down like tears.
"Now you must learn the future, learn the Runes, the writing of the Multiverse", Prue explained to Thor. "Now you have to-"
"I know what I must do", Thor interrupted her as he faced forwards. "I must hang."
Doom looked at Iron Man. "The Da Vinci of Death, reborn as the Messiah?"
"Wrong on both accounts. I don't paint," the Reality Stone on Tony's chest began to glow, "and I'm atheist." Then the Reality Stone glowed as Tony turned Doom to glass and fired the Power Stone, and the glass Doom shattered to pieces.
Everyone stared in awe, but those that know Doom were certain, there's more.
"It can't be that easy." Stephen had to say.
Then the glass shards began to reconstruct themselves, piecing back together the shape of Doom.
"That. Hurt."
Doom shot a ray of power that Tony blocked with a Space Stone shield. "But pain often brings clarity, Stark. I see you now. You have my full attention."
"Gee, I think I'm starting to blush." The clash of powers caused a small blast as both backed off, Tony and Doom sizing each other up.
The power of the Infinity Stones vs the power of the Beyonders.
"Let's get started."
"No. Let us finish this...and do so as Gods."
"You know, it's funny you should say that. Being a God doesn't sound too hard, I mean, I am likely the most intelligent capable person in the Multiverse. I'm not playing God. All this time..." The six Stones lit up as the armor glowed white, "I've been playing human."
The Invincible Iron Man launched a concentrated beam of pure light and energy which Doom blocked with the power of the Beyonders.
The battle had begun.
Lex suggested. "I think now would be a good time to start running."
"The Paragon of Leadership, everybody." Lois snipped, but the actual Paragons look in disbelief at Lex now, Kal most of all.
"What?!"
The beam exploded upon Doom's shield, making the others fly back as the two flew into the air, and Tony opened a portal into nothingness from the Space Stone upon Doom as it collapsed upon him, only for him to glow with the Beyonders' power as the portal actually collapsed, and then Doom telekinetically grabbed Tony, hurling him down as he groaned.
"Damn it!"
A concentrated laser shot at him, about to pierce his head, but he rolled away to avoid it in time, and then stopped Doom in place with the Time Stone, freezing him, and used the Reality Stone to turn him into jelly, before using the Power Stone's power to evaporate it all.
"I think that might have done it."
"It could have…if Doom was not God."
And then the smoke from the evaporation coalesced together to form a being of human size, which was none other than God Emperor Doom, making Tony groan as the rest stared in utter horror.
Tony now used the Mind Stone, trying to get into Doom's mind, but staggered back as Doom forced him out with the Beyonders' power, and then he fired a concentrated beam from the Mind Stone instead but Doom telekinetically turned it away towards a nearby forest, which was now gone, and that wasn't something Doom liked.
"This clash….is damaging the world of Doom. Now you shall receive a fate worse than death itself."
Tony held out his palm, now trying to use the Soul Stone to rip out Doom's soul itself, but Doom managed to pull it back, making Tony stagger forwards due to this, as Doom gave him a hard uppercut that caused a giant shockwave, making all fall down again, and Tony flew upwards before Doom was above him, and a telekinetic gesture made Tony crash downwards and roll away with a groan, Doom simply staring at him as he landed in front of him.
Tony got back up, staring at Doom firmly, and charged with a powerful punch, only for Doom to catch the Iron Man's fist and twist, making him grunt in utter pain.
"And now we're done Stark, what have you gained?" Doom asked, before punching Tony's helmet, shattering it and revealing his bleeding face. "Nothing!"
Tony was gasping as Doom continued. "Yes, you tested me, and reduced me to this wanton, physical violence, but I remain Doom, and you, something beneath me."
Tony was on his knees in pain as Doom looked down at him. "A lesser. A fool who doesn't know when he's beaten."
That moment, the neighing of horses was suddenly heard, making everyone turn to that direction, and Doom let Tony go, releasing his fist as Tony was on the ground, groaning in agony.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
A chariot appeared, pulled by four horses, and the Paragons and survivors were all surprised to see who was riding it. He looked exactly like Lord Vishnu, except his skin was of a human shade, and he'd only two arms, with a peacock feather on his crown, while wearing golden armor.
Garuda immediately flew down and joining his hands, bowed to his Lord, who raised his hand in blessing while stopping his chariot.
Pavitr too knelt with joined hands. "Lord Krishna! Or Lord Vishnu! You are here!"
Garuda and Pavitr kneeling to him was all confirmation the Paragons and survivors needed to know this Lord Krishna was Lord Vishnu, and so they knelt to him too, and he acknowledged with a nod, raising his hand in blessing.
Then, Krishna turned to face God Emperor Doom, who stared at him impassively, while Krishna smiled, looking at him as well.
Now something was about to happen once more.
Notes:
Chapter over. Hope seeing the Supreme Form was enjoyed.
And Prue Halliwell is here at last, as Thor's guide, and you know what he needs to do now for sure. Hope all liked that.
Now Tess, Earth-167 Wonder Woman, Whister, Miles and Earth-199999 Johnny Blaze/Zarathos and Robbie are all dead too.
Hope the fight with Infinity Stones Iron Man and God Emperor Doom was enjoyed.
But now, Krishna has come to face Doom.
Thor's Sanskrit roughly translates to- "I shall do as you say in your words."
I liked the GIF with the Supreme Form here so I used it here, but its not mine, its from chippedcupofchai on Tumblr, it belongs to them.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 15: God Emperor meets God
Summary:
God Emperor Doom tries to strike down Krishna, but what happens next is a huge shock to him.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more here too.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thor, without his eyes, walked to the World Tree, as Prue said to him. "You must cast your very life aside! You must be reborn! And when you are reborn, only then can the Multiverse too be reborn, Thor Odinson!"
"Indeed", Thor nodded in agreement, and then, in front of Prue, he hung himself from the World Tree, like his father had before him, to seek knowledge.
This brought them closer in spirit and understanding than ever before as well.
Prue watched, knowing it would take time, but when Thor returned, then, the Multiverse would have hope once more.
In Battleworld, God Emperor Doom stared at Krishna on his chariot, and then asked. "Why are you in the world of Doom?"
To everyone's surprise, Krishna let out a short laugh, as if a friend had told him a joke, and then he replied. "Why am I here?" He used a figure of speech. "A fish living in the ocean is unable to comprehend the entirety of it, Emperor Doom. That is why, do not ask unnecessary questions."
Doom stood silently, as Krishna continued. "All you need to know is that I", he gestured with his hand, pointing at Doom, "shall not let you commit another unrighteous deed."
Doom now said to Krishna. "Righteousness and unrighteousness are nothing more than points of view, you are no one to decide righteous and unrighteous, Deva."
Krishna now stood up on his chariot, and told Doom. "One needs the guidance of the soul to decide upon righteousness. There is no requirement of any point of view, Emperor Doom." He once more gestured at Doom with his hand. "Had you looked within yourself, you too would have known what righteousness is."
Clint had helped Tony up by now, and was supporting him, with all Paragons and remaining survivors watching this exchange in silence.
Krishna got off his chariot, and walked down, standing next to all of them with a smile, before gesturing to the Paragons and survivors with his hand. "These Paragons and survivors are nothing more than refugees in your world, and because of that, you cannot slay any of them now."
Doom asked in amusement. "So you think yourself their protector?"
Krishna laughed once more, before gesturing to Doom again with his hand. "I shall help even you, Emperor Doom. But only if you give up your unrighteous ways."
"Fat chance of that happening", Cordelia whispered to the rest of them.
"Yep, he'd never do that", Stefan nodded too.
No one had ever talked to Doom the way Krishna was right now, and being talked to like this, it actually angered Doom a little. "You have gall speaking to God Emperor Doom in such a manner, Doom will tear that insolence apart."
Krishna smiled and shrugged. "If this is your wish, Emperor Doom, then surely do attack me."
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmaysa plays
Krishna turned around, and walked back to his chariot, sitting on it, while the Paragons and survivors looked at his smiling face, and the way it was, it seemed to give them all hope, making them smile back at him.
"Remember, I told you to give up your unrighteous ways, and that I would help you then", Krishna said to Doom now before gesturing with his hand again. "But you are oblivious to righteousness, Emperor Doom."
Doom now spoke. "All of you trespassed into my world, and now must face punishment of God."
"This world isn't showing your power of God or mercy, Emperor Doom, rather it is exposing your weakness", Krishna said, Doom tilting his head while the rest looked between both of them, finding this exchange of words much more tense than the battle that had just taken place a few minutes ago. "If you were actually capable, you'd make a fair world where all are happy, and not one where you are God."
Doom instead told Krishna. "Ruling them as God is my duty, always has been, I was always meant to do this, this always bound me."
"Duties grant liberation", Krishna lifted one hand up before asking. "What duty is this that binds you instead? Surely this isn't your duty, but a snare! A shackle!"
The Paragons and survivors were even more tense than before, looking between the two, while Doom said in a voice laced with actual anger. "You know nothing of me or my duties, Deva, you'd be wise not to question it." Krishna simply watched him with a smile. "I am God Emperor Doom, and Doom is fair, he never commits injustice, he does his duty as God."
"Just for the sake of your supposed duty you are plunging the whole Multiverse into peril!" Krishna now told Doom. "I do not consider this the strength of character. A character is that which strives towards everyone else's well-being, every moment." He pointed his finger at Doom and accused him. "Your character is tainted, and so is your duty!"
"DEVA!" Doom actually yelled in rage to the point it made everyone jump, as every time any of them had seen him, he had always been calm, collected, and in full control of the situation and the fates of everyone present, but this time, it seemed his control was slipping. "You know nothing, you're as arrogant as other Gods I've dealt with! My duty is the truth, that is why now I am God, and no one can defeat me! No one!"
Now Krishna stood up from his chariot once more, also sounding angry. "I can defeat you!" Doom glared at Krishna. "I can defeat you this very moment, Emperor Doom!" Everyone else was getting scared now as each moment passed. "Do not fan the flames of my anger! There is no such metal that does not melt in fire! And there is no oath, curse or blessing that I cannot violate! You are being a hindrance to the Multiverse's well-being and course of destiny!"
With that, Krishna declared to Doom. "If you do not stand down now, then I shall surely slay you!"
Mahabharata 2013 Trahimam Trahimam plays
Doom did not stand down. He raised his hands, preparing a blast. Everything he did in his world was power, and this Deva, he was so insolent, this blast would destroy him painfully, bit by bit, just like he deserved. This was his punishment for trespassing into his world and talking to him like this.
Krishna jumped off of his chariot, landing upon the ground.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Everyone was still too stunned to speak at what they were witnessing, as Doom, while preparing his blast, said to Krishna. "Your ignorance is insulting. You come to Doom's world, salvaged from the destruction of everything, and insult the savior of billions? The God Emperor? Without the power and will of Doom, there would be nothing but the endless void. So now Doom shall strip you of the gift that is my mercy."
Only, Krishna told Doom in response. "You speak of gifts, yet you accept that of which I have given you: the gift of life. Arrogance is too small a word to describe your infliction." He pointed his finger at the wheel of his chariot. "Force my hand, and I shall end it with a tool as simple as a wheel from my chariot."
Doom chuckled, but his eyes narrowed behind his mask. "You speak of arrogance before Doom? It seems mercy has been wasted. No more." The glow from the blast he was preparing got brighter.
And then, Krishna kneeled down, ripping off the wheel of his chariot, while the sky turned red and lightning started cracking, making Doom look up in actual surprise.
He wasn't doing this.
"Uhhh…Storm?" Logan asked Storm.
"I'm not doing this", she told him with a shake of her head, everyone getting even more scared now.
Krishna held up the chariot wheel in his right hand and started marching towards Doom, the lightning flashing upon the whole of Battleworld now.
"Lord?" Pavitr asked in surprise, all of them watching, still tense and scared.
"What is even going on?" Tara asked no one in particular.
"No idea", Spike sighed.
"Gorramnit!" Mal muttered in actual fear too, speaking for everyone.
"Oh my......." Rebekah said as well.
"This is…" Strange trailed off, looking up at the sky. "I…"
"Sheriff, shouldn't we help our God?" Clark asked Stephen, who watched grimly, holding hands with Clea.
Krishna now stopped at a distance from Doom, still holding up the chariot wheel in his right hand, and Doom now finally fired an all-consuming blast of the Beyonders' power upon Krishna, to destroy him slowly and painfully, while all watched in utter horror.
But then, right before the blast could touch Krishna, it froze in place, and now for once more in his life, Doom was surprised. As he looked around, he saw Stephen and Clark were frozen too.
All of the Paragons and survivors were frozen as well, even the wind did not seem to blow.
Everything and everyone was frozen but Krishna and himself.
No! This couldn't be!
Turning to Krishna, Doom asked. "What have you done to my world, Deva?"
Mahabharata 2013 Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari plays
At that point, the blast of absolute power by God Emperor Doom, it dissipated into nothingness, and the chariot wheel glowed brightly with flames, transforming into the Sudarshana Chakra, with its million sharp edges that spun around.
Krishna was now supporting it just on the index finger of his right hand, and Doom could only watch in what could be described as shock. Doom never got shocked.
Krishna lowered his hand, the Sudarshana Chakra spinning by itself above his head, as he looked at Doom and declared. "I am not Vasudeva Krishna! I am not a Yadava! I am not even human or Deity!" As Doom watched, Krishna revealed what he was. "I am the Supreme most God, Emperor Doom!"
Now Doom's shock actually turned to horror. Was this true?
"I am truth, knowledge and justice!"
The horror just kept increasing, and Krishna's next words were what hurt him most.
"You are ruling this world only with my permission! You are alive only with my consent, and it is with my consent that you may acquire death!"
Doom's horror turned to a look of disbelief and rage, this was impossible! He was the most powerful! He was Supreme! Yet Krishna had effortlessly stopped and dissipated his blast of absolute power when everything he did in this world was power, and Krishna had frozen time even though this world responded only to his will, even the sun burnt and wind blew because of him.
And now, after all of that, Krishna was preaching to him.
Doom was not Supreme anymore, and that realization dented his ego more than anything else could.
And with that, Doom now walked forwards, until he was standing right under the spinning Sudarshana Chakra in front of Krishna, who towered over him.
Using his own great power, Doom managed to see who he truly was facing, and the shape seemed to change, as first Krishna changed into Lord Vishnu, with all four arms holding his Sudarshana Chakra, Kaudomaki, Padma and Panchajanya, and then he changed into Lord Shiva holding the Trishul, before turning into Lord Brahma meditating, and then Goddess Parvati was there, staring at him calmly, before turning into Goddess Lakshmi looking ahead, and then Goddess Saraswati with an enlightened face, and then turned into an old man with a bushy moustache and bright smile, before changing into a bright divine light which encompassed it all, and at that point Doom saw a glimpse of the Vishwaroop, with all of the heads looking down upon him, and all of the hands holding many weapons and symbols.
In parts of the Supreme Being's body were various Universes, and even people. He saw the survivors inside the Ultimate, and then the Paragons, and then Steve Rogers, then the Watcher, then a hooded figure, then Thor with Prue Halliwell, and finally- himself in his current state!
Seeing that, his eyes widened as he backed off a bit, staring at Krishna's human form once more, who simply looked down at him.
"It is really you!" Doom said in shock and horror. "You are here. Why? What have I done that you have now come to meet me? What fault did you find in me?"
Krishna shook his head, and now told Doom. "Your fault is ignorance, Emperor Doom." He continued. "You never tried to comprehend the actual form of justice, and that is why so many people are dead because of you, including some of these survivors." And then he explained. "Until the roof of compassion spans the entire Multiverse, until then, justice in the Multiverse remains incomplete." After that, he started talking about Doom's flaws. "Yet you only thought about yourself. Even when you believed you were trying to benefit the world, it was in a way that benefited you and kept you at top, like here. So you never actually thought about worldly well-being. And so, everything you did, all of those actions were carried out with selfish motives, so that you came out on top and became God."
"When I took over Latveria, it was ruined by my predecessor who I had to depose. I made the whole country even better than it ever was, put it at the top, and I cared about my people there, I made sure they were happy", Doom pointed out to Krishna. "There was no selfishness in that, Krishna."
"Ruling over Latveria, improving its condition, and caring for your subjects were indeed among the greatest of deeds", Krishna lifted up his hand in a gesturing way while talking. "But you gave up responsibility towards betterment of the world you claimed you were trying to protect. Instead, you kept trying to show up Reed Richards and his family instead."
"Reed Richards was my best friend, yet he did not accept that I could not make a mistake when I made the machine to bring back my mother!" Doom argued to Krishna. "He betrayed me."
"Yet, the machine exploded and scarred your face", Krishna reminded Doom. "It was not the doing of Reed Richards, Emperor Doom. It was yours, when you did not listen to him. You are the reason your face was scarred, and you were expelled. He told you of the flaw, because you were his friend, and he loved you, he cared about you."
Krishna then paced around. "Your horse was supposed to be perfect, yet it lost a race. And, instead of training it further so your horse could actually be perfect, you killed the horse, and instead trained a wolf to kill the ones who had defeated you." He turned back to Doom and asked. "How does killing someone who surpassed you make you perfect, Emperor Doom? All it does, is prove that you are not perfect, and you are in constant fear of being upstaged."
"Doom fears no one!" Doom now snapped at Krishna, and told him. "If I ever feared, then I would not have done all that I did, like take up the Phoenix Force, or go after the Senior Partners, or take the power of the Beyonders to make a world where I rule as God."
Krishna gestured to the Battleworld around them. "Look around at this world, Emperor Doom. You may have stopped wars, but there is still enmity between all of the regions, and they still do try to trespass and battle. Fear of you may restrain them in the future, but if it was love you used to rule, none of them would even think to try to show up the other."
"Love does not work, I have seen it before", Doom told Krishna.
"In some cases, it does not indeed, but you always used fear as the first priority, and that is where you failed", Krishna now said to Doom. "When you tried to take the Phoenix Force, all you could have done, was go up to the Jean Grey of Earth-199999, contact the Phoenix Force through her, and then convince it to go inside of you, because reading your mind was all it took. What was the need of manipulating things on a such a scale that she, Scott Summers, Charles Xavier, and then five billion more people died?" Krishna asked Doom a simple question, that he was unable to answer. "When you wanted to end the Senior Partners, all you had to do was find their realm, which was not hard for a man of your powers and skills, and then end them. Instead, you decided to show them up by blocking them from their own world by moving away the Seed of Wonder, and hiring a Hell-Goddess and a Demon turned Hell-God to guard it. You did not think of what it would to do the rest of the world. Magic was essential for it to survive, but what you did trapped the Senior Partners, and affected many more."
"It was not my world, hence not my responsibility", Doom argued once more.
"And that is the exact reason you made a world like this, and I have to come to you", Krishna gestured around them and then at Doom once more. "If you actually wanted to help even your own world, you would use your skills, powers and intelligence to make things that benefitted the world, and step back when the time came for reward, because doing a good thing is a reward in itself. So, you never actually fulfilled your responsibility to even your own world, because you wanted to show yourself superior to others."
"So, you're trying to tell me that I always have fear inside of me?" Doom inquired to Krishna.
"Many people transform pride into their life's goal", Krishna now told Doom, standing before him. "They toil every moment of their life to add a feather to their existing pride. But what is pride in reality?" He once more gestured at Doom with his hand. "Have you ever wondered about that, Emperor Doom?"
Doom looked down, now in deep thought about pride, as Krishna chuckled and shook his head.
"No", Krishna walked forwards. "If you ever had, you would have realized that a person blinded by pride begs for respect, consciously or unconsciously. They need everyone to praise them. It is their craving to be told of their great power, skills and knowledge. It implies that they expect others to acknowledge their strengths and keep praising them consistently, instead of realizing their own merits and being happy with that." Now Krishna told Doom directly. "And because of that, in spite of this great power that you now wield, you are still weak. And that means, only the one with pride in their hearts are surrounded by fear." He pointed at Doom. "Knowledge grants liberation, and you are one of the most knowledgeable people in the entire Multiverse. Yet your pride prevents you from attaining that liberation."
Now, walking to Doom and standing near him, Krishna asked. "Is pride not just another name for fear?" Doom now looked at Krishna, and there actually was conflict in his eyes, because he was actually thinking about this, something he'd never thought of before, and in a manner he'd never thought of before either. "Think about it, Emperor Doom."
Doom looked at Krishna, then looked down again as Krishna turned around and paced. "Emperor Doom, fear chains your heart, and pride is the lock to that chain. Take yourself for instance. A person filled with pride can never truly appreciate love." He turned around to face Doom again. "You have earned the enmity of your best friend. True, neither of you were faultless, but you spent a lot of time only trying to show him up instead of using your knowledge and skills for something to benefit your world. And now, you took his wife as yours instead out of spite." Then, Krishna reminded him of something else. "And Morgan le Fay, who fell for you, even she could become nothing but a tool of assault for you. You even killed all of your own doppelgangers, because you were afraid, that they could be better than you were, and you could not stand that."
As Doom stood in silence, Krishna explained to him. "You have always had a lot of knowledge, and power, yet your life has been empty. Even now, Susan Storm may be your wife, but it is only because of the power you put upon her and this world, not of her own will. So even now, your life is devoid of love. It is but a cold vessel, yet fear resides in it, which gives way to pride, and so, you rule a world where you proclaim yourself as God. If you truly were God who did great things, people would worship you because they want to, because they love you, not because they fear you."
Doom looked down, pacing around himself, and when he looked at Krishna, he saw actual remorse in Doom's eyes.
Because Doom had thought himself to be perfect, yet it was his fear that gave way to pride and made him do things to prove himself perfect constantly. He had thought he was doing good for his world, but he was only showing up Reed and his family for past slights.
He thought he had done a great deed of charity by making this world and then becoming God of everyone here, but it was only so he could remain at top and feed his pride, pride he never knew he had due to fear he never knew he had, because he always assumed he was perfect, and had all the answers.
Now, the realization that he wasn't, it had shattered his entire worldview, and he could do nothing but feel remorse at what he had done his entire life, thinking it to be right, when it actually was wrong.
One conversation usually would not change a person's worldview and make them realize why they had not been right all along.
But Doom, he had seen who he truly was speaking to, and what he was to the Supreme Being, just one more living being inside of His Cosmic Form, and Krishna had carefully pointed out just where Doom had been wrong the whole time, giving all the proper examples, and logical solutions to his actions.
And because of that, his worldview truly did change finally. So, turning to Krishna, Doom asked. "So, now, after all of this, what am I supposed to do?"
"The day you knew would come since you established this world, it finally is here", Krishna told Doom with a smile and Doom nodded. "For all of yours flaws, you were a great King of Latveria. But now, you have the chance to be an even better man. So, in these moments at least, hold onto righteousness, and do what a righteous person would do."
Doom looked down, then looked back at Krishna, and he was smiling.
"I accept."
And then, Doom joined his hands and actually went down on one knee, kneeling to Krishna. "The knowledge imparted by you now, had I known it earlier, a lot of grave injustices could have been avoided. Yet even now, I know it shall be useful to me."
Krishna nodded as Doom said. "Doing what you asked me to do, it shall be an honor for me now. I shall do it."
"It was not too late after all", Krishna said.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Doom stood back up as Krishna lifted his right hand, supporting the Sudarshana Charka on his index finger once more, and it transformed back into the wheel of his chariot, before moving towards the chariot and joining back to it.
The sky was now clear once more, and time was allowed to move again, with Stephen, Clark, the Paragons and the survivors, all now moving once more.
They looked up to see the clear skies now, and saw that Doom was just standing with his head lowered, and then Krishna walked past him back to them.
"What just happened?" Caroline asked now. "And he…he-"
"He shall not harm any of you", Krishna said to all of their shock, though some of the more powerful and knowledgeable ones did start figuring out the gist of what had happened.
"I cannot believe that, considering what all he can do", Tony groaned in some pain.
"Really? Because he killed some of us", Angel pointed out. "How come he-"
"You shall see for yourself", Krishna said cryptically, before Pavitr touched his feet with both hands, Krishna raising both hands in blessing.
"I knew it! I knew you couldn't be dead!"
Garuda joined both hands and knelt as well, as did Uatu, and then, following their examples, all of the Paragons and survivors joined their hands and knelt to Krishna.
Krishna raised his hand in a blessing gesture. "May you all have victory!"
They nodded, feeling graced just by his words, as Krishna walked back to his chariot, sitting on it, and shared one last look and smile with them, before riding away into the distance, disappearing from all of their sight.
"That was….." The Doctor trailed off.
"Very strange, I know", Klaus nodded. "Yet, I can't help but feel hopeful."
"I think it is what all of us feel", Aragorn noted, as all of their hopes were raised now.
"Strange, yet it is good", Legolas said as well.
"Indeed", Oliver said, just as the skies suddenly turned white.
The clash between God Emperor Doom and Iron Man with all six Infinity Stones, followed by Doom trying to strike Krishna of all people, had weakened the protection around Battleworld.
And the Anti-Monitor had now found it.
"You were all saying?" Tony asked as they all groaned.
"Now?" Lois sighed.
"We can't even fight right now", Kal said. "We're weakened."
"What shall happen now?" Superman wondered as well.
"Go."
All of them looked at Doom in nothing but shock and surprise.
"What?" Ollie asked. "Sorry, I didn't hear you ri-"
"Go", Doom said again.
"Really? We all should go?" Sam asked.
"Really."
"That's weird", Piper muttered. "Because you were-"
"This battle is beyond you. I have long seen this day coming, now that it's here, it is Doom who shall fight for his world."
"We shall fight for you", Clark said to Doom immediately. "We shall-"
"No, I release you", Doom said, to Clark's shock as his eyes widened, while he turned to Stephen. "And you as well. Neither of you are in my service any longer."
All of them were nothing short of stunned by this, before Doom nodded at Uatu, who nodded back, while Doom walked past all of them to see the army of Exterminators that was coming upon this world now, to destroy and kill everyone, like on Earth-199999 and Earth-10005.
But it wasn't like that.
Doom held up a hand, a powerful blast of the Beyonders' energy being prepared, and then he fired it. It was all-consuming, and it consumed every single Exterminator, destroying all of them.
They had all been wiped out!
"Damn!" Erik muttered.
Stephen opened a portal, and out of it walked the non-fighter loved ones of the Heroes, as Piper and Paige kissed of their husbands, Piper holding her babies with tears, as Willow and Tara hugged Fred and Lorne alongside Angel, before taking their cat and cooing over her, The Doctor too embracing his Companions and loved ones, as Wanda hugged May, while Caroline hugged and lifted up both Jo and Lizzie with happy tears, Superman and Jason embracing too while Kal reunited with his mother, and Clint kissed Laura before hugging his children, with Spider-Man and MJ kissing while Sam embraced his wife and children, and Arthur and Guinevere kissed too, while Freya kissed Hope's forehead.
"Now, we all must go", Stephen said as they made their way forwards.
And then, red anti-matter appeared, forming a giant being which was none other than the Anti-Monitor himself.
"Oh shit!" Tony sighed.
But Doom now faced off against Anti-Monitor, not flinching even once, as Anti-Monitor said. "I found you. I finally found you. Your world."
Before Doom could do anything, Anti-Monitor fired a blast at him which made him roll away, before he steadied himself, facing Mobius.
Doom got back up, as Anti-Monitor sped at him and fired a powerful blast that was Beyonder energy and anti-matter combined, but Doom formed a shield to defend himself, and it managed to take it all before Doom held out his hands, the shield expanding and pushing Anti-Monitor back by a few feet, destroying part of Battleworld.
Doom aimed his hand at Anti-Monitor, trapping him in some sort of mystical barrier with symbols all over, and then sent him crashing away through Dimensions.
Only, Anti-Monitor now appeared behind Doom instead, and as Doom turned around, Anti-Monitor smacked his face, sending him crashing through a Dimension, before shattering through another one, where he seemed to fall through utter darkness.
Anti-matter seemed to cover this Dimension too, and Doom looked up at Anti-Monitor, who fired another powerful blast, but Doom summoned a barrier to defend himself, and pushed back against it, managing to throw back Anti-Monitor by a few feet now as he rolled away before steadying himself.
Getting up, he fired another blast as Doom defended himself, before rising up into the sky, managing to deflect the blast, and hovered, looking down at Anti-Monitor.
His fist glowed with power, and then he clashed it against the Anti-Monitor's fist, shattering this reality before Doom got to Anti-Monitor's other side and punched him back before giving him an uppercut. He got head-butted in return but blocked another blow, then head-butted him back as well.
At that point, Anti-Monitor grabbed Doom and flew, crashing through multiple Dimensions before slamming him down onto one more, and brought down both fists upon him, shattering this reality too, and they were back upon Battleworld.
Now, Anti-Monitor seemed to be a Cosmic Giant, and all of them could see him as they were stricken with utter horror.
At that moment, Uatu opened a portal to somewhere and looked at the Paragons and survivors. "Go into it!"
"What about you?" Tara asked him.
"I shall stay and hold him back."
"But you will die!" Kal cried out.
"We can't let that happen", Oliver said as well.
"My people are gone, my oath is null. Now, all I can do, is buy you some time."
Those words flashed Tony back to the cave, when Yinsen did the very same thing.
"Will we see you again?" Frodo still asked with a fool's hope, and Uatu smiled.
"We will see."
And then, he gestured to the portal, as with tears and reluctantly, the Paragons and survivors all went into it while it closed.
Anti-Monitor consumed the Battleworld finally, filling it with his anti-matter, and Doom did not flinch as the Dimension changed, and Anti-Monitor kept punching his face, changing the Dimension with each punch, and finally, Doom was consumed too, but with a smile on his face.
Anti-Monitor then turned to Uatu, who smirked. "Shall we?"
The Heroes all found themselves in an empty, white room, making them look around in utter confusion.
"Now what is this place?" Rogue wondered.
"Looks fucking bland", Blade said as well.
"Yeah, pretty weird", Wanda agreed too.
"Huh?" Logan felt the Cosmic Egg in his hand heat up a bit, and put it down. "This egg is reacting to this place."
"Maybe it is some kind of Dimension that cannot be found by him", Prince suggested.
"Yeah, so we can recover and fight back", Kal realized.
"It will be hard", Willow had to say. "Even if we're Paragons." She glanced at Lex in some disbelief, as did the rest of them. "Including him."
"Well, what will we even do?" Freya now asked.
"We're Avengers."
A very familiar voice echoed around them.
"It can't be..." Bucky whispered.
"We avenge the wrongs done to the Multiverse."
There was a very bright white light and when it faded, in front of them was now Steve Rogers, in a white suit, a Lantern suit to boot.
"Oh my…" Barbara trailed off. "You are…." She trailed off again, then finally spoke-
"A White Lantern!"
Steve smiled at her and nodded, before Diana leapt at him with a passionate and teary kiss, one that he returned with equal passion, and they were like that for more than a minute before finally parting.
"I thought I had lost you…..again!"
"Never", Steve said, before Bucky rushed to him and they embraced happily, having some tears.
"Punk….."
"Jerk….."
They parted, Steve embracing Natasha next, both of them patting each other's backs.
"Good to see you."
"You too", Steve said as they parted and now Steve shared a hug with Tony.
"At this rate, I'll call you the Second Coming, Cap."
"Thank you, Tony", he said, before hugging Clint as well.
"Nice to have you around again. You just keep coming for more."
"I can do this all day", Steve reminded to chuckles before embracing Banner, as Hulk had turned back into him, but was in rags.
"Wish I'd clothes for the occasion."
"Not really a problem", Willow shrugged as she read through the Atharva Veda and chanted something, Banner now having clothes too.
"Now you do", Steve said.
"Thank you", Banner said to Willow.
"You're welcome."
Steve hugged Logan next. "You just keep on surprising, bub, don't you?"
"Guess so."
Steve then hugged Aragorn as well. "I am even happier than when Gandalf had returned, and that says something."
"Indeed", Steve nodded, as he hugged Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Eowyn and Arwen happily one by one as well, sharing a nod with the rest.
"I truly feel blessed and hopeful now after seeing you once more", Boromir told Steve as both embraced.
"Goes both ways", Steve assured, hugging Faramir after him.
"Not as much as you think", Faramir replied, Steve then hugging Oliver too.
"I think we can win this after all now", Oliver commented, Steve also embracing Sara.
"Yep, which says a lot, since we're the only ones left in the Multiverse now. Except Lord Krishna or Lord Vishnu I'd say."
"They are probably watching out for us", Pavitr suggested, as Matt and Steve hugged.
"It is good to see you, and yes, I mean that, because with this sword, I can see", Matt told Steve.
"Congratulations, Matt", Steve told him, as he shared a nod with Prince and the rest, before sharing a hug with Spider-Man.
"Things look better now."
"I guess", Steve said, embracing Wanda and Parker, and then Kal as well.
"You just can't seem to stay dead, can you? I mean that as a good thing."
"Guess someone out there is looking out for me", Steve said, before nodding at Big Blue, who nodded back, and then Steve told Clark. "You may have been a slave, but now is the time for redemption."
Hearing that, Clark felt inspired, and looking at Steve nodded, and the rest did as well, before Steve smiled at Superman, who smiled back.
"What all of them said, Steve. I am happy to have you back. We all are. I know you will lead us to victory."
"And a leader is as good as everyone else around them, you all, I couldn't have asked for better allies, better friends", Steve said to all of them. "And I know that together, all of us can save and bring back the Multiverse that was lost."
Everyone nodded firmly, knowing they would do it this time.
Garuda joined his hands in front of Steve again. "I shall now be honored to have you ride upon me."
"And I shall be honored to ride upon you", Steve replied to him.
And then, another being appeared next to White Lantern Steve, emanating great power while his body was covered in a dark green hood, a cloak of the same shade attached to the hood and flowing behind him.
When he spoke, it was Sara and Team Flash who recognized his voice, their eyes widening.
"Inspiring stuff, Captain, only lacking the details on the how."
And then, he looked up, as Sara and Team Flash spoke together in shock.
"SNART?"
Notes:
Well, this one was something.
Krishna and Doom were never supposed to fight, it was supposed to be a lesson of enlightenment once more, a harsh one this time because its Doom.
Now, I know one conversation usually does not change people, especially ones like Doom, but this was the Supreme Being Himself, and Doom saw he too was just one of the infinite beings inside Creation, and then Krishna logically and efficiently pointed out every flaw with Doom, and so, eventually, he listened, and it changed something within him.
When God Himself tells you something and you see how small you are in front of Him, even one like Doom is bound to listen eventually.
And we still got an epic fight with God Emperor Doom and Anti-Monitor, with Doom sacrificing himself as Battleworld is gone, and Uatu has sacrificed himself too.
But now, Steve Rogers is back as the White Lantern, and yes, Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold is here too, and he is The Spectre! Bet that was a surprise!
All will be explained next chapter, and now the final showdown looms close.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 16: The final showdown begins
Summary:
Plans are made as the final battle for the fate of the Multiverse begins at last.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
And thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
Enjoy folks!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Yeah, yeah, its me", the being who was formerly known as Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold on Earth-1 said to Sara and Team Flash, whose jaws were still dropped on seeing him, while the rest were a bit confused, even if they did realize that this was someone they used to know before and he was clearly dead, hence their reactions. "What, no hug?"
"Huh?" Buffy muttered in recognition too as she looked at Snart. "You are-"
"I know, I was that swimmer called Gage in your school on your world", Snart immediately told her. "My doppelganger that is."
"Weird", Willow muttered.
"So weird", Angel said as well, remembering drinking Gage's blood as Angelus, and how bad it had been for him.
"Indeed, like, seriously, fish people?" Snart muttered, pacing and looking at all of them. "Time travel, immortals, becoming this, all of its fine, but becoming fish people is where I draw the line."
And then, Sara hugged Snart, to his actual surprise, as she told him. "Its good to see you, Snart. It really is. After all this time."
The former Captain Cold had a warm smile on his face as he embraced her back. "You too, Sara."
"I still can't believe it", Cisco muttered.
"I understand Ramon, that you can't trust me", Snart told him, and also Caitlin and Patty. "But things are different now. I ain't who I used to be before."
"And if Sara trusts him, that is enough for me", Oliver now told them all.
"You all weren't with us when we travelled to stop Savage", Sara pointed out now. "You didn't see what I saw. He is not the man you all used to know."
The three shared looks, before Caitlin now said to Sara. "If you say so, we trust your judgment."
"Yeah", Patty nodded as well.
"The last surviving Legends reunite, ain't that a delight?" Snart asked Sara, making her sigh a bit. "Mick, my sister, Ray…." He told all of them. "And everyone else. They didn't deserve what happened, and now its time."
"But first", Lex held up a hand now, looking at both Steve and Snart. "Can you tell us exactly what both of you are here?"
"He is a White Lantern", Barbara gestured to Steve. "And-"
"I'll explain", Steve assured Barbara now, and turned to all of them. "There is this being called Entity, which represents all life in the Multiverse."
"I thought it was just a myth", Barbara muttered. "All Lanterns did."
"So, you met this being and it gave you your life back then?" Aragorn inquired. "Like how Gandalf was sent back until his task was done?"
"More like it chose me, to represent all of Life", Steve revealed, to the shock of all of them now. "My mastery of the Emotional Spectrum is why it elevated me to this, because me existing shows that Life always has a chance."
"Considering how much you keep coming back, I can believe it", Bucky quipped to chuckles.
"And I thought Barry was so nauseatingly good. I'm not physically capable of throwing up, but this guy is testing my limits." At seeing people's looks, Leonard raised his hands in defence. "I mean that in a good way."
"Wow!" Barbara said. "So, now you're a White Lantern, to counter the Black Lanterns, right?"
"You can say that", Steve nodded, but then revealed. "But it's a double-edged sword as well. The Entity resides within me, and so, if it dies, Life dies with it. Meaning if I go again, Life shall go with me."
That was a shock to them, before Tony finally said. "Anyway, let's try and prevent that, shall we? Can't lose the representation of all life now, right Cap?"
"Indeed", Steve nodded with a smile.
"You have attained one of the highest honors", Garuda had to say to Steve, who just gave a humble nod.
"I believe we have a better chance now", Klaus said too.
Then Bonnie asked Snart. "And what are you then?"
"What I am, it is called The Spectre", Snart revealed to everyone of them. "And, I am God's Wrath!"
Now that shocked them even more, especially those who knew Snart, as Sara asked. "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Damn!"
"So, Captain Cold is now God's Wrath", Cisco muttered. "Are we sure this is not Hell where we're being punished?"
"And, how did this happen to you?" Oliver then asked Snart. "Like, from there-"
"Ah well, you see, one must feel like there's unfinished business for them in the big wide Multiverse, ya know?" Snart started telling everyone now. "And, when I died, I had a lot of it too."
"Like what?" Caitlin inquired.
"Oh well, this is embarrassing. I kind of liked what I was doing as a Legend", Snart said, and once more, Team Flash was surprised. "So, I realized there was a lot to make up for and all that stuff, and dying, even as a hero, eh! Didn't sit well with me."
"And that means", Strange now said. "You too had unfinished business, a lot of it."
"Your redemption was incomplete in your mind", Angel noted. "And you felt you still had a lot more to do, right?"
"Right", Snart sighed. "So, the previous Spectre known as Jim Corrigan appeared to me, and he trained me for a long time, preparing me to take up this role."
And then, Snart looked ahead. "Now, this is my task. I know, Captain Cold is God's Wrath and is going to help save the Multiverse. Shocking, ain't it?"
"Very", Patty said. "But like it was just said, we give you the benefit of the doubt, like you deserve it."
Snart smirked and nodded. "Well then, time for it I guess."
"What happened to Doom, Uatu and Battleworld?" Enzo then inquired to them.
Steve informed all of them regretfully. "They fought for three days straight. Doom died saving his world. Uatu fought alone, with everything he had, but he died believing in you. Believing...in Heroes."
For a few moments, all of them were silent, mourning at least Uatu, since even after Doom's turn, the Heroes couldn't feel too much empathy for him due to what he'd done to them before all of this.
But this was bad.
"May they rest in peace", Tara said for both Uatu and Doom and everyone who'd died on Battleworld, before asking the big question. "What's the plan here though?"
"Oh, that's very simple", Snart said with a shrug now. "Just make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, and then, throw away the plan."
All of them shared looks of shock at what Snart had just said, before Natasha gestured to Steve. "I think I'd prefer listening to the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan."
"Oh come on", Steve groaned as all of them chuckled.
"Yeah, what's the plan now, Captain?" Caroline asked with a naughty smirk as well.
Tony looked at Steve and now said. "I have a plan- attack."
The two shared a knowing smile, before Rebekah now said. "Anyways, seriously now, let's really do make a plan of attack here, right?"
A while later, Steve and Snart stood in front of the rest.
"So, there is nothing left in this Multiverse, other than a few odd places that even Anti-Monitor can't touch, like this place called the White Hot Room, Heaven and Hell", Steve explained to the rest of them now. "And outside of this, all that's left, is the anti-matter Universe. Mobius' domain."
"The big bastard is high on victory, unless that antimatter of his has some interesting side effects that we don't know about."
"Go to the Antimatter universe, make Mobius come to you, and fight."
"Throw everything you got, and don't be afraid to fight dirty."
"With the twenty-five Paragons together, the Phoenix Force which is in the Cosmic Egg, and the Infinity Stones, you can contend with the Anti-Monitor, and hurt him."
"Then add that last secret ingredient, and we'll be drinking Mai Tai's in Aruba...well, some of us that is."
"Secret ingredient?" Freya now asked.
"The Savior. When the time is right, he'll be there and finish it. All you need to do is buy enough time before he comes."
"Sounds as if we are returning to the Black Gate, and this Savior is set to destroy Sauron's Ring." Aragorn noted the similarities.
"Near enough, exactly like that."
"Diversion? That's our plan?" Legolas asked now, remembering the Black Gate again.
"I like the sound of it. Lot of frustration built up since this whole Crisis thing started, could use the chance to vent." Willow had to say.
"We all would." Even Tara agreed..
"How do we know it'll be enough? What if we fail?" Piper inquired.
Steve smiled, and many could swear, he seemed to glow with holy light. "You got to have faith. In yourselves. In each other."
"And if you don't, then we'll be floating around in nothing for eternity until we get another chance the day after never. So, no pressure."
Ollie now had to say. "You know, looking at him," he pointed to Steve, "I feel happy, hopeful, inspired. You on the other hand," he pointed to the smirking Snart, "just make me feel anxious, and kinda vengeful."
"Think that's the case with all of us really", Chloe shrugged.
"Great to know, my work here is done." Snart sarcastically cheered.
"Well fuck", Jessica muttered as well.
Now, they were split up amongst themselves, all of them talking, as Klaus and Hayley embraced Hope, Klaus telling her. "We will be back soon enough, little Hope."
"And the rest with us", Hayley added with a smile.
"I know you all will do it", Hope said sweetly, as both kissed her forehead, and Rebekah stroked her hair lovingly as well.
"We all will do what has to be done", she said to Hope now.
"Indeed", Freya said. "Now its time for it at last." She looked at Erik, holding out her hand as he held hers. "Together."
"Together."
Klaus looked to Alaric, who stood with Jo and Lizzie, and now Hope. "Take care of her."
"I will", Alaric assured with a nod.
Jo and Lizzie both hugged Caroline as the former asked. "Will you come back, mommy?"
"Yes I will", Caroline told Jo and Lizzie. "For both of you."
"We will wait, mommy", Lizzie said as well, Caroline kissing both of their heads now.
"Well, we're on for it, huh luv?" Enzo asked Bonnie.
"Yeah, and its time to fight it now", Bonnie said to him.
"This is the biggest bad to end all big bads." Buffy had to say.
"And we thought we had problems before." Spike muttered, as the rest looked at each other.
"Well, time to do it I guess", Cordelia shrugged. "All of us, together for this fight too."
"Yeah, this will be the final battle for us", Angel said as well. "And then, we bring it all back."
"Yup, everyone we lost, they lost, all of us lost", Willow sighed. "They all now come back."
"We'll fight our hardest do it", Connor commented.
"No", Tara shook her head. "We will do it."
"Oh yeah, now is the time finally", Dawn agreed too.
"Let's not back down, huh?" Faith commented as well.
"Good luck guys and gals", Lorne raised his thumbs to all of them. "Biggest fight of everyone's lives, and I know you lot can do it."
"Yeah, we'll wait", Fred said as well, as hugs were shared between everyone, while Willow and Tara cooed over Miss Kitty Fantastico one more time, the cat purring in affection and licking their faces while swatting at their hair with her paws, making them both chuckle.
Dragon Cordelia let out a little growl, as he was coming with them too.
Arthur and Guinevere shared a loving kiss before parting, as she said. "Come back to me, my King."
"I will, my Queen", Arthur assured her, Lena standing nearby too.
"Both of you, take care of each other", Guinevere requested as they nodded.
"Yeah, just like siblings", Lena reminded, putting an arm around Arthur as they snickered a bit at that now.
"So, what will I do sitting here?" Becky wondered.
"No idea, just sit around", Dave shrugged, making her chuckle as they kissed, Veronica nearby.
"Sitting around would be the safest thing", Veronica added from her end.
"Well, let's all help 'em out, eh?" Mal asked the rest of his crew. "And then-"
"The 'verse comes back", River muttered. "Along with-"
"Jayne", Simon said as well. "All of them do."
"Yep, so let's go", Zoe raised her gun.
"All of us", Wash nodded.
"I think its time for our faith to be rewarded now", Book had to say.
"Yep, high time", Kaylee said as well.
"Let's work for it, and it will", Inara agreed.
The Doctor embraced both Amy and Rory. "Whatever happens, you two…..all of you…."
"We know, Raggedy Man", Amy assured The Doctor, patting his back. "We know."
"And we won't forget", Rory added as well, The Doctor nodding, as they embraced their daughter next.
"We're proud of you, Melody", Rory said to her. "Of what you've become."
"Yes, and we know you all will do it again", Amy added from her end.
"Thank you, mother, father", Song said to them both happily.
"Know this, whatever happens", Harkness put his hands on the shoulders of Martha and Mickey while looking at their children. "I care about both of you."
"We know you do", Martha told him. "We always will."
"Thank you", Mickey said as well.
"No, thank you."
The Doctor hugged Donna as well. "We will meet again, The Most Important Woman in the Whole Wide Universe."
"Not as important as you lot are now, but thank you", Donna said to him then.
The Doctor then shared an embrace with Wilf as well, and a nod with Shaun.
Piper and Paige shared loving kisses with Leo and Henry respectively, as Piper told him. 'Take care of our babies, will you?"
"Yes, I will, Piper", Leo assured her. "And we'll all be together again."
"All of us together, family", Henry said from his end as well.
"Yeah, everyone of us", Paige nodded too, the four sharing looks one more time.
Parker hugged Aunt May as she told him. "No matter what happens, Peter, know that I'm proud of the hero you've become, and I always will be."
"I'll come back, May", Parker said to her. "We all will."
"We'll make sure of it", Wanda said as well.
Spider-Man and MJ shared a kiss as well as MJ told him. "Go get 'em, Tiger."
"Was planning to."
Clea handed her baby to MJ. "Take care of him while we're gone."
"I will", she said, as Clea kissed her baby's head one last time, and Stephen did the same, stroking his hair, not wanting to part but knowing it was necessary.
Peter and Betty too parted as she looked at Peter, then Felicia. "Take care of him."
"Will do my best", Felicia shrugged to chuckles.
Clint and Laura shared a loving kiss, as she then said to him. "So, going to protect your family now, right? All of it."
"Yeah, all of it", Clint nodded, embracing his three children too. "Daddy is gonna bring 'em all back now."
Tony shared a kiss with Pepper and assured her. "This is the last time. After this, I'll stop." He kissed Morgan's head as well.
Banner and Betty too shared a hug and kiss.
"Come back to me, Bruce."
"I will, Betty."
Batman, Knight, Bruce and Catwoman shared a nod, as Big Blue parted with his family too now, and Kal and Martha shared one last hug,
"We always knew you were meant for something special, Clark. And now, we know you'll do it."
"I won't disappoint, mom", Kal assured her.
"Oh no, there's not a bone of disappointment in his body", Lois added as they shared smiles now.
Matt had removed his helmet and with his glowing eyes, he was staring at Elektra. "You're staring."
"I just want to look at the most beautiful woman I've ever met while I can. The love of my life."
Both of them shared a kiss as well, while Eomer and Lothiriel did the same, as did Sam and Rosie Cotton.
"Be safe, Sam."
"I will", he told her, and hugged and kissed his daughter and son one last time too.
Faramir and Eowyn too shared a kiss, with both of them cooing over their son together one more time.
Oliver and Sara held hands.
"Together."
"Together."
"Will you come back, dad?" Jason asked his father. "I'm worried about what I'll do without you. I can't be like you."
Superman hugged his son and told him. "Don't be Superman. Don't be Clark Kent. Be you, because I think Jason Kent is inspiring all by himself."
Diana held Steve's hands, their foreheads leaning against each other.
"I thought I lost you again."
"Not yet, darling. Not until you get sick of me."
"That will never happen."
"Good to hear, marriage would be a little awkward if you did."
"The thought of us together has been driving me on since the very beginning. When we can forget the pain and the fighting."
"I can't wait. I already have a ring." Steve wiggled his White Lantern Ring jokingly, making the Amazon chuckle before she reached underneath her bracelet to pull out the same engagement ring Steve proposed with.
"So do I."
"Yours is better."
"You have great taste."
"I have a great girl."
Bucky and Natasha looked at each other firmly, nodding, while Logan had shared a moment with Sarah and John, and then the X-Men too.
Now Logan was looking at the Cosmic Egg as Steve approached him. "So, who's gonna crack it?"
"No one." Logan turned to Steve. "You're gonna make it hatch."
Now that was a shock to the Wolverine. "That's a little above my league, Cap, even for a Paragon."
"You're more connected to the Phoenix than you realize." Steve gestured to his hands. "Ever since you resisted it's temptations, Jean's spirit in the Phoenix left you a gift."
Logan ran his hand over his right knuckles before popping the claws, the Adamantium glowing a burning red as flames radiated off the edges, but to his surprise, seemed to flicked, in direction of the egg.
"You mean...Jean..."
"Left you the key to hatching the Egg, wielding it's power, when the day came. This is the day, Logan."
Logan simply stood for a few moments, thinking back on his whole life from when the claws first popped out, to his time with Victor, to the wars, to Stryker, to Kayla, to the amnesiac phase, to the X-Men, to Mariko, and now the Avengers and Sarah and John, and also Jean, the older and younger one's deaths haunting him, and the events of his life, especially regarding the Phoenix Force, and now the fate of the Multiverse.
With steely eyes, Logan looked back at Steve's glowing white eyes, with a fire being lit in his own.
"Everyone comes home."
Logan unsheathed his other claws, already engulfed in fire, and stabbed both into the Egg.
Upon the stabbing, the energy that made the shell dissipated, the Cosmic flames travelling up Logan's arms and seeping into his body.
All watched as the symbol burnt onto Logan's chest, with his hair turning into fire, his eyes glowing with the same flames that burnt within him.
"Logan…." Storm inquired. "You all right?"
"Yeah", Logan nodded.
"Its all right within you, right?" Sarah asked in concern.
"Yeah", Logan lifted his head up properly now. "For once, me and it have the same goal- Cut that goddamn son of a bitch's head off."
Alaric, Caroline and Bonnie had covered the children's ears at that time as Bonnie said. "We've kids here."
"Sorry."
Clark said to the rest sadly. "The things that I had to do for Doom, I can't ever walk away from that. I was the Executioner of Doom's will. There's too much blood on my hands."
"Now's your chance to wash it all away." Kal now interrupted him. "We do this, the clock turns back. Our homes, universes, loved ones, we can get them all back, all we need to do is win this fight, but we need every hand on deck."
"It doesn't matter what you did, or what you were. You come with us, you come to fight. Come with us, and you are a Hero." Superman said as well, Clint and Wanda sharing a look at remembering something similar.
"You can redeem yourself for all of it", Kara said as well. "Just come with us."
"Indeed, only then shall the blood be washed off", Big Blue said too.
After a few moments, Clark nodded. "I will come with you for sure."
Steve walked to Erik and told him. "It'll be hard for you to use your powers there, no metal, you know?"
"So, am I supposed to stay?" Erik asked incredulously.
"No", Steve poked Erik's head with his White Lantern Ring, and he glowed with a white light, before feeling even more powerful than before. "Now you can manipulate electricity, light, gravity, and create your own electromagnetic field to manipulate non-metallic objects."
Erik's eyes widened, realizing how powerful he had become now, before he turned to Charles.
"I know you can do this Erik. Go, help save all of Creation now."
The man who once used to only want to save Mutants, without caring about anything else, nodded in agreement. "I will help save all now."
"Potential unlocked, need to do it for some more", Snart said, and then he put his hands upon the heads of Boromir and Faramir, a glow passing through them before they too felt stronger than they ever had. "Now you're at the level of the Men of Númenor, you are Second Age ones in the Fourth Age now."
Both of them shared looks of surprise, before nodding at Snart in thanks, who looked at Aragorn. "You ain't getting it, you have Mjolnir already."
Aragorn chuckled and held it up. "I know, I will just use it."
Snart then walked to Legolas and Arwen, and his hands glowed upon them as well, making them feel stronger than ever too. "And now, you two are more powerful than any Elf in your Age, because you are as powerful as the First Age Elves."
That was another shock to both of them as well, but they nodded in thanks too, while Gimli said. "This is unfair, if they get increase in power, then I-"
Snart now put a hand on Gimli's head as well and there was a glow, making him feel more powerful than ever before too. "You're at the level of the Dwarves of Nidavellir now, and got a cool ax, so stop complaining."
That got some chuckles as Legolas told Gimli. "Now you too have the power."
"It seems I do", Gimli nodded at him, then at Snart. "Thank you."
"Time for some more", Snart aimed at Buffy, Faith, Lois, Chloe, Sara, Elektra, Patty and Caitlin, making them glow too, and now he revealed. "Now you're as strong as that Sineya girl used to be, but without any feral or Demonic stuff."
"Whoa!" Buffy muttered, before speaking for all. "Thank you, Snart."
Snart put his hands around Blaze's head too, making him glow as blue flames now appeared. "And now, your Zarathos as an Angel of Vengeance shall come through you."
"Thanks pal", Blaze said to him, before Zarathos spoke through him. "Your help is appreciated, Spectre."
"No problem", Snart assured her, and then he did the same for Angel, Spike, Blade, Klaus, Stefan and Enzo too. "And now, you lot are like Dracula of Earth-199999 in power, some weather manipulation there."
"Thanks mate", Spike spoke for everyone.
"Oh yeah", Blade said as well.
And then Snart did it for Maximoff, Bart, Pietro and Allen too, making them the fastest they'd been as Maximoff said for all. "Thanks pal."
Steve asked Lex. "So, Lex, ready for it?"
"Look man, I didn't want to be a Paragon or take your place", Lex held up his hands. "So-"
"But you are now, so, you'll have to come", Steve told him.
"You always wanted to be the Hero, Lex", Kal said to him. "Now's your chance."
Lex seemed to be in thought, and then he nodded too. "Right."
Allen and Joan shared a look, and with that, Snart stood forth, before Steve told all of them one more thing. "Before we go, I must warn you all, Life has no place in the Antimatter universe. If you die there...there's no coming back."
For a few moments, there was silence.
"...if we don't go, there's nothing to come back to." Superman said, and they all nodded, standing together as they accepted this possible fate.
Willing to die so everything can be restored.
"This is what we do." Spider-Man said as well, while Steve nodded firmly, looking at all of them.
"This is the fight of our lives, and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes."
It was fitting, as this speech brought together the first real, united force of Heroes against Thanos and Morgoth, after losing half the Multiverse. And this time, it was used for saving all the Multiverse.
And then, Snart opened a portal right into the anti-matter Universe in that very moment, all looking ahead at it, steely determination in their eyes.
"This is not just a battle to beat the bad guy", Superman told all of them. "It is to save life, help people, everyone in the Multiverse."
"Indeed, and it is up to us now", Kal nodded. "We must save everyone."
Aragorn looked at everyone and said. "Sons and daughters of the Multiverse, I had once said that a day will come when the Age of Men comes crashing down, and it is this day, yet there is no fear in any of your eyes. And so, this day we all fight. By all that you hold dear in this Multiverse, I bid you all stand- Heroes!"
A fire lit up in the eyes of everyone, their hope and optimism raised even more.
"We fight for all of existence", Arthur said too.
Now there was just one more thing left.
Tony started it off. "There was an idea..."
Steve, knowing what Tony was doing, picked it up, "...to bring together, a group of remarkable people."
Natasha continued it. "To see if they could become, something more. "
Banner joined as well. "So when they needed us, we could fight the battles..."
Clint finished it. "...that they never could."
All of this was heartfelt, and inspiring, and now, it was time.
And then, they entered through the portal into the anti-matter Universe at last, where that dratted thing covered everything, and they knew it had to be removed, so a beautiful Multiverse could be created once more.
"Well, time to call 'em out", Snart shrugged while closing the portal.
Clint and Oliver shared a look, and then, they pulled the strings of the Sharanga and Gandiva respectively, the reverberations echoing throughout the entire anti-matter Universe now.
"Come out and face us, you coward", Legolas held up his own bow as well, all of them staring ahead.
At that moment, an army of Black Lanterns flew in, followed by many Shadow Demons.
"Looks like we have his attention", Cordelia commented, Banner transforming into Hulk, and then the big battle finally began at last.
Legolas shot two Shadow Demons down first, before slicing one, while Arwen sliced down three more, Gimli roaring and killing two himself, as Boromir and Faramir sliced two each, with Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin also taking out one each, and Eomer got one more as well.
Roy shot down one, Sara slicing two as Caitlin turned into Killer Frost and froze one more, Patty too slicing one as Nyssa shot another down, and Deathstroke slashed one down, Cisco using his powers to destroy three of them, while Bruce spin kicked one more down and Catwoman got another one.
Pavitr swung, getting one more with a kick while Klaus ripped one apart with his new strength, and Stefan slammed another down, Enzo too kicking another away as Rebekah glowed and destroyed few of them nearby, and Hayley took out one more with a punch as Bonnie burnt two of them.
Lena froze and disintegrated a small group of them and Diana sliced three of them in quick succession.
Song and Harkness were both shooting at some Shadow Demons as well, taking them out.
Allen sped around really fast, getting some, as Sarah and John took out some more with shots, and Spike ripped one more apart, Buffy and Faith both slicing and smashing down three each respectively, Cordelia using her glow to take out two, and Connor sliced one more, as Dawn took out one with a fireball and sliced another down, Dragon Cordelia burning a few more.
Big Blue flew around at full speed, also taking out some more.
Ollie shot three arrows quickly, taking out three as Lois sliced two down and Chloe shot two more down, Bart speeding around at near light speed and getting many of them as Kara got some with Heat Vision, Knight kicking another down while Dinah took some out with her scream and Grayson spin kicked one more away, Barbara using her Ring to create a barrier and crushing more before creating guns and firing at them, as Mia shot one more down, while Jones used his fireballs to destroy some more.
Mal, Inara, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Simon and Book too fired and got some as River flipped and slammed two of them down.
Stephen used his power, effortlessly disintegrating a group of them as Clea got a few more with Eldritch powers, and Dave and Veronica burnt some more.
Peter swung as well, kicking two away while Felicia kicked one down, and the power of Zarathos struck some Black Lanterns, making them screech as they were burnt and backed off in pain.
Maximoff sped around at near light speed too, getting even more Shadow Demons, as Tony killed some with normal repulsors, Hulk ripping more apart, Bucky, Fitz, Simmons, Bobbi and Hunter firing at them as Blade ripped two apart and sliced one more, Storm using her powers to strike a group down with lightning as Bobby froze and shattered four of them, Rogue and Kitty getting one each as Elektra too ripped two apart, and Gwen swung, getting one more while Jessica slammed one more down.
Pietro too sped around fast and got some more, while Clark flew at some and got them before taking out more with Heat Vision.
Devil Dinosaur roared and ripped five of them apart.
Erik was in the air as he manipulated gravity, making many Shadow Demons screech before he got them with his powers, destroying them all.
Garuda was flying, killing Shadow Demons and scratching at some Black Lanterns before flying off in time.
Caroline sliced down two of them with her sword, and got one more, while Freya hovered in the air with her cloak, chanting and killing some more Shadow Demons with flames, as Piper froze and disintegrated some more with her powers, Paige orbing away the attacks of some Black Lanterns towards Shadow Demons and killing them too.
The Doctor used his Sonic Screwdriver to take out two of them and slammed the Dagda's staff, taking out a few more, with Batman flipping and kicking two down, while Tara held up the Padma, glowing with a pure divine light that killed more Shadow Demons, and Willow used the power of the Atharva Veda to wipe some more out as well.
Matt sliced down three with Hofund, as Frodo, Sam and Natasha were invisible and got some more by stabbing them, while Angel hit two with the Kaudomaki, also destroying them, Spider-Man getting some more with Sun Wukong's staff.
Lex flew in his Lexosuit, killing some Shadow Demons with its blasts and used his 'lightsaber' to strike down three more.
Clint and Oliver got many more with their arrows from the divine bows.
Aragorn was in the air and fired lightning at some Black Lanterns, staggering them and then striking them with Mjolnir before slicing them with Nandaka.
Arthur sliced one's chest with Excalibur, then stabbed through with the Spear of Longinus, and Prince used the power of the Thunderbolt to stagger some more back.
Superman fired Heat Vision, sending some more back while Kal flew around and with his strength, slammed one down and hurled another away before punching one as it flew into some more and all were sent back.
Wanda used her powers, stopping a few of them, before firing Gungnir as they screeched and were sent back once more, damaged if not killed.
Strange used the Book of Vishanti to cast a spell that started tearing the Black Lanterns apart from the inside bit by bit, not killing them but doing heavy damage still.
Tony then aimed at some Black Lanterns and used blasts from the Power Stone to send them back or used the Reality Stone to convert whatever they made into puddle, while Erik used his powers to destroy any weaponry they made and at least stop them in place.
Logan growled, the Phoenix Force covering him, before Steve said to him. "The power of the Phoenix Force is what can destroy the Black Lanterns forever, so you must do it, Logan. Use the power, take them all down."
Logan nodded at Steve, roaring as he held up the Gauntlets of Ares, burning with fire, and then his claws popped out, the Cosmic flames of the Phoenix Force upon them, before the entirety of his body was covered by the Phoenix Force.
With that, the divine power and Cosmic power combined, as Logan fired like a projectile shooting flames, obliterating a group of Black Lanterns.
They fired upon him, but the Phoenix Force defended him as he grabbed one Black Lantern, and ripped it apart, his strength now equal to Hercules himself.
Roaring, he stabbed through one with his claws repeatedly, destroying it, and sliced the throats of two more as they were gone, before ripping another's intestines, or whatever those were, apart, and obliterating that too.
Leaping, he sliced three more in the air, destroying them all, while the Cosmic Flames emanated from him, and got another huge group of them.
And then, Logan leapt at some more who tried to consume him in the darkness, but he roared, slicing that with his claws as the Phoenix Force was unleashed, and formed the shape of a 'X' as he landed in front of them, and stabbed through some more of them with a loud roar, obliterating them too.
Leaping, he sliced off another's arm before obliterating him, and then flipped around to avoid blasts from some more, before twirling his right fist, hurling another blast through the Gauntlet at a group of Black Lanterns, destroying all of them as well.
He then leapt behind another group of them and sliced them down one by one, before roaring as a huge blast of Phoenix Force from him consumed almost all of them.
Only a few were left, and the Wolverine swung both his claws into the air, forming a 'X' with his power again as it obliterated those remaining few.
The Black Lanterns were gone!
"And he has done it, eh?" Snart quipped to the rest of them. "While you all too hold up well, this is going just fine."
"Space bird for the win!" Parker cheered too, Logan smirking.
And then, the anti-matter wave started coming around, joining together as a giant shape was formed, and then he was there.
The Anti-Monitor!
He looked down upon all of them. "You dare to come to my Universe?"
"Considering we're already here, well, yeah", Snart shrugged, looking at him, as all of them stared at him.
"Oh well", Tony quipped. "You're here, we're here, we dared, and now", he pointed at Anti-Monitor. "You've pissed us all off, not a great plan pal. So its time to pay!"
The time for the big battle had come at last!
Disney's Hercules A True Hero/A Star Is Born plays
Thor's spirit was drowning deeper and deeper into the darkness, his strength leaving him as he began to lose sight of the light now. He closed his eyes as death began to tighten its grip upon him, until something grabbed his hand and pulled the God of Thunder close.
Thor blearily started to regain his strength as a warm light engulfed his being, a familiar yet great power shining upon him as he opened his eyes, and saw through the golden light the face of his father smiling down at him.
"Father?"
"I always knew you were stronger, my son. Your fate was always meant to go further beyond Asgard, to heights even I could not comprehend." Odin told his son with pride.
"But I...I failed...I failed so many..." Thor trailed off in some guilt.
"It does not matter that you fail, but you never surrender. " Odin now told him.
Thor asked the big question. "Am I truly worthy...?"
Odin assured Thor now. "You have always been worthy, Thor, you were just too blind to see it. Now, see everything, see the sins of the past, and the successes of the future. See the fates of those around you, of those you have yet to meet. Accept your power." Odin released his hold on Thor, whose soul began to emit the same light as his father's, a Celestial blue light that even outshone the former King of Asgard.
Smiling up at his ascending son, Odin gave his last words. "Do not fall, my son. Be the Saviour of Us All. Be the God of Gods!"
And then Thor returned to his body, the chain around his neck snapping as he rose up to Prue, shining with the blue Celestial light around him and it was divine as well, making Prue smile in hope too, as Thor's power was now spreading over the World Tree, across every Realm, every reality.
Runes appeared and disappeared continuously around Thor's body. He turned to Prue, opening his eyelids to reveal glowing blue orbs of power.
She asked him. "How do you feel?"
"Ready."
It was time!
Notes:
And that ends the chapter, hope the explanations for Steve and Snart made sense, and we got some cool power-ups for a lot of them as well.
The big battle has started, and now they shall face Anti-Monitor too.
Thor's power-up is coming up as well.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 17: Battling the Crisis
Summary:
The final showdown against the Anti-Monitor himself begins at last.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more, and also to Bl4ckHunter for his as well on this chapter.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Logan Howlett and Tony Stark together marched towards the Anti-Monitor, who simply stood, looking down upon all of them still.
The genius then asked the Mutant. "So, how does it feel to step up into the big leagues?"
"Not as exciting as I thought it would be, and I can't get this burned taste out of my mouth", Logan had to say in response there.
"Maybe we should ask him about it." Tony gestured to the Anti-Monitor.
"You do the talking, I'll do the killing."
"They never taught you to share at that school, did they?"
"Not when I'm mad."
"Well then, let's burn this bastard."
With that, both of them faced the Anti-Monitor who looked at them and asked. "You think you can defeat me? After everything I destroyed?"
"That's exactly what we're gonna do, bub", Logan snarled, unleashing his Adamantium claws, burning with the Phoenix Force now. "Prepare to go."
"Hell yes!" Tony said too, all 6 Infinity Stones now glowing in his suit as he flew into the air.
With that, it was finally on!
The Anti-Monitor fired blasts of anti-matter wave at both Tony and Logan, as the former flew around to avoid while the latter rolled away too, and then Tony blasted upon the Anti-Monitor with the Power Stone, but he defended with a barrier of anti-matter himself, then sent it outwards, but Tony formed a force field with the Space Stone in time, protecting everyone from that powerful wave.
"Well, he sure does pack a punch", Tony quipped when Logan roared and leapt at the Anti-Monitor, trying to slice with his claws, but was smacked away, making him roll on the ground before he steadied himself and got back up, while Tony now used the Reality Stone, trying to change the anti-matter around the Anti-Monitor into nothing but water, and then do the same to him.
But the Anti-Monitor was made of sterner stuff as the anti-matter started turning into water, and then turned back into anti-matter again, while he fired a blast of Beyonder energy upon Tony, only for him to open a portal with the Space Stone, and then open one more upon the Anti-Monitor's head, making the energy strike the Anti-Monitor as he grunted, kneeling in pain.
Taking the opportunity, Tony flew at him and enhancing his suit's strength with the Power Stone, kicked the Anti-Monitor's face, staggering him backwards while Logan leapt and sliced at his abdomen and then chest, the power of the Phoenix Force hurting him while Logan stabbed the claws into him, the evil being of great power grunting in pain once more.
Then, he grabbed Logan and with a roar, sent some anti-matter through him before hurling him down, while punching Tony really hard, sending him flying off as well.
"Oh boy!" Tony groaned, managing to pick himself up again while cracking his neck, as Logan got up too, his wounds healed easily while he growled at Anti-Monitor.
"That all you got, bub?" Logan inquired with a smirk, making the Anti-Monitor growl back at him instead, as powerful blasts of the Beyonders' power came from him, but Logan growled, the Phoenix Force rising and trying to stand against that.
"Time for payback!" It spoke through Logan, who held up his claws in a defensive position, and when that happened, the Phoenix Force managed to form a shield, defending him and the rest from that great amount of power.
Iron Man then flew up and used the Mind Stone to fire a powerful blast at the Anti-Monitor. If he was a weaker being, this would have damaged him badly and made him bleed.
As things stood, he still staggered back in pain while Tony hit his face with two powerful blasts from the Power Stone instead, before using the Space Stone, trying to collapse a singularity upon him, and also manipulating reality at the same time with the Reality Stone to change it around the Anti-Monitor, but he transformed into pure energy of the anti-matter and swept himself away before reforming.
Tony used the Time Stone, trying to turn back time and revert him to the energy form, then use the other Stones on that instead, but Anti-Monitor managed to send out a blast from himself while resisting this, and that blast of anti-matter sent both Tony and Logan flying off and falling back to the ground as they grunted in pain, but picked themselves up again, ready to fight even more, because neither of them were going to give up, and same for the rest of them, who were still beating up and destroying all of the Shadow Demons that came upon them.
Tony managed to fly and avoid another blast from the Anti-Monitor as Logan roared, and the Phoenix Force manipulated the weather cosmically to some extent, striking the Anti-Monitor with powerful lightning once more, which damaged him and sent him to his knees just as Tony struck him with the Power and Mind Stones' blasts at the same time, actually staggering him back, while Logan roared and leaping, sliced his chest thrice, then stabbed into him and continued, the Phoenix Force's power hurting him more, before Logan leapt back and landed, Tony flying and landing next to him as Anti-Monitor stood up and looked down upon both of them.
The two had gone all out, and were still going all out, but only stalling him at best, as he was continuing to get back up no matter what they did. And well, stalling him was the mission right now, since this Savior was the one who was supposed to really destroy Anti-Monitor.
But the stalling, they were both doing that perfectly, and would continue doing it up until this Savior came in finally. Because that was the job.
The Anti-Monitor growled and tried to strike Logan many times with his power now, as Logan growled and swung his claws with the Phoenix Force, backing and blocking each time. "You pack a punch, bub. But so do I."
And then, many quick blasts from the Mind Stone struck Anti-Monitor, making him stop while Tony flew and enhancing his strength with the Power Stone, punched his gut, managing to get a gasp out of him due to the power put into this, plus this was both, the Infinity Stones and the Phoenix Force against the Anti-Monitor.
After that, Tony flew back, and fired another powerful blast from the Power Stone, but this time the Anti-Monitor managed to block with his barrier, and flying forth, punched Tony hard, sending him falling down once more.
"Goddamn it!" Tony muttered, staggering back up while Logan was next to him. "How long do we got to keep this up now?"
"As long as we stand, bub", Logan told him with a shrug before gesturing to Anti-Monitor then. "Or it stands instead. Anyone of us that is really."
"Meaning a long, long time, but eh, who cares?" Tony shrugged, but then the Anti-Monitor grew in size at that point, becoming even bigger than he ever had been.
"None of you can stand against me."
"Really?" Tony asked, and then, the Reality Stone suddenly glowed as Tony's size increased with his suit, and now, he too had grown to titanic heights to match the Anti-Monitor. "It looks to me like there are still two of us to go here, buddy."
Anti-Monitor growled, firing a powerful blast of anti-matter upon Tony who once more blocked with a force field formed from the Space Stone, then fired a blast from that and the Power Stone combined at Mobius, making him stagger back in pain while Tony then punched his face, sending the giant Anti-Monitor crashing down and shaking the whole Universe from that crash.
He was about to slam his giant boot upon his opponent but the Anti-Monitor now grabbed his foot and pulled, tripping the gigantic Iron Man as the entire Universe shook once more from that, and he punched Iron Man on the visor twice, sending his head crashing into the ground there, when Tony tried to fire a repulsor on his face, but Anti-Monitor grabbed his hand, slowly twisting it, making Tony groan in pain.
Then Logan roared as he was engulfed in the Phoenix Force's fires, taking its size and shape, and then he bombarded the Anti-Monitor with Cosmic flames once more as he staggered back in pain, letting Tony go, who fired a blast of the Power Stone upon his face once more, throwing him back, and getting up, punched him on the face twice, before giving the Anti-Monitor an uppercut which sent him crashing downwards again, and the Universe was shaking again too.
Logan roared as the Anti-Monitor got back up, and sliced him right on the throat, making him grab his neck while Logan then stabbed him in the abdomen, and then continued to do so, letting his berserk rage take over, Anti-Monitor staggering back from his assault while Logan kneed his gut, and then stabbed him right through the face as well while roaring, the Phoenix Force screeching and seeping into him as Anti-Monitor roared in pure pain from that while Logan then pulled out his claws and sliced his face and chest a few times, then grabbed him by the throat, throwing him down while roaring, as he tried to bring down his claws upon Anti-Monitor's face one more time.
But this time, the Anti-Monitor blocked with a barrier of anti-matter, and a blast of the Beyonders' energy struck Logan, sending him flying right into the sky, his now giant shadow with the Phoenix Force covering all, making them look up with wide eyes as well, and as Logan was crashing down, Anti-Monitor punched him on the face again as he was sent flying up on more time, and then as he was crashing again, Anti-Monitor now fired a blast of Beyonders' power at him, making him crash into Iron Man before he could dodge, as both rolled away, shaking the Universe with that crash once more now.
"Oh boy!" Tony groaned, Logan getting off of him, and healing again, getting back up as Tony did the same, staggering a bit but holding still, and was still in his giant form, as was Logan, and then, Tony opened many singularities upon the Anti-Monitor with his Space Stone, each trying to suck the great evil being in, but then all of those turned red, due to the Reality Stone, and tried to trap Anti-Monitor before glowing green from the Time Stone to turn back time for him and simply make sure he did not exist.
But, at the end of it, Anti-Monitor used the power of the Beyonders', making those collapsing portals all shatter into nothingness, while Tony staggered back from that blast, though he steadied himself to prevent himself from crashing upon the ground again, and Logan used the opportunity to slice the Anti-Monitor right in the gut, then kicked him back hard before a blast of Cosmic flames struck his opponent, making him screech in some pain while Tony leapt and punched him on the head, then kneed his already wounded gut before head-butting him back, and was punching him again when Anti-Monitor grabbed his hand and made him punch himself, now staggering back while Anti-Monitor blasted him away, and as Logan made to slice, Anti-Monitor barely dodged, then struck his chest before striking his face, and with another powerful punch, made him crash away too, before trying to crush him underneath but Tony again blasted him back in time with the Power Stone, and made to blast again but the Anti-Monitor blocked with his own power and expanded it, making both Tony and Logan stagger backwards while grunting in pain.
Logan then charged, getting behind Anti-Monitor, and managed to restrain him as Tony grabbed his head, using the Power Stone to send Power through his head, causing him pain, until Anti-Monitor grabbed Logan and pushed him into Tony, both of them staggering back by a bit.
Logan leapt with a roar but Anti-Monitor grabbed him by the throat and slammed him down, then struck Tony with the Beyonders' power, making him crash again as his size reduced to normal, and he punched Logan like that as well, his size too reducing to normal.
Before he could strike either of them again, Kal flew at him at full speed, punching him on the head as he staggered back, since Kal's strength was doubled with the Belt now, and he flew to avoid five blasts of anti-matter by the Anti-Monitor, and then dodged another of the Beyonders' power, before firing Heat Vision at the Anti-Monitor's eyes. It did not damage him much, but it did anger him.
He punched Kal away, only for Superman to do a thunderclap behind him, managing to stagger him forwards, while he'd kept the Ark nearby. Anti-Monitor turned to him and blasted him with anti-matter, but he flew up to avoid before flying around at full speed, roaring, and punched Anti-Monitor right on the face, the momentum and strength of the blow actually making him crash.
Superman then flew at him to punch again but was smacked away as Anti-Monitor got back up, but was punched by Kal from behind as well, and then Prince aimed the Thunderbolt, striking it.
It did not damage him but got his attention, when Aragorn too aimed Mjolnir at him, managing to strike him with lightning again, and then Anti-Monitor turned to him, firing a blast of anti-matter.
Aragorn flew to dodge but was struck on the arm still, making him gasp as he dropped, Mjolnir falling from his hand.
Kal flew at Aragorn to catch him, passing Mjolnir while grasping it out of reflex, and, to his shock, he felt the power of Thor go through him just as he caught Aragorn, putting him down.
While not too badly wounded, Aragorn still had a wound, but then looked at Kal, who flashed with lightning and raised Mjolnir up.
"You're worthy", Aragorn noted. "You too can wield the power of Thor!"
Kal smiled and flew towards Anti-Monitor, dodging a blast of the Beyonders' energy again before twirling Mjolnir and giving him an uppercut, making him fly up with his strength, and then struck him with lightning as Anti-Monitor grunted, while Kal struck his face, making him fly and crash down, and as he staggered up, Kal hurled Mjolnir, hitting his chest as he was sent flying back, but when Kal flew at him again, Anti-Monitor fired back at him with the Beyonders' power, throwing him back as he let Mjolnir go and Aragorn caught it again, lightning cracking as he used it to fly up in the air again, hitting Anti-Monitor with more lightning while Prince joined, striking him with the Thunderbolt, and then Superman repeated his move from earlier, making Anti-Monitor stagger before using the Ark to hit him with a blast, and then Arthur combined the power of Excalibur and the Spear of Longinus, hitting him with another blast that made him stagger back too, just as Stephen was in the air, covering Anti-Monitor with various symbols of magic as they glowed and tried to trap him.
Only, Anti-Monitor let out a roar as a blast of anti-matter struck Stephen, making him gasp as he fell down, and Clea was next to him. "Stephen!"
"I'm fine, Clea", he told her as Strange now chanted while skimming through the Book of Vishanti, and once more, magical shields covered all of them present there to protect them from some really powerful attacks which could otherwise heavily wound or even kill them badly.
"Strange!" Stephen called out, making the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-199999 turn to the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-2002. "Take my power as well, and take him on! Right now!"
"I'll do it", Strange nodded, as Stephen lifted up his hand, and magical Eldritch power flew out from him, going into Strange now who absorbed all of it, and hovered in the air, glowing with a lot of power now.
Aragorn twirled Mjolnir and threw it at Anti-Monitor, and Strange used his power to form many more such Mjolnirs, all of which struck Anti-Monitor together, staggering him around while Kal flew and grasped one Mjolnir, striking him hard too as he staggered back.
Aragorn called back the real Mjolnir, grasping it, just as Strange slammed all of the Mjolnirs upon Anti-Monitor, covering him with those, but a blast of Beyonders' power destroyed them, only for Strange to now unleash 3 Cosmic Dragons with his power as they were upon Anti-Monitor, breathing fire at him.
He fired anti-matter at them and they were destroyed, only for Strange's hand to become a tentacle as it wrapped around Anti-Monitor's arm, trying to pull him down. He resisted but many more such tentacles came, Strange now transforming into some sort of ancient creature of great power, as the tentacles all wrapped around Anti-Monitor and pulled him down, trying to restrain him while symbols of Eldritch magic all wrapped around him, and then Zarathos joined in, turning into a Cosmic Giant Angel and firing itself upon the Anti-Monitor, burning his body bit by bit with the Divine Power it wielded.
Anti-Monitor grunted, these attacks together causing him a lot of pain, until both anti-matter and Beyonders' power blasted from within him, destroying the tentacles around him and hitting Zarathos who too was thrown off.
Strange turned back into his normal form, grunting in pain while Blaze/Zarathos staggered back, damaged too, but still alive and ready for more, and same could be said for Strange.
A stray blast of anti-mater was about to strike Parker when Wanda jumped in the way, and her suit seemed to turn a darker shade, same for her crown, and her fingers blackened too, with the Scarlet Witch using her powers to turn the anti-matter into Chaos Magic now, before hurling it upon the Anti-Monitor's face as it hit him, making him stagger back by a few feet.
Chthon's power now truly flowed through Wanda of her own free will, but she was the master of it, since Chthon was dead, and it would not corrupt her.
As Anti-Monitor came back for more, Wanda aimed Gungnir at him and fired a blast, combining it with her Chaos Magic as Anti-Monitor was hit in the gut and knelt in pain, while she used her powers to enlarge the spear and slice at his face, making him roar again before she aimed her fingers, warping the space around him to make him drown into Chaos Magic, but his Beyonders' energy struck that as the space around him was back to normal, while he got back up, and struck out at Wanda with the Beyonders' powers again now.
She used her powers to warp the space around herself instead, managing to distort the power before it could touch her, and turning it into Chaos Magic, fired it at Anti-Monitor again but he blocked with a barrier made from the Beyonders' energy too, before slamming his hand downwards as the shockwave actually struck Wanda and the rest of them too, making them fly back and fall down, groaning in pain again.
Since this was the anti-matter Universe, Shadow Demons were stronger than they were outside, and now they were coming in different shapes and forms as well.
Angel dodged the blow of an ogre like Shadow Demon before hitting his abdomen with the Kaudomaki, and he kneeled, and then Angel struck him on the head before climbing upon him, managing to stay on top as he made the ogre Shadow Demon stampede upon the weaker ones, crushing them underneath it.
And then, leaping off of it, Angel hit it on the face with the Kaudomaki, making it fall down before hitting it on the teeth again, killing it.
Blade was in battle with a Shadow Demon that was like a spider, as he blocked its strikes with his sword, before one strike disarmed him, and it pinned him down, trying to choke him and stab him with the legs, though he was barely dodging.
Then suddenly, using his new power, Blade summoned lightning which struck the spider, making it screech as it let go, and then Blade picked up his sword, striking it down with a killing blow.
Gimli was upon another giant Shadow Demon which produced snake like creatures out of its body, but he leapt off of it and swung his Uru ax, a blast of power striking and killing that one.
Legolas flipped to avoid the charge of a giant wolf like Shadow Demon and getting onto its back, stabbed it with both of his long knives, managing to kill it.
Daredevil had teamed up with Devil Dinosaur, and was on his head while holding Hofund, and as a giant monstrous Shadow Demon charged them, Matt leapt and slid behind it, stabbing it, before leaping and stabbing it on the head and jumping off, while the Shadow Demon split off into smaller ones instead.
"Did you forget who we are?" Matt warned while aiming Hofund, and as they charged, he did a spin and managed to take their heads. "We're Heroes."
Some giant spider-like Shadow Demons came again, leaping at Hulk but he took them out with a punch each, and then lifting another one, he hurled it at one more as both were taken out.
Then jumping, he punched another so hard it was destroyed, and he ripped off another's leg before stabbing it with the leg, killing it too.
A bigger swarm was incoming so Hulk did a thunderclap that sent them all back and disintegrated them, only for them to reform into a giant, dark copy of Hulk which was black with red lining and red eyes, and this was Kluh.
Hulk roared and tried to punch but Kluh blocked and punched him back, then sent him back with an uppercut, and punched his chest as he staggered back again.
Hulk dodged the next two blows and punched Kluh twice, sending him back before punching him off and roaring.
Aragorn was now battling 3 giant Shadow Demons, having broken one's ax. The Demon hit Aragorn hard a baton, sending him crashing into the ground and forming a crater. The third one tried to hit him with his sword but Aragorn grabbed it with both hands and flipped the Giant to the other side, crashing him into an empty building.
That was when one of them with a club collapsed a shadow column on top of him. The three watched as Aragorn emerged once again and raised Mjolnir and Nandaka.
Lightning cracked in the sky and Mjolnir before Aragorn sliced a ball of darkness fired at him with his sword, and then one of the huge Giants grabbed him and threw him into a corner.
He fell down as Mjolnir fell out of his grasp.
The one whose ax he had broken was now carrying a mace in its place. The three then brought down their weapons on him simultaneously- mace, club and sword as Aragorn grunted in pain before the one with the club grabbed him and brought him closer to his mouth, intending to devour him.
Aragorn raised his hand and Mjolnir flew towards him. Catching it at the last second, he hit the Shadow Demon giant hard on its teeth, shattering them as he screamed in pain and let Aragorn go. Aragorn flew into the air and declared, "I have felt your wrath Shadow Demons! Now you shall feel mine!"
He charged Mjolnir with lightning as the sky darkened and a powerful lightning blast descended from above, enhanced by Mjolnir as Aragorn roared, "FOR GONDOR! FOR THE MULTIVERSE!"
The three huge Shadow Demon Giants were vaporized by the powerful lightning blast as Aragorn felt his entire body burning with power and lightning. There was zilch left of the three now.
Bucky had enhanced his Vibranium arm with kinetic energy and used it to fire blasts at some Shadow Demons, killing them, and then punched the ground as the kinetic energy destroyed another small group of them.
Hulk had Kluh on the ground and ripped him apart.
Willow telekinetically hurled one big Shadow Demon away before firing blasts of magic at another as it was taken out, and she sent another back with two blasts as well.
Clark landed and ripped apart one flying Shadow Demon's wings before taking it out with Heat Vision.
One big Shadow Demon hurled some stuff at them but Tara used the Padma's power to form a divine glow which made it break, and then it disintegrated the Shadow Demon.
Piper then saw a column of anti-matter, and used her powers to disintegrate it from the bottom, and it collapsed upon a bunch of them, taking them out.
Tara managed to slide under one of them which was big, and blasted it with her powers as it was taken out too.
Freya held one giant Shadow Demon back with her magic while hovering in the air, and as it tried to bite her, her magic flowed through it and disintegrated it right there.
Rebekah used her powers to block a blast fired by a giant Shadow Demon at her, then used her light to punch it so hard it disintegrated, before grabbing and hurling away another right into the air and firing at it as it too was taken out.
One more came at her from behind but the light emanating from her took it down.
But in spite of all this, at the end of it, all of them were slowly getting overwhelmed by Shadow Demons too, since while a good number of them were easy to beat, not all of them were like that, and for the weaker ones, their strength was in sheer numbers, which was overwhelming the outnumbered Paragons and other survivors bit by bit, while the Anti-Monitor marched towards them.
Then, Garuda in full eagle form flew into the air, White Lantern Steve sitting on his back as well, before shining down like a bright star upon every Hero, whether they were Paragon or survivor, and he seemed to be glowing with a holy, divine light now, and then he spoke as all of them heard what he said.
"Dread and plague,
Death and blight,
The shadows all shall fear my might,
When darkness falls, don't fear the night,
Life's new dawn comes, LET THERE BE LIGHT!"
With that, even the anti-matter Universe glowed with nothing but powerful light for just a few seconds, and all of the Heroes felt empowered, pushing back against the Shadow Demons and striking them down with their power, before a white dome appeared and pushed literally all of them back by many feet, while Anti-Monitor too froze for a bit.
And then Leonard Snart aka the Spectre glowed with his own power, divine fire emanating from him and striking the Shadow Demons, small or big, his power obliterating them all while he landed on the ground, looking ahead.
"Do we have to do everything?" Snart then asked sarcastically.
The Anti-Monitor was staring up at Steve upon Garuda in what could be described as horror.
It was only for a second, but it was there, and Steve smirked down at him from atop Garuda as Anti-Monitor snarled in anger. "You are back to fight me after what happened last time?"
Steve simply shrugged and told Anti-Monitor. "I can do this all day."
He fired the Beyonders' energy upon them both as Garuda flew to avoid it, and then he fired at the rest, Tony again making a barrier with the Space Stone, but in spite of that, some of them were struck and singed, but Aragorn and Prince hit him with lightning again to distract him, while Logan struck his face with Cosmic flames, making him stagger back again, and then Strange made altars of power around him, all of them trying to absorb anti-matter into themselves, making Anti-Monitor kneel, while Wanda warped the space above him to suck him into it, trying to separate him from his own power.
However, the Beyonders' energy was the perfect counter to this kind of stuff, as it struck all of the altars and they were instantly obliterated, Strange staggering back while holding his hands, and then the space distorted around him was fixed, making Wanda fall down too.
He then fired a powerful anti-matter blast at all of them, but Tony used the Space Stone's barrier to defend, though it broke this time and all of them except Steve, Snart and Garuda were hit, staggering back and falling, and only Strange's protection spell protected anyone from being too badly wounded or worse, killed and obliterated forever.
At that point, Steve and Snart shared a look, and nodded, as Steve glowed white, and Snart glowed with energy and fire, before everyone else glowed as well, imbued with some power from the White Lantern and the Spectre.
With that, Steve and Snart fired a powerful blast at the Anti-Monitor, and the rest, using the power imbued in them, joined in the blast, firing as well, and a combined great blast of power was now fired upon the Anti-Monitor, who tried to block with the Beyonders' energy, but this blast managed to overpower that as well.
The blast struck the Anti-Monitor and caused a huge explosion that rocked the entirety of the anti-matter Universe due to its power and scale, with smoke rising as well, while all of the Heroes stared ahead.
To their dismay, they saw a large shape as Anti-Monitor appeared again, now heavily damaged, but still alive clearly, and still in one piece too.
A blast from him managed to knock them back and now destroy Strange's protection spell as well, and Tony was getting up, only for a punch from the Anti-Monitor to now shatter his armor.
He started forming armor with his nanotech again, but wasn't fast enough as Anti-Monitor was about to strike again, and Tony looked up, prepared for his end, closing his eyes.
Only, the blast that would have obliterated him, it didn't hit him.
He opened his eyes and to his horror, Superman was now standing in the way.
There was no person there who did not gasp in horror, shock and grief at the sight before them.
Superman fell back, his chest smoking and the front of his suit gone, as he fell back, plummeting towards the ground, only to be caught by a flying White Lantern Steve, who gently flew to the ground, putting him down upon it.
"No…." Steve whispered in horror, looking at his friend, so badly wounded by this. "No…."
"Its…okay…Steve", Superman assured him, grasping Steve's hand firmly in brotherhood, and Steve grasped his hand back, tears in his eyes.
"Is this all you and do? Because if it is, its nothing more than all of you basically killing yourselves with your stupidity."
All of them were staring, now feeling hopeless, when suddenly, thunder cracked in the sky, booming across the entire anti-matter Universe.
DBZ Super Saiyan 3 soundtrack plays
Anti-Monitor looked up in confusion, but the rest looked up in hope.
"No way…" Natasha trailed off.
"Is it him?" Rebekah asked as well.
Then lightning struck, the size of the bolt bigger than they have ever seen in their lives, and when the light faded, there stood someone in a familiar cape and new armor, the long blonde hair telling them exactly who it is.
"Thor."
As Anti-Monitor looked up at the God of Thunder, Thor looked down upon him.
And all could tell, that something had changed within Thor, and his power too had increased by a lot, considering the look he now had.
Thor opened his eyelids, and where his eyes were, now there were glowing blue orbs instead, the light divine, aweing everyone.
"This will be one to remember", Spike muttered.
"So, now you shall battle me?" Anti-Monitor asked. "Throw whatever you have, you cannot defeat me."
Thor, or rather Rune King Thor, stared down at the Anti-Monitor with his orbs.
"I have seen the past, the present, and the future. I know everything that has happened and will happen. Most of all, I see your death, Mobius. It is...me."
Anti-Monitor tilted his head as thunder boomed across the anti-matter Universe one more time, and Rune King Thor gave a declaration to go with it.
"Mobius, your time has come."
Notes:
The battle for the fate of the Multiverse is about to begin in earnest. Can Rune King Thor topple the unstoppable Anti-Monitor? Next time on 'Heroes from Infinite Earths'.
And well, hope the battle was epic, if devastating.
I think out of all live-action Supermen, if there is one who is worthy of Mjolnir, it's the Smallville version. The DCEU and Arrowverse versions are far from worthy, and even the 'Superman and Lois' and 'Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' versions who are great aren't worthy IMO.
Reeve/Routh version probably is worthy, 'probably' being the key word, but Smallville Kal is definitely worthy IMO, especially after the final Season.
I know not killing can work against 'em, but he has this nice little Phantom Zone, and putting anyone there is frankly almost as good as killing, so I think he is the one live-action Superman who is definitely worthy, and wanted to have him lift Mjolnir for once too.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.
Chapter 18: Runes against Crisis
Summary:
Rune King Thor now battles the Anti-Monitor at long last.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more, and to anikendrajha499 for a suggestion.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Indeed, now its time to pay for what you've done, Mobius", Snart said from where he was, thunder continuing to boom across the anti-matter Universe still every few seconds while Snart glowed with divine power. "What? You thought you could just destroy everything, establish your anti-matter Universe, and no one would bat an eyelash or anything like that? Wrong, buddy, very wrong."
"Life itself opposes what you are doing", Steve said too, glowing white from the power of the White Lantern while holding Superman in his arms still. "Because it is not natural, and evil. You have struck all of Life with your actions, yet you could not wipe it out at the end of it, because Life always fights back whenever it is threatened with extinction, and once more, that has happened as now Life shall defeat you. All of us together are going to survive, and you, you are not."
"Vengeance, Life, Phoenix Force, Infinity Stones, those who survive, Paragons, and now him", Snart pointed at Rune King Thor once more. "All of us are upon you, pal, and you can't do a thing about it."
"Silence!" The Anti-Monitor increased his heights to even more Cosmic proportions. "I am the one who destroyed the Multiverse, and wiped out almost all of life! Just because some of you are here with power that is greater than what you used to have, does not mean you can stand against me! The entire Multiverse with all of its great powers, including Heroes and Gods, could not defeat me, what hope do you all have now?"
"Hope that something even more beautiful can be recreated after all this destruction you have caused", Rune King Thor now replied to Anti-Monitor, who glared at him in anger, but Rune King Thor just stood calmly. "And that hope is why all of us are here, standing against you, Mobius. Like I had said before, your time has now come, and you shall pay for all of the loss of life you have caused."
"Amusing", Anti-Monitor tilted his head. "This new power has made you even more arrogant than before! Let us see how arrogant you are when I strike you down!"
"Come and try to do so then", Rune King Thor challenged very calmly, enraging the bane of the Multiverse at last now.
With that, the Anti-Monitor charged Rune King Thor with all of his power, speeding behind him in giant form, and was about to punch him with the power of his anti-matter wave, only for a rune to appear in the way and block that, to Mobius' utter horror.
And then, the Anti-Monitor was hurled away to the other side, rolling away as the entire anti-matter Universe shook the hardest it had up until this point, before he got up again, glaring at Rune King Thor in anger.
But behind those eyes, a new emotion had now entered, one that had not been seen in this evil being of great power up until now in his long lifetime.
Fear!
Fear of a power potentially greater than his own, because even when using the Infinity Stones, the Phoenix Force, Chaos Magic, Power Rings, Eldritch Magic, Angels' Power and Divine Weapons upon him, the Heroes had all struggled to really do any lasting damage, and the power of the Paragons and survivors combined with that of the White Lantern and the Spectre as well, while it had damaged him, it was not something that would pain him forever, for he was powerful enough to withstand it.
But now, without moving even a single muscle, Rune King Thor had hurled him away just like that, and that was a shock to the Anti-Monitor.
As Anti-Monitor marched towards Rune King Thor again, when another rune appeared on his forehead, making him gasp as he fell to the ground and slid away a second time, shaking everything once more, and the Heroes were all surprised too at how easily Rune King Thor was now defeating the Anti-Monitor.
All except Steve Rogers the White Lantern and Leonard Snart the Spectre as well as Lord Garuda the King of Birds, who all knew what had happened to Thor, and what he was now supposed to do as well.
The ground of the anti-matter Universe too had shattered from this kind of impact, but Anti-Monitor rose once more, glaring down at Rune King Thor in nothing but anger and some fear behind it, fear that no one except Rune King Thor, Steve, Snart, Garuda as well as Zarathos/Earth-2012 Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider could see right now.
Anti-Monitor roared in rage and charged downwards at Rune King Thor again, but another rune appeared in the way as he crashed upon the ground again, shattering a lot of it upon impact.
Then, the Anti-Monitor got up and continued trying to strike Rune King Thor with his anti-matter energy, as well as the power of the Beyonders, but every time there was a rune in the way, blocking his attack while Rune King Thor was putting in pretty much no effort at all now, and Anti-Monitor kept trying to do the same thing again and again, with anti-matter energy and Beyonders' power, but to no avail.
The Anti-Monitor again got behind Rune King Thor and with a roar, struck him, but a rune in the way took the impact of the blow, causing a huge part of the anti-matter Universe to break, horrifying Anti-Monitor, who looked at Rune King Thor in rage again, but a rune appeared and struck him right on his neck as he gasped in pain while staggering forwards, trying to keep himself steady now, and only barely succeeding at it.
He glared at Rune King Thor again, now panicking bit by bit, seeing that his opponent was just standing calmly while he was giving it his all.
"Damn! He's really doing it!" Spider-Man muttered, as all of them watched the scene in awe now.
"I think now we're going to win", Wanda said, Parker next to her as he looked at her new suit, her entire new look.
"You know, this suit and look", Parker said while Wanda turned to him. "Sexy scary."
That made her chuckle happily. "Thank you." Both of them shared a kiss before turning to the fight once more.
"Let's hope now we can win this, with what Thor has gotten", Paige noted.
"We will."
Paige and Piper suddenly saw Prue Halliwell now standing between them, and this shocked the both of them while the rest saw Prue as well.
"Prue?" Piper called out, a lump in her throat as Prue turned to face her younger sister with a smile. "Prue….is that really you?"
"Yes Piper, it is me", Prue said, stroking Piper's hair affectionately while seeing the tears in her eyes. "I am here."
"Prue", Piper burst into tears, hugging her older sister, who hugged her back. "I…"
"You have been strong Piper, which makes sense since you're the Paragon of Inner Strength", Prue said to her, holding her face and looking into her eyes now. "And the woman you've become, that woman is amazing. I'm very proud of you, know that."
"Oh Prue", Piper cried happy tears as Prue kissed her forehead, then turned to Paige.
"Uh…" Paige trailed off, not knowing what to say. She had dreamt of this moment for years now, meeting the oldest sister she had always looked up to, but never actually been able to meet for unfortunate reasons.
Then, she finally settled by saying a- "Hi. I'm Paige."
"I know", Prue told Paige, putting a hand on her youngest sister's shoulder. "I've seen you, from up there, when you came to Piper and Phoebe, and everything since then."
Paige started. "Look, I never wanted to replace you or-"
"And you didn't, you were always your own person", Prue assured Paige. "You were gentle, loving, kind, with a purpose to help people who could not help themselves. Knowing you, I think it made my sisters better people just as knowing them made you a better person. I am sorry I could never meet you until now, but I am happy that you, Piper and Phoebe got to meet each other and grow together into the wonderful women that all of you have now become."
Paige's lip quivered at the unexpected praise from Prue, as she said in a husky voice. "Thank you."
"I love you Paige", Prue assured her, kissing her forehead, then turned to Piper, grasping her shoulder as well. "And I love you too, Piper. And Phoebe as well."
"Phoebe's not here…" Piper trailed off, but Prue gave a smile as they all looked ahead at the face off between Rune King Thor and the Anti-Monitor.
"We still have some time for now, let's just watch this", Prue said to both of them, and all of them continued to watch what was going on before them.
Anti-Monitor roared in utter rage once more as he started combining that he had into one now, that being the anti-matter as well as the power of the Beyonders, and then unleashed a powerful and omnidirectional blast of energy that was both the anti-matter and Beyonders' power combined, powerful enough to destroy multiple Universes at once without any strain at all, and kill even the most powerful of beings as well effortlessly.
Only, Rune King Thor held up his hand now, and before this omnidirectional burst of utter power could touch anyone else, it shrunk in his palm, growing smaller and smaller every second until it was finally gone, with a rune flashing and disappearing right after the blast disappeared.
Now the Anti-Monitor was utterly horrified at what had just happened, his most powerful attack so easily destroyed, while Rune King Thor had still not started putting even the most minute of efforts.
The Heroes watching were awed too, feeling their optimism rise, because now they knew, that they could win this.
Rune King Thor lifted up Stormbreaker high now, raising it above his head while looking upon the Anti-Monitor.
Suddenly, all of the Paragons started glowing with power, and then Snart called out to the Paragons. "It is time for you lot to do what you're here for, if you know what I mean. Those gifts ain't just for show, ya know?"
"Do it!" Prue said too, and then Caroline started it, lifting up Aphrodite's Mirror as the Paragon energy passed through it.
Freya followed, her Paragon energy passing through her Feather Cloak and joining that of Caroline's up in the sky.
Prue looked at both of her sisters, and they nodded, Piper holding up Aphrodite's Girdle and Paige holding up Persephone's Mystical Seeds as their Paragon energy too passed through those, joining the energy already there.
"Time for this to do something then", The Doctor said as his Paragon energy passed through the Dagda's staff to join the rest of it as well.
"So this is what I came back for", Arthur noted, holding up the Spear of Longinus, his Paragon energy passing through that to be one with the rest of it.
"Let's do it", Oliver said, holding up the Gandiva while Clint held up the Sharanga, their Paragon energy passing through those to combine with all of it.
Prince held up the Thunderbolt, letting her Paragon energy pass through it to join the rest, while Batman let his Paragon energy pass through the Helmet of Athena as well.
"Come on", Spider-Man said as well, twirling Sun Wukong's Staff before holding it up for the Paragon energy to pass through, and then Natasha let her Paragon energy pass through the Tarnkappe.
"Come on Sam", Frodo said to Sam, holding up the Ring of Gyges, his Paragon energy passing through it too.
"Yes, Mr. Frodo", Sam nodded, the Cap of Invisibility letting his Paragon energy pass through and combine with the rest as well.
"Time for you to do more than just beat around, bub", Logan said to the Gauntlets of Ares, letting his Paragon energy pass through those too.
"Let's do this Tara", Willow held up the Atharva Veda, her Paragon energy passing through it.
"Yes, let us end this evil together, Willow", Tara nodded, letting her Paragon energy pass through the Padma as well when she raised it.
"And here goes mine as well", Angel let his Paragon energy pass through the Kaudomaki to join the rest of it.
Wanda held up the Gungnir high into the air, sharing a look with Strange who too raised up the Book of the Vishanti, their Paragon energy passing through as well, increasing the combined power.
"Here we go", Matt's Paragon energy passed through Hofund, as Kal looked up at Rune King Thor, then let his Paragon energy pass through Thor's Belt of Strength as well.
"Let us end this evil together", Aragorn held up the Nandaka, his Paragon energy passing through and joining the rest of it as well.
"You as well", Garuda pointed at Lex. "You need to do it too."
"Well, I want this guy to go as much as the rest of us", Lex's Paragon energy now passed through Garuda, joining the rest of it as a huge ball of pure energy was formed over Stormbreaker, held up by Rune King Thor, and Anti-Monitor was frozen in utter horror now.
Steve looked at Superman, lying on the ground, still grasping his hand, and Steve looked at him with tears, but firmly.
Superman nodded at Steve. "It's all right….."
And with that, he let out a deep breath while his Paragon energy passed through the Ark of the Covenant, joining what was already formed, and at last, it was all complete.
Friedrich Habetler Music version of Heroic Battle plays
"I am…" the Anti-Monitor said in utter horror. "Eternal!"
Rune King Thor simply held up the energy of all of the Paragons, while Anti-Monitor gathered up more anti-matter and Beyonder energy as he ranted. "What will you do now? Get more power? It is still worthless! You continue to rebel against the natural rules of the Multiverse. All because of your Heroic weakness!"
"I'm not ashamed by, nor do I regret my weakness", Rune King Thor said confidently. "Nor do the rest of them! We've all fought to protect everyone, and survived with each other's help. That's who we are! We unite to survive and battle evil!"
Rune King Thor now gave a declaration as thunder boomed across the entirety of the anti-matter Universe again.
"That's who we Heroes are!"
And another rune struck the Anti-Monitor, making him roll away before he got up, clearly in pain.
Fused Zamasu Death soundtrack plays
The power of the Paragons now glowed brightly like the sun, shining upon the whole anti-matter Universe, Anti-Monitor's eyes wide in horror while Rune King Thor felt all of the power as well.
"Us too", Steve said to Snart and Blaze, who nodded, as the power of Life, Vengeance and Justice flowed through the three of them, also adding to the power of the Paragons now.
"I feel it, the Paragons, Life, Vengeance and Justice have lent me their power", Rune King Thor noted.
"No matter what kind of power you gather and how much, it does not stand up to me, because like I said, it is the natural law now!" Anti-Monitor boasted once more, trying to hide the fear that he was feeling.
"Everyone, we will defeat Mobius the Anti-Monitor together!" Rune King Thor declared before swinging Stormbreaker forwards just as the Anti-Monitor charged once more with all the power of the anti-matter and Beyonders' energy in his fist, ready to strike Rune King Thor.
Only, with the movement of Rune King Thor's Stormbreaker ax, the combined power of the Paragons, Life, Vengeance and Justice, all of it in the form of a giant ball of power, hurled towards the Anti-Monitor now.
The combined ball of power seemed to go into Anti-Monitor now, who looked like he was unaffected as he punched the face of Rune King Thor with all of his power.
Only, another rune appeared in the way, managing to easily take the blow, while Anti-Monitor gasped on feeling something within him.
All of the energies, they had mixed and were boring into him, slowly destroying his very being now.
He looked down at himself now, glowing with power that was not his, for it was destroying him, the power of the Paragons, Life, Vengeance and Justice, all together to finally take him down.
The Anti-Monitor screamed in utter agony from this, before looking at Rune King Thor, but what he saw now horrified him.
Mahabharata 2013 Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya plays
Behind Rune King Thor now stood Lord Krishna, or rather Lord Vishnu, or rather God Himself, in His Vishwaroop, all of the heads staring at him, the blue head smiling, as all of the arms were there too, holding various weapons and symbols.
And as the Anti-Monitor stared in horror, some more heads appeared now, like the head of Leonard Snart the Spectre, God's Vengeance, and then the head of Zarathos the Spirit of Justice, God's Justice, and then the head of Steve Rogers the representer of all Life, and then the head of the Living Tribunal, God's Judgment.
And finally, at last, appeared the head of Rune King Thor as well, since now, having ascended like this, he too was an extension of the Supreme Being Himself.
In that moment, the Anti-Monitor finally knew, that no matter how many Universes he destroyed, no matter how much power he got, and no matter how many Heroes and others in his way he killed, he never had a chance at all to win this and establish the anti-matter Universe.
With that, Mobius the Anti-Monitor finally disintegrated into nothingness from the power boring into him, and exploded into pieces while shaking the anti-matter Universe one last time from this.
Mobius the Anti-Monitor was dead!
And with that, Rune King Thor declared to everyone present. "Mobius the Anti-Monitor has passed, and the Crisis of Infinite Earths has ended. Now, I shall recreate the Multiverse."
With that, runes came out of Rune King Thor's body and started circling the anti-matter Universe, seeming to slowly disintegrate it as it all started flashing now.
Rune King Thor truly did know everything, and now, with this power, he would recreate a better Multiverse for sure, which would also include making the lives of his friends and allies better, as long as he could do it in a way that did not change their lives drastically and they became completely different people.
And that included himself as well.
"Is he recreating the Multiverse now?" Cordelia inquired.
"Yeah", Snart nodded. "Yeah he is, for all of us."
Steve now looked down at Superman, who was slipping away now, as Steve begged. "Stay with me, Clark, please just…"
"I can't…" Superman trailed off, knowing the time had come now for him. "There was a time…..when it was just me….I lost all loved ones but you….you made me feel like I was not alone anymore. I was part of something bigger."
"I still can….." Steve trailed off in some denial, tears rolling down his cheeks now.
"Take care of my son", Superman requested, and Steve nodded immediately, as Diana knelt behind him, holding him.
"We will", Diana said to him. "We will. Both of us."
Kal, Clark, Big Blue, Lois, Lois-93 and Kara knelt near Superman as well, as Kal grasped his shoulder. "You were an inspiration to all of us Supermen. And the rest of us Heroes as well. Because you are amongst the oldest ones here, and you've done it for a long time, and still stood strong."
"We can never measure up to you", Clark told Superman as well. "You…..you are the first of us, and the best of us all."
"And we will never forget", Big Blue said too, looking at Superman as he looked back at him, and the rest of them.
"Thank you for all that you did for all of us", Lois-93 muttered as well. "And all of us will help Steve and Diana take care of your son too."
Superman nodded in appreciation, while Kara added. "He will have all of us to help him. I promise."
Superman once more nodded in appreciation as Tony then knelt near him, a tear rolling down his cheek as well. "You saved me….thank you…I'm sorry I can't repay it now."
"Do not blame yourself", Superman said to Tony and looked at all of them, and then Steve last. "Goodbye…."
With that, he let out one more breath, and finally passed.
Steve was in tears now, holding his friend's body close, as Diana held him for comfort, also crying, as Bucky and Natasha knelt nearby too, and Tony looked down with more tears.
"Goodbye, Smallville", Lois whispered to Superman as well.
Then, Tony took a knee for Superman, a firm look on his face, and following him, Logan did the same, and then Spider-Man, and then Snart, then the Paragons one by one.
Eventually, everyone but Rune King Thor, who was still remaking the Multiverse, took a knee for the fallen Superman, the first and greatest Hero, who had now died a Hero's death, but would forever live on in their hearts, along with his words, actions and deeds.
Rune King Thor felt a stab of pain go through his heart, since as much as he wanted to, he could not bring Superman back, for he had died in the anti-matter Universe, and now, it was impossible to bring him back to life.
With a sigh, he let one more giant rune flow out of his body, and there was a bright flash of light, before he too took a knee for the fallen Superman.
They had finally won against the Crisis of Infinite Earths, and defeated it, but lost the first and greatest of them forever as well.
Mahabharata 2013 Shanta Karam Bhujaga Shayanam plays
There was a bright light, and Lord Vishnu appeared finally, holding only the Sudarshana Chakra and his conch, looking at the Heroes, empathizing with their loss, as they looked at him with tears.
"Is there any way to bring him back?" Rune King Thor asked Lord Vishnu.
"I am sorry, but there is not", Lord Vishnu sighed, then reminded Rune King Thor. "But he is now immortal, and will be remembered forever. He shall attain the afterlife and be free of his pain."
They all nodded, as Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Goddess Parvati, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati all appeared near Lord Vishnu as well, followed by Sun Wukong, these being the ones that even the Anti-Monitor and Exterminators had not been able to destroy.
Pavitr was in awe seeing all his Gods, and bowed to all of them with joined hands. "Lord Shiva. Goddess Parvati. Goddess Lakshmi. Lord Brahma. Goddess Saraswati. My greetings and respects to all of you."
They all raised their hands in blessing for Pavitr, and looked at the Heroes too, including Superman's body, saddened as he was gone now, but knowing he would attain his afterlife as well after his Hero's death.
"Now something even more beautiful has been recreated after all of this destruction", Lord Brahma looked around as the anti-matter Universe disintegrated. "We congratulate you all."
They nodded in appreciation, as Caroline said. "I thought you were all gone."
"They are not", Goddess Parvati said, gesturing to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. "They are within them."
"What does that mean?" Rebekah inquired in surprise. "Loki…..the rest of them…."
"He is the Destroyer", Goddess Lakshmi pointed out about Lord Shiva. "The Anti-Monitor could not destroy Universe-199999."
"Because he did it first", Goddess Saraswati said, gesturing to Lord Shiva again.
"I did it, so that they cannot add to their army of Black Lanterns, and the Council of Godheads agreed upon it beforehand", Lord Shiva revealed to them all. "Everyone who passed then, they are within me and Vishnu."
"Their souls are one with us for now, but with the recreation of the Multiverse, all of them shall return", Lord Vishnu added, as all of them had joyful smiles now, still filled with tears over Superman, but joyful, and Rebekah's smile was the brightest.
Her Loki was coming back!
Lord Shiva then told all of them. "I am what is not, what is not, that is me. I am the one who is beyond existence. The one who is visible is the Multiverse, the one who is beyond the Creation, that is me. What is audible is the word, the word which is past, that is me. I live in every living being, I die in every living being, I am the past, I am the present, I am also the future. I am the darkness in the light. I am ignorance in knowledge, I am fierce in time, I am time.. I am Brahma, I am Narayan ... I am Mahadev and", he gestured to Goddess Parvati, "this is my Shakti my power."
All were even more awed, Piper also remembering when she and Leo had been possessed by the essences of Shakti and Shiva respectively.
Legolas realized something. "You are all extensions of the Ilúvatar Himself, are you not?"
They nodded, as Lord Vishnu gestured to Rune King Thor, Steve, Spectre and Zarathos. "They are as well."
"Blessed we are to witness you", Legolas knelt, as did Arwen, and then the rest of them.
"Indeed we are, thank you for manifesting before us", Arwen said as well.
The rest were too stunned to speak, realizing who these Gods truly were, but were awed and happy too.
The gifts to the Paragons now left them, flying back to the Gods, as Sun Wukong said. "Those gifts were only up till you used 'em to defeat Mobius, and you did great with that."
They all nodded, and finally, Lord Vishnu said to all of them. "We may have aided and guided you all, but it is you Heroes who defeated the threat to the Multiverse by yourselves, and you have now shown your quality. Like we had said before, your praises will be sung, and you will be inspirations to all. You are now….immortal."
Lord Vishnu blew his conch, symbolizing the dawn of a new Multiverse.
And then there was a bright flash of light finally.
Notes:
That's the end of this finally. So, Brandon Routh's Kingdom Come Superman, who is also a continuation of Christopher Reeve's Superman after the first two films, is truly gone now, as someone who died in the anti-matter Universe cannot come back to life.
It truly hurt to end him, but it had to be done to show the stakes. The first Hero sacrifices himself and dies a Hero's death.
Rest In Peace Earth-96 Clark Kent aka Kal-El aka Superman.
Rune King Thor pretty much destroyed Anti-Monitor, but its because he became an extension of The One Above All Himself, plus we got the epic fight last chapter, this was the ending to it.
And now, the Gods once more graced and blessed our Heroes one last time and congratulated them too.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more, and to anikendrajha499 for his suggestion as well.
See you all next time with another chapter and a brave new Multiverse.
Chapter 19: A Brave New Multiverse
Summary:
A new Multiverse has now been formed, one more beautiful than the previous one, even if it was at great cost.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmark.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more, and also to Stand with Ward and Queen, anikendrajha499, and some others for suggestions.
Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-1
Logan's eyes opened as he heard 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' playing nearby. He wasn't in the anti-matter Universe anymore, he was on a soft bed underneath him.
That was a strange feeling, he didn't remember the last time he'd slept like that.
As he got up, he realized he was in the school! How did that happen now?
Staggering out, he saw a Mutant kid walking by, and watched, a confused expression on his face. The school bell rang at that moment too.
Logan watched as the kid walked through the hallway, joining 2 more eventually, while Bobby Drake stood at a doorway, talking to someone.
That someone was Rogue, as she held hands with him, both talking, then turned to see him and gave him smiles, before turning around and walking off, hand-in-hand.
He walked further, hearing Kitty's voice from a classroom, and peeked in for a second to see Kitty and Piotr teaching a class.
As he turned, he saw Hank McCoy of all people walking past him, holding a book.
"Good morning Logan", he greeted pleasantly before asking. "Late start?" He chuckled, walking off, Logan having a confused look as he remembered Hank's death, but then realized they'd done it, and smirked at that.
He walked downstairs, noticing Storm talking to some children. "Good job."
"Thank you."
"Very good job."
"Storm", Logan whispered as she walked off while he reached downstairs, suddenly sniffing something…..or someone!
He knew who it was instantly, in spite of not having felt her presence for years now.
"Jean."
Jean Grey stood there at the doorway, her fiery red hair bright. She turned to notice him.
"Hey Logan." He walked closer to her, disbelief on his face.
"Jean."
"Are you okay?"
He stood within inches of her now.
"You're here."
"Where else would I be?" Jean asked with a shrug, as Logan raised a hand, trying to touch her to reassure himself she was real-
Until someone grasped his hand.
"Whoa!"
Logan knew who it was.
"Easy pal", Scott said to him as Logan lowered his hand, looking at Scott.
"Some things never change", he did what he'd never expected himself to do. He patted Scott's shoulder. "Good to see you Scott."
Scott seemed weirded out. "Uh huh."
He turned to Jean. "See you later, Jean."
"Okay."
He walked off, as Logan saw Charles at his desk, reading through a book.
"Professor", he whispered, his heart almost jumping to his throat on seeing his Charles, alive and well, after so many years now.
Jean could tell he was behaving oddly. "Logan. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah", he looked at her with a smile. "Yeah, I think it is."
Jean shook her head, and walked off to do her day's work.
Logan was about to go to talk to the Professor, when he sniffed something else, and turned to see Sarah walking to him.
"Sarah…" he whispered to her, holding up his hand to touch her face.
"Hey Logan", Sarah greeted, caressing his face as they shared a loving kiss, and it seemed she did not remember the Crisis from before. As they parted, Logan saw John Connor and the Terminator at a distance, as both walked off.
"Logan."
Logan's heart again jumped to his throat at the voice, turning to see Charles looking at him and Sarah both, as Charles asked. "Don't you have a class to teach?"
"Huh?" Logan wondered. "Like-"
"History?"
"Oh!" Logan muttered, before realizing he could still tell both Charles and Sarah about this. "I could actually use some help with that."
At Wakanda, T'Challa was happily chasing a little boy, who was quite fast, so T'Challa needed to put in some effort at least.
From a distance, Bucky watched with a smile, seeing his son being happy with his uncle.
"James?" He turned to see Natasha, a confused look on her face as she rubbed her head. "Uhh, what is-"
"Our boy is having fun with his uncle, look", Bucky gestured to their son playing with T'Challa, and Natasha's heart beat really fast at the sight.
Just a while ago, she was amongst the few people alive in the Multiverse, but now, she was no longer sterilized and had a son with Bucky!
They had finally earned their rest. Her son then ran to her and she lifted him up happily with tears in her eyes, kissing his cheek and not wanting to let him go.
Asgard was there, now in all of its glory, in its original place in the Realms.
Thor sat on the throne of Asgard with a smile, as he had brought it all back, life in the whole Multiverse was now reasonable better for all. Sif sat next to him, his Queen, while the World Tree sprouted in the throne room, and Galactus' headpiece was the gate.
Outside, Valkyrie and the Warriors Three were training other groups of warriors as well.
Loki and Rebekah sat side by side, Rebekah pregnant, the two holding each other, as they watched the sun shine on them.
Finally, the sun was shining on them all again.
Parker opened a door to an apartment, holding a box, as he put it down, and next to him, Wanda did the same, him noting her face was a bit confused.
"Everything okay, Wanda?" Parker asked her.
"Yeah", Wanda nodded, liking this new world already, regardless of the surprise. "Everything's perfect, Peter." They shared a kiss as behind them, Frank and May put down another box they were holding together, as Pietro brought in another one, the three of them helping the young couple move into this place.
Aragorn sat on the throne of the Reunited Kingdom with a smile, Arwen next to him, with Boromir, his wife Nyssa, Faramir, Eowyn, Imrahil and Beregrond all sitting nearby.
"Let us begin the discussions", Aragorn then said as discussions began.
Earth-2
Kal walked around in the Watchtower, looking around, before hearing Lois call out to him. "Smallville!"
Kal turned to see Lois, as she asked him. "You look lost, why?"
"No idea, guess I didn't sleep well", he said, as both walked to the main base of the Watchtower, and there Kal saw all his friends were back, and there was also-
"Alicia?" He called out in surprise.
"Oh, hey Clark, what's up?" Alicia Baker asked with a wave, Kal feeling a lump in his throat on seeing her after all this time, when Bart came next to Alicia.
"Hey babe", he greeted Alicia as they kissed, and then Kal realized Alicia too had someone else to make her happy in this new Multiverse.
He looked back at Lois, when the monitors came on, and Tess was on the other side, looking very human, and it seemed she was in the Luthorcorp building, with a nameplate of her on the desk, and it also said- CEO.
"So", Tess began telling the Justice League about something. "There is this supervillain group who broke into here last night-"
Earth-3
Doctor Victor Von Doom sat on the throne of Latveria, looking ahead, before taking off his mask finally, and now, his face was back to normal, handsome once more.
He too remembered the previous Multiverse, due to having seen the true form of God, and so, the knowledge and truth imparted to him, it was still within him.
Now, he was still one to be feared and respected in this new Multiverse, but for the right reasons.
Earth-4
Oliver woke up on his bed, and groaned, before seeing Sara next to him, and held her close, before her eyes opened as well. "Ollie…."
"Hey Sara", he greeted, as Sara got up, and Oliver's eyes widened on seeing her baby bump, and a ring on her finger too.
"What?" Sara asked, confused by his face. "Umm, scared of how you will be as a dad or what?"
"Umm…" Oliver trailed off.
"Well, you can just ask your mom when she visits us later today with Tommy and Laurel", Sara shrugged, and Oliver's face was even more confused. "Yes, your mom, just because she's Mayor now doesn't mean she doesn't have time for us."
Oliver just looked down in surprise, before getting a smile on his face.
In his apartment, Barry-Red was rushing breakfast at full speed, and stopped to share a kiss with Caitlin for a second, before putting it all down.
Patty said from nearby. "Huh? Faster than usual."
"Well, going to meet my dad after a while is all", Barry-Red shrugged.
In the Waverider, Leonard Snart was now piloting the ship, with Mick Rory, Lisa Snart, Nate Heywood, Ray Palmer, Nora Darhk and Zari Tomaz behind him.
"So, where to, people?" Snart asked no one in particular.
"Well, wherever you wanna take us", Lisa shrugged.
"Got it, sis", Snart smirked as he piloted the Waverider, his hand glowing with power for a fraction of a second, because he still had a small remnant of the power of the Spectre within him.
Danvers flew over National City happily, Kent flying next to her as they shared a nod before he flew off to Smallville, where he now lived with Lois and his two children Jordan and Jonathan.
Batman's eyes opened, and he shot out of bed, before turning to see Selina next to him.
"Selina?" He called out.
"Hey Bruce", she said sleepily, as he saw a wedding ring on her finger, and then one on his. "Huh?"
There was a barking sound as he turned to see Ace walk into the room, wagging his tail. Batman petted his head as Ace licked his face, and then he got out of bed, Ace following him as he looked down to see Nightwing, Red Hood, Tim, Terry and Melanie all sitting and talking.
That sight made him smile at last. He had it all back.
He was happy.
Lucifer walked through his place happily, finding Decker with his son in the baby's room, and kissed her full force, to her surprise, and as they parted she asked. "What was that for?"
"For being as delightful and extraordinary you always are." Then Lucifer turned to his son on the floor, picking him up and flying him around, Decker laughing and almost crying at the sight of Lucifer and Sammy, her family.
Then Lucifer pulled Decker to him and held them close.
Earth-5
Prince looked down at her newly made world happily, as Clark, Detective, Barry-Blue, Cyborg, Shazam, Martian Manhunter, Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern and Supergirl stood near her.
In the same world- Peacemaker, Adrian, Harcourt, Leota, Economos, Bloodsport, Ratcatcher II, Harley Quinn, King Shark and Eagly were on a mission together to bust someone, and Yelena was accompanying them, sharing jokes with Adrian.
Earth-2002
Spider-Man was happy to be reunited with MJ again here, when he heard his phone ring, and saw that it was Harry Osborn on the call.
His hand shaking, he accepted the call.
"Peter?"
"Harry......." Spider-Man trailed off, his lip quivering as there was a lump in his throat now. "Harry......"
Earth-2012
Peter was at the Daily Bugle, and gave some photos to JJJ before going out, being paid by Betty as they shared a smile, and then he walked out of the building, seeing Gwen Stacy waiting for him.
He happily put his arms around her as they shared a loving kiss, and then both walked off, hand-in-hand.
Earth-29
Freya woke up in shock in her bed in the Abattoir, before feeling something, and removed her bedsheets to see she had a baby bump of all things.
That made her eyes widen, before she got off the bed on hearing something, and followed the noise to the kitchen where the pan was now moving itself, and the glasses were cleaned, and she saw a little boy and a little girl eating breakfast.
Freya slowly walked in, and froze when they both saw her and said 'MOMMA!' at the same time. Both of them rushed and embraced Freya, who had a look of happiness yet surprise on her face.
Barely controlling herself, she hugged them both back, before Erik appeared, using his powers to put the pan back, and he looked younger and happier than she'd ever seen him.
And then, silently, Freya wept in happiness, because after all that pain, she finally had a family.
Maximoff then sped by and snagged at least five pancakes as Erik groaned. "Peter…."
Hope Mikaelson was being taught magic by Kol and Davina, as Klaus watched from his cabin nearby, Camille next to him, both smiling, while Hayley was there on his other side, also happy at this scene.
Caroline woke up next to Stefan, and shot out of bed, before Stefan woke up too. "What's the matter, Care?"
"Huh?" She looked down at Stefan. "Just think I'd some sort of weird dream or whatever."
"MOMMY!"
The doors burst open as Jo and Lizzie ran in and hopped onto the bed, Caroline hugging them happily with a laugh as Stefan smiled, kissing her forehead.
Earth-92
Piper and Paige were in the Halliwell Manor, looking around in surprise, as Paige muttered. "I can't believe its all back now."
"We won", Piper whispered, when Leo came down, holding Wyatt and Chris.
"There you are", Leo said, putting the babies down as Wyatt walked and Chris crawled. "They want their mommy."
"Mommy is here", Piper held out her hands, holding both of them happily with some tears, kissing Leo as well, while Henry appeared too, and Paige gave him a kiss.
"Where's Phoebe?" Coop then asked randomly, to their surprise, before the door opened, and in walked Phoebe, with Victor, and Prue!
Piper and Paige couldn't control themselves, and hugged all three of them tightly.
"Whoa!" Phoebe muttered. "Hey guys. Lungs!"
"Sorry", they let go, as Victor smiled, then had a question.
"What's gotten into you two?"
"Nothing, just good stuff, I guess", Piper muttered. "Right?"
"I think I know", Prue said to Piper and Paige, winking at them before walking off, and they realized she remembered as well.
Then Prue turned to them and added. "We also need to go to the Slayer Organization today."
"Huh?" Paige muttered.
"Yeah, Willow and Tara asked for our help in teaching magic to some newbie Witches the Coven got", Prue revealed, before walking off, the two of them sharing another surprised look as they realized Prue remembered the old Multiverse, and this new one too, where apparently they and the Scoobies and Team Angel were in the same Universe now.
Willow and Tara looked at each other on the bed, and smiled.
"Tara…."
"Willow….."
Both of them shared a kiss, before sitting up as Tara said. "Looks like it worked."
Miss Kitty Fantastico was nearby as they picked her up and cooed over her.
"Yeah, we got it all back", Willow muttered, as the two got out of bed and walked around, seeing the Slayer Organization, having a few Slayers, and some Witches as well.
They saw the door to Giles' cabin, and Tara opened it, only to see not just Giles, but Jenny as well, both of them reading through something.
"Miss Calendar?" Willow called out in surprise, as Jenny looked up at her.
"Oh, hey Willow", Jenny waved at her. "Tara." She looked at their faces. "Anything wrong?"
"If there is, you can tell us, and if its magic related I'm sure the Charmed Ones will help when they get here later", Giles revealed, shocking both of them again.
They looked out and down the window to see Spike and Buffy walking in, and it was daylight too, so perhaps Spike had his ring.
"No, everything is all right", Tara now finally said. "Yep, all fine."
A few minutes later, Spike and Buffy walked in as the latter greeted. "Hey guys."
"Hey", Willow waved, then saw Spike did not have his daylight ring. "Huh?"
"What?" Spike asked.
"Nothing", Willow shook her head, before seeing Xander down there as well, with Anya! And Faith too with Marc, while Dawn was at a distance, doing some magic herself, with Jonathan!
"Looks like we got it all back", Tara whispered to Willow, as both shared happy smiles.
Angel woke up on his bed, seeing he was shirtless, and he felt…..tired. More than usual. Then he realized, he was breathing, and it was giving him a feeling too.
As a Vampire, he did not need to breathe, he just did it out of habit, but right now, it felt like breathing in was giving him a good sensation.
He touched his chest, and, to his shock, his heart was beating.
"What the….?" He sat up, then touched his face, and his teeth, before slapping himself very hard, and then he touched his face again.
It was still normal.
"I'm human….." Angel realized. "The Shanshu has been fulfilled."
Then he saw he had a wedding ring on his finger as well. "Huh?"
Getting out of bed, he wore his shirt, then walked out into the main lobby of the Hyperion Hotel, seeing quite some activity there, as there were clients whose cases were being written up.
"Hey sweety", Cordelia wrapped her arms around Angel from behind, and he kissed them both, before feeling something, and turned to see Cordelia had a baby bump, and she was also wearing a wedding ring. "Huh?
"What?" Cordelia asked. "Getting cold feet or what? Because if you are, then-"
"No, I'm not, I'm not", Angel assured her, kissing her lovingly as she kissed him back, and then he looked around, seeing Gunn, Raiden, Lorne and Connor all together taking cases from people, writing them down, working in tandem.
"You alright, Angel? You look like you've seen a ghost?"
Angel swallowed a lump in his throat on hearing who this was, turning to look at Wesley Wyndam-Pryce now, looking perfectly alive and well after all this time.
He tried to say something, but the words just didn't come out.
"Seriously, another one?" Lilah Morgan came out from behind Wesley, as Fred and Illyria approached on Wesley's other side too, and Angel could do nothing but stare in shock.
And happiness! Even if Lilah being on their side was something he'd take time to get over.
Earth-72
Mother's Milk was celebrating his daughter's birthday, an arm around his wife, and others had attended too, when there was a knock on the door, and he opened it to see Lex Luthor.
"Hello", Lex said, holding up a gift for the girl. "Apparently, this is what I have now."
"Thanks", MM took the gift for his daughter while Lex looked around, seeing Butcher with Becca and Ryan, and Hughie with Annie, Frenchie and Kimiko, and seeing them all again made Lex smile.
Then there was another knock, and the door opened to reveal Maeve with Elena. "Sorry we're late. But you know the traffic." She gestured to Lex. "And not all have the money like him."
Lex chuckled, now looking quite happy.
Arthur woke up, and was shocked at where he was! It was his room in Camelot! That was a shock now.
As he got out of bed, he saw Merlin standing at the doorway with his staff.
"Merlin!" Arthur called out. "What's going on? How are we in Camelot again?"
"Come and see", Merlin told him, Arthur walking to him as they walked together, Arthur looking at the palace's hallways once more, touching them too, feeling them after so long, and that made him smile happily.
"The Once and Future King now has a kingdom to rule", Merlin said, as both of them arrived at the balcony, and Guinevere was there, as was Lena/Morgana and even Gaius. Merlin held hands with Lena as Arthur did the same with Guinevere, both of them kissing each other, while Merlin and Arthur were happy to see Gaius too.
Then they looked down, and Arthur's heart jumped to his throat on seeing the Knights of the Round Table- Gwaine, Leon, Elyan, Percival and Lancelot, and with them were the people of Camelot, and an assortment of magical beings and creatures.
Magic was finally in Albion, and the Once and Future King with his best friend Merlin the Wizard, his Queen Guinevere, his magical sister Morgana/Lena, and his Knights of the Round Table, were there to protect all of them.
Earth-63
The Doctor suddenly opened his eyes, finding himself in the TARDIS.
"Feeling sleepy, Raggedy Man?" Amy asked next to him, as he looked at her, then saw Rory next to her, and Song next to him.
"Tired or what?" Song inquired, and then The Doctor saw that Donna, Wilf, Shaun, Martha, Mickey, August, Adiola and Harkness were there too, and Sarah Jane Smith as well, alongside her adult children Luke and Sky, with Luke's wife Maria, and Clyde and Rani, and also Ianto and Steven with Jack, sitting around a table at the TARDIS.
The Doctor was nothing short of happy to see all of them, seeing his Companions living happily, while he had his family back as well.
"Yeah, but it was worth it."
Earth-7
Jesse Quick ran happily as well, with Jay Garrick appearing next to her as both of them ran together, around a few cities, including Gotham City where they waved to Bruce and Catwoman along with John Blake aka Robin on the way too, and also waved to Stargirl.
Earth-24
Pavitr was swinging in his world happily, letting out a cheer before there was a blur as he looked up to see Shaktimaan in the sky, and then Chakra the Invincible flew by them as well.
Pavitr waved to both of them happily as they waved back.
Universe-502
The Serenity crew flew through Space like usual, ready to do their missions like they always did.
Earth-96
Crusader stood on a rooftop of Gotham City, looking down, as Allen ran down there, waving to him as he passed, and Crusader waved back, while Allen ran back to Central City where Christina waited for him.
On the same Earth, Jason sat on a couch, holding a letter, Steve and Diana in front of him, looking at the young boy with nothing but empathy for his loss.
"I'm sorry Jason", Steve said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If you don't want to read-"
"No, I think I have to do this", Jason said, sitting back down while looking at the letter, and looked at the two of them. "Can you two stay though?"
"Of course we can", Diana assured him, and he nodded, looking back at his father's letter, before beginning to read it all.
"Jason,
I hoped that you would never have to read this letter. Every year, I rewrite this message over and over to try to think the right words, but I don't think there are any "right words" for what happened, so I'll do what I've always done, be honest. There's no way a man can contemplate how he dies, but I find it's even more a struggle to think of how to live. All those years in Smallville, I wondered what I was meant to be, and it was finally answered that day I spoke to my birth father for the first time.
I tried to live up to the ideal, and sometimes I felt like I fell short. My greatest failure was when I couldn't save your mother. There wasn't a word I could find in any language to describe the pain I felt, but, I learned that it was not forever, and it was thanks to you. Jason, you were my hope, you cut through the darkness that plagued me, pulled me back from the brink. Many called me godlike, but what was the greatest feeling in the world to me, was spending every chance I could get with you.
You will have questions, doubts, fears, now that I'm gone, something I understand all too well, but you have something that I never had when I was your age. Friends. Family. Throughout this great big Multiverse we live in, there exists some of the most incredible people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They will look after you, just as they helped look after me. Trust Steve, I've never met a more honest man, or a better friend. Whether it's in the streets of Metropolis or fighting Demons from Hell, he will always be there.
Through all this, you are probably wondering: should you use your powers like me? Take up the cowl and the shield? My answer: do whatever you want. Do not see my mantle as an obligation, whatever you decide to be, I want you to know that your mother and I would be proud of you no matter what, whether you're a reporter, farmer, or even a gardener. The most important thing right now is your choice, you have that power to decide. Your powers have grown at an incredible rate, one day you'll be as strong as me, maybe stronger. They are yours to use as you choose, ignore or embrace them, whatever makes you feel more like you.
Everything I have, now belongs to you, the Planet, the Fortress of Solitude, the farm. It may seem daunting at first, but you won't be alone. My greatest wish was you never have to read this letter, but now, you have. I want you to know, my last thoughts were of you and your mother. You were my world. You meant more to me than the stars themselves.
I love you, Jason.
From
Your proud father
Clark"
Jason burst into tears at that point, unable to control himself.
"I love you too, dad."
Steve and Diana sat on either side of him, embracing Jason for comfort, knowing he needed them by his side now.
A new Multiverse had been born, but they had lost the first and greatest of them forever, and that sacrifice would never be forgotten.
Notes:
And finally, we have the new Multiverse at last. MCU Earth is Earth-1 now, because it was the biggest one, while Smallville is Earth-2, the younger X-Men/FF Earth is Earth-3, Arrowverse is Earth-4, and DCEU is Earth-5.
Other Earth numbers still remain the same, but as you can see, some Earths have combined.
Earth-1 and Earth-38 combined, and they also united with the world of 'Superman and Lois' to form Earth-4, while Bale's and Hathaway's Bruce and Catwoman got moved to Earth-7 instead, which is actually Earth-2 and Earth-3 united into one. So now their lives were more like in the actual 'The Dark Knight Trilogy', except that they never left Gotham and still protect it alongside Blake who is Robin.
Buffyverse and Charmed have combined into one too.
Shaktimaan and Chakra the Invincible are both Indian superheroes. Shaktimaan is actually India's most popular superhero, and a very cool one too, while Chakra the Invincible was actually created by Stan Lee. So all our big Indian superheroes in the same world as Pavitr.
Other Heroes have loved ones back, and so on.
Bringing dead characters back is a double-edged sword, as while it is a happy occasion, if the death made sense and was impactful (like Jenny in BTVS), it could reduce the impact.
Which is why Superman had to die, sadly, to keep this balance. Rest In Peace Earth-96 Superman once more, even if now Crusader and Allen are both on that world as well.
Camelot is now a Dimension of its own, so the ones from 'Merlin' get to have their happy ending there.
Any other Earths I did not show are also back now, with some differences for the better, but they're back.
I was originally planning to have Eobard Thawne return at this point, with an army of Reverse-Flashes, including his time remnants and also doppelgangers like the DCEU one, and also time remnant versions of some other villains, but it'd feel weird and redundant after the climactic battle last chapter, so I couldn't, sorry about that.
Plus, unlike the CW, I never tried to make it look like Thawne will be important in the Crisis before never using him. The CW kept building up Thawne and how he'd be in the Crisis, only for him to never come and that Beebo BS to come instead.
I never built up any appearance by Thawne, so I'm safe here.
But, at long last, the Crisis of Infinite Earths is over, and we have a brave new Multiverse. Only Thor, Steve, Snart, Prue, Doom and the Paragons remember what was before, while the rest are being told but won't remember the exact details.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help with this chapter once more, and Stand with Ward and Queen and anikendrajha499 and few others for their suggestions here.
There will be one more chapter to end the main storyline of 'Heroes' now. Oh damn! Its gonna be so hard bidding adieu to this long series of mine I've been working on for years now, but the end has come now.
However, 'When Heroes live their lives' will still carry on, and while there will be no Multiverse level threat to unite the Heroes to battle now, I will tell some short one-shot stories in this new Multiverse too, with the other fandoms that had cameos also showing up to meet our Heroes.
But the main storyline of this series now ends at next chapter, and its gonna be very hard to say goodbye.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter people. Its been a pleasure for sure.
Chapter 20: Legends Never Die
Summary:
The Heroes attend the funeral of Superman, and then the wedding of Steve and Diana. And Legends Never Die.
Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks, not on just this story but this whole series as well.
Also, in last chapter, forgot to say but Spike is a Daywalker like Blade, while Angel is fully human from Shanshu, and due to the rules changing in the new Multiverse, the Power of Three is now Power of Four, so all four sisters can be Witches together.
And thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help here, and to a guest for a suggestion, and to Stand with Ward and Queen for some suggestions too, and a few others for their suggestions, and also to Flashraven for writing some portions of this chapter.
Here we are, at the end of it, after 3 years. Sure, like I'd said, 'When Heroes live their lives' is still going to go on, but the main plot that connected everything finally comes to an end.
And boy is it so hard to say goodbye, yet necessary. Beautiful journeys do need to end sometime, and this is the time for the 'Heroes' series to finally end its main storyline.
I don't know what else to say right now, so let's just do this final part *sniffs*
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Earth-96
There was a long gravestone with a 'S' mark on it, and within there, a coffin wrapped in Superman's pure cloak that represented hope was laid to rest, and all were gathered, mourning for the man who had given them hope.
Now he was gone.
However, it was an empty coffin, because the one that truly had Earth-96 Clark Kent aka Kal-El aka Superman was carried by the Heroes in a private funeral.
The pall-bearers were Steve, Jason, Kal, Big Blue, Clark and Kent, and they together carried the coffin carrying their deceased friend, and the first and greatest Hero, laying him down to rest at last, with Jason nearly breaking down as Steve and the Supermen comforted him.
All the Heroes from all worlds were attending this funeral, alongside their loved ones, and all of them mourned Superman, for he had sacrificed himself for them to live now.
Then, it was time for the eulogy, and it was Steve who stood there.
"When I first met this Clark, it was due to necessity. Three other Supermen had been made to fight a destructive battle", Lex winced, remembering his own role in that. "And I was told this Superman will be a good help to us. So I went to meet him. And the man I met, he was amongst the greatest I've known. He had lost everyone except his son, yet he kept going, and bringing hope to others. A man like that, he inspired me as well, and was with me through a lot of stuff, right up until the end of the Crisis. Clark Kent, Kal-El, he was a Superman, in every sense of the word. He made the Multiverse a brighter, happier place. A beacon of hope to us all. A hero. A father. A good man."
All listened, tears in their eyes for this great Hero, and they knew every word Steve had said was right.
Then, as the time came to pay respects, Jason was the first to go to the grave, laying a flower near it as he wiped his eyes. "I'll never forget what you did for us all, dad. For me."
As he walked off, Kal, Lois and Kara came next, laying down flowers on the grave too as the former said. "I looked up to you….now you're gone. There's never gonna be anyone else like you."
"We will miss you", Lois muttered, not knowing what else to say.
"Enjoy your rest now", Kara said, as next it was Big Blue and Lois-93 who put flowers on the grave.
"Rest in peace, Superman", Big Blue said to him. "We will look after the Multiverse now."
"And we won't disappoint", Lois-93 added firmly, and next it was Clark, Lane and Supergirl who came to pay their respects and lay flowers.
"You, Steve, Kal and the rest, you all taught me how to actually be the beacon of hope I was unable to be before", Clark admitted to Superman. "And now, in your honor, I will continue to be that."
"When we first met you, you have us hope, and we won't let it die", Lane said as well.
"Never" Supergirl muttered too, before they left, and then came Kent, Lois-4 and Danvers.
"Thank you, for everything", Kent said, laying down flowers with the other two.
"Our children now can grow up in a better world because of you", Lois-4 said as well.
"Your sacrifice will never be forgotten", Danvers spoke too, and they left as Steve came next, laying down flowers as well.
"We have it from here, Clark. I just hope we'll be half as good as you. Not sure if I'm ready to step in those shoes to look after Jason, but you can damn well sure I'll give it my all. Rest in peace, brother, and thank you for everything you did for us."
And one by one, the rest too came to pay their respects.
Steve confessed to Diana, with tears in his eyes. "I've been to too many funerals in my life, Diana. Seen a lot of friends and people die in front of me."
"Every man has their breaking point. There's no shame in mourning for a friend."
"I know...I just hope, beyond all hope, that this is the last."
And soon, the funeral was over. Where the empty coffin lay, a golden statue had been erected of Superman, showing how he was always a beacon of hope, and here, where his body truly lay, the Heroes had all paid their respects, and none of them would forget what he had done for them all, his heroism, his nobility, courage, and sacrifice, which was the reason they were all here now.
The first and greatest Hero may be gone, but his memory would always be honored.
And then, a month later, the Heroes were all gathered once more, this time for a happier occasion- The wedding of Steve Rogers and Earth-4 Diana Prince.
All were walking into the venue, which was actually a lakeside place, and that was something all of them found beautiful.
Just then, the whining and grating noises of the TARDIS materializing sounded out, and a moment later, with a familiar final "Vwoorp", the blue box fully landed, the doors opening to allow the Doctor, hand in hand with River Song; next came Amy and Rory; the Doctor's daughter Jenny; Martha and Mickey, Martha carrying Adiola, the little girl's arms around her mother's neck; a beaming Captain Jack following after them carrying August in the same way, the young boy with his own arms around Jack's neck; and then Donna and Wilf and Shawn, all of them dressed in their best suits and dresses, though Jack and Jenny had stuck to their traditional outfits, Jenny her green t-shirt and leather trousers and boots, Jack his usual suit, brown boots and greatcoat.
"Hey, everyone," The Doctor greeted the crowded room, a beaming smile on his face as he held his free arm up and waved.
"Hope we haven't missed the party already," Jack added in his traditional humour.
And not just them... "Sarah Jane!" Kate herself exclaimed, hurrying forward as the Smith mother figure from 13 Bannerman Road now emerged from the TARDIS herself, followed by the rest of the gang made up of son and daughter Luke and Sky Smith, Luke's wife Maria Jackson and their other two best friends Clyde Langer and Rani Chandra, they too dressed appropriately for the big occasion they had been brought to, Maria carrying her and Luke's young son Arthur.
"Hello, Kate," Sarah Jane said as Kate came up to her, the two of them embracing and sporting big smiles at being reunited after two years, eventually releasing each other and allowing Kate to do the same with young Luke, Sky, Clyde and Rani.
"Hey, you," Kate greeted little Arthur when she came to him and Maria, Kate giving the little boy an even bigger smile as she ruffled his hair and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hello, Auntie Kate," little Arthur then addressed Kate, giving her a wave as Kate's eyebrows rose at hearing his words.
"Well you've certainly grown since I last clapped eyes on you, huh?" she said further to him.
Clyde shrugged. "Well when you reach the age of five, which is what he is now, you would do," he said simply, he, young Luke, Sky, Rani, Maria and Sarah Jane chuckling at that.
"Finally had him out of nappies for good and proper talking mastered shortly after the end of our big space adventure," young Luke explained.
"Which I can certainly say was quite the relief indeed," Sarah Jane agreed in a somewhat relieving voice, "To have not my beloved house being cluttered up with all sorts of baby things and a toddler running rampant everywhere, and me having to do babysitting and nappy changing duties when Luke and Maria and Sky weren't there."
Sky turned to her. "Mum, you know you don't mean that," she said disbelievingly.
But then Sarah Jane chuckled. "Relax, Sky, I was only joking," she said, the five younger adults all dissolving down in giggles and chuckles as Sarah Jane now made a fuss of her grandson.
Then Kate noticed something. "Where's Lady Christina, and Miss Jo Grant and Santiago?" she asked, referring of course to the woman who owned and operated the flying red London bus 200 Victoria, and the grandmother and grandson figures she had met on their big adventure with Quill and the Guardians and Stakar Ogord and his Ravager team.
At first, the Earth 63'ers were silent, as if pondering on how to respond to the question, then Jack answered. "Last I heard from Christina, she was off on one of her typical stealing for the fun cat burglar deeds," he said.
"As is of course what she's always so good and expert at doing," The Doctor added cheekily.
"And maybe she wanted to get back into the spirit of it after being resurrected from absolute Multiversal annihilation, along with all the rest of us," Jenny went next, eyes twinkling with naughtiness at her own words.
"Did someone say cat burglar?" Catwoman asked from nearby.
"I heard it to see", Selina said.
"Me as well", Felicia raised a hand, the three chuckling with them before moving off.
"And as for Jo and Santiago..." Rani now spoke, "When we last communicated with them, they were enjoying the wonderful experience of being amongst the mountain gorillas of Rwanda in Africa."
"The same ones that Dian Fossey herself studied at that," Maria said at last herself.
"And, Kate, we, that is me and Clyde, have news of our own to give you," Rani addressed the young Hawkeye woman, and as Kate turned to her a beaming Rani, together with Clyde who also sported his own gigantic smile, put a hand to her stomach. At first, Kate was confused, but then she worked it out.
"Are you serious?" she gasped.
Rani and Clyde both nodded, the rest of the Bannerman Road group, together with the rest of the Earth 63'ers, Adiola and August, now smiling hugely themselves once again.
Kate shook her head. "Come on," she said, gesturing with an arm wave, "Let me introduce you to all the rest of the multiples you haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet."
And soon, everyone was talking with each other, as Connor talked to young Luke and Sky.
"So you were both born by aliens, huh?" Connor asked them both.
The Smith brother and sister nodded. "I was created by this cephalopod race of shape-shifting alien squid creatures called the Bane," young Luke explained first, "The individual who called herself Mrs Wormwood created me as a so-called Archetype from thousands of samples of DNA taken from visitors touring their Bubble Shock! drink factory, enabling Mrs Wormwood and the Bane to run tests on an archetypal human, meaning of course me."
"And I was created by human-like aliens called the Fleshkind," Sky went next, "To be used, as Miss Myers, the woman who classed herself as my birth mother, put it, as a weapon in their fight against the robotic Metalkind, who were their enemy. Until, thanks to Sarah Jane, on whose doorstep I was abandoned on as an infant until I transformed into a twelve year-old girl a few hours later, and Clyde and Rani, I was freed from that monstrous status as a living bomb and allowed to live as a human child."
Connor took this all in with a shake of the head and awe on his face. "And let me guess, Sarah Jane took you both in as her adopted kids," he said.
Again, young Luke and Sky nodded in confirmation. "Took a few name goes with me from mum, including the ones of "Harry" and "Alistair" after her old friends Harry Sullivan and Brigadier Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart from back in the 20th century, until we found the right one, that being of course the one I bear now," young Luke said, he and Sky chuckling at that.
"And you say you're the son of a Vampire?" Sky now asked Connor.
"Two", Connor raised his fingers to show the 'two' number. "It was due to a prophecy. But…." He sighed sadly. "My mom could not give birth properly due to being a Vampire, and had to stake herself to save me." He sighed sadly. "That's what happened."
"MacGyver?" Clyde asked as he and Rani came upon Barry-Blue.
The Earth 50 speedster's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who, sir?" he asked politely.
"Angus MacGyver, resourceful U.S. operative who works for the Phoenix Foundation, this covert U.S. government agency."
Barry-Blue shook his head. "Nope, sorry, ain't me unfortunately," he answered with, "I take it though that that's who my doppelganger is where you're from."
Rani nodded. "I guess you could say that," she confirmed.
"But trust me, you just won't believe what sort of an unbelievable individual he is," Clyde went on.
"Oh?" Barry-Blue said, raising an eyebrow, interest now upon his face, "And what exactly is this Angus MacGyver guy capable of?"
"Well, he was trained as an EOD technician for the Army, and prefers to use non-lethal means to stop his enemies, a big part of that being that he refuses to carry a gun," Rani explained, "Though he will resort to lethal measures if it's absolutely necessary to do so. But the one thing he's certainly never without is his trusty Swiss Army knife, which also serves as a little mini torch."
"But that's not the most unbelievable and extremely awesome thing about MacGyver," Clyde took over, an expression of total wonder coming over his face, "Cos he uses anything, and I mean anything, in his environment to his advantage, whether it's just normal junk or a broken household appliance etc, either to get himself and his team from the Phoenix Foundation outta tight situations, or to break into and gain access to whatever and wherever."
"We, meaning us and Sarah Jane, Luke, Maria and Sky crossed paths with him and his team once," Rani spoke again, "Them consisting of Mac himself; Jack Dalton, Mac's main sidekick in the field and a former Delta Force operator; Riley Davis, their tough-as-nails and often sarcastic but good natured hacker who serves as their cyber specialist; and Mac's best buddy since childhood Wilt Bozer, who bears the ability to create lifelike masks and facial prosthetics. And when we saw MacGyver in action for ourselves, rather than Mr Smith, this extraterrestrial super-computer installed in Sarah Jane's attic wall, just telling us about him and his skills..." Rani shook her head, wonder now appearing on her face, "I tell ya what, if I couldn't've been blown away and awed so much by a masterfully capable and extremely resourceful handsome looks bearing guy, then by god does Angus MacGyver do exactly that."
Barry-Blue gave a short whistle. "Man, this MacGyver certainly does seem like one hell of an individual indeed," he responded with, "And no need for superspeed either, considering what you say about his particular skills."
"Seriously, you really mean to say you're the Merlin, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere from the Arthurian legends?!" Maria exclaimed as she, young Luke, Sky and little Arthur were introduced to the former King and Queen and magic bearer of Camelot, her jaw and those of her husband and sister-in-law dropping open, eyes going wide, at the name reveals.
Arthur nodded and bowed formally. "That is exactly who we are indeed, ma'am," he confirmed politely. The three Bannerman Road adults all shook their heads in disbelief.
"But don't believe all the legends you no doubt will've read about in story books and the historical references," Merlin spoke up. "Having said that, we now have our own Dimension where we all live and look after magical creatures and beings."
Erik was carrying his daughter, his other hand holding his son's, the boy walking hand in hand between both his parents, before he suddenly ran forward, and into the awaiting arms of his Uncle Charles, who was standing!
Charles threw him up in the air, spinning around with the giggling boy as Erik walked forth and embraced his brother.
Old Charles with Logan and Sarah too watched the scene with a smile, as Terminator said. "That was…quite lovely."
Freya reunited with the rest of her family, embracing Rebekah, Klaus, Camille, Hayley, Kol, Elijah and Hope one by one, as pleasantries were exchanged.
"Oh, yours is so much bigger", Rebekah gushed over Freya's baby bump, and Freya looked at Rebekah's too.
"Yours is even bigger", Freya old her. "I think mine will be a boy but Erik is sure it's a girl."
Aragorn, Arwen, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Nyssa, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Rosie Cotton with young Elanor and Frodo Gamgee, Gandalf, Faramir, Eowyn, Eomer and Lothiriel all stood together as well, seeing the proceedings going on.
"At long last, Steven has found happiness", Aragorn said while remembering Eowyn's conversation with himself and Steve all those years ago at the way to Helm's Deep. "He has earned it."
"Indeed", Legolas nodded, looking ahead. "I hope from now on we only have to gather for our friends' marriages, and other such events."
"Yes, that's the hope, Elf", Gimli agreed as well, before Clyde saw them, and knew who they were.
"You are from Middle-earth, aren't you?" Clyde asked, making them exchange looks.
"We are, any reason you ask?" Arwen inquired.
"Well, you lot are actually fictional books in my world", he said, surprising them all. "By this author called J.R.R. Tolkien. So I know who you all are", he looked at Nyssa, "except you." He looked at the rest and spoke their names. "Frodo. Sam. Merry. Pippin. Gandalf. Aragorn. Legolas. Gimli. Boromir. Faramir. Arwen. Eowyn. Eomer. Lothiriel. Rosie Cotton, and Elanor and Frodo Gamgee."
"My name's Nyssa, Boromir's wife", Nyssa raised her hand, which surprised Clyde now.
"Right, so Lord Boromir found someone after surviving it seems", Clyde noted, Boromir a bit confused. "Well, it was an honor to meet you lot."
"It was an honor to meet you as well", Frodo said to him.
"So, we are works of fiction somewhere, that is a surprise", Gandalf had to say as well. "I hope we inspire as works of fiction too."
"Oh you do, lots of people love you!" Clyde told them all.
"You really mean to say, young Bishop, that you fought alongside good ole Georgy Boy back in the days of the rebellion he lead the Yankee lads on against our own George who reigned as the third King of Dear Old Blighty, huh?" Billy spoke up, putting the question to Kate.
Kate nodded. "Uh huh," she confirmed, speaking with pride, "Me, Captain Jack and Mr Smith together." She looked to Jack and Mickey, who nodded and gave encouraging smiles, everyone else of the wedding guests, apart from of course the majority of the gang from Earth 63 who knew full well of the fact, listening with utter disbelief and amazement on their faces as Kate continued, "We had the pleasure of meeting him in December 1776, days before he and his troops were scheduled to cross the Delaware River and successfully attack and defeat Johann Rall and his Hessian forces at Trenton on Boxing Day."
"Similar to what me and the Legends had to do on one of our old missions." It was Sara who had spoken, and as heads, Kate included, looked in her direction, she went on, "We had to save Washington after our former Captain Rip Hunter, who'd been brainwashed into becoming evil by the Legion of Doom, lured us to Christmas Eve of the same year and handed Washington, along with Mick, over to the British."
"The man was almost ready to give up," Mick now went next himself, "Until I put a few boosting words of what it means to be an American into his head and encouraged him to fight back." His mouth now formed a smirk, "Which is exactly what we did when the darn Redcoats were about to hang us, till Steel and Vixen arrived as the extra hands to finish it." He shrugged, "Got a statue of myself in the Capital itself as the reward for doing so."
"You're fucking kidding us!" Jessica exclaimed, her expression of total wide eyed disbelief, any further words from her though halted by several voices together echoing "Language", referring full well of course to the fact that there were kids there.
Mick's smirk grew a bit more, and he shook his head. "Nope, ain't kiddin' whatsoever," he growled in response as he drank some of his beer.
"Well, I was personally at his side in the boat he and his officers were ferried across the Delaware in by Colonel John Glover's fishermen guys from Marblehead, Massachusetts," Kate continued her story, her own smirk grin now lighting up her face, "And I also gave the thick headed buffoon of an insolent General Horatio Gates a piece of my mind in advance when he made certain disregarding remarks towards Washington about his plan to attack the Hessians." Again, the disbelief on faces of some of the wedding guests was clear to see at hearing all this.
"You do know, Kate, that Gates is credited for bringing about the even more extremely vital victory of the Revolution against General John Burgoyne and the British at Saratoga the following year?" Steve reminded, "After all, if it wasn't for that victory, we wouldn't've gotten the important support we needed from the French for the last four years of the war until the final ever victory at Yorktown."
Kate snorted, but nodded and continued in a polite manner, knowing who it was she was responding to. "Gates and his supporters may've taken the credit for that, Captain Rogers, but a number of his fellow field commanders, including our nation's greatest traitor figure Benedict Arnold himself, fought back against it," she said, "In fact, as I'm sure you know full well already, Arnold deserves just as much credit for Saratoga, as he took the field against Gates' orders and took to the battlefield to lead his rallied troops in several attacks on the British defenses, before of course suffering serious injuries to his leg."
"And you say also you had fun with a younger version of yourself and some one-eyed Deputy U.S Marshal in the Old West, huh?" Annie now asked.
Again, Kate nodded, now coming even more alive as she relived the memories of that particular adventure. "Name was Mattie Ross," she said.
"Helped her and said one-eyed lawman, Rooster Cogburn as his name was, plus this Texas Ranger chap who bore the face of Mr. Jason Bourne from the movies, chase down and eventually dispose of the guy who'd murdered Mattie's dad in advance," Jack finally spoke himself, his traditional humour clear to hear.
"Till we had to make a little hop, skip and jump via Cheesecake's Vortex Manipulator thing, Mattie herself included thanks to her own insistence on wanting in on it and Kate wanting her with us, to Missouri and join in a chase for the infamous outlaw Jesse James," Mickey went next.
"After an old enemy of ours, and renegage member of the Doctor's people, the Master extended the man's death by an extra day," Jack said.
Kate grinned. "Had to enlist the help of and team up with famous lawmen figures Bass Reeves and Grant Johnson in order to pursue 'em through non-friendly territory," she continued the story, "Got into a bit of a firefight with said Master bloke, after he'd first disposed of Jesse himself after the man had outlived his usefulness, but luckily we got out of it more or less in one piece, and made Reeves more famous in the history books for bringing in the corpse of Jesse James, allowing everyone to believe that he'd killed the man himself." Kate's grin broadened, her eyes twinkling, "And of course, Mattie enjoyed the whole thing tremendously, told me herself when we had to bid farewell."
Heads shook, many of the guests in attendance absolutely blown away by everything they had just been told. "Would explain the slight changes mentioned in the history books," Tony muttered.
And then, it was time for the ceremony at last as all took their seats.
Lucifer and Decker were sitting, with Sammy in his mother's arms, and when he saw the priest, the baby started waving, with Lucifer chuckling.
"What is it?" Decker asked while Lucifer, for once, didn't have a negative emotion present on him, not in his expression, body language, or tone of voice.
"Just someone that I know."
The priest had a bushy moustache and bright smile.
Steve was already there, as then Morgan Stark and Lila Barton came in as flower girls, throwing flowers.
Lorne was there, and Kate was next to him, having wanted to join him in this song.
And, as Diana Prince walked in wearing her beautiful wedding dress, Lorne began to sing 'September', everyone mesmerized by his lovely voice, because he was perfect at this, singing was part of his being.
Kate sang as well, not as good as him, but good enough.
"And I thought we had the best tunes," Adrian muttered, Yelena, the Peacemaker crew and the Suicide Squad members chuckling, knowing full well what he meant.
Everyone else sitting also joined in on the song for a bit, because Lorne was that addictive, and then, Diana was in her place, in front of Steve, the priest standing nearby as well.
Bucky, Falcon, Tony, Kal, Aragorn and Boromir were Steve's Best Men, while Natasha, Sif, Prince, Wonder Woman, Sara and Danvers were Maids of Honor for Diana.
The priest then said. "I have wed people a lot in this part of the world, but after everything I have heard about these two people, and after seeing how happy all of you look here, I can see how much they love each other, this is my best wedding ever. So all I can say is- Excelsior! May the bride and groom speak out their vows?"
Diana went first, starting. "I have lived in the world, for a long, long time. But when I found out there is more beyond my island, I realized I was only existing, not living. So I went out, fought in a battle, and fell in love, then I lost my love. Eventually, I had to move on, and be the protector of this world. I learnt to live again, but I never thought I'd love again, until I met you, Steve. You were noble, kind, selfless, loving, caring, everything. And then, the door in my heart that had closed, it opened again, and I fell in love with you. And now, our paths have lead us to this, and I couldn't be happier about it."
This was already getting them all emotional, and then Steve spoke next. "I lost my whole time, and everyone I cared about. Eventually, I made new friends, and I got my best friend back, but I never thought I'd find love either, I just had no time for it, or that's what I told myself. Then I met you and realized I was looking for the woman who happens to be right for me, and that woman is you, Diana. You are loving, caring, protective, noble, kind, sweet, selfless, there's too much to describe. You are my home now, and I will forever stay by your side."
Once more, all were moved by what they were witnessing.
"May I ask to present the rings?" The priest then asked.
Eagly flew down, carrying the rings in a basket in his beak, making all clap happily, while Peacemaker cheered. "Hell yes! Eagly gets to be part of the best wedding ceremony!" He also wiped some tears.
Steve and Diana patted Eagly's head while taking the rings, and putting them on the others' fingers as Peacemaker, Scott, Adrian and Wade, who was wearing a white version of his suit, all wept and wiped away their tears of happiness while watching the beautiful sight.
The priest said. "Therefore, I pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Devil Dinosaur, Cordelia the Dragon, Eagly, and Ace all roared, screech, and howled in cheer with everyone else while Miss Kitty Fantastico let out a 'meow'.
The female members of the Captain America fan club were envious but happy.
Hippolyta of Earth-4 was there with the Amazons, and she watched with tears, seeing her daughter now get married at last to a great Man.
Steve and Diana kissed each other, and all applauded.
Lorne then announced after the ceremony. "Ladies, gentlemen, and young people, it is my greatest honor, to introduce the happy couple. Mr. and Mrs. Steve and Diana Rogers!"
Slow music played as Steve and Diana danced for the first time as husband and wife, and were then joined by Bucky and Natasha, Tony and Pepper, Thor and Sif, Banner and Betty, Clint and Laura, Kal and Lois, Aragorn and Arwen, Faramir and Eowyn, Boromir and Nyssa, Eomer and Lothiriel, Sam and Rosie, Big Blue and Lois-93, Clark and Lane, Kent and Lois-4, Fitz and Simmons, Bobbi and Hunter, Matt (who didn't need a cane or glasses now, as he could see yet retained his senses) and Elektra, Ollie and Chloe, Parker and Wanda, Willow and Tara, Angel and Cordelia, Spike and Buffy, Faith and Marc, Giles and Jenny, Xander and Anya, Bonnie and Enzo, Caroline and Stefan, Freya and Erik, Rebekah and Loki, Piper and Leo, Paige and Henry, Alaric and Jenna, Oliver and Sara, Logan and Sarah, Billy and Becca, Hughie and Annie, Maeve and Elena, The Doctor and Song, Amy and Rory, Arthur and Guinevere, Merlin and Morgana/Lena, Yelena and Adrian, Spider-Man and MJ, Peacemaker wnd Harcourt, Bart and Alicia, Bruce and Catwoman, Wayne and Selina, Batman and Kyle, Terry and Melanie, Mal and Inara, Kaylee and Simon, Wash and Zoe, and many more eventually.
Aquaman, AC, the Warriors Three, Valkyrie and Namor were all in a drinking contest, gulping drink after drink, and then, at the end of it, to all of their shock, Namor was the victor.
"I win", he said with a smirk as the rest laughed, and then Mera-5 and Mera-2 came in, Aquaman and AC leaving with them.
Peter, who was with Gwen, Betty and Felicia, narrowed his eyes on seeing Mera-5. "She looks like that Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones."
Willow, Tara, Piper, Paige, Prue and Phoebe now stood together as Willow looked around. "Guess we finally get to have some good stuff after a lot of pain."
"Yeah, we thought it was impossible, but now we got it all", Tara sighed.
"Well, when you got Him", Prue pointed upwards, "with you, its bound to be good at the end of it."
"I still can't believe you met the actual God", Piper muttered.
"Yeah, like how was He even?" Phoebe asked as well.
"Come on, we want to know", Paige begged.
"Well", Prue shrugged and winked. "You've all met Him, you just don't know it was Him."
They all groaned while Stephen, Clea with their baby, Strange and Fate walked by, Strange saying. "I hope you are enjoying yourselves ladies."
And they passed by them, and Strange had been the one to find out the changes in the new Multiverse and give the Paragons memories of those changes as well.
Klaus, Spike, Enzo and Lucifer were all laughing at something as Camille, Hayley, Buffy, Bonnie and Decker all talked amongst themselves.
Kal and Lex looked at each other, then clinked their glasses, now at a better place finally.
Jason was talking to Ryan. "So, they come to meet you all the time then?"
"Yeah, they do", Ryan nodded, as Billy suddenly appeared.
"Everything okay, Ryan?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Got it", Billy walked off.
"He's a softy now", Hughie muttered to Annie, as both chuckled.
"Would you like to dance with me?" Frank asked May, who looked down, then nodded.
"Yes."
The two then began to dance, while Punisher and Castle watched, before going back to the conversation they were having with Deathstroke, Wilson, Bucky and Red Hood, while Grant came to Deathstroke, who put a hand on his son's shoulder.
Marc asked Faith, "You ever think about this?"
That caused her to widen her eyes. "I-I never...I never really thought about it."
"Well, I got four different minds in my head, so I was bound to beat you to it."
Hippolyta of Earth-4 watched a gathering of Heroes, including Hercules and Ares, who were bantering with the rest, including Bill, Warlock and Surfer, and Hades and Persephone were there too.
Then she saw a little boy run up to Ares who picked him up happily, and Hippolyta looked shocked at that.
Gandalf saw her face and told her. "People change, whether they be mortal, or God."
Jason was watching the dances, as Parker came next to him now. "I know how you feel." Jason turned to Parker. "The most important thing to remember, is that you are never alone. To have this level of support, of love, it's the greatest feeling in the Multiverse. It will still be painful, waking up and realizing he's not there, but it gets easier, just because he's not there doesn't mean he's not here." Parker tapped his heart.
Jason looked at his chest, then nodded at Parker with a smile. "Thank you."
"No problem", Parker walked off, seeing Spider-Man, Peter, Miles, Miguel, Gwen, Pavitr and Spidey giving him thumbs-up, and he returned it before walking over to Wanda, waiting for him, and he twirled her as they made their way to the dance floor.
"What's on your mind?" Parker asked.
Wanda shook her head. "Just happy thoughts."
"Yeah, me too."
A while later- Steve, Bucky, Natasha and Tony were overlooking the lake, with Bucky's and Natasha's baby Stevie sleeping in his uncle T'Challa's arms at a distance.
"Was always hoping we'd get here someday." Natasha said, as she has been the most invested in Steve's love life after Bucky.
"The lake? I mean, it is a nice lake. Again, you're all welcome." Tony then said.
"It was right here when you told me you loved her." Bucky acknowledged, before shrugging. "Surprised it took this long to finally happen."
"Waited long enough. I finally found the one." Steve smiled at them before turning as Falcon, and Walker, were carrying Yelena, her arms over their shoulders.
"Natasha, I love you like my sister, but you leave me alone with her and free booze again, we'll be having problems."
"You think I would leave her alone with her new boyfriend?" Walker and Falcon cringed. That's a recipe for chaos.
"No comment." Walker said meekly.
Steve then gestured to Falcon to come forwards, and Falcon did, as Steve held up his shield. "Try it on."
Falcon had a feeling he knew what was happening, and the rest did too, but, he held up the shield in his hand, getting a feel of it.
"How does it feel?" Steve asked.
"Like it is someone else's", Falcon admitted.
"It isn't", Steve confirmed.
Falcon tried to check his emotions, and shook Steve's hand. "Thank you. I'll try my best."
Steve rested his other hand on Falcon's. "That's why its yours."
From a distance, Scott watched with a dropped jaw, not knowing how to feel. "Are we….losing Captain America now?"
"And getting a worthy successor", Hope whispered to him.
Yelena had sobered up too in this moment, while Walker stood straight and watched in stunned silence.
Natasha, Bucky and Tony nodded at Steve in agreement with his choice to retire with Diana as well as his choice of his successor.
"I'll be leaving for a while, but I know that the Earth is in good hands. With all of you." He looked at Falcon, then Walker, and Yelena.
"Us?"
"Captain America is nothing without the men and women around him. I know you'll make us all proud."
"You're clowning? You're not clowning? I sense clowns."
"We have faith in you, now have faith in yourselves."
And they knew, that they had to have faith in themselves, and be the Heroes who'd make their predecessors proud.
A month later, Earth-96
Jason now stood outside the Fortress of Solitude, Steve having flown him here, but now left him be at his own request, as this needed to be private.
Jason went in, looking at the Fortress, a tear rolling down his cheek, before he put in a Crystal, and an AI consciousness of Superman appeared, looking at Jason.
"Hello, Jason."
"Hello, dad."
"I see you've made your decision", Superman realized, pacing around, before picking up a crystal. "See, when my father died, my birth father, I mean, I found this crystal. Now, this is kind of hard to explain, but, it called to me."
"For what purpose, dad?" Jason inquired.
"It helped me to build this place, that's when I found out who I really was", Superman revealed to him. "And what I had to do. Now, you shall find out too."
Some time later
Superman Theme (Christopher Reeve x Henry Cavil) | Epic Mashup by L'Orchestra Cinématique plays
Jason, now in a suit exactly like his father's, but more armored like Clark of Earth-5, walked out of the Fortress of Solitude.
"We will never leave, even in the face of our death."
Jason walked forwards.
"You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine."
Jason knelt down, his fist on the ground, as it all shook from his power.
"The son becomes the father, and the father becomes the son."
With that, Jason took flight, flying across the world, over oceans and forests, and then, he saw a woman falling from a helicopter, and flying, caught her in his arms.
"Don't worry, I've got you." He told her.
"And you…" she looked down. "Who are you?"
"I am Superman", he said, putting her back on top of the building, and then he flew up as all watched, feeling hopeful again.
Jason flew out of Earth into Space, looking down at the world, where he shall bring hope now.
"I am the Watcher, and I have been watching over the worlds since before humanity reigned as the dominant species. I have watched the greatest explorers become the greatest Heroes. I have seen accident turn into triumph."
Earth-8096
The Avengers of this world, consisting of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Ms. Marvel, Black Panther and Vision, together went off for their next mission.
In the same world, the X-Men consisting of Wolverine, Cyclops, White Queen, Beast, Storm, Nightcrawler, Angel, Shadowcat, Iceman, Rogue, Colossus, Jean and Forge also went forth on a mission.
The Spectacular Spider-Man swung through the cities of New York with a cheer.
"I have seen selfless actions define a lifetime. I have seen a flash of genius define the future."
Eath-192
The Justice League of this world, consisting of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, went off on their new mission, along with the Teen Titans team consisting of Nightwing, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy, as well as the Young Justice Team consisting of Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, M'Gann and Artemis Crock were with them too.
"I have watched Legends born and return when needed. I have watched adversity turn into purpose."
Earth-64
Ethan Hunt watched the mountains, having stopped the nuclear blast of August Walker after all, and sighed in relief.
Earh-68
John Rambo looked at the carnage, yet knew there was some hope. Sarah looked at him as Michael waved, and he simply walked off.
Earth-59
The SWORD Alliance battled the Mighty Warriors and Doubt.
Earth-87
Duncan watched a shooting star happily, an arm around Tessa and another around Richie.
Connor and Brenda drove through an empty highway as well.
Earth-201
Dante and Vergil battled Demons while laughing and joking happily.
Earth-211
The McCall pack was at the wedding of Argent and Scott's mom, with Allison and Kira there too.
Earth-1984
Goku flew off with Uub to train him as his family watched.
Earth-81
Naruto stood happily with Hinata.
Earth-97
There was a happy family gathering of the Potters and Weasleys as Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and their children sat together for dinner.
Earth-25
Percy and Annabeth waved to Luke, who waved back, before they went on their date.
Earth-215
Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade, and Han Solo and Leia Organa watched their children play while holding each other.
Earth-209
Dr. Manhattan finally reformed himself, as Wade was next to him suddenly. "What took you SO LONG?!"
"Over and over, I've watched all this, and so much more, for that is the task bequeathed to me by the Multiverse. In the end, there was only one, a single black infinitude. Then the infinitude found release. Finally, the darkness broke, filling it with life. With the Multiverse. Every existence multiplied by possibility. And spread out before space and time in infinite measure, all of which I saw. Civilizations rose and fell. And rose again across reality's grasping expanse. Life, a precious gift, persevering in the face of every obstacle Until, finally, - - the age of Heroes was born. And so, while I watch, I now let go. Because I have seen, that they endure. Everything lives."
Superman was flying across Space, before he found some sort of clouded place, letting out a bright light, and flew there, before landing on the ground.
He looked ahead, and saw a man on a wheelchair, who seemed to look like an older version of him.
"Welcome, my name is Dr. Virgil Swann", he introduced himself, as Dr. Bridgette Crossby stood next to him.
"Now you've earned your rest here", she said.
"Really?" Superman asked, before turning to see another Superman arrive, and he seemed to look like a younger version of Swann.
John Williams Superman theme plays
There was a smile on his face, and Superman just felt like it had all come full circle on meeting this Superman.
The older Superman embraced Superman and said. "You have fought, and sacrificed. Now, you earn your peace with the rest of us. They shall never forget us, and carry on in our name."
A tear rolled down Superman's cheek as he embraced him back, and then saw an old man with a bushy moustache and bright smile nearby as he waved to Superman and said. "Welcome. And Excelsior!"
"Now it is time for you to rest", Lord Elrond said to Superman from nearby too, Vision and Phil Coulson near him.
"Indeed, come with us", Vision said.
"This is your home now", Phil Coulson said as well.
The older Superman had another Lois who looked like a younger Bridgette Crossby, and then, as he looked ahead, he saw Perry, as well as Richard, and Jimmy, all smiling at him, and then he turned to see his Lois there, holding out her hand.
Superman grasped her hand, and both kissed each other happily, everyone else applauding.
At long last, Superman had found his peace.
Mahabharata 2013 Krishna flute music plays
Krishna looked ahead with a smile, and held up his hand. "The tale of these Heroes, the saga of these Heroes, it shows a lot of things", Krishna then pointed out, "but the ultimate truth, which this saga too points out, is that individuality, and differences, and thoughts of one-upping others, is the ultimate root of sin. While unity…Unity, like what we saw with the Heroes, is the basis of righteousness."
Then, Krishna had a naughty smirk as he asked. "How?" He pointed forwards. "Judge for yourselves."
Krishna joined his hands and said. "This was a huge saga of Heroes, and so I, Vasudeva Krishna, thank all of you for being with Me and all of these great Heroes on this journey until the end." He smiled. "Let there be peace."
And then, Lord Krishna took out his flute and played a melodious tune, bringing joy and music to the whole Multiverse.
Notes:
And that is finally it. I can't believe it! We did it! We reached the end of the 'Heroes' series.
I think I'm gonna cry. This was my greatest series, my greatest achievement, one shared between all of us, and now finally, it comes to an end. At least it ends on a high note now after all the team-ups, friendships, pain and suffering.
Some of the other fandoms were shown here as well, with happier lives of course, and the Universes we saw destroyed before are back with happier endings. I can't show all of them in one chapter but it's the author's word so all good.
In Star Wars, Disney's trash is gone and we have the Legends timeline, and a happier one too, while in Harry Potter characters like Fred, Sirius and Lupin live while in Percy Jackson Luke never went evil, and in Highlander Duncan is happy with Tessa and Richie, same for Connor and Brenda, while Avengers: EMH, Wolverine and the X-Men and Spectacular Spider-Man are in one world, same for DCAU, Teen Titans and Young Justice.
Routh's Superman gets welcomed Reeve's Superman, Kidder's Lois, Virgil Swann, Crossby, the great Stan Lee, Lord Elrond, Vision, and his own loved ones into Heaven, while Jason takes up the mantle.
Regarding Alaric and Jenna, here she survived but they broke up after Season 2, so all the Jo stuff, including Caroline giving birth to her kids, happened, then after the series Alaric and Jenna got back together.
But damn! It is finally over! Oh my! Like…wow! This series began its main storyline on 27th July, 2019, and ended it on 29th August, 2022. Its been a long journey spanning 3 years and many fandoms.
Who'd have thought just one more crossover between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Arrowverse would become so huge and involve so many fandoms? Even I didn't think so, since originally it was only going to be J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium, Marvel Cinematic Universe and Arrowverse, with the X-Men and Blade movies and elements of DCEU and other DC stuff.
But then we got Smallville, DCEU, younger X-Men, the older Spider-Man and Batman properties, Deadpool, other Marvel/DC stuff, Buffyverse, Charmed 1998, Merlin, Doctor Who, TVDverse, Firefly, Terminator, The Boys, Sorcerer's Apprentice, and many more, and now here we are, at the end, with all these fandoms and many more in a brave new Multiverse.
All I can say is, thank you for being with me on this journey from start to end, and even those who joined on the way, thank you for sticking with me till the end of it.
And thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for all of his help with these stories from Part 11 onwards, until now, and to others for their aid and support as well. It is much appreciated for sure.
Now, like I'd said, there is still 'When Heroes live their lives', and my friend Flashraven has a spin-off to this series titled 'All This for a Jacket', which takes place between 'Heroes stand united' and 'Of Speedsters and Forces', and is a crossover between MCU (mainly Jessica Jones and Guardians of the Galaxy) and Doctor Who which is still ongoing, so if you want, feel free to read those.
But the main storyline comes to its end, and I once more thank all of you who read, favorited, followed, kudos'ed, commented on or bookmarked my series and its stories, and supported me in any way when I wrote these.
I am forever indebted to all of you for your support, which is one of the biggest reasons this series has now finally reached its end.
I'll still miss the main storyline of this, and I know you all will too, but now we've reached the ending, and that too at a high point.
So thank you all once more for being with me and these Heroes on this long journey.
Now at last, it comes to an end. Its hard to say goodbye, but it is time to.
So, we shall meet again, with a different story some other time, soon too.
Stay safe all of you and well-wishes to you and your families.
Until next time.
Aragorn II Elessar.
Chapter 21: This Is War Tribute
Summary:
A tribute to this series with the song 'This Is War' by 'Thirty Seconds to Mars'.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
This is War by Thirty Seconds To Mars plays
The people of various worlds were shown, trying to flee from destruction.
The Heroes of Arda, Earth-199999, Earth-1 and Earth-38 all faced their opponents, Steve calling Mjolnir to him, before the Paragons were shown along with Rune King Thor, White Lantern Steve, and Spectre Leonard Snart.
Morgoth and Thanos stared ahead at the Heroes, and then Anti-Monitor was shown.
The armies clashed.
Boromir raised his sword as the soldiers cheered.
May Parker looked out of her window.
Superman flew into Space with a smile, as Lord Elrond looked down from Rivendell.
Angel was bitten by Darla as Erik Lensherr held his dead family with tears.
The Heroes battled Dormammu.
King Arthur woke up again and returned.
Steve and Tony stared at each other.
Aragorn held up his sword in front of the Black Gate.
Vision's Mind Stone was ripped out.
Scenes of battle were shown, as the Heroes triumphed over MODOK, and then Sauron, and then Morgoth and Thanos after long battles.
Lord Krishna was shown warning The Powers That Be and the Elders.
Lex Luthor looked down from LexCorp.
Kal flew into the sky.
The three Supermen battled.
Aragorn and Steve stood side-by-side.
Doctor Victor Von Doom sat in his castle.
Oliver took out the last person on the List.
Thor Odinson looked down as Rune King Thor.
The Heroes battled Galactus, and also Darkseid.
Spider-Man took off his mask in front of the villains.
Lex Luthor was on a call.
Tara was brought back to life.
Lord Elrond passed away.
More battles were shown as the Heroes triumphed over the Phoenix Force, Doomsday and Lex Luthors, Mysterio, The Batman Who Laughs, Norman Osborn, Carnage and finally Dormammu after many battles.
The couples were all shown in tender moments with each other as they basked in each other's company.
And then, more battles were shown as the Heroes defeated the T-1000, Glory, Dromos, the Senior Partners, Galactus, Darkseid, the Seven and Vought, Norman Osborn, Ra's al Ghul, the Flag Smashers, the Alliance, Blackheart, the Grandmaster, Knull, the Black Winter and finally Anti-Monitor, after many battles, acts of heroism, and sacrifices.
And finally, the new Multiverse was shown, with the Heroes all having happier lives as Superman ascended into Heaven with his loved ones and other Legends.
Lastly, all Earths of the Multiverse were shown, existing together, inside the Cosmic Form of God Himself, who smiled, knowing these worlds would always be protected by the Heroes.
And then, Wade Wilson, who was seeing this bit on the TV, shut it off, sitting with Lucifer, who started clapping. "Bravo! Absolutely! Marvelous!"
Deadpool finally said. "Now THAT is how you do a fucking Crisis on Infinite Earths!"
Notes:
And that's finally the end of it, a tribute to it all with 'This is War', if you know the lyrics, you'd know who is being referred to here as who.
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