Chapter 56

After creating the Ant King, Ashborn turned his attention to the Ant Queen. He wanted to see if it was possible to create a shadow that could actually give birth.

In Solo Leveling, that wasn't possible. But Ashborn was different, he could warp reality.

And what was Reality Warping? It was like taking control of the story itself—writing whatever you wanted into existence.

You could turn a table into a tiger, rewrite logic, reshape physics—redefine the rules. It was like holding a pen and scribbling new truths onto reality.

Ashborn's goal was simple—he wanted shadow ants that could birth other shadow ants. Unfortunately, he quickly realized that such a feat was beyond his current power.

If he could grasp more of the Death of the Endless, his [Shadow Monarch Force] would grow stronger—and maybe then, it would be possible.

For now, he set the idea aside.

Leaving Meruem to enter the Training Dimension for further growth, Ashborn headed to the Watchtower, where the Justice League was already waiting.

"You're late," Batman said with narrowed eyes. Ashborn simply nodded.

"I got distracted with a new dimension I created," Ashborn said calmly. "A place where you can train for a trillion years, and only one second passes in the outside world."

The room went quiet—everyone visibly shocked. But Ashborn didn't linger on it.

"Now," he continued, "let's get to the real reason I called you here."

He raised a hand, and with a thought, a board appeared behind him.

"I want a clear rundown of the villains you've faced since becoming heroes. This way, I can get a better idea of what's likely to come next."

"First, I want to speak with the guy who has faced the most dangerous enemy," Ashborn said, eyes scanning the room. 

His gaze landed on the speedster. "Flash. Have you faced Reverse Flash?"

Flash nodded. "Yeah… but he's gone. I'm faster than him now."

He crossed his arms. "After our last battle, there was this explosion of energy… it erased him completely."

Ashborn raised an eyebrow.

"Villains are never truly dead," Ashborn said, voice steady. "So Reverse Flash is still out there. And next time he shows up, he'll probably be faster than you."

"Reverse Flash exists to make your life a living hell. The best way to deal with him is…" Ashborn paused for dramatic effect. "Be his friend. Make him your sidekick or something."

Everyone stared at him… having trouble comprehending what they just heard. The silence was heavy, but as they comprehended Ashborn words.. The weird looks were thrown at Ashborn.

"What?" Ashborn shrugged. "None of you want to kill. I'm giving you a way to make sure a villain stays down."

"Reverse Flash is like the Joker—except he wants to be meaningful in your life. Even if that means being your worst enemy."

Everyone sat in stunned silence. Flash frowned, clearly not thrilled by the idea of getting cozy with the man who'd ruined so much of his life.

"Reverse Flash is from the future," Ashborn continued. "So the version you see? There's always another one coming—one who knows more, one who's seen further ahead. Which means… the bastard can't really die."

He shrugged. "I do have ways to make sure he stays gone for good, but that's a line we'll cross when you're ready to cross it."

Flash gave a small nod in return.

"Oh, when exactly did he die?" Ashborn asked.

"Just six months ago," Flash replied.

The moment he said it, the information appeared on the board behind Ashborn.

From there, Ashborn went down the line—gathering information from everyone: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest.

The heroes normally fought solo, but sometimes, they had to team up—like with Lex Luthor, when one of them couldn't handle it alone.

Other times, they managed to handle threats on their own.

"Now that your history's laid out," Ashborn said calmly, eyes scanning the board, "the worst thing that could happen… is if these villains joined forces against you."

"Lex and the others aren't stupid. They adapt—and they'll keep adapting until they figure out how to beat you."

He paused. "Either that happens… or something new shows up. Something powerful enough not just to fight you—"

His gaze swept over them. "—but to kill the hope of this world."

The room grew heavy. Everyone frowned, a quiet unease creeping into their expressions.

"Let's think about this logically," Ashborn said, voice steady. "If I were the Darkness, I wouldn't just throw the same villains you've already faced at you."

"No… I'd throw something new—something capable of killing Superman."

He turned his eyes to Clark, who was equipped with a deep frown. Superman was a bit arrogant, what could kill him?

"When the world loses its Superman… hope becomes a lot easier to crush."

Ashborn snapped his fingers. Instantly, screens lit up around the room, displaying scenes from across the multiverse—each one showing the death of Superman in different worlds.

"I'll bet this is what's next for this universe," Ashborn said coldly.

"Doomsday. A lifeform born from Krypton, a monster that adapts and becomes immune to whatever kills it."

The room fell into silence. Everyone felt, their hearts dropped. How on earth were they going to face a monster like Doomsday?

"When it arrives—don't hold back," Ashborn said firmly. "Superman usually defeats Doomsday… but only at the cost of his own life."

"This time, when it shows up, I want three people on it from the start—Superman, Shazam, and Wonder Woman."

His tone sharpened. "And for fucking sake, keep everyone else far away."

He looked to Flash and the others. "That's your job. Get people clear. Civilians, support, backup—move them. Fast."

"Your only priority," he said, eyes returning to the three powerhouses, "is winning that fight. Kill Doomsday as quickly as possible, because the longer he's alive, the more he'll evolve—and if he adapts too much, you won't be able to stop him."

"I know my words are pointless," Ashborn said lightly. "You'll all foolishly choose not to kill… and it'll lead to Superman's death."

He shrugged. "But that's my warning."

The room fell silent. Every hero frowned—because Ashborn was right. Even after everything he'd just said, they still weren't going to listen.

They were confident in their own strength. They just needed to be extra careful, how could they lose if they were on high alert?