Chapter 66 (Bonus Chapter)

Ashborn and Ember teleported outside the House of Mystery, where they were met with the chaotic sight of a fractured Justice League. The Batman-led team included Batman himself, Batwoman, Catwoman, John Constantine, The Huntress, Renee Montoya, Harley Quinn, Doctor Fate, and what appeared to be the ghost of Dick Grayson.

Meanwhile, the Superman-led team consisted of Superman, a Yellow Lantern Hal, Shazam, Sinestro, and Wonder Woman. There may have been more, but Ashborn didn't really care. His attention was focused on the two beings locked in battle—Trigon and Mxyzptlk.

"Hey, Wonder Woman, want to step out and do some real fighting?" Ashborn called out.

Inside the training dimension, Wonder Woman was locked in battle against shadow versions of every member of the Justice League.

Of course, within this dimension, where Ashborn held complete control, almost anything was possible. Since he granted them full freedom to train, they were able to push themselves to the limit and grow stronger at a rapid pace.

Another fun fact about the training dimension: it allowed one to train at 100% efficiency. The mind couldn't comprehend the passage of time, and the body wouldn't age while inside. The only thing that could slow down their training was injury.

This meant someone could train for a trillion years without ever feeling the weight of that time, only the rapid growth in strength. It made this dimension the ideal place for anyone serious about getting stronger.

"Yes," Wonder Woman answered instantly, stopping her training in surprise at being called into action so soon. Ashborn nodded before floating up into the sky.

"Everyone, if I may have your attention, please," Ashborn called out, his voice laced with a unique power that compelled silence. All fighting came to a halt. Even Superman and Batman, who had been locked in battle, paused. Remarkably, Batman was matching Superman blow for blow, thanks to a drug that temporarily gave him the strength to rival the Man of Steel.

"Thank you… Give me one second," Ashborn said, clearly annoyed as he looked toward Trigon and Mr. Mxy, who were still locked in battle. He wanted to kill them both on the spot, but the risk of drawing the Darkness was too great. Trigon, unlike Darkseid, who embodied a more lawful evil, was simply evil, chaotic, and unpredictable, with a strong connection to the Darkness itself.

Without warning, Ashborn teleported directly between them just as they were about to clash. With a calm motion, he activated [Full Counter], redirecting their own attacks back at them.

"Counter Storage," Ashborn said, calmly storing the two powerful attacks he'd just reflected. Since he couldn't use his full power freely, he had begun developing techniques to fill in the gaps.

"Counter Copy." Ashborn spread his hands wide, and the attacks he had just countered were duplicated, manifesting in reality as hundreds of identical energy blasts that now hovered around Trigon and Mxyzptlk.

"Counter Paste." With those final words, the copied attacks became real, and all of them rained down in unison. Trigon and Mxyzptlk scrambled to shield themselves, but the sheer volume of the assault quickly overwhelmed them.

"Infinite Barrier… I really should find a way to use these techniques without having to say them out loud. Then again, they're kind of like magic, so the words help guide the process," Ashborn muttered, rubbing the back of his head. He watched as the barrier expanded, stretching space itself to absorb the shockwaves from the earlier assault, preventing the universe from being torn apart.

"Ahem… now, where was I? Right." Turning his attention back to the assembled heroes and villains, Ashborn snapped his fingers. Instantly, a wave of understanding washed over them—each one enlightened with the precise knowledge Ashborn intended to share.

"So, as you've probably gathered from the knowledge I just gave you, I'm here to clean up your universe. Any questions?" Ashborn asked with a light smile.

"How do you plan to 'clean up' exactly?" Batman asked with a frown, his gaze shifting from the now-lifeless bodies of Trigon and Mxyzptlk back to Ashborn, a clear unease in his eyes.

"I plan to kill everyone who sided with Superman. After that, I'll finish cleaning out the rest of this universe, there aren't that many villains left anyway. From there, I'll have you and the remaining League members form a multiversal Justice League. It'll be a part-time role since I plan to revive dead versions of the League from collapsed universes to take up the mantle full-time." Ashborn spoke lazily, as if it were just another task on his list.

"That's not the way," Batman said through gritted teeth, his voice firm with refusal. Killing… he couldn't support that. Anything else, maybe—but not that.

"Sadly, I don't care. Any last words for Wonder Woman, Superman, and the rest?" Ashborn asked with a smile.

The Superman-led team floated into the sky.

"Are you all just going to accept his words at face value?" Superman asked, his voice filled with disbelief and fury. He looked down at Batman and the others, frustrated by how easily they seemed to accept Ashborn's judgment.

But they couldn't be entirely blamed.

Out of everyone, Batman wanted to step forward and stop Ashborn, he truly did, but his own team held him back. They didn't say a word, but their eyes said enough. They wanted Superman's team gone,

Even if Ashborn was lying, what could they really do about it? He was too powerful. Charging in headfirst would only get them all killed.

"You know," Ashborn began casually, "the easiest one to defeat among you is Superman. All I'd have to do is bring Lois back to life and let her see what you've become."

He paused, his tone turning mockingly.

"That's how you were supposed to be defeated, after another universe Lois saw you, you woke realized you were wrong. I don't know if the Darkness twisted you, and made you more evil… but let's find out."

With a snap of his fingers, a graveyard miles away exploded, bones scattering as a single skeleton came flying toward them.

Superman's face instantly turned red with rage at the sight of his wife's remains being toyed with like that. Ashborn, on the other hand, ignored him and tried to bring Lois back to life, only to facepalm as he remembered he was still too weak to meddle with life and death directly. That's even more so with how much MP he just used, killing those two brings who were shattering reality without meaning to.

With an annoyed glance, he turned to Ember.

She rolled her eyes, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers. Flames erupted around Lois's skeleton, engulfing it completely. Superman tensed, ready to charge—but froze when the fire faded away.

Standing in its place was a very much alive and pregnant Lois.

"Lois…" Superman whispered, reaching out, longing to pull her into his arms. But he stopped cold as Ashborn placed a hand gently on her head.

"Now, what would happen if she were given full knowledge of everything you've done since her death?" Ashborn said, his voice calm, almost amused. "Would that be enough to wake you up… or would you still stand tall in your convictions?"

Superman's heart sank in horror. He wanted to stop Ashborn, but it was already too late.

Lois's eyes shot open. A flood of memories and visions filled her mind, everything Superman had done since the day she died. Her body tensed, her face twisted in pain as she clutched her head, overwhelmed by the storm in her mind.

Then, slowly, her gaze shifted to him… eyes brimming with tears.

"…Superman did what he had to do. We made a difference," Wonder Woman said, her eyes fixed on Superman with unwavering support.

Superman clenched his eyes shut, silent tears slipping down his face as the weight of everything he had done pressed down on him. Now, he stood at a crossroads—would he keep walking the path he'd carved in blood, or turn back… for her?

"I can't… I can't stop now—not after I've come this far!" he roared, anguish and fury twisting his voice.

In a blur, he shot toward Ashborn, eyes blazing. He had to take Lois back, She would understand… she had to. Once the world was finally at peace, once everything was over, she'd see that everything he did… was for the greater good.

But to everyone's shock, Wonder Woman appeared—yet not the one they knew. She caught Superman's fist with a single hand, her presence commanding immediate attention. This Wonder Woman wasn't from their universe—no, her aura was brighter, stronger, more heroic than the one they had followed.

"Kill them all. I don't want to deal with ex-heroes breaking out of prison later," Ashborn said coldly.

Wonder Woman hesitated, her eyes locking with Superman's. For a moment, something flickered in her expression. Superman and back in her universe were friends, but Ashborn's command weighed heavier, for him she steeled her heart.

In one swift motion, she twisted Superman's arm, snapping it with a sickening crack. Superman screamed in pain, dropping to one knee.

Seeing how much stronger she was, Wonder Woman wasted no time and went in for the kill. Hal and the remaining members of Superman's team launched themselves toward her to stop the attack, but Ashborn simply stepped aside, allowing her to carry out the execution.

'I expected her to hesitate… is my charm really that powerful?' Ashborn thought, stunned, as Wonder Woman snapped Superman's neck with brutal efficiency. She used his body to block Hal's blast before rocketing forward and grabbing her counterpart. She was handling all of them with ease—a sight that left Ashborn quietly proud… until his eyes fell on Superman's corpse.

It was turning black, a dark aura rising off his body like smoke.

"Fuck," Ashborn muttered, drawing everyone's attention to what was happening.