Chapter 76 (Bonus chapter for the 100 powerstones)

"You'll be missed… and…" Supergirl suddenly reached out and took Ashborn's hands, leaving him stunned by the gesture. She locked eyes with him, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to fade. Slowly—bit by bit—her lips began to draw closer to his.

As she neared, reality itself began to distort. Such an act… it could not be allowed.

But no one noticed—not even Ashborn. Too weak, too vulnerable, he was completely defenseless. All he could do was brace himself for the kiss. For that was the price of weakness… and for this sin, he had no choice but to face his judgment.

But reality acted, pulling the strings to ensure their lips never met.

In an instant, a hand of darkness reached out from Raven's cloak and seized Supergirl, yanking her back before the kiss could happen. Supergirl's eyes widened in shock as she looked toward Raven, only to be met with a cold glare. Darkness poured from Raven's eyes like black flames, seething with emotion.

"W-what's going on?" Ashborn asked, clearly displeased, cough, I mean confused by the sudden interruption. Ashborn didn't want to be a sinner all his life, so he was looking forward to facing his punishment and being a free man.

His gaze met Raven's for a heartbeat… and before he could even react, another hand surged forward from the shadows, grabbing him and pulling him straight into her.

Before Ashborn could react, Raven's lips crashed into his. His mind went blank—utterly blank—as if something inside him shattered. In the depths of his thoughts, he heard the sound of chains breaking, echoing like a curse being undone.

"What…?" Ashborn stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened as Raven pulled back. She wore a soft, gentle blush, her usual composure briefly gone. But seeing the dazed expression on Ashborn's face, she couldn't help herself. Her hand reached up to cup the side of his face, and without hesitation, she pulled him back in for another kiss.

This time, the kiss was softer, gentler, and slower, as Raven fully melted into it. But she didn't get to enjoy it for long. Supergirl, consumed by emotion, unleashed the full might of the Sun Monarch Force. The radiant power burned away the darkness like fire to paper, forcing Raven to break the kiss with a soft cry of pain as her shadowy hand recoiled.

In a flash, Supergirl grabbed Ashborn and pulled him into her arms, her eyes blazing with fury as she threw a venomous glare at Raven. In her mind, Ashborn had just been forcefully kissed—that was the only reason for her anger. Absolutely that. It had nothing to do with Raven taking Ashborn's first kiss right before her eyes.

"I…" Before Ashborn could get a word out, Supergirl leaned in and kissed him. His mind instantly went blank—somehow, she kissed like it was a superpower of its own.

"You!" Raven erupted, her form twisting into her demonic state. A sea of darkness surged around her, exploding outward as her rage took form and launched straight at Supergirl.

Reacting instantly, Supergirl used the Sun Monarch Force to teleport Ashborn to safety. She then shot forward, clashing with Raven mid-air. 

The shockwaves from their clash nearly obliterated the entire mansion. But before things could spiral out of control, a golden lasso shot out, wrapping around the two combatants and halting their battle just in time. Wonder Woman stepped forward, her expression a mask of thinly veiled displeasure. These two had done exactly what she had been thinking of doing herself… and yet, she always stopped short, giving herself excuses that now felt hollow.

"Thank you," Ashborn said with a sigh of relief as he teleported back into his mansion. Thankfully, it was still intact. He hadn't seen any of this coming—and if the mansion had been destroyed, it could've unraveled his entire plan.

"No problem," Wonder Woman said in a soft, charming voice. But Ashborn didn't notice—his mind was elsewhere.

He was still thinking about Raven… her kiss had shattered his curse. Was that the whole true love's kiss thing? That couldn't be right. Sure, he had a crush on Raven… but true love?

He'd had way bigger crushes growing up—Cat from Victorious, Jade too. Lola Bunny? Untouchable. Shego? Dangerous and perfect. Elastigirl? Don't get him started. Vanessa Doofenshmirtz? Criminally underrated.

Ashborn had a normal childhood… Oh, and Megan Fox. Everyone knew that scene. The movie didn't need to be named. No words were needed. Everyone just knew.

"Let's all calm down and talk," Ashborn said, prompting both Raven and Supergirl to reluctantly power down from their battle states, though they kept their guard up as they stared him down.

Ashborn sighed before going on to explain the curse—how it affected him, and how confused he was that Raven's kiss had broken it.

"Wait… you mean to tell me that if I hadn't kissed you, no one else would've even been able to ask you out?" Raven asked, her voice low with disbelief. A flicker of regret crossed her face.

"Yes. Reasons would always pop up—convenient, impossible-to-ignore things—that made sure I stayed single," Ashborn said, rubbing his chin as he tried to make sense of it all. Raven gritted her teeth, wondering if there was any way to reverse time. But even if she could, it wouldn't matter. Ashborn had broken free from such constraints. He was a monarch now; time manipulation meant nothing to him.

Meanwhile, back with Ember, she was busy licking her hands clean of the chocolate that coated them. Her tongue even enlarged slightly as she cleaned off her entire face. Once satisfied, she flopped back with a blissful sigh.

"I can tell this is only a fragment of your true self," Lucifer said calmly. "But I'm curious about what lies next door. I overheard Death talking about it, but its roots feel entirely different from this place."

He could see Ember's origin clearly—a phoenix that embodied the rebirth of creation. That kind of embodiment didn't exist here, not in this reality.

"Who are you?" Ember asked, frowning as she finally noticed Lucifer. She had been too absorbed in the chocolate to sense him earlier. Then again, that chocolate was worth more than life itself, so she didn't regret it.

"I'm Lucifer Morningstar," he said, and Ember's eyebrows rose sharply. With her comic sense, she instantly grasped the weight of that name. Just how powerful was Lucifer? This was a man frighteningly close to being all-powerful—and when paired with his brother, the two could nearly reach that impossible threshold.

Lucifer was the embodiment of Nigh-Omnipotence in its truest form. Then again, if the creator of this omniverse—and even the One Above All—were just fragments of the true Omnipotent being, that meant Lucifer was perhaps only two steps short of true Omnipotence.

"What do you want?" Ember asked with a frown, unsure why Lucifer had chosen to appear before her now, when he could have shown up long ago.

"Nothing much," Lucifer said with a charming smile. "I'll be joining you and Ashborn on your trip next door."

His words carried a charm that transcended mortal comprehension. He was, without question, the most beautiful being in all of creation—a worthy challenge to Ashborn's own unique allure.

"That's not happening," Ember said instantly, wanting no part of Lucifer setting foot into her omniverse. He was far too dangerous—not because of his strength, but because of his mindset.

Beings like herself, those at the peak of power, were prideful and arrogant. They would sooner destroy a universe than bow their heads. But Lucifer… he was different. He had an open mind. He welcomed knowledge, learned from his mistakes, and treated every failure as a stepping stone. He preferred the hard way over the easy path, the intellect over brute strength. He'd lived so long, learned so much, that even the smallest of events around him could be used to predict the future—no cosmic awareness needed. That's what made him dangerous.

"I think it so…" Lucifer said as a chocolate bar appeared in his palm. Ember's eyes narrowed at the sight of it, then flicked back up to glare at him.

"You think chocolate is enough to make me change my mind?" she asked with a sneer. Lucifer simply nodded, his smile never fading.

"Then you would be correct." With those words, the chocolate bar vanished from Lucifer's hand and reappeared in Ember's. She happily took a bite—only to discover it was even better than the chocolate Ashborn had given her.

"While you were here, someone managed to break Ashborn's curse… with a kiss," Lucifer said casually.

Ember bit her tongue in shock, blood spraying through the air, but she didn't care. Her eyes snapped toward the omniverse, where she saw it… Ashborn, in all his perverted glory, letting girl after girl kiss him without even trying to resist.

She let out a roar that turned into the cry of a phoenix. Her body burst into flames before she rocketed down toward the omniverse, leaving Lucifer behind, who now had exactly what he wanted… phoenix blood.

Ember had been right. Lucifer was far too dangerous.

This was a man who, even in a weakened state, could manipulate his enemies into destroying themselves—without ever lifting a finger. His greatest power wasn't that he could reshape reality to his will… it was his mind. The way he could twist anyone, play them like a puppet, and make them dance to his tune... it was too dangerous.