[Integrated/Crossover DC/Marvel] Why Did the World End Again? - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Absolute Obedience — Imprisonment

The singing grew more grandiose, as if it intended to shroud the entire earth. The expressions of the four became increasingly grim; Aurora looked at the fanatical, numb crowd with an unfriendly gaze.

“Has he brainwashed everyone here?”

“It feels scarier than brainwashing…”

Alice muttered while scanning the surroundings. Everyone’s emotions seemed to have been ignited, falling into a state of frenzy.

Thea’s brow was furrowed tight, and Barry Allen fell into silence. Facing the Superman of this world made him nervous after all, no one could guarantee if the Flashes of parallel worlds all looked the same.

“What’s wrong, Flash?”

Alice noticed Barry’s expression was off. When Barry voiced his concerns, Aurora immediately cast a shielding spell on him.

“Don’t worry. Right now, your face is blurred in everyone’s eyes. He won’t notice you.”

The crowd raised their arms, a clamor like a drop of water hitting a boiling pot of oil. Everything reached a fever pitch as that figure gradually approached, the dazzling sun behind him serving as the ultimate backdrop.

He appeared before them. That familiar face was indeed Superman. And sitting beside him was someone familiar to Alice yes, it was Thea Weeks. However, he looked deathly pale, and his mood… likely wasn’t very beautiful either.

Superman smiled and nodded to the crowd while turning to whisper something to Thea. Alice saw the latter remain cold and indifferent, offering not a shred of a response. Seeing him give him the cold shoulder, Superman didn’t show the slightest bit of anger; he simply continued to smile and say things he deemed amusing.

“No one will ever die in an alley again. How beautiful this world is, my dear little puppy…”

As his words continued, Alice watched Thea’s face grow colder. She didn’t know why, so she turned to observe the younger Thea Weeks beside her, trying to find commonalities between the two identical people. Yet, despite having the same face, he felt utterly like a stranger.

Before she could speak, Alice heard Aurora softly advising the younger Thea.

“Wait, don’t go over there. That’s a parallel version of you, it’s not actually you. Don’t be angry yet.”

Alice looked down and saw Thea clenching his fists, seemingly wanting to rush forward and deliver a beating. While Aurora was busy coaxing him with gentle words, the Flash and Alice stood by unsure of what to do. Aurora gave an embarrassed smile.

“You know, Kryptonian hearing is very sharp. Whatever Superman said on that car, he heard it all.”

Alice really wanted to ask what Superman had said, but looking at his state, she decided not to court disaster. She’d wait for a better chance, and if it was important, she believed he would eventually say it.

“Neurotic!”

Thea gripped his fists. Listening to the nonsense coming from the other’s mouth made him even more incensed. Hearing those words, Alice felt a sense of familiarity; the young man before her and the figure she had seen elsewhere briefly overlapped.

As if sharing a telepathic connection, when Thea spoke those words, the Superman on the car cast a glance in their direction. Alice’s heart nearly stopped from the fright, but Superman merely looked for a moment before turning his head back.

He looked at the person sitting beside him who had remained silent.

“Look, that little girl over there is dressed quite interestingly.”

Thea Weeks followed Superman’s gaze and saw Alice, looking particularly “distinct” among the crowd.

He felt as if a crow had flown over his head. Young people these days… truly, Superman ruling the world is the end of everything.

Thea Weeks did not like this world, nor did he like the current Superman. It was that simple. When he was first forced to land in this world, it was during a time of chaos, and he could only survive by relying on others. With the help of the small-town boy Clark Kent, he recovered his memories and became a part of this world, a member of the Justice League.

At the same time, he never forgot his former homeland, so he was always searching for a place where he belonged.

As for when Superman began to warp, he could no longer remember clearly. In his impression, Superman was always associated with being cheerful and sunny. That was why Superman could get along with everyone no one would dislike a sunny, cheerful solar humanoid. But then everything changed, or rather, the man exposed his original, inherent ambitions.

Kal-El was a thoroughbred lunatic. He loved the persona of a savior, so he willingly became a superhero. This temporarily numbed everyone. Who would have thought things would become so terrifying?

He didn’t want to play the savior game anymore, so he flipped the table and quit. He suddenly wanted to play a new game of ruling the world, and everyone at the table had to cooperate with him. Darkseid had entered this world through a loophole was there a partnership between them? No. Superman simply stood by with cold indifference.

In the past, when Darkseid invaded, he would arrive immediately to stop him, send Darkseid back to his home planet, and that would be the end of the story. But now, Superman was unwilling to do so. He simply watched flatly as his partners were slaughtered, and even added fuel to the fire.

Those backs that were once the most worthy of trust became the blades that killed them.

“Big Blue?” “Chairman?” “Kal!”

Do those voices make you feel ashamed? Do you miss the past? Even if it was all fake, do you truly have no softness, no sense of being moved?

However, when it came to Thea, he halted those steps. A long life seemed far too lonely, so Kal decided he should play some “happy” games. He loved these games, loved the sensation of novelty, and he loved seeing the look of shock in everyone’s eyes.

So he would fly into the clouds to help people one by one, flying freely amidst cheers; yet he would also ruthlessly kick people when they were down during a disaster.

He was a madman.

So he chose an irresistible persona—the so-called savior, the sunny little sun. As it turned out, this persona worked incredibly well. Everyone liked his sunniness, everyone loved him. But then things became different.

The game of saving the world, while fun, and the cheers of the people, while interesting, eventually became meaningless to Kal. After all, he found that saving the world was a game with extremely low cost-performance. Even if Superman saved the world and saved everyone once again…

He had to do it better every single time, otherwise, different voices would still appear among the people. Kal especially hated different voices. He could easily kill them all, but he didn’t, because he knew people were bullies who feared the strong.

Regarding Thea Weeks, he truly liked him because the other possessed a long lifespan just like him. Kal had no interest in offspring; he viewed procreation as something that merely increased burdens. Therefore, he needed a “little trash bin” to live with him—a living history book that could exist anytime, anywhere.

And Thea was an excellent choice. He had observed him closely; he was indeed of the same race and possessed the same abilities. But Kal also discovered the other’s weakness: a Kryptonian without a Man of Steel body. How wondrous.

He used to love being a savior; now he wanted to rule the world. Now, he wanted to be a “soulmate,” a keeper. Think about it: keeping someone of his own race, a creature that would forever be loyal to him, with eyes only for him what a strange pleasure.

The novelty of ruling the world didn’t last long. Soon, Kal became an expert at it. As for how to treat Thea Weeks, he found a better method to make the other bow his head forever, unable to escape. No iron skin, yet possessing extreme regenerative abilities what a perfect combination.

An eternal, unkillable Jesus.

Everything became so simple; he could even add other “fun” elements. Trust is always the most beautiful dagger, capable of killing the song of a nightingale.

Kal knew the other’s power far exceeded his own, but the other inexplicably trusted him. So, on the first day Darkseid invaded Earth, he made a brave decision: he invited him to the Fortress of Solitude.

Out of trust, the other accepted the invitation and asked what was happening. After all, Thea wasn’t idle; he was traveling through the universe trying to find his true home. Immediately after, he fell into the trap…

When the sun set and he woke up, he found his abilities were completely gone. The other was indeed quite twisted; he only left him with super-regeneration and a long life. All other abilities had vanished under the influence of Kryptonite. Upon waking, Thea felt an intense pain in his waist. He looked into a mirror to see his back.

Kal had driven Kryptonite into his spine. Mangled nerves and an undying will screamed in the depths of his soul, eventually turning into dust and permanent agony.

Though the process was cruel and brought many injuries to Kal himself, when he finished and looked at his masterpiece, he felt nothing but pure bliss.

Two blue dots appeared on the other’s back two pieces of Blue Kryptonite. During this “surgery,” Kal was extremely careful because he was afraid of damaging the other’s spine and causing a loss of mobility.

Once it was over, he even mockingly tattooed his own symbol onto the other’s tailbone. From that day on, he had a new game. He now possessed a new playmate, a new toy.

His soul was dancing. From the moment the other was forever imprisoned in the Fortress of Solitude fittingly named becoming a lonely boat in the vast sea. From then on, the other’s only connection to this world was him Kal-El.

He was the supreme God. And this game, if he wished, could continue for eternity.

A villain kept a little dog. He didn’t care if the dog was loyal to him, nor did he care if the dog was happy. As long as this dog remained by his side, that was the greatest happiness in the world.

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