Luke didn't know that Fury, who had dodged a bullet, was still trying to reach out to the cute looking beast.
He snapped his fingers, and the pure white light came down.
Almost in a split second, the two broke through one universe's box after another and came to the end of the Multiverse.
The experience was amazing, and Barry kept his eyes wide open as he peered down at the glistening bubbles from top to bottom.
One by one, the worlds presented a splendid landscape that enchanted him.
It was a very different feeling from breaking through the speed of light, creating a wormhole in space-time and travelling through.
Just before the Flash came to his senses, the magnificent light beam with infinite power threw him somewhere else.
"Hello, Barry Allen."
The bald master, who looked very neutral, smilingly spoke to him.
Barry looked around and found himself in a temple-like building.
He scratched his head and asked, "Where's Luke?"
"He has one more conversation that must take place before he travels to your world."
The bald master of the mystic arts greeted the Flash and sat down, handing him a cup of hot tea with great enthusiasm.
This was Kamar Taj from some unknown parallel world and the Ancient One from Earth-1024, looking out of the window.
Silently, a great game spanning two multiverses was finally about to begin.
...
...
"I can't believe it's you ... To be honest, I preferred Ms. 'Death', or Mr. 'Eternity', or Uncle Galactus."
Luke stood in the void, with the swirling galaxy at his feet.
"They're easier to deal with and more interesting to talk to."
Appearing before Superman was a golden figure as large as a celestial body.
As if spanning the multiverse, he was extremely large.
Compared with those planets, they were like tiny grains of sand.
A thunderous, majestic voice rumbled down --
"You are the one who started this game and should understand what to do."
The golden silhouette that stood on top of the sky, as if it were a giant...
Had three faces, representing Equity, Necessity, and Vengeance.
He had a very impressive name, the Living Tribunal.
He was the administrator of the multiverse beyond the five gods.
Like other background beings, the Living Tribunal had high authority but very few appearances.
"You're going to teach me how to do things?"
Luke's eyes flickered as he said, "Neither the five creator gods nor you are adjudicators. At best, they are higher-level participants."
"So, don't even think about pushing people around."
During the long days of his relaxing vacation, he indulged in physical activities.
Occasionally engage in multi-player sports, 'theme' parties...
Incidentally, finish the pile of side quests and boost Superman's reputation points.
Like reeling in Hydra and getting a Kryptonian ship.
Toss around Howard Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D, in reverse engineering some new technology.
Find Hyperion and Blue Marvel, the two 'Marvel's Superman' who he hadn't fought with.
Had a friendly sparring session and got two chances to draw after beating them down...
Silver Superman and Superboy-Prime...
The two powerful cards enabled Luke to break through from a single universe to the multiverse.
That was why he was so calm and faced the five great beings and the Living Tribunal with the same calmness.
Although most of the time, these multiversal bigwigs had always moved in the background and had their own share of dark histories...
One of the worst was Galactus, which had been reduced to a cosmic-level battle machine.
But as administrators under the Omniverse, they actually possessed quite a high level of authority and were the embodiment of the rules.
A little more problematic to deal with than the Sentry, or the Gladiator, which could be solved with his fists.
"I'm just reminding, not warning."
The Living Tribunal said in a hushed voice.
"What the collision of two multiverses will lead to is a future that none of us can foresee. It requires caution and deliberation."
Luke curled his lips and didn't take the 'reminder' of the Living Tribunal to heart.
He had his own plans and ideas, and no one could force him to do anything.
Maybe the Omniverse existence had sprouted a new idea, to have the superheroes of the two multiverses have the fight of the century, or maybe it's for some other reason.
All in all, there would be an unprecedented link between the two studios.
The five creator gods and Living Tribunal, the group of administrators of the multiverse...
Hoped that Luke could win more chips for their side or even win the game straight away.
"All the details have long been finalised, and I know what I should do."
Luke waved his hand. He didn't like talking to insipid guys, and the Living Tribunal just happened to be the most boring being in the multiverse.
"The direction of this game does not depend on me."
The five creator gods and the Living Tribunal allowed Luke to smuggle himself onto the studio next door...
To gain more information and create a greater impact.
But he didn't do that, or rather, didn't do what that group of multiverse administrators had in mind.
Being from the Marvel Universe didn't mean he had to be an enemy of the other studio.
He himself was Superman's older cousin and also had a great relationship with Wonder Woman.
What's more, the big events that hadn't happened in the DC universe, such as Metal and the like, hold the opportunity to be ranked in the Omniverse.
Luke wasn't exactly on the Living Tribunal's side for whatever reason.
Wasn't being neutral a good thing?
"Superdemon, Devastator, Super Kryptonian, Cyborg Superman, Silver Superman, Superboy-Prime..."
Luke's eyes flickered with emotions.
With the blessing of many Superman cards, he had broken through the single universe level and became a singularity in the multiverse, enough to stand side by side with the Living Tribunal.
But it was hard to go further than that.
Even the Golden Superman, which was based on the five-dimensional world, was essentially just standing at the peak of the multiverse, not entering the Omniverse and stepping outside the framework of the 'plot'.
If anything, among the many Superman cards...
The only one capable of being an Omniverse level being was probably Cosmic Armor Superman, which was a collection of 52 Supermen in parallel universes combined into a single consciousness.
Mandrakk, the demon who devoured the parallel universes, called it second only to God.
But Luke couldn't pin all his hopes on drawing the Cosmic Armor Superman's card.
He saw this game as a great opportunity.
If the two multiverses were to merge into one, would they be able to escape the fate of having their past and future written by the Omniverse and those beings?
"I'm in a hurry. Let's chat again next time."
Luke pretended to look at his watch and disappeared from the Living Tribunal's sights.
In the next moment!
Barry, who was drinking tea.
"Let's go."
Luke greeted the Ancient One with a snort.
"Sorcerer Supreme, let's have tea together again sometime."
The Ancient One gently smiled, raised her cup and said, "Unfortunately, I can't go to another similar multiverse. When you come back, you have to tell me about things happening over there."
Luke nodded, pulled Barry and disappeared from Kamar Taj.
They turned into swift streams of light that broke through the boundaries of the multiverse.
The wall that was so huge that even the edges weren't visible to the naked eye still stood there. The Tenth Metal within erupted with radiant light, penetrating the barriers and interference of the power of the Source.
"This is it?"
Barry opened his eyes and eased himself out of the unpleasant sensation, similar to motion sickness.
"Mars, the start of this journey."
Luke replied.
...
-:Binge:-
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New book + Infinite Earths resuming from Monday.