...........
Chapter 209: Broken Soul. Broken Family. Broken Mirror III
...........
However, its agony and wrath were strong enough to make it rise again, and glare at Ian with pure eerie hate.
"Why are you mad?" Ian wondered with a sweet smile, ready to show the result of his plans. The true extent of his powers.
His question would certainly drive anyone mad, especially after all that he had done to the beast, so without any consideration for the possible consequences, the beast lunged at Ian.
There comes a time in history when even the most evil of beings realizes that before them stands the very symbol of good, the embodiment of charity.
They realize that harming such a being is a sin even they can not afford to commit no matter how heinous the crimes they committed beforehand. None is rivaled by the thought of touching the light before them.
There are just some things in reality so holy the thought of touching them would drive even the embodiment of evil to put themselves out of life.
In the beast's case, just as it was about to completely devour Ian, it disintegrated into nothingness, bringing a grateful smile out of Ian, "Thank you for your service."
Dr. Manhattan noted what had happened, the reflection of Death. Ian would've certainly died there, so naturally, the beast died. Can something be more absolute than that?
Yes... Dr. Manhattan's almost unrivaled mind made it very clear to him what Ian truly wanted out of his plans. He wanted to eliminate the necessity of being attacked to death.
Dr. Manhattan saw it clearly. What would happen if Ian attacked himself? Will Death reflect on himself? But what if Ian entered the Broken Mirror state? Is it possible to redirect Death upon someone else?
What Ian has just created was an absolute method to bring Death upon someone or something without them having the need to do anything.
"Good luck... But don't leave just yet. Look around, and find ways to improve because there are. Your powers are only as absolute as the reality you traverse in permits, so create your own reality."
Ian eyed Dr. Manhattan as he spoke, sealing the deal between them. It's been a nice journey, and Dr. Manhattan's interference certainly moved things nicely, so Ian returned the favor.
Things didn't exactly start nicely with Dr. Manhattan, but that didn't seem to be a concern of his. His mentality doesn't seem to take such a thing seriously, evident by the fact that he let Darkseid go.
"Let me show you the core of all those near my level. What should be done to leave..." To leave the Omniverse because leaving the Multiverse was something Dr. Manhattan was already capable of.
"True Void doesn't allow anything but reality and illusions to exist within. It's simply impossible for you to exist within it by the simple nature of the True void... You'll become void."
As Ian explained, his right hand touched his chest, pulling out something bright, unseeable even by Dr. Manhattan, so Ian released it, "World Projection."
Every became fuzzy and bright in an instant, and Dr. Manhattan felt his connection to the source of his powers leave him in an instant.
"Beings like you whose powers require a reality other than their own to function are easy to deal with.
You are now in my reality. These are my rules, and If you had a reality of your own, it becomes a battle of whose reality prevails."
Ian noted that Dr. Manhattan understood where he was going with this, but he still continued nonetheless, "To move across the True Void, or as it's called, Sea Of All Things would require moving along with your reality, so good luck... You'll need it."
Luck, Chance, Randomness, coincidence. Dr. Manhattan will need them all to go his way if he wishes to traverse the vast expanse he so wishes to traverse.
Ian vanished immediately after all, leaving Dr. Manhattan to his thoughts. His mind has just been opened for the third time in his life, and like always, it's nothing but pure confusion.
He was born, then he became Dr. Manhattan, opening his mind to the vast universe and even Multiverse... And now, he would need to think for long to comprehend what he had just understood no matter how simple it sounded.
Ian on the other hand appeared on a planet not very far away from Earth, and with a wave of his hand, Diana emerged before him, looking somewhat confused.
Death of the endless was left, basking in the brightness of the Mirror World. She might've devoured too much Death force despite being Death, that's how deadly Ian isn't.
"A-Are you okay? What happened?" Diana's words ended up being very different than what she planned to tell him in their next meeting. Her words were those of concern as she looked at his new shape.
He looked very inhuman, but he still looked like himself, just ever more divine and out worldly.
Ian didn't answer. Instead, he crossed his arms together and waited. It was a clear sign for Diana on why he was here.
"Is this it?" Diana asked with a frown. She didn't hesitate much in approaching Ian, her mind already made up.
"If you can win... I'll undo everything," Ian stated and waited.
"Only the bad things." Diana corrected as she clenched her fists.
And without within for him to respond, Diana attacked with all of her power as if she was going for the kill. It was almost like a surprise attack, and she wasn't ashamed to do so. She was ready to use her everything to defeat him just to prove a point.
Her fist, however, hit an unbreakable barrier, a mirror. It was unbreakable because It was already broken as Diana noted.
At the same time, cracks traveled throughout Ian's body with only his eyes remaining intact, the same eyes that eyed her with no concern.
Still, Diana didn't stop, but she tried to reach him, to break the mirrors... Nothing worked.
"What??! Are you just going to hide?? Was this your goal?" Diana yelled with irritation.
"Yes." Ian responded, still not making a move, "You have to defeat me. I don't have to defeat you, so go on, give it your all."
And that she did, she used Magic, divinity, all that she could, yet nothing worked, not even the Mark of Hecate.
The result of her attacks was very odd. It was like the full force of her attacks was being absorbed by the mirror, resulting in the surrounding environment remaining intact despite the fact that the punches are capable of almost galactical destruction.
Slowly but surely, the environment was changing, just not in the way she wished. The entire space started turning fuzzy white until Diana found herself in his world, completely under his control.
It was a hopeless endeavor, "Why can't you just give up!? Is it so hard to undo all the bad you had done?? Why so persistent when we can reach that middle ground."
"Because that's a faulty product. The Ian that will agree on that is me. I have no interest in deceiving you into believing me to be someone I am not." Ian responded with a shrug, making it clear that losing wasn't an option.
"I see..." Diana's shoulders slumped down in defeat though she soon started making her way towards Ian, slowly but surely, and the latter allowed her to reach him, to arrange her arms around his neck and pull him into a slow kiss.
She allowed herself to sink into his arms, and fully lose herself in the passionate kiss. Interestingly enough, it was Ian who stopped the kiss as he eyed her with an odd look.
"I will not be defeated... I am serious. If you're doing this to get what you want, it won't happen. I promise you." Ian was serious. Who he is; is very valuable to him, and he never acts out of character, so he isn't about to start now.
"Just shut up and defeat me then..." And right after, she sealed his mouth again, knowing that perhaps graduating from Arkham Asylum is the only way to find some peace around him.