In Apokolips, Darkseid stood watching his infernal world plagued by monstrous slaves, large with claws, eyeless, and a mouth full of fangs, all covered in technological armor. The wings on their backs only reinforced the idea that the Parademons were artificial demons created by Darkseid.
Unfortunately, these "monsters" were once people from some world with a developed civilization. Darkseid and his minions captured them while reshaping their worlds in their twisted image, using the Mother Boxes, the artifact that Allen almost destroyed, to turn them into horrific monsters.
As Darkseid pondered Allen's identity, a thin, small man with a deformed face knelt behind him.
"My lord, it seems this world will present quite a challenge, not just the Kryptonian... I recommend accelerating the invasion," the man said in a servile voice, trying not to anger his master.
Darkseid remained silent as his red eyes glowed.
"Change of plans... call everyone"
"Sir?"
Darkseid turned slightly with an expressionless gaze that conveyed his annoyance at having to repeat orders. The man bowed with all possible submission.
"At once, my lord!"
---
Shortly after, several individuals arrived before Darkseid, who had returned to his throne.
The first of Darkseid's loyal subordinates was Desaad, with deathly pale skin and a sharp face that seemed carved from stone. Dressed in black robes that fluttered with each movement, his eyes sparkled with a sinister gleam reflecting his love for others' pain.
Desaad knelt before Darkseid, with a twisted smile. "My Lord," he murmured with a voice soft but laden with malice, "what pleasure it is to serve you and witness your eternal glory." Desaad is a torturer and manipulator, a master of Darkseid's with a twisted intellect.
The second was Granny Goodness, her body hunched and her skin wrinkled like leather weathered by time. She bowed before Darkseid, dressed in a red robe that contrasted with her silver hair, her cold and calculating gaze hidden behind small, round glasses that barely covered her eyes.
Granny Goodness bowed before Darkseid with a calculated reverence, her cold and merciless eyes scrutinizing her master's face. "Oh, great Darkseid," she said with a voice that sounded like rusty metal scraping, "your will is our law, and your power, our salvation."
Granny Goodness is in charge of the orphanage on Apokolips, where children are trained to become obedient soldiers of Darkseid. Despite her name, she is extremely cruel and ruthless.
Next was Kalibak, muscular with battle scars covering his skin. He knelt before Darkseid, dressed in black armor that gleamed in the light of the Judgement Hall. His long, dark hair fell in wild strands over his face, while his eyes gleamed with the same ferocity as his father, Darkseid.
Kalibak knelt before Darkseid with a barely contained roar of challenge, his fists clenched and his muscles tense, ready for battle. "Father," he growled in a guttural voice, "allow me to prove my worth in your name and crush our enemies with my strength."
Then entered Mantis, towering and with dark green skin, he approached confidently. He was dressed in black armor that accentuated his muscles, his face hidden behind a metal mask adorned with infernal signs, while his eyes glowed with promises of destruction.
Mantis bowed before Darkseid with an elegant reverence, his imposing posture and fierce gaze. "My Lord," he declared in a deep voice, "my loyalty to you is unwavering, and my determination, is unyielding. Command and I will execute your will without hesitation and kill whoever you wish!" Mantis is a powerful warrior loyal to Darkseid, possessing flight and superhuman strength.
Finally, Steppenwolf arrived, his grayish skin and horns giving him a demonic appearance, dressed in golden armor that seemed to meld with his skin, his yellow eyes shining with a mixture of fear and submission.
Steppenwolf knelt before Darkseid with a somber look. "Darkseid," he whispered bitterly, "my failure is yours to judge. Allow me to redeem myself and regain your favor through blood and conquest."
Steppenwolf was once a general of Darkseid, known for his combat prowess until he rebelled and lost. Now, he is just a slave awaiting whether he will be killed by Mantis or tortured by Desaad.
However, there was a small hope that he would be given another chance to prove his worth to Darkseid.
Darkseid nodded at everyone except Steppenwolf, who looked at him with his red eyes flashing, unsure if at any moment they would release Omega beams and annihilate him.
His subordinates did not understand why the traitor Steppenwolf was still alive, but if their master allowed it in all his infinite wisdom, they would not question it.
"I found the Anti-Life Equation!"
Everyone shuddered at hearing that, if Darkseid obtained it, the entire universe would be at his feet and will. It had been his greatest desire for eternity, and he had finally located it.
"However, there is a variant that I could not identify... Steppenwolf...."
"Yes, my lord!" Steppenwolf trembled with anticipation; this was his chance, and he knew that if he obtained the Anti-Life Equation, he would be forgiven. In his mind, there was no longer any desire to betray or disobey Darkseid, only total submission, as he understood that his master was a superior being and that no matter how powerful he was, he would never be worthy of challenging him.
"You will be the vanguard," Darkseid declared with a voice from beyond the grave. "And you will get this human's head."
In front of everyone, the recording taken by Allen's Mother Box appeared. Dressed in a tie, shirt, and trench coat, he gave the illusion of a harmless young man, but his words laden with contempt and his visible aura capable of distorting the recorded image were enough to be taken seriously, Of course, except that Allen's words had distracted everyone.
Everyone, without exception, felt their blood boil at seeing him threaten their god. Mantis and Kalibak offered to go immediately to kill Allen, while Desaad's eyes gleamed with incredible cruelty as he thought of the cruelest ways to torture him.
However, Granny Goodness's eyes flashed with caution, then her gaze shifted to Darkseid. She understood that her master also realized that his opponent was no less dangerous than the Kryptonian.
'Steppenwolf is just a sacrifice...' Granny Goodness closed her eyes as she adjusted her glasses. 'A sacrifice to see how strong that boy is...'
...
On Earth, Allen was about to destroy the extraterrestrial artifact, a Mother Box, which served two purposes: as a portal to Apokolips and as a highly advanced biotechnological modifier.
"Who is Darkseid?" The deep voice with a nocturnal echo made Allen pause his movements.
Allen's silver eyes glittered behind his square glasses as he watched Batman calmly enter through one of the tunnels. "Darkseid is something like the emperor of evil and desires the dominion of the universe."
"That creature was his subordinate?" Batman remained at a prudent distance, but his voice seemed calm, neither helpful nor dominant, as he interrogated Allen.
Allen, noticing that Batman had no intention of fighting, replied, "The Parademons are slaves... their origin may vary, but they're most likely races from different planets. Darkseid captured them and turned them into those things."
"Does that mean the kidnapped humans will have the same fate or already have it?" said Batman, unable to completely hide his anger. He knew that the kidnappings weren't just in Gotham; thousands of people were abducted worldwide.
"Who knows... I'm not a hero, it's your job to figure it out..." Allen turned slowly, his eyes fixed on the Mother Box. Without hesitation, Allen used the Limitless to warp space and destroy it.
Batman watched, frowning. All the kidnapped people were behind that portal, but having it meant they could cross over too.
"There are more of these things, at least a dozen." Said Allen.
"That's convenient and dangerous," Batman sighed, simultaneously concerned by this information. "Do you know where they are?"
"Aren't you too calm in my presence?" This time Allen smiled with a hint of malice. "Even you couldn't prepare something against me so quickly. What makes you think you're not in danger?"
Batman remained unfazed by the threat, instead giving Allen a calm look as he holstered a pistol with blue liquid on his belt, which he had previously concealed with his cape.
"Batman isn't Superman... people only know me as rumors and an urban legend." Batman narrowed his eyes as his voice became firm, exuding absolute confidence in his words. "There's no fame in taking me down, Walker."
===
– Batman's a little scary O_o
– Not just him, Superman, Wonder Woman, even that arrogant Green Lantern seem stronger...
– Damn, I've read all the comics from the twenty-six DC worlds five times and never seen a Batman so intelligent. It's almost like he can read minds.
===
There are multiple versions of Batman throughout DC's history, it's easy to tell when you're facing a dangerous Batman. Every step he takes seems calculated, every word he says has a purpose, and each of his actions is deliberate. However, in Allen's Marvel universe, not all DC stories exist.
"I see," Allen shrugged, a hint of irony in his expression. "I'm just the new guy looking to cause trouble, get attention, and build a reputation among supervillains."
"I never said you were less dangerous than Darkseid; your goals are just less perilous."
"So, I'm not as dangerous as an alien who thinks he's a god?" Allen mocked, feigning wounded pride.
"I don't know, he has an army from a thousand worlds... and he doesn't help old ladies."
"..."
"All I know is Darkseid will draw the attention of the world, which is the prelude to a large-scale invasion."
"..." Allen's expression turned serious.
"I see, I'll have to double my efforts in investigating these... Parademons." Batman turned away as he prepared to leave. "I suggest you look for Flash, although I doubt he'll beat you, I don't think you'll defeat him. Besides, I think Robin has a beautiful alien woman on his team..."
Allen remained silent as he watched Batman walk away. He knew Batman was trying to manipulate him, but from the beginning, he intended to take down Darkseid himself.
"It's not necessary, I'll take care of them myself" Allen confidently stated.
"As you said, I'm the hero," Batman stopped, his eyes gleaming as he turned to Allen. "It would be a shame if a supervillain stole the spotlight."
Allen disappeared and grabbed Batman by the neck, pinning him against the wall.
"Ugh..."
"Listen, buddy" Allen had a look full of anger "he's an evil emperor who rules a thousand worlds, but believe me, the real threat is me!"
Allen released Batman and then vanished, leaving the Dark Knight to slide to the ground. After a slight and almost imperceptible movement, Batman smiled.
...
Allen emerged onto the surface and began walking down a busy street, his expression no longer holding the anger from moments before, as if it were an illusion.
===
– WTF, did you just enter your chuunibyo phase?!
– Honestly, that was pretty embarrassing, what happened there?!
There was a lot of criticism for how easily Allen was provoked by Batman, but even more people defended him, saying that this was part of being a villain. Allen smiled at the comments that started appearing because both were wrong.
"Rick..." Allen called the smartest man he knew for support.
Rick – Tsk, whatever, hey idiots, that last part was on purpose.
– What?!
– Mmm
"Haa," Allen sighed. "Question: If smart people deceive regular folks with words, how do you deceive someone intelligent?"
– With bribery?
– By using tricks!
– I know, by mixing truths and lies.
"Well, hahaha, the easy way is just making them believe you're in their hands, that you believe everything they say, and that you're dumb."
Allen already knew how Batman operated and knew he was trying to manipulate him to turn against Darkseid.
Allen, of course, was going to go against Darkseid, but by letting Batman think it was because of him, he would be a little less cautious against Allen. At least this would add a weakness in Batman's eyes, one that was false.
For now, Batman erroneously believes that Allen is impulsive, arrogant, a womanizer, and a pervert... the last two things he's not wrong about, but Allen doesn't think with his member, he's not arrogant, and he's not impulsive most of the time. He enjoys teasing heroines and villainesses, but he's not a degenerate. After all, how many opportunities do you get to tie up Supergirl and Batgirl and tease them for a while?
===
If you'll allow me, I'll take the best of the DCAU, DCEU, and the comics to make a good story, and of course, with a good dose of waifus every three steps ;3
patreon.com/Mr_Aizen