Mori stood alone in the field, the air around him thick with dark energy. His eyes fixed on the swirling portal, where a massive hand gripped its edge. He watched as a towering figure slowly emerged—a gray head crowned with a cold, emotionless face, followed by a hulking body. The figure stepped forward, emanating an aura of pure malevolence. Mori instantly recognized him.
"So you must be the one they call Darkseid?" Mori asked, his voice calm but firm.
Darkseid, the ruler of Apokolips, glanced briefly at Mori—this insect who dared to address him. But he didn't respond. Instead, he ignored the stranger entirely and called forth his loyal general. "Steppenwolf," he commanded, his voice deep and unyielding.
From behind the portal emerged Steppenwolf, followed by a legion of parademons who flew out into the sky, heading toward major cities. As more parademons began to flood through the portal, Mori's expression darkened. If more of these creatures escaped, the situation would spiral out of control.
Without hesitation, Mori raised his hand, gathering energy into a condensed ball of Ki. With a swift motion, he hurled the blast into the heart of the portal, causing a massive explosion. The portal collapsed in on itself, sealing shut and preventing any more parademons from escaping. The skies cleared, leaving only the looming presence of Darkseid, Steppenwolf, and the remnants of their army.
Darkseid's eyes now turned to Mori, acknowledging him fully for the first time. Mori smirked, his eyes glinting with a mischievous fire. "Finally got your attention now, huh?" he taunted.
Darkseid said nothing but signaled to Steppenwolf with a mere glance. The general, loyal and unflinchingly obedient, stepped forward. "Yes, my lord," Steppenwolf said before turning to Mori. "You should feel honored to stand before my lord Darkseid. You are nothing but an insect in his grand design."
Mori gave a deadpan expression, clearly unimpressed. "So you're one of those?" he replied, voice dripping with disdain. "Another loyal henchman, ready to be tossed aside the moment you become a liability. How sad."
Steppenwolf's face twisted in anger. Enraged by Mori's words, he charged at him, swinging his massive axe with deadly force. But Mori didn't flinch. As Steppenwolf's axe arced toward him, Mori sidestepped effortlessly.
"You're slow," Mori said, dodging with ease. "The so-called 'god' you worship just sent you to your death, and you don't even know it."
With a swift motion, Mori grabbed Steppenwolf by the horns, lifting him slightly off the ground. He examined the horns thoughtfully. "You know, these look kinda cool. Maybe I'll take them as a trophy when I'm done with you."
Before Steppenwolf could respond, Mori released his grip and delivered a powerful left hook to Steppenwolf's stomach, followed by a crushing right to his ribs. Each blow landed with bone-shattering force, and Steppenwolf grunted in pain. Mori continued his assault—left to the side, a right kick to the back of Steppenwolf's knee, forcing him to kneel before him.
Mori stood over the kneeling general, a small, mocking laugh escaping his lips. Steppenwolf tried to rise, his pride pushing him to continue the fight, but Mori delivered a brutal kick to his chest, knocking him back down. Mori placed a foot on Steppenwolf's chest, holding him down as he looked up at Darkseid.
"This is one of your trusted soldiers?" Mori called out, his voice dripping with derision. "Kinda disappointing, don't you think?"
Darkseid remained silent, his expression as unreadable as ever, but Steppenwolf seethed with rage. Humiliated and enraged, the general struggled beneath Mori's foot, his eyes burning with fury.
Mori laughed louder now, enjoying the spectacle. But his laughter stopped abruptly when he sensed the presence of Superman and Wonder Woman approaching. He turned his head slightly, feeling their energy drawing closer, and sighed.
"Well, Steppenwolf," Mori said with a smirk, "it seems you're going to be the example I set for this world's heroes." With a flick of his foot, he kicked Steppenwolf's limp body toward Darkseid, though Darkseid casually deflected him aside with a glance.
Superman and Wonder Woman landed beside Mori, their faces tense with concern. "What's the situation?" Superman asked, his eyes scanning the battlefield.
Mori didn't bother looking at them. "Sit back and relax," he said, still focused on Darkseid. "I've got this under control."
Superman frowned, stepping forward. "We're not just going to sit here. If Darkseid's involved—"
But before Superman could take another step, Mori turned toward him and, with a casual flick of his wrist, surrounded both Superman and Wonder Woman in a field of Ki. The energy immobilized them, preventing them from intervening.
"I said, relax," Mori repeated, his voice firm but not aggressive. "This is my fight."
Superman struggled against the energy field, his fists clenched, but it was no use. "Mori, let us help you!"
Wonder Woman, more calm, assessed the situation, her eyes narrowing at the raw power Mori was displaying. But even she was taken aback by how easily he had immobilized them both.
Steppenwolf, having regained his footing, let out a guttural war cry and charged again, swinging his axe with renewed fury. Mori met his attack head-on, easily blocking the axe with one hand and knocking it out of Steppenwolf's grasp. The general tried to throw a punch, then a knee strike, followed by a flurry of blows—each one blocked or dodged by Mori with effortless precision. Steppenwolf's attacks grew more frantic, but Mori remained untouched.
After parrying the last of Steppenwolf's strikes, Mori floated up slightly to match Steppenwolf's height and delivered a punch square to the general's face, sending him crashing into the ground with a thundering impact.
Mori touched down, walking calmly toward Steppenwolf's fallen body. He crouched down and wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead, mocking the defeated New God. "Really?" Mori said with a smirk. "Is this the best you've got?"
Steppenwolf, dazed and barely conscious, attempted to rise once more. But Mori, now bored with the fight, prepared to finish it. He raised his hand, gathering energy into a deadly Ki blast aimed directly at Steppenwolf's chest. The energy crackled, growing larger as Mori prepared to end the general's life.
Superman, seeing what was about to happen, shouted desperately, "Mori, don't! You don't have to do this! He's already beaten!"
Wonder Woman, her voice filled with urgency, echoed the plea. "Mori, stop! Show him mercy!"
Mori paused, the energy in his hand dissipating for a moment. He turned to the two heroes, confusion evident on his face. "Mercy? What are you talking about? Why should I show this creature mercy?"
Superman and Wonder Woman exchanged glances, but neither had a response that could justify sparing Steppenwolf.
"Tell me," Mori continued, his voice rising with frustration. "Do you think he and Darkseid showed mercy to the planets they destroyed? You told me yourselves that they want to enslave all of life! So why should I give this… thing mercy? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blast a hole in his chest and take his cool-ass horns as a trophy!"
Superman and Wonder Woman fell silent, unable to find the words. Mori, seeing their hesitation, shook his head. "Thought so," he said coldly.
Without another word, Mori unleashed the Ki blast, a bright beam of energy piercing through Steppenwolf's chest. The general let out one final gasp before his body fell limp, his life extinguished.
Mori stood over the corpse for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, without another glance at Superman or Wonder Woman, he turned and walked toward Darkseid, stopping just a few feet away from the ruler of Apokolips.