Steppenwolf's final act had completely exceeded the Avengers' understanding. Not only had he sacrificed his life, but he had also willingly offered up his soul—all for the purpose of ensuring that the Mother Boxes would merge.
This act of self-sacrifice was so shocking that even the Avengers, hardened by countless battles, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. And yet, the true weight of the situation lay not in Steppenwolf's actions, but in the question: what kind of power did the unified Mother Boxes hold that would drive Steppenwolf to such lengths?
The Avengers felt an immense pressure in their hearts. If Steppenwolf had been willing to sacrifice everything, it could only mean that the unification of the Mother Boxes was the key to achieving his ultimate goal. Whatever that goal was, the Avengers knew they couldn't allow the boxes to fully merge, no matter the cost.
Without hesitation, Tony Stark began trying to contact Robert while simultaneously rushing toward the Mother Boxes. Alongside him, every hero present charged forward in a desperate attempt to stop the impending disaster.
But without Victor Stone, the group's efforts were far less effective. The remaining heroes simply didn't have the means to halt the rapid merging of the boxes. With Steppenwolf's soul fueling the process, the speed of their fusion had accelerated to unimaginable levels.
Hum!
As the three Mother Boxes drew closer together, a strange spatial portal began to form behind them. Through the portal, the figure of a tall, imposing being radiating an aura of infinite authority and oppression could be seen. It was none other than the mastermind behind the invasion of Earth—Darkseid.
"Steppenwolf is dead? Hmph, no matter. He died a worthy death. At least he managed to open the path to Earth. Once the Mother Boxes fully merge, my army will descend upon this planet," Darkseid declared, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. His glowing eyes swept over the charging Avengers, but his expression didn't waver. He was confident that the now-activated Mother Boxes were beyond their ability to separate.
Zing!
Tony Stark, despite the suffocating pressure emanating from Darkseid's presence, fired a repulsor blast at him without hesitation. However, the attack was intercepted by the still-forming spatial portal and dissipated harmlessly, unable to reach Darkseid's dimension.
And then it happened—the terrifying moment everyone feared.
The three Mother Boxes finally merged.
In that instant, all sound vanished. It was as though the universe itself had been reduced to a void. A wave of energy erupted from the unified Mother Box, an unstoppable force that disassembled everything in its path.
Tony Stark's armor, Steve Rogers' vibranium shield, Diana's Godkiller sword, Thor's Mjolnir… all were reduced to particles of energy.
"No!!!"
Back at the Avengers' base, Victor Stone, still recovering, suddenly felt the fusion of the Mother Boxes. He let out a heart-wrenching roar of despair. But before he could do anything, his body disintegrated as well. In fact, at that very moment, all life on Earth was extinguished, leaving behind nothing but the lifeless, barren shell of the planet.
No—there was still one survivor.
Barry Allen stood amidst the devastation, alive but horrified. As the deadly energy wave surged outward, the Speed Force within him had reacted instinctively, resonating with such intensity that it allowed him to evade the destructive blast in the nick of time.
"No!" Barry's anguished cry echoed across the ruins. He couldn't accept what had happened. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing left—no sign of the Avengers, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, or the Guardians of the Galaxy. Not even debris remained. Everything had been utterly erased.
It was only now, standing in the aftermath, that Barry truly understood the horrifying power of the Mother Boxes. When unified, they possessed the capability to annihilate all life on Earth in an instant. Even the strongest heroes—Thor, Diana, Kara, and Hulk—had been unable to survive.
Barry also now understood why Steppenwolf had been willing to sacrifice his very soul to facilitate the boxes' unification. The Mother Boxes had fulfilled his grim goal, wiping out all resistance on Earth and opening the Final Gate for Darkseid's arrival.
But for Barry, this outcome was unacceptable. His heart was filled with despair, fear, and a burning sense of injustice. His body trembled as these emotions overwhelmed him.
"No! I won't let this stand! I can't let Earth and my friends face such a fate!" Barry resolved, his determination solidifying into an unyielding force.
Golden electricity crackled around him, radiating a power that seemed to defy the very fabric of reality. It was the Speed Force, a power intertwined with time, space, and velocity—capable of altering everything.
"You can do this, Barry Allen. You have to do this!" Barry muttered to himself, psyching himself up for what was to come.
In the next moment, Barry vanished. His speed surpassed every limit he had ever known, breaking into an entirely new realm of possibility.
As he ran, the world around him began to change. Time itself started to reverse. From beneath Barry's feet, the devastated Earth began to reconstruct itself. The ground healed, the skies cleared, and the disintegrated heroes began to reassemble, their bodies and belongings restoring themselves piece by piece.
Barry had done it—he was reversing time. He was saving everyone.
Far away, in the vastness of space, Robert stood amidst the debris of yet another destroyed demon-like planet. He had been sensing Earth's energies from afar and had grown increasingly concerned.
By his calculations, it had been quite some time since Steppenwolf had sacrificed himself to unify the Mother Boxes. Yet strangely, from Robert's perspective, only a few minutes had passed since he received the Avengers' urgent message.
As soon as he had learned of the situation, Robert knew something catastrophic was happening. Fearing that Darkseid had already arrived on Earth, he wasted no time. With a single energy wave, he obliterated the demon-like planet beneath him and focused his senses on Earth, preparing to teleport back.
But then, something alarming happened. One by one, the energy signatures of everyone Robert knew on Earth—Kara, Diana, Hulk—disappeared. Even the faintest traces of their existence vanished without a trace.
A cold dread gripped Robert's heart. Had he been too late? Had Earth fallen in the brief moments he had spent dealing with the demon-like planets?
Fueled by regret and guilt, Robert extended his senses as far as he could, searching for any familiar energy he could use to lock onto Earth. Then, suddenly, he found it—a faint but unmistakable energy signature: Barry Allen.
Barry's use of the Speed Force to evade the Mother Boxes' destructive blast had briefly hidden him, but when he began reversing time, his energy flared brightly. Robert instantly locked onto it and teleported back to Earth.
When Robert reappeared, he found himself some distance away from Barry. For the first time, his instantaneous teleportation couldn't keep up with the speedster's pace.
Barry was running faster than anyone Robert had ever seen, and the world around him was reversing. The Avengers, the Mother Boxes, and even Steppenwolf were reassembling themselves, returning to the state they had been in just moments before the disaster.
By the time Robert had fully grasped what was happening, the timeline had reverted to the moment Steppenwolf regained consciousness. Even Victor Stone was whole again, uninjured and back in the Avengers' base.
"What just happened? Barry?" Robert asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. Despite witnessing the entire process, he struggled to comprehend how Barry had accomplished such a feat.
"Huh? Robert? You're back? But we haven't even contacted you yet," Tony Stark said, looking puzzled as he noticed Robert's sudden appearance.
"Contacted me? You clearly—uh…" Robert paused mid-sentence as he realized what had transpired. His gaze turned to the visibly exhausted Barry. "So, Barry, what now?"
"Before… Steppenwolf willingly sacrificed his life and soul…" Barry took a deep breath, steadying himself. "We can't give him any chance to do it again."
"What?!" Steppenwolf froze in shock. He had no idea his original plan had already succeeded and that Barry had undone it by reversing time. All he knew was that Barry seemed to have seen through his intentions before he could act.
"His life and soul, huh? Understood." Robert nodded at Barry, ignoring Steppenwolf's confusion. With a calm expression, Robert raised his hand, a glowing energy wave forming in his palm. He aimed it directly at Steppenwolf.
Steppenwolf's face twisted in panic. He knew all too well how powerful Robert was, and in his current situation, he was utterly defenseless. He tried to move, but an invisible psychic force locked him in place, rendering him immobile.
"No! Stop! You don't understand!" Steppenwolf roared, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Boom!
Robert unleashed his energy wave. Steppenwolf's thorn-like armor, renowned for its durability, couldn't withstand the attack. When the dust settled, there was nothing left of his body.
"It's not over yet. His soul's still here," Robert said, his sharp senses picking up on the lingering spiritual energy. Without hesitation, he focused his psychic energy and fired a second, soul-targeted energy wave.
"No! No! This can't be happening!" Steppenwolf's soul let out one final, desperate cry before being obliterated completely.
"
Is it over?" Barry asked hesitantly, watching as Steppenwolf's soul dissipated into nothingness.
"It's done. His life and soul are both extinguished," Robert confirmed, his tone firm. "Unless Steppenwolf can reverse time himself, this is the end for him."
"Good. Because I definitely can't do this again…" Barry collapsed onto the ground, a weary but relieved smile on his face. "We did it."
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