Due to the extensive consumption of energy caused by reversing the timeline, Barry Allen had reached his absolute limit. Reversing time again was now an impossibility. Fortunately, with Steppenwolf completely eradicated, Barry could finally rest and recover.
"So, what exactly happened?" Tony Stark asked, his face filled with confusion as he stared at Barry. Robert's sudden return was already puzzling enough, and now Barry looked utterly drained, almost as if he'd gone through some monumental ordeal. Tony couldn't help but wonder if there was something going on that he didn't know about.
Of course, Tony wasn't the only one puzzled. Almost everyone present was in the dark about what had transpired. Almost everyone—because Thor, for his part, had an inexplicable feeling that something was amiss.
Although Thor, like Kara, Hulk, and Diana, had been instantly disintegrated by the energy wave from the Mother Boxes during their fusion, the high-level runes within his body left him with a faint sense of déjà vu. Thor couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the first time Steppenwolf had died, nor the first time the Mother Boxes had fused.
Hum!
As everyone looked to Barry for answers, the exhausted speedster was too drained to speak. Seeing this, Robert released a wave of energy, channeling it into Barry's body.
In the next moment, Barry's strength returned—not fully, but enough for him to explain the events. While Robert's energy could restore physical stamina and even the combat power of those with "Ki," Barry's Speed Force powers were unrelated to such energy. Even though Barry's physical state had improved, his Speed Force reserves would still need time to recover.
"Thanks," Barry said, nodding gratefully. Though the Speed Force was still depleted, he now had the energy to speak and clarify what had happened.
"Earlier, Steppenwolf willingly sacrificed himself—his life and his soul—to help the Mother Boxes fully merge," Barry began, his tone heavy with the weight of the memory.
"The power of the Mother Boxes is truly terrifying! Once they fused, not only did Darkseid's figure appear within the spatial portal, but the energy they released destroyed everything. I don't know about other places on Earth, but all of you here… you died. Nothing was left."
Even though Barry had successfully reversed time and saved everyone, he still shuddered at the memory. Witnessing his friends' deaths, their complete disintegration, had left a deep scar on his heart. He would do everything in his power to ensure that such a tragedy never occurred again.
"When the Mother Boxes' energy wiped out everything, I barely managed to use the Speed Force to avoid being disintegrated. After seeing you all die, I decided to reverse time using the Speed Force, pulling everything back to the moment before Steppenwolf sacrificed himself," Barry continued, pausing to collect his thoughts. "That's when Robert returned, and what you've seen since is the result of that reversal."
"Reversing time?! You mean you actually reversed time?!" Thor exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. Even with his earlier suspicions, the revelation that Barry could reverse time was still difficult to accept.
The ability to reverse time—even for a short period or on a small scale—was one of the most fearsome powers in the universe. It wasn't something mortals, or even gods, should possess.
"Tampering with time can have serious consequences," warned Kaecilius, one of the students of Kamar-Taj, who had been listening intently. After exchanging nervous glances with his peers, he looked at Barry with a solemn expression. "Though you saved us this time, I must advise you: reversing time is not something to be taken lightly."
"The Ancient One, who wielded the Time Stone alongside her mastery of time magic, was capable of rewinding time. Yet even she rarely used such power on Earth, for fear of the unpredictable consequences it could bring. Changing time creates ripples that no one, not even the Sorcerer Supreme, can fully anticipate."
"The Ancient One once said, 'Those who manipulate time will eventually be manipulated by time.' I offer you the same advice."
"Of course, if you're dealing with enemies from other dimensions, and as long as it's outside Earth's dimension, feel free to reverse time or use whatever time-related powers you have," Kaecilius added with a smirk. "After all, if the backlash affects other dimensions instead of Earth, it's no skin off our noses."
"Don't worry, I won't misuse my abilities," Barry replied earnestly, nodding at Kaecilius. "But if the stakes are high enough—if the cost of inaction is the total annihilation of Earth and everyone on it—I won't hesitate to act."
"Well, Barry…" Pietro interjected, breaking the tension with his trademark humor. "I thought I was finally catching up to you. After receiving blessings from several speed gods, I reached the pinnacle of my speed, and I thought, 'Hey, I can finally keep up with Barry's shadow!' But now? You're not just a speedster anymore—you're literally a master of time. How am I supposed to compete with that?"
Pietro's quip lightened the mood, and the once-tense atmosphere began to relax.
Despite the potential consequences of time reversal, everyone could agree that Barry had done the right thing. As Barry himself had pointed out, what could possibly be worse than the death of everyone on Earth?
"So, I underestimated the Mother Boxes' power," Robert said as he reached out and pulled one of the Mother Boxes into his hand, his expression serious. "I knew they contained immense energy, but I never imagined that their fusion could destroy everything so thoroughly…"
"It's less destruction and more disassembly," Barry said, shaking his head as he offered his perspective. "The energy from the Mother Boxes doesn't simply destroy—it breaks everything down into its component parts. That's why, when I reversed time, I could see everything reassembling itself."
"That explains why Steppenwolf's body looked so strange after being reconstructed. Unlike everything else, his body had been completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind," Barry added.
"If it were the Infinity Stones, such power would make sense," Robert mused, his gaze fixed on the Mother Box in his hand. "The Infinity Stones are cosmic artifacts, representing the fundamental forces and rules of the universe."
"But based on what we know, the Mother Boxes are technological creations. For something man-made to wield such devastating power… it speaks volumes about the strength of Apokolips and Darkseid."
"And the scariest part? If three Mother Boxes can do this, who's to say Darkseid doesn't have more of them?" Robert's words cast a heavy silence over the group.
"It's a shame you returned a bit late," Kara sighed, her tone regretful. "If you'd been here before the fusion, or even during the time reversal, you could've seen Darkseid for yourself."
"Yes, it's unfortunate," Robert admitted, shaking his head. "Such a powerful foe, and I didn't even get to witness him firsthand."
"Did you find anything during your search in space?" Diana asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Robert.
"I found eight planets producing demon-like creatures. These planets were absolutely teeming with them—so densely packed that it was almost impossible to walk without stepping on them," Robert explained, recounting his journey.
"Unfortunately, while I found manufacturing facilities on those planets, they were empty. No raw materials, no partially completed creations. It's as if those planets had reached their production limits and stopped entirely."
"Eight planets full of those creatures?" Kilowog, one of the Green Lanterns, exchanged a concerned glance with the others. "If that's true, Apokolips and Darkseid must be a colossal force. How is it that we've never even heard of them?"
"That's what confuses me," Tomar-Re added. "Surely they're not just keeping those creatures idle. But there's no record of invasions or reports about them in the Green Lantern Corps' archives."
"It seems the Corps' intelligence network has its limits," Hal Jordan quipped, shrugging. "We might know about the known civilizations in the universe, but apparently, there's plenty we're missing."
"Perhaps it's because those planets are so far away," Robert suggested. "Still, it's clear that there are far more than just eight of them. I came across other nearby planets with civilizations, but none seemed connected to the eight I found."
"Could you take us to those planets?" Tomar-Re asked, intrigued.
"I can, but we need to deal with these Mother Boxes first," Robert replied. "Destroying them here on Earth is far too dangerous. We'll need to take them to another dimension…"
After some thought, Robert concluded that destroying the Mother Boxes on Earth posed too much risk. If something went wrong, the consequences could be catastrophic. With Barry Allen unable to reverse time again, it wasn't worth the gamble.
"Shhhh!" With a gesture, Kaecilius quickly conjured a fiery portal.
The destination was clear: the Hell Dimension. As one of the most resilient dimensions, it could withstand whatever destructive energy the Mother Boxes might release. At least, Robert hoped so…
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