"You don't need to worry. Kull has been dealt with," Robert assured the Avengers and Green Lantern Corps. "As for Hela, her true form has already returned to the Hel Dimension. Even if she seeks revenge in the future, it will be against Asgard, not Earth."
"So, the Asgardian threat is resolved, and Thanos is already dead at my hands. Our current priority is to locate Darkseid," Robert continued. "I believe proactively finding him will be far more effective than waiting for disaster to strike. If I hadn't preemptively killed Thanos, who knows what chaos he might have unleashed? The same logic applies here."
"Tomar-Re, gather the Green Lantern Corps. I'll take you to the Parademon worlds so we can trace Darkseid's movements. After that, it'll be up to you."
"No problem. Leave it to us," Tomar-Re nodded without hesitation. After all, Darkseid wasn't just a threat to Earth—his army of Parademons posed a clear and present danger to countless civilizations across the universe.
As the galaxy's peacekeepers, the Green Lantern Corps had a duty to intervene in situations like this. With the added support of the Avengers and powerful figures like Robert, the Lanterns were emboldened, no longer fearing that they would face insurmountable enemies.
With a shimmer of light, Robert and Kaecilius teleported to a distant Parademon world—one of the many Robert had detected before the Mother Boxes merged and forced him to return to Earth. Now, with the crisis averted, Robert used this as an opportunity to set up a base of operations for further investigations.
This time, however, Robert had no intention of destroying the Parademon world outright. Instead, he planned to leave it intact as a monitoring station. By allowing the Parademons to operate, Robert hoped to track their movements and uncover Darkseid's location—or that of his other lieutenants.
After all, as Robert had previously observed, Steppenwolf's authority was limited to the immediate cluster of Parademon planets under his command. There were undoubtedly larger, more coordinated plans at work in the vast network of Apokolips' forces.
"This place is incredibly far from Earth… even farther from Oa," Kaecilius remarked, observing the unfamiliar starscape. "It seems the Green Lanterns' claim that Oa is at the center of the universe is just wishful thinking."
Kaecilius' expression betrayed his awe as he studied the surroundings. If not for his years of training, the sheer scale of the cosmos would have overwhelmed him. The teleportation spells he had learned from Kamar-Taj would have required multiple intermediate portals to cover such a vast distance, unlike Robert's near-instantaneous transportation across dimensions.
Despite his growth in magical prowess, Kaecilius knew he was far from Robert's level, whose mastery of space and dimensions allowed him to move freely across the multiverse.
With a wave of his hand, Kaecilius summoned a protective magical barrier that shielded them from detection by the Parademon hordes. Moments later, a fiery ring opened, and the Green Lantern Corps and Avengers emerged onto the desolate planet.
"Holy crap!"
"That's a LOT of them!"
The sight that greeted them left even the most battle-hardened Avengers and Lanterns in awe. Parademons filled the skies, numbering in the millions—far more than had ever been encountered on Earth. The scale of the army was staggering, and this was only one of countless Parademon worlds.
"There's no way Darkseid doesn't have some grand plan for universal conquest!" Pietro exclaimed. "Even if his only goal were revenge on Earth, he wouldn't need this many Parademons. This is overkill. If anything, it seems like he's preparing to conquer entire galaxies!"
The Avengers, who had become familiar with the legends of the "Age of Gods," couldn't help but compare the current threat to the power of the ancient pantheon. Even if the gods had been mighty, an army of this size could have overwhelmed them through sheer numbers alone.
Parademons, after all, were relentless. Unless one possessed overwhelming power like Robert or Hulk, the sheer weight of their numbers could easily exhaust even the strongest warriors.
"These Parademons are future enemies we can't afford to underestimate. Their numbers far exceed anything we've seen before," Tony Stark remarked, his analytical mind already racing. "Using our forces to combat them directly would only drain our strength unnecessarily. Even with JARVIS coordinating precision strikes, the scale of such a battle would be daunting…"
As Tony studied the Parademons, an idea began to form. "Perhaps I could adapt their hive-like control system to enhance the coordination of my Iron Legion," he muttered under his breath. This wasn't the first time Tony had drawn inspiration from alien technology. His previous experiments—integrating symbiote genetics, Celestial materials, and Extremis biotech into his creations—had all been steps toward something greater.
Tony's musings went unnoticed by the group. Nearby, Tomar-Re was busy establishing a communication link with Oa. When the signal finally connected, his reaction was one of shock.
"Unbelievable!" Tomar-Re exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.
"What's wrong?" asked Kilowog, another veteran Lantern who had accompanied the team.
"According to Oa's records, this region of space is supposed to be completely empty—a vast void with no detectable light or signals," Tomar-Re explained. "Civilizations have long considered this the edge of the universe, possibly beyond the scope of cosmic expansion itself. Yet here we are, standing on a fully populated world!"
Kilowog, too, was astonished. "This doesn't make any sense. If this area was a void, how can there be an entire network of Parademon planets here? It's like… they exist outside the normal rules of our universe."
The Lanterns' revelations only deepened the mystery. If this was indeed a region beyond the known universe, what other secrets might it hold?
"Looks like there's a lot more going on here than we thought," Robert observed. "Be careful during your investigations. If you run into trouble, don't hesitate to call for help. And don't take unnecessary risks."
"Understood," Tomar-Re and Kilowog replied in unison, their initial shock giving way to determination. This was a rare opportunity—perhaps even the discovery of an entirely new cosmic sector. For the Green Lantern Corps, uncovering the secrets of this region was a challenge they couldn't resist.
After establishing their presence on the Parademon world, the Avengers returned to Earth, leaving the Lanterns to their task. The Guardians of the Galaxy, including Peter Quill, Gamora, and Nebula, also departed to resume their own missions. For Gamora and Nebula, the knowledge that Thanos was truly dead brought a sense of relief—but also an unexpected tinge of sorrow.
Despite everything, a complicated bond still tied them to the Mad Titan. His death marked the end of an era they weren't sure how to process.
Meanwhile, Robert and Barry Allen traveled to the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth, a "new Earth" populated entirely by humanoid animal hybrids. Although these beings bore the appearance of anthropomorphic animals—pandas, leopards, bulls, and more—they were otherwise ordinary, lacking superhuman abilities. Their civilization resembled Earth's during the late 20th century.
Despite their unique origins, Robert quickly realized that the Counter-Earth inhabitants posed no threat. They were peaceful and organized, and their numbers were manageable. With the help of the Avengers, the hybrid species were resettled, allowing them to continue their lives undisturbed.
On this new Earth, Robert and Barry focused their attention on researching the Speed Force. The godlike energy that Barry had wielded to reverse time and save the Earth was a power they couldn't afford to ignore. Though Kamar-Taj had issued warnings about the dangers of manipulating time, Robert believed it was crucial to fully understand and control the Speed Force. Only through mastery could its potential be harnessed responsibly.
Back on Earth, Tony Stark was hard at work on his next project. Inspired by the Parademons' hive mind, he envisioned creating a new, more powerful entity to control his Iron Legion and bio-enhanced forces.
However, Tony's trust issues ran deep. Even if he created this new entity himself, he couldn't fully trust it. To mitigate this, he cloned the foundational logic of JARVIS and integrated it into the new system. JARVIS would serve as both a guide and a failsafe, ensuring the entity remained under control.
"So… you're basically building a Celestial, huh?" Reed Richards quipped, observing the armored frame taking shape on Tony's workbench.
"Call it what you want. For now, it's a prototype," Tony replied with a shrug. "To push the boundaries, I even added a sample of symbiote tissue. Without external mutations, it should remain stable and responsive to commands. Once it's operational, we'll compare it to an actual Celestial and see how it stacks up."
Tony's eyes sparkled with excitement. This was more than just a project—it was a glimpse into the future. One way or another, Tony Stark was determined to create something extraordinary.
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