Echoes of the Divine
Most heroes had been shaken. The few veterans who had stood firm in the face of certain demise? They held strong. But now… now the murmurs grew louder. A slow realization washed over them all—whatever nightmare had awaited them had been averted.
Literal divine intervention.
Earth – Titans Tower
The air still thrummed with residual energy. Raven sat cross-legged on the rooftop, her hospital gown billowing in the wind as she gazed at the horizon. The last remnants of Gohan's barrier shimmered above the city—like a second moon hanging in the sky.
He did it.
Behind her, Beast Boy leaned against the doorframe, his usual grin absent, replaced by something quieter.
"You okay?"
She didn't turn. "Define 'okay.'"
Gar let out a dry chuckle. "Fair."
Below them, Nightwing and Starfire coordinated relief efforts through a hologram. Jump City had felt the tremors, seen the sky tear open. Now, civilians huddled in makeshift shelters, whispering about the red-haired god who had ripped a demon king apart with his bare hands.
"They're calling him Kami no Hakaisha," Dick muttered, reading off a Japanese newsfeed. "God of Redemption."
Kori's eyes glowed softly. "A fitting title. Though I suspect he would hate it."
Thanagar – Sky Spires of Kalmaku
The winged warriors gathered in the shattered plaza, their taloned feet crunching over debris. Bloodied but unbroken, they raised their Nth-metal blades skyward, chanting hymns to the Hawk-God.
A young recruit, her feathers still soft with youth, tugged at Commander Katar's arm. "Will the sky-demon return?"
Katar Hol sheathed his sword, gaze locked on the fading streaks of violet energy in the stratosphere.
"If he does… we'll be ready." His voice was steady, but his eyes? They held something else. "But remember this, child—we are the talons of Thanagar. Not even gods decide our fate."
Above them, the shattered moon gleamed, a silent witness to the battle that had nearly unmade their world.
Rann – Adam Strange's Lab
Sardath's holographic equations flickered erratically. Adam Strange slammed his fist against the console.
"The dimensional stabilizers are still at 43%! If that barrier fails—"
"It won't."
Alanna's hand found his shoulder, grounding him. Her voice was steady. "Lord Gohan's energy is… different. It's not just holding reality together—it's healing it."
On the viewscreen, the scars left by Trigon's corruption were knitting closed, like wounds mending under some unseen cosmic suture. Rannian scientists murmured in awe as their instruments detected something impossible—stars, long dead, reigniting.
Adam exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Divine intervention," he muttered. "Never thought I'd miss the days of fighting alien warlords."
The Afterlife – The Gray Plains
Deadman floated listlessly above the ashen fields, his spectral form flickering. The souls around him no longer screamed. They simply… waited.
"You are back, huh?" Boston Brand turned toward the cloaked figure materializing beside him.
Death nodded, skeletal fingers tracing the cracks in her scythe. Her face—burned, scarred—was unreadable. "The bridge is mended. For now."
A child's spirit flitted past, laughing as it vanished into a sudden bloom of light—another soul finally moving on.
Death watched, her hollow eyes softening.
"He bought us time," she murmured. "But the Abyss… it's still hungry."
Deadman sighed. "Aren't we all?"
Death remained silent, her thoughts drifting back to that fleeting moment when she and Lord Gohan had stood as near equals. When his Ki reached for her in the Abyss, it wasn't the touch of an equal. No, it was something far greater. Like a god reaching down to a mortal, lifting them from oblivion with effortless grace.
A small smile crossed her lips.
'He kept his word… and rose far beyond what I ever could have imagined.'
The Watchtower – Medical Bay
Superman hovered near the observation window, his cape still singed at the edges. Below, Gohan lay motionless in a stasis pod, Vermont's staff pulsing rhythmically as it purged traces of Abyssal mist from his veins.
"Will he wake?" Diana asked, arms crossed, her armor still streaked with ash.
Vermont hesitated. "Yes," he said finally. But the usual certainty in his voice? Gone. "But the mist leaves scars—not even angels can erase them completely." Diana's fist clenched; she had just been an observer.
In the corner, Sentinel No. 1—the girl—pressed a small hand to the glass. Beside her, Trunks watched, his expression unreadable.
"Father," she whispered, voice barely audible.
Trunks didn't react, eyes never leaving Gohan's still form.
"…What is Argus to you?"
She snapped her gaze toward him.
But he wasn't looking at her.
Gotham City – Clock Tower
Batman stared at the blood-red horizon, his cowl pulled back. Below, Gotham's usual chaos had dulled to a murmur. Even criminals paused—unnerved by the universe's near-death experience.
"Report," he growled into his comm.
Oracle's voice crackled. "No major breaches. But the Phantom Zone sensors went haywire for a while. Whatever happened out there… it rattled the cages."
Bruce's fingers tightened around the ledge. "…And the clone?"
"Vanished. But I'd bet my chair he's still out there."
A shadow flickered behind him. Constantine leaned against the wall, lighting a cigarette.
"Cheer up, Batman. We're all still here, ain't we?"
Batman didn't answer. He just stared out over his city.
'For now.'
The Source Wall – Edge of Creation
Merno drifted in the silence, his cracked halo still gleaming faintly. He moved through the mist like a shadow.
"Impressive," he thought. Trigon's ruin was unexpected… but in the end, he fulfilled his purpose.
Yet…
His fingers tightened around his staff, a faint frown creeping across his lips.
"Oh, perhaps he held back when we fought," Merno mused. "He seemed to have a well of power to draw from the moment he fully surrendered to Destruction's law… No, there was something else."
A flash of crimson eyes burned in his mind.
That beast form. Its chaotic, unpredictable flow. The sheer consistency of his striking power. And most of all—the ability to wield it with the energy of destruction.
Merno's expression darkened. Could it be… mixed with Ultra Instinct?
What a remarkable…
His thoughts stalled.
Something was wrong.
A cold dread slithered down his spine.
I should—
Then, he froze.
A presence. A shadow far too vast.
He found me already?
A bead of sweat formed as Merno gripped his staff.
A name coiled in his thoughts.
Lucifer Morningstar.
Out in the vastness of the Abyss, Universe 7 had been teetering on the brink, spiraling out of control—until a pulse of raw, unshakable power wrenched it back from the void.
Beerus exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from his brow. That had been too close.
"Gee, thanks a lot for that, Lord Beerus! That was a close one!"
Goku's voice cut through the tension like a well-placed Kienzan, completely disregarding personal space as usual.
"Oi! Back up!" Beerus snapped, throwing an irritated glare his way.
Goku just raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sheesh, no need to bite my head off! You looked like you were workin' real hard back there."
Beerus huffed, folding his arms. "Oh, how astute of you, Goku. Truly, your wisdom knows no bounds." With a grumble, he turned away and flopped onto his stump, tail flicking in agitation.
Vegeta, arms crossed, clicked his tongue as he stared out at the sky. The silence stretched between them until Whis, ever the observer, broke it with a knowing nod.
"Unfortunately, we currently have no way of determining whether the 21st universe survived the shift," he mused, his voice calm despite the uncertainty.
Goku, however, just chuckled, gazing up at the stars. "They made it."
Beerus cracked one eye open. "Confident, aren't we?"
Vegeta's smirk was slight, but the conviction in his voice was unmistakable. "Between Kakarot, Gohan, and me, it became painfully obvious over the years who had the greatest potential." He clenched his fist. "Don't underestimate the power of a Saiyan."
Beerus gave a begrudging nod. "Well, that I can agree with." Then, for just a moment, an uncharacteristic look of concern flickered across his face. His usual bravado faltered. "...But that mist."
He scowled. "The pain I felt when I came into contact with it... I'd fight Darkseid again if I had to choose."
Whis adjusted his grip on his staff, his tone unusually grave. "Even I can't negate its effects instantly, and it's still growing. The universal barriers remain, but without a power source, they're barely holding. With the Omni-King gone, the deities are keeping it together through sheer will and power of their own. The final barrier is all that prevents total collapse—holding every pocket dimension, the afterlife, the Check-In Station, the Sacred World of the Kais… everything. It would just need a power source—one strong enough to sustain an entire universe." He turned and smiled at Lord Beerus.
His staff pulsed, glowing faintly. "I can still detect fluctuations from other realities, which suggests they are still intact... for now. However, as the distance between us and them expands, even my reach will eventually fade."
A quiet unease settled over the group.
Beerus closed his eyes. "Tch. Just once, I'd like a threat that doesn't come with a headache."
Goku chuckled. "Yeah, but what'd be the fun in that?"
Vegeta sighed. "Kakarot, I swear—"
Whis just smiled. "Shall I prepare snacks?"