Chapter 358: Joining Forces, Opening
"What does that sound mean?"
Tony Stark pressed his hands against the surface of the Mother Box. His Nanotech Armor separated into countless silver-white liquid Nanobots, which flowed through his palms onto the Mother Box, exploring it and attempting to find a way to separate it again.
Hearing the strange noise coming from the Mother Box, Tony Stark looked at Cyborg beside him.
Cyborg translated with a grim expression, "In half an hour, once the Mother Box absorbs enough energy, it will directly open a Boom Tube to Apokolips!"
"Apokolips! Only half an hour?" Tony Stark said while busy peering into the internal structure of the Mother Box via the Virtual Image transmitted by the Nanobots. "This thing's structure is very complex. Give me a week, and maybe I could do it. Half an hour? I'm not confident I can separate it! How about we just violently break it down? Find someone to cleave it open! Captain, where's Thor? I might need his Battle Axe!"
"He's still on his way!" Captain America's voice sounded helpless over the Avengers' communicators. "His Armor had a slight problem, and he's gained some weight, so the Armor designed for him needed a little modification. But he should be arriving soon!"
*Clang!*
Captain America rolled nimbly, using his Vibranium Shield to block a strike from Steppenwolf's Battle Axe for Dr. Banner.
After the fusion of Hulk and Banner, the Hulk, now primarily controlled by Dr. Banner, could effectively manage his temper and avoid rampaging.
However, the refined Dr. Banner had almost zero combat experience.
Facing Steppenwolf, who had half his helmet smashed in and was relentlessly pursuing him, Dr. Banner was somewhat flustered, awkwardly swinging the Warhammer in his hand to counterattack.
But his meager fighting experience was completely outmatched by a ruthless killer like Steppenwolf.
Steppenwolf knocked the Warhammer out of Dr. Banner's hand with two or three axe swings. "Looks like your friend isn't very good at fighting!"
Arthur picked up the Warhammer that Steppenwolf had knocked away. He lifted the Warhammer with one hand, but his arm immediately sank. He quickly gripped the handle of the Long-Handled War Hammer with both hands to lift it steadily.
He walked over to Captain America, glancing at Dr. Banner with surprise and doubt, astonished by his Strength yet puzzled by his amateurish combat skills.
Dr. Banner smiled awkwardly at Arthur. "Uh, I'm a Research Personnel, a Doctor of Physics!"
Arthur looked at the massive Green Muscle mass on his body, then at his own muscles, his face full of disbelief.
*Hoo hoo hoo—*
Steppenwolf panted heavily, looking at the three people opposite him. His eyes narrowed again. The sword mark Diana had left on his face had congealed, but blood flowed down the side of his face like a stream from beneath his smashed helmet.
Clearly, Dr. Banner's earlier hammer strike had caused him significant injury.
*Boom!* At this moment, a figure flew from a distance and landed heavily in front of Steppenwolf. Diana, kneeling on one knee, smashed a Large Pit into the Ground like an Artillery Shell.
"Again!" The Amazon Female Warrior stood up, pointing her Godslayer Sword directly at Steppenwolf!
"Ho ho ho—Ganging up on the few, you people on this Planet are still like this after thousands of years!"
Steppenwolf faced four opponents, yet his eyes showed no fear, only Mockery.
"By the looks of it, your side has the advantage in numbers!" Captain America coldly swept his gaze around. The surrounding Parademon Legion was watching them menacingly. The densely packed Parademons were like Dark Clouds, completely surrounding them.
They were just waiting for Steppenwolf's command, and these fearless Parademons would swarm forward and tear their enemies into pieces.
Steppenwolf didn't waste any more words. With a wave of his hand, thousands upon thousands of Parademons swarmed towards the four.
*Swish swish swish swish—*
Energy Beams rained down like raindrops. Diana took out her Shield from behind her back and held it above her head. On the other side, Captain America threw his Vibranium Shield to Arthur.
He himself, along with Dr. Banner, Shrank and entered Ant-Man Status.
A Parademon flapping its Wings and pouncing towards Diana didn't even understand what was happening before the Shrunk Dr. Banner punched it in the jaw. The entire creature was sent flying like a projectile.
The Ant-Man Suits, made by Tony Stark, all came with Flight Engines. Once Dr. Banner and Captain America entered Ant-Man Status, they were essentially in Invisibility Mode to the Parademons.
The two darted through the air. The Parademons rushing down didn't understand what was happening before Great Strength struck their heads and Wings.
In just over ten seconds, the two had taken down dozens of Parademons.
As for Diana and Arthur, Diana held her Sword in one hand and her Shield in the other. With every sword thrust, the Godslayer Sword emitted a strong Divine Power Radiance, and Sword Qi whistled, taking down at least a dozen Parademons.
Arthur truly experienced Captain America's Happy Hogan. He imitated Captain America, wearing the Shield on his Wrist, blocking the Parademons' attacks with one side while using the Shield to hit them with the other.
And you know what, this thing was quite effective. Under Arthur's Great Strength, one Parademon after another was directly beaten black and blue by the Shield, falling to the Ground.
Arthur held the Shield in his left hand, hitting people, and gripped the Mechanical Long-Handled War Hammer in his right, hitting left and smashing right—
In just a few minutes, the Ground was already piled high with Parademon Corpses—
"Steppenwolf wants to go back, Banner, stop him!"
Captain America, who had a good sense of Tactics, had been keeping an eye on Steppenwolf's movements. Seeing him attempting to return to the Abandoned Dam, he quickly called out to Dr. Banner! "Watch me!"
The Shrunk Dr. Banner looked like a large green Ant. Even his Armor, Tony Stark had designed it to be green for him.
The Engines under his Armor's feet sprayed light blue Plasma Flame, instantly propelling Dr. Banner towards Steppenwolf.
Steppenwolf didn't notice the small thing approaching him until his jaw was hit hard by a punch.
Dr. Banner used a Rising Dragon Uppercut, a hundred tons of Force landing squarely on Steppenwolf's jaw. Under this Great Strength, Steppenwolf was sent flying over ten meters into the Sky.
*Bang!*
*Bang! Bang! Bang—*
Before Steppenwolf could land, Dr. Banner flew in front of him and delivered continuous follow-up punches. Steppenwolf tried to counterattack but couldn't find his enemy. He was like a broken Sack in mid-air, being knocked back and forth.
"Damn Little Bugs!"
After being knocked flying again by the Ant-Man Transformation Dr. Banner, Steppenwolf instantly unleashed a powerful Energy Torrent outwards—
Dr. Banner, who was about to rush forward to deliver another punch, was swept away by the impact of this Energy Torrent like an Ant in a Flood.
Steppenwolf coldly glanced at Arthur and Diana, who were completely surrounded by the countless Parademon Army, picked up his Battle Axe, and turned to rush towards the abandoned dam.
No wonder Darkseid suffered setbacks on this Planet. He admitted that there were some troublesome enemies on this Planet, but when Apokolips's Army descended, the facts would show them that they were merely a bunch of Insects to be crushed under absolute Strength.
"Tony, how are things on your end? Steppenwolf is heading your way!"
Steppenwolf was very fast. Captain America couldn't catch up and could only warn Tony Stark via the Communicator.
"Cracking this is very troublesome. Right now, we can only rely on Constantine's Magic Symbols. I hope he doesn't summon something he can't control!"
Tony Stark, in his gold and red Iron Suit, occasionally fired Energy Cannons from his palms, working with Cyborg to clear the densely packed Parademons inside the Dam, buying Time for Barry Allen.
Inside the abandoned dam, it wasn't just Iron Man and Cyborg. Batman, Green Arrow, Hawkeye, and Black Widow were dispersed in the four Corners of the Dam, providing Remote Support with their Weapons.
Hawkeye held his Longbow, firing Explosive Arrows while muttering, "87, 88, 89—"
On the other side, Green Arrow, standing on the iron mesh suspension bridge, was not to be outdone. His Bow and Arrow were also drawn rapidly, clearly treating the hunting of these Parademons as a Competition.
Natasha Romanoff stood on top of the abandoned dam tower, holding a Modified Black Sniper Rifle. This specially modified, high-power Sniper Rifle could blow a Bowl-sized hole in a target Parademon with a single shot.
Her Mission was to protect the patient behind her.
*Whoosh!*
Constantine, wearing a brown Trench Coat, with Gauze still wrapped around his legs and body, and a Cigar in his mouth, watched the rapidly flashing Red Light in the center of the Dam with a complex Look.
Barry Allen ran at super speed in the middle of the Dam. The bone rod in his hand, made from who knows what Creature's Bone, was so hard that it could easily carve half-foot deep grooves into the hard rammed Earth of the old district or the hard Reinforced Concrete of the Dam.
What surprised Barry Allen was that the bone rod also seemed to sense their Time was short. The gray mist-like Gas inside the rod remained in a full state.
What he didn't see was that inside the Dam, the Parademon Corpses killed by Hawkeye, Iron Man, and the others quickly disappeared like Steam. When the Parademon Corpses touched the Ground, their Flesh and Blood were instantly absorbed by the Ground Formation.
This Flesh and Blood, mixed with the Souls of these Parademons, all became Nourishment for the bone rod and the Blood Lotus Formation on the Ground. Bruce Wayne, driving the crab-like Bat-jet, keenly noticed this. He wasn't the only one; everyone fighting in the abandoned dam was battle-hardened and had noticed the strangeness of these Parademons. However, due to their lack of understanding of Dark Magic, they all thought it was the effect of the Magic Array.
They completely failed to notice Constantine's somewhat worried Gaze.
As Barry Allen finished the last stroke in the Formation Diagram, the bone rod in his hand also turned into Dust.
Just then, an Electric Light Battle Axe directly smashed through the Dam's Wall. Steppenwolf, holding the Battle Axe, leaned in. He looked around, his face, disfigured by Dr. Banner, twisted in a ghastly grin. "A bunch of Little Bugs, you're here after all. Since you're all here, let's welcome the arrival of the Apokolips Army together!"
Saying this, Steppenwolf slammed his Battle Axe down. The Mother Box, which had fused the Unity of the three, instantly erupted in an Energy Torrent. The Boom Tube also fully opened at this moment.
The Boom Tube instantly broke through the Dam's top, like a giant pillar reaching the Sky, supporting Heaven and Earth. Every second, tens of thousands of Parademon Army poured out of the Boom Tube. Seeing this scene, even the Avengers, who had experienced Thanos's Destruction of the Universe, were stunned! Nothing else, the sheer number of these Parademons was too great. They could take down a hundred, a thousand, but what good would that do? The Parademons pouring out of the Boom Tube every moment were like copy-pasted duplicates.
Less than three seconds after the Boom Tube opened, the entire Dam, and even the Sky above the entire old district, was completely occupied by the figures of Parademons.
Above the old district, an ARGUS Aircraft attracted the attention of over a dozen Parademons. These Parademons flapped their Wings and flew towards the ARGUS Aircraft.
The Aircraft's Anti-aircraft Artillery and Machine Guns immediately opened fire. On the Ground, the roar of Tanks, the Sound of Artillery Fire, and the sound of light and Heavy Machine Guns firing also rang out simultaneously. The National Guard troops who had sealed off the old district were now also engaged in Combat with the Parademons.
A single touch and they collapsed. This wasn't a metaphor, but a fact.
These Parademons, who were mere cannon fodder to Superheroes, had Physiques strong enough to bend the Gun Barrels of Tanks and tear open Tank Armor with their bare hands. Humanity's Standard Issue Firearms simply couldn't cause them damage.
Coupled with High-Energy Particle Guns far exceeding Humanity's Technological Level, the Defense Lines established by the Human Military were like paper in front of them, easily pierced.
"Initiate Plan B! Quickly, initiate Plan B! Deploy the Nuclear Bomb! Bomb these Aliens to death!"
The ARGUS Aircraft's configuration far exceeded the Federation's active Military. With the powerful Firepower on the Aircraft, they quickly repelled the dozen or so Parademons.
Their Aircraft also accelerated away from the Sky above the old district immediately. Perhaps because they hadn't received an Order from Steppenwolf, the black, cloud-like swarm of Parademons didn't continue pursuing. Instead, they converged towards the center of the old district. It seemed Steppenwolf intended to completely eliminate Batman and the others using a human wave tactic.
"Initiate Plan B! Quickly, initiate Plan B! Deploy the Nuclear Bomb! Bomb these Aliens to death!"
Aboard the ARGUS Aircraft, a shaken Amanda Waller stood inside the Office Cabin of the Aircraft, shouting loudly at the Agents below!
"Officer, Wonder Woman and Batman are still inside—"
Lyla Michaels looked up at Amanda Waller. "Shouldn't we notify them to Evacuate first?"
"Do you think they can still escape in this situation?" Amanda Waller waved her thick arms, raising her Voice. "Now is not the time to worry about those Street Vigilantes! I promised Mr. Minister that these Alien bastards wouldn't leave Gotham City!"
"Now listen to my Order! Initiate Plan B! Send the President's Nuclear Bomb Launch Permit to New Jersey Nuclear Missile Launch Base Two, and have them start the Nuclear Bomb Launch Procedure!"
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Amanda Waller, Lyla Michaels could only return to her Office and quietly dial Diana's Phone Number.
"Madam, you need to Evacuate immediately. In five minutes, a megaton-level Nuclear Bomb will fall on your heads!"
After the call connected, Lyla Michaels quickly said one sentence before urgently hanging up the phone. She was familiar with ARGUS's Information Surveillance Software. If the call duration was kept within three seconds, it could bypass internal monitoring.
*Beep beep beep—*
Listening to the Dial Tone on the other end, Diana, who had managed to answer the phone under the Cover of Arthur and Dr. Banner, immediately shouted to the others, "We're in Trouble! In five minutes, the Federal Government will drop a megaton-level Nuclear Bomb here!"
"Oh, why does the Federal Government in every World think a Nuclear Bomb can solve everything!"
Dr. Banner had now retrieved the Mechanical Giant Hammer from Arthur and was swinging the Giant Hammer with both hands as if playing Golf, smashing one Parademon after another flying.
The densely packed number of Parademons around ensured that he wouldn't miss a single swing.
Even powerful individuals like Aquaman Arthur Curry and Wonder Woman Diana Prince could only stand back-to-back with Dr. Banner and Captain America, the four of them resisting Attacks from all directions.
"This Time, I actually think the Federal Government is doing the right thing. With the number and Strength of these Parademons, if they were to spread out, this World would be completely without Hope!"
Captain America held his Shield in his left hand, his right hand covered by the Arm Armor of the Ant-Man Suit, firing Energy Shockwaves identical to Tony Stark's from his Palm.
As a veteran, he could tell at a glance that with the number and Strength of these Parademons, they were enough to Level the entire Earth.
"What do we do now?" Dr. Banner smashed a Parademon's skull with one swing. Seeing two Parademons rush forward and cling to his Mechanical Warhammer, the Rage belonging to the Hulk surged from deep within him. Dr. Banner directly swung the two Parademons along with the Warhammer, smashing them heavily onto the Ground. Instantly, Blood Water splattered everywhere.
"We can only put our Hope in Tony's side. I hope that Sacrificial Magic Array works!"
"John, the Magic Array is drawn. What do we do next?"
Countless Parademons almost completely filled the abandoned dam. The people inside the Dam had to fight and retreat, but the number of Parademons was simply too great. So many that Cyborg had to change the position of his Gun Port on his Mechanical Body with every shot he fired. If he didn't do this, he couldn't shake off the Parademons clinging tightly to his arms and legs.
Blocked from all sides by countless Parademons, Batman's crab-like Battle Vehicle was even torn to Shreds by these Parademons.
If Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow hadn't entered Ant-Man Status and provided Cover for the others to retreat into a cave wall in a recess of the Dam, Bruce Wayne and the others would have likely suffered the same fate as the Bat-jet long ago.
Bruce Wayne, hearing Diana mention over the Communicator that the Government would drop a megaton-level Nuclear Bomb on Gotham City in five minutes, immediately became anxious.
To Bruce Wayne, Gotham City was almost everything after his Parents' death.
A megaton-level Nuclear Bomb, even if dropped in the old district, the Radiation Effects alone would be enough to cause Gotham City's decline and turn it into a Dead City.
"I don't know!"
Constantine sat in his Wheelchair, smoking a Cigar. The next moment, Bruce Wayne grabbed him by the Collar and lifted him up.
"What did you say?" The Rage in Bruce Wayne's eyes almost Devoured Constantine.
They had risked their lives to draw the Magic Array, seeing it as the Hope to Save Earth, and Constantine actually said he didn't know.
"I don't know, now we can only wait!" Constantine spread his hands, his Expression Innocent, making Bruce Wayne want to punch him in the face.
"Mr. Constantine, what are we waiting for?" Barry Allen, who was pushing the Wheelchair from behind, couldn't help but ask.
Constantine, lifted by Bruce Wayne's Collar, still took a slow puff of his Cigar. "Waiting for that Evil God's Favor!"
When Constantine saw Bruce Wayne's tightly clenched Fist, he quickly added, "Since it's a Ritual to the Evil God, it's best to have enough Sacrificial Offerings. Kill more of those Parademons to activate this Magic Array!"
Following Constantine's Gaze, Bruce Wayne noticed that at the bottom of the Dam, within the lines Barry had drawn, faint Bloodlight was emanating.
Scanning the Parademon Corpses in the Dam that had instantly Turned into White Bone, Bruce Wayne immediately understood the Conditions for activating the Magic Array. He immediately relayed the Information to Wonder Woman Diana Prince and the others Outside.
Cyborg fired Concentrated Energy Cannons at the Parademons trying to rush into the cave while his mind rapidly connected to the Surveillance Satellite in Low Earth Orbit, checking the Map below.
At this moment, in the high-definition Satellite Cloud Map, the entire old district was faintly Brand with a blooming Blood-colored Lotus Flower. Nearly a third of these Lotus flowers were emitting Blood-red Light.
But two-thirds of the area still had no Bloodlight.
"Not enough Time!" Cyborg said in a deep Voice to Bruce Wayne.
"I'll buy you some Time. Intercepting the Nuclear Warhead, I have experience with that!" Tony Stark, in Ant-Man Form, his Voice came from within the pile of Parademons.
Then, dozens of scorching white Energy Lasers Rotated, directly slicing these Parademons into several segments. Tony Stark flew out of the Dam, ready to intercept the Nuclear Bomb.
Just as the Justice League and the Avengers joined forces to provide as much Energy as possible for this Blood Sacrifice to the Evil God, that Evil God who was bestowing his Favor upon them was currently standing in front of the Mother Box, looking at the Three-in-One Mother Box that had fused the Unity.
"The other side of this Boom Tube is Apokolips?" Tang Song rested his chin in his hand. The Suitcase containing the Destroyer Embryo floated beside him. He stood strutting in front of the Boom Tube, his eyes showing a hint of eagerness to try. He was considering whether he should go through the Boom Tube for a visit to the most Ferocious Place in this Universe, to gain some Knowledge of Darkseid, the Ruler of Apokolips, who was known as the Strongest New God and the Dark Lord.
He wondered who was stronger, Darkseid or Thanos. Thinking of Thanos, Tang Song felt a little amused.
Not long ago, Deadpool was Resurrected and brought back Information about Thanos. This Simp, seeing the Goddess of Death joking with Deadpool, became emotionally agitated and angered the Goddess of Death, who Banished him to Another Universe.
However, Tang Song felt that this might be Death's protection for Thanos. Tang Song, with six Infinity Stones in hand, was confident that in his Universe, besides a few individuals, he had no Rivals. If Death Resurrected Thanos and this Simp came looking for him again, with his temper, Thanos would likely find it hard to even die, and the Goddess of Death might not be able to save him. Tang Song was very confident about this.
Even though Tang Song possessed six Infinity Stones, he still didn't want to Provoke Death and the other Creation Gods who represented the Universal Rules.
Like Death, she didn't reside in any single Parallel Universe. She represented the Source, Creator, and Controller of all Life and Souls in the Multiverse.
She was the Manifestation of the specific form of the termination of all Life in the Multiverse.
She was the Creator and Master of all Gods of Death, King Yamas, Kings of Hell, and Demon Kings of Hell in all Myths and Legends.
She represented the ultimate specific Manifestation of the termination of all Life, and even the entire Multiverse.
She was the Symbol of Death, possessing Infinite Strength, capable of freely Manipulating Death, and could Kill or Resurrect almost all Creatures in the Multiverse. She could also Create/Destroy/Manipulate the Souls of all Multiverse Life. She possessed countless powerful Abilities, was almost Omnipotent to ordinary people, and could bestow unimaginable Strength upon mortals.
It could be said that Death's Strength was comparable to the Peak Great Experts in the Jambudvīpa World. Compared to her, Tang Song was, well, a little short.
Fortunately, among the Five Great Creation Gods of the Universe, except for Galactus, the others were elusive, rarely seen. And he wasn't without support above him.
His cheap Master, Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One, was currently Following Eternity.
So the first thing Tang Song did after Deadpool left the Death World was to give him a Promotion and Raise, telling him to appease his Paramour.
It was also fortunate that Simps had no Human Rights, and Death didn't seem to have any intention of standing up for Thanos.
(end of chapter)