Chapter 206: Thanoseid's Grand Operation
"That depends on who is faster. If I get what I want first, their anger will be useless, unless those guys dare to risk provoking a multiversal war," Du Wa replied.
Dream lowered his head in thought, instantly understanding Du Wa's meaning. A war between two multiverses?
What a madman.
Dream felt his luck was truly good. He had just arrived in the DC universe and had already discovered such a special individual—in a sense, even more special than their Endless Family.
I wonder if Destiny has discovered this guy, Dream thought. No, he was mentioned once before, so he must have been discovered.
"What you're saying makes me feel I should try to persuade you against this. If different worlds go to war, many living beings will die."
"The decision isn't up to me. It's up to when those guys in the Sphere of the Gods discover my uniqueness and decide to make their move."
Facing Dream, Du Wa remained extremely calm and indifferent, even issuing a warning without any politeness.
Dream was silent for a moment. "To avoid provoking a great war, it seems I'll have to help you keep your secret until you get what you want and leave this world. You want to ascend to a higher level as a Deity?"
"Correct. Just like what you are all doing."
In the Vertigo Universe, these guys were just so-so, but the moment they entered the DC universe, their power skyrocketed.
In a while, setting Destiny aside, Death alone could ignore the Source Wall, traveling freely inside and outside it. There were even signs of her advancing from a Multiversal God toward a higher rank.
If a conceptual god had the chance to expand their concept across a world, the benefits would be truly immeasurable.
But as Dream carefully evaluated Du Wa, he realized that this man, like them, had crossed worlds, but the benefits he received didn't seem as great... Was it because only a part of his concept was sent over, with the majority remaining to guard his native world?
If what Du Wa said was true, and his situation could genuinely trigger a war between multiverses once exposed, it would mean that the native universe that nurtured Du Wa was a massive world with a scale not much different from the DC Multiverse.
"I don't know what you experienced in your native world, but using a parasitic race like the Xenomorph as the content of your concept will greatly limit your potential." Dream shook his head, not optimistic about Du Wa's actions.
Crossing into another world with an unknown, secret method was miraculous, but the benefits didn't seem to outweigh the risks involved.
"My potential lies not in the Xenomorph concept, but in me. Besides, I've never thought of myself as pitiful," Du Wa said slowly. "I am different from you all. I started out as a mortal."
"Not a born Concept God?"
This time, Dream was genuinely moved. He even began to search the surface thoughts of some Xenomorphs right in front of Du Wa. Of course, he found nothing useful—the only ones who had come to the DC Multiverse with Du Wa were the Hyperion Xenomorph, Thanoseid, and a Mephisto Xenomorph that remained hidden.
The other Xenomorphs, whose thoughts Dream could easily access, were products of Du Wa's parasitism of the natives of the DCEU Universe. They had little value and existed purely as Du Wa's anchor points.
"An acquired Concept God, one based on the Xenomorph concept... Remarkable. My impression of you has completely changed. You are not only a member of the Concept God system, but its most special one."
Dream was deeply shaken. He looked up and surveyed his surroundings, at this world of consciousness filled with countless traps. After a moment of thought, he suddenly said, "Before you move to expel me, are you interested in joining us?"
"Join your Endless Family?" Du Wa frowned. "That's a bold proposal. Would Destiny and Death agree?"
"Don't worry about Death; she's my older sister. I just need to convince Destiny, and there will be no obstacles. You should know, we conceptual gods from the Vertigo Universe are nominally a family, but we don't actually have the 'bloodline' connections that conventional gods do."
"You are not the leader of the Endless Family. You'd better not issue invitations so lightly. It poses a risk to you." Du Wa shook his head inwardly. Join the Endless Family?
It sounded nice, but it was ultimately Dream's wishful thinking. Even though he was also a Concept God, Du Wa followed a different system from the Endless Family.
The Endless are all incarnations of certain personalities and states, whereas Du Wa was the incarnation of the Xenomorph, a race and a biological organism—two completely different systems.
Pulling Du Wa into the Endless Family? Only a Concept God like Dream, who exists as the bizarre dreams of all living things, would have such a whimsical idea.
Then again, Dream was a rather naive person. Otherwise, in the future, he wouldn't have interacted with various mortals across different universes, leaving behind all sorts of legends, much less barged into Hell to talk tough to Lucifer, nearly triggering a war between the Endless Family and Lucifer.
"Go back. Leave this place and go to other dream realms. Everything here belongs to me; the god of dreams is not welcome," Du Wa issued an expulsion order. "If I'm not mistaken, your current mass is still in a phase of rapid expansion. You haven't reached your true peak. Right now, you are still thinking from the standpoint of a top-tier Celestial... You are not yet mature enough."
Even when Dream became a Multiversal God, he still wasn't mature, frequently pulling all sorts of naive stunts.
"I will be back."
Dream was clearly very interested in Du Wa and was determined to win him over. He left reluctantly. If he didn't go, he was genuinely worried Du Wa would make a move on him—he was confident he wouldn't lose, but what if he pushed Du Wa too far and he just committed suicide to restart on the spot? He was very worried about that.
Restarting meant a greater possibility of being discovered, and a higher chance of triggering a great war.
"I don't know what exactly you did, but you were able to enter this world by taking advantage of the cover provided by our Endless Family, right? You naturally belong with us."
"It's the other way around. I was the one who initiated the Flashpoint event, causing it to erupt across the entire Multiverse, which led to a soft reboot of many universes. That's how you all managed to join so smoothly," Du Wa replied.
Dream departed in silence. He needed to think things over carefully and then tell Death about this matter.
"Dream... I'd better stay far away from that guy, or I'll be met with misfortune." Du Wa repeatedly checked his own consciousness and searched the soul of every Xenomorph. After confirming there were no traces of Dream and that no Xenomorph was dreaming, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
Listen to that guy's nonsense, inviting him to join the Endless Family? Is that how you do things?
However, it's certainly not possible now, but perhaps there will be an opportunity in the future—in another form.
"Conceptual gods of life and entity, conceptual gods of personality and being..."
Du Wa was lost in thought. He envisioned a certain outcome, but in the next instant, he dismantled this thought into countless fragments and implanted them in the deepest parts of his innumerable consciousnesses, ensuring they could not be deciphered by any form of deity.
No matter how long the Endless Family remained dormant to stabilize their mass, Du Wa would focus on his own actions.
He withdrew from his state of consciousness and, in deep thought, glanced downward.
All the Xenomorph Heroes under his rule were standing in the great hall. Seeing Du Wa finally make a move, their spirits lifted, and they immediately raised their heads.
"Was he in a daze? More likely, he suffered a soul attack. Maybe we should have assassinated him just now."
"Shut up! How dare you be disloyal to the great God of Xenomorphs!"
"Lex Luthor, I never knew you were so loyal, especially when those two Doomsdays aren't behind you."
The natives from the DCEU each had their own thoughts.
Only Thanoseid, having developed a new path for himself, stepped forward immediately.
"No need to say more. I know what you want to do. I approve of the expedition to parallel universes. This is also a way to expand the concept," Du Wa said.
Thanoseid's smile was chilling, full of brutality and bloodlust.
"I will do everything in my power, risking my life to conquer more universes for you," Thanoseid said with all sincerity.
Everyone present knew this man wasn't lying, because it was about conquering universes, not just conquering planets.
If it were merely about conquest, there were still many planets in this universe without Xenomorphs that were worth conquering, but Thanoseid never mentioned them.
"My greatest and most sacred master, your servant wishes to know the way to another universe," Thanoseid asked.
"Thanoseid, your servant knows. We can use a Mother Box."
Steppenwolf spoke up. During this time, he had rapidly learned about the Xenomorphs and many of their mysteries. He said, "The Mother Box is the most advanced technological creation of Apokolips. It is not a weapon limited by the universe itself. It is fully capable of locating a parallel universe and opening a Boom Tube."
"Steppenwolf is right. Go and do it. Don't disappoint me. However, I need you to go to Universe 3 first and conquer the Earth there," Du Wa commanded.
Thanoseid didn't ask why. He grabbed Steppenwolf, walked out of the conference room, and immediately set off to do so.
Whatever Du Wa's objective was, he had no room to resist. But as long as he could seize every opportunity to hunt more Darkseids, he would soon have the power to challenge Du Wa.
Every hunt allowed his own power to skyrocket. Thanoseid was addicted to this game and had long been eager to start.
The hope of becoming stronger, the possibility of turning the tables on Du Wa, and ultimately, of controlling Du Wa and devouring everything that was Darkseid—it all rode on this grand hunt.
"The stronger you become, the better a weapon you will be in that person's hands," Steppenwolf said suddenly from behind Thanoseid.
"Shut up, you good-for-nothing. I don't care if you're an independent avatar or a mouthpiece remotely controlled by your counterpart in the Sphere of the Gods. I have my own plans and don't need you to tell me what to do... I know what to do," Thanoseid said coldly.
Hearing this, Steppenwolf understood.
The two of them began their operation, attacking various strongholds on Earth to seize the Mother Boxes.
"Form ranks!"
Themyscira had long been waiting. Whether it was to deal with the attack of this new Xenomorph race or to guard against a counterattack from Apokolips, these Amazon warriors were prepared for the worst.
"How foolish. You have no idea what you're facing!" Steppenwolf, bristling with arrows but completely unharmed, felt the urge to laugh.
"Our ancestors defeated you once, and so shall we now! We will never let you take back the Mother Box!" Hippolyta nocked an arrow. This time, she aimed at Thanoseid.
Hippolyta watched, her expression a mix of suspicion and uncertainty. She recognized this being; he was supposed to be the master of Apokolips. But then she recalled the great battle in outer space from before. It seemed like two Darkseids had been fighting?
Was the one before her the victor, who at some unknown point had become a follower of the one who commanded those strange creatures?
These deities were too mysterious, leaving her utterly bewildered.
"A pointless struggle. Steppenwolf, you lead the Xenomorphs to attack Atlantis. I will clean up Themyscira. My patience is wearing thin."
Thanoseid stepped forward with his hands behind his back. His eyes shot out Omega Beams, far more powerful than before. He fired them continuously, and these red rays twisted and turned across Themyscira, striking their targets with every blast.
Soon, the entirety of Themyscira was filled with screams. The resistance of these warriors was worthless before Thanoseid.
As for leaving a group of people to serve as a source of soldiers for the Xenomorphs...
Thanoseid acted as if the thought had never been raised. "Du Wa has no need for trash like you, so just die here. Perish along with the territory you protect."
Themyscira quickly grew much quieter.
Thanoseid easily tore through all barriers and grabbed the Mother Box.
But just then, the divine power runes all around them suddenly lit up.
"Divine power... Hmph, so the Olympian Gods are finally willing to make a move? I thought you had abandoned this universe, unwilling to send your avatars here to die," Thanoseid sneered.
The one who arrived was Ares.
Over a hundred years ago in this universe's timeline, an avatar of Ares had been killed by Wonder Woman once. This time, it was him again.
"I detected Dream wandering in this area and was tracking his position. I didn't come for you... Darkseid."
Ares was in full armor, wearing a battle helmet and wielding a great axe, clad in divine artifacts. "Once, the version of you from this universe was nearly killed by me, right on this planet. To think you'd dare to come back... wait, you're not the Darkseid I know. Which avatar of his are you?"
"Avatar...? I am an avatar now, but I won't be for long!"
Thanoseid charged forward with a savage grin. This was his first battle against the Olympian pantheon, but it definitely wouldn't be his last.
The violent eruption of divine power grievously wounded Themyscira. If not for the protection of Zeus's divine power, the island would have shattered long ago.
Steppenwolf, who had already led the Xenomorph army into the ocean to attack Atlantis, looked back in astonishment when he sensed the commotion.
"I was wrong. This guy won't become a new Darkseid in the future. He will only be more brutal and bloodthirsty than Darkseid, even engaging in senseless slaughter for his own amusement."
Steppenwolf pondered this secretly, but it had nothing to do with him. Both he and his main body would only follow the strongest New God. If Thanoseid could kill Darkseid, it would have no effect on him at all.
(end of chapter)