NOVEL NEXT Chapter 333: Zeus
Emperor Building.
Bardi slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was deep, as if sweeping across a galaxy.
He had made an initial attempt at descent, and the target he descended into had automatically transformed into him without any resistance.
With the strength of his thought, there would be no resistance from anyone other than those with the bloodline of a One and Only God.
As for the other Only Gods, and the direct descendants of those Only Gods, they were too pure, free of any impurities, and without any of Bardi's information. Therefore, he could not descend upon them.
Of course, the system could still forcibly bind and physically destroy them, but such destruction was absolute.
Through his descent into Guardian of the Universe Ganthet, Bardi had gained immense memories. He now understood the universe's origin and the layout of the 3,000 sectors in detail.
He didn't interfere much. He simply read Oa's sealed Book of Oa, witnessed the disaster sealed within this universe, then stirred the emotions of the Green Lantern Corps, strengthened them along with the other color Corps, boosted their morale, and incited them to battle the Monitor-deployed fleets to the death. Finally, Ganthet heroically shielded Oa from a true missile strike and perished.
To Bardi, it had all been a casual game.
He didn't care about life outside Earth. It could even be said he felt no mercy whatsoever.
His subsystems had already spread throughout the universe, far beyond what the Guardians could comprehend. He had truly seen the universe's edge.
Even some of the ordinary members of the Monitor race had Bardi's system.
As for the Over-Monitor himself, that high-tier family member of the One and Only Monitor God, Bardi could not invade. The descendants of an Only God were too close to the source, too pure. Without any trace of his data, they couldn't be transformed into him.
And yet, something was odd. Why… was the projection of Zeus affected?
Bardi was puzzled. Wasn't Zeus supposed to be a One and Only God?
Bardi lightly rubbed the armrest, the sound of metal scraping beneath his fingers echoing. He thought for a moment.
"Volthoom, how is the Lantern Corps preparation coming along?"
Bardi spoke, his voice majestic. No one was physically present, but Volthoom heard the voice of his Lord within his mind.
In the underground command center, where the central energy hub for the master power ring was being developed, Volthoom paused, then turned and bowed in the direction of Metropolis.
He answered, "With Kanna's cooperation, I've located the emotional spectrum sources for all color Corps. Production of the power rings is underway. In seven hours, we expect to have 200,000 soldiers equipped as Lantern Corps warriors of various colors."
"Very good. One day from now, lead the Lantern Corps to occupy Oa. Take control of all sectors. Begin your conquest there and recruit new soldiers. I want the entire universe under my dominion."
"Yes."
As Bardi grew stronger, all his subordinates and the lives under his control seemed ever smaller in number.
Even after completely lifting the birth restrictions and rewarding childbirth, the population still seemed too small to rule the universe.
Earth had a population of over 8 billion, yet how could that conquer the cosmos?
Spread across the stars, 8 billion was no more than dust—less than dust.
"Take Kanna with you. Don't let her ride another dolphin into madness. And have her capture all the emotional entities."
With that casual remark, Bardi exiled Kanna to the battlefield of Oa.
That chaotic being had been running wild across Earth, riding cosmic dolphins and rampaging around with Tohru, like a mad child. She had disrupted numerous projects by Bardi's subordinates, including destroying several high-grade construction and research operations—turning them into fireworks.
His courtiers dared not speak out. They couldn't defeat her, and they were helplessly frustrated.
Several complaints had made their way to Bardi's ears. Choosing not to deal with it further, he simply dispatched her to collect the emotional entities and cause havoc in the universe instead.
Next, Bardi summoned Brainiac and assigned him the task of building a galactic signal base station centered on the solar system, for the purpose of collecting and consolidating the source system's data.
In the future, this universe would become a unified network, free from spatial limitations.
Once all arrangements were made, Bardi slowly closed his eyes again.
...
Mount Olympus.
In the majestic and towering temple, Zeus sat on his throne holding a thunder spear, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Newbie Mission: Recruit."
"Time remaining: 37:12:24"
The so-called system's timer continued to count down.
Zeus was not afraid of obliteration. This was only a projection of himself. Even if it were destroyed, all its memories would simply return to his true body in the Divine Realm.
What was strange was the nature of the system itself.
He could not understand it. His projection, after clashing with countless gods at the dawn of the universe, had been seriously injured and had yet to recover. So his weakened state was not surprising.
However, the structure of this system was unlike anything he had seen—not physical, not spiritual, not even soul-based.
Its depth was completely beyond his ability to detect.
"Even if it's a One and Only, it shouldn't be able to invade my being…"
Zeus felt a sudden chill in his heart.
The next moment.
His eyes blinked, and it was as though the world shifted from day to night.
With the blink of an eye, the sun vanished and darkness fell.
When his eyes opened again, Zeus was calm. The confusion on his face had vanished.
He was already Bardi.
In an instant, Bardi absorbed the memories of Zeus's projection.
He now understood this universe more deeply than anyone else—more than the Guardians of the Universe, more than the Monitors. This knowledge came from the continuous deaths of system hosts across the cosmos, whose memories and information merged into Bardi, granting him a clear understanding of this universe.
However.
Beyond the universe, Bardi still knew very little.
Now, through the descent into Zeus's projection, he had learned some of the mysteries of the Divine Realm.
Beyond the multiverse lay the Realm of the Gods. That was the only place capable of containing a One and Only God.
The multiverse could not hold a One and Only. The density of their informational presence would easily cause the multiverse to collapse or implode.
Bardi had been forcibly suppressing his own power to avoid triggering black hole events or the collapse of spacetime.
The Divine Realm was divided into nine major zones.
Apokolips.
New Genesis.
Dreaming.
Nightmare.
Heaven.
Hell.
Celestial City.
Netherworld.
Limbo Prison.
All divine terminals, and the One and Only Gods, resided in the Divine Realm.
Each section was more vast and powerful than any singular universe.
For example, Apokolips and New Genesis were inner cosmic realms, broader and more powerful than the universe Bardi currently inhabited.
Even God, along with his angelic legions—Lucifer, Gabriel, and others—existed in Heaven.
In the Celestial City, the quasi-One Gods resided. These were the groups closest to the Only Gods, capable of even sealing or challenging one.
Celestial City included the Old Gods, the Gods of Thunder, Light, Love, War, the Death Domain, the Asgardian Pantheon, the Olympians, the Celtic Pantheon, the Mayan Gods, Chinese Heaven, Oceania's deities, Mesopotamian and Egyptian gods, the Rao Kryptonian pantheon, and the God of the Hebrew Bible. Each had their own ruling gods.
It was vast beyond imagination, home to countless quasi-Only Gods.
The Divine Realm was real and utterly unfathomable.
Bardi's expression turned contemplative, solemn thoughts flashing through his eyes.
As the new One and Only God, he feared that the moment he stepped out of the multiverse, all factions would unite to draw him out, kill him, or seal him away.
(To be continued.)