DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

The Phantom Stranger watched as Golden Superman departed. All of it—suddenly—it felt as if his presence no longer mattered, as though none of it concerned him.

Why had it come to this?

The Phantom Stranger questioned himself, eyes filled with doubt, his brow deeply furrowed as he reconsidered everything he had done.

The Spectre had lost contact.

Mandrakk had disappeared.

Golden Superman's wife had been captured by Barmulodi.

All of this, every event, had been a sign that their alliance had already begun to fall apart under Barmulodi's manipulation.

"It began unraveling from the start..."

The Phantom Stranger's voice was low. His face remained calm as he took out an Anti-Life Equation shaped like a sea urchin.

The gray spikes of the equation, in opposition to life, pulsed and floated between his palms.

The collapse had been so fast that even the Phantom Stranger was caught off guard. A sense of helplessness blurred his heart.

At this point, their power was already diminished. Neither he nor Golden Superman had any means to contend with the only god, Barmulodi.

In other words, the One God of the multiverse had long been an invincible existence—far beyond what they could ever hope to challenge.

The Spectre's disappearance had placed both the Phantom Stranger and Golden Superman in an impossible situation.

That was why Golden Superman needed to contact the Supreme Superman of the Origin Universe.

"Even with all their connections and networks, even superheroes can't protect every corner of the multiverse..."

The Phantom Stranger remained silent.

In that moment, under the shadows of the passage, his expression showed weariness. His once-determined face now looked hesitant. Standing in the infinite depths of the Monitor Passage, he appeared small and powerless, like a speck of dust.

As he looked at the Anti-Life Equation, a maddening idea formed in his mind.

Perhaps... in the process of destroying the multiverse, Barmulodi had grown powerful enough to resist even such corruption.

A demonic whisper, soft and seductive, echoed in his ears.

"Consume him..."

"Only by consuming him… can you gain power... and save the multiverse..."

"Save the multiverse..."

His tiny figure clenched his teeth, then suddenly gripped the Anti-Life Equation in his hand. Like a starving wolf, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed it whole.

"Ahh—!"

In an instant, his skin withered like a dead tree, losing all the vitality of life. Veins bulged across his neck as if a virus were spreading, and a black horned dragon-like pattern slithered across his body and face. His eyes turned pitch black, his expression twisted and feral, and he let out a blood-curdling scream within the Monitor Passage.

His signature bowler hat fell to the ground.

....

Deep within the Bleed was a hidden surveillance base.

The Thought Robot Superman stood tall. His muscular frame, clad in the Superman emblem suit, bulged with power. His face was as hard and cold as forged metal. He remained expressionless, silent, rigid in the center of the room. But within those mismatched eyes burned immense fury.

This was the Spectre, trapped within the body of the Thought Robot Superman. Mandrakk had schemed and betrayed him, imprisoning him inside the Thought Robot's body.

"Mandrakk..."

"You've interfered with my duty. You will not escape judgment..."

Rage flared clearly in the Thought Robot's eyes. The Spectre's wrath surged toward the heavens.

Everything had been undone by Mandrakk.

Originally, they had been preparing to confront the One God—an existence already invincible within the multiverse. But now, because of his imprisonment, the Spectre could already foresee the outcome: the multiverse would fall.

He never imagined that a schemer like Mandrakk would take action now, nearly becoming Barmulodi's accomplice in destroying everything.

"Judgment?"

Faced with the Spectre's fury, Mandrakk burst into near-maniacal laughter. His red cybernetic eyes blazed, and his lips twisted into a grin so wide it split to his ears. His excitement was overwhelming.

"I waited so long... and now the day has finally come! Judgment? What a joke!"

Mandrakk grinned, his glowing red gaze fixed on the blood-red crystal beside him, where Raven clung to his legs like a frightened child.

He leaned closer to meet the Spectre's furious stare, mocking with a crazed smile.

"You still don't understand what I'm doing. You'll never understand... how powerful I'll become when I succeed."

"Stronger than Barmulodi?" the Spectre asked coldly. No matter how powerful Mandrakk imagined himself, no one in the multiverse could surpass Barmulodi.

"Then thank you... for bringing his wife to me."

Mandrakk sneered.

....

Origin Universe.

Earth.

Late night, early morning. In New York, the night had only just begun. Traffic flowed, and neon lights flickered with vibrant life.

In a dark room of a century-old apartment, Superboy-Prime slept beside his girlfriend. With black hair and a resolute face, even in sleep, he radiated a strong, masculine charm.

Suddenly, his brow twitched. A dream surfaced in his sleeping mind.

"Clark, Superman, the end is coming. The multiverse is on the brink of destruction. Please... help me save my wife!"

A golden figure appeared in his mind, hazy and unclear due to the barrier of the Origin Universe.

Superboy-Prime mumbled, half-dazed.

"You're... Superman? Golden Superman?"

"The Golden Superman from DC One Million? Haven't you been written out of the comics recently?"

"Aren't you done?"

He spoke instinctively.

"No. There's a One God in the multiverse. You..."

Suddenly, the signal began to falter. The Golden Superman's figure blurred, his form turning fuzzy and distorted.

"Damn it!"

Golden Superman cursed, then quickly said to Superboy-Prime:

"You must tell DC Comics to use everything in the multiverse to draw the most powerful Superman. We need to drive the One God out of the multiverse. Watch out for Mandrakk..."

"I don't have much time. I'll use the superhuman peer contact system to send you all the causes and reasons."

"Remember... draw... the strongest... Superman..."

As the voice faded, the blurry image of Golden Superman disappeared. At the same time, a flood of information related to the multiversal Superman surged into Superboy-Prime's mind, beginning to take shape in his consciousness.

"Ah—!"

Suddenly, Superboy-Prime woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat. In the darkness, his naked upper body glistened with moisture, and his breath was heavy with fear.

"Clark, what's wrong? Nightmare?"

His girlfriend, Laurie, stirred from sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she turned on the bedside lamp and looked at him.

She gently touched his back, wiping the sweat from her palm. Her eyes widened in surprise as she kept asking what had happened.

"It's fine. Just go back to sleep."

Superboy-Prime shook his head, though shock still lingered in his eyes.

(To be Continued)