DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

Thor's heart froze. He held his breath, restraining his fighting intent. His body was shrouded in thunder and smoke, his face expressionless as he said calmly, "We were just discussing when he would appear. We have no intention of making the first move."

If he didn't show up, they'd go all out in battle.

Thor, the God of Thunder, cursed silently in his heart. Among the many divine peaks of the Heavenly Realm, who didn't know that your grandson, the Monkey King, always smashes heads? It wasn't just once or twice.

Although he cursed internally, Thor still admired this monkey from the bottom of his heart.

Back during the Heavenly Court Incident, Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Celestial Palace, sweeping through the Heavens, defeating Immortals and Buddhas alike. Many gods tried to take advantage of the situation, plotting to annihilate the gods of the Heavenly Court, only to incur the wrath of Sun Wukong.

With just one monkey and one staff, he stood at the Southern Heavenly Gate and directly fought off all the invading gods of war. He even killed several war gods from the Alliance of Gods.

After ten years of relentless assault, the Heavenly Court remained unconquered. In the end, the Alliance of Gods could only retreat to their own divine peaks.

Later, when the Heavenly Court resumed normal operations, Sun Wukong challenged the divine peaks one by one, again with just one monkey and one staff.

From then on, across the Heavenly Realm, all the gods recognized Sun Wukong's reputation. His performance in the Heavenly Court War and the recognition of his title as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven established his strength as equivalent to an entire pantheon. It was a commonly acknowledged prestige.

The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, a being on par with the heavens themselves.

Against such a fierce monkey, Thor felt no desire to fight. It wouldn't be a fair battle, but pure abuse.

The other gods also hurriedly donned their battle armor and gathered their divine power. Their expressions remained calm, showing no fighting intent.

Only Izanagi and Izanami from the Fusang pantheon looked at Sun Wukong with hatred in their eyes. Back when he challenged the gods, it was their pantheon that suffered the most casualties. Their gods nearly perished, leaving behind a blood feud.

"This isn't the time to fight."

"Yes, we're just waiting for his arrival."

"He's already destroyed the multiverse. He'll be here in the Realm of Gods soon enough."

Suddenly, many gods greeted the Great Sage and began chatting leisurely, showing no interest in battle.

Sun Wukong's blazing eyes grew cold. He glanced at the gathered gods, none of whom showed any will to fight. A trace of pity flashed across his face. Not a single one was worth fighting. Such a waste.

Then, his gaze fell on Izanagi and Izanami. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and just as he was about to speak, the two deities immediately looked away in fright, not daring to meet his gaze. They didn't even dare to glance at him from a distance, let alone fight.

Sun Wukong sighed in disappointment. He swept his cold gaze over everyone present, his expression saying "You're all trash." Shaking his head with a sad smile, his fighting spirit slowly faded. Standing suspended in the void, he held his staff and closed his eyes.

Seeing that Sun Wukong didn't start a fight, the gods let out a sigh of relief. If he really wanted to fight, all they could do was run.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the void.

A massive gateway formed, swirling like a vortex. With it came a thunderous soundwave, tearing through space.

A colossal and arrogant figure stepped out, wielding a giant axe. Clad in the bloodstained, dark armor of Apocalypse, he exuded a murderous aura. Behind him followed an army of strange, demon-like beings, bloodthirsty and poised for war.

"Apocalypse!"

Thor's expression changed, and the eyes of many gods turned to the commander of the demon army—Steppenwolf.

Behind Steppenwolf, the demon army stretched endlessly. Their violent and bloodthirsty aura spread across the void.

He stood tall and imposing, a massive axe slung over his shoulder. His blood-red eyes swept contemptuously across the gods. His gaze briefly paused at Sun Wukong before returning to its usual disdain.

"A bunch of trash, get out of my way!"

Steppenwolf's eyes were filled with contempt. The axe on his shoulder exuded a terrifying momentum, shaking many of the gods.

Not to mention the massive demon army behind him, their sheer numbers alone were enough to overwhelm divine power. In the past, Steppenwolf carved territory for Apocalypse by flooding battlefields with infinite demons, burying enemies in a sea of monsters. Once the enemy was defeated, they were turned into demons and became puppets of Apocalypse.

Few enemies had ever survived facing Steppenwolf directly.

His arrogant words stoked the fury of the gods. Their battle armor flickered back into view, and divine energy surged once more.

"If it were Darkseid himself, old Sun might've left quietly."

"But you, Steppenwolf, you're not qualified."

Sun Wukong's eyes blazed. His will surged like fire. His body merged with the heavens and earth, towering across the nine heavens and ten earths. He looked down upon all beings and shouted coldly.

The gods were stunned. They glanced at each other, then instinctively stood behind Sun Wukong, forming a united front.

The gods of the Heavenly Realm had been created by the Quasi-Unique God to resist the Unique God.

Although a Quasi-Unique God was far beneath a Unique God, in terms of power and combat strength, they could still match up.

The difference was that a Quasi-Unique God could die. A Unique God could not.

So even if a Quasi-Unique God surpassed a Unique God in power, they would never provoke them. Because in any conflict, it was always the Quasi-Unique God who would die.

Among Apocalypse's forces, Darkseid had several Unique Gods under his command, and Steppenwolf was one of them. As a military commander of Apocalypse, he waged war across the universe, carrying Darkseid's will into every corner of creation.

"Very well. I'll send you on your way today. As for the heavenly pantheon, I'll step on it another day!"

"You dare oppose Darkseid?"

Steppenwolf grinned cruelly. The giant axe in his hand held the power to cleave through any planet in the Realm of Gods. As he raised it, a monstrous sea of blood erupted. Its overwhelming killing intent had exterminated countless civilizations. It surged with life-devouring ferocity.

The planets in the Realm of Gods were unlike those in the multiverse.

Here, the mass and gravity were abnormal, and all parameters differed from the multiverse. In the Realm of Gods, each planet represented a universe. Which meant Steppenwolf, by cleaving a single planet, could destroy an entire universe.

The gods' expressions darkened. Thor, Athena, and the others looked grim.

Had this truly escalated to a battle against Darkseid?

If the pantheon clashed with Darkseid, they would surely lose—or even perish entirely.

Vaguely, some gods already considered retreat. None of them wanted to get caught in this mess.

"Old Sun has never taken a step back in his life. Let me test the power of a Unique God!"

Sun Wukong gripped his staff. His fiery eyes burned with monstrous will.

Just as war was about to erupt, a black crack suddenly tore open in the wall of Divine Speed.

A Monitor battleship shot out at unparalleled speed.

Behind the ship, a giant hand reached out from the void, large enough to blot out the sky.

(To be continued.)