DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

The Planet of Barmulodi.

The entire planet surged with roaring seas and clouds, swirling across the sky. The rippling distortions made it appear as though the scorching summer sun was warping the air, but this wasn't the result of heat distortion. Instead, real cosmic space was being bent and compressed.

Countless universes and infinite dimensions were fusing with divine waves, distorting, shrinking in mass, space, and time, until they converged at an optimal point and condensed into the Planet of Barmulodi.

This entire planet had transitioned from a universe to a singular celestial body.

Every particle of this planet contained a universe.

A single planet now encompassed boundless universes. Within the Realm of Gods, all planets were like this.

Each planet held internal particles, and every particle, every grain of sand, was a universe.

After unsealing Raven and spending some time with her,

Bardi instructed the planetary will, Hera, to manage the newly formed Planet Barmulodi. The planet had already been transformed by the divine wave, and no further adjustments were necessary. The planetary will, Hera, was sufficient to maintain it.

At the peak of a colossal divine mountain, cold winds blew, and white clouds rippled in mist. With Bardi's permission, several guests arrived.

Sun Wukong, Athena, and Thor, the God of Thunder, entered the Planet of Barmulodi.

"I greet the God-King,"

Sun Wukong said with a grin as he streaked across the starry sky, stepping on his somersault cloud to approach Bardi from afar.

Athena, graceful and ethereal, had the demeanor of a fairy from a frozen palace, floating midair with an air of refinement.

Thor descended with the roar of thunder to join Bardi.

Bardi smiled faintly and waved his hand. A table of divine delicacies appeared on the mountaintop. He invited the three to sit and said kindly, "Thank you for your assistance."

Though they had only stalled the situation briefly, and even if they hadn't acted Mandrakk wouldn't have escaped, Bardi still acknowledged their good intentions. He had no need to display the aloofness of a God-King to make them uncomfortable.

After all, he was new to the Realm of Gods and still had much to learn from them.

Athena was visibly surprised. "They say the new One God is a brutal tyrant, as ruthless as Darkseid. But now it seems that's just a rumor."

She smiled, beautiful and radiant, playing her hand in diplomacy.

"How brutal I am to my enemies—I make no apologies for it,"

Bardi said calmly. His gaze was warm and gentle, but Athena felt a chill in her heart.

Sun Wukong clapped his hands. "Well said! You're a good man."

"The old monkey's mission was to recruit you into the god pantheon. But after seeing the Planet of Barmulodi, it's clear you intend to build your own power. In that case, there's no need for my task."

Sun Wukong raised the wine cup from the table and drank boldly.

Bardi had brought his own forces from the multiverse into the Realm of Gods and was establishing an independent faction. There was no way he would join another.

"What a pity. The goddess of Olympus intended to offer herself in marriage to the God-King. With your power stretching in all directions, I had hoped to join your pantheon. But it seems we weren't fated,"

Athena said with mock regret, her expression sultry and her eyes watery with emotion.

Bardi simply smiled. She was beautiful, but it meant little to him.

"Then perhaps our pantheons can at least be allies or friends?"

Thor offered, his expression filled with diplomatic sincerity. He took a step back and suggested collaboration rather than submission.

There was no need for Bardi to join their pantheon. Forming an alliance or partnership was sufficient.

Bardi nodded. "Agreed. I will need to learn about the Realm of Gods, and I could use your help."

The three guests were pleased. They raised their wine glasses and confirmed an initial alliance.

As they drank and talked, Bardi gradually got to know them and began to learn the structure of the Realm of Gods from their mouths.

The Realm of Gods was divided into nine major regions.

Dreamland, Nightmare, Heaven, Hell, New Genesis, Apocalypse, Heavenly City, and the Underworld.

These eight areas were all surrounded by the Spirit Wave Prison, forming the ninth and final part of the Realm. This was the structure of the Realm of Gods.

The Spirit Wave Prison functioned like a speed wall, separating the Realm of Gods from the Monitor Realm.

Outside the Spirit Wave Prison lay the domain of the Monitors. This was where the Monitor race resided, including the prime Monitor himself.

They observed all things in the universe, coveting the center of the Realm of Gods, attempting to infiltrate it. But they were blocked by the Spirit Wave Prison and rendered powerless.

At the outermost edge of the Monitor realm, the Monitors were locked in a continuous battle against the erosion of the Source Wall.

The Source Wall had the power to revert everything to its primordial state. It was the tomb of many Unique Gods, an unspeakably powerful force. Countless powerful beings were sealed there, unable to escape, transformed into fuel for the wall.

Beyond the Source Wall was only the unknown—the unknowable. No one knew what lay beyond it.

All of this, however, was only a general outline.

Sun Wukong, Athena, and Thor were not top-tier beings in the Realm of Gods. As such, their knowledge was limited to non-classified regions.

Truly impactful events in the Realm of Gods were far removed from deities like them.

They were just peripheral figures in the Realm, surviving through power and cooperation, far inferior to immortal Unique Gods.

The difference between a Unique God and a Quasi-Unique God was profound, especially in perception.

Sometimes, a One God could sense things in the Realm that Quasi-Unique Gods never could.

Yet some powerful Quasi-Unique Gods, through wisdom and strength, had managed to establish themselves in the Realm of Gods by forming alliances.

"God-King, you must be careful. The Realm of Gods is not peaceful,"

Sun Wukong warned as he swirled his drink, his words slurring slightly as if drunk. He revealed the true reason behind their visit.

Thor and Athena fell silent, setting down their glasses. The earlier jovial atmosphere faded.

The room grew heavy.

"There's a major crisis in the Realm of Gods. Many gods were dispatched to recruit One Gods to survive the coming catastrophe,"

Thor said with a sigh.

Bardi raised his eyebrows. "What catastrophe?"

"We don't know. We can't know."

"There are things only the One Gods can perceive. Even knowing such things can kill us,"

Athena said, her face pale, a chill in her voice.

Sun Wukong snapped out of his drunken daze, a sudden shiver running through him. Goosebumps covered his skin as if facing a deadly threat.

Bardi studied their faces. Athena, Thor, and Sun Wukong all wore grave, fearful expressions.

He wasn't yet a fully acknowledged Unique God. If it could only be known by Unique Gods, then he was not permitted to know it.

What could it be?

Bardi frowned in silence.

At that moment, a magnificent voice echoed from outside the Planet of Barmulodi, resonating across its entire surface.

"Heavenly Father of New Genesis visits God-King Bardi."

(To be continued.)