DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

In an instant, Bardi's heart was thrown into chaos, as if a river had been overturned.

A voice appeared in his mind, terrifying and dreadful.

Even with his current mastery over his body and the power of a One God, he was still invaded mentally. That alone showed how horrifying this was.

This was a behemoth that represented darkness.

Bardi's cold face turned grim.

He didn't dare respond. A sudden invasion of his spiritual realm—if answered—would allow this dark giant to take hold of him, corrupt him, and twist him into something no longer himself.

At that moment, he finally understood why Darkseid had said the Realm of the Gods would be destroyed.

The Giant Beast definitely had the power to destroy the Realm of the Gods.

The Giant Beast was absolutely capable of killing a One God completely.

To it, the One God was likely nothing more than food.

Bardi now understood why so many unique gods were terrified—afraid to speak or speculate.

Because even thinking or uttering the name or symbol of the Giant Beast would invoke it. The beast would then invade the mind, corrupt the soul, and possibly consume the victim.

It was utterly horrifying. Bardi felt his body stiffen instinctively. A dark chill rose from his spine. His back was soaked in sweat.

Instantly, Bardi began clearing his mind. With a forceful sweep, he wiped out every thought unrelated to himself.

But even so, it was already too late.

"It entered through latitude and dimension? Hm? A strange little creature!"

In an instant, the voice of the Giant Beast passed through Bardi's memory. Everything—his past life, his present self—was exposed.

It was as if a cold bucket of water had been dumped over Bardi's head. His heart froze, and his body was covered in goosebumps.

From the moment the Giant Beast's voice entered his mind, Bardi had already begun acting—cleansing and resisting the voice. Yet, he was still too slow.

The Giant Beast swept through his memories as if flipping through a book. It knew he was a reincarnator. It knew he was different from the beings of this world.

Bardi couldn't stop the tremble in his heart, but he suppressed the overwhelming fear.

He narrowed his pupils. His will turned into a blade, and with a mirror-like mind, he forcibly expelled the presence of the Giant Beast.

Bardi moved swiftly to purge his mind. Still, he could not prevent the beast from scanning his thoughts and speaking one last time.

"A gift for you, lucky little one!"

Just as Bardi was about to cut off the voice, the Giant Beast's cheerful tone vanished—dissolving like a drop of water into his mind, then deeper, into his body.

The voice disappeared entirely.

Bardi's expression sank. He felt a change in his body. It wasn't an increase in strength, but rather the emergence of unfamiliar functions or abilities.

This indescribable power made Bardi feel an ominous dread.

Now he understood clearly why so many unique gods didn't dare to speak or even think lightly. He had paid the price for his careless imagination.

That price was the sound of the Giant Beast being embedded in his body, something unknown and uncontrollable.

It had only taken a flicker of thought. Just thinking the Giant Beast's name had summoned it to his mind.

This was only the voice of the Giant Beast, and yet its power was immense.

He couldn't begin to imagine what kind of power it truly possessed. Existing beyond countless dimensions, it could destroy everything.

Perhaps only that one could stop it.

"Damn it!"

Bardi's face turned cold and pale. He didn't dare think of who that one might be. He didn't dare to imagine any other divine names recklessly.

At this moment, Bardi finally understood that within the Realm of the Gods, when it came to levels of power, his place was far from the top.

Among One Gods, there were essentially five tiers.

The fifth tier, the lowest, included Highfather's sons—Orion, Lightray, Avia, Big Barda, Mister Miracle—and other New Genesis followers. Steppenwolf, Granny Goodness, Desaad, Glorious Godfrey, and Kalibak of Apokolips were also in this tier. Some of these could defeat or seal quasi-unique gods.

For example, Sun Wukong possessed power at this level, capable of defeating many unique gods, though he was not a One God himself.

The fourth tier included figures like Trigon, Inner Dragon, various demon lords of Hell, Fairy King Oberon, Krypton's god Aura, the god of Mars, Santa Claus, and many other unique gods. These One Gods had their own realms of power and status, often ruling their own factions.

The third tier included Bardi, Highfather, and Darkseid. However, Darkseid was clearly stronger. If Bardi and Highfather were considered mid-third-tier, then Darkseid was late-third-tier—one sublevel higher.

The second tier included Yuga Khan, Darkseid's father, who could easily overpower Darkseid. Also in this tier were the Endless: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. These entities generally remained hidden near the Source Wall and did not involve themselves with the Realm of the Gods.

The first tier included the creator of the Monitor race, the origin of the Source Wall. Gabriel, Lucifer, and other powerful celestial servants of God also resided at this level.

And finally, the zero tier, which could not even be ranked, was where The Presence and the Giant Beast existed.

Apokolips.

The atmosphere remained dead silent, but a suffocating madness radiated from Bardi.

Everything—from the Giant Beast's voice, to its invasive sweep, to its parting words—had taken place in an instant. Merely a single thought.

Suddenly, Darkseid's eyes widened. He stood from the throne abruptly, his movements dispersing the clouds above him in explosive waves.

"You dared to imagine that being's existence!!!"

Darkseid roared in fury at Bardi. His voice boomed across Apokolips. His body surged into the sky, and from his eyes, Omega Beams erupted violently toward Bardi.

War was imminent.

(To be continued.)