DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

In an instant, a word that struck terror in the hearts of even gods was spoken from the Wall of Origin.

An indescribable calling frequency was transmitted immediately. It passed through the Wall of Origin, penetrated the thin prison layer where all memory-based matter would disintegrate, and entered the Divine Realm, shaking it to its very foundations with divine resonance.

The vast, mysterious realm of the gods seemed to pause for a moment.

Dreamland. Heaven. New Genesis. The Heavenly Realm. Nightmare. Hell. And the One Gods across the stars of Apokolips—each and every face changed dramatically.

Shock rippled through the entire pantheon.

"Who dares to call..."

Lucifer, emerging from the depths of Hell, looked up from the abyss. His pale face twisted in horror, pupils wide with fear, as black blood seeped from the wings on his back.

"Who dares to call upon My Lord!"

In Heaven, Michael gripped the Holy Spear, his expression filled with fury.

The Great Artisan God manifested in Heaven, his expression solemn. The Star of Barmulodi hovered in his palm. His eyes looked far into the distance, toward the Wall of Origin.

"Damn it. Not yet."

"This isn't the time!"

"No. This must not proceed!"

"Fate has not yet declared itself!"

A great quake shook the Divine Realm. Countless unique divine minds surged into riot. The waves of divinity churned violently across the realm.

Planets trembled. Universes shattered. The tides of the Divine Realm surged endlessly.

It was as if a slumbering giant had begun to stir—slowly lifting its eyelids and brushing away the dust of time.

In the realm of gods, a translucent figure moved—cloaked in green.

"Someone speaks... the unspeakable."

His spectral face changed drastically.

He was the Spirit of God's Wrath and Vengeance—tasked with judging the world, punishing the wicked, and purging sin from the realm of the divine.

And now, something deep within his soul trembled, compelled to respond.

God must not awaken.

"I should not be named... Aaghh—!"

The figure screamed, blood of cursed darkness spurting from his five senses. A ray of divine light shot from him, piercing the heavens, headed straight for the Wall of Origin.

That divine light streaked across the void, momentarily calming the Realm of the Gods.

The strange, sleeping giant of the realm slowly began to settle once more. The tremors ceased.

Many of the One Gods, shaken to their cores, gradually fell silent.

Only Heaven remained restless.

Deep within the Wall of Origin—in the raging tide of Origin.

Within Bardi's body, violent conflict raged. Light and darkness. Beginning and end. Creation and destruction. Waves of opposing frequencies, whispers, calls, and echoes clashed inside him.

It was as if a star-core bomb had been planted in his body. Blood vessels ruptured, divine blood sprayed, and his divine body cracked apart.

Yet Bardi's expression remained blank. His eyes were bottomless voids. As though his body was no longer his own, he endured in silence as the two opposing forces surged through him.

The summoning power of God, and the monstrous power of the Beast, churned violently in his being. But in the end, they canceled each other out—transforming into raw evolutionary data, feeding his divine evolution.

Slowly, it all settled.

The gifts from the Beast and the summoning voice of God collided, clashed, and vanished. Bardi regained full control of his divine form—now with new resistances and antibodies.

A Beast's resistance.

A God's antibody.

He exhaled slowly.

As expected—because of the Beast's whisper within him, the summoning of God would not kill him.

In fact, the Beast helped him resist the call, and the two forces neutralized each other. What remained was pure information—powerful enough to evolve him further.

"You didn't even die!"

Yuga Khan's pupils widened. His expression was filled with disbelief and confusion.

Ordinary gods—just thinking of those two entities, much less naming them—would shatter and vanish. Their divine imprint would be erased from memory, from all records and thought. A death beyond death.

Bardi didn't bother answering.

Then came the light—a manifestation of creation. The Spectre arrived, descending along the corridor opened by the dimensional universe, arriving at the Wall of Origin.

But this time, he looked like a true ghost. Blood of cursed darkness leaked from his face. His green cloak was tattered. His presence, terrifying.

"...Stop..."

The Spectre opened his mouth. Black, cursed blood flowed down from his lips. His red-black eyes, bleeding, stared at the scene—at Bardi, Yuga Khan, and the Origin. And he knew immediately what had transpired.

Bardi, quick-witted, had already finished clashing the Beast's whisper and God's voice. The resulting evolution had passed. He now stood in full control once again.

But as he looked at the Spectre, Bardi fell silent.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have minded if the net had broken and the fish had died. Awaken God, and let the battle rage. That was part of the plan.

But even if God didn't awaken, at the very least, the Great Artisan God should have been the one to respond—to stop him.

Not… the Spectre.

Because the Spectre… was far too weak.

Bardi's face was blank. Expressionless. Quiet.

"Hahahahaha... this is your backup plan? This?!"

Yuga Khan burst into uncontrollable laughter. Bardi fell further into silence.

What—did you expect the Spectre to beat Yuga Khan?

Yes, the Spectre was the Spirit of God's Wrath and Vengeance. Yes, he judged the wicked. Yes, he punished sin.

But how much of God's Wrath did he truly wield?

Back when Bardi was only in the third stage, the Spectre couldn't beat him. Now, Bardi was a second-stage One God. The Spectre didn't stand a chance.

Against Yuga Khan—an elder second-stage One God?

The Spectre was nothing.

"Yuga Khan! You would break the ultimate taboo!"

The Spectre's face twisted. He instantly understood everything.

To imprison Barmulodi—and then try to devour Origin? Blasphemy beyond comprehension.

The one who had imprisoned countless One Gods would never tolerate such destruction.

But seeing Yuga Khan's savage grin and dark eyes, the Spectre flinched again. He had rushed in too fast. He had made a mistake.

"Barmulodi! Let me borrow your body!"

The Spectre attempted to fuse with Bardi, seeking to unleash their combined might.

He possessed a powerful ability—despite his own weaknesses. As God's Wrath, he could merge with others and unleash strength beyond their limits. One plus one could become far more than two.

But those who merged with him never ended well.

"Get lost."

Bardi shut him down without hesitation.

He had just endured God's voice and the Beast's whisper. Why would he let another aspect of divine wrath invade his body?

And so—

He stood still, watching as the cursed, blood-stained Spectre was ruthlessly crushed by Yuga Khan. Flattened. His form turned to haze. He vomited blood, then more.

Finally, Yuga Khan slammed him into a ball and kicked him aside.

"HAHAHAHA! So this is what you brought to stop me? I'll take Origin with a smile!"

Yuga Khan laughed maniacally. He stomped the Spectre a few more times, then focused his power.

The dimensional universe, still draining Bardi's divine energy, formed a massive axe in Yuga Khan's hands.

He raised it high—then slashed at Origin.

"I still don't believe you'll get it."

Bardi glanced coldly at the balled-up Spectre.

Honestly, why is God's Wrath… so weak?

"I said I'd have Origin! I will become Supreme!"

Yuga Khan roared, his monstrous axe descending.

Then suddenly—

Origin surged.

It shifted into a humanoid wave of light.

It raised a hand and caught the axe between its fingers.

"He was right."

(To be continued.)