DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

A corner of the realm of the gods.

Darkness reigned eternal. The cold never faded. The starry sky shimmered with brilliance, yet carried a fatal, sublime beauty.

Here, the void had collapsed. Darkness sunk in. The void flowed like sand, like a pit of quicksand in a desert.

A piece of this space had been dug out.

A planet was stolen.

This place was originally the location of the Star of Barmulodi.

Some gods discovered the star hidden within the Mother Box, exerted great power, and extracted it—along with the surrounding starry sky. Even space could not resist, forming a spectacle: a void of flowing quicksand.

Bardi stood stalwart in the void. His expression was calm, but his eyes were cold, rage burning deep within.

All that belonged to him—his many wives, subordinates, and friends on the Star of Barmulodi—was sacred.

And now, they were likely being used as bargaining chips to blackmail him. This infuriated him.

Bardi's towering figure flickered with killing intent. He simply reached out and, with a single swipe of his hand, smoothed the void quicksand pit—like wiping away a small dirt mark. The entire multiverse-level void pit flattened.

Light and shadow surged. The Star of Barmulodi reappeared in the void.

"Go back in time."

He used the supreme power of the One God to rewind time, reversing cause and effect within this area to see what had happened.

Suddenly—

He saw the Star of Barmulodi trembling under the protection of the Mother Box. Hera struggled to maintain its defenses. Raven looked to the sky with concern and activated the star array. Poison Ivy rose into the air to shield the Temple of Barmulodi. Faora led their subordinates into formation. Every corner of the planet brimmed with the tension of an impending war.

But they could not see their enemy.

Only a massive blue hand, immense enough to blot out the sky, descended. In that hand, the Star of Barmulodi was no more than a marble.

The giant blue hand excavated the entire void, seized the Star of Barmulodi, and extended it toward Heaven.

Time came to an abrupt halt.

"Architect."

Bardi turned his head coldly, his eyes piercing through the void toward Heaven.

Heaven was hazy. The holy light blurred its form. Prayers drifted from within, singing of joy, goodness, and grace. Even gods who gazed upon it felt a sense of calm, of unprecedented detachment.

"Who dares to peer into Heaven?"

A gatekeeping angel glared, lifting his chin and shouting with disdain, full of contempt.

Heaven, high above, sacred and inviolable, had always been a place of peace, holiness, and awe. No god dared profane it.

Now, someone was watching it with malice. To the gatekeeping angel, this was blasphemy against their Lord.

To be stationed at Heaven's gate meant the guardian angel was no weakling. He released divine light, pierced the void, and unleashed a radiance capable of purifying all evil and destroying the cosmos. He struck at the intruder.

Bardi snorted coldly and flicked his finger. The divine light shot forth by the gatekeeper rebounded, now even more powerful and destructive.

The guardian angel was stunned. He had not expected a god to strike back. The reflected divine light, now amplified by Bardi, struck him violently. He let out a miserable scream as he was knocked into the gates of Heaven with a thunderous crash.

"Enemy attack!!!"

A massive gash appeared on his chest. Bone shattered. His organs were torn. Even divine regeneration failed to help. Holy blood flowed like light. He screamed in terror.

He had nearly died just now.

The assailant was powerful.

"Who?!"

"Which god dares assault the Church?"

"Who blasphemes our Lord!"

Instantly, countless divine auras rose from the once-peaceful Heaven. Legions gathered.

Bardi watched the waves of powerful auras rise. Many were One Gods in the first stage. His eyes narrowed with intensity.

He could have crushed the gatekeeper angel with ease. But since the Grand Architect held his wives, subordinates, and the Star of Barmulodi, Bardi chose to let the guardian live—to demonstrate his strength.

Bardi knew clearly, now that the Grand Architect had taken his people and home, it was to manipulate him, to use him for some greater plan.

But Bardi was no coward.

He had the strength to defy Heaven and challenge stronger powers.

He also had the perseverance to rise again, even after being trampled into the earth.

He could be arrogant, having slain One Gods, commanding dominance and scorn for the world.

And he could endure humiliation, accept the pain of being forced down.

So long as his people—his wives, his subordinates, the citizens, the Star of Barmulodi—were unharmed, he would keep going forward, no burden too heavy for his heart.

From Krypton, to Earth, to now the realm of the gods, his resolve had never changed.

Heaven had seven layers. All seven were visible, though beyond them, cloaked in divine light, nothing could be seen.

On the first level, angels were stationed. They managed the stars and weather in the realm of gods, acting in God's name. At that moment, from this layer, the angel Gabriel slowly rose.

Gabriel had one hundred and forty dazzling wings. Her divine form was ethereal, radiant, with features resembling a divine feminine figure.

The second level was ruled by Archangel Raphael. Here, rebellious angels and gods who disobeyed the Lord were imprisoned forever, unable to leave.

Now, Raphael rose from this second layer. The breath of the majestic Tree of Life accompanied him. His appearance radiated peace, as though capable of curing all blasphemy and resistance.

The third level was governed by Uriel, known as the "Flame of God." This realm, called the Emotional Heaven, was the endpoint for all emotions. Uriel had the ability to strip emotion from beings, making this place feared even by gods.

Uriel had the appearance of a furious angel. Once responsible for burning the sinful in Hell, he had been driven out when Lucifer took over, and now ruled the third level of Heaven.

The fourth level belonged to Archangel Michael. Jerusalem, the Holy City, and divine relics resided here. It was home to all wise and sacred beings recorded in the Book of Revelation.

Michael had flowing golden hair, a divine sword in his left hand, and a red cross in his right. He stood atop the body of a giant dragon.

The fifth level held the souls of all martyrs, guarded by Sariel.

Sariel's face was serene and cold. Stars shimmered behind him like the rising moon.

The sixth level had no guardian. It was the place where all angels learned. Guardians were unnecessary.

But now, following the call of "enemy attack," seventeen first-stage One Gods rose from here, their gazes furious.

The seventh level, it was said, was the closest to the Lord. A place full of glory. The base camp of the Angelic Legion. This was also where the Grand Architect resided. The Spectre also had access here, though he had never entered.

The Grand Architect had yet to appear, but Bardi believed he was watching everything.

Heaven's power was overwhelming.

Its famous angels were all first-stage One Gods. The seventeen on the sixth level added to that.

And faintly, Bardi could sense even more presences. At least ten more first-stage One Gods yet to appear.

In total, Heaven possessed at least thirty first-stage Unique Gods.

What did that mean?

Put it this way.

Darkseid, even in the third stage, had spread fear across the divine realms. Gods trembled before his name.

Darkseid's own father, Morgan, was a second-stage powerhouse, yet even he fell short compared to a first-stage Unique God.

And Heaven had nearly thirty of them.

That was enough to dominate the entire divine realm. Yet they remained secluded in Heaven.

Bardi dared say he was among the strongest of the first-stage One Gods. After all, he had killed One Gods. The only beings capable of that were him and the Monitor. And even the Monitor wasn't as efficient as he was.

But even so, facing over thirty Unique Gods at once made even him wary.

Still, he believed no battle would happen now.

Because everything was in the hands of the Grand Architect, and the Architect needed to drive him.

Bardi's eyes were cold. Even under the pressure of more than twenty One Gods, his expression remained firm and fearless.

He would not yield to blackmail over the Star of Barmulodi.

Just as Bardi was preparing to ascend Heaven alone, he paused.

In front of him, the void trembled. A gate to Hell opened.

A dark figure stepped out.

"Lucifer."

(To be continued.)