DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

The gate of Hell was dark and terrifying, stained with divine blood splattered across its surface. It was the blood of the previous Satan, defeated by Lucifer. The dark divine blood glimmered with countless emotions—all negative. Darkness, corrupted energy, seething hatred, destruction of all life, and a desire to drag every being into damnation radiated from the door at all times.

As the two massive, black, and menacing gates slowly opened, the aura spilling out resembled a plague, staining the void black. Waves of bone-chilling screams echoed through the emptiness, spreading terror and overwhelming malice.

Lucifer emerged from the depths beyond the gates of Hell, from the abyss of eternal nothingness.

He walked barefoot, shackles still on his ankles. Darkness coiled around his lower body, while his bare upper torso bore crisscrossed scars. No wings remained on his back, only torn wounds, from which cursed and ominous blood still flowed.

His face was pale, like that of a dying man. Even the smile he forced appeared ghostly, as though he were on the verge of collapse.

Behind Lucifer followed seven beings.

Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium.

"The Endless."

Bardi's eyes flickered. The seven figures following behind Lucifer took him by surprise.

Throughout the realm of the gods, it was believed that the Endless existed at the second stage. No one expected that all seven were first-stage Unique Gods.

More than just first-stage—these were not mere gods. They were concepts.

Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. Seven absolute concepts.

The Endless were mysterious by nature.

Rumor held that they were part of the realm of the gods' foundation itself. They were inextricably linked to the divine order, representing causality, endings, emotion, and the pillars of sentient existence.

They coexisted with the divine realm. They could not be sealed. They could not be slain. They could not be restrained.

To the realm of gods, the Endless were pure, untouchable freedom.

The moment the Endless stepped out behind Lucifer and Bardi laid eyes on them, they dispersed, forming a circle around him.

Destiny opened the Book of Destiny he always held.

Visions of the past, future, and an immense formation spanning time and space unfurled beneath the feet of the Endless, sealing Bardi within.

Bardi remained calm, scanning each of the Endless with cold eyes before settling on the one representing Death.

What caught his attention was her resemblance to Raven in her youth.

She wore a black, sleeveless evening dress, youthful and melancholic. She looked like a young girl in mourning, evoking memories of Raven, yet she was entirely different.

Bardi looked away, ignoring her. His gaze returned to Lucifer.

"So we finally meet, Originator."

Lucifer stepped forward, his weak form swaying like a shadow in the wind. He smiled as he approached Bardi.

"You're mistaken. I'm not the Origin. I am Evolution."

Bardi spoke plainly.

Though he had devoured the Origin, and could now be called the source of all things, he did not inherit it as a vessel. He evolved it, shaped it, integrated it into his being. It was no longer Origin—it was Evolution.

He was the evolution of all existence. The path forward for all things. He would never stop.

The Origin was the past.

Lucifer paused, contemplating the word. He lowered his head and repeated softly, "Evolution... Evolution..." Gradually, his eyes lit up. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he laughed.

"So, what do you want with me?"

Bardi asked coldly. He didn't care that he was surrounded by the Endless. It didn't concern him.

They could not die.

But he was strong.

Strong enough to kill Unique Gods. Even these conceptual entities—the Endless, who would remain free forever as long as the divine realm endured—could be overcome. Bardi could evolve abilities to divide their concepts, robbing them of their essence, weakening them, and forcing them into slumber.

The Origin was him. All things began with him. So what was the origin of a concept? He was.

He was the beginning.

So even before Lucifer and the Endless, Bardi was without fear.

"I know where you stand now. You're planning to go to Heaven, to let them use you, all to protect the Star of Barmulodi."

"But I must tell you, that's not a wise move. I've come to advise you, and invite you to Hell."

Lucifer smiled, polite and gentlemanly, despite the suffocating darkness around him. Though the polluted energy of his aura tainted the starry sky, drained the void of vitality, and made reproduction impossible for unknown life forms, he remained courteous.

"Is that so? I refuse. Move aside."

Bardi's tone was indifferent.

If this was all Lucifer had, it was meaningless. It would not tempt him. What benefit could possibly outweigh the lives on the Star of Barmulodi?

If Lucifer hoped to threaten him with force, he was underestimating him.

Lucifer's smile didn't fade. "I know what you care about."

"Do you see my wings?"

Bardi's divine gaze swept across the void. He had noticed Lucifer's back since the beginning, where torn scars flowed with unknown black blood.

So, where were his wings?

"My wings are on the Star of Barmulodi."

Lucifer said it plainly.

Bardi's expression shifted—but in a flash, he understood.

Highfather had once traded the Mother Box to Bardi, but there had been no sign of Lucifer's wings within. If there had been, even Bardi's former self would have sensed it. Despite not being as powerful back then, he would still have detected the unique power of a One God.

So... the wings were hidden in Trigon.

Only through Trigon could Lucifer's wings be perfectly concealed.

At that time, Bardi lacked the power or reason to open Trigon. He would never have released the chaotic, bloodthirsty madness sealed within. That created the perfect opportunity to hide Lucifer's wings.

Now that he understood, Bardi's face darkened. "What are you planning?"

"To protect you."

Lucifer replied with a gentle smile, still polite.

"The Star of Barmulodi you're so concerned about—I vow to protect it."

"My wings, resting on Barmulodi, will shield every corner of it. No god can pierce my wings to harm your star."

From the moment Lucifer entered the divine realm, had he planned to protect him?

Bardi's face sank.

The Lord of Hell wants to protect me?

Why?

What was Lucifer, the fallen angel who betrayed Heaven, truly after?

The exchange between the two gods took no more than an instant. But in that time, many angels in Heaven had seen Lucifer. Their fury erupted, and their voices rose in condemnation.

"Lucifer, the betrayer, dares to shield the blasphemer!"

(To be continued.)