DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

In the divine realm, the void was silent. All gods and mortals stood with mouths agape, eyes wide with horror as they stared into the sky.

Bardi's colossal figure, like a living epic, stood tall in the divine realm. Every planet, every universe, every stretch of void—anywhere there were beings, eyes, or souls—they could all perceive his presence from different perspectives.

He existed within all things.

All things began with him.

He walked through the void. His head seemed to loom above the boundless divine realm, reaching its apex. His face was expressionless, and his gaze carried a faint indifference.

The stars were unworthy of orbiting him.

The universe had no strength to serve him.

Time had no power to record him.

The divine realm trembled and cracked under the weight of his presence.

The gods of Heaven sensed that a great calamity was upon them. They raised their heads and stared in terror. No matter which direction they looked, even if they closed their eyes or shut their minds in fear, they could still see the beginning of all things—Bardi's indifferent face.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

"How could it be him?!"

"Father… Lord…"

"I don't believe it… I don't believe it!!!"

"No!!!!!"

The angels saw in Bardi the radiance of the past, the glory of yesteryears, the shadow of the former Lord, and the figure of the Father.

Many angels screamed and wailed. Some could not bear the heartbreak. It was not possible that someone could resemble the Father and the Lord so closely. They refused to believe it. Heaven itself resounded with defiant cries, trying to preserve in death their loyalty to the one true Lord, the Father they cherished in their hearts.

The old image branded in their hearts could not be replaced. They refused to accept this new symbol. They didn't want to look upon Bardi again, but each glance etched more of his likeness into their hearts, slowly erasing the memory of their former Lord.

"Take up arms and defend the glory of the Lord!"

Michael wept bitterly. He watched as Bardi walked through the void, hands at his sides, his vast face filling Michael's vision. The forgotten Lord pierced his heart. Tears streamed down as he cried out.

He wept profusely, yet still raised his cross-shaped sword with courage, shouting his vow to protect the faith within his heart unto death.

The higher angels wept tears of blood. One by one, they lifted their weapons, rallying their resolve.

The end had come. They could not wait for it.

To die defending the faith in their hearts was their destiny as angels.

But to be stripped of that destiny, to have their faith in the Lord and the Father ripped away, was too cruel a fate.

Too many angels lost control. Too many collapsed to the ground and sobbed. Too many were driven to madness, caught between crying and laughter.

This was the end.

When everything is forgotten, this is the end.

"Who else remembers my family? Raven, Pamela, Faora, Diana, Jenny, Hera…"

"I sacrificed all my subordinates on Krypton, gave up Faora, and failed to save Krypton."

"I traveled into the past, risking the collapse of all order, just to save Jenny, who loved me and became a monster for me."

"I fell into endless inner demons, consumed by nightmares I couldn't escape from my past life. But it was my wife Raven who pulled me through the haze and saved me from that nightmare."

"I will never forget Hera, the artificial intelligence who always stood by me, who accompanied me through 1,723,821 reincarnations in August, through over 140,000 years of loneliness."

"Does anyone remember them?"

"No!"

"Only I do!"

"I am the end, the beginning, the progress, and the conclusion."

"I am the Trinity."

"I have everything!"

A faint smile appeared on Bardi's once-indifferent face. His wives were still here, and so was he.

His eyes moistened. The memories flooded his heart like a stream of light, warming him with the presence of his loved ones.

A single tear from a god slid from the corner of his eye into the void.

"How could I allow them to suffer injustice?"

The smile on Bardi's calm face turned ruthless, a terrifying sight to the gods.

With his left hand, he raised Hell, then hurled it forward. The massive realm of Hell crashed down toward Heaven.

The bright skies of Heaven were immediately cast into shadow. The terrifying silhouette of Hell enveloped the heavens. The descent of Hell brought with it an immense, suffocating pressure, threatening to strike down upon Heaven.

Some angels screamed in madness, unable to withstand the crushing pressure from Bardi and the choking force of Hell. They believed Heaven was about to be destroyed, and were the first to return to the Lord's embrace.

Some angels looked directly at Bardi's face, only for their divine bodies to twist in madness, transforming into unrecognizable masses of flesh.

Some gods could no longer control the wrath of the angels and began to flee in terror.

Boom…

The base of Hell was stained crimson with rage. It was as though a tiny human were standing beneath a meteorite large enough to wipe out the dinosaurs.

A sense of insignificance and helplessness spread through the heart of every angel.

Suddenly, a pair of massive blue hands stretched out from the highest level of Heaven.

The Architect had emerged.

The supreme builder under God's command, who once used the Source to create all things in the divine realm.

Those massive blue hands, gentle as a mother, cradled Hell like a clear spring.

Hell halted abruptly.

The Architect held it in place, supporting it.

The terrified expressions of the angels turned to hope. The sound of war echoed in the distance.

Seeing those blue hands, Bardi lightly flicked his right hand through the void, opening the particle universe and releasing all the gods.

The sky was filled. The void became dense with figures. Generation after generation of gods, once imprisoned by the angels and fused to the Wall of Origin, now stood grim-faced, eyes red, staring toward Heaven.

"Kill them!"

Bardi gave the ruthless command. The gods surged forward in the void like a swarm of bees, blotting out the sky.

Light and savage darkness clashed on both sides.

From time to time, giant godly bodies fell. Angel wings were torn apart. Divine bodies exploded in the heavens.

In the chaos, the many gods who had once been imprisoned by angels unleashed their hatred upon this so-called paradise.

Blood soaked the heavens. The once-white light became tainted with crimson and evil.

Some of the gods once sealed to the Wall of Origin looked up and laughed, pleased to have trapped others of equal power, laughing in joy at their own liberation.

Bardi's eyes remained indifferent. From time to time, gods bearing angel-level seals approached him, only to be purified and slain in an instant. The freed gods left the battlefield singing.

Realizing they were truly free, the gods became even more frenzied and unrestrained. No place in all of Heaven was untouched by war. The killing reached new heights, and blood filled the void.

Bardi moved.

His immense hand reached for the Architect.

To the shock of all gods, that great hand, like one reaching from beyond the heavens, touched the Architect. Under the stunned expression in the Architect's eyes, his body shattered into fragments. The resulting shockwave spread across Heaven, sending angels tumbling apart.

Not even the supreme builder under God's command could withstand a single finger from Bardi.

Bardi had no intention of questioning this fool about why he killed his wife.

No god could stop Hell. And now, Hell resumed its descent.

The angels' mental states completely collapsed. Many abandoned resistance altogether, crying out, begging for the Lord to appear and save them.

Boom…

At the moment Hell was about to strike Heaven.

The Divine Well of Waves in Heaven erupted violently, spewing divine waves that surged toward Hell, crashing upward to meet it.

(To be continued.)