DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

The Realm of God.

God's face began to gradually dissipate, fragmenting into specks of light, as if all the light present was flowing away, transforming into new universes.

His face dissolving meant his essence, his will, was fading.

Nothing lasts forever. When even one's self gives up, when the conviction that once carried them vanishes, then existence itself, even to the self, becomes meaningless.

The Realm of God howled like a child crying. The heavens collapsed, the universe dimmed, mourning the passing of its former guardian.

Bardi swept his large hand across God's fading face. All of God's essence was vanishing at an accelerated rate, creating new universes and adding to the foundation of the Realm of God.

Everything of God was being used by Bardi to enrich the background of the Realm.

The multiverse began to be reborn.

The filth from the Abyss of Hell in the Realm began to reappear.

The former heavens, once ravaged by both God and the great beast without warning, began to radiate new energy.

At this moment, the Realm of God had undergone a rebirth, full of vigor and vitality.

At the last moment, a faint smile appeared on God's fading face.

As his final breath was about to vanish, the Realm of God reached completion.

Bardi made a move, tapping God's final true spirit, stabilizing it, and gently sending it to the nascent multiverse.

There, he would be reborn. He would reflect on his past, perhaps encounter someone as real as himself, and become a teacher, a friend, or even an enemy.

"Ahhhh... why did you let him live?!"

A small black speck suddenly leapt out of Bardi's body, forming into a plump little black cat.

"You know this was his backup plan, that he's no match for you. He knows he can only move forward by retreating, surrendering his divine power, preserving a sliver of true spirit, and waiting for a comeback."

"This guy is definitely going to return. He's manipulated your heart!"

"Ah ah ah ah—!!"

The little black cat was furious.

It was clear that God could have been eliminated completely. Yet, he relinquished his power and crafted a way to survive, infuriating the great beast.

This cat was the last true spirit left behind by the beast.

Bardi had not devoured all of the beast's true spirits. In fact, he didn't need to. This particular spirit might corrupt his own true uniqueness.

Whether it was God or the beast's true spirit, they were neither necessary nor important to Bardi.

Moreover, in the future, their true spirits might protect the Realm of God and many other beings. It would be a waste to destroy them.

"Always leave a path for the future."

Bardi replied with a smile. His gaze seemed to peer into the future, seeing a dragon stumble forward. Though he couldn't help it directly, God's spirit could.

How could God's true spirit resist someone like Bardi?

Whether God or the beast, both were searching and exploring.

"You go too."

Bardi flicked the little black cat off his shoulder with a finger, pointing toward the multiverse.

"I'm not going."

The little cat clung tightly to Bardi's shoulder and stubbornly refused to leave with God.

Bardi let it be. It didn't matter either way.

Then, he looked toward the Realm of God.

The entire realm was bursting with life, radiating infinite vitality and a breath of creation.

Bardi smiled warmly. With a light touch, the entire Realm of God rippled like a blurred mirror. All of the past reflected in Bardi's eyes.

He saw himself again at the beginning of everything—a sliver of true spirit falling into this world, protected by the Hand of Time, landing on Krypton in a distant universe.

It had all begun there.

Someone had given him a start, and he had lived up to it, shouldering the burden of protecting everything.

Then came the failed uprising on Krypton, his escape, arrival on Earth, capture by General Vic, use of Jenny in the underground base, escape, his time in Gotham, encounters with Pamela, Metropolis, Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, Raven, Superman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and more. The magical sights and wonders along the way all told the story of his rise to power.

But the past was the past. Bardi had no ties to it. The past and future were not the same as the present.

He was here. Right now.

The weakness of the past was proof of his growth.

He looked upon his past calmly.

He saw the Architect crushing the Star of Barmulodi. The sadness in his wife's eyes lingered in his memory.

In the next moment, Bardi shattered the past.

He didn't interfere with it, but the Star of Barmulodi, and the wives within it—he would save them.

In that instant, it was broken—not resurrected, but completely rescued.

That period of time became an untraceable shadow, a flaw in the Realm of God, a point of vulnerability.

Bardi sensed the warning signs.

If he were to rescue the Star of Barmulodi in this way, it would create a major opening in the Realm of God, drawing the greed of pretenders.

In the distant white void, three powerful auras halted.

"What a pity. We're too late. God foresaw the final result. He's merged with the Realm of God and can no longer be devoured."

"This aura, while on our level, doesn't feel like God."

"Could there be a newcomer who surpassed God?"

"Impossible."

"It's a shame we missed the chance."

The three powerful wills—each god-level—sighed in disappointment. Then they noticed a gradually emerging gap in the Realm of God, an irreversible flaw.

"This is... haha..."

"Our reward has come."

"The newly born one is so foolish that he created an irreversible flaw in the Realm."

The three turned excitedly toward the Realm of God, preparing to greedily harvest it.

"Get lost."

A deafening voice thundered from the Realm, and white ripples trembled.

The three wills paused.

"You, newcomer. Surrender this realm."

"I only need a quarter."

"You can keep a quarter."

"Otherwise, if there's a fight, this realm will be destroyed, and none of us will get even a tenth."

One will arrogantly tried to allocate shares.

Three against one—no matter what, they would win. There was no need to fear the newly born one in the Realm.

Even the former God was beaten so badly he could only retreat and continue devouring others to survive and protect the Realm.

"Arrogant. I swear, if you dare to demand the will of this field, no matter how many of you come, I will kill you first."

"Then I will perish with one of you."

"Come if you dare."

"Let's see who laughs last, and who's left to collect my broken remains."

Bardi sneered coldly, swearing his resolve.

Did these three really think they were God?

God was beaten by them, yes. But he had endured it for the sake of protecting the Realm.

Bardi, however, had surpassed God. In terms of true uniqueness, he was above any of these three wills.

Even if he couldn't kill all three, he could definitely take down two.

Bardi could not tolerate this humiliation, nor accept their threat.

If they came, he would meet them.

He could kill a will, or die with one.

It depended on who among them dared to go first, to face death.

"…"

The first will that issued the threat fell silent.

This newly born will was clearly stronger than any of them.

To charge forward blindly would end badly. The other two wouldn't stop it and might even be glad to see it fall.

What's more... it felt strangely similar to the Pillar of Time—the one who had beaten him down before.

The one who escaped after the fight... the one none of them dared to chase...

Could it be the same person?

"This is ridiculous. You've just ascended to this level. And you think you can kill me?"

"Your will is doomed."

The other two wills lashed out.

After all, they weren't the ones being targeted. Better the first guy dies, and they get a bigger share.

Even if Bardi perished with one of them, they were confident it wouldn't be them.

At their level, how easy was it to die? They knew their own strength.

The will that first threatened hesitated for a moment, then turned and fled, not even bothering to test the waters. It vanished into the vast white void beyond the Realm.

The remaining two wills fell silent.

If they could trust one another, it would be different. But...

They could never truly cooperate.

In the end, the alliance of three split apart in an instant. It would be impossible to attack the Realm of God again.

Not unless they could defeat Bardi one-on-one.

Above the Realm, Bardi's massive face formed. His gaze was sharp and distant, locked onto the positions where the three had retreated, revealing a subtle, knowing smile.

The three wills felt a sudden chill.

Their positions had been exposed. That new will might test them soon.

A long moment passed before Bardi, having marked their locations, allowed his massive face to fade from the Realm.

His anger receded.

Bardi slowly withdrew all of his power, and the Realm of God gradually calmed.

The Star of Barmulodi reappeared within the Realm.

It had been fully restored by Bardi.

He descended to the Star of Barmulodi.

With a hint of nostalgia and sorrow in his eyes, he set foot on the land once more.

"Wheee! Come catch me…"

The spirit of existence, Kanna, joyfully rode a golden cosmic dolphin across the skies of Barmulodi, her laughter ringing like bells. Behind her, a yellow light trailed as the parallax sorceress Tohru shouted angrily, vowing to smash Kanna's head, chasing her across the sky.

Spotting Bardi, Kanna circled around him once on her dolphin before flying off again. Tohru greeted Bardi with an arrogant nod, then continued her pursuit.

General Ott, leading his legion, saluted Bardi.

The people of Barmulodi cheered. To them, Bardi was a figure of faith. They were not disappointed. Even in death, their faith had saved them.

In the palace of Barmulodi, Pamela sat atop a massive flower, waving to Bardi.

Faora was training the new Kryptonian warriors. She greeted Bardi with a raised brow.

Jenny was busy handling various issues related to the Lantern Corps, particularly a few unruly lantern beasts. As soon as she sensed Bardi's return, she soared into the sky, drew a glowing heart in the air, and exploded a brilliant firework.

Raven approached from afar. Seeing Bardi, her face lit up with joy. She walked up beside him, sensing a weariness within him. She rested her head on his shoulder and gently held his hand.

"I'm here, Bardi."

(The End.)