DC : The Template System

Nina stiffened slightly as another Boom Tube opened before her,and out stepped Darkseid.

A towering titan of muscle, he floated forward calmly before stopping in front of her, his presence alone suffocating.

"Who are you?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

Nina smirked faintly. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"No matter," Darkseid replied.

What happened next was almost imperceptible.

Pure instinct took over as Nina's last Truth-Seeking Orb surged forward, rapidly expanding into a shield just as Darkseid's fist,coated in crimson Omega energy,came crashing toward her.

The shield shattered like glass on impact.

Nina barely managed to raise her arms in time as the punch continued forward, slamming into her guard. The force was overwhelming.

She was sent hurtling toward Earth like a rocket.

Her vision blurred as she tore through the atmosphere, reaching the ground within seconds. The moment she crashed, the earth erupted,forming a massive crater as debris blasted outward in all directions. A thunderous boom echoed across the battlefield.

For a moment… there was silence.

Then,a sonic boom split the air as Nina shot out of the crater just in time. Darkseid descended immediately after, both feet slamming into the exact spot she had been.

The ground exploded on impact.

A violent tremor rippled outward, cracking the earth for miles as the sheer force shook everything around them.

Nina skidded across the ground before finally stopping. She gritted her teeth, steadying her trembling arms. Burns marked her skin,healing, but far too slowly.

Only one thought echoed in her mind.

He's a monster… an absolute monster. I really have no choice.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Nina crossed her arms.

A surge of power erupted from her as a blue aura burst around her body, cracking the ground beneath her feet.

The Seventh Gate,open.

But she didn't stop there,forcing her chakra inward, she drove it violently toward her heart. With a sharp jab into her chest,opening the final gate.

The blue aura bled into a deep, violent red.

"Eight Gates Formation… open!" Nina shouted.

She bent her legs and vanished in a blur, the ground exploding behind her.

Meanwhile, in Nevada.

The aftereffects of Nina's attack had only just faded when a faint tremor rippled through the ground, leaving everyone momentarily puzzled.

Cyborg's eyes widened.

"He's attempting to open Boom Tubes to different parts of the world!" he said urgently.

Superman didn't hesitate. "Do it. We stick to the plan,bring them here."

Cyborg nodded and immediately got to work, hijacking the Boom Tube destinations.

The sky above them began to crackle.

One… two… three…

Ten massive Boom Tubes tore open the heavens.

From them, Paradooms poured out,thousands upon thousands,spilling from the sky with deafening screeches as they descended.

And in that moment, they finally understood what Nina had meant.

The reality of what they were facing.

"Man… that's a lot," Blue Beetle muttered.

"Jesus Christ…" Hal Jordan said under his breath.

"Lord help us," John Stewart murmured.

Seeing their morale begin to falter, Superman stepped forward.

"We knew this was coming," he said firmly. "We can do this,if we fight as one."

"He's right," Wonder Woman added, stepping beside him. "This is where we hold them."

She drew her sword, the metallic ring cutting through the tension.

The others followed, readying their weapons.

Then she raised her blade and shouted.

"Attack!"

Meanwhile on Earth-1365.

Max exhaled slowly as another wave of memories from his clones flooded his mind.

Still… no Lucifer.

With each Earth he traveled, his hope dimmed further. A quiet doubt began to creep in,maybe this approach, jumping universe to universe, had been doomed from the very beginning.

Rain slid down his face as he walked along the empty road.

Turning a corner, he spotted a small diner. The smell of grilled meat drifted out as soon as he approached, instantly making his stomach growl.

For a moment, he hesitated.

Then Max decided,just a short detour. One meal before moving on to the next Earth.

He stepped inside, shook off the rain, and walked to a corner booth. Sitting down, he picked up the menu and began reading quietly, letting himself breathe for the first time in a while.

Max sat in silence for a moment, his eyes scanning the menu as he tuned out the low chatter around him. Then,he felt it.

A subtle shift in the air.

Max frowned slightly. Slowly, he lowered the menu and paused.

A man now sat across from him in the booth, a menu in hand. He calmly folded it, placed it on the table, and offered a faint smile before speaking.

"Hello," he said casually. "It's been a while. I thought you wouldn't recognize me anymore."

There was no doubt,this was the man he had been searching for.

Lucifer.

Max closed his menu slowly before responding. "Indeed it has been. I have to thank you for that card,as you can see, it came in handy. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

Lucifer gave a small shrug. "I suppose. Well I was curious what would happen when you use it and partly because you wouldn't stop following me around"

Max raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that why you were hiding from me?"

Lucifer chuckled softly. "I've always been in one place,Earth-666. It's just you who was determined to look everywhere else. Funny enough, last time you found me on the first try. Guess luck wasn't on your side this time."

Max's gaze sharpened. "Is that so? Then what are you doing here?"

Lucifer leaned back slightly, his smile widening just a fraction.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea,you didn't find me. I found you." He tapped the table lightly. "And only because, at this rate, you would've searched through 393 universes before finally landing on Earth-666 by sheer luck."

He paused, amusement flickering in his eyes.

"So I decided to stop you at 179 to save you time which you seem to be short on."

A small, satisfied smile formed on his lips.

"You're welcome, by the way."

At the mention of time, Max's expression hardened.

"Then you know what I'm here for," he said.

Lucifer tilted his head slightly. "You're going to have to be a little more specific. I know a lot of things." He tapped the table idly. "And if it's the card you want again,no. I told you, I won't be doing that."

Max's gaze didn't waver.

"I need to know what happened… How did I lose against the Anti-Monitor?"

Lucifer's expression shifted, faint amusement returning.

"Ahh… you mean that." He leaned forward slightly. "That, I can do-"

He paused.

"But under one condition." at that,silence settled between them.

Lucifer's eyes began to glow faintly red as he stared directly into Max.

"Tell me, Max…" he said softly, his voice deepening slightly.

"What are you… and where do you come

from?"

End of Chapter

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