Owlman glanced at the abyss beside him, drenched in cold sweat. The molten core had started to erupt, and he was standing dangerously close to the edge. Loose gravel tumbled downward without a sound, and the icy wind rising from the chasm gave him full-body goosebumps.

"Alexander Luthor... I've been using his thunder ability as a conduit to contact the Anti-Monitor," Owlman said, sweat beading down his face.

A quarter of the Earth had been obliterated just like that! Owlman knew Alexander Luthor's power very well. He had absorbed the abilities of every superpowered being on this Earth long ago. He was the strongest existence on this planet. Even the entire Crime Syndicate combined couldn't match him. But he was impulsive, brash, and brainless—a man easily manipulated by Owlman.

Owlman understood clearly that Alexander Luthor only wanted to test Bardi's strength. As long as Bardi proved to be more powerful, Luthor would have dropped to his knees without hesitation, content to be a loyal dog.

Unfortunately, today Bardi, was in no mood for games. Without so much as a second thought, Bardi had snapped his fingers and reduced Alexander to particles, erasing him from existence.

Bardi nodded coldly, not dwelling on the idiot's actions, nor even dignifying him with further attention. He asked, "Where is the Anti-Monitor?"

The Anti-Monitor, formerly known as Mobius, was the antimatter counterpart to the Monitor, Mandrakk. Unlike Mandrakk, who hailed from the Monitor race within the positive matter universe, Mobius had been born from the antimatter universe.

He had built the Mobius Chair on Qward, seeking to unlock forbidden knowledge. Deep in the center of the antimatter universe, he discovered the forbidden truth—the Anti-Life Equation.

Fusing the Equation with his body, he became the Anti-Monitor.

As long as the positive matter universes were destroyed, his antimatter universe would grow stronger, and he himself would become infinitely more powerful.

But to Bardi, whether it was the Monitor Mandrakk or the Anti-Monitor Mobius, neither had yet developed into the versions seen in DC Comics—those who could obliterate multiverses with a mere gesture and reduce creation to a few remaining strands of reality.

Right now, they were far too weak.

The Anti-Life Equation, however, was of immense value to Bardi. He, too, sought to destroy the multiverse quickly, to empower himself further and reclaim Raven from the clutches of Trigon.

Sure, Bardi could destroy universes by hand, but doing so required effort and time. He could obliterate more than a dozen universes in a few hours, but given the infinite expansion rate of the multiverse, that wasn't fast enough.

The Anti-Life Equation was the most efficient method for multiversal destruction.

Mobius, with the Equation, could potentially destroy hundreds of positive matter universes in a single day. Given ten thousand years—or even just one—he might annihilate tens of millions. His power would grow, and the frequency of destruction would accelerate.

But even that was too slow for Bardi.

He was growing increasingly anxious about Raven's abduction. If Raven truly fell into Trigon's hands, the consequences would be unthinkable. Trigon held a grudge against Bardi. The torment Raven would suffer, just to amuse him, was beyond imagination.

Bardi needed the Anti-Life Equation to accelerate the destruction of the multiverse.

Once he obtained it, Bardi could destroy universes at a rate billions or trillions of times faster than Mobius. Even the birthrate of new universes wouldn't keep up with his rate of destruction. In a matter of days, the multiverse would be compressed into the final source universe, ready for consumption.

"I don't know. My only contact with him has been by phone. Your Majesty, he seems to fear your existence and dares not return to this universe," Owlman replied, head bowed. The wind rising from the abyss beside him made it difficult to breathe.

Because a quarter of the Earth had been destroyed, the planet had lost its balance. It was beginning to collapse. The atmosphere had been torn apart, and the planet's ecological protection was failing. Ultraviolet radiation now struck the Earth directly, and cosmic radiation poured in like a flood.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions—disasters had broken out across the globe. The weather was erratic. Tectonic plates collided and twisted. The molten core was unstable and agitated. The planet was on the verge of explosion.

The only reason it hadn't yet detonated was because Bardi was here. His presence alone, his foot pressing against the Earth, was stabilizing the planet's integrity.

"That's normal."

Bardi nodded. It was to be expected. A lone god in the multiverse was enough to terrify anyone into hiding, shrinking into corners of reality, unwilling to face the light.

Especially Mobius. Possessing the Anti-Life Equation made him a prime target. Of course he'd want to stay hidden and build power quietly.

The moment Mobius laid eyes on Bardi, he would know the Equation wasn't safe in his hands.

What's more, Bardi wanted to convert Mobius into one of his subordinates. But when Mobius refused, he retreated into the antimatter universe, afraid to show himself. Now he communicated only through words, stalling Bardi as he secretly developed his strength.

Yes. Just stalling, waiting to grow stronger… and run away.

Never even considered a fight.

He wasn't stupid like Alexander Luthor, trying to test the power of a singular god.

"Contact him," Bardi ordered coldly.

In that moment, his deep gaze activated super vision.

As a Kryptonian, Bardi had super sight, microscopic vision, X-ray vision—he could see down to the molecular level. After evolving into his Doomsday form, he could perceive atomic structures.

Now, as the One God, his fully enhanced sight could track all particles and their universal links. As long as there was a connection to Mobius, he could trace the frequency, pierce through the fabric of the universe, and pinpoint the coordinates of the antimatter realm.

"This is the communicator the Anti-Monitor gave me to keep in contact," Owlman said cautiously, pulling out a polished, all-metal phone. In truth, this communicator had been secured by invoking Bardi's name to intimidate Mobius into submission.

Mobius couldn't afford to offend a lone god. Unable to refuse, he gave the phone to maintain appearances, keep communications open, and avoid offending Bardi, which might prompt instant death.

Mobius was crafty. He didn't want direct confrontation, only to stall. This phone required an immense amount of power, perhaps equal to Earth's total output—to sustain a call for just a few minutes.

Owlman had previously tricked Alexander Luthor into becoming Zanza just to power the phone. Once a year, he'd call Mobius to ask how the "multiverse destruction project" was going, posing as Bardi's representative: "How's your health? The One God misses you so much!"

Bardi took the phone and, using his super vision, instantly understood its mechanics. Electricity crackled in his hand. The currents transformed into the Speed Force and surged into the device.

In just 0.001 seconds, Bardi dialed Mobius directly.

A frequency spanning both the positive and antimatter universes lit up in Bardi's vision, revealing the exact coordinates of Mobius's location.

"Hello…"

Click.

Bardi froze, phone in hand. He had meant to ask Mobius whether he wished to become his subordinate. After all, once he finished using the Anti-Life Equation, he could return it to Mobius, making him a loyal general under his command.

But Mobius hung up on him.

Expression unchanged, Bardi calmly crushed the phone in his hand.

"Very well."

(To be continued.)