After speaking his final warning, Dr. Manhattan turned to ash and vanished completely.

The quantum body is inherently difficult to destroy in the universe. His will represents the cosmos, allowing him to regenerate and reassemble a quantum form anywhere, even manifest infinite quantum bodies.

But in Bardi's hands, where power and will are enough to obliterate the universe itself, even an agent of the universe's will can be easily destroyed. From the operations of Dr. Manhattan's quantum body, Bardi's eyes pierced the fundamental essence of the universe, seeing the cosmic threads and the will to destroy it.

"Mandrakk..."

He did not take it seriously. With a thought, he could calculate the greatest benefit to all. Whether for faith, justice, salvation, or power, in the end, it all came down to self-interest.

And Mandrakk, an insect-like being, was scheming for his own gain. That kind of self-interest did not even cause a ripple in Bardi's heart.

Their only mistake was in kidnapping Bardi's family.

"Hera!"

Bardi's voice boomed like thunder, shaking the air as ripples spread across the hall.

Terminal Hera, the most intelligent being in Bardi's empire and the one he trusted most, appeared. A super-intelligent mind who had developed emotions, she held love only for Bardi. Her projection materialized before him.

Her arms were pale as lilies, her flowing curls emerging from beneath a jeweled crown. She exuded majesty and serenity. Her graceful form carried an aura of command, and her gentle beauty made her Bardi's most loyal companion since his rise.

"From this moment on, you will become the will of this universe."

With Bardi's decree, the entire universe trembled.

He had just erased Dr. Manhattan's identity as the universe's agent. Through his gaze, powered by his own divine will, he understood and seized control over the structure of the universe's will.

With a single command, he could now anoint a new sovereign.

"Yes, Master."

Terminal Hera knelt, her eyes filled with unwavering love and loyalty to her creator.

Her projection dissolved into sand and vanished.

In a breathless, formless shift, the universe, like the yolk of an egg stirred by an outside force, began to return to equilibrium.

The identity of each universe is based on frequency. Every universe vibrates at a unique frequency. The Flash is able to traverse them using Speed Force vibrations, matching the target frequency to open a passage.

From the moment Bardi erased Dr. Manhattan, his eyes had seen through the will of this universe. That will had been obliterated.

To Bardi, it was a mere ripple. The will of the universe could not withstand the impact of his presence. His informational intensity already exceeded that of the universe. Therefore, to every universe in the multiverse, his presence was overwhelming.

At the moment Bardi appointed Terminal Hera as the new will, she began commanding the entire Barmulodi Universe. It was tuned to match Bardi's One God frequency. With a thought, he could create or destroy.

"Find Mandrakk."

Almost instantly, Terminal Hera, now the cosmic will itself, allowed her consciousness to spread across the universe. Spiritual tendrils stretched outward, probing into every particle.

Hadrons, leptons, propagators, atoms, subatomic particles, neutrinos, protons, neutrons, mesons, gluons, photons, quarks, dons, quantum structures... all were influenced by the universal will. Hera could perceive them all.

As she processed the information of the universe, her super-intelligent brain, now sentient, leapt to a cosmic level. The massive flow of data was nearly overwhelming. Though she had evolved with Bardi from artificial intelligence into a self-aware being and lover, even she struggled under the magnitude—requiring assistance from Bardi's divine power.

She could truly control the universe, but needed time to fully unify all its components and become its true will.

This was why Bardi initially wanted Dr. Manhattan. He had the experience. Under Bardi's guidance, he could immediately serve as the universe's will, not merely an agent. That alone would have sufficed to destroy the multiverse. Hera still required time to reach that point. But with Raven potentially already delivered to Trigon, Bardi would not wait any longer.

Destruction would come within days.

Finding Mandrakk was no more difficult than looking at one's own hand. The moment Bardi gave the order, Hera had already found him.

Near the universe's edge, west of the fetal membrane, in the Magellanic Galaxy, where Dr. Manhattan had once been imprisoned, she detected residual quark matter. From that diffuse stream, she located a clone of Mandrakk created using Monitor technology.

Mandrakk had transformed his avatar into countless quarks, hiding here, awaiting the right moment.

Cosmic Will Hera gathered the scattered quarks, and like a second Big Bang, the Galen Galaxy replayed the moment of cosmic birth. The quarks assembled into smooth, blue-white armor, with glowing red electronic eyes.

In an instant, the clone of Mandrakk was reconstructed. Space warped, and the background of the universe seemed to flash past billions of galaxies. The armored Mandrakk clone was instantly transferred into the hall.

Having already connected with his main body, Mandrakk stared at Bardi seated high upon his throne. His red electronic eyes gleamed with greed.

"Such insane power. To obtain this level of strength in such a short time..." he muttered.

Bardi remained seated, his face cold and dignified. His icy eyes looked down at Mandrakk.

Mandrakk gave a strange smile.

"Your Majesty Barmulodi, I suggest you cease your visual scanning. Even the One God cannot easily penetrate Monitor technology."

In the divine realm, Monitor technologies—the Mother Box, will-based systems, and a few other rare technologies—were the highest forms of scientific advancement. Even the One God struggled to fully comprehend them.

"I can return your wife..."

(To be continued.)