Gate of Apocalypse, Harbingers of the World’s End

After the clamor came silence.

A deathly silence.

Crime-ridden Gotham, usually so noisy, had never known such an atmosphere.

Children’s cries, car alarms, and the endless television broadcasts had all fallen completely silent.

Within the brown pillar of light, the massive figure seated upon the throne exerted an overwhelming pressure upon the world simply by sitting there.

An incomparable pressure.

"Darkseid!"

Steppenwolf, bound tightly in place, wore an expression of reverence and fanaticism.

"Darkseid…"

"So… he is Darkseid…"

Barry Allen, witnessing such a horrifying sight for the first time, could not stop his body from trembling.

Fear—fear born from the depths of his heart—was constantly devouring every cell in Barry Allen’s body.

"No! Diana!"

While the vigilant Bruce Wayne was still considering how to respond, Diana had already moved before him, attacking the Darkseid phantom to test it.

Yet the phantom called Darkseid merely extended a single finger, and an invisible energy field exploded before Diana.

Bang!

The demigod body from Paradise Island was instantly engulfed in a mist of blood before crashing to the ground.

She struggled to keep her eyes open, but in the end, she could only close them weakly.

"Diana!"

Bruce Wayne swiftly landed beside Diana and immediately checked her vital signs.

Thankfully, she was still breathing.

"Humanity is destined for destruction."

A deep murmur resounded through every corner of Earth. The Darkseid phantom sat upon his throne and flicked a finger. A magnificent gate suddenly appeared in the sky above Gotham’s ruins.

An ancient bronze gate carved with countless mysterious symbols!

The Mother Box, locked away beneath layers of security in the Batcave, instantly broke free from its restraints and flew under the pull of an inexplicable force field toward a recess in the bronze gate.

Click…

The Mother Box Steppenwolf had taken from the sacred ground of the sea people also flew out from the brown pillar of light and embedded itself beside the other Mother Box.

Only after that did the brown pillar of light slowly fade away.

In the clear, cloudless sky, only that silent bronze gate remained, telling people that what had just happened was no illusion.

"No one can stop Darkseid’s arrival."

"No one."

Steppenwolf, freed by the cleansing energy of the light pillar, moved his arms and raised his eyes toward the bronze gate above Gotham. He grinned, his smile especially cruel.

Turning around, Steppenwolf vanished into the teleportation array as well.

All that remained were Gotham’s ruins and the panic of the entire world.

Oh, right. There was also a squad of Parademons that fed on fear.

"Emergency news from Gotham media."

"At approximately 10:30 this morning, a mysterious being appeared over Gotham City and declared that humanity was doomed to perish."

"We have no way of confirming whether those words are true, but judging from the situation at the scene, our superheroes are no match for that mysterious being."

"Gotham’s guardian, Batman, was helpless, while the recently active Wonder Woman was severely injured by the mysterious being…"

Kansas, inside a bar.

Arthur Curry, who had only just recovered from his injuries in the hospital, sat at the counter with a deep frown as he watched the news report on the television.

When the footage shifted to the Parademon horde spreading its wings and devouring humans, the entire bar erupted in an uproar.

"How is this possible?!"

"Those monsters are completely immune to guns!"

"Even the police are useless."

"Is it really the end of the world?"

The people in the bar discussed it one after another, voicing the fear and unease in their hearts.

How could this be…

Arthur Curry frowned. After paying for his drink, he rose and left the bar…

Metropolis, Daily Planet.

Lois Lane, Superman Clark’s official girlfriend, stared blankly at the bronze gate on the screen from her workstation. The unease rising from the depths of her heart made her close her eyes.

Clark…

Over the next three days, humanity’s panic gradually worsened as the number of Parademons increased.

What had originally been only a force of several hundred Parademons had now expanded to the scale of several divisions, ravaging the world.

They fed on fear and possessed the terrifying reproductive ability to turn the humans they devoured into their companions.

If Bruce Wayne had not used Wayne Enterprises to launch demon-hunting guns, the order of the entire world would likely have collapsed long ago.

But even so, public trust in the government was draining away day by day.

Once ordinary people who had not taken the matter seriously realized that they could truly be attacked and killed by Parademons at any moment, a suffocating fear began to permeate society.

Some people began to indulge themselves, and crime rates rose repeatedly.

The apocalypse Darkseid spoke of had yet to arrive, yet humanity itself seemed about to be driven into a desperate corner by this atmosphere of panic.

Gotham, Wayne Manor.

"Alfred, how is the situation outside?"

Diana lay on the hospital bed, her face pale as she looked at the butler entering to change her IV drip.

"The situation is not very optimistic."

"Although Master Bruce has launched demon-hunting guns specifically designed for those winged monsters and distributed them for free."

"In truth, the fear brought by Darkseid has already caused a small portion of people to break down first."

"Most people are now on the verge of collapse."

Alfred deftly changed the specially formulated medicine and spoke calmly.

"What about Beckett? What about Mera? Haven’t you been able to contact either of them?"

"Unfortunately, no." Unless Beckett and Mera in the underwater world had brought special communication equipment, they could not be contacted at all.

"However, over the past few days, Master Bruce has found nearly everyone on his list."

"Oh, and he has also located the last Mother Box."

Alfred briefly explained Bruce Wayne’s achievements over the past few days.

"Has he thought of a way to deal with… deal with Darkseid?" Even now, recalling the terrifying power she had faced filled Diana with fear.

"In fact, Master Bruce wants to…"

"Resurrect Superman."

Underwater world, Kingdom of Zebel.

After several days of preparation, the queen’s coronation ceremony officially began today, with every step proceeding in an orderly manner.

Clad in golden armor and wearing a crown, Mera climbed step by step to the pinnacle of power in the underwater world.

"From today onward, I am the King of the Ocean!"

The leaders of the underwater kingdoms prostrated themselves before the solemn Mera. Among them was her father, Nereus of the Kingdom of Zebel, with whom she had once broken ties.

Clang!

As though responding to Mera’s declaration, the golden trident rang out with a clear chime.

The first unifying queen in the history of the Seven Seas was officially crowned today!

Beckett lay on the roof of the Zebel royal palace, eating as he watched Mera’s coronation from afar. For some reason, he thought of Hela.

If Hela had not fallen out with Odin, would she have carried the same bearing as Mera when she ascended the throne?

"His Highness Beckett, it seems something has happened on the surface."

Woz, who was finally not writing a complete history of romance today, had wandered through the online world out of boredom and widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Hmm?"

Bonus chapter progress 3/10

Thanks to Purity senior, Perhaps, Mōmō Yǒu Mōmō, Shushan Xiaoyitong, suy Tang, Tiger by the Rhine, Sanlu BOY, and reader 141206173429013 for the tips~