From this chapter onwards, unless otherwise stated, Earth-192/DCAU Superman will be referred to as 'Supes' since 'Superman' will be used for the Earth-78/Christopher Reeve version. For any confusion regarding the naming of the various counterparts (since there are lots of them in this story), see Chapter 2 for clarification or let me know in the comments and I will respond accordingly.
Chapter 4
Earth-99
(Gotham City)
"What happened to you?" Batman asked his older counterpart as the local Bruce Wayne led him, Oliver, and Slade into the main room of the manor.
"Lifetime of injuries," Old Bruce answered, and the three visitors could easily hear it in the tone of his voice that he was holding something back. "You three are here to recruit me on your mission to save existence from getting destroyed." With a laugh, he added, "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but you're a few years too late."
He picked up a Gotham City Gazette newspaper containing the headline 'BATMAN'S REIGN OF TERROR OVER' and handed it to Batman, who, along with Oliver and Slade, looked at it with narrowed eyes.
"Reign of Terror?" Batman read with a stunned expression, before looking to his counterpart with narrowed eyes. "You mean you…"
Old Bruce nodded. "It's like a wise man once said: 'Battle not with monsters, lest you become a monster'. I've lost track of how many people I've killed."
"I don't know what happened to you on this world, but I and some other versions of us that I've met have a code," Batman stated, firmly. "We don't cross that line under any circumstances. Ever!"
Old Bruce rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Still in possession of that foolish and sanctimonious mentality I see. I had a code too. You start with it… you hang on with it with every self-righteous breath. But then you take one life, then another, then another, then another…"
"Yes, that's how it starts," Batman stated. "With just one. And it becomes easier. That's how justification works."
"Right now, it doesn't matter what you've done or how many people you've killed," Oliver said to Old Bruce, not wanting to waste any more time than necessary. "According to The Monitor, you're needed. We are giving you the chance to not only save your city, your Earth, but the entire Multiverse."
"Forget it," Old Bruce snapped. "I already have enough problems in this world without getting involved in any other."
"Perhaps The Monitor wasted our time sending us here," Slade said to Oliver and Batman.
"Maybe, but there's still a chance we can convince Bruce to help us," Oliver pointed out.
"You're wrong," Old Bruce said, coldly. "Follow me."
He led Oliver, Slade, and his Earth-192 counterpart down to the large cave that served as a lair beneath the manor and showed them his Batman suit, which was considerably darker than that of the visiting Dark Knight.
"See for yourselves," Old Bruce drawled. "I can barely walk, let alone wear that again. Besides, if those other worlds are anything like this one, maybe it's for the best that it all end."
"How could you say that?!" Batman demanded, angrily. "How could you not care about billions upon billions of innocent people, on each Earth, dying?!" He then asked the main question that had been on his mind ever since discovering the murderous nature of this world's Batman. " What really happened to you? How did it start?"
"Hm, figured you'd ask that," Old Bruce said. He moved closer to a console nearby. "It was after the Joker killed Barbara and Tim that I knew what had to be done. After it happened, for the first time, I felt free. Free from the boundaries of outdated principles. And with each enemy I confronted, it got easier and easier. If I'd realized it sooner, then Barbara, Tim, and countless others would still be alive."
"We don't get to choose who dies," Batman declared, still glaring at his older counterpart. "By deciding to play judge, jury, and executioner, you've gone too far over the edge and betrayed everything we ever stood for. Your parents would be ashamed of you if they saw what you've become."
"Oh, for God's sake," Old Bruce snorted. "You think you're better than me? That you get to judge me for my methods? How many on your world have died because you wouldn't kill the Joker? Or Ra's al Ghul? Or any of our other enemies? How many?"
Batman scoffed. "I'm no more responsible for their actions than police officers are for the actions of crooks or murderers who get away with their crimes. Just like Superman, for example – I don't know if he exists here – isn't responsible for the actions of his enemies."
"Ah, Superman," Old Bruce said, disdainfully. "Strange visitor from another planet comes to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Clark... Clark always said yes to anyone with a badge. Or a flag. He gave them too much power. How long until he decided to take matters into his own hands and take over the planet? That's why I did what no one else succeeded to do."
Batman widened his eyes in a horrified realization. "You killed him."
"Even if there was a one-percent chance that he was our enemy, it had to be taken as an absolute certainty," Old Bruce snarled. "He had to be destroyed for the good of this planet."
"So that's how you ended up in that exo-skeleton," Oliver realized, glaring at the older Bruce for murdering someone who wasn't an enemy at all. "Good."
"You killed Clark just because of his powers?!" Batman growled furiously. "Because he might become a threat?! On my Earth, he's my ally, my friend... I'd gladly give my own life for his in a heartbeat."
"Yet you don't completely trust him," Old Bruce shot back in a matching tone before smirking. "Or are you going to stand there and tell me that you don't have secret plans in place to take out your Earth's Superman and the rest of your super-powered allies."
"I do have plans, but they're non-lethal and are only to be used in the event that any of them do decide to turn rogue, whether it's due to mind control or on their own accord," Batman stated, anger still in his voice. "Just like my Clark, yours only wanted to do what was right and protect the world. He was not a threat. I can't say the same about you."
Oliver turned to Batman and said, "I think we should get going now. It's perfectly clear that your doppelganger is not going to help us."
"You're right," Batman agreed. "And when we get back, we'll have a chat with The Monitor."
"Yes, this Monitor wasted your time having you come here," Old Bruce drawled. "Why even fight anyway? It would be better to just let it all end. This world isn't worth saving in any universe."
"That's where you're wrong," Oliver shot back. "Just because you've given up hope and on life doesn't mean the rest of us have. We will fight to our last breaths to save what remains of the Multiverse, no matter what it takes."
Old Bruce reached to his console and tapped in some commands. "This has been interesting, but I'm done talking."
A few moments later, the sound of some devices roaring to life got the attention of Batman, Oliver, and Slade. The three turned to see five black Bat-shaped drones rising in the air and aiming at them. As the drones opened fire, Oliver, Slade, and Batman ducked and rolled out of the way to avoid the barrage of bullets fired at them. Batman tossed out two Batarangs, destroying two of the drones, while Oliver fired arrows in quick succession to destroy two more, and Slade threw an explosive pellet that took out the last drone.
Batman made his way towards the elder Bruce Wayne, who had picked up a flamethrower and was already aiming it. As Old Bruce unleashed a long trail of fire at him, Batman quickly dodged and rolled out of the way before taking cover behind a glass case, which was then shattered by the fire that raced over to it.
Oliver fired an arrow at Old Bruce, but the latter turned and narrowly avoided the projectile. Old Bruce then turned his flamethrower on Oliver, who ran around the cave, ducking and maneuvering to avoid the jet of flames that followed him.
Batman threw a pellet down at Old Bruce's feet and it exploded, knocking the retired Dark Knight off his feet and throwing him a few feet back. As Old Bruce got back up, Batman rushed him with a series of punches and a kick that knocked the former back. The elder Bruce snarled, raising a hand to block the next blow of his counterpart before delivering a punch to Batman's chest. While the metallic exo-skeleton slowed Old Bruce down, he was still fast and quite agile for a man of his age and in his condition.
"You and I, we're not that different," Old Bruce snarled, throwing out a punch that his younger counterpart easily avoided. "All it takes is one bad day. One bad day and you'll become exactly like me."
"That will never happen!" Batman growled, delivering two punches to his older self's face as the latter's lower lip bled. He then sent Old Bruce to the ground with a punch to the chest and placed his foot there to pin the older man down. "Especially now that I've seen with my own eyes what I could become if I crossed that line, I'll never become you, no matter the circumstances. You're right about one thing though. In some ways, we are alike. We both looked into the abyss, but the difference between you and me is that, when it looked back at us, you blinked."
Old Bruce tried to push Batman's boot off his chest, only to receive a hard kick in the face from the latter's other foot.
Oliver and Slade came over as the former angrily told Old Bruce, "I've killed enemies too, but you wanna know the difference between you and me? I took no pleasure in my actions and I didn't let them consume me like you have. I also didn't murder my own super-powered teammate out of some delusion that he's a threat merely because of his powers."
"You are a disgrace of a person," Slade added in disgust, also glaring at Old Bruce.
"You're one to talk, Deathstroke," Old Bruce snarled. "Your counterpart on this Earth – another one of my victims, by the way – was a ruthless mercenary who enjoyed killing others for a living. You even tried to kill a group of teenagers just because they rightfully got in your way. So don't talk as if you're any better than I am. If anything, you were worse."
"I'm not the Slade Wilson you knew," the Earth-1 mercenary snarled back at the older man. "And I am not perfect. I've done my share of terrible things too, but, unlike you, I haven't lost my honor and I acknowledged that my actions of the past were wrong."
Old Bruce glared at the three visitors. "So what now? Drag me to prison or Arkham? I already know that none of you will kill me."
"Don't be so sure of that," Slade retorted, grabbing his sword and readying it.
Batman glared once again at his counterpart. "I'm not going to kill you?" He glanced at Oliver and Slade. "Them? I can't speak for."
At that point, Old Bruce was enraged. "YOU… YOU HYPOCRITE! YOU SELF-RIGHEOUSLY CONDEMN ME FOR CLEANING UP THE STREETS OF GOTHAM IN THE ONLY WAY THAT'LL ENSURE MY ENEMIES… OUR ENEMIES… WON'T POSE A THREAT OR KILL EVER AGAIN, BUT IS PERFECTLY OKAY WITH YOUR COMRADES EXECUTING ME FOR MY ACTIONS?!" In a calmer, but still furious, tone, he added, "At least I'm not pretentious about who I am and don't hide like a coward under the guise of holier-than-thou platitudes!"
Batman shook his head. "You don't get it. You took sadistic pleasure in the murders that you've committed and went as far as taking out someone who was guilty of nothing other than being a Kryptonian and wanting to help others. That's what makes Oliver and Slade much better than you. They've killed, but didn't allow their actions to change who they already were. And while I don't agree with their methods, it is not my place to impose my own will on them."
"You're the one who doesn't get it," Old Bruce retorted. "I'm the only one who can keep this city from going straight to hell! If you kill me, that's exactly what will happen!"
"No, you didn't save your city, you failed it," Oliver stated, firmly. "You think the people of Gotham feel safe because of what you've done? They do not. You've made them terrified. Living every second of their lives in fear because of you."
"Good!" Old Bruce roared. "They should be scared! They should be too scared to rob a woman of her purse or a man of his wallet! They should be too scared to pull the trigger of a gun on a couple walking with their child in an alley! They should be too scared to rob a bank or threaten to blow the city! You three of all people should understand that!"
"Enough of this," Oliver said with a sigh. "Slade?"
"Of course," Slade said, raising his sword.
As Batman removed his foot from his counterpart's chest and took a few steps back, the elder Bruce Wayne sat up, barely having enough time to widen his eyes in horror before his head was swiftly chopped off by Slade. The head of the former Batman of Earth-99 fell to the ground, as did the body as blood gushed out of the stumps.
Batman stared down at his deceased counterpart in silence, a feeling of sadness washing over him.
Oliver turned to him with a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry. He was a lost cause, Bruce."
"He's what I could become if I lose my way," Batman pointed out.
"I highly doubt that will happen," Oliver said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be the Paragon of Courage."
Batman simply nodded before he and other two visitors turned to see Luke Fox entering the cave. The young man stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the decapitated remains of Earth-99 Bruce Wayne.
"Your master tried to kill us with his drones," Slade said to Luke. "He left us no choice."
Luke walked closer to the visitors and let out a sigh. "For a while, I agreed with Bruce. The way he was handling things here in Gotham." He looked down in shame. "But then... I realized murder isn't the right way to get justice. I just hoped he'd see that too."
"There is a difference between taking a life when it's necessary and taking a life simply because you want to and enjoy it, which is exactly what this world's Batman did," Oliver stated.
"It's too bad, you know," Luke said. "Bruce really was a hero once. Now that he's dead, Gotham has nobody to protect it. Then again, does it even matter anymore if this world and everything in it is gonna end anyway?"
"Yes, it does matter because we will defeat the Anti-Monitor and stop his anti-matter wave from destroying the Multiverse," Batman said.
"Well, good luck with that," Luke said.
"Your full name is Lucius Fox, Jr., right?" Batman inquired.
"Yeah," Luke nodded.
"I know your father in my world. He's a good man."
"He was a good man here too... until he was murdered."
"My counterpart was beyond reach, but there's still hope for you, Luke," Batman told the younger man. "You can continue where he failed and give Gotham a proper protector again."
"You can inspire people in a way that Bruce didn't... after he gave in to his worst urges and became something just as bad as the criminals he fought," Oliver added. "Watching over your city as its protector, making a difference, saving people..."
"Think about it," Batman said with a nod as he opened a breach with an extrapolator device before he, Oliver, and Slade went into it.
As the breach closed, Luke turned to gaze deep in thought at a prototype Bat-suit lacking a chest emblem in a corner. He then looked down at Old Bruce's severed head and decapitated body that were lying in a huge puddle of blood.
Earth-38
(National City)
The golden Quantum Tower had already risen from out of the ground and done its intended job of keeping the approaching wave of anti-matter at bay.
Supes, Kal, Kent, Astra, J'onn, J'onzz, Martian Manhunter, John Jones, Kara K, Tess, Bart, Frost, Diana, Bruce, Wayne, Deathstroke, Barbara, Dick, Andrea, Dinah, A.C., Victor, Vic, Arthur, Barry-Blue, Shazam, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Green Lantern, Vixen, Shayera, Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Laurel, Courtney, Thea, Roy, Wally, and Ralph all had arrived outside the Tower when they were suddenly confronted by hordes of dark shadow-like creatures, green-garbed demon-like creatures with golden wings, sharp teeth, and sharp claws, robots with red bodies and white heads, and a variation of the aforementioned red robots who were bigger with humanoid appearances and armed with long rod-like weapons.
"Parademons!" Supes exclaimed in surprise at the sight of the demon-like creatures in green, while the Earth-50 Justice League noticed that these Parademons looked quite different from the one they'd fought during Steppenwolf's attack on Earth.
"Manhunters?!" Hal, Stewart, and Green Lantern exclaimed in unison upon recognizing the red robots of varying designs.
"This is one heck of an army the Anti-Monitor's got," Flash noted.
"We can't let them get to the Tower!" Bruce urged.
"We won't!" Kal declared, as he and the other Kryptonians, the Martian Manhunters, the Green Lanterns, Tess, Vic, Shazam, Shayera, and Courtney levitated into the air, while the grounded heroes readied their weapons and prepared to use their powers.
"No man escapes the Manhunters! No man escapes the Manhunters!" some of the robots chanted, before the larger, humanoid Manhunters fired blasts of red Bleed energy from their rods while the smaller, more robotic-looking Manhunters unleashed a barrage of missiles from their arms.
Green Lantern, John Stewart, and Hal formed huge green walls in front of themselves and the rest of the assembled heroes, shielding everyone from the Manhunters' attacks.
Once the Green Lanterns took down the barriers, Supes and Kal charged forward, each speed-blitzing through a larger Manhunter as the two robots were instantly destroyed on impact. Supes destroyed two more larger Manhunters and five of the smaller ones the same way, while Kal punched a larger Manhunter, grabbed it, and threw it into two other larger Manhunters, knocking them on the ground.
Kent sent a larger Manhunter crashing on the ground with a powerful punch before speed-blitzing through another one as it was shattered on impact, while Kara K flew around, destroying both smaller and larger Manhunters, along with any Parademons and Shadow Demons that got in her way, with her tremendous strength and speed.
Astra destroyed some smaller Manhunters, Parademons, and Shadow Demons with her heat vision and some punches, while John Jones, Martian Manhunter, J'onzz, and J'onn phased through the various Manhunters, using their super-strength to tear their bodies apart with very little effort. Jones raised his hands, unleashing double beams of intense heat from his palms that incinerated any Parademons and Shadow Demons that flew near him, while J'onzz took out some more of the enemy forces with heat beams fired from his eyes.
Flash sped through the hordes of enemies, plunging his vibrating fist into the Parademons, Shadow Demons, and some smaller Manhunters as they died from the attack. He sped out of the way to avoid a blast of Bleed fired at him by larger Manhunter and sped around in circles at nearly full speed, generating a powerful tornado that swept up and took out many more of the enemy forces.
Bart speed-blitzed through many of the enemies, taking them out with high-speed punches and yellow lightning, before spinning his arms around to generate an electrical vortex of wind that took out many more Shadow Demons, Parademons, and smaller Manhunters. In the blink of an eye, the Earth-21 Flash vibrated and sped right through three larger Manhunters, taking them down as well.
Barry-Blue and Wally raced around, hurling blue and yellow lightning respectively at the hordes of enemies while also taking them out with high-speed punches or simply blitzing through them.
Tess summoned a huge cyclone that swept away a good number of Manhunters, Parademons, and Shadow Demons before she increased its intensity, crushing the Manhunters and Parademons under the power of the winds, while the Shadow Demons were disintegrated.
Shazam took out Manhunters, Parademons, and Shadow Demons with blasts of lightning.
"Yeah, that's more like it!" the red-garbed superhero cheered, before suddenly letting out a yelp as two Parademons suddenly grabbed him from behind by the neck.
One of the Parademons bit down on the back of Shazam's neck, but its teeth was unable to penetrate the latter's invulnerable skin.
"Seriously? You tried to bite me? Dude, I'm literally bulletproof!" Shazam exclaimed, before grabbing the Parademons and throwing them away before taking out more enemy forces with lightning and punches.
Diana leapt through the enemy forces, cutting down many Parademons and Shadow Demons with her sword and bashing some away with her shield before flipping away to avoid a blast of Bleed that a larger Manhunter fired at her. She leapt at the Manhunter, tackling it to the ground and cutting its head off with her shield. Getting back up, Diana slammed her bracelets together, unleashing a shockwave blast that shattered a number of smaller Manhunters while killing many Parademons and Shadow Demons.
John Stewart blasted down Parademons, Shadow Demons, and some Manhunters with rapid rounds of green bullets from his machine gun construct, while Green Lantern took them out with a large hammer construct before blasting some with energy blasts and unleashing a barrage of missiles and other projectile constructs at the enemies. Hal sent a huge boxing glove construct smashing into a larger Manhunter, which was damaged and sent flying off, before transforming it into a huge pair of hands that clenched a handful of Parademons and Shadow Demons, crushing them to death.
Shayera flew around, shattering several smaller Manhunters with her mace before killing three Parademons and some Shadow Demons with her weapon. She then flew at a larger Manhunter, knocking it to the ground as she smashed her mace into its chest. Nearby, Vixen ran around with the speed and agility of a cheetah, slashing Parademons and Shadow Demons with her claws, while also taking some down with punches and kicks.
Vic flew around, firing blasts from his his plasma cannon and missiles at the enemies before flying at a larger Manhunter and launching two missiles at it, destroying the robot.
Victor rammed into two smaller Manhunters, destroying them with powerful shockwaves unleashed from his cybernetically-enhanced body. He grabbed another smaller Manhunter, slammed it on the ground, and punched it hard, destroying that one too.
Arthur and A.C. twirled their staffs, striking down and stabbing Parademons, Shadow Demons, and smaller Mahunters with their tridents before the former elbowed a Parademon away and grabbed another one, slamming it on the ground and stabbing it through the chest.
"Not bad, bro," A.C. said to his counterpart.
"Behind you, boy," Arthur warned his counterpart.
The Earth-21 Aquaman whirled around, twirling his trident as he took out the two smaller Manhunters that were about to attack him from behind. Turning to Arthur with rolled eyes, the A.C. said, "Again, I am not a boy."
Bruce punched and flip-kicked a Parademon away before elbowing another that flew at him from behind and tossed out several explosive batarangs that took out groups of Parademons and Shadow Demons. Wayne also tossed out some explosive batarangs, taking out more of the enemy forces, before knocking a Parademon in the air with an uppercut punch, followed by disintegrating a few Shadow Demons that tried to gang up on him with a series of kicks and punches. Deathstroke sliced down Parademons and Shadow Demons with his two swords, before kicking away one Parademon and stabbing another through its mouth. He then whirled around, stabbing another Parademon, this one through the chest, and cut down many more down in quick succession.
Dinah, Laurel, and Black Canary obliterated a good number of the Parademons and Shadow Demons with their sonic screams, while Green Arrow, Roy, and Thea fired explosive and electrical arrows that took out many more of them. Near them, Barbara took out some with her electrified escrima sticks, while Dick was doing the same with his bo-staff.
Andrea grabbed two Parademons in each other and slammed them together, instantly killing them. She took out more Parademons, as well as any Shadow Demons that flew near her, with punches and some kicks. She then leapt at a nearby larger Manhunter, sending it flying off with a powerful punch. She leapt at the downed Manhunter and smashed her feet into its chest, destroying it.
Hovering in the air, Courtney blasted some Parademons and Shadow Demons with her comic staff, which she then used to knock away a Parademon that tried to grab her. As more Parademons and Shadow Demons appeared near her, she unleashed a blinding flash of light from her staff, disintegrating the nearby Shadow Demons before she kicked one Parademon away before smashing her staff into two more.
"This is the biggest and craziest fight I've ever been in!" Ralph remarked, punching Parademons and Shadow Demons away with a pair of giant fists.
"That makes two of us!" Frost said with a smirk as she was unleashing non-stop blasts of ice from her palms, taking out as many Parademons, Shadow Demons, and smaller Manhunters as she could. She also blew a powerful burst of ice from her mouth, taking out more of them.
A smaller Manhunter fired missiles at Astra, but the Kryptonian general was unaffected as they exploded upon her chest. She blasted the Manhunter with heat vision, destroying it, and few into a few more that was nearby, destroying them too.
A larger Manhunter appeared behind Astra and fired a blast of red Bleed energy at her back, sending the Kryptonian general crashing on the ground as she let out a cry of pain. Astra looked up to see six larger Manhunters flying down towards her and surrounding her. They aimed their rods at her, preparing to fire them, when Kara K suddenly appeared in a blur and flew through all six larger Manhunters, shattering them into pieces.
"Thank you," Astra said to the younger woman as she got up and levitated into the air. "You're very powerful even by Kryptonian standards."
"Different Earth, different power levels," Kara K shrugged with a grin as Astra nodded in response.
The former destroyed more Manhunters via speed-blitz, while the latter tackled a larger Manhunter to the ground and destroyed it on impact before flying back up to speed-blitz through two more larger Manhunters, followed by Astra taking out some smaller Manhunters, as well as Parademons and Shadow Demons, with her heat vision.
A dozen smaller Manhunters ganged up on Supes, jumping on him and covering him from head to toe in an effort to keep him restrained. Supes unleashed a powerful burst of heat vision that obliterated most of the Manhunters before taking the rest out with punches.
Kal and Kent were hovering back to back, taking out many enemies with their heat vision.
Then a black blur appeared seemingly out of nowhere, knocking the Supermen of Earth-50 and Earth-38 on the ground.
Kal and Kent looked up at their attacker, who was a dark-haired man clad in a mostly black suit with a long gray cape and a pair of gray boots, complete with a gray diamond-shaped 'U' symbol on his chest.
It was Clark Luthor, otherwise known as Ultraman, the doppelganger of Earth-21 Superman!
"I remember you," Kal said in recognition. "You're Ultraman."
"I remember the both of you too," Clark Luthor answered with a smirk.
"So you're working with the Anti-Monitor," Kent said to the villainous Kryptonian. "Why?"
"It's simple," Clark Luthor sneered. "Revenge, power, and dominion."
"Are you insane? None of that will matter if the entire Multiverse is destroyed!" Kent pointed out as he and Kal rose into the air.
"Whatever the Anti-Monitor promised you for your allegiance to him, I highly doubt he wsill hold his end of the bargain," Kal added. "You can't possibly agree with his plan to wipe out all the Earths."
"I'd risk taking my chances with him over getting sent back to that Phantom Zone prison," Clark Luthor snarled with pent-up anger before flying at Kal, sending the Earth-50 Superman flying off with a powerful punch to the face.
Kent flew at Clark Luthor and delivered a punch to the latter's jaw, only managing to turn the latter's head to the side. Kent tried to punch again, but Clark Luthor easily caught his chest with one hand and used his other hand to grab Kent around the throat.
"I killed a Superman who looked exactly like you and was just as pitifully weak," Clark Luthor said with a smirk.
Seeing Kal flying back over, Clark Luthor threw Kent into him and the two Supermen collided before crashing on the ground.
Kara K punched clean through two larger Manhunters and kicked another one away before using her heat vision to take out some smaller Manhunters, Parademons, and Shadow Demons. She whirled around, blasting down more enemy forces before she was suddenly approached by an all-too familiar man with dark hair and a matching beard who was garbed in dark clothing that included a long black leather coat.
Kara K widened her eyes in shock. "Zod."
"I presumed you'd recognize me," Zod of Earth-21 sneered. "After all, I am one of your cousin's greatest Kryptonian enemy."
"Let me guess, the Anti-Monitor released you from the Phantom Zone to be one of his evil minions," Kara K said.
"At last, I shall have my revenge against Kal-El," Zod snarled. "Starting with ending your life."
Kara K clenched her fists and her eyes glowed brightly. "You're welcome to try!"
At that moment, Astra appeared next to the blonde female Kryptonian and glared at Zod. "If you're going to fight a version of my niece, you'll have to fight me too."
"With absolute pleasure," Zod sneered.
Then another figure suddenly appeared, hovering next to Zod. It was a dark-haired man garbed in an elaborate blue suit with a long red cape flowing behind him, a familiar red House of El crest with a gold background upon his chest, and a blue headgear that covered his chin, neck, and the sides of his face. He was also wearing red gloves and matching boots, and there was some gold at his waist, on the front of his gloves, and on his upper arms.
"Kal-El?" Kara K and Astra called out at the same time as they regarded the newcomer in shock.
"Yes, but not any of the weak-willed, inferior versions who are fighting on your side," the man confirmed with clear contempt in his voice.
"If any version of Kal-El is weak-willed and inferior, it's you!" Kara K shot back. "You wear our family's crest, yet you've aligned with Zod of all people!"
"Only for the time being," the evil Superman stated, firmly. "Once the Anti-Monitor have eliminated the current Multiverse and recreated a new one in which those of us who are working with him will each have our own universe to govern, we go our separate ways and I rebuild my Regime from the ground up."
"I doubt that's gonna happen, Kal-El, and you're delusional if you seriously believe it will," Kara K retorted. "Can't you see that the Anti-Monitor is just using you? He will not..."
"That's enough!" Evil Superman shouted angrily, before he flew at Kara K and tackled her away as they sailed through the air.
Astra fired heat vision at Zod, who easily sidestepped the former's blue beam. In a blur, Zod grabbed Astra around the throat with one hand and flew down, slamming her into the ground. He delivered seven brutal punches to Astra's face, making it with cuts and bruises while her nose and lip bled, and held her up.
"I was told that the Kryptonians on certain worlds were physically inferior to those of the world I come from," Zod said with a smirk. "It seems this fight won't be much of a challenge for me."
He knocked Astra many meters in the air with an uppercut punch. He flew up after Astra, grabbed her by the left foot, swung her around, and threw her back on the ground, where she was heavily dazed upon landed.
Zod flew down, grabbing Astra in a firm chokehold as he told her, "Now, you shall have the honor of dying by my hand."
John Jones suddenly appeared in front of them, glaring at Zod. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
He flew at Zod, punching him in the face as the Earth-21 Kryptonian general and former major inadvertently released Astra, who took several moments to catch her breath.
"Ah, the Martian bounty hunter who used to serve Jor-El," Zod sneered.
"Bringing dangerous monsters like you to justice," Jones declared. "Considering that you were directly involved in the events that led to Krypton's destruction, it's no surprise that you've aligned with an even bigger monster who seeks to destroy existence itself. You and whatever other allies the Anti-Monitor have gathered are all on the wrong side. The outcome of this conflict will not end in your favor. We will prevail."
"We shall see who will be the victor," Zod snarled, before flying at Jones, who quickly turned intangible to avoid the attack.
Jones returned to solid form and rammed into Zod from behind, sending the latter flying off. As Zod steadied himself, he and Jones flew at each other, producing a powerful shockwave as the Kryptonian and Martian clashed.
Diana threw her lasso around a larger Manhunter and swung it into a group of smaller Manhunters, destroying them on impact. She leapt at another larger Manhunter, stabbing it through the chest with her sword and slicing it in half before she whirled around to cut down some more Parademons and Shadow Demons.
That was when a dark-haired woman garbed in a dark red, navy blue, and gold Amazonian outfit with a sword in one hand and shield in the other hand descended in front of Diana.
"There is place for only one Diana of Themyscira!" the other Wonder Woman declared, glaring and pointing her sword at Diana, who immediately prepared to engage her counterpart. "All my weak-willed pretenders must be eliminated, starting with you!"
Without warning, the other Wonder Woman swung her sword and Diana raised her own sword defensively to block the latter's strikes before the two began to engage each other.
"How many of these Manhunters, Parademons, and creepy shadow creatures have you taken out so far?" Flash asked Bart as the two raced around eliminating enemies left and right.
"More than you, that's for sure," Bart smirked as he sped through another group of Parademons and Shadow Demons before destroying some smaller Manhunters with a thrown lightning bolt.
"How do you know?" Flash asked.
"I just do," Bart replied. "We already established that I'm the fastest man in the entire Multiverse. Still having trouble accepting that?"
Flash was about to respond when the sight of a yellow-clad speedster with a trail of red lightning suddenly caught his attention. He sped after the other speedster, who turned around to face him with a smug grin.
"The Flash of Earth-192," Thawne drawled. "You're not Barry Allen. Instead, you're Wally West. Interesting." He chuckled. "You and your friends can't stop what's already in motion. The Anti-Monitor's goals are beyond your understanding and his victory is inevitable."
"Says you!" Flash exclaimed defiantly. "No matter how hard the fight is, my team and I, we always beat the bad guys in the end, and guess what? That includes you!"
"If you're so confident, Flash, come and catch me," Thawne challenged.
"Sure thing," Flash said with a smirk as he began to chase after the villainous speedster.
Barry-Blue took out some more smaller Manhunters, Parademons, and Shadow Demons with his blue lightning when a speeding figure covered in red lightning suddenly rammed into him, sending the young Scarlet Speedster tumbling and rolling many feet away.
With a groan, Barry-Blue got back to his feet and caught sight of his attacker, a mostly yellow figure with glowing red eyes, watching him from a few meters away. Due to the figure vibrating its body, anyone who wasn't a speedster or didn't have super-speed would perceive him as blurry. However, Barry-Blue saw clearly that the mysterious figure was a man clad in a suit that was essentially a yellow version of his own red suit. As the speedster in yellow raced off, Barry-Blue pursued him in an effort to catch his new opponent.
Supes punched a larger Manhunter in the face and grabbed it, tearing the robot in half. He whirled around and grabbed another larger Manhunter by the arm, which he crushed before smashing his fist into the Manhunter's chest, destroying it.
Supes was about to destroy more Manhunters when he suddenly caught sight of a figure in golden armor descending towards him. The Earth-192 Superman took in the figure, intense anger instantly filling him upon recognizing the Lex Luthor of his own universe.
Lex Luthor of Earth-192 was garbed in golden armor that covered his entire body, save for his head. The bald billionaire looked almost exactly as he did when he had merged with Brainiac some years ago, except his head was normal color instead of pale blue and his forehead lacked the three circles that made up Brainiac's symbol.
"Luthor!" Supes snarled, glaring hatefully at the man who had caused him so much grief over the years.
"Superman," Lex-192 greeted with a smirk. "I've been looking forward to our reunion. The last time we saw each other, we were fighting on the same side defending Earth from Darkseid. As I told you then, and I'm a man of my word, it's back to business as usual now."
"And as I responded back then, wouldn't have it any other way," Supes retorted, before charging at Lex and punching his nemesis several times in the chest.
In retaliation, Lex-192 backhanded Supes in the face, sending him flying off. As Supes steadied himself, Lex blasted him in the chest with green kryptonite energy fired from his palms and punched him in the face, sending the dazed Man of Steel crashing on the ground.
"What happened to you, Kal-El?" Kara K wondered, blocking Evil Superman's punch as she caught his fist. "Weren't you a hero once?"
"I am a hero! I've always been a hero!" Evil Superman declared angrily, before head-butting Kara K in the face and sending her flying off with a punch to the chest. He flew at Kara K, who steadied herself and flew at Evil Superman, smashing her fist into his jaw. She tried to punch him again, but Evil Superman blocked it and punched her back twice. "But I became a much more efficient at my duties after what happened to my Lois, our unborn child, and my Metropolis!" He unleashed his heat vision, but Kara K stood her ground as the beam struck her chest while Evil Superman added, "Millions of lives lost because I held back, sparing the lives of unrepentant criminals like the Joker instead of doing what I should've done all along!" He was knocked back by a kick that Kara K sent to his abdomen. Steadying himself, Evil Superman joined his fists and smashed them into Kara K's chest, knocking her back in return. He then flew at Kara K and grabbed him around the throat with both hands. "Like others who have opposed me, you're clearly too blinded by your idealism to see that my way is what ensures peace and justice!"
"I'm sorry about what happened to you," Kara K apologized, unleashing her freeze breath right in Evil Superman's face and elbowing him in the chest. "But your tragedy doesn't justify what you've become!"
She then grabbed Evil Superman and threw him on the ground, forming a crater on impact.
"You sound just like my Kara," Evil Superman commented, getting back to his feet as Kara K descended near him. "And you're every bit as naive."
"And you're nothing like my cousin!" Kara K retorted in anger. "He would be disgusted by you!"
"That's because your Kal-El is weak and lacks the strength and determination to do what's necessary for the betterment of his planet like I've done for mine!" Evil Superman shot back, before he and Kara K charged at each other once more.
Kal delivered two punches to Clark Luthor's face, while Kent joined his fists and smashed them into the back of Clark Luthor's head, momentarily dazing him. In retaliation, Clark Luthor unleashed his super-breath, the force of which sent Kent flying many feet back. Clark Luthor then blocked a punch from Kal and delivered a punch of his own to Kal's face, sending him flying off too.
Kent flew back over, blasting Clark Luthor in the chest with heat vision as the latter stood his ground against the former's beam. Clark Luthor slammed his hands together, producing a powerful shockwave that threw the Earth-38 Superman many feet back.
Glancing around, Clark Luthor suddenly caught sight of a familiar dark-garbed woman who was among the many heroes taking down the Manhunters, Parademons, and Shadow Demons. He did double take and got a look at her face.
"Andrea," the murderous Kryptonian muttered in a mix of shock, disbelief, and sudden intense anger at the sight of the woman who had deceived and double-crossed him.
Clark Luthor's eyes glowed brightly as he prepared to unleash his heat vision. He didn't care if this Andrea Rojas wasn't the one of his Earth. She looked exactly like her Earth-64 doppelganger down to every last detail and, for that reason alone, Clark Luthor felt the need to kill her anyway.
However, before his heat vision could go off, Clark Luthor was suddenly tackled away and slammed into the ground by Kal, who then punched him three times in the face. Kal tried to punch a fourth time, but Clark Luthor caught the former's fist, grabbed Kal, flew up, and threw the Earth-50 Superman on the ground.
Clark Luthor then whirled around, smashing an elbow directly into the face of an incoming Kent, knocking him to the ground too.
Barry-Blue raced around, trying to catch his yellow-suited opponent, but was unable to lay a hand on him since the other speedster was undoubtedly faster than him. The yellow-suited speedster punched Barry-Blue in the chest hard, sending the latter on the ground.
"Too slow, Flash," the speedster said in a deep, distorted voice.
"I know who you are," Barry-Blue stated, remembering his conversation with the other Barry from Earth-1. "You're Eobard Thawne. The Reverse-Flash. The one from my Earth I'm guessing?" He got back to his feet, glaring hatefully at his opponent. "You're from the future. You killed my mother and framed my dad for her murder!"
The speedster, who was, indeed, Eobard Thawne aka the Reverse-Flash of Earth-50, stopped vibrating and grinned smugly. "That is all true, Barry Allen. I killed your mother and put your father in prison because I wanted to make you, my most hated enemy, to suffer a very horrific tragedy."
"You're gonna pay for what you did to them!" Barry-Blue declared angrily as blue lightning flashed in his eyes.
"You'll have to catch me first, Flash," Reverse-Flash taunted, before speeding off again as Barry-Blue once more pursued him, his anger helping him move a bit faster than he had previously.
At the same time, The Flash of Earth-192 was battling the Reverse-Flash of Earth-1 as the two exchanged high-speed blows before the former dodged a blast of red lightning that the latter fired at him. Flash charged forward with another punch, which Thawne sidestepped and tried to deliver a punch of his own, only for Flash to jump back to avoid it.
"You're a worthy opponent," Thawne noted with a smirk. "I like it."
"Thanks for the compliment," Flash said, sarcastically. "Now shut up. I'm in the middle of trying to kick your butt."
"Do you have any idea what you and those other Lex Luthors did to me?! What you did to my counterparts and the others?!" Supes asked with pent-up anger as he and Lex-192 traded powerful blows. "You brainwashed us! Forced us to battle recklessly while leaving paths of deaths and destruction on six different Earths! All because you're so hell-bent on tearing down our images to make yourself look better!"
He joined his fists and smashed them very hard into Lex-192's chest, putting several cracks in the bald billionaire's golden armor, only for them to disappear as the armor instantly repaired itself.
"I am better than you, mentally and physically," Lex-192 stated, grabbing Supes around the throat with one hand. He then used the back of his other hand to smack Supes' in the face three times, making the Kryptonian hero's nose bleed. "Thanks to my upgraded body, I am now completely invulnerable. I don't even need kryptonite to take you down with my own two hands." He tossed Supes on the ground and descended near the fallen Man of Steel. "Face it, Superman, I am now more powerful than even you."
"Let me prove you wrong," Supes remarked, before ramming into Lex-192 in a blur as the fight between the two sworn enemies went on.
"You've stained Amazon honor by willingly choosing to serve a monster who seeks to destroy all of existence and everyone in it!" Diana snarled, as she and the villainous Wonder Woman were still engaging each other.
They clashed swords fiercely, while occasionally leaping and dodging to avoid the other's strikes.
"I'm merely aiding in what must be done for the sake of mankind," Evil Wonder Woman snarled back, sending a kick which Diana blocked with her shield. "Every reality in the Multiverse is full of evil, cruelty and injustice. Therefore, they must be purged to make way for a new and better world that Superman and I will peacefully rule over without anyone opposing us!"
"Your idea of 'peace' is severely flawed!" Diana said, jumping back to avoid a swing of her opponent's sword. "Beings like the Anti-Monitor never keep their promise." She bashed Evil Wonder Woman's face with her shield and followed up with a kick that the latter jumped up to avoid. "He will dispose of you the moment you're no longer of use to him."
"The last thing I need is a lecture from you!" Evil Wonder Woman roared, before slashing Diana in the thigh, opening a cut, and trying to do the same to her neck, only for Diana to block it with her shield.
Near the top of the Quantum Tower, Lex Luthor of Earth-21 planted a device on the surface of the tall golden structure, while Lex Luthor of Earth-38 planted an identical device on the other side of it. The two bald billionaires were each garbed in a green and purple suit of armor.
As the Lexes flew several meters back, the devices they had planted sent powerful electromagnetic pulses throughout the Quantum Tower, immediately shutting it down. Within seconds, the blue skies up ahead turned red once again.
"Quantum Tower deactivated," Lex-21 said with satisfied smirk as he removed the device from the Tower's surface.
"This world is now doomed," Lex-38 said, removing his device as well.
Down below, the various heroes stopped dead in their tracks, looking up at the ominous red skies in alarm and horror.
"The skies are red again!" Shayera exclaimed.
"Oh, boy," Shazam muttered.
"We're all gonna die," Arthur remarked.
"That comment might actually come true this time," A.C. agreed.
"Luthor," Bruce noted firmly as he saw Lex-21 and Lex-38 flying away from the deactivated Quantum Tower.
"Those bastards," Tess snarled as she glared at the two Lexes and flew up to them.
"Well, if it isn't my dear little sister," Lex-21 greeted with a smirk. "It's too bad you've chosen the wrong side."
"Look who's talking," Tess retorted. "You're out of your minds working with the cosmic being whose plan is to literally destroy reality."
"Destroy and rebuild from scratch," Lex-38 pointed out. "You have to admit that the world as it currently is, is not in good shape. T why it is in dire need of a rewrite."
"Sometimes things go so horribly wrong that the only way to fix them is by starting over," Lex-21 stated.
"The world as it is isn't perfect, but it's certainly much better than one where depraved madmen like you two are in control of everything," Tess shot back.
"Agree to disagree, sis," Lex-21 said. "This was my destiny all along and I have every intention of embracing it."
"You and my own dear sister Lena are so much alike," Lex-38 said to Tess. "Though you seem a bit feistier than her I admit. Enjoy the show, Lutessa. Not that you and your friends are gonna remember any of this after this version of existence is wiped out of, well, existence."
At that moment, a blinding white flash of light illuminated the entire battle area and, when it faded, all the enemy forces were gone, leaving only the heroes, the destroyed Manhunters, and dead Parademons behind.
The Monitor then appeared out of a portal and announced to the heroes, "This Earth has fallen now. All of you must retreat and prepare for the battles yet to come."
He opened portals, one-by-one transporting the assembled heroes away.
Once everyone was gone, The Monitor himself disappeared into a portal, mere seconds before the entire world was consumed by the anti-matter wave.
This marks the end of the first battle and Earth-38 is now destroyed. The villains working for the Anti-Monitor that appeared in this chapter are Clark Luthor/Ultraman, Earth-21/Smallville Zod, Earth-1 Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash (fittingly so), Earth-50/DCEU Reverse-Flash (portrayed by Anthony Starr, who plays Homelander on The Boys), the Lex Luthors, and the Superman and Wonder Woman of the "Regime" Earth in Injustice: Gods Among Us.
In addition to the Shadow Demons, Parademons and Manhunters are part of the Anti-Monitor's army as well, which he gathered from various Earths that have already perished. The smaller Manhunters appear as they did in the Smallville Season 11 comics while the larger Manhuntersare based on their design in the Justice League cartoon.
As for the Earth-99 stuff in the first part of this chapter, some of the dialogue (and setting up Luke Fox to take Old Bruce's place as Gotham's protector) was inspired by a chapter in Michael Weyer's Counterpart Conferences, where DCAU Batman confronted his murderous Earth-99 counterpart in there too.