bookbashuk Chapter 428 The Black Runner
Chapter 428 The Black Runner
Chapter 428 The Black Runner
The most serious injury the slaves suffered was simply being knocked unconscious by Superman.
In contrast, Superman, the "Bloodless Sword," had shattered bones and not a single piece of good flesh on his body. His miserable state moved even the slaves.
If the Justice Society hadn't arrived in time and Tom Turbo hadn't intervened, Superman would probably be dead on Apokolips by now.
But there are no "what ifs" now. The Lords of Justice stood in a circle around Superman, protecting him. The Black Siren gripped a pitchfork in each hand: "What do we do, guys? Fight them?"
The Green Guardians stood ready, prepared to conjure up weapons to deal with the slaves at any time.
Speed, as the leader, exchanged a glance with Tom Turbo, who nodded and said loudly to the slaves, "I don't know which planet you come from, but at this moment you are no different from us."
"Look at the chains on your wrists, feel the whip marks on your back! These chains were not forged by the gods, these whip marks were not etched by fate, but imposed upon you by Darkseid!"
"You are not livestock, but souls born of a free world!"
"He lashed our flesh with whips, attempting to crush the flames within us. But can fire be chained? When a thousand flames converge, they become the flames that burn down the cage!"
"Apokolips was created by you, not Darkseid. Pick up your gleaming scythe, grip your hands that moved those massive stones, for these hands that created the world will one day shatter their chains!"
"Today's fear may buy your descendants eternal freedom. Tell me aloud, will you be heroes for a time, or cowards for a lifetime?"
Tom Turbo is usually the most silent member of the Justice Society, but today he made an unprecedented move by speaking so much in front of these slaves in an attempt to save Superman.
The slaves dared not look directly into Tom Turbo's squinty eyes, and some lowered their heads.
They had considered rebelling, but Darkseid's reign of terror always loomed over them like a shadow, and they had long lost all hope.
"Catman" was also about to speak up, but Jisu quickly pulled him back: "Give them some time, even if only one in a thousand is willing to stand up, that will be enough."
The slaves looked at each other, and then gradually parted to make way for each other.
An elderly slave, whose head was almost drooping to his knees due to his hunchback, slowly walked out, supported by several strong slaves.
"There has always been a legend on Apokolips: one day, a human will walk through the wilderness of Apokolips, and he will come from a place called Metropolis —"
"He brought hope to Earth, and he will spread hope to the land of Apokolips as well."
"He is both a god and a man; he is the son of a humble farmer, a seeker of truth, and the embodiment of justice."
The Lords of Justice exchanged bewildered glances. They had been lurking on Apokolips for a long time, yet they had never heard of this prophecy.
The old slave's words may have been fabricated on the spot, but they were also an opportunity for the slaves of Apokolips to rise up in rebellion.
He nodded rapidly, turning to shield the unconscious Superman from the slaves' view: "That's right, the person you're talking about is the 'Bloodless Sword' you all ridiculed."
On Earth, even with Connors' protection, the battle between Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor still had a huge impact, smashing through mountain after mountain, and the aftershocks of the battle caused waves to rise in the sea.
Countless superheroes who were fighting against Parademons and Darkseid were sent flying by the aftershocks, their fates unknown, all in an effort to reduce the fighting power of these two powerful beings as much as possible before they could decide the victor.
"I am Diana, and I believe in peace."
"But all my training throughout my life has been for war."
"This war is different from any other: we are caught between two powerful beings."
"I am Diana, and I would rather die than stand by and watch them destroy my world."
Wonder Woman and Lady Warrior stood side by side, exchanged a glance, and then charged headlong into the Parademon army.
They weren't the only ones wreaking havoc on Darkseid's dark legions; Grell, also an Amazon, was among them.
She wielded her giant axe, rampaging through the Parademon army, her red eyes sweeping across vast areas with a single glance, until she reached the vicinity of Darkseid.
Darkseid's eldest son, Kalibak, is stationed here. To kill Darkseid, you must first kill Kalibak.
"You'll die fighting for Father, that's exactly what you wanted, isn't it, brother?!"
As Greer spoke, she swung her giant axe straight at Kalibak's head.
"That day will come, but it certainly won't be today, sister." Kalibak opened his palm, grabbed Greer along with her giant axe, and slammed her viciously into the ground.
That wasn't all. Kalibak then stomped on her again, twisting his ankle forcefully, trying to crush Greer into a puddle of mud.
Things didn't go as smoothly as he imagined. Greer was stuck in the mud, her eyes glowing red as Omega rays pierced through Kalibak's feet, bypassed his hands, and pierced his eyes.
Kalibak let out a scream that reached Darkseid's ears. The master of Apokolips immediately flew into a rage and swiftly closed in on the Anti-Monitor, throwing a punch.
Darkseid's power surged dramatically in his rage, forcing the Anti-Monitor, who had been evenly matched with him just moments before, to retreat.
"Enough, this war is over."
Darkseid clenched his fist and raised it high, ready to summon a new power, one that had never appeared since the start of the war.
Accompanied by rumbling thunder, a black lightning bolt ripped across the sky, and a figure dressed in black armor, wearing skis, and wielding two scythes appeared beside Darkseid.
"The Black Runner—he is the embodiment of death. Darkseid captured him on Apokolips and enslaved him for his own use. He is arguably the Dark Lord's most powerful weapon."
Milina, riding on the back of the griffin, spoke to Mr. Miracle beside her.
The black runner paused briefly before transforming into a black lightning bolt once more, hurtling straight toward the anti-monitor's chest.
Without any hindrance, he passed through the anti-monitor's chest as easily as passing through a block of tofu.
But the anti-surveillance agent didn't fall. He just clutched the hole in his chest and smiled: "Darkseid, you've fallen for my trap."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strange change occurred to the black-clad runner.
A gray vortex rapidly expanded and then shrank, disappearing into the body of the black runner.
Darkseid's pupils contracted; he recognized the gray vortex: it was the "Anti-Life Equation."
The Anti-Monitor broke free from the curse of the Anti-Life Equation, and his body quickly shrank, reverting to the original form of Möbius.
The black runner stood there with his head down until he heard Darkseid's call, then slowly raised his head and grinned, revealing a gaping mouth and exposed teeth.
More than 5,000 kilometers away, Doctor Strange suddenly frowned. He sensed a familiar aura amidst the chaotic energy in the distance.
The atmosphere was exactly the same as the zombie world he lived in.
That aura merged with the black runner, and Doctor Strange's cloak suddenly billowed up, causing the green Time Stone to glow.
To Deadpool, Wolverine, and the others nearby, Doctor Strange's body suddenly became illusory, but quickly returned to normal, though his expression turned extremely ugly.
"What happened, genius doctor?" Deadpool asked, tilting his head.
"I have witnessed the fall of countless heroes, a catastrophe far greater than any zombie apocalypse," Doctor Strange said.