Shin's interrogation was calculated, not impulsive. He began with the weaker and less significant New Gods, binding them in the Lasso of Truth and exposing their helplessness to everyone present. Each question was deliberate, designed to demonstrate not only his control but also the futility of resistance.
For the New Gods of Apokolips, morality had no weight. They feared only power. When they realized that even lies were stripped bare by the golden light of the Lasso, their arrogance collapsed, and their survival instincts finally drove them to submission.
The truth became undeniable. After Shin absorbed the souls of only three or four of the more defiant ones, the others grew increasingly obedient. In the culture of Apokolips, submission to greater strength was the natural order. Here, weakness was death, and loyalty was dictated by power.
Origins? Race? Morality? None of it mattered. On Apokolips, fists and cruelty were law.
Shin's fists were beyond dispute. He had already slain Darkseid and Kalibak without hesitation. His power eclipsed theirs by orders of magnitude. And unlike heroes who hesitated to kill, Shin carried no such burdens. He was not a savior of worlds but a traveler of worlds.
Killing came easily to him, especially when his victims were tyrants and fanatics who had long since abandoned their humanity.
As for cunning, he did not need to match the deceit of Apokoliptian courtiers. The Lasso of Truth erased falsehood with absolute force. Lies, secrets, and treachery had no refuge before him. That alone made him untouchable in their eyes.
Thus, one by one, the surviving New Gods bent the knee. Soon, they were all within his grasp.
Shin extended his hand, weaving the soul power of the first New Gods he had consumed into the Mother Box and the Lasso of Truth itself. With careful precision, he infused them with fragments of consciousness, creating two formidable Homies infused with both weapon and will. As the golden light glimmered around his creations, his gaze swept coldly over the twenty or so New Gods who remained.
"Since you have chosen to follow me," Shin declared, his voice carrying across the chamber like judgment, "you will extinguish all remaining resistance. Any who disobey me, you will slay and bring their souls to me."
To reinforce his command, he clapped his hands together. With a surge of chakra, the Wood Clone Jutsu came to life. From the ground, thousands of wooden figures erupted, each identical to Shin in form.
Though these clones lacked the full durability of his enhanced body, their frames, forged of chakra-empowered wood, possessed strength on par with gods. Each one held reserves of chakra that could rival the Ōtsutsuki, and their collective might radiated like an army of divine soldiers.
Tens of thousands strong, they now stood without opposition. With Apokolips's top fighters dead or enslaved, no army could withstand this tide.
Shin was not finished. From the soul power of two additional New Gods, he conjured yet more weapons. With a casual clap, he molded the spiritual essence into two spheres of burning white light. They rose into the sky, suspended like cold suns.
"They will feed on the souls of rebels," Shin explained, watching them drift above. "Now go, and spread conquest."
The New Gods did not flinch. Even though their pride had been shattered, the brutality of Shin's methods resonated with their culture. For them, loyalty demanded not kindness but cruelty. To force them to kill their own kind was not humiliation but proof of dominance. Without hesitation, they marched beside Shin's wooden clones, prepared to subjugate the entire planet in his name.
Shin then turned his gaze toward DeSaad. The gaunt scientist trembled under his scrutiny, still kneeling in servitude.
"You are the chief scientist of Apokolips, are you not?" Shin asked.
DeSaad blinked, startled that this conqueror knew his role. Flustered, he pressed his forehead to the floor. "Yes, great one. I serve as the chief scientist."
Before he could say more, realization struck him. He had pledged himself to a ruler whose name he did not even know. His lips parted in panic, but Shin raised a hand, forestalling his fumbling.
"My name is Shin," he said simply.
Relief washed over DeSaad. He bowed deeper, his voice trembling with eagerness. "Great Lord Shin, command me as you wish. What service may I provide?"
Shin's eyes narrowed slightly. He was never entirely comfortable with such titles, yet it was useful for the moment. Rolling his eyes at the scientist's overzealous flattery, he pressed on.
"I discovered a Kryptonian here on Apokolips. Explain."
DeSaad stiffened but quickly nodded. "You must mean the female Kryptonian. Kara. She was captured during her dormancy. Forgive me, but… is she your ally?"
"Kara?" Shin murmured, his brow furrowing. The name struck a chord. He rubbed his chin, piecing the story together. Kara Zor-El, cousin of Superman. The fabled Supergirl.
Her story varied across worlds. Some claimed she had been trapped in the Phantom Zone, others that her spacecraft had drifted near Saturn for millennia. In this world, it seemed the latter was true. Her ship, still orbiting Saturn, had been discovered and seized by Apokolips.
Because of her stasis, her body had not aged. Though technically Superman's cousin, both in blood and years, she appeared far younger. Immaturity clung to her spirit, her strength untapped but brimming with potential.
"She is not my friend," Shin said bluntly, "but she is kin to one who is."
DeSaad tilted his head, cautious. "Then… by 'friend,' you mean Earth's Superman?"
The scientist's quick deduction impressed Shin. Of course, only Superman remained as the prominent Kryptonian of Earth. It was no stretch to connect Kara to him.
Shin's mind raced. Kara's capture was no coincidence. Superman's feats on Earth had undoubtedly alarmed Apokolips. He had faced Steppenwolf, whose strength was surpassed only by Darkseid himself, and nearly defeated him single-handedly. His only weakness was kryptonite. Without it, Superman would have torn Steppenwolf apart.
And even that weakness was relative. Kryptonite's effects could be negated with armor or shielding. Superman's reluctance to protect himself was not an inability but a choice. Likely, he left that vulnerability exposed deliberately, to reassure allies such as Batman, who might otherwise distrust him.
In the end, Superman's dominance had spurred Apokolips to act. Kara, as the last known Kryptonian, was a weapon they sought to control.
"Bring her to me," Shin ordered, his tone brooking no delay.
DeSaad scrambled to his feet, eager to comply. He returned swiftly, wheeling in a massive machine. Its design resembled a twisted life-support chamber, its surface alive with cables and conduits. Suspended within was a blonde girl, her youthful face peaceful even as wires clung to her temples.
Shin's gaze hardened. She was confined, her mind shackled in a web of Apokoliptian science. Brainwashing.
DeSaad lowered the chamber carefully and glanced up, uncertain. "Great one… shall we continue her reconditioning?"
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