The Justice League ultimately chose Apokolips as their new headquarters.
At first glance, the decision seemed strange. Most members of the League had families, responsibilities, and work on Earth. Why would they willingly base themselves on a world infamous for fire pits, oppressive architecture, and armies of demon-like soldiers? It was hardly the type of environment anyone would choose for a home.
Yet Shin had given them an option that changed everything. He entrusted the Justice League with a Mother Box, a tool that allowed instant travel between Earth and Apokolips. With it, the League could return to their families whenever needed while still maintaining a presence on the conquered world. Along with the gift came a responsibility: Shin tasked them with keeping an eye on Apokolips and its inhabitants.
The people of Apokolips were not good in the traditional sense. They had submitted to Shin's authority, cowed by his overwhelming strength and the truth-compelling power of the Lasso of Truth. Their loyalty was shallow, rooted in fear rather than devotion. Expecting them to stay faithful forever was wishful thinking, which was why Shin ordered the League to act as overseers.
Apokolips was a formidable world, but without Darkseid it was far weaker than its reputation suggested. With Superman's might, Batman's strategy, Diana's leadership, and the combined talents of the League, keeping order there was no impossible task.
Steppenwolf was dead. Darkseid himself was gone, along with his monstrous heir who resembled a lion. Shin knew from his knowledge of this universe that Apokolips had no counterpart world like New Genesis to keep the balance. That meant Darkseid's bloodline and the ruling New Gods of his house had been eradicated.
Without Darkseid's iron hand, chaos was inevitable. The New Gods of Apokolips were powerful, but their personalities ensured infighting. They would challenge one another for supremacy long before they ever united against the Justice League. None of them could rival Darkseid's strength or authority. In time, they would fragment and weaken.
If the New Gods ever did rise again and became too troublesome, Shin had his own contingency. He cared nothing for their survival. If matters grew out of hand, he could strip their souls, twist them into Homies, and hang their husks beneath the sacred tree. For him, Apokolips was never about governance or peace. It was about technology. The planet's scientific infrastructure was second to none, and that was what he intended to exploit.
From Shin's perspective, Apokolips was nothing more than a vast research base. The lives of its people were irrelevant. What mattered were the resources, the knowledge, and the machinery that could be put to use.
The Justice League's first task was to establish authority. Shin made introductions, ensuring that the people of Apokolips understood the League's role. Though they bowed with respect and spoke humble words, it was clear their submission was mostly surface-level. Still, the fear of annihilation kept them in line. The smarter ones already knew resistance meant death.
Shin had previously captured many of the New Gods who were dispatched to maintain control over conquered worlds. He brought them back to Apokolips as prisoners. To solidify control further, Superman, Diana, Aquaman, and others staged demonstrations of their power.
Aquaman's strength was particularly noteworthy. Even before mastering Fish-Man Karate, his raw might placed him above nearly half of the New Gods. Superman, often underestimated, had proven his worth as well. These displays crushed lingering defiance. The League's prestige was cemented in the minds of the population.
The Ancient One, never short on ideas, presented a different kind of strategy to Batman, Green Arrow, and the others. Instead of ruling by fear alone, why not corrupt Apokolips from within? His plan involved importing Earth's luxuries—gourmet food, fine wine, entertainment, and comforts. He even suggested attracting beautiful men and women from other planets to break the militant spirit of the New Gods. With the right temptations, Apokolips could be reshaped into something far removed from its past as a planet-sized weapons factory.
The results were staggering. Desire, once unleashed, spread like wildfire. Within months, the people of Apokolips had grown soft. Where once they had brooded and thirsted for battle, they now lazed in indulgence. The once-feared warriors became idle hedonists, concerned more with pleasure than conquest.
Apokolips had resources to sustain such decadence. The planet ruled countless worlds, its stores overflowing. With fewer than a hundred thousand New Gods, each with near-limitless resources, there was little incentive to fight for survival. Who would take up arms when they could spend a lifetime feasting, drinking, and indulging without worry? A few ambitious individuals remained, but they were so rare as to be irrelevant.
For every hundred New Gods, perhaps one still dreamed of domination.
Of course, those few were dangerous. The strength of a New God, even acting alone, was significant. But without Darkseid's leadership and with the Justice League's oversight, their chances of rallying others were slim.
Meanwhile, Shin turned his focus to the planet's true treasure, its scientists. He gathered everyone he could find, from Darkseid's engineers to hidden savants living in conquered territories. They were not subjected to brainwashing, unlike many others. Instead, they were given relative comfort. Compared to Darkseid's rule, where failure meant death, their new situation was almost merciful.
These scientists became the foundation of Shin's grand designs. Under his orders, they began building digital clones of him, artificial constructs that could house fragments of his consciousness. With these, Shin could work in multiple places at once, extending his reach far beyond what a single body could achieve. The Justice League oversaw their relocation, transporting them between Earth and Apokolips as needed.
The planet itself became a sprawling laboratory. Its advanced technology was unparalleled across dimensions. Shin compared it to the resources of the Naruto and One Piece worlds, even to Marvel's inventions. Apokolips surpassed them all. Every piece of machinery, every databank, every factory was redirected to serve his research.
He knew well that technology was the ultimate productive force. Power could be lost, battles could be unwinnable, but knowledge and invention could shape entire universes. Apokolips, stripped of its tyrant, now belonged to him, its vast resources repurposed for his vision of the multiverse.
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