Back on the satellite, everyone watched in complete silence, their breaths held in anticipation of what was about to happen.
As impressive as Max's feat had been, destroying one of the Anti-Monitor's countless avatars with a single punch, it almost felt underwhelming compared to what their clash alone was did to the Bleed itself before. Reality had trembled around them from mere aftershocks.
Still, for those who had accompanied Max, the display was shocking in a different way. They had fully expected him to struggle against the Anti-Monitor, especially considering how even Max himself had spoken of the entity's overwhelming power.
But now, it seemed the gap between them might not have been as insurmountable as they had feared.
After the destruction of the avatar, the alarms aboard the satellite went silent for a brief moment.
Then they suddenly erupted again, louder than before.
Mr. Terrific's fingers froze over the console while Saturn Girl stared at the sensor readings, both of them going pale.
"What is it?" Superman demanded.
Neither of them answered immediately.
Slowly, they turned toward the windows overlooking the Bleed.
Everyone followed their gaze.
Then their blood ran cold.
Hundreds,
No.
Thousands of rifts began tearing open across the Bleed like cracks spreading through glass. From each fracture emerged another gigantic Anti-Monitor avatar, their crimson eyes glowing ominously within the darkness.
"God help us…" Huntress muttered under her breath.
"Well… it was nice knowing you all," Luthor said dryly, though even he sounded unsettled.
"So many…" Thena whispered, horrified.
Outside the satellite, Max simply stood there watching,not even slightly intimidated.
One of the Anti-Monitor avatars drifted forward and stopped directly before him. Then, all across the Bleed, every other Anti-Monitor suddenly began glowing brilliantly.
A moment later, they shot toward the one before Max as streaks of white light.
One after another, they merged into it.
The entire Bleed lit up in a blinding flash so intense that everyone aboard the satellite had to shield their eyes.
When the light finally faded, silence fell once more.
Standing before Max now was the Anti-Monitor's true form.
Unlike the colossal avatars, this body was roughly Max's size, yet somehow infinitely more terrifying. He wore dark blue-black armor lined with glowing crimson energy that pulsed like the heartbeat. Jagged silver spikes protruded from his shoulders and forearms.
His face pale and skeletal, almost corpse-like, with burning red eyes that glowed from beneath a heavy shadowed brow. Cracks of antimatter energy coursed across his armor and flesh alike, distorting the space around him with every movement.He looked absolutely terrifying.
And yet, Max merely stared back at him without fear.
"We meet again, Max," the Anti-Monitor said, his deep voice reverberating through the Bleed itself.
"And nothing has changed," Max replied coldly. "Only this time, I'll succeed."
"Is that so?" the Anti-Monitor asked mockingly. "Have you finally overcome your selfishness and accepted what must be done?"
Max's jaw clenched tightly, but he remained silent.
The Anti-Monitor's crimson eyes narrowed.
"Then allow me to crush your hopes once more. This time, I'll grind you beneath my heel like the insignificant insect you are and show you the true power of a god."
The instant the final word left his mouth, he vanished.
A violent shockwave exploded through the Bleed as the Anti-Monitor appeared directly in front of Max and drove a punch straight into his cheek before he could even react.
BOOM!
The sheer force of the impact sent massive ripples tearing through space itself.
Max was launched backward at incomprehensible speed, the fabric of reality bending and warping around him as he flew across the Bleed like a meteor.
And the Anti-Monitor was already pursuing him.
Max tumbled through the vast emptiness of the Bleed, droplets of blood trailing behind him as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
Finally, his eyes snapped open.
He forced himself to stop, space distorting around him as his body halted abruptly. His vision was blurry, his thoughts sluggish. Shaking his head, he tried to clear the haze before grabbing his dislocated jaw and violently snapping it back into place with a crack.
He spat out a glob of blood along with several broken teeth before wiping the blood flowing from his nose as his expression hardened.
Without hesitation, Max forced both his chakra and ki directly into his heart before jabbing his thumb into his chest,opening the Final Gate to multiply his power further.
"RAHHHHHHHH!"
A violent roar escaped him as the dark aura around his body deepened into a blood-red crimson. Energy exploded outward from him in waves powerful enough to distort the surrounding Bleed.
The rapidly approaching Anti-Monitor suddenly seemed slower in Max's eyes as his power surged high enough to barely begin catching up.
Max immediately raised both arms.
A split second later, the Anti-Monitor's punch crashed into his guard.
CRACK!
Max felt every bone in his body rattle violently from the impact. His arms went numb instantly as tiny fractures spread across them at the point of contact.
Even so, he endured it.
He was sent flying backward once again, but this time he managed to regain control almost instantly.
The moment he stabilized himself, Max blasted forward toward the Anti-Monitor.
He pulled back his fist,the Anti-Monitor doing the same.
Then both punches collided.
BOOOOM!!
A massive ripple erupted through space at the point where their fists met, followed by violent explosions and tremors that spread across the Bleed itself.
Shockwaves tore through reality as the two beings rapidly exchanged blows, each strike powerful enough to warp space around them.
------
While for Max, even though he had been drifting in and out of consciousness, it had only happened over a few seconds, for the others left in the Monitor satellite, it had all happened in an instant.
One second, one of the Anti-Monitors fused with the others to become a singular being. They exchanged a few words, then suddenly they were gone, followed by a powerful ripple in space that made all the sensors in the satellite go haywire.
Only for them to start going off again for the worst possible scenario.
Right now, in the Bleed, a fissure was being torn open.
An Anti-Monitor clone was pushing its way through.
And this time, there was no Max to stop it and instead of targeting the earths as usual,this time it had its sights set directly on them.
Chapter 48:All heroes unite!
Chapter 49:Super saiyan rosé
Chapter 50:The Anti-Monitor's last Attack