Inside the Dark Dimension.
Although Ian couldn't fathom the sheer psychological trauma he was causing his mother, he was keeping a close eye on the emotional fluctuations of ordinary people across the globe by monitoring his "faith harvest."
To be honest, if you asked Ian to be a fanboy, he'd scoff and write a 20,000-word critique on why celebrity worship is meaningless. But when *he* was the "star" being worshipped by the masses?
Ian absolutely loved fan culture.
He felt he owed a profound debt of gratitude to all those "Idol Oppas" and "Sisters" who had worked so hard over the years to ensure human evolution trended toward the mental smoothness of a koala.
It didn't matter if the acting was good or bad. As long as people believed it, he was a great actor.
"Since when is being handsome not a skill?" Ian mused inwardly.
Immediately after, he snapped his back straight again. Though he still swayed slightly, his face wore a look of grim determination—the kind that says, "I know I can't win, but I must try anyway."
"No! I can't fall yet!"
His voice was booming, even without a megaphone.
At this moment, it was as if every melodramatic, wooden actor in history was standing with Ian across time and space, sharing their "talents" with him.
However, that didn't hinder Ian's performance. His eyes, like twin searchlights, suddenly locked onto the only remaining enemy on the field: Trigon. His gaze was filled with unquestionable resolve and a sense of mission.
"At least... I must hold on! For Earth... I must eliminate this final threat! For... the family!"
This soulful, tear-jerking performance might have been considered "cringe" in countries with a highly developed livestreaming industry, but the majority of people in this world had yet to be baptized by the "Family Streamer" genre.
In countless regions, the public was incensed. They were moved to tears simply by the fact that he had called them "family."
The power of faith flooded toward Ian like a tidal wave.
Of course, there were still sane people in the world. Aside from the Justice League members who had been "poisoned" by Ian's antics, Trigon—the demon who had just met him—wasn't fooled either.
Ian's performance practically shattered Trigon's sanity!
"Motherf***er!!! You're lying! You're lying!!!" Trigon roared, his six arms flailing wildly. His massive demonic frame hopped around like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You're currently as strong as a Titan who just ate a bottle of vitality pills! 'Origin damage'? Pfft! Your Origin is so overstuffed it's practically leaking out of your ears!!!"
"This guy is more of a dog than we demons are!!!" Trigon had finally witnessed the truth: there is always a bigger demon, a higher heaven, and a level of shamelessness that makes regular villains look like saints.
"HE'S LYING!"
"HE'S LYING!"
"HE'S LYING!"
Important things must be said at least three times. Because he knew exactly what Ian was plotting with this performance, Trigon—a Great Demon Lord—actually found himself in the position of trying to "warn" humanity.
The world is truly a surreal place sometimes.
He screamed frantically toward the "cameras" he couldn't even see, but the King of Anticipation, Ian, had already muted his "insane ramblings" with censorship bleeps long ago.
"Silence, demon!"
Ian let out a timely, righteous shout. His voice rolled through the Dark Dimension, carrying the tone of a guardian wary of a demon corrupting the minds of "innocent children."
"Your end has come!"
Without further hesitation, Ian prepared for his final act.
"Wait! Wait! Let's talk! I can negotiate anything! I can love Earth too!" Seeing Ian's golden, radiant figure—now clearly more terrifying than before—moving toward him, absolute terror instantly crushed Trigon's rage. He demonstrated a level of flexibility regarding his demonic principles that far surpassed the average devil.
How else do you think one becomes a Great Demon Lord?
Trigon knew that in a one-on-one fight, he stood zero chance against this bizarre entity. As the saying goes: "While the green hills remain, there is no fear of lack of firewood."
Timely submission is a vital survival skill every demon learns from birth. Those who don't learn it don't grow up.
"You can love Earth too? How laughable! Such blatant lies! Do you take the God of Light—who has exhausted himself and is ready to die for Earth—for a fool?!"
"Cursed creature!"
Ian wasn't about to give Trigon a chance. Whether Trigon genuinely felt he had no choice or was actually trying to "turn over a new leaf" didn't matter. If he let Trigon escape, who was going to pay for tonight's "midnight snack"?
"Witness my divine power!"
Ian raised his massive fists. Just as he was about to crush the demon with fists fifty times larger than a sun, Trigon panicked like a cornered quail.
"No! You can't kill me!"
Seeing that pleading was useless, Trigon switched tactics. He threw his head back and let out a piercing howl—not a curse this time, but a desperate cry for help to higher-level entities, attempting to expose Ian's "threat."
"Lucifer!!! Satan!!! Do you see this? This tumor from an outer universe! His very existence is a subversion of all order and chaos!"
"His greed will swallow everything! Eventually, even Hell won't be spared! You must act! Don't force me to pray to your Father! Surely you aren't incapable of stopping him?"
He screamed until his voice cracked, hoping to catch the attention of the Lord of Hell, even resorting to blatant provocation in his desperation.
According to Trigon's past understanding of the "three-year-old" Lucifer, the Morningstar usually fell for such provocations. However, there was no response.
This made Trigon so desperate he considered actually praying to God. After all, just as only the one who framed you knows how wronged you are, only Trigon knew exactly how "delicious" he looked to Ian right now. Losing a portion of his power was one thing, but what if Ian finished the snack and decided he wanted a second helping?
The boundary between Hell and Earth?
Trigon was terrified that Ian would simply bite through that boundary and treat the entire Hell dimension as an all-you-can-eat buffet! His estimation of Ian's character was more accurate than almost anyone's.
"Lucifer! If you don't act... I'll... I'll go to the Silver City and complain to God! I'll tell Him Hell is neglecting its duties and allowing an outer-universe tumor to run wild!!!"
"I'll really do it!"
"I mean it!"
Trigon was making his final struggle. However, no matter how he screamed or how alarmist he became, the deep dimensions of Hell remained silent. It was as if Lucifer were truly busy with something "important."
The Morningstar could definitely hear him. He just didn't care. At that moment, Trigon's heart sank completely. A sense of despair, as if abandoned by the entire universe, enveloped him.
Ian, watching Trigon's frantic yet helpless state, felt the timing was just right. However, he didn't plan to eat Trigon directly.
Judging by how "malnourished" he felt while digesting Darkseid—which had slowed down his experience gain—he was currently a bit "overstuffed." Darkseid's power hadn't been fully processed yet. Swallowing Trigon now would likely cause severe "indigestion."
Fortunately, he had an "extra" digestive organ—or rather, a helper for "processing ingredients" who could temporarily store Trigon's power for him.
Of course, the helper didn't know this, and Ian didn't plan on letting it know. When the time came to absorb that power, he'd have his own clever ways.
He could take the power back under the guise of pre-packaged food being unhealthy, making himself look "kind" and "thoughtful" in the process.
Thinking of this, Ian acted decisively. His raised fists suddenly unfurled into open palms.
"Slanderous words! Stubborn and unrepentant!"
Ian increased his volume again, striking the pose of ultimate judgment while silently chanting a summon.
"Behold my... World-Honored Kshitigarbha! Prajna Paramita!"
With this imposing "incantation," his palms erupted with light—not gold, but a pure white radiance. Immediately after, a sensation that made even Trigon's soul tremble—an aura of pure "hunger" and "devouring" intent—diffused from a rift in Ian's palm, carrying a chaotic sense of "eating anything in sight!"
*ROAR—!!!*
As if coming from the dawn of time, a roar filled with endless greed and the desire for destruction shook the entire dimension! Then, a monster whose form defied description lunged out of the rift!
It had no fixed shape, appearing to be made of pure shadow, emitting a terror that made even a Great Demon Lord like Trigon feel microscopic—an existential dread of being "deleted."
This helper was the "Magical Pal" Ian had subdued at the end of time in the Marvel Universe—the conceptual entity that fed on timelines and reality: Alioth!
At least, Ian called it Alioth. He usually treated it like a "cosmic tapeworm" used to process hard-to-digest energy scraps.
Alioth, whom Ian treated similarly to a bottomless trash can, finally had the chance to display its vicious nature as a Devourer of Reality! Its formless "gaze" instantly locked onto the enticing energy signature of Trigon.
It let out a joyful hiss, as hungry as a starving wolf. Like an all-encompassing dark tide, it lunged toward the terrified Demon Lord!
"NO—!!!" Trigon let out a howl of despair.
Resist? How? All his magic and authority were utterly pale and powerless before a monster that literally ate the foundation of reality.
Ian watched the scene with satisfaction.
"Mmh, professional work should be left to professional 'tools.'" He patted his stomach, feeling much lighter without the extra digestive burden.
Almost the moment he finished speaking, the livestream on Earth displayed incredible "professionalism."
The moment the formless, hungry Alioth lunged at the terrified Trigon, the livestream overlayed a million-dollar special effect onto Alioth's chaotic, horrific, and indescribable body in real-time!
AI rendering should always be used for "righteous" purposes.
Under the "Holy Special Effects," Alioth looked just like Ian—purely righteous. A layer of dazzling, sacred golden light enveloped Alioth, outlining its twisted form as if it were some divine apostle. The edges of its "maw" were even given light-and-shadow effects resembling angelic wings!
If variety shows could use effects for "delicacies," so could Ian. Alioth's pounce, rendered through these filters, was filled with the impact of justice and the weight of a fated duel!
[JUSTICE PREVAILS! LIGHT ENDURES!]
These eight shimmering golden characters appeared on the livestream screen at the perfect moment.
The countless viewers, already moved to tears by Ian's "spirit of sacrifice," reached a fever pitch of emotion, erupting into deafening cheers!
"We won! We won!"
"Long live the God of Light!"
"That sacred creature... is it Lord Eni's child? It looks so powerful, so righteous!"
It was unclear who first proposed the theory, but it immediately sparked widespread resonance and an even stronger emotional impact!
"His child! It hasn't even been officially born yet, but it's as great as its parent, willing to sacrifice itself for us and manifest early to fight evil!"
Humans are masters of self-induction. For many viewers, this imagined plot was as shocking and noble as seeing a mother in her ninth month of pregnancy throwing her unborn child out of the womb to fight a home invader! It was tragic, sacrificial, and inexplicably sublime!
Don't laugh!
While this concept might seem abstract or hard to accept in some conservative cultures, for some it was *just right*!
Correct! Beyond correct!
Consequently, Ian's Release the Pokemon act was immediately interpreted through various lenses, assigned deep meanings like "freedom," "sacrifice," and "legacy of life against the dark," triggering yet another round of emotional climaxes and media frenzy.
When it came to acting "insane," even Batman couldn't compete with certain groups in America.
Of course, back in the actual Dark Dimension, Alioth—who was draped in million-dollar effects in the livestream—remained in its state of a famished ghost.
Driven by its purest, most primitive devouring instinct, like a mad dog seeing a meat bun, it completely ignored Ian's urgent mental instructions to be tragic, be pathetic, and look like you're dying together. It opened its maw of shadow and void.
A "bloody mouth" that looked capable of swallowing a galaxy opened wide to devour the energy-rich Trigon!
Only Alioth knew what kind of life it had been living under its "stingy" master. Usually, it only got to chew on the scraps and energy dregs Ian couldn't digest.
Occasionally it was let out, it was just to be a "cosmic tapeworm" for trash disposal! Ian was always feeding it nonsense like "bony beauty is high-class beauty" and "staying hungry is good for evolution!"
Although it was still a "child in the womb" sealed in the depths of Ian's power, it knew instinctively that for a child, a full stomach was the only logic that mattered!
The Demon Lord before it was overflowing with energy and had a high status—it was a literal gift from the heavens! With such a rare opportunity, how could it possibly care about acting?
Eat first, talk later!
"Another hungry monster! What kind of hellish world do you people come from?!"
Trigon knew he was outmatched and that escape was a pipe dream, but as a Dimensional Demon Lord, he had his pride. He wasn't the type to sit and wait for death!
He frantically channeled his remaining chaotic magic. His six arms flailed, unleashing dark-red energy blades that tore through space, curse ripples that corroded the soul, and chaotic force fields that warped reality... a litany of horrors capable of toppling a civilization in an instant were hurled at Alioth!
However, these methods—terrifying to ordinary people or even most gods—were nothing more than... appetizers for Alioth, the conceptual Devourer of Reality!
Those violent energies, vile curses, and warped fields didn't cause any damage. Instead, like water droplets merging into the ocean, they were instantly swallowed and absorbed, serving as an accelerant for Alioth's charge!
A child feels energetic once it's well-fed. Unfortunately, Trigon hadn't raised Raven himself, so he didn't understand this simple truth.
"AWOOOO—!!!"
In a roar that mixed ultimate terror and resentment before being abruptly cut off, Alioth's massive, formless "mouthparts" snapped shut. It swallowed the struggling Trigon whole, along with the entire pocket of dimension he had churned up!
"Burp~~~"
There was no indigestion. In fact, a faint, satisfied, and very tiny burp could be heard coming from Alioth. Then, because it had consumed Trigon's energy, it began to glow.
"Wait? What's going on?"
Ian watched, bewildered. He saw the long cosmic tapeworm beginning to morph, as if it were about to evolve. No, it wasn't just *as if*—it really was evolving!
It grew two long, human-like legs!
"Hiss!!!"
Ian sucked in a breath of cold air at the sight.
"Don't actually absorb it! I don't want the long legs! I don't want them! That's my reserve food!!! Spit it out! Spit it out right now! Even if it's just mush, spit it into my mouth!"
He displayed the ultimate obsession of a true foodie. A Sigma Foodie.