Apokolips.
Darkseid's tall, burly frame stepped out from the void as the portal closed behind him.
His cold gaze scanned the surroundings, but there was no ambush like he had expected.
Only that Earthling draped in the stars and stripes was there, suspended alone in the air a hundred meters away.
"Hmph! Arrogant reptile."
Darkseid was in no hurry to launch an immediate attack.
On his own home turf, he possessed absolute confidence.
This was his domain; every inch of space here was saturated with his will.
He slightly closed his eyes and spread his arms.
He prepared to call upon the infinite dark divine power of his home Planet, Apokolips, to bless his body and crush the ignorant Earthling before him into dust in one fell swoop.
"Mmm—"
A majestic low groan escaped Darkseid's throat as his muscles bulged.
One second.
Two seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds passed.
Darkseid remained in the pose with his arms spread and eyes tightly shut.
The wind blew across the plains, kicking up a few tattered wings of Parademons.
Nothing happened.
There was no infusion of energy, nor any resonance of divine power.
His home Planet gave him no feedback whatsoever.
The scene became extremely awkward for a moment.
Darkseid opened his eyes, a hint of bewilderment appearing on his face.
"What's going on..."
Refusing to believe it, he exerted his power again. The red light in his eyes flickered wildly as he concentrated his mind to communicate with his home Planet once more.
"In the name of Darkseid, respond to my summons!"
"..."
There was still nothing but silence.
"Hmm?"
Confused, Darkseid looked down at the ground beneath his feet.
The power within his body was still there, yet he couldn't feel any response from the Planet beneath him.
"Pfft..."
Watching Darkseid's constipated expression, Homelander finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha—!"
His shoulders shook uncontrollably as his laughter grew louder and louder.
"Sorry, sorry... I really couldn't hold it in."
"Have you been away from home so long that you forgot the password?"
"Or... did that incantation you just said have an accent, and the Planet's voice-control system couldn't recognize it?"
Darkseid's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He stared at Homelander and barked, "What exactly have you done to Apokolips?!"
"Me? I didn't do anything."
Homelander spread his hands, looking completely innocent.
"Do you think there's a possibility..." He intentionally trailed off.
"...that your home Planet doesn't love you anymore?"
"Nonsense!" Darkseid was beyond furious.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, let's find out with a test."
Homelander straightened his expression, mimicking Darkseid's earlier posture.
He spread his arms to his sides, and a rich baritone erupted from his chest:
"Grant me power! I am—Homelander!!!"
The moment the words fell.
"RUMBLE————!!!"
The entire Planet of Apokolips seemed to hear a supreme command, letting out a violent roar that shook the galaxy!
The Earth beneath Darkseid's feet cracked frantically. Countless dark-red Omega energies, entwined with a bit of faint blue divine power, surged wildly from the abyss underground!
They interlaced and wound through the air, finally converging into Homelander's body continuously, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.
Homelander's cape flapped loudly under the wash of energy. His eyes were filled with dark-red Omega energy, and a space-distorting destruction field surrounded his body.
Ego's assimilation process was more than halfway complete; the will of this Planet now bore the name 'Homelander.'
"Impossible!!"
Darkseid watched this scene in utter horror.
His worldview suffered a devastating blow at this moment.
That was his power! His home Planet! And the cornerstone of his rule over the Universe!
How could it possibly respond to an outsider and abandon him, its god?!
"Die!!!"
Unable to accept this reality, Darkseid let out a wild roar, focusing the Omega Effect in his eyes with all his might.
"Zzt—!!"
Two thick Omega Beams shot out from his eyes.
Carrying a lethal intent, they headed straight for Homelander's face.
Facing this signature finishing move.
Homelander did not dodge.
He wore a cold smile, and a piercing red light also lit up in his eyes.
"Zzzt————!!!"
Likewise, two Omega Beams blasted out from Homelander's eyes!
These two beams also completed irregular turns in mid-air, and finally, the four Omega Beams collided violently in the sky.
Two instances of the same origin, representing one of the ultimate powers of the Universe, canceled each other out the moment they touched, slowly dissipating.
Darkseid was stunned.
He watched his own Omega Beams being completely neutralized and felt the familiar energy fluctuations lingering in the air.
That wasn't an imitation, nor a copy.
That was the true Omega Effect!
This Earthling had truly stolen his power!
Only then was Darkseid certain that everything happening before him was not an illusion. His home Planet had truly changed masters!
"It seems your home Planet has really chosen me; she's given up on you."
Homelander ceased his beams and spoke with a look of sympathy.
"But then again, I've always been very merciful. After all, that's the place that birthed and raised you." Homelander pointed to the ground beneath him.
"How about I give you some time to have a good talk with your home Planet? Maybe it'll remember you again?"
Homelander pointed at the ground beneath Darkseid's feet.
"If you don't believe me, look. It's even opened its eyes and is watching you."
Darkseid followed the direction of Homelander's finger and stiffly lowered his head.
Darkseid's whole body froze.
An unprecedented chill, like maggots on a bone, surged up his spine and into the back of his head.
He slowly, stiffly turned around.
Right below him, on that flat black plain.
The Earth split open again.
Two faint blue eyes with a diameter of over hundreds of kilometers had fully formed at some point. They stared at Darkseid with endless greed and malice.
Darkseid stood high in the sky, looking at the home Planet that had accompanied him for countless ages.
A chill rushed straight up his spine to his forehead.
As a New God who fed on fear and darkness, from the moment he was born, he didn't know how to write the word 'fear.'
Even back in ancient times when he was heavily wounded by the Old Gods of Earth working together, and had his chest split open by Ares, the God of War, he only felt anger and shame.
But now.
Watching the Planet he had ruled since birth come to life and look at him with the eyes of someone looking at food.
The seed of fear had quietly been planted the moment Darkseid's inner World was shattered.
He hadn't even noticed it himself.
At this moment, he was no longer a god standing above all living beings, but was slowly regressing into a human who possessed great power.
And when humans encounter incomprehensible fear, their instinctive reaction is to seek a sense of security.
Darkseid's gaze turned toward the distant Dark Fortress.