American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

358. The End of the World…

"Open the portal."

In his mind, Alex once again called out to Miss Minutes, and soon, a purple rectangular barrier appeared in front of everyone. This time, sending so many people back was a huge luxury for Alex; all the energy he had saved up was now completely spent.

"Let's go," Clark said, taking a deep breath as he looked at the portal.

He knew that by stepping through it, he was fully abandoning his true "home." From now on, this universe they had fought for over half their lives would no longer have anything to do with them.

The Justice League members were all deeply conflicted by the thought.

"But... Themyscira…" Wonder Woman murmured.

She had spoken with Black Canary earlier and knew that in that alternate world, there was no Themyscira, nor was there a tribe of Amazon warriors.

All dimensions connected to mythology, including those of Odin and Zeus, had been banished by a supervillain named the "Red Skull." In that world, there were no traces of mythology left.

"What is there to hesitate about?" Constantine spoke up, unable to bear the sight of the Justice League standing still.

"What are you all doing, making those faces? You're the Justice League—the heroes who bring justice and hope to people! There's an entire world waiting for you to reshape it, and you look like this!"

Chastised by Constantine, the Justice League members lowered their heads, remaining silent. Honestly, since they had been transformed into these half-human, half-monster forms, they had lost their original spirit and vigor.

Then Batman spoke up.

"Constantine is right," he said, stepping out of the shadows and gazing at everyone present.

"The Justice League never gives up. We haven't failed yet. Even if this world is ending, Alex here has helped us save the remaining people on Earth. We're responsible for them."

"Yes," Black Canary agreed, stepping forward with Thor's hammer in her hand. "When the power of Thor fills me, I hear Odin's message: Asgard isn't a place—it's the people."

Pausing, Black Canary shared her understanding.

"Our universe may be destroyed, but the people survive, and that means we still have hope. Wherever they are is our 'home.'"

With Batman and Black Canary's encouragement, the Justice League heroes finally let go of their inner conflicts and stepped into the portal. As they passed by Alex, they nodded silently, expressing their goodwill.

Alex returned the gestures one by one, understanding what the heroes were going through.

After all, it was hard to blame them. Though they each looked more "impressive" than the last, Apokolips's modifications were permanent; they could never return to their previous selves.

For the rest of their lives, they would live in these forms. The psychological burden of that was unimaginable. Even regular soldiers sometimes suffered from PTSD after battle, so the trauma for these heroes was bound to be even more profound.

Still, Alex believed things would get better.

In that new world, the Justice League members would be busy, leaving little time to dwell on life's difficult questions. And in the Wasteland world, they'd meet a group of veteran heroes, who could serve as counselors. Alex was sure that the Justice League would rebuild and thrive once more.

When everyone had gone through the portal, the only ones left in Luther Tower were Alex, Constantine, Batman, and the Flash.

"Let's go. What are you waiting for?" Constantine said, looking at Batman, who hadn't moved.

Batman looked at Constantine, then at the Flash, and finally turned his gaze to Alex.

He nodded to Alex, saying, "We really owe you a big one this time."

"No problem," Alex replied, not overly familiar with this Batman, so he kept things reserved.

With another nod, Batman sighed deeply, turned, and stepped into the portal. Now, in the entire building, only Alex, Constantine, and the Flash remained.

"You know what you need to do, buddy," Constantine broke the silence.

"Clear the board and start over."

"Another 'Flashpoint'?" Barry Allen chuckled wryly.

"I promised Iris… just as she…"

Sigh

The Flash shook his head.

"I can't do it. You don't understand—everything will change again."

"Yeah, we figured you'd say that," Alex said, looking over at Constantine.

Constantine paused, then stepped forward, placing a hand on Barry Allen's shoulder and speaking solemnly.

"Change isn't always good. Maybe we'll face failure again, maybe we'll repeat our mistakes, but having a future, even an uncertain one, is still better than what we have now. Besides, the world outside has already been turned upside down."

Hearing this, Barry Allen turned to look out the window.

In the distance, Galactus's towering form loomed over the plains.

With a powerful stance, Galactus's eyes emitted a terrifyingly destructive cosmic energy. In front of him, Trigon and Darkseid joined forces to counter it with their own beams. Around the three supreme cosmic beings, countless interstellar fleets and Doomsday-like creatures were battling fiercely, with life slipping away every moment.

The entire battlefield had become a giant grinder, mercilessly harvesting souls.

Staring at the scene, Barry Allen stood silently.

After a long pause, Barry finally sighed deeply.

"Is this really the right thing to do?"

"The answer to that is something you'll have to find on your own," Alex said, stepping up beside Barry and offering a gentle smile.

"Now."

Listening to Alex, Barry's gaze hardened.

"Run, Barry," he whispered, lowering into a sprinting stance.

"Run!"

With Alex's command, the Flash, Barry Allen, shot off in a blur of red, disappearing over the horizon.

Watching from afar as the Flash vanished into the distance, Alex suddenly laughed.

"Forceful persuasion, Constantine—classic you."

"I was just helping him make up his mind," Constantine shrugged nonchalantly. He took out his pack of cigarettes, only to find two left.

Taking one for himself, he offered the pack to Alex.

"Care to join me?"

Silently, Alex accepted Constantine's cigarette, understanding the thought behind his offer.

Lighting up, Constantine slumped onto the couch.

"You know, I always suspected Batman had something to do with all of this."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"I suspected that he already knew Flash had created Flashpoint, that he knew this timeline was doomed to collapse, so he went along with that farm boy's plan to send us all on a suicide mission."

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Constantine continued.

"His goal was to restart the universe, to bury everything that shouldn't exist. Even Zatanna casting a spell on me to escape—it was all part of his plan. But I have no proof."

"Heh. You don't really think Batman is omniscient and omnipotent, do you? You might be overthinking things a bit."

Alex chose not to comment.

"Maybe," Constantine replied, smiling lightly. "But now, none of this matters to me. Your plan is a hundred times crazier than the Bat's. Sometimes, I honestly wonder how your brain works."

Alex said nothing, and Constantine went on.

"A plan spanning two worlds, playing three supreme beings like puppets. You might as well change your codename from Crow to Trickster Fox."

"A name is just a label; it doesn't matter to me," Alex replied indifferently.

"Well, that's laid-back of you," Constantine said, taking his last drag before getting up and flicking the cigarette away.

"They're in your hands now. Oh, and my House of Mystery—that's a structure outside of time and space. It should be of great help to you."

Turning around, Constantine's figure slowly became shrouded in the building's shadow.

"Alright, I'm not good at goodbyes. Neither of us is," he said.

Alex watched Constantine calmly. Though their time together had been short, this unique warlock had left a lasting impression on him.

"Are you sure you won't come with me?"

"Nope." Without hesitation, Constantine smiled.

"I've got a date to keep."

He paused.

"Yeah," Alex said with a grin. "Wouldn't want to keep a lady waiting."

At that moment, a blinding white light surged from the horizon.

Under everyone's gaze, it spread at an incomparable speed, engulfing the entire Apokolips War universe.

(End Of Volume)

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359. The Crossroads of History.
360. Candidates for the Timeline Regulatory Organization.
361. Wasteland's Survival After Catastrophe.
362. Random Teleportation!
363. The Bald Man.