Chapter 404: The New World
[To prevent the ritual from being disrupted, these three people must be killed. And as for the Flash, there's another reason he has to die — the Speed Force within him is the only power capable of accelerating time, the only miraculous force that can propel you toward Heaven.]
[In July 1974, under Batman's plan, you sought out the Rogues ahead of time and took their weapons — a group of supervillains who exist solely to oppose the Flash. Their gear was specifically designed to counter his powers. Using their equipment, you successfully captured the Flash, and Batman extracted the disc from his body. The figure in the red suit and cowl was thus frozen inside the disc. (You obtained an Epic Weapon: Magic Wand; an Epic Equipment: Freeze Gun; and an Epic Item: Cosmic Treadmill.)]
[In February 1975, you located Green Arrow Oliver Queen in Metropolis. Batman's evaluation of him wasn't exactly flattering — he believed Oliver's combat skills were overrated and that he relied too heavily on his equipment. In Batman's words, it would be best to cripple one of his hands before killing him. The real concern, however, was his constant companion: Green Lantern Hal Jordan — founder of the Justice League. His ring is the most powerful weapon in the universe, inseparable from its bearer unless the bearer dies. The only way to kill him is to attack his mind, letting his own willpower destroy him. Scarecrow's fear toxin should make that easy.]
[Batman also mentioned that Aquaman could be restrained by the same toxin. In fact, he would have been a better target — since the fear gas could easily induce thalassophobia in him. An Aquaman afraid of the ocean could never cause a ripple. Unfortunately, Arthur Curry usually resided deep beneath the sea in Atlantis, making him hard to find.]
[And as Batman predicted, everything unfolded just as planned. You used The World to stop time, heavily injuring Green Arrow. Then Scarecrow unleashed the fear gas along with Killer Queen, forcing Green Lantern into total disarray. His immense willpower ultimately turned against him. The three of you took down both Green Arrow and Green Lantern with almost no effort.]
[Late at night on April 17, 1975, the final battle began. If all went as expected, this would be the fight that allowed you to reach Heaven. On the rooftop of the Daily Planet in Metropolis, you found Superman. Before he could even speak, you activated time-stop. As time froze, the Golden Spirit trailed behind you, striking the immobilized Superman. Your kryptonite-gloved fist slammed into him, followed by a barrage of blows like pounding rain!]
[After four full pages of "Muda Muda Muda," Superman finally fell, unwilling and defeated, under your third consecutive time-stop. His figure in the blue suit, red cape, and the shield-shaped "S" on his chest was sealed inside a disc. (You obtained the Achievement: The Death of Superman.)]
[Only then did you finally breathe a sigh of relief. You had gathered the souls of all thirty-six sinners. At last, you could head toward the point of greatest gravity — and fulfill your lifelong wish.]
[According to your calculations, latitude 28°24′N, longitude 80°36′W marks the well-known Cape Canaveral, home to the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. But for you, none of that posed any obstacle.]
[Late at night on May 7, 1975, the night of the first new moon, you, the Joker, and Batman arrived at Cape Canaveral. You summoned The World, letting it quietly hover in the air. Bruce Wayne placed all thirty-six soul-bearing discs atop a rock.]
[This was the first step toward reaching Heaven: Courage. You must first destroy your Stand, The World, with your own hands.]
[At that moment, you recalled what your mother told you nearly a hundred years ago: "…No matter what happens, live with pride and dignity. If you do that, one day you'll surely reach Heaven." Back then, you thought it was foolish. But now… it didn't seem so wrong. In the silent night, you directed The World to strike your own heart with a single, devastating punch.]
[In an instant, The World visibly weakened, and the connection between you and your Stand was nearly severed. You yourself suffered a grave wound — a deep cavity in your chest down to the bone, blood gushing endlessly. Then, from the thirty-six discs on the rock, thirty-six beams of pure white light shot forth, flooding into the fading World. Your vision was engulfed by blinding radiance.]
[Moments later, The Golden "World" began to transform — its color shifting to a mix of cyan and white, its physique taller and more imposing, exuding overwhelming power!]
[Next came the recitation of fourteen secret words by your dearest friend — the key to awakening the new World!]
[The correct sequence was: Stairway to Heaven, Forbidden Fruit, Ruined Street, Forbidden Fruit, Jordan, Crown of Thorns, Forbidden Fruit, Singularity, Jodio, Dragon, Wisteria, Forbidden Fruit, Singularity, Pope. But at that instant, the Joker's grin stretched wide, an exaggerated smile on his face. He deliberately said the first word wrong: "Candy!"]
[You frowned slightly. The second condition for ascending to Heaven required trustworthy friends who would never betray you. So why had the Joker suddenly betrayed you? You admitted you could never understand a madman's mind.]
[Fortunately, Batman's White Snake punched the Joker away, his calm yet rapid voice seamlessly continuing the incantation: Stairway to Heaven, Forbidden Fruit, Ruined Street, Forbidden Fruit, Jordan, Crown of Thorns, Forbidden Fruit, Singularity, Jodio, Dragon, Wisteria, Forbidden Fruit, Singularity, Pope. You were astonished — you had only mentioned the incantation briefly once before, and yet he could recite it perfectly, without a single error. As the final word "Pope" was uttered, ethereal singing echoed in your ears. Two golden letters, "D," appeared on The World's knees, signifying its completion. It had evolved — you named it The World Over Heaven! Now you could freely accelerate, stop, or slow the flow of time across the entire world, to infinite speed or stillness — and even rewrite reality itself.]
[This meant your Stand now reigned supreme over every parallel universe. Even Bohemian Requiem could not resist; before The World Over Heaven, all other Stands could only bow down.]
[And the instant your link with The World was restored, you felt it — the pull of gravity from the heavens above. You felt the descent of Paradise.]
[Your body began to float upward. At the same time, the power from your evolved Stand started reshaping your body — your golden hair lengthened and defied gravity, your strength and agility increased dramatically, and your whole body radiated a dark purple aura. You could feel it — you were no longer that vampire who once feared the sunlight.]
[To fulfill your promise to your dearest friend, you ignored the Joker — who had nearly cost you everything — and began accelerating time for this world. Once time accelerated to a certain limit, it would form a singularity. After that, the acceleration would gradually slow, giving birth to an entirely new universe.]
[In that process, every person would experience their own future on the path to "Heaven." All humanity would come to know their destinies — an ideal world where everyone would be reborn. Everything would begin anew — rich or poor, noble or lowly, wicked or pure. This was the world you had long dreamed of!]
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