"Eternity, do me a small favor and transfer me to the DC universe."
"No problem, hold on tight."
...
In that way, Alaric arrived in the DC universe.
The moment he stepped into it, the embodied god of the DC universe, the Goddess of Destiny, appeared.
"Welcome to the DC universe."
"Alaric, right? If you need anything, feel free to command me directly."
If Eternity's hospitality had been warm enough, the Goddess of Destiny's attitude made Alaric a bit surprised.
"What is it? Do you want an upgrade too?"
"Upgrade?"
Destiny paused.
Then she subtly revealed her intent: "That… Alaric, what is your relationship with Him?"
"With Him?"
The Goddess of Destiny pointed upward.
She, like Eternity, was also an embodiment of this universe.
The difference between her and Lucifer Morningstar… was a vast chasm.
"Oh, you mean that fool Lucifer Morningstar, right?"
The Goddess of Destiny froze, then relaxed slightly when she realized Lucifer didn't intend to appear.
"Don't worry, I'm on good terms with him, we're friends."
Alaric gritted his teeth as he said "friends."
But Destiny clearly believed him.
Even if she had the power to see through lies, she would have thought her abilities were deceiving her.
After all, wasn't that enough "solid proof"?
Because if it weren't true, Lucifer could have wiped out the entire universe Alaric was in with a single flick of his finger.
"That's wonderful!"
"By the way, now that you're here, do you have something to take care of? Shall I escort you?"
The tone of the Goddess of Destiny shifted from "you" to "You."
Alaric immediately understood the reason for the change.
If Eternity showed respect because of who he was,
then Destiny recognized that he had "connections" and wanted to befriend him.
Hiss~
So it seems that…
"It looks like all that yelling wasn't in vain!"
Alaric's eyes sparkled.
Even though he had lost the Infinity Stones,
in exchange, he had gained a status that allowed him to move freely through both universes!
That trade was well worth it.
After all, the Infinity Stones only function within their own universe, outside of it, no one acknowledges them.
But now, with Lucifer's name behind him…
his maneuvering space had become enormous.
"Khmm, no need to see me off, I just came to take care of something small," Alaric said, testing the waters.
Indeed, the Goddess of Destiny's demeanor remained perfectly polite.
"Alright. If you have any questions, just call for me, I'll appear immediately."
Destiny said this with a smile, then withdrew and vanished into the cosmos.
How cautious was she?
Well, she didn't even turn her back when walking away from Alaric.
"…"
Alaric watched her go.
Only much later, when she disappeared from view, did he comment:
"Wow, looks like I really can walk freely through both universes now!"
"Does that mean I don't have to 'conquer' anyone anymore?"
"That I can just take Diana, and no one will dare to stop me?"
For a moment, many wicked thoughts ran through his mind.
But fortunately, Alaric quickly calmed himself down.
Shaking his head, he pushed all those random thoughts aside.
Then he teleported straight to Earth in the DC universe.
...
"Has Arthur still not calmed down?"
"No."
"He still babbles all day long."
"He keeps saying things like… This year, the festival doesn't accept gifts, only 'brain platinum' and other nonsense."
At the Justice League headquarters, Superman and Batman were struggling with problems surrounding Aquaman.
Although after the universe's reorganization (when Lucifer reassembled the DC universe), he had carefully restored Earth to its original state, the cities destroyed during the battle were completely rebuilt.
That greatly eased the Justice League's work, but one big problem remained, Aquaman had gone insane!
"What about Martian Manhunter?" asked Superman.
Even Clark himself had enough on his mind.
For instance, he missed the Parker family, his adoptive parents from the Marvel universe.
But now that the two universes were completely separated, intercosmic travel had become impossible.
All he had left were thoughts and memories.
"Didn't I ask Martian Manhunter to enter Arthur's mind telepathically and help erase the jumbled memories? Didn't he go?"
"…"
Hearing the question, Batman was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"Martian Manhunter went in and entered Arthur's mind."
"And?"
"And then he went insane too."
As soon as those words left his mouth, complete silence filled the room.
Only faint noises could be heard from the next room.
...
"Say goodbye to all your worries~~ Say 'bye' to your happiness~~~"
"Listen to me, all four seasons are warm~~~"
"SpongeBob SquarePants, let's go jellyfishing!"
"No problem! Ollie gives! Dry!"
...
While the Justice League helplessly watched Aquaman's madness grow, on the other side of the world, on Paradise Island, another scene was unfolding.
The funeral for the Amazon warriors who had died in the great war had just ended.
Although Lucifer Morningstar had restored Earth to its original state, he hadn't revived the dead.
For him, it would have been a trivial matter, but what he didn't want to do, he simply didn't do.
After the funeral, Wonder Woman — Diana, sat alone at the edge of a cliff, gazing out at the sea.
As her thoughts drifted to memories of her fallen sisters, she tried to find peace in the sound of the wind and the waves.
Meanwhile, in the heart of the island, Queen Hippolyta was in total shock.
"Where is Diana!?"
"Has anyone seen Diana?"
"Find her immediately!"
"Also… who among you knows how to apply makeup? Quickly find someone who does and bring her here!"
The queen's commands caused total confusion among the Amazon warriors.
"Your Majesty, if you send us to battle, no problem!"
"But makeup… no one on the island knows how to do that."
"Do you mean priestess markings, blood paint on the face?"
The warriors looked at each other, confused and helpless.
In the end, they just looked down at their hands.
You see… that's not the same as knowing how to apply makeup.
"Never mind," said the queen. "Then no makeup. She's beautiful enough as it is."
"Notify Diana!"
"And find the most beautiful clothes on the island and dress her in them!"
Hippolyta issued a new command, leaving the warriors even more bewildered.
"Why?"
At their question, the queen's expression grew serious as she gave the reason:
"The gods have just sent Hermes with a message. The command comes directly from the god Zeus."
"And Zeus's order originates from the being above him."
"Then, the order from the one above… comes from beyond even Him."
"Wait, what exactly is the command?"
The warriors looked at one another, completely lost, but it was clear the order had come from someone of infinite power.
"The content of the command is…"
"That we Amazons, especially Diana, must welcome a guest!"
"And not make a single mistake!"