"Family! Lend me... your light!!!"
The voice was mournful, earnest, and carried an unquestionable power of incitement. It echoed in the ears of Dark Tiga and vibrated through the screens in thousands of households across Earth.
This dark giant, who had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations over thirty million years, currently had a dormant consciousness. The one in control was still Golden Superman.
However, that didn't stop the reaction. The moment "light" was mentioned—just the mere mention of it—the instinctive reflex of this body was triggered. Ian's "scheming" rhetoric to swindle faith seemed to touch a special mechanism within Dark Tiga. A sudden throb surged through Golden Superman's perception.
*Hum—!*
A weak but extremely pure tremor, like a dormant volcano about to wake, shuddered violently deep within Dark Tiga's massive energy core! The dark energy timer on Golden Superman's chest even flickered with a microscopic, yet brilliant, azure light—briefly and uncontrollably.
But the tremor came as fast as it went. In the next heartbeat, it was suppressed by the boundless Dark New God power. That momentary pulse was like a pebble tossed into a deep pond; it stirred a ripple, but was quickly swallowed by the endless dark.
"Hmm?"
Golden Superman—the Superman variant from another universe, crowned "Golden" for his absolute strength and near-divine status—only felt a slight abnormality. He didn't fully realize that he had almost triggered the original owner's broken, "explode-on-contact-with-light" mechanism.
He simply chalked it up to this dark body's sensitivity to the concept of "light." As for Dark Tiga, Golden Superman only knew fragments of information. Perhaps even the Batman Who Laughs in the Justice League Crisis viewed it merely as a husk left behind by a terrifying dark god.
"This body is indeed powerful enough. Using it feels like a layer of power wrapping my original body; there's no sense of clunkiness from controlling someone else's corpse."
Settling this minor interlude, Golden Superman no longer hesitated. He controlled Dark Tiga's massive form, a ghostly light flashing in his eyes. The space in front of him rippled and twisted like water, and the powerful dark energy tore a rift straight through space!
In the next moment, Dark Tiga's gargantuan silhouette appeared via spatial teleportation outside Earth's atmosphere, floating silently in low Earth orbit.
"Why does the color of the starry sky look wrong here?"
Golden Superman felt the strange sky around him and was momentarily stunned. However, he was quickly drawn to the situation on Earth. Like a silent observer from a foreign universe, this distance allowed him to "see" and "hear" everything happening on the planet with perfect clarity.
Reflected in Dark Tiga's eyes—huge and deep as the cosmic stars—was a scene that even the world-weary Golden Superman found difficult to evaluate.
The first thing he "saw," of course, was every corner of the Earth that possessed a screen.
From the giant LED billboards on skyscrapers in international metropolises like New York, Tokyo, and Paris, to the creaking old TV sets in rural town grocery stores.
From solar-powered cash registers in nomadic tents on the edge of the Sahara Desert to display screens in the breakrooms of Antarctic research stations.
Every screen, regardless of brand, model, age, or even... whether it was plugged into a power source, was playing the same image in sync. Within the Dark Dimension, that massive silhouette calling himself "God of Light, Eni Tekne" was "struggling" to resist the "fierce onslaught" of Darkseid and Trigon.
He used his highly inflammatory voice to scream for help to the entire world.
"Family! Hold on! I feel it! Your light... it's weak, but it's warm!"
"Don't give up! Turn the hope in your hearts into power and pass it to me!"
"That guy flying around in red underwear can't save you! He can barely save himself! Only I... only I am Earth's sole hope and steadfast guardian!"
...
On Earth, people of different countries, races, and ages reacted differently, but a significant number were indeed moved by this "immersive" and "tragic" scene.
It wasn't even that far-fetched. Even those pretty-boy idol actors could have a bunch of "acting fans." Ian's acting, at the very least, was leagues better than most viral celebrities. He even specifically added close-ups of his handsome face.
He was playing the "idol circle" game to perfection. And the results were significant.
"Go for it! Lord Eni! You must win!" In Tokyo, a high school girl in a sailor uniform held her hands tight to her chest, eyes closed, muttering in a tearful voice.
She declared that as long as Ian won, she didn't care if he took her light—she'd even go out and do "compensated dating" to help Ian gather the light of otakus if she had to.
"Giant! Don't die! I'll give you all my pocket money! I'll give you the light of my next life... and the life after that!" A chubby little boy on a farm in Kansas wailed at the TV.
In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, a group of children gathered in front of a flickering TV screen, baring their teeth and praying alongside the "blood-spitting" Ian on the screen.
When it came to faith, children's faith was indeed the easiest to earn. Of course, the faith of the elderly was also easy to harvest.
In a remote mountain village, an old man stared in shock at his long-disconnected, rusted black-and-white TV. Not only was the screen lit, but it displayed a high-definition full-color image and broadcasted 3D surround sound "light-borrowing" screams! The old man almost fell to his knees in shock.
"A miracle! This must be a miracle! The God of Light! He really is a god!" After saying this, the old man prostrated himself.
In truth, his black-and-white TV being able to light up without power and evolve into color was purely the result of technology. Ian had once had his company survey elderly people who liked buying health supplements.
These black-and-white TVs were things his employees had installed door-to-door. You could call it the cunning of a capitalist; he knew exactly which groups had faith that was easier to harvest.
"Is this a foreign TV station? Between our country's sun and this God of Light, who is stronger?" Some residents of certain nations were seeing the outside world for the first time. They marveled and sighed.
However, the faith energy they provided wasn't much. After all, before Ian, their faith energy had already been mostly absorbed by the only "round sun" on Earth besides Superman.
In short, as long as something on Earth had a screen—from a kid's smartwatch to anything else—it had become a tool for Ian's big score operation.
The mastermind behind it all was still "miserably" howling in the dimension.
"Light! I need more light!"
There was a joy in his voice that he couldn't suppress, a joy that even his acting couldn't cover.
"..."
Perhaps only Golden Superman knew why the boy's mouth was twitching upward. Golden Superman went silent. He wasn't moved; he was shocked.
"This... what is this situation?"
Golden Superman muttered to himself, his brow furrowed. His super-eyes, now in the form of Dark Tiga, could clearly see the emotions of everyone. They were like countless tiny points of light, converging into a global emotional network.
Streaming "threads" extended from the hearts of everyone watching a screen, finally gathering at Ian's specific dimensional coordinates.
"Is this the purpose of that boy's act?"
Golden Superman realized that Ian was "acquiring" something from humans. He didn't know if he should call it a scam, so he wanted to see how the Superman of this universe would react.
Thinking of this, Dark Tiga's large eyes looked toward the ruins where Superman was. He expected to see a tragic, heroic battlefield, with heroes fighting through blood and citizens fleeing in panic. After all, he already knew what kind of creatures were invading Earth.
However, to Golden Superman's surprise, what entered his "sight" was a scene of peace and tranquility—one might even say "the years are quiet and good"?
Golden Superman couldn't find any other words to describe what he saw. In all his years as a superhero, he had never encountered a situation like this.
Among the broken walls and rubble, a small group of people were gathered. The art style was completely inconsistent with the surrounding environment or the grim, dark dimensional broadcast on every TV on Earth.
First to enter his sight was Bruce Wayne, Batman. He was sitting on a relatively intact concrete block, several semi-transparent light screens floating in front of him. His fingers slid and tapped rapidly, his expression focused and cold.
Massive amounts of wealth were converging toward him. And it wasn't just gambling.
Golden Superman could "hear" the faint, encrypted information streams from satellite communications. The content seemed to be about capital flow, odds adjustments, and...
shorting the stocks of a certain multinational group.
Batman was actually using this crisis to operate remotely, engaging in an invisible financial war with global capitalists.
"Heh, give me a krypton-gold armor? The money from that 'gold' isn't as fast as what I'm making. Young people are just like that; they have no idea what a real 'lion's mouth' looks like." A mocking expression even appeared on Batman's face. The object of his mockery was, of course, the "battling" Ian.
Ian was plundering his money, but Batman was plundering the capitalists' productivity.
Not far away, the cyborg Cyborg was holding a paper food box with a "Flash Delivery" logo. He used a disposable fork with his mechanical hand, savoring the food inside with great relish.
"Mmh... this Soviet-style borscht and black bread actually tastes great. A $3.99 Group-Buy Meal is super cost-effective. It tastes exactly like how my great-grandmother described it to me back in the day."
"Authentic!"
Cyborg looked like he wasn't at the scene of a cosmic-level crisis at all.
Even more absurdly, next to a small gutter shaken loose by the battle's aftershocks—despite the water being murky and full of debris—it didn't stop Diana Prince, Princess of the Amazons, from using her magical Lasso of Truth to compete with Aquaman in fishing for trash in the gutter.
"The Lasso of Truth can bind all reality, so naturally it can 'fish' out the 'reality' underwater. The only price I have to pay is praising that kid along with the rest."
Wonder Woman seemed to be conducting a philosophical discussion and a practical test. She was probably almost "tamed" by the Lasso of Truth that Ian had modified.
"Your Lasso of Truth even does trash sorting?! Damn it! Why won't my trident... move on its own?" Aquaman was even starting to be genuinely envious of Wonder Woman.
Perhaps Wonder Woman was a "live-stream salesperson" that Ian had overlooked.
On the outskirts of this group of "leisurely" heroes, a figure in a blue bodysuit and red cape was particularly striking—the Superman of this universe, Clark Kent. He wasn't participating in his comrades' "leisure activities."
Instead, he was holding an old-fashioned, professional-looking news camera, snapping photos of the ruins and the dark dimensional projection in the sky.
The invincible Superman had a Bluetooth headset on his ear, seemingly talking to someone.
"Yes, Perry, I'm at the scene! The situation is... uh, complicated! But I've got first-hand material! Yes, an absolute exclusive!"
His tone carried the nonsense typical of a reporter and a hint of... hard-to-detect guilt?
"What?! You said... it doesn't matter if we take material today?! Why?! ... What?! Our boss already sold the newspaper???"
Suddenly, Superman's voice spiked, carrying a cry of alarm. Even his hand, which was clearing a collapsed wall, froze instantly. He was as stiff as if he'd been frozen by Kryptonite.
"Dammit! Who did you say you sold the newspaper to???" Superman sounded like he'd just heard a thunderclap. His expression shifted from bewilderment to disbelief and a hint of panic.
The person on the other end seemed to be explaining something. But Superman could no longer hear clearly. He stood there dazed, his precious camera still held up, his red cape swaying gently in the breeze.
At this moment, Darkseid, Trigon, and the cosmic crisis were all overshadowed by this sudden bad news concerning his personal career and emotional attachment.
"I'm not really going to have to go take photos of Pluto, am I?" Superman covered his forehead, feeling a bout of vertigo. He remembered Ian's childhood diary had a similar "aspiration."
And as family, the old father knew very well that Ian having a diary meant he was actually writing a business proposal.
"No, what is wrong with these superheroes?" The person who was speechless wasn't just Ian's father, but also Golden Superman in outer space.
Dark Tiga's massive eyes clearly reflected this bizarre and absurd scene in the ruins below. Batman the Stock manipulator, Cyborg eating takeout, Wonder Woman and Aquaman fishing with the Lasso of Truth, and Superman, who was petrified because the newspaper was sold.
Golden Superman found it hard to evaluate. He fell into a longer, deeper silence. He even began to suspect that while teleporting, he had accidentally fallen into a very niche, very "cult classic" parallel universe.
He couldn't help but suspect. Aside from the starry sky that looked wrong and didn't fit the solar system's layout, just look at the Superman on Earth.
Could such a guy really be the counterpart of the Superman he had fought before—the one who, despite having different ideals, possessed a firm will and great power? Golden Superman felt his perception was suffering an unprecedented assault. He found it difficult to accept all of this.
"Is it all because of that person..."
Golden Superman controlled Dark Tiga's gaze, piercing through the barrier of reality and dimensions, looking into the world that ordinary people couldn't see—the Dark Dimension where Ian, Darkseid, and Trigon were. The scenes inside were even more vivid than what the live broadcast showed.
Ian's massive "Galactus" avatar, composed of stardust and dark matter, was currently sprawled ungracefully on the void floor of the Dark Dimension. He even had his butt stuck up.
His steel buttocks feared no one's breakthrough; earlier, Darkseid had tried to ambush him from behind, only to be blasted with a psychological shadow by Ian's fart. Now, Darkseid didn't dare get near that direction.
*Rumble! Rumble!*
The two villains were still attacking relentlessly.
Darkseid's fists and kicks, imbued with the Omega Effect, and the occasional lash of chaotic magic from Trigon, fell like rain onto Ian's seemingly bent spine. The commotion was huge, letting out dull thuds.
[Absorbing high-latitude rule erosion energy, Entropic Lord EXP +25,000!]
[Absorbing chaotic dimension magic, Entropic Lord EXP +18,000!]**
[Physique adaptability improved! Resistance to rule-based attacks slightly enhanced!]
"Ah! Stop hitting me! I beg you! Stop!" Ian was matching the rhythm of the attacks, letting out sharp, tearful cries.
"If you keep hitting me... I'm going to die! I'll really die! I'll die for you to see!" Ian looked exactly like a pitiful worm suffering from school bullying but unable to resist.
These sorrowful pleas would not be broadcast to every corner of the world through his pervasive "live stream" technology. They were merely a "motivational Easter egg" Ian provided for Trigon and Darkseid. No one else could see it; only Dark Tiga's gaze snooped it out.
The moment those pleas for mercy fell—without even a breath's interval—Ian's voice changed with extreme smoothness!
The previous sobbing and weakness vanished instantly, replaced by a low tone full of "fortitude" and "faith."
He lifted his massive head and spoke deeply to the empty space in front of him, as if undergoing some critical transformation. Who knows how many kind-hearted people's tears and prayers he had just swindled.
"Almost... almost!"
His voice carried a suppressed excitement: "I feel it! I feel an unprecedented power surging within me! It's the family! Your prayers and blessings are working!"
"Let's work harder! The dawn of victory is just ahead!"
"Give me some Red Hearts... cough cough! No! I mean, prayers and blessings! Give me more! Don't stop!"
*This* was the content for the Earth's audience. Ian knew exactly how to use montage. His seamless switching between two faces was the representative "Trinity" of the Marvel Universe.
Well, at least that's how Ian explained the Trinity.
Of course, his blatant performance, and the corners of his mouth that he couldn't keep down because of the surging magic and EXP, made the two evil titans attacking him feel an unprecedented humiliation.
This wasn't just being belittled! This was being treated as background props for a performance! And without pay!
"Enough!" Trigon was the first to stop. His massive demonic face twisted with rage, his six evil fire-eyes staring fixedly at Ian, who was still "acting" on the ground.
He turned to look at Darkseid, panting heavily. Although demons didn't necessarily need to breathe, it expressed his emotion. "I think this guy is just messing with us!"
"He isn't even hiding it! He isn't hiding it at all!" Trigon was truly fed up. As a Lord of Hell, he had never played such tricks when humiliating others.
For a moment, Trigon couldn't even tell who was the beast that had crawled out of Hell—yes, he even insulted himself; that's how pissed off Trigon was.
Hearing Trigon's frustrated roar, although Darkseid didn't say anything in response, his rock-like face had already turned iron-blue. How could Darkseid not feel this humiliation?
In his eyes burning with the Omega Effect, killing intent had almost solidified. Even though it seemed like he was being toyed with, he didn't stop. Instead, he pushed his power even more crazily.
[Absorbing high-latitude rule erosion energy, Entropic Lord EXP +33,000!]
The power of the Dark New God, like a raging tide, continuously hammered Ian's body. The effect was outstanding.
[Entropic Void Lord Lv18 (13221/1317120)]
[Strength: 1573 -> 1701]
[Physique: 1841 -> 1999]
[Intelligence: 88.9 -> 89.2]
[Spirit: 642 -> 667]
Darkseid was truly fierce. He had already helped Ian level up for the second time. He was the ultimate EXP gift pack; Trigon didn't even have half of Darkseid's output.
*Rumble! Rumble!*
Darkseid was, as always, fierce as hell. Seeing that Darkseid didn't respond and just kept attacking, Trigon couldn't help but curse.
"Humph! We're both in the same boat, why are you acting all cold and aloof?"
He had seen through it. The enemy they were facing was completely different from superheroes. He was a hooligan—you couldn't kill him, and if you insulted him, he'd just get excited.
Furthermore, Trigon, having realized what was happening, could clearly analyze that the other party wasn't just swallowing their energy; he was also using their image and behavior to steal human faith!
He was literally eating from both ends!
"I'm done!"
Realizing this, Trigon simply couldn't be bothered to waste energy anymore. His massive demonic body sat right down on the pitch-black dimensional floor, six arms crossed over his chest, adopting a posture of watching the show and "letting it rot." He just watched coldly as Darkseid continued his frantic output alone.
He wasn't here in his true body anyway; at most, he'd lose a big chunk of power. Attacking was just giving the other guy benefits. Why should a demon who only liked to benefit himself at others' expense risk his life?
Trigon completely gave up.
The pressure was now all on Darkseid. And when Ian saw that Trigon stopped, he suddenly got anxious. Losing an EXP pack was a big deal! Wouldn't his leveling speed slow down?
"Hey! Red demon brother! How could you give up?!"
Ian's voice was full of "regret" and encouragement. He immediately put on an earnest tone and began "sincere teaching" to the Trigon. He tried to give the King of Demons a shot of adrenaline.
"Failure is the mother of success! Setbacks are the ladder to progress! Look at me, even though I'm being beaten badly, I've never given up hope! Because I have light in my heart! I have the support of the family!"
"Stand up! Fight! Let your anger turn into power! Let your evil... shine with a different kind of brilliance! Believe in yourself, you can do it!"
"You and Darkseid working together might not necessarily lose to my light!" This chicken soup for the soul, smelling like it came from a motivational master, made Trigon's mouth twitch.
Trigon wasn't some ordinary little demon. How could he be moved by such crude chicken soup? He simply closed his eyes, tilted his massive demonic head to the side, and played dead. He didn't care what Ian said; he wouldn't move an inch.
He really had no intention of giving Ian any more EXP. Only Darkseid—you have to say he has a brighter future—actually continued his relentless attacks. His pride and his anger wouldn't allow him to give up like Trigon. He firmly believed that any defense or absorption ability had its limit and price!
"Roar—!!!"
Darkseid let out a roar that shook the dimension, his body exploding with even more terrifying dark energy, pushing the Omega Effect to its absolute limit. He even began to faintly trigger the rules of the Dark Dimension itself.
"I don't believe it! You can't stay in this state forever!" He bellowed, as if about to explode again, giving it his all to break Ian's infuriating defense!
And at the very moment Darkseid's "do-or-die" offensive reached its peak—Ian, who had been on the ground screaming "ouch" with exaggerated acting, showed a genuine, unforced look of panic for the first time! This panic was different from the previous faked terror. It was a legitimate feeling of being thrown into disarray!
"Exactly! I guessed right! His absorption isn't infinite! He's near his limit! This panic at being exposed... he can't fake it!"
Darkseid, who had been staring at Ian, captured this sliver of genuine emotional change! He sneered in his heart! Darkseid felt like he saw the dawn of victory.
His attacks became even more violent, preparing to finish it in one go and drag this man who humiliated him into the moment his invincible form collapsed!
Darkseid's thought was beautiful, however, the words that Ian blurted out next caused Darkseid's sneer to freeze instantly. His brain even stalled for a moment.
"No! Where's my magic?! Where's my faith?! Where's my light?!" Ian's voice was full of shock and anxiety, like a huge sum of money had vanished from his bank account!
"How did the faith I just had the family renew drop so much suddenly?! Just now it was flowing like the ocean! Now it's just a tiny stream!"
Ian was truly horrified.
His words were completely outside Darkseid's predictions, and the content was something Darkseid couldn't understand at all! What magic? What faith? What light? What was this guy rambling about? Under the bewildered gazes of Darkseid and Trigon, Ian, who had been "on his last breath" on the ground, suddenly leaped up!
His massive body stood straight. His face was "red-hot" from anger.
"Is it you! Is it you who killed all my beloved Earthlings?!" Ian originally wanted to blame Darkseid, but then he remembered he had swallowed Earth into his stomach to protect it.
"Okay, not you... but who is it, which damn rat?! Who is eating my light?!" Ian was literally hopping mad. He looked left and right, but didn't find anyone striking from the shadows.
At the same time.
In the unknown space above Earth, in low Earth orbit, Golden Superman, controlling Dark Tiga's body, also fell into a state of immense shock.
"What's going on?"
He suddenly raised Dark Tiga's massive arm. The arm, which had been covered in a deep, ghostly black, was now uncontrollably emitting a soft and pure light! This light wasn't his own power; it was more like... some external energy imbued with faith and prayer, being forcefully intercepted and absorbed by this body!
The DNA of this body was truly moving! It was boiling! The thick darkness that seemed capable of swallowing everything was receding like a tide, replaced by an increasingly brilliant golden light!
Vibrant colors were crawling onto Dark Tiga's body! The power of darkness was moving toward the light!
Golden Superman's will wavered violently. He tried to investigate what was happening to the body and attempted to "exit" the transformation, only to find that during the change, he couldn't do it at all.
The influx of light seemed to trigger a deeper mechanism in this body—one even he, the driver, hadn't noticed.
Just as he was filled with suspicion and uncertainty, a gentle, ancient voice, carrying a hint of indescribable fatigue, rang out directly in the depths of his consciousness.
"Is it you... who woke me? Pure-hearted one whose inner goodness was quietly defiled by black."
The voice asked softly, sounding like it came from a distant time and space.
"Dammit! Another consciousness! Who are you?!" Alarm bells rang in Golden Superman's heart, his spirit tensing to the limit! Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
The original consciousness of this body was actually reviving! Was there an unknown trap hidden within this extra-universal power that the Batman Who Laughs had given him? Or did the Laughing Bat do it on purpose!
At the thought that the crazed, chaotic Dark Knight might have left such a move, Golden Superman felt a chill. The voice in his mind seemed to sense his tension and hostility; its tone remained peaceful, even carrying a hint of comfort.
"There is no need to be tense... strange consciousness."
"I have already passed... dead as dead can be. My remains returned to the void, my consciousness scattered in the sea of stars."
"It's just... by chance, I seemed to hear someone repeatedly muttering about light... it was that obsession that ignited me and allowed me to return to reality."
The voice explained the situation. However, the explanation was worse than no explanation at all.
Golden Superman: "???"
He was completely baffled. How could he not be? Golden Superman thought he was the synonym for super-hearing—possessing the limit of super-hearing—but he still couldn't imagine why a creature would still have hearing after dying.
And, hearing people discuss light made him resurrect? Are you sure you aren't tricking me like a three-year-old child!?
The caution and suspicion in Golden Superman's heart grew several times over.
While Golden Superman was confused by this absurd "awakening" and was trying to clear his thoughts and communicate with the "dead" existence in his mind...
Inside the Dark Dimension, another change occurred!
Ian, who had been hopping mad and looking for the "light-thief," suddenly grabbed his slightly glowing stomach. His face, much larger than the biggest star, was full of terror.
"Is the energy from you two dirty?! This feeling... this feeling... I literally got roundworms from eating!" He gagged.
He started cursing at the temporarily stopped Darkseid and Trigon.
Darkseid: "..."
Trigon: "..."
The two evil titans looked at Ian acting as if he'd really upset his stomach and started getting paranoid. Once again, they fell into a deep silence and wordlessness. They began to seriously suspect that the other party wasn't living in the same dimension as them.
While Ian clutched his stomach, cursing while internally inspecting if he really grew worms in his belly—other than the ones in his palms—a cold, mechanical prompt rang out clearly in the depths of his consciousness. It was a sound only he could hear.
[Mission Name: Turning of the Light and Dark · New Chapter of Fire Theft]
[Mission Requirements: You need to find the 'Original Dark Core' of the rebellious light within the darkest abyss. Do not take it by force, do not convince it with logic. You must use your true capacity to guide its internal paradox, completely reverse its dark essence, and reshape it into a torch of pure light, causing the 'Shadow of the End' to rekindle the 'Glow of the First Birth'. You will thereby ignite the beginning of a new era.]
[Class Advancement Mission Complete!]
[New Class—Lord of Embers unlocked!]