Deep in the multiverse.
Since the collapse of the last multiverse, the legacy of its history has remained at the multiverse's center.
There are no ruins here, but it is deserted. Towering, massive structures still stand, symbolic of the once-great existence of a past era.
The Phantom Stranger, dressed in a dark blue suit and a bowler hat, exuded a distinct British charm and stood tall. He appeared there, walking across the young, sandy ground as wind and grit howled past him, brushing against the skin on the backs of his hands.
Looking up, the clouds above were lit by fire, drifting like tangible fragments. These were once the remnants of various nations.
"The last multiverse was the most glorious era of heroes. And now..."
The Phantom Stranger lowered his gaze, his expression tightening slightly as he looked ahead to the grand and magnificent temple erected in honor of the heroes from all worlds. Now, it belonged to the past.
With a soft tap of his cane against the ground, his deep blue gaze moved forward. A sense of weight and tension followed as he lifted his eyes toward the temple.
A golden figure pierced the sky with a sonic boom under the blazing sun. An arc of compressed sound traced behind him as he came to a halt in midair.
His body shimmered in gold. He had come from the Fifth Dimension, summoned here, and landed beside the Phantom Stranger.
"What is this place? I can feel power suppression."
Golden Superman's expression shifted in surprise. As a Fifth-Dimensional being whose power surpassed that of most quasi-unique gods, he actually felt immense pressure here. It was as if an ordinary person were trying to move through deep water. Unbelievable.
"The Hero Star. The last ruler of the multiverse. The planet of the One God."
A figure cloaked in dark green, his hood hiding the upper half of his face, revealed only a chin sharp as a blade.
He appeared to step out of the infinite space-time continuum itself, exuding a chaotic and majestic presence.
The Spectre, one of the supreme beings of the DC Universe, is the spirit of God's vengeance and wrath. No matter who you are, if the Spectre deems you guilty, judgment will come.
He, too, was a unique god. This version entering the multiverse was a projection. Together with Golden Superman and the Phantom Stranger, he had come to judge a unique god born within the multiverse.
"There's no one here?"
Golden Superman glanced toward the Spectre. He and the Spectre had a deep history. They had once fought the Poison Sun and the great demon of the Fifth Dimension. The Spectre had guided and aided him. The two were close allies.
At the Spectre's invitation, he had come to help deal with the tyrant who sought to destroy the multiverse.
"He left to seek the truth."
Another voice sounded from afar. Golden Superman turned his head and saw a massive rift in the sky. A monstrous ship's bow slowly emerged from it.
At the front of the ship stood an armored figure, his form hidden beneath smooth blue and white armor that covered him completely. His face was obscured, and he looked down at Golden Superman.
Golden Superman's golden expression darkened. His voice was calm, but his eyes radiated killing intent, fixed directly on Mandrakk.
Before he became Golden Superman, he had clashed with Mandrakk several times and was almost captured and turned into a Thought Robot Superman.
After evolving into Golden Superman, Mandrakk could no longer touch him, so he turned his sights to other universes. Using the Monitor's advanced technology, Mandrakk created terrifying Thought Robot Supermen—entities capable of destroying entire universes and manipulating the multiverse.
It was with these creations that Mandrakk gained the power to operate in the shadows, planning his conquest of the multiverse and aiming to become the One God.
What he loathed most was that, unexpectedly, within just ten years, a true unique god had appeared. This filled him with resentment and jealousy so deep he dared not even set foot in the multiverse.
Because the One God was clearly a tyrannical ruler, and if confronted head-on, even with his Thought Robot Superman, Mandrakk might be completely destroyed. He could only plot from the shadows, seeking a way to capture and study the One God in hopes of replicating divinity.
Now, he could only survive in the Bleed, hiding beyond the multiverse in isolation, afraid to show himself.
"Golden Superman, mind your gaze. Don't make me angry."
Even in front of Golden Superman, Mandrakk was full of confidence. Though his physical body could not defeat Golden Superman, the Thought Robot Superman could. It was the Monitor race's highest technological achievement, and Mandrakk's ultimate creation—capable of destroying the multiverse and aiding in his ascension to One Godhood.
Moreover, Mandrakk had once captured Golden Superman before he had evolved into his current form. Even though he did not yet understand how powerful a Fifth-Dimensional Golden Superman truly was, his confidence in the Thought Robot made him fearless. Whether it was Golden Superman of the past or now, he still looked down on him in both thought and action.
"A mechanical clone. If your true body were here, I swear I'd destroy you."
Golden Superman's gaze turned icy. His X-ray vision clearly revealed that this was merely another of Mandrakk's mechanical projections. There was no point in engaging.
"Calm down, Golden Superman. The crisis facing the multiverse is more severe than Mandrakk. He's just a rat at best."
The Spectre lifted the hood of his dark green cloak, revealing a face marked by time, justice, and unwavering resolve. He was the spirit of divine vengeance, the ultimate judge.
He, too, held Mandrakk in contempt. However, Mandrakk's actions had yet to earn divine judgment. On the contrary, the Monitor race's surveillance of the universe and its removal of harmful elements had contributed significantly to the universe. Because of this, he could not justify judging Mandrakk, despite knowing the cosmic schemes the being harbored.
"Mandrakk, get down here. We need your Thought Robot Superman."
"We're gathered here to confront Barmulodi."
"Stop wasting time with pointless arguments."