...

Chapter 131: Best Of Dreams V

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The speed force is one of the seven forces of the universe. It really is remarkable. The Speed Force is tied to so many things when you pull back the electrical curtain and see it for what it truly is: Time. All of time.

Existence moving through reality, kinetic energy, temporal energy, and a storm of intelligence that can connect speedsters to everything and everyone.

It's what allowed Ian to restrain a monster such as Cain, and it's also what allowed him to search through a significant portion of Gotham until he found his target.

Who pulled the strings? Who invited Cain to Ian's backyard? Ian was standing behind him at the moment.

The man was taking a sip of wine while looking outside of a hotel window, "Simon Hurt... Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Ian Rose," Ian also introduced himself as he walked next to the man.

"Want a drink?" Simon asked, seeming quite calm.

"Sure." Ian nodded, taking a glass of wine for himself, enjoying the serene view before him though he was a bit confused, "Why?"

"Hm? Why what?" Simon wondered, seeming even more confused.

"I thought I have to use magic and several other methods to find you, yet here you are, waiting for me in here." Ian pointed out, something even more strange, knowing that Simon can use magic which is how he remained hidden for so long.

"I don't know... I just suddenly felt so calm, so I wanted to talk..." Simon took another sip of wine, seeming to be enjoying the company.

He further added, "You seem to know a lot about me, but let me illuminate you nonetheless... I'm Dr, Simon Hurt. I was once called Thomas Wayne a few hundred years ago, but..."

"But now you're torturing your descendant. I heard Batman was going through a lot of mysterious hardships recently..." Ian chuckled.

A weird smile emerged on Simon's face, "Indeed... I left him one last gift. Hope he enjoys it."

"Left? That almost sounds like you won't exist after today." Ian remarked, taking a sip of wine after.

"I won't... I'm the hole in all things, but I'm also a very small hole... There is very little darkness in a place that's supposed to be dark, all thanks to you. There is nothing I can do to change it because you sir are also a hole in reality."

As he spoke, Simon pulled out a knife and brought it close to his own cheek before carving a circle with it.

His expression remained frozen throughout it even as his blood fell like a waterfall. The wound was quite deep.

His behavior was odd, to say the least as he stroked his bloody cheek, painting something similar to a circle on his palm which he kept looking at, "You're a gap, a different void, something I don't understand... You're also like me... You don't exist."

"What was that? Why did you get Cain to come here? What's the point if you don't make use of the distraction." Ian wondered with curiosity, his eyes seemingly blind to Simon's odd behavior.

"It's a show..." Simon licked his palm, taking in every drop of blood before taking another sip of wine, "I wanted to watch the show."

"I see..." Ian murmured, his eyes faintly eyeing Simon as the latter's skin seemed to crack, slowly but surely.

"Phahah hah haha No no no, I don't want to gooo!" A light smile was still apparent on Simon's face, but his expression was showing pain and fear, and tears were falling from his eyes.

That change was only for a second before his expression regained absolute serenity, "There is only so much that things that don't exist can handle... It's pathetic. I've seen what I wanted to see. Unt..."

Before he can finish his words, he crumbled to ashes in a literal sense. Hell, even his ashes seemed to turn into nothingness.

Ian closed his eyes, meditating for a bit on what the fuck just happened. He opened them again after a while, taking a last sip of wine before letting the glass fall to the ground.

'Was I just talking with Darkseid? No fucking way that just happened.' Ian was almost sweating, knowing that such a being took interest in him to such a degree.

I mean, it wasn't unexpected for him. He already knew a lot of beings were watching him, but there is a difference between a lot of beings and Darkseid.

As he said, he was the hole in all things, the gap in existence... He was the embodiment of evil, and his power is almost unrivaled in the entire multiverse.

However, reality has a way to balance itself out, but there is a problem, reality is Darkseid's bitch.

'The restrictions should still slow him down for a bit, right? Or at least take a bit of time before coming down here... Please?' Ian prayed in his mind though his expression didn't change on the outside.

He just made sure Simon is dead dead before teleporting to the labs underneath the mansion.

He found Layla waiting there for him, seated calmly by herself. Ian didn't waste time as he instructed, "Strip down."

Layla seemed surprised for a second, but she didn't even flinch while complying, taking off all of her clothes.

Ian eyed her closely from top to bottom, frowning at the sight. She was gorgeous, don't get him wrong, but the Red Kryptonite's effect on her was a bit special.

Layla stood there with her almost entirely white hair, the only thing that hasn't changed after Ian transferred his death force to her many times, allowing her to regain her youth.

She was gorgeous, seeming pure and spotless except for a few specific areas such as her abdomen.

Instead of skin and flesh, all she had was a dark thin web barely holding her organs in place. Indeed, her insides were seeable, and that wasn't the only part corrupted by darkness.

"It's getting worse even after all I did to stop it from spreading... Darkness seems to be a worthy foe." Ian remarked, bringing a gentle smile out of her, despite her state, she rarely failed to show such a smile to him.

"It's also a great helper. It's only unfortunate that I can not brainwash it to do my bidding." In front of other people, she was much more cordial and careful with her words, but not in front of Ian.

Brainwashing was a specialty of hers, and one of the main reasons why the little Roses are so loyal and dedicated to Ian.

"I kinda can, but it will take a very long time. As I said, darkness seems to be a worthy foe." Ian waved his hand, bringing a clump of golden chains into existence.

He control the chains to move a bit before stabbing into whatever was inside. His end goal was to fill a cup with blood.

"This is the blood of a vampire, the first of vampires," Ian shook the glass of blood a bit, eyeing it closely, "But it might be contaminated, so let me do a little bit of testing."

And Layla did just that, she waiting with her eyes glued to Ian, his every action. How could she not be stunned when he was performing miracles before her like they were nothing?

He used the holy light on it, darkness, magic, and even Kryptonite energy. Once a sample of blood becomes contaminated, he gets himself a bit more from the infinite generator he named, Cain 1.6.

"Drink it." Layla did without a shred of hesitation, almost instantly feeling its effect.

Ian also acted at the same time, knowing that there might still be dangers he couldn't see, so his scepter found itself nailing Cain 1.6 again, this time sucking everything out of him with full force.

The golden chains still restrained him, making him remain motionless as he was devoured alive, leaving nothing but ashes.

Ian was sure even Cain's soul was utterly devoured. The staff of all things was evolving with him under the contamination of his Death force.

"Hmm?" There were two things that got Ian's attention. First was Layla's transformation, becoming paler and more gorgeous. The second was the door that appeared right where Cain was devoured.

The door just stood there, closed, but Ian could clearly see nothing but the wall behind it. The door was dark, having several scratches, one of which was on its handle.

"Is this what I think it is?"

...

Chapter 132: Best Of Dreams VI

...

The door just stood there, closed, but Ian could clearly see nothing but the wall behind it. The door was dark, having several scratches, one of which was on its handle.

"Is this what I think it is?"

He first paid attention to Layla, making sure she was okay and in full control of herself. Only after a few more tests did his attention return to the door.

He started by scanning it with magic, making sure it was not a trap, and only after that did his hand land on the door handle, slowly twisting it around until the door opened.

Slowly but surely, it gave view to where it led, an odd place. Ian could see a graveyard with what appeared to be hundreds of graves. At the very center of the place was a medieval house.

It seemed to be an exquisite three stories house with a sign above its front door stating, House Of Mystery.

Ian observed everything he could from where he stood, not going in just yet. He eyed the faint mist, seeming to be released from the ground around the house, especially concentrated on the graves.

He also observed the variety of rocks floating around far above the area, gravity seeming nonexistent. In fact, he was pretty sure some of those rocks were far away Island, just like the house seemed to be built on a floating Island.

'The mist seems to travel into the house, and those shadows swimming about... What are they? And those are ghosts, right?' Ian noted several things before instructing, "Layla, wait for me here."

There is a level of loyalty that will drive someone to risk death for their leader, those who will volunteer for a death mission out of loyalty.

Layla wasn't such a person. She was someone who believed all of Ian's actions and words to be the right thing. Her loyalty was on an entirely different level. Perhaps it shouldn't even be considered loyalty anymore.

Ian however didn't go in just yet. Instead, he sent his Death force through the door, and even enveloped it with it, trying to see if he can communicate with the house.

As far as he remembers, the house has a tiny bit of sentience, granted, he was assuming this was the house he was thinking of. The circumstances at least say as much.

The House was, after all, the abode of Cain, and the appearance of the door couldn't possibly be a coincidence, not when it synchronized with the death of Cain.

Ian remembers quite a lot about the house, mainly because he knows a lot about the tale of Constantine, it was just that interesting.

The origins of the House of Mystery are unknown, but it appears to usually exist simultaneously in both the realm known as The Dreaming and on Earth, next to a graveyard.

The House appears to be sentient and to act as a repository for stories, normally quite horrific ones.

He also noted that it exists in the realm of dream, and he had just met Dream himself, Morpheus not long ago, so the possibility of this having something to do with him wasn't out of the question.

It also needs a caretaker for some reason. And as Ian's death force came in contact with the door, the reason became apparent to him, "Oh you're such a sweetheart. We'll probably become close friends."

Ian murmured as if talking to himself, and even he was surprised at how easy it was for the house to communicate with him through his death force.

Then again, it's part of the realm of dreaming, and such a thing is easy to dream into existence. The laws on which it works must be quite convoluted and different from the norm.

Well, calling it a house wasn't accurate because it was an entire dimension, a small mysterious dimension. The house of mystery was odd, to say the least, and Ian's strange look as he spoke to it says it all.

"Hmm, I'll accommodate your weirdness, but first, let me take a look at you..." Ian murmured strangely before going in, the door automatically closing behind him.

Ian took a deep breath once inside, feeling a fresh cold breeze against his skin. It was almost like the entire dimension started to adapt to him the moment he entered.

'The House of Mystery seems to know a lot about me, but nothing deep. It's safe to assume it collected my information through others' dreams of me... Quite the special thing.'

Ian was thoroughly satisfied with what he just acquired, especially after finding out its desire, "A wondrous thing you are, but you're restrained... All you need is company, and all you want are stories and dreams. Unfortunately, I can not dream..."

His death force was already spreading widely throughout the dimension, not just to communicate with it but also to activate the give and take process, to thoroughly corrupt the dimension with his Death force.

Only that will give him peace of mind to fully trust it because that will allow him to gain full control over it.

The House of Mystery, however, didn't seem to mind that as it instead enjoyed the rich Death force swimming about, seeming to be enjoying its presence, becoming vibrant. His death force has a way to strengthen some things it comes in contact with.

"Oh? You can actually build a connection with those who dream of me? That's useful."

All the house of mystery wanted was company and tales to enjoy, mostly horrific tales... It finds them cute.

"Really? Hahahha, yup, you're such a sweetheart." Ian laughed from time to time, even giggling at the house of Mystery's stories.

Hell, even the house seems to be giggling as the entire dimension vibrates from time to time, with a variety of colors twisting around in the sky.

Soon, Ian found himself lying before the house, comfortably resting on the soft heavenly grass, just enjoying its stories. He was even telling stories of his own, the ones that don't include the word charity in them couldn't be counted at all because they don't exist.

"Wait, really? Cain did that every ten years? What a dedication, or what a twisted mentality I should say... Poor Abel."

The most interesting of the house's stories was that of Cain. Apparently, Abel, after being killed by his brother, was brought into the Dreaming, the realm representing imagination, where he became a storyteller and was given the House of Secrets to live in by Morpheus.

The unfortunate thing was that Cain was also granted something, the House of mystery. In contrast to Abel though, Cain got to be the caretaker of the house under the house's wishes itself.

Of course, being next door to his brother reminded Cain of why he'd murdered him in the first place, and thus he killed Abel again, except this time Abel came back, and so this Cain resolved to kill him again and again, ad nauseum.

It became a twisted desire of Cain, an obsession, and so he took it upon himself to schedule Abel's death every ten years, killing him in different ways every time. The dedication that took was... There are no words to describe it.

"Ahh, poor Abel. I have to admire his mental fortitude though, not breaking down completely even after being killed again and again for what can be assumed to be thousands of years."

Ian then stood up, and took a look at the ever night sky of the dimension, its twisted form, and chaotic colors, finding satisfaction in the House Of Mystery's workings, "Anyway, let's do some experimenting now, shall we?"

And he did just that, starting with touring the house entirely, getting rid of all that he deemed useless, mostly Cain's stuff. Anything that was of no value was thrown out.

"Show me." At last, Ian found himself seated on the grass again, looking directly in front of him as space started twisting at his order.

Many of the chaotic colors in the sky flew down, forming into something akin to a delirious mirror. Soon, more of such mirrors formed, these are what the House Of Mystery refers to as the Reflection of Dreams.

Reflected in the mirror were all the dreams about Ian, all dreamt by other beings, "I'm the Worst Of Nightmares. I'm Also the Best Of Dreams... Huh?"

...

Chapter 133: Best Of Dreams VII

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Reflected in the mirror were all the dreams about Ian, all dreamt by other beings, "I'm the Worst Of Nightmares. I'm Also the Best Of Dreams... Huh?"

Morpheus, dream of the endless' words were reflected perfectly in the mirrors to the point Ian could only laugh spectating the worst of nightmares.

Some however were a bit too extreme and odd, even by his standards. It made him wonder why he drove such horrific nightmares out of them when he didn't do anything too bad.

He extracted as much information as he could from the reflections because the nightmares basically told him of all of his enemies, even the ones he doesn't know about.

"Huh? I didn't even do anything to her? Like, what the fuck mate?" Ian was thoroughly confused by some of the reflections, "Is it because I took away everything? Then why isn't Luthor mad and she is? Just overreacting perhaps?"

A simple example of the confusing nightmares was Mercy Graves, someone he met for only a few minutes, and they didn't even talk much.

Ian just handed them the Kryptonites and sealed the deal, so he was a bit confused on why she had nightmares about him.

It definitely didn't have something to do with the fact that the Kryptonites he handed to them were contaminated by his Death force. So he can sense them wherever they are.

That allowed him to find where they have been put, his target which was Luthor's secret labs, something even the Roses weren't able to find. He then went ahead to borrow a few stuff.

"And what about you? Like, who are you?" There were quite a lot of beings having nightmares about him, some he doesn't know of, explaining his perplexity.

"The best of dreams... Yeah, I'm definitely cucking Hephaestus, only in dreams though." Ian brought himself a cup of tea and enjoyed the very exquisite movie, a piece of art of Aphrodite's fetishes.

He absolutely has no idea how she came to desire him so much. He didn't even do much in Olympus. He barely caused any harm. Hell, he even sent Hermes back when he was done with him.

Granted, he was missing a leg or two, but he was sure the gods can deal with that with ease.

Another best of dreams he watched was that of Athena, and it confused him a lot because she seemed to be suffering a lot in it.

It was quite simple, a chess match between Ian and her. She just never wins, like at all. She even ended up crying a few times, yet this was categorized as a happy dream.

The most wondrous of dreams however was Harley's because for her, there are two reflections, one of Nightmares and the other of simple happy dreams.

The catch is that nothing was simple in her case. Even the best of dreams for her was a bit twisted let alone her Nightmares, "Yup, she's odd."

"Dreams huh. What a fascinating thing... I really want to watch more, but unfortunately, I have a meeting to attend." And he really wanted to continue to watch, for research purposes of course.

Ian left the dimension, performing a few more tests on Layla just to make sure she was okay. He studied her state thoroughly, especially her blood.

The good news was that she seemed to be healing, albeit at a very slow rate, "Not very vampire-like huh? Is it because?"

Ian tested his theory directly, making a deep cut on his arm before letting it drip into Layla's mouth much to her surprise.

She could only lay on the testing bed in shock until her new vampiric urges took control of her as she lunged at the wound, devouring every drop of blood on its way out.

The odd thing however was that she acted in moderation, almost like she was afraid of hurting him. She only drank the blood dripping out without biting him at all.

'It shouldn't be some kind of vampiric sense because Cain wouldn't be dead if so... Is it just her will and loyalty guiding her? God, Layla is lovely.'

As he expected, drinking his blood accelerated the process to such an extent she healed in less than a minute.

"Go to the underground training room and test yourself. Test everything, especially your shadows, and if you feel even a speck of doubt about the effect, don't hesitate to call me. Otherwise, tell me the results when I come back."

The Watchtower was a space station orbiting the Earth that served as the headquarters of the Justice League.

It was created by the combined effort of all the Justice League members after seeing Earth's nonexisting defense against outer space.

According to Ian's estimates, it's one of the most advanced pieces of technology on earth as it combined the knowledge of Martians, Krypton, and even green lantern contributed by some alien technology, considering he's the most likely to acquire it.

The one who contributed the most however was J'onn J'onzz, or as he likes to call himself, the Martian Manhunter.

He's a law enforcement officer from Mars who became a police detective and superhero after becoming marooned on Earth.

He is a founding member of the Justice League, and the meeting involved most of the League.

"Aghh, Batman and his methods, so annoying." One thing Ian noticed is that Batman tries to dig for information and test him every time they talk, just like now.

He gave away the bait that Ian simply can't refuse, nor can he steal it himself just yet without attracting the Ire of Superheroes, something totally unnecessary.

If they hate him, they will become far less charitable than he desires, and the opportunities to 'help' them will become limited.

The reason why he wouldn't be able to steal it was right before him as Ian floated in the vacuum of space, right before the Watchtower, 'So many Anti-magic methods, and god knows where he hid the thing.'

Batman told him to meet up in the Watchtower but didn't tell him how to reach it, something not easy considering it's in constant orbit around the earth.

As far as he knows, the Justice League members seem to teleport through some kind of device in the Hall of Justice directly to the Watchtower.

'I guess it really doesn't matter considering I will show some of my powers against the target...' Ian mused, slowly hovering towards the gate leading to the airlock chamber.

The Watchtower had an artificial intelligence that guided him to the meeting hall as Ian observed the surroundings carefully, 'Yup, it's definitely doable. More Nightmares for you, and a lovely gift for me.'

To a certain extent, Ian was like Constantine, he can be very vengeful. So his mind was already working on the maths behind the future, imagining forthcoming nightmares.

Ian entered the meeting room, finding himself faced with six people, six out of the seven founding members, namely, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern.

Right away, Ian noticed a lot of things. Superman was missing. Wonder Woman seemed mad. Green Lantern seemed powerless without his green suit... Wonder why.

...

Chapter 134: I Think Something Happened? I

...

Right away, Ian noticed a lot of things. Superman was missing. Wonder Woman seemed mad. Green Lantern seemed powerless without his green suit... Wonder why.

Ian took a seat at the forefront of the table, a seat seeming to be prepared for him because it directly faced Batman, and he didn't seem happy.

"I called you ten hours ago..." Batman stated.

"Hm? I know." Ian nodded, seeming confused about the point question.

"So?" Batman further stated.

"So what?" Ian asked back.

Batman closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding back whatever complaint he had.

However, Diana next to him was not known for holding back as she yelled, "So you should've been here nine hours ago!"

Ian eyed everyone in the room, getting a very good idea of what was happening and why they seemed tense.

"Well, the bat didn't tell me how to get here, so I had to look for it and fly for hours until I got here. I'm a very generous person, so I didn't voice any complaints, but now... You're the one complaining?"

His tone was still just as calm, but his words certainly made Diana speechless as she gave Batman a questioning look.

"He's definitely lying. I think it took him less than an hour to get here." How the tables have turned, but Batman didn't turn with it.

"It doesn't matter how long it took him to get here. You should've pointed out the way to get here, so we don't have to play a game of mind games now, especially knowing of Superman's situation."

This time, it was J'onn who spoke, the Martian Manhunter. He spoke calmly without much emotion, seeming to be the sound of reason.

"No need for unnecessary banter. Just hurry up." Green Lantern or Hal Jordan spoke with exasperation, not seeming to be in a good mood.

"You're right. Just get it over with. Leave the talk for later." Diana definitely had more complaints to voice, but it wasn't time just yet.

"Look at these two videos first." Batman pointed out, activating a projection showing the videos in question.

One was showing the exact scene of Ian using his staff to deal with Deathstroke, specifically using the speed force.

The other video was showing the scene of Superman fighting Doomsday, and it was a live fed. They seemed to be in an isolated area with Superman mostly focused on keeping Doomsday busy.

He was in quite the sorry state, looking all bloody, but he preserved, his determination has never been brighter knowing that behind him, not that far away is his city, Metropolis.

"If you want to ask why we aren't there taking care of the problem, it's because this thing can evolve based on the circumstances. We're only vying for time and this is where you come in."

Batman stood up, opening a briefcase close by and bringing out a green shining stone, "I want you to attach this to your staff and do exactly what you did in this video."

Ian walked closer to Batman, eyeing the stone closely. He was able to see it instantly. Green Kryptonite energy was something he controls after all, so he could sense a lot of differences in this stone.

"Why didn't you get Superman or him to do it." Ian pointed out to the Flash at the corner of the room who seemed to be depressed.

"Because it's dangerous, and it's very likely he will die with it, so be careful with this thing. The same is for Superman." Batman explained, shaking his head at the Flash who was giving him hopeful eyes.

The Flash had so many questions for Ian for so long, but it seemed as if fate stops him from getting them, not yet at least.

"J'onn, activate it. We'll be there right away." After which, Batman brought Ian with him to a certain room, seeming all secretive, and his next words warranted such a level of secrecy.

"You know who I am, and you know a lot about me. I also know a lot about you, and I am certain I know how your staff work, how you work to a certain extent, so..."

There was a change of plans, and the Justice League were understandably in a hurry, so before he even arrived, they set up a teleportation station close to the incident location.

Ian only blinked for one second, and he found himself there along with Diana, the Flash, and J'onn.

The others stayed behind for various reasons. Hal's reason was simple, he was kinda powerless since the green lantern power battery was stolen not long ago.

The other person there was drinking himself to sleep because the fact that he can't just jump into the battle was such an annoyance to him, Aquaman.

Ian's staff appeared in his hand, shining blue. He directly activated his magic to teleport closer to the incident.

He found it unfortunate that he didn't get to interact with them more. They are quite the interesting bunch after all, and they have a lot of nice artifacts, but he understands the emergency.

'Yeah, Batman is too smart, but even the smartest of people have limits. He put those limits on himself, perhaps for a good reason?

In fear of turning to the very thing he wants to stop, and since he understands himself better than anyone else, he must know what kind of disaster that entails...'

Ian mused while observing the disastrous state of Superman, and even doomsday. Their fight seemed to have gone to such an extent that they seemed to be on the verge of death.

In fact, Ian noted that Superman might have been passed out for quite a while, yet even in his unconscious state, he fought.

Or at least, that's what Superman's movement told him, the movement of someone with no energy to move, like that feeling one gets when they exercise too much.

That feeling like you just want to lie down and not move for a while. That's the kind of vibe Superman was giving, his body desperately wanting to give up.

"Well, Batman's charity was very charitable, so let me be as well." He mumbled before acting.

In contrast to the expectations of those watching, his actions were very different from the plan. Well, at least very different from what they thought would happen.

The only one who didn't seem surprised was J'onn. In fact, he seemed to have expected this. He was that kind of monster, one on the side of good though.

Ian launched the plan. What batman gave him instantly appeared surrounding Doomsday, making sure the monster was away from Superman before teleporting the colossal device out of the black Rose.

The thing seemed like a massive tube, quite similar to the teleportation device that brought him here.

"See you later," Ian murmured as he also teleported with the device, going along with Doomsday being the nice person he was.

Despite being confused, the Flash still acted according to plan, getting Superman the hell out of there.

He used the teleportation station to take him back to the Watchtower to get him some help. The symbol of hope didn't resist at all, his body giving out the moment the threat was sent away.

"You know what's happening, right?" Diana asked with a frown.

"I do... Batman is changing, due to that peculiar human most likely." J'onn nodded, eyeing the sky, or specifically the darkness of space.

"Care to explain?" She further questioned, not liking being kept out of the loop.

"Let's just say that batman saw the danger of the monster more than most of us, so he made some sacrifices to not only get information but also to get rid of it for good..."

Indeed, Ian changed Batman indirectly. He made his much more cautious. The fear of the unknown that is Ian drove Batman to go further and beyond, making preparations and hypotheses for everything.

What Batman sacrificed to get Ian to act were a few things, a few collectibles, and information, very valuable information.

It wasn't just Batman, Ian directly or indirectly changed the fate of the world many times. Things that seem inconsequential to him weren't to others.

But the teleportation machine was something he wants. It was way too valuable to miss, and Batman handed it to him on a silver platter without knowing that Ian already wanted Doomsday.

The teleportation device is a two-way transmitter. In this case, the source of the one that sent Doomsday and Ian away.

The destination, on the other hand, was floating aimlessly in space though it was very close to the sun, and this is where they appeared.

Ian seemed to move freely in space, and even breathe. Hell, his voice was even able to reach Doomsday in the vacuum of space. The latter however was having a bit of a hard time as its desire to lung at Ian was apparent to all.

"You might just be the most dangerous creature in the universe if given the chance to grow, but... You're too delicious to miss," Ian frowned, throwing himself a questioning look, "That kinda came out wrong..."

...

Chapter 135: I Think Something Happened? II

...

"You might just be the most dangerous creature in the universe if given the chance to grow, but... You're too delicious to miss," Ian frowned, throwing himself a questioning look, "That kinda came out wrong..."

He shook his head, convincing himself that he was imagining things before eyeing the monstrosity that is Doomsday.

Doomsday is a monstrous genetically engineered being from the depths of prehistoric Krypton.

His creator imbued him with few feelings, mostly hate and desire for destruction, which led to his destroying worlds and eventually finding Earth.

The thing was like fifteen feet tall. Its skin was grey-ish. Well, calling it skin doesn't do it justice because it was like an armor on top of an exoskeleton.

Doomsday's hate and desire for destruction allowed it to be a universal phenomenon, allowing it to achieve the feet it just did.

The vacuum of space restricted its movement in contrast to Ian who can use magic, so Doomsday naturally solved the problem by creating extremely long tentacles out of his back.

The colossal teleportation station was still hovering beside them, allowing Doomsday's tentacles to move around by clinging to them.

"Its infinite evolution seems to also work by necessity because it really does seem to want me dead now," Ian remarked, eyeing the horrific creature lunging at him.

He had no interest in fighting it just yet, instead, Ian just teleported far away, observing the creature at work, evolving by the second just to reach him.

More and more tentacles were being created from its back spreading everywhere, seeking to create a web to allow movement.

"Is it just pure instinct? Its behavior is quite smart when needed." Ian further theorized, "Is it possible to induce reason to it provided the right circumstances? It seems likely considering how it works."

He was kinda entering a researching state because that's just how interesting this creature was, "But its hate and rage will definitely get in the way."

Ian observed the creature carefully, not using magic on it just yet knowing that it might just grow resistant to it.

Doomsday was extremely fast even in the vacuum in space, and he noticed it was keeping up with Superman back then, even showing a tendency to surpass him despite its colossal size.

Doomsday however surpassed Superman in durability, still, Ian deemed that if the fight had continued, they would've both died.

The monster's state was just as bad as Superman's due to the latter's relentlessness. Still, in the middle of Ian's observation, the creature has already recovered.

The only reason Ian didn't find it hard to evade the creature was the fact that he was in the Rose of speed mode, thus allowing him to act quickly, and it doesn't take him much to teleport around.

"What if I send it to hell? Will they be happy?" Ian's eyes shone with numerous possibilities, his mind running high on speed force, "Will they train it well?"

"Hmm, first let's get what I want." Ian flashed his wings into existence ready to use his greatest speed.

The amplification of the speed force, Lucifer's wings, and magic were... Well, a speed that'd be felt only the strongest of speedsters.

All Doomsday could see were flashes of blurry orange and blue before feeling things digging into its own flesh. Not just that, Doomsday felt itself being slightly devoured.

Something was trying to eat it and its infinite evolution didn't like it, "As O predicted, it's starting to gain resistance to my staff's devouring powers... What a freak, like, is there something more freaky than you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"?"

"Huh?" Ian suddenly stopped and looked around. He could swear he felt someone facepalm at him, "The fucking audacity, but I'm busy, so I'll let it slide."

He teleported away, observing Doomsday and his surroundings, seemingly waiting for something, "No reaction huh? I must've been imagining things."

His focus returned to absorbing Doomsday's energy bit by bit, vying to fully assimilate his energy. Despite Doomsday's resistance and constant adaption, the staff still took bits and pieces of him every him like a hungry beast.

It would've definitely not worked as well if not for Ian constantly feeding it his Death force, making it the monster that it is today.

Its potential was quite limited at the start but now, it's one of the greatest artifacts in the universe, mostly due to his force.

It took Ian approximately two hours to fully assimilate Doomsday's energy, and by the end, his staff barely had any effect on the monster.

Doomsday's evolution power didn't only evolve to resist his devouring powers but also to resist the staff's piercing power.

A good thing about fully contaminating things with his Death force was that Ian gains absolute control over them, knowing every single detail about them just like he understood exactly what the new energy he just absorbed was.

'Force Of Evolution huh? What I just assimilated may be more broken than I thought.' A bright smile surfaced on Ian's face, feeling quite happy.

He even started to hesitate about if he should destroy Doomsday. After the creature's kind's charity, Ian simply couldn't find it in his heart to kill it, so he seriously considered the only other option which is taking it as a pet.

"Aghh, but you're so ugly... Can you like transform into a cute wolf?" The only response Ian got was a colossal punch constructed of tentacles seeking to eliminate him.

"You were given the two options, and you chose one of which on your own accord, so don't say I'm unfair." Ian let out a sigh, feeling pity for the creature, but well, he chose his own destiny.

So Ian teleported a few miles away, eyeing the beast from afar. By this point, Doomsday was looking like a colossal octopus probably fifty feet tall and thirty wide.

What Ian devoured out of him didn't seem to make Doomsday any weaker almost as if it's infinite. Ian brought out the Green Kryptonite batman handed him, looking closely at it.

'Yu[, it's definitely been modified, and something was injected within... What'll happen if I mimic its undulations?' And he did just that, aiming his staff at Doomsday with that specific green kryptonite attached to its tip.

It slowly started to shine green as he activated the first Vessel, releasing the green kryptonite energy at full force, not only driving it into the stone but also mimicking how it works.

Doomsday seemed to feel the danger as almost by instinct, every tentacle surrounded him, forming a barrier of bones and flesh around him strong enough to remain intact even against tens of nuclear explosions.

However, right at that point in time, something unexpected happened. Ian sensed a force approaching, one he knows for a fact to be some kind of speed force.

And almost instantly, a speedster appeared not too far from him, looking at him with confusion as he asked, "Who are you?"

Ian narrowed his eyes, the speedster's voice reaching him across the vacuum of space, 'Reverse Flash? He definitely knows who I am after our latest confrontation? From another timeline perhaps?'

"Hmm? You know who I am, don't you? A speedster I don't know about from anothe..." Reverse Flash noted the micro changes in Ian's expression leading him to such a conclusion.

However, his words came to a halt. They were both speaking at such a speed inconceivable to most beings, so fast that merely a second passed since they started conversing.

Yet, despite that, they were both surprised at what happened next. Ian knows his speed isn't nearly as fast as Reverse Flash due to him having no connection to the speed force.

In Ian's case, the speed force is his own creation, living solely within the staff's vessel. It was a new growing seed, waiting to spurt.

He was able to compensate for that weakness through magic and Lucifer's wings to a certain extent, but it still wasn't nearly enough to react to what happened next.

Reverse Flash stopped talking because he saw his death. He felt it through time. He sensed someone coming towards him through time, something unimaginable.

"Noooooooo!" Reverse Flash's scream was like a reoccurring wave as he finally came to understand something.

The beam that just annihilated him wasn't aimed at him, but at Ian, he merely appeared there at the wrong place and the wrong time, saving Ian's life by accident.

He tried to move. He seriously did, but all he could do was a micro-movement before the red beam evaporated half of his body.

Ian blinked twice then trice, feeling a bit of the residue heat and energy from the beam, something he feels would be able to deconstruct him to atoms if he wasn't using so many defensive magic spells.

"What in the actual fuck?"