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Chapter 179: A Plan Years In The Making I

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"He indeed did." A hollow laugh reverberated throughout New Genesis. If anyone still wondered where Darkseid is, here he is wreaking havoc upon the New Gods.

The Highfather did everything in his power to destroy Darkseid, going as far as using Ian despite knowing there might be consequences.

Still, he thought in his mind that Ian's reaction won't be so extreme since they'll be vanquishing a common enemy.

He expected Ian to not mind his actions too much considering Darkseid's apparent interest in Earth, Ian's home.

However, things didn't go how he expected them at all. In fact, everything that could go wrong went wrong. Murphy must be laughing in his grave at the moment.

While he was conspiring against Darkseid, the latter was also conspiring against him, managing to perfectly predict his actions and deceive him into believing he was in that spaceship.

All the while, Darkseid and the elites of his army were making their way to New Genesis, taking the opportunity to cause as much destruction as possible before the Highfather returned.

An army without a leader is most often than not just sheep waiting to be slaughtered, and Darkseid was ruthless enough to slaughter everything in his way, even the lambs.

He even managed to bring down the Golden city, Supertown, an artifact and where the New gods reside. 

It was a magical city, orbiting around the colossal planet. The planet functions more as a place to train the young than a home.

The Highfather arrived back in New Genesis at some point, a bit too late, but he still didn't give up and chose to face Darkseid in a mild battle.

This was the reason he chose to use Ian in the first place, knowing that Darkseid is a bit stronger than him. 

The two are simply too strong, so the Highfather chose to hold back, and even suffer the burnt of all of Darkseid's attacks to limit the damage because he knows that if they clashed, the planet will certainly be destroyed, and his people will die.

Defeating Darkseid himself wasn't the Highfather's goal though, no, he was only keeping the evil Tyrant's focus on him while getting back control over his army, leading the war to a stalemate.

New Genesis' greatest quality is the many new gods within it, so despite Darkseid's surprise attack, they still had a chance.

Not anymore as the Highfather heard Darkseid's words, "He indeed did." And directly after, someone fell from the sky right before him.

"You..." The Highfather eyed the creature that fell before him, seeming almost like a skeleton. He knew exactly who was before him, a being like none other, a unique existence. 

The Highfather's senses wouldn't deceive him, not when it comes to Ian at least.  His senses also told him something else, Ian was eyeing him with a predatory gaze, almost as if he wants to devour him.

"What... What do you want to do?" The Highfather questioned, feeling tense, all while keeping an eye on Darkseid who was watching the show with amusement.

"All you had to do was to kindly ask, and I would allow you to use me for a low price, but no, you chose to be a puppeteer with me as a puppet. I do not like that." Ian murmured as he started making his way to him.

"It was for the greater good. Anything to eliminate the evil that is Darkseid! Is that not what you want also? So let's leave this for later and get rid of him first... I will compensate you for my actions, I swear by my title as the Highfather of New Genesis!"

The Highfather tried and tried. He spoke from heart, but his words didn't seem to resonate with Ian at all because the latter didn't stop.

"You know, I used to make deals with demons. These deals usually involve a contract that bounds one to what it states. It's also done with consent and before an action is taken. Now that is what I call a deal."

Ian's eyes almost turned completely violet by this point as he stood right before the Highfather, "Yours is not, so everything you said is invalid. Dare to even claim you did it for the greate..."

Ian froze, his attention instantly turning to the sky. His eyes seemingly seeing something else other than the vacuum of space.

If his expression wasn't cold before, then now it was chillingly cold as his attention turned to Darkseid. It was only a glance before Ian faced the Highfather again, "Something urgent came up." 

To the Highfather, it sounded like he wanted to leave, letting him let out a sigh of relief... He lost an arm as a result.

All it took was an instance, literally for Ian to slice out the Highfather's arm as a result of his negligence. 

He sought to cut his head off, but even with negligence, a new god like the Highfather was still able to react, albeit he still lost an arm. He is after all one of the strongest of New gods.

They are beings that live in a higher dimension, near the Source, so they don't perceive time normally. 

The beings of New Genesis call themselves Gods and live outside of normal time and space, even outside of the normal universes. 

These New Gods have evolved due to taking up the powers of other gods and through the use of the Source, believed to be one of the ultimate foundations of the Universal Expression of Energy, along with their superior technology, into beings of genetic stability and evolutionary perfection. 

The denizens of New Genesis are immortal, stronger, faster, and smarter than homo sapiens, despite their resemblance.

So Ian's Forever force didn't work perfectly on him, but it was more than enough.

If he had to rate his speed at the moment, he'd say he's faster than light, or time is irrelevant to him. The battle comes down to how irrelevant it is to the Highfather.

"Are youu insane???" The Highfather bellowed in rage. He knows Ian is special, but he couldn't care less at the moment. He isn't just any New God, but the Highfather, the true king of gods.

He ignored the fact that Ian's Trident could cut off his arm where he survived the destructions of planets before. Such is the incomprehensible power of The Trident of Neptune which is why Ian wanted it so badly in the first place.

His staff can do that too, but it's a less efficient weapon than the Trident if the Vessels are taken out of the equation.

"I want to say that was a distraction because god that sounds lovely, but I do actually have something urgent, so let me kill you quickly," Ian murmured, pumping his magic into the Trident, and it accepted it happily.

"Have you gone insane??! Do you know the consequences of your actions? If you do this, you'll be nothing but a puppet for Darkseid!! We're the only ones holding him back, so what do you think will happen if we fall???"

It's safe to say that the Highfather was raging though his years of experience allowed him to choose a peaceful path, ignoring Ian's offense and instead focusing on turning the table against Darkseid.

"Do not worry. If this could make you feel any better, then know that Darkseid will follow after you very soon." 

Even among Ian's friends, and even lovers, very few know of Ian's cruelty. How far he can go. How petty he can be. Perhaps only Layla knows, but even she wouldn't expect a planet to fall in his hand despite the possible consequences. 

The Highfather said it best. The only reason the universe stands to be as peaceful as it is; is because of New Genesis, because of him. 

The Green lanterns were only responsible for a small part of the universe. The ones stopping Darkseid from running amock are none other than the New gods under Highfather's leadership.