.................

Chapter 180: A Plan Years In The Making II

................. 

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.

Ian ran amock through the battlefield. He not only made sure to obliterate the New gods in his way, but he also lumped Darkseid's forces into the equation.

Anything near him, whether Darkseid's army or the Highfather's just perishes in the blink of an eye because to most of them, Ian was but a blur. Only the Highfather can keep up, albeit barely.

He even went out of his way to damage Darkseid's forces purposefully by spamming magic from time to time, creating a fabulous cluster of magic fireworks throughout the surroundings.

Darkseid didn't seem to care. He just stood in his place with his arms crossed, distant from everything that is happening except the occasional red beams emitting from his eyes, trying to sneakily injure the Highfather.

So it's safe to say that the Highfather was suffering, miserably so. It was one sided battle where his only hope of survival was to bring some reason to Ian's mind.

Alas, he didn't succeed as Ian chose an even more extreme course of action. Just when Darkseid believed things to be going well, Ian brought out a large scroll.

It looked exquisite, like an artifact. Most important of all, it seemed dark and sinister. The scroll was folded, hiding whatever it had within, no more.

Ian unfolded the scroll, giving view to a clear ominous writing, the most clearer of which was a name, Trigon.

The scroll was one of the first artifacts Ian had acquired, a long time ago. It's called Trigon's scroll, a fire breathing artifact with demonic flames that can melt almost anything.

It was left dormant in Ian's dimension for a very long time. The last time he used it was against the Olympian gods when he used the Darkest of Suns.

He didn't hide it for nothing. No, he was feeding it his Death force almost always, seeking to trigger the give and take process and take ownership of it.

It was a long time plan of his that he thought of after meeting Raven and studying the scroll with her. She was unaware of the plan because he wanted to see how she'd face her father, Trigon.

The scroll was a countermeasure in case things go wrong, and things did go wrong as he sensed something going on with Raven. 

He had enough trust in her to believe she can defeat her father, so when he felt her failing, it made him wonder, what happened? The glance he gave Darkseid was exactly because of that.

But for now, he needed to finish things quickly while helping Raven at the same time. Opening the scroll means Trigon's fire will be released, a vast amount of it.

There was however a limit, he hadn't been able to release the flames infinitely because the scroll required some time to recharge... Not anymore.

The recharging time was a safety option Trigon placed on the artifact, Ian was sure of that, so he wondered long ago, what'll happen if he took full control of the scroll with his Death force?

Will he be able to release the flames infinitely? If so, where do those flames come from? What energy does the scroll rely on to produce it?

Those all are questions Ian got the answer to when he took control of it, and it's finally time to lay the plans in motion.

Like a broken dam, the flames of trigon flooded the entire planet in a matter of minutes to the point where very few could react to it. 

It was like the flames were being compressed for a very long time, so when the pressure was released, they surged through space like a wildfire, creating something akin to a massive sun.

And they didn't stop at that but continued devouring everything in a radius of light years away. It got to such a ridiculous degree that the flames enveloped what could only be assumed to be a radius of millions of light years all around New Genesis, or what was New Genesis.

The only sound that could still be heard by those that can hear in the vacuum of space was that of raging flames and the constant collisions sound thundering across the entire area.

That, and a raging bellow, "Noooooooooo!! Stop! Stop STop stop STop Stopppppp pleasseeeee!!!"

The only survivor was none other than the Highfather, aside from Darkseid who disappeared somewhere. 

His cries of pain and wrath fell to deaf ears as Ian didn't react to him at all. He remained within a time barrier constructed by the Forever force, acting as an indestructible barrier from the Highfather's planet destroying punches.

The Highfather was losing his mind, apparent by his unconcern with the flames burning through him. His skin, his bones, slowly but surely, he was being devoured, but all he thought about was reaching Ian.

It was to no avail as Ian kept the scroll open, forcefully making it release everything that it can. Whatever its source of energy was, it was being sucked dry.

"Wh-Whyy! Just whhy? Why why why why go so far!!! I..." Ian had broken the Highfather mentally. 

Understandable considering he just watched his people, his home, and everything that makes him who he is; destroyed, and he has only himself to blame.

If he didn't make an enemy out of Ian, then none of this would've happened. Everything he worked so hard to build for thousands, even tens of thousands of years wouldn't be obliterated in a matter of seconds.

It all felt meaningless to him, like nothing made sense... He lost his mind and allowed himself to slowly die out with the flames.

It took a long while, but eventually, the flames died out, like a fleeting wind passed by, turning off the light of a candle... In this case, it was more like a tornado because even the candle was destroyed, the candle being the scroll in this case.

Trigon's scroll was no more, turning into nothing but ashes in Ian's hand. It didn't have a source of energy anymore. It died by being sucked dry.

And only then did Ian find his way to the incident he sensed before, a realm of blight and nothing but death, a hellish realm.

Well, it was hellish before. Now, it's hellishly dead because the source of energy of the scroll is this exact realm, Trigon's domain.

More than being dead and energyless, it was destroyed, fractured everywhere like a battle has just taken place within it.

"Ian?" A moment later, Ian found himself standing before an exhausted Raven, seeming on the verge of losing consciousness.

Not far from her was a colossal body, a red creature with massive horns, a dead creature... Trigon has fallen.

He crouched before her with a reassuring smile as if he hadn't just killed numerous people, innocent and evil all the same. He then patted her head, "You did well."