"This… this is impossible!"
The fake Alex's eyes went wide the moment he saw the figure step out from the crimson vortex. His voice turned sharp and panicked as he collapsed back into the Mobius Chair, stunned.
"You… you should be on Apokolips stopping Darkseid's invasion. How could you be here—in person!?"
At the same time, Nolan and Mark felt their hearts sink. The terrifying shadow from before still lingered in their minds. Now that the real Alex had appeared, neither of them dared make a single move.
"So that's how it is..."
Alex calmly stepped out of the Speed Force-forged portal, his expression composed as he stared at the three on high alert before him.
"As I expected—every one of my moves, already under your watch."
Seeing Alex's unshaken demeanor, the fake Alex clenched his teeth. His eyes locked onto the man before him, as if trying to pierce through his essence.
Beneath that suffocating energy was a feeling so bizarre it couldn't be described in words. The fake Alex's mind raced, trying to make sense of it.
He didn't know how the real Alex had crossed the barrier of the Fourth World to arrive here. He should have had total control over this universe with the Mobius Chair—how was this possible?
Suddenly—
The fake Alex froze as realization dawned on him. He turned with disbelief to the black-clad figure standing quietly beside Alex.
"It was you! You leaked everything! You're the one who summoned him here!?"
As his shocked cry echoed, the shadowy figure finally moved.
"I've sat in the Mobius Chair too," came Batman's cold, calm voice—eerily echoing in the flickering green firelight.
"Did you really think the Anti-Life Equation could control me again? Don't underestimate human will, you false god!"
In one smooth motion, Batman snapped his head toward the fake Alex and moved with lightning speed. His undamaged left arm whipped forward—and a Batarang shot through the air.
Whoosh—!
A sharp screech sliced through the silence as the projectile zipped like a bolt of spectral lightning, reaching its target in the blink of an eye.
The fake Alex didn't even have time to react. He barely turned his head before the Batarang slashed across his face—splattering thick, yellowish fluid like molten wax.
Clutching the wound, the fake Alex groaned in pain.
Drip by drip, a viscous, wax-like substance oozed from the wound and slid to the floor, but that wasn't all—it writhed. Twisted. Alive. Soon, his entire face began to melt. His fake skin, clothes, and body all started to shift, liquefying into a murky sludge.
Every trace of human form dissolved as his body twisted into something entirely unnatural.
Nolan and Mark were stunned. Even they had never seen "Alex" transform like this before. The grotesque sight made everyone's expression shift drastically.
But unlike them, Batman was all too familiar with what he was seeing. He stared coldly at the monster that was constantly mutating and let out a low snort.
"So it's you… Clayface."
There were many beings in the world who could change their form—Mystique, Skrulls, and others—but none could mimic a person so perfectly as Clayface. He definitely had the gift.
"I don't know how you brought beings from other universes here," Batman said icily, "but your time's up. The moment Alex appeared, this farce was over."
Clayface twisted his giant mouth into a hideous grin.
"You really think it's going to end that easily?"
The Mobius Chair buzzed with static and sparks. In an instant, electromagnetic forces surged as Clayface's body was enveloped in a white light. His eyes glowed electric blue—the symbol of infinite knowledge.
Under the influence of that power, Clayface could see the changes in all matter, sense every type of energy fluctuation, and more importantly, he could perceive what made this Alex so different.
Alex's "body" was entirely composed of a strange magical energy—something neither Clayface nor even the Mobius Chair had ever registered before. The energy flowed through his form like blood—an impossible construct, a shadow born from dreams, from the fractures between realities.
"An abstract entity… heh… heh heh ha ha ha…"
Clayface quickly realized that this wasn't the real Alex. It was just a projection—a manifested avatar. The true Alex hadn't come in person.
Just as he thought… the real Alex was off stopping Darkseid from reaching Earth.
"What are you two waiting for?!" Clayface snapped, turning to Nolan and Mark. "That's just a projection! It can't even fight properly! Kill them, now!"
Mark swallowed hard, still shaken.
In his understanding, Viltrumites like them stood among the strongest in the galaxy—but now, he was seeing something that shattered that belief. This… projection alone carried a presence so oppressive it made his knees weak.
As Clayface barked his order, Alex finally turned his gaze toward the two strangers.
They were unfamiliar to him—but it only took one glance for Alex to recognize them.
"Viltrumites of the Galactic Empire… You must be Invincible and Omni-Man, right?"
Invincible—an Image Comics superhero. His father, Omni-Man (Nolan), had a background eerily similar to Superman's: a powerful alien arriving on Earth. But unlike Superman, Nolan came to conquer Earth and annex it into the Viltrumite Empire.
That made Invincible take on the burden of standing against his own father and people, fighting to protect Earth with his own hands.
But everything Alex knew came from the main Marvel universe. These two? They clearly weren't the same ones he remembered.
Alex stared at them with a calm, detached expression—like he didn't even consider the two Viltrumites worth his attention.
"I don't know which parallel universe this thing dragged you two twisted versions from," he said flatly, "but I'm willing to give you a chance. Surrender now, and once this is over, I'll send you back unharmed."
"You want us to surrender?" Omni-Man—Nolan—narrowed his eyes, his glare sharp and hostile as he locked eyes with Alex.
"This is your only chance," Alex replied, voice still calm and emotionless. "I don't have time to play with you."
To Nolan, those words were an insult. He had never encountered someone this arrogant. Those who dared provoke him in the past… had all been torn apart by his own hands.
"I'll admit it—you're the strongest being I've ever seen. If your real body were here, I'd be more cautious. But this? Just a fragmented projection? How much power can you possibly muster?"
He clenched his fist, scoffing. To him, this energy avatar before him didn't look like it could take a single punch—let alone fight.
"Enough talk—kill him already!" Clayface shouted excitedly. The Mobius Chair's sensors told him the Anti-Monitor's gaze was already shifting toward their location.
Even though Batman had resisted the Anti-Life Equation earlier, he had still indirectly helped open the Speed Force rift connecting their universe to the Anti-Matter Realm.
Alex's magic had merely hijacked the channel—but it wouldn't be long before the Anti-Monitor used it to arrive in this world.
And the Mobius Chair had sensed the Anti-Monitor's energy. It began reacting violently—starting to lose control.
"So you've really chosen death," Alex muttered, shaking his head.
"You confident?" Batman asked in a low voice, standing beside him.
"No," Alex replied truthfully. "He's right. I'm just a projection. I could spar with most mid-tier threats, but fighting Omni-Man—someone who rivals Kryptonians—even through a dimensional veil? That's a problem."
Batman didn't respond—only narrowed his eyes.
Alex seemed to catch the tension in him and added calmly, "But don't worry. I've already arranged the perfect opponent for these two Viltrumites."
Before he could finish the sentence, Omni-Man suddenly lunged into the air. With lightning speed, he hurled a devastating punch straight at Alex's head.
BOOM—!
A thunderous shockwave erupted. A violent gale burst out of nowhere, rocking the entire Arkham Asylum to its foundation. Walls cracked. Floors quaked.
Omni-Man held his punch firmly, just inches from Alex—but his brow furrowed slightly.
The result wasn't what he expected. That punch… it hadn't hit like he thought it would.
He slowly looked up—only to find a golden figure standing between him and Alex.
It was a towering young man, muscle for muscle a match for Omni-Man.
Nolan's frown deepened. Whoever this was… he didn't like the feeling settling in his chest.
The man in the gold suit gripped Nolan's fist tightly. His gaze blazed like the sun itself.
The Sentry has arrived.
...........
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