American comic book: My Father is Superman, am I just an NPC?

Chapter 226 All living beings are my food!
Darkseid could clearly "feel" that his existence was being stripped away and disintegrated.

That was not destruction in the physical sense, but a more essential and thorough erasure. His proud body, as solid as the cornerstone of the universe, was utterly vulnerable under the pure, breathtaking golden light, and was even less powerful than an ice cream exposed to the sun.

The Omega Effect, which forms the core of his power, a terrifying force capable of distorting cause and effect and rewriting reality, was like encountering its natural enemy, and could not resist it at all.

Instead, it was like the sweetest poison, accelerating his disintegration. He could "hear" the wailing sound that only beings like him could perceive when his power was forcibly extracted and plundered.

"Do not--!!!"

Unwilling! Utterly unwilling!

He, Darkseid, the Dark Lord of Apokolips, a being who conquered countless star systems and made countless civilizations grovel in fear, how could... how could he end up like this?
Darkseid had considered the possibility of being defeated one day. But perhaps it would be in a grand interstellar war, or at the hands of a worthy adversary.

Even if Superman kills me!

He wasn't in this much pain!
Darkseid is an unknown child from another universe, seemingly from a different one. He is like a poor supporting character, killed by a monster he can't understand at all, who can devour his power as a supplement on a strange and bizarre "stage".
In such a humiliating way!

And he!

The power that one usually prides oneself on has now become a death warrant.

That ultimate darkness and destructive power seemed to be completely and naturally restrained by that ultimate light and purifying power. Every struggle he made, every attempt to unleash his power in resistance, was like pouring fuel into a burning fire, only making the golden light burn more fiercely and devour everything more rapidly!
"This shouldn't be my end!"

Darkseid attempts to unleash power beyond its limits in a desperate situation.

Just as he had done countless times before—the Omega effect was boiling wildly under his will, attempting to reverse this inevitable defeat!

Even if it's just tearing off a piece of the other person's flesh!
However, it was no use.

That light was like an ancient, unquestionable law, inviolable and defiant. His struggles were like a pebble thrown into the ocean, unable to even create a ripple.

The so-called "breakout".

Faced with absolute restraint and a disparity in size, it became a laughable and pathetic delusion.

"He...died just like that...?"

Endless darkness surged in like a tide, swallowing his senses and drowning his thoughts. The ambition to sweep across countless galaxies, the grand plan to forge a dark empire, the pursuit of absolute power... all the resentment and hatred ultimately vanished into nothingness, returning to oblivion in the last glimmer of consciousness.

His roar still echoed through the dimensions, but his massive body, a symbol of darkness and tyranny, had completely turned into scattered ashes, merging into the boundless golden light and becoming part of Ian's power. Strictly speaking, it had been filtered through Ian's system.

Did the system take kickbacks from Ian?

Ian didn't know.

Darkseid was completely unaware of it.

His consciousness was plunged into utter, absolute nothingness. There was no time, no space, no light, no darkness, not even the concept of "existence" itself.

only.

Darkseid's consciousness should have vanished completely into this ultimate silence, like a candle flame blown out. However... an unknown amount of time passed.

Perhaps it was a fleeting moment, perhaps it was eternity. A faint "perception," like a candle flickering in the wind, flickered again in this absolute "nothingness."

Then came the second and third hits.

A sense of bewilderment, like the first wisps of mist, began to permeate this deathly silence.

"I……?"

A fragmented idea struggled to coalesce.

Darkness, icy darkness, enveloped him.

But this darkness was different from the darkness he was familiar with, the darkness that contained power and authority; it was an empty, pure darkness devoid of any attributes.

He tried to "move".

Then, he "felt"... his arm? The sensation of regaining it sent shivers down his spine, causing his newly awakened consciousness to tremble violently! An overwhelming sense of disbelief washed over him like a tsunami!

Darkseid suddenly "opened" his eyes.

If this re-condensed perception can be called eyes, then what enters his "eyes" is still endless, empty darkness. But he can clearly "see" himself—a nearly transparent spiritual form reconstructed from faint energy and spiritual power!
He raised his hand, looking at the blurry fingers that seemed on the verge of disintegrating, feeling the faint yet undeniably real "presence" within them.

"How is this going?"

A profound sense of bewilderment replaced his previous confusion. He should have been completely annihilated, absorbed entirely by that golden monster, leaving not even a trace behind!

Who was it? Who pulled him from absolute nothingness after his complete demise? Xeid was utterly bewildered. Was it some hidden contingency plan he had been keeping secret? No, he was certain it wasn't. Was it some ancient being with whom he had a pact? That was unlikely too; most of those beings would have preferred his demise.

Regardless, Darkseid could feel his body reforming.

Strength must be constantly returning.

Perhaps it's a return?
"What kind of method is this... I can only sense my own aura, there is no aura of any other being." Just as Darkseid was filled with doubt and trying to find the truth in this unknown dark space, a cold and massive flow of information surged directly into the core of his consciousness without warning!

This information flow is not language.

It is a kind of memory.

The initial bewilderment and disbelief on Darkseid's spirit-formed "face" slowly faded, replaced by an extreme coldness and enlightenment.

"I see."

The initial bewilderment and disbelief on Darkseid's spirit-formed "face" slowly faded, replaced by an extreme coldness and enlightenment.

A surging momentum.

Like a dormant volcano beginning to awaken.

Even more than a billion steps! Yes, a billion steps! The ambition and will of the Dark Lord began to become more concentrated and more intense than ever before!

It's unclear what information Darkseid received.

His beliefs.

His ambition.

The reshaping was completed in that very instant.

……

the other side.

Darkseid has completely melted away.

Within the Dark Dimension, only Ian, transformed into a golden giant god, remained, along with Sangu Demon, who stood there dumbfounded, forgetting even to give up, and nearly dropping his jaw in shock.

Deep within Ian's prostate, he was transferred to this place. Even the Golden Superman, who, along with Tiga's will, couldn't figure out what this unknown place was, silently watched this scene through Dark Tiga's eyes. He fell into a deeper silence, finding it increasingly difficult to judge whether Kryptonian genes could truly produce such a child.

A "live broadcast" from Earth.

This moment also perfectly captured Ian's radiant figure.

It left behind endless imagination.

Ian, after all, is a top DC director, and he's spent a lot of money learning camera work. Feeling the people's adoration transforming into magic, Ian slowly withdrew his fist with satisfaction.

"The effect is good, but the names of the moves are a bit corny... I'll have to come up with something cooler next time."

He pondered to himself.

As everyone knows, Ian's skills are not determined by the system or by himself, but by whatever moves come to mind when it's time to use them.

This is what is meant by being unpredictable and mysterious.

Of course, Ian's brain is currently experiencing some dizziness due to "experience," just like people feel dizzy after eating a full meal. Once Darkseid is completely dissolved, a massive amount of experience points will fill Ian's brain.

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +99999]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +99999]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +99999]

……

[Successfully defeated/purified a single cosmic-level being—Darkseid (avatar/partial essence)!] [Gained massive experience points! Leveled up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

You've upgraded!

You've upgraded!

You've upgraded!

【Entropy Annihilation Lord Lv21 [143221/10536960]】

Strength: 1864-2008

[Physical fitness: 2657-2998]

Intelligence: 135-170

[Spirit: 998-1140]

A series of upgrade notifications flashed through Ian's mind like a screen being filled with notifications.

That's why it's considered a great tonic.

Even though Ian had already leveled up several times, the system notification sound in his ear had not disappeared. His only regret was that his extra dimension had not captured Daxide's soul.

There's no way to add +1 to the Myriad Realms Palu.

Of course, Ian, who is always persistent and has a tenacious spirit, also knows that this is only temporary and that he will eventually obtain the magical Paru called Darkseid.

It's not surprising that Darkseid's soul couldn't be captured now, since Darkseid is different from the other magical Palus Ian captured.

Whether it's Franklin, Belial, or Ultron, they all share a common characteristic: they have lost the universe they depend on and rely on.

in short.

It is precisely because they have lost their credentials that they are so easily captured by Ian—anyone who has played The Magical Palo knows that the most severely damaged The Magical Palo is the easiest to capture.

That's the logic; if you think about it carefully, you'll see it's perfectly reasonable. Anyway, this is the rule Ian figured out, and Darkseid is clearly different from those Great Crippled Palu.

Although Darkseid was utterly powerless against Ian, who had transformed into Galactus using his "Time Traveler" abilities, Darkseid was still a highly influential figure in the DC Universe. As long as the DC Universe continued to "favor" him, it would be difficult for Ian to seize him for his own use.

Darkseid bears the mark and "protection" of the DC universe, which may be related to the fact that Ian is currently only a "key NPC" and does not have the same level of importance in the DC universe as Darkseid.

The path for NPCs is long and arduous.

of course.

Ian also had his own opinion on this. Before his transmigration, he had read many novels about how to defeat the "Chosen One" and believed that Darkseid's "luck" would eventually run out.

When [luck] is gone.

Darkseid might then lose the protection of the DC universe. As for how to achieve this, Ian has "historical precedents" to follow; the novels about suppressing the chosen ones in his mind are his strategies.

As for whether believing what's in the novel is too naive and hasty, that's not a question Ian would consider. As a genuine author, who else would believe him if not me?

It remains flawless, no one can find fault with it.

"My new job didn't even give me a reward for taking down a big bad guy? I mean, the Essence of Light!" Ian waited for ages but still didn't receive any feedback from the [Lord of Embers] job.

Logically speaking.

After defeating Darkseid, such a major villain, he should have received a lot of positive feedback from his profession, but unexpectedly, his profession played the aloof card with him!

"Could it be because Darkseid's soul wasn't truly destroyed by me? No, even so, I genuinely prevented an invasion and disaster from befalling Earth."

"Could it be because Darkseid and Trigon are considered a crisis intertwined? Only by eliminating both of them can I truly be considered to have prevented a major catastrophe?"

“That makes sense. You have to cut the weeds completely. That sounds like the style of someone who’s a good person and does good deeds.” Ian leveled up again while he was thinking.

【Entropy Annihilation Lord Lv22 [466481/21073920]】

Strength: 2008-2095

[Physical fitness: 2998-3069]

Intelligence: 170-189

[Spirit: 1140-1224]

The attributes increased significantly again.

The experience points gained from absorbing Darkseid's power continue to accrue.

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +88999]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +88432]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +86472]

……

Of course, the amount of experience gained with each increase is also decreasing, perhaps because Darkseid can provide so much experience that it's almost exhausted, and also because Ian is a bit overfed.

Even so, Ian's gains this time were still obvious, especially the feeling brought by the several short-term surges in his basic attributes!
Ian could clearly feel a more powerful and refined force surging through his energy-infused body. The previous sluggishness in the subtle aspects of the power had vanished, replaced by a smooth, seamless flow. His thought process also seemed to accelerate.

His control over his own state and his perception of the surrounding energy environment have both reached a new level. This comprehensive improvement in his fundamental attributes has directly benefited his current [Galactic Devourer] state—or more accurately, the "Planet Devourer" form manifested based on his [Body of the End]!

This feeling is like replacing the power cord of a high-performance machine with a more advanced one. Perhaps the power source is still the two major villains, Belial and Ultron, but the energy that Ian can obtain from the power source has been greatly improved, and the energy transmission efficiency is much higher than before.

The most obvious manifestation of this is that his enormous "star-devouring" body, composed of stardust and dark matter, began to expand further at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Originally, his size was already large enough to hold a star in his hand like a walnut. But with the frenzied influx of power and its more efficient use, his body rose higher and higher in the dark dimension, and the surrounding void hummed uncontrollably because it could not bear his mass.

In his enormous palm, a standard-sized star would now appear as tiny as a small marble!
It rose twice in a row.

The horrifying scene was witnessed clearly and vividly by the Sangu Demon, who went from being furious at the beginning to giving up halfway, and then to being horrified at the moment!

As a seasoned dimensional demon god.

Sangumo possessed an extremely keen perception of energy and existence. He could clearly "smell" the rocket-like surge in Ian's energy level and the transformation of his life essence!

"Damn it! A demon! This is the real demon!!!"

The enormous demonic face of Sangu was filled with unbelievable terror.

He roared incoherently.

Since he could sense Ian's improvement, he naturally attributed Ian's terrifying increase in strength to Ian "killing" and "absorbing" Darkseid!

There's nothing wrong with that.

In fact, the ability to absorb the power of the strong for one's own use is not uncommon in the abyss, hell, and among various evil beings. Many demons and devils possess similar talents or spells.

but!

He, the Three Palace Demon, had lived for countless years, conquered countless dimensions, and devoured many powerful opponents, but he had never seen any being like Ian before him—in an instant, he completely refined and absorbed most of the original power of an opponent of the same level or even stronger, and transformed it into a surge in his own strength with almost no side effects!

This goes beyond the scope of "devouring".

This is simply... plunder!
It's a perfect absorption and inheritance!
"Impossible! Impossible! Even Lucifer... even Lucifer... shouldn't possess such abilities!" San Gongmo's face was ashen.

Such a terrifying, greedy, and illogical ability to "digest" sent a chill down San Gongmo's spine from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!
Ian's situation completely overturned his understanding of the power system!
You should know that even a demon like him needs a long time to digest and assimilate the power of another powerful demon before he can devour it.

But what about this weird thing in front of me?!
It was refined in an instant!
Even without thinking, Sangu Ma knew exactly what this meant—it meant that the life standing in front of her was a monster that could grow infinitely and wildly!

other side.

It will eventually devour all the strong in the world!
Food for all living beings!

[P.S.: I haven't been updating much these past few days because I've been spending the holidays with my family, going out for a few days.]

(End of this chapter)