VOLUME 3: THE FIFTH WORLD.

Info dump imminent.

(General P.O.V)

Darkseid's second invasion on Earth, despite leaving multiple places devastated and countless lives lost, seemed to have left no lasting impression.

All over the planet,

Time had seemingly rewound on the attack.

The dead, the mortally wounded, the ones stuck in caved in structures, everybody was back.

This wasn't like Gotham's destruction in the hands of Trigon where Davian couldn't save everyone.

No one who died due to the invasion remained dead.

High rise collapsed buildings, debris filled cities, the smog above the atmosphere of the planet...all the damage was gone and everything was back to normal.

Well...kinda.

Reality seemed to be frozen across the entire universe as an important conversation took place between two very powerful individuals.

(Davian's P.O.V)

"Wow, she's really going at it huh?"

I muttered, watching Raven deliver an ass kicking of great magnitude to Obsidian's ass.

Using the Hand of God, I manipulated the great river of time. Distinguishing the strings from each other was getting easier.

While black strings represented Death in some form or other; coincidentally these type of strings swirled around my Hand of the Devil, other strings could be any color irrespective of the material, structure and essence of anything.

The only other string that was predominant in a certain concept was the opposite of the black strings, white strings.

These were special. They felt like Enochian script woven into threads. Strings that didn't just connect one thing to another, but one that carried it's own mystery and power.

The words of God.

Fitting that these strings swirled around the Hand of God on my right. These threads were full of life and meaning.

By tapping into them, I could unravel the swirling ball of yarn that was existence around us.

As stated before, threads in the web of life appeared as a grid of interconnected rainbow threads with no end or beginning.

It was all a bundle of everything cluttered together in the structure of existence.

And by extending out my white strings, I could tap into any string and from there connect to a concept of reality like Time.

Therefore, achieve the impossible like pausing the entire temporal progression.

I could already feel the universe fight against my influence but the pushback was feeble at best. I could ignore it easily.

Speaking of the white strings, I wasn't the only one they were attracted to.

Though instead of webs, Raven's wings sprinkled golden-white dust onto the ground, reinvigorating whatever the dust touched.

The dust and the strings were similar. They had the same source. Nick's memories had a suspicion who.

The Presence. The God of DC.

And not to mention, the other side of my Bankai, Hand of the Devil, was something that seemed to resonate with Death of the Endless.

Which would make sense as to why Nekron had been stalking me.

I could feel his intent to do me harm. Like a cloying sense of danger since the moment I'd stepped into this universe.

However, something had always kept him at bay. Something I couldn't see had protected me.

All things considered, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of being involved in any way with the God of everything or one of the fucking Endless. Let alone Death.

I was even less comfortable with the idea of Rachel being involved in this.

Though I couldn't help but fear she already was.

Her abilities were amazing. The white light she was producing managed to not only keep up with Obsidian's Gray Lantern abilities, but she was actually overwhelming him.

The Hand of God pulsed to her every strike, attuned to the white Raven's Cry. She made the strings hum in excitement.

Interesting.

"Davian," Doctor Manhattan began, his voice carrying a cosmic weight that seemed to resonate through my very core.

"That name...do you know who gave it to you?"

"Huh, you still here?"

I asked, crossing a leg over the other. I'd forgotten why I'd stopped Time( first to temporarily exempt the world from Raven's and Obsidian's battle; they were effectively out of sync with reality. And second to have an uninterrupted conversation with this guy.)

He had just asked something. Oh yeah, how I got my name.

"No fucking clue."

I answered bluntly.

Silence reigned between us.

My mind strayed and I realized that with everything that had been happening, I had forgotten to really take proper care of myself.

For instance, I missed some Teriyaki chicken.

I've been fighting for so long I even forgot to eat.

Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten in weeks, yet my body still functioned like normal.

Must be another perk of attaining Tairyoku. Do I even need to sleep anymore?

"Your actions have consequences, Davian,"

Doctor Manhattan spoke up, cutting me from my thoughts, his tone unyielding.

"Darkseid's defeat has opened a door, but not in the way you might expect."

My skepticism grew along with my interest.

So I pressed for answers.

"What do you mean by 'opened a door'? What's happening?"

In response, Doctor Manhattan extended his hand...and then proceeded to exert his control over the web of life around us.

I narrowed my eyes.

He could...touch the strings?

"The Multiverse is a tapestry woven from the threads of something called the seven hidden forces of the universe."

he explained, his power sending the grid around us in disarrayed vibrations.

"These Seven Forces can be split into two categories, Anti-Crisis Energy and the Crisis Energy. Two opposing poles of cosmic power."

I leaned in, now very interested, trying to use Nick's memories to confirm what I was hearing.

"Anti-Crisis Energy and Crisis Energy? What are they, and how do they affect the Multiverse?"

Doctor Manhattan's form seemed to shimmer with a subtle impatience, yet he continued to elucidate.

"The Anti-Crisis Energy is a force of connection, harmony, and generational unity."

He paused for effect,

"It binds individuals to their past and history, fostering concepts like feelings, magic, and motion."

There was almost nothing on these Seven Hidden Forces in Nick's bundle of memories.

And he was a super comic fan.

So my skepticism remained steadfast. I needed to know more.

"And Crisis Energy?"

"Crisis Energy," he continued, "is born from selfishness, greed, and the shattering of connections to the past. It erases memories and causes reality to reset."

I processed this information, my mind racing with questions.

I didn't need Nick's memories to see the similarities between Anti-crisis energy and my Hand of God, Crisis energy and my hand of the Devil.

Had I somehow stumbled into this... specific power-set for Bankai or had someone, a powerful entity I didn't know, forced me to develop this way?

Questions. Questions. The only way they could be answered was ironically by asking even more.

"Tell me more about these forces. What other manifestations are there?"

I questioned, this time my tone was devoid of the blase' attitude from before.

Doctor Manhattan's eyes flickered with a subtle acknowledgment of my curiosity and dare I say, respect. "I agree. Let us delve deeper into the Seven Forces of the Universe. Maybe then I'll understand why you are so different from the others."

That grabbed my attention.

"Others?"

Instead of answering, Manhattan launched off into another Info dump. One that I didn't interrupt, seeing as I was now interested in what exactly I was caught up in.

"Speed Force," he began,

"is part of the Harmonious Forces. It's the energy field that grants the universe motion and powers the Flash Family and all Speedsters."

Nothing new there. Nick's memories told me the same.

"The Still Force," he continued, "opposite to the Speed Force, is based around entropy and inertia. It negates motion and can accelerate the force of entropy itself."

Okay. Interesting. Very interesting.

If I had that during the fight with the Black Racer, that battle would have been over quickly.

Stolen novel; please report.

Then again, the same could be said for Bankai.

I could negate motion and accelerate the force of entropy by manipulating reality itself, so having access to the Still Force would be redundant.

"The Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum,"

Doctor Manhattan went on,

"is also part of the Harmonious Forces. It gives the universe emotions and powers the Lantern Corps. Each emotion has its own entity, from Rage to Love, and even Death."

Fortunately, Nick's memories contained no contradictory facts, just different ones.

My curiosity couldn't be contained any longer.

"What about the Invisible Spectrum?"

I asked, half forgotten memories of an issue where Sinestro gains access to the Invisible Spectrum, surging to the fore front of my mind.

Doctor Manhattan blinked, seemingly not expecting the question.

"The Invisible Spectrum," he explained, "is the opposite of the Emotional Spectrum and includes Ultraviolet, which feeds on buried primal emotions, especially hatred. It is part of the Seven Hidden Forces."

"So that's what Darkseid was planning to pull on after combining the Emotional Entities and corrupting them? Seems like something up his alley."

I mused, finally understanding the wider scope of the God of Apokalips.

Doctor Manhattan didn't bother to deny nor confirmed my suspicions.

His expressionless face made it hard to know what he was thinking.

"The Life Force,"

He picked up where he left off,

"represents quasi versal Harmonious Uniformity. It interconnects all living beings and is wielded by one of the protectors of this world. The one called, Aquaman. He is connected to the nurturing oceans, the font of all life."

Oh yeah. There was something like that in Nick's memories.

Who would have thought that Aquaman had this much power?

I mean having access to the Life Force had allowed Savage to battle me at my full powered Shikai state.

"Its counterpart, the Death Force, brings death to all things, even immortals like the gods, sending them to the Graveyard of Gods."

Manhattan tilted his head to the side.

"I'm sure you are already aware that you have a powerful connection to these two forces in particular. Life Force and Death Force swirl around in perfect harmony. It is...strange."

I looked up at him with a smug smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was not meant as such."

Manhattan replied bluntly.

"Only very few beings have a connection to more than one force. Less are the numbers with a connection to two. Of those, there are very few others who can achieve control over all the forces. There's Perpetua, me and I suspect...you as well."

All this was just too wild.

Regardless, I wouldn't lie and say I wasn't elated to be finally getting some answers.

"You want to take a seat? You been standing there for a long time."

I offered, conscious of the fact he hadn't moved an inch from his position.

"Time is inconsequential. You have halted it's progression."

He responded, his tone almost accusatory.

I rolled my eyes.

"If you don't want to sit, you should have just said so."

I leaned forward, palms on my knees as a contemplative look appeared on my face.

My skepticism had slowly given way to acceptance.

"There's so much more to these forces than I ever imagined."

I shook my head.

Much much more. More than Nick's memories would have told me at least.

Doctor Manhattan nodded, his form shimmering with cosmic awareness. "Indeed. The Sphere of the Gods, for instance, grants magic to the universe and powers gods and god-like beings, like the New Gods or those of Olympus."

So basically every divine being and magical practitioner pulled their power from the realm of gods.

It's a concept similar to how Marvel Sorcerers can access different dimensions for power.

The only difference was that in DC, the Sphere of the Gods was It. There weren't any multiple dimensions to tap into.

There was only one unified realm of magic, the divine and imagination.

"The Void Wind," he explained, "is its opposite, derived from the harsh gales that blow from the Graveyard of Gods. It snuffs out magic, divinity, and the like."

Oh yeah. I remember Rama Kushna telling me something about that. Actually, I was expecting an attack soon from some of the Forgotten gods.

That is, if some of my energy was still hanging around creating vortexes and wormholes into the spirit realm.

Hopefully there was. I wanted to test my new power against some worthy opponents after Darkseid had turned out to be a disappointment.

"The Dimensional Superstructure," Doctor Manhattan's voice cut through my thoughts,

"governs all things imaginable and unimaginable and is part of the Harmonious Forces. It is wielded by those put in place to monitor all creation."

Now this, I had no idea what it was, despite the cosmic entity before me being clear cut and concise.

My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but Doctor Manhattan's revelations were far from over.

"The Collective Unconscious," he went on,

"gives knowledge and wisdom to others and is part of the Seven Harmonious Forces. It grants telepaths their power and is wielded by the greatest of minds."

"The Black Apple," he explained, "is its opposite, a force around forbidden knowledge that is part of the Seven Hidden Forces."

As I tried to absorb this flood of cosmic information, I couldn't help but ask the question that had been burning within me.

"You mentioned Perpetua earlier. Who is she, and how do I fit into all of this?"

Nick's memories didn't seem to go deep into her identity. As if information about her was covered by a fog of uncertainty.

For the first time, I saw hesitation on Manhattan's impassive face. Oh, then this has to be good.

"Come on, you said I was more powerful than you right? So what are you so terrified about? Whoever this Perputua is, she can't be that much stronger right?"

I insisted.

Seeing the logic in my words, Manhattan began to speak. But he didn't say what I thought he would.

"As you are currently, I estimate that she is Googolplex times more powerful than you."

I sat up straighter. Googolplex times huh? That meant 1 followed by 10¹⁰⁰ zeroes.

As close to infinity as you could get, though that wasn't saying much when infinity literally meant, no end.

Fuck. That's still way too strong for me. Even I can admit that. I steepled my hands together, my elbows resting on my knees.

"Mmh. I see."

I hummed, understanding that she wasn't someone to fuck with.

Manhattan didn't think I did, as he launched off into who exactly she was,

"Perpetua is a manifestation of the sixth dimension, an entity bestowed with influence and power by the Unseen Hands, conceptual entities on par with the True Creator, the one above everything, the Source."

Manhattan said.

The explanation left me with more questions than answers.

"So, this Perpetua chick, is she good or an asshole like most Cosmic Entities?"

"She was tasked with creating the multiverse but strayed from her duty."

The blue entity replied.

"Let me guess, she got power hungry and sought to dominate all of creation and rule over it."

I said with a knowing sigh.

Doctor Manhattan nodded solemnly. "Yes, and like Perpetua and her sons, you are a being of great power. You possess the potential to not only shape the destiny of one universe but existence as a whole."

Mmh.

That's troubling.

I didn't want to shape existence. Not really.

That kind of power meant less challenges.

I've been picking fights since I got here. What the fuck was I going to do if in the future I was going to be so powerful no one could stand up to me?

"Well, there's not only one universe or even multiverse out there. "

Chase spoke into my mind.

A smile appeared across my face.

"Feeling better are we? Gotta say Chase, you had me worried for a second there."

"Yeah, while he's not the most powerful enemy we have come across, Obsidian's illusions caught me off guard. I'm not back to a hundred percent but... I'm getting there."

He responded before continuing,

"As I was saying, There are countless dimensions across the Omniverse. There is no shortage of challengers."

"You seem to be in conversation with someone. Could that be your... Zanpakuto?"

Manhattan asked out of the blue, making me blink in surprise.

"How does he know about that?"

Chase asked.

"You know what a Zanpakuto is?"

I echoed my Zanpakuto spirit's question out-loud.

"Yes."

Doctor Manhattan said, bringing his fingers to his brow.

"Do not be alarmed."

I felt a foreign force try to shroud my body but my Reiatsu gave a violent push back. Doctor Manhattan had tried to teleport away with me but failed.

Undeterred, he tried once more, this time adding,

"I need you to trust me, I do not seek to do you harm."

I got to my feet, the bench below me unravelling into strings on the grid. Using the Hand of God I could weave the threads into anything I wanted.

"Just ask for permission before you try to teleport me next time, and we won't have a problem."

I told him.

My eyes turned to the sky where Raven and Obsidian, two polar opposites were still fighting.

Though Obsidian was missing chunks of his formless body.

His shape shifting defied logic, changing him into different shapes and states easily.

But no matter what shape he was in, Raven's attacks still managed to inflict lasting damage on him.

"The fight isn't going to last much longer...so we can't be gone for too long."

Manhattan gave a nod.

I pulled my Reiatsu closer to my body, curious as to where he wanted to take me.

I felt his potent power affect the space around me and instantly, we popped out of the universe.

I felt it happen clearly as well.

********

Darkness prevailed across my vision for an infinitesimal second.

A foreign feeling that showed me the depths of reality and the beginning of unreality gripped me.

Space opened up to me, showing me what existed beyond existence, the void.

A blank canvas with sprayed paint all over the white backdrop.

The paint symbolized the spheres of reality all around us.

Multiple universes existing alongside, beside, next, the bottom of, the top of, the underside and the same planar frequency of each other.

Some Older than the existence of thought. The existence of being. Of personality.

Just an endless stretch of primal energy, feeding upon and getting destroyed by each other.

I pivoted around, to see where we had come just come from.

A cluster of universes grouped together, almost too close.

There was Rachel's universe; the prime Earth, Earth 16 where I was from and a couple more universes in the cluster that seemed to have been affected by Darkseid's reign of terror.

I saw the beginning of my universe, Earth 16. From the big bang, to the formation of the Earth, to the Jurassic period until the era of human development.

I witnessed the many struggles the early species went through, I saw a hundred generations of Wayne's.

The introduction of magic into the world through Shazam, the Wizard.

The second world war where the Justice Society gave it their all to fight the Axis powers, and get no recognition.afterwards.

I saw the descent of a Kryptonian ship onto Kansas. The first indication of the age of heroes. The dawn of the greatest heroes in the world, the Justice League.

And what they represented.

Time passed, and I saw Rachel's birth. A daughter of Trigon.

A lonely child with magical abilities greater than a normal magician due to her heritage.

Her struggles to fit in. Her unstable abilities...and the family she managed to make.

I saw everything happen. All the events from the start of this universe,

Up until my arrival in this universe and,

Breath left me as something was torn out of me.

I placed a hand on my chest, staring at Manhattan in question.

"What was that? I felt something get ripped out of me."

"The universal imprint. A vibration frequency that slowly manifests in your being from the universe you were born into."

Vibration frequency? Makes sense, this body had initially belonged to my counterpart and he was born in Earth 16.

"What you felt was your frequency undergoing a sort of reset. Now you're no longer tethered to any universe."

He concluded.

'Not tethered to any universe huh? That sounds...freeing', I thought taking a deep breath of nothing, gazing out into the Multiverse.

For the first time ever, I was free. Truly free.

Here. In this impossible in-between spaces. Surrounded by a collection of marble like Spheres, with trillions of galaxies swirling in a motion around the center of the each universe.

Radiant and full of power and purpose. I felt the bright light of life reach me from the outer bounds of creation.

An empty space where nothing existed. Yet even here, I found strings. Dark as the night, they still existed. And that meant I could control them.

"Welcome to the Overvoid."

Manhattan said, hands spread wide to introduce me to beyond existence.

His glowing blue form very apparent in the darkness of the nothingness.

"Also called the Pale World. The canvas upon which reality exists. The in-between multiverses. From here you can go anywhere in the wide Omniverse."

He went on to say.

I floated closer to his side, a purple glow shrouding me in a later of Reiryoku.

I breathed out, my energy roaring around me to provide a stable atmosphere.

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why did you bring me out here?"

While all this was impressive, I was still conscious of the fact, I'd only key the guy a few minutes ago.

Doctor Manhattan said nothing. Instead, he turned around and pointed to a lone universe, far away from where we were.

Our wide view narrowed in on it.

"We are here."

He said.

It was like, I blinked and we turned up around the universal boundaries of a strange universe.

A complex world comprising of six dimensions connected to the central one, the World of the Living.

The energy of Reiryoku, or Spirit Energy, pulsed through me, creating an immediate connection with this universe.

"This place..." I began, already suspecting where we were.

"It's so full of spirit energy."

Doctor Manhattan, in response to my statement, informed me,

"With the level of power you currently wield, you can traverse the Omniverse at will. Going from one universe to another in relative ease. Let us get closer."

We slipped through the boundaries around the spherical soup full of life, appearing in the atmosphere after of a normal sized town on the Northern Hemisphere of the planet.

"We're in...Japan."

I muttered in surprised realization, staring at the unique architecture and building designs across the town.

"Karakura town to be precise."

Manhattan pitched in, giving me the final clue as to where were, confirming my suspicions.

Karakura town?

"Bleach."

I said.

"You actually brought me to Bleach."

Manhattan said nothing, face set in its usual stoic expression.

I couldn't believe this. Of all the places we could have gone to, and he brought me to this universe.

"Hold on, I need to check something."

I told him, using my Hand of God to take control of the Reishi in the air.

While there were strings weaving existence in this universe just like the others, the Reishi was more prominent.

Or rather, it gathered around me like metal shavings to a magnet, attracted by my power.

Every breath I made filled me with Reishi. I clutched my hand into a fist, feeling the strength there.

Then...Reikaku expanded to it's full range, covering not only the world of the living but the rest of the 5 dimensions attached to it.

Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, Dangai and Hell. (Jigoku)

And all doubts were dispelled.

None of the powerful beings in Bleach sensed me, owing mostly to my use of the Reishi in the air to disguise my presence.

I took a step forward, slipping into shunpo and appearing in the park where Chad had had his first fight with a Hollow back in the series.

Manhattan popped up next to me in almost the same instance.

Sakura leaves from a few trees, blew past us, swirling in the air. The park was abandoned as it was very early in the morning.

"How- how did you find this place?"

I turned around and asked my companion.

"Better yet, why are you doing this? What's your end goal? You brought me here, why?"

The questions came in fast.

Doctor Manhattan blinked, a strange look passing over his features.

"I delved into your past to understand you and the origins of your strange abilities. That is how I stumbled upon this universe. One whose inhabitants share your blend of abilities."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"Because...I need to know, Child of Death...with your special heritage, what kind of world are you going to create from the ashes of what already exists?"

And all I could say to that was,

"I don't a give a fuck about creating, I am the Reaper, a destroyer. I do much better wrecking shit up."