"Ashborn and I are meant to be together. He is my future husband. What do you think you're doing, you overgrown firebird?" Raven asked coldly, her eyes glowing as the image of a dark, shadowy Raven began to form behind her.
"So it was you!" Ember's body erupted into flames as she shattered the bindings, her fury igniting the space around her. A blazing phoenix formed behind her, wings spread wide, facing off against the looming shadow of Raven's darkness.
"I didn't like you from the moment I saw you. Ashborn is mine," Ember said with a sneer, only to shift her gaze toward Supergirl, who had remained quiet until now.
Supergirl looked at both of them for a moment before calmly floating upward, her eyes glowing a fierce red.
"You two seem to forget… I'm the only monarch here besides Ashborn," she said with a smirk. As if to prove her point, the stars across the universe shifted, focusing their light on her. Her power surged, the cosmos itself responding to her presence.
"I'm a god," Raven said coldly. Within the Sphere of the Gods, her true form had devoured countless evil and dark dimensions, and that newfound power was beginning to show—her avatar was growing stronger by the second.
"At the end of the day… you're all ants," Ember sneered, unfazed by the words of those she saw as beneath her. With a single thought, her phoenix surged forward, aiming to erase them all from existence—only for its own shadow to move first, rising up and violently clashing with the phoenix itself.
Her eyes widened at the sight before turning to Ashborn, who stood frowning at everyone present.
"You can breathe life into shadows…" Ember said in disbelief. What Ashborn had done was more than just impressive—he had taken the shadow of her attack, given it life, and used it to counter its original form. And it wasn't just limited to techniques, spells, or attacks. She was certain that Ashborn could take her very own shadow and have it rise to fight her.
In other words, Ashborn was powerful so long as his enemy cast a shadow. As long as there was one, he could use it to fight them. Of course, there was a simple counter—just ensure your body gave off enough light to erase your own shadow.
\
"I'm not dating anyone. I shall remain girlfriendless… is that even a word? Anyway, stop fighting over something so pointless, especially when I'm leaving tomorrow," Ashborn said calmly.
His words left Raven and Supergirl stunned. Meanwhile, Ember narrowed her eyes at him. What she wanted would be hers. After all, she was the Phoenix Force. Who dared to defy her?
"Can I come? This is only an avatar—I have countless others," Raven said after a moment of silence.
Ashborn shrugged. "Sure, I don't care."
"W-what?" Supergirl's eyes widened, staring at Ashborn in disbelief. That wasn't fair.
"Just become a god or something," Ashborn said casually. "I don't really care who comes. I just need to make sure I don't come back to find this world destroyed."
"How do I become a god?" she asked, unsure how Raven had even ascended, despite having witnessed it herself.
Ashborn looked at Supergirl for a moment before speaking.
"Take a sun into my training dimension and enter the sun's core. You'll feel it when the time comes to become the Goddess of the Sun. You might clash with Apollo over it, but you've got the upper hand—being, you know, a monarch of the sun," Ashborn said with a shrug.
He was about to say more, but noticed Supergirl had already vanished.
He sighed. She was using that ridiculous speed again—speed that defied all reason.
Anyway, he turned his attention to Wonder Woman, who had just arrived. It had taken her a while—she had to locate Earth from some random point in the universe, and after flying across half the cosmos, she finally made it back.
"What happened?" Wonder Woman asked, confused by the strange atmosphere, especially when her eyes landed on Raven.
Raven was smiling. And that was a terrifying sight.
"I'm going with Ashborn to his world," Raven said, causing Wonder Woman's eyes to widen. How was that fair?
Without another word, she quickly flew off, determined to become a god as soon as possible.
And so, two new gods were born: The first, the Goddess of the Sun.
The second, the Goddess of War, Heroes, Warriors, Courage, and more.
The title's Wonder Woman carried many roles, but in return, she was weaker than Supergirl, who embodied only a single domain. Wonder Woman was strong and arguably the most important figure on the side of light. Just because she wasn't the strongest didn't mean she wasn't the most dangerous, especially now. After all, with the Goddess of War fighting alongside you, the advantage was yours. And with her divine authority granting her knowledge of every form of combat—past, present, and future—across the multiverse and even the Sphere of the Gods, her mastery of battle made her unmatched in pure skill.
"What's with that look?" Ashborn asked as he prepared to open a portal, noticing Ember's displeased expression aimed at Raven and the others.
Ember hesitated for a long second before finally speaking, albeit reluctantly.
"I was just thinking about how useful they'd be as Heralds—the Heralds of the Shadow Sovereign," Ember said lightly. "Supergirl might not be limited to just the sun, and Raven's overall potential could increase to rival your own. As for Wonder Woman… I'm not sure, but I imagine she could become something just as powerful. Maybe even another Monarch, like you once were." She didn't want to give Ashborn the idea, but she wanted him to be strong, so she said it, albeit reluctantly.
"Oh, that?" Ashborn replied. "I've been considering it ever since I defeated Galactus. I just never found anyone I trusted enough with my power. And right now, I can't turn anyone into my Herald." His gaze shifted toward Raven, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman—each of them staring back at him with expectant eyes.
"I'll limit the number of Heralds I take to seven," Ashborn said with a smile. "And one of them has to be Thor."
Thor had always been his favorite comic book character. It started with the MCU version—he felt sorry for him, watching him lose everything bit by bit… even his hammer. That sympathy led him to dive into the comics, where he truly became invested.
To Ashborn, Thor felt like the real main character of the Marvel universe. He had the ultimate bloodline, an insanely overpowered future set before him, and unlike many others, Thor rarely—if ever—acted foolishly for the sake of plot convenience.
Bruce Banner? That guy always had to do something stupid just to make sure he and the Hulk couldn't get along. Honestly, it felt like every smart comic book character was cursed to make idiotic choices. Stark was supposed to be this ultimate genius, and yet the guy gave his home address to his enemies, then acted surprised when they showed up to attack. Ashborn might not be the smartest person in the room, but even he wouldn't do something that dumb.
And Spider-Man? He wasn't the main character of Marvel—he was their punching bag. The poor spider was destined for misery, whether it was finding out his girlfriend cheated on him with the Green Goblin and had kids, or being forced to deal with Paul Rabin—Marvel's most beloved character. Spider-Man didn't need enemies; the One Above All was all the enemies Spider-Man needed. The guy even had the audacity to show up and give Spider-Man a pep talk like which made everything okay.
If Ashborn ever woke up as Spider-Man, he'd probably just kill himself on the spot.
"Why Thor?" Ember instantly tensed, going on full alert the moment she heard the name.
"Oh, right… I forgot. He's like your son or something," Ashborn said casually, noticing her reaction.
"I breathed life into the boy—he's no different from my own son," Ember said, her tone firm.
Ashborn rolled his eyes. "What a beautiful bond. Almost makes me forget how many times you two tried to kill each other. Want to explain that part? Or the time he knocked you out?"
Ashborn burst into laughter, and Raven sighed. She had only been in Ashborn's mansion for a day, but it was already clear—these two loved to fight.
"Haha, very funny… where are your parents?" Ember shot back, cutting Ashborn's laughter short.
"Wow, looks like someone evolved from worm-eating to nose-eating. Why are you so nosy about my business?" Ashborn replied, leaving Ember speechless. Only Ashborn could string together such ridiculous words and make them land.
"Why do you care about my family matters?" she snapped angrily.
"Thor is my future Herald," Ashborn snorted. Ember sneered but held her tongue for a moment before finally speaking.
"I'll only allow that once Thor reaches his full potential. I made a deal with Gaia, and I intend to see it through," Ember said, causing Ashborn to recall something—something about Zeus being the prototype for Thor, or something like that. Gaia birthed Thor with a purpose. Maybe it was to fight the Outergods? No, it was the Elder Gods.
"Sure, I don't care. Let's go." Ashborn called out to Lucifer, then turned to the side where Lucifer now stood, as if he'd been there the whole time. Oddly enough, Ashborn hadn't sensed Lucifer's arrival—he only noticed the appearance of a new shadow.
He looked at Lucifer's shadow. Although he could try to control it, the shadow refused to obey—something Ashborn had never experienced before. All shadows answered to him. He was their sovereign. He never had to command them; they would act on their own to protect him, even without his consent. Yet here was a shadow that acknowledged someone else's authority over his.
"Is everything alright?" Lucifer asked with a smile.
Ashborn clicked his tongue, knowing full well Lucifer was toying with him. With a sigh, he called for the system.
{Opening the system to the Marvel Universe… The portal opened. The host must wait one week before returning to the DC Universe. This duration may be reduced if the host's strength increases.}
The system's voice echoed, and a glowing portal appeared before Ashborn. Lucifer gave a faint snort at the sight, recognizing the portal's energy—it was connected to his father.
"Who is that?" Wonder Woman asked, noticing the way Ashborn's demeanor shifted around Lucifer.
"This is the second strongest being in your omniverse—the son of the Creator of this omniverse, Lucifer Morningstar," Ashborn said calmly.
Lucifer gave Wonder Woman a charming bow. "I also go by the Devil," he added with a smile.
Wonder Woman tensed slightly at that, but Ashborn casually waved her concern away.
"He's not an enemy, though he is manipulative. He doesn't lie, but he'll still find a way to make you do whatever he wants. Just be careful around him. He's not much of a fighter either; he'd rather use his brain than his fists," Ashborn said, prompting Lucifer to glance at him with a faint smile.
"You're no fun," Lucifer replied, placing his hand on the portal. A barrier instantly formed, blocking his path. He applied a bit of pressure, shattering it with ease—a clear sign that he'd just stepped beyond the range of his father's influence.
Without another word, Lucifer stepped through the portal. Ashborn narrowed his eyes and followed close behind…