[Multiverse2] Ch: 14 [Brainiac's miscalculation]

Far away, an intricate, skull-shaped ship hovered motionless in the vast, starless expanse of deep space. Within its gleaming corridors and mechanical interiors sat Brainiac, an ancient and malevolent entity whose purpose was clear: to acquire, to archive, to possess. Entire worlds, entire species, reduced to data for his vast collection. Yet, as vast as his collection was, there was still room for more. He always sought more.

On the central display in front of him, the image of Earth shimmered. But this time, Brainiac's attention wasn't focused on the planet as a whole. His cold, calculating gaze was fixed on a single being who stood in the center of the desolate wasteland that had once been a battlefield. A being who had just annihilated Apocalypse, one of the most powerful mutants in existence.

"Subject: Alex Wilson," Brainiac's synthesized voice echoed within the chamber. "Classification: anomaly. Level: Unknown. Power source: Void energy, Elemental manipulation. Capabilities: matter destruction, reality manipulation, erasure, teleportation. There are possibilities that he hasn't used all his power. Caution required."

The central display zoomed in on Alex, who stood amidst the scorched sands, his figure wreathed in the fading embers of black flames. Apocalypse, the ancient mutant, was gone, erased from existence. Brainiac's mechanical face showed no emotion, but his mind was ablaze with interest. Alex had used a power unlike any he had ever encountered—a power that consumed not just matter, but existence itself.

For centuries, Brainiac had traveled through the universe, absorbing knowledge, cataloging species, and collecting worlds. He had faced countless powerful entities—gods, demigods, reality warpers, and even Kryptonians. But none of them had wielded a force as terrifyingly absolute as the Void flames Alex possessed.

"Potential threat level: unprecedented," Brainiac murmured to himself. "Possible containment: unknown."

Behind him, his vast collection lay dormant—shrunken planets, civilizations reduced to mere data, lifeforms stored in suspended animation. Each one a conquest, each one a testament to his power. But Alex Wilson was not just another conquest. He was something different, something that defied the known rules of power. A specimen that, if added to his collection, would mark his greatest achievement.

He stood, his towering form cast in the eerie green glow of his technology. The Kryptonian clone he had sent to Earth previously had been defeated by Alex with little effort. That clone had been designed to rival the original Powergirl in strength and speed, yet it failed to even put up a good fight.

"Begin preparations for Earth," Brainiac ordered. "Initiate containment protocols."

The robotic assistants around him whirred to life, acknowledging his command. His ship, vast and silent, began to hum as it shifted its trajectory toward Earth. Brainiac’s mind was already running calculations. He would not make the same mistake as Apocalypse. Direct confrontation was pointless. Alex’s power was far too destructive, too unpredictable to engage head-on.

No. This time, he would have to be more strategic. Alex Wilson would not be defeated—he would be taken.

...

On Earth...

Alex Wilson stood in the center of the wasteland, the last embers of the Void flames still crackling around him. His body buzzed with power, his heart still racing from the thrill of battle. Apocalypse, the so-called eternal mutant, was gone, his life force completely erased. The Horsemen, too, had fallen one by one. Their bodies had been reduced to nothingness, consumed by the very flames that now simmered at Alex’s fingertips.

Alex smirked, his breath still heavy from the fight. The power of the Void was exhilarating—overwhelming, even. It wasn’t just strength. It was dominance. The ability to erase anything from existence, to render the unbreakable into dust. It was the kind of power that made gods tremble.

He looked around at the devastation. What had once been a battlefield was now nothing more than a scorched desert, the sands turned to glass in some places, and blackened ash in others. He stretched his arms as a large yawn escaped his mouth.

"..."

Something wasn’t right.

Alex's grin faded as he straightened up, his instincts prickling. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching him. He had felt this sensation once before when he was fighting that Kryptonian clone, but never this strongly. His senses flared, scanning the horizon. No enemies remained, no trace of Apocalypse’s life force. So why did it feel like he was being observed?

The Void flames flickered at his fingertips, reacting to his unease.

"Peeking from the shadows?" Alex called out, his voice sharp. "That's a nasty habit you got there. So, why don't you come out and show yourself?"

No response. The desert remained eerily silent. But the feeling persisted. It was like being under a microscope, as if some unseen force was dissecting him, analyzing his every move. Alex clenched his fist, the black flames surging momentarily. He scanned the sky, narrowing his eyes. Was someone hiding up there, beyond the reach of his vision? He couldn’t tell. His Void powers were immense, but they didn’t give him omniscience.

"Show yourself!" Alex growled, his frustration mounting. He didn’t like this feeling, this sense of vulnerability. For all his power, for all the destruction he could unleash, there was always something more lurking in the shadows. Something waiting.

The Void pulsed in response to his rising anger, the flames growing hotter. But still, there was no answer.

...

Meanwhile, aboard Brainiac’s ship...

Brainiac watched the scene unfold with fascination. Alex could sense something was amiss, though he couldn’t pinpoint what. A primitive reaction, Brainiac mused, though not unexpected. Beings of such power often developed heightened senses, especially when they were as attuned to reality manipulation as Alex was.

"Continue the scan," Brainiac instructed. His robotic assistants worked furiously to analyze the Void flames. So far, the data they had collected was incomplete. The Void energy defied categorization. It wasn’t just another elemental force. It existed outside the normal confines of energy and matter. In fact, it seemed to exist outside reality itself—a force capable of erasing anything from the physical, magical, or even conceptual realms.

His eyes gleamed with interest. This was a discovery beyond anything he had anticipated. The power to erase existence... it could prove invaluable.

"Dispatch the containment drones," he ordered. "We will proceed with caution. Direct engagement will be unnecessary."

A series of drones powered up within the ship’s cargo hold, sleek and black, designed for stealth and precision. They carried with them containment fields capable of trapping even the most powerful beings. Normally, these fields were used to hold interdimensional entities or reality-bending creatures, but Alex was a different case. He was more dangerous than anything Brainiac had ever faced.

Still, he was confident. His calculations were never wrong. If he couldn’t defeat Alex through brute force, he would trap him—lock him away within his collection for all eternity.

However, despite all that intelligence and calculations what Brainiac didn't know was that he had just made a grave mistake. A mistake that would cost him dearly.

The thing is, over the years, Alex has bought hundreds of skills from his System's store and luckily one of those skills was a skill that allowed him to detect someone watching him. Even though its name was simply 'detect watcher' it was in fact one of the most useful skills in Alex's arsenal. Not only did it allow him to detect when someone was spying on him but it also gave him a vague idea of where they were located.

Now what would happen if he were to lock on to that location and use his teleportation?

"..."

It was as simple as that. Before Brainiac's drones even got close, Alex was gone. There was a flash of light, followed by a momentary sensation of vertigo. Then he appeared before the massive, skull-shaped ship, floating amidst the vast emptiness of space.

Brainiac's eyes widened as his sensors registered the intrusion, but it was too late.

Alex created a concentrated ball of his void energy and multiplied it using his skill 'Quantity and Quality', creating hundreds of smaller spheres around that ship. With the quality increase, the destructive power of the void energy was significantly increased.

"Initiate teleportation," Brainiac didn't flinch and activated the emergency teleportation.

The balls of void energy then collided with Brainiac's ship causing multiple explosions. Huge chunks of metal were blown apart, and entire sections of the ship were vaporized. The black flames of the Void devoured the ship, leaving nothing behind. It was utter annihilation—complete, total, absolute.