He has beaten angels.
Mocked gods.
Spat in the face of judgment.
Now, he steps where mortals dare not tread —
Apokolips.
And in the shadow of the throne of Darkseid… he's expected to kneel.*
But Elias doesn't bow.
He plays the game his way.
Even under the gaze of evil incarnate.
Location: Apokolips – Throne Citadel
The Boom Tube closes behind Elias, sealing the heat, ash, and dread of Apokolips around him like a noose.
Molten rivers flow beneath black stone. Parademons snarl from the shadows, afraid to approach.
The sky above this cursed world constantly bleeds fire. The air is ash and screams.
Elias steps forward — arms relaxed, head tilted, Omega energy trailing behind his boots like divine smoke.
Desaad leads him through the burning halls.
"You walk into hell willingly," Desaad sneers. "Few have done so. Fewer left breathing."
Elias shrugs.
"Guess I'm just built different."
Desaad turns back, grinning with rotten teeth. "The Lord of Apokolips awaits."
They reach the massive blackened throne — carved from the bones of shattered gods.
Sitting atop it is Darkseid.
Not a hologram.
Not a projection.
Not a whisper.
The Dark God Himself.
His eyes are glowing coals. His voice is a dying star.
"You reek of borrowed power… and foolish pride."
Elias smiles, unbothered. "Takes one to know one."
Darkseid doesn't blink.
"I offer one chance. Kneel. Accept your place beneath me. Serve as a vessel of the Anti-Life. Or die choking on your last illusion of defiance."
The Parademons hush. The Citadel seems to stop breathing.
Elias walks forward.
Slowly.
He pauses just before the steps to the throne.
He looks up at Darkseid — undaunted.
Then… he bends one knee.
The Court of Apokolips leans in.
Darkseid watches, still and cold.
Elias lowers further — closer…
…closer…
…an inch away from the floor.
Then he stops.
A smile creeps across his face.
And in that silence — he lifts one middle finger into the air.
Elias:
"Oops. Slipped."
He straightens up immediately, still smirking.
"Did you really think I'd worship a guy who looks like a rock with abandonment issues?"
Darkseid's face does not change.
But the Citadel shakes.
Elias cracks his neck.
"Oh, did that offend your gravelly holiness? My bad. Let me rephrase."
He taps his temple, and the system glows in his eye.
[System Triggered: Defiance Protocol]
• Trait Activated: "Mockery of Monarchs"
• Effect: Intimidation Immunity | Speech Multiplier: +999 Arrogance
Elias spreads his arms, addressing the entire chamber.
"I kneel to no god, no ghost, no grave."
"To you? I offer this—"
He flips the bird again.
And smiles wider.
"Choke on it."
Throne Room – Reaction
Desaad recoils.
The Parademons hiss — unsure whether to cheer or flee.
And Darkseid?
Darkseid stands.
That alone shakes the walls.
He does not yell. He does not strike.
He simply speaks:
"Then let the trial begin."
He lifts one hand — and a hole opens in the floor behind Elias.
A dimensional crucible.
Below is a maze of horrors, forged from nightmares and old warps in the fabric of reality.
"Survive my Maze of Submission," Darkseid says, voice like death incarnate, "or die screaming without a name."
Elias doesn't even look back.
"Finally. A challenge that doesn't smell like Superman's shampoo."
He walks toward the pit.
Stops at the edge.
Turns once more — looking up at Darkseid's looming presence.
Then, with the most annoying, cocky grin in the multiverse, says:
"Hope you like watching me win."
And jumps.
System Update
[Quest Started: "Trial of the Throne"]
Objective: Survive Apokolips' Maze of Submission
Rewards: ???
Penalty: Eternal Disintegration
Side Quest Activated: "Offend Every Ruler You Meet – Progress: 3/10" ✅✅✅