"Pursue them!" Highfather looked battered but was in surprisingly good spirits—perhaps this was his first real victory against Darkseid. He brandished his staff and shouted orders, though after a moment's hesitation, he held back from attacking the fleeing foot soldiers.
As the enemy New Gods scattered in all directions, the commanders of New Genesis, including Thea—whose reserves were nearly depleted—finally stopped fighting.
They claimed it was beneath their dignity to strike down ordinary soldiers, but truthfully, they simply had no fight left in them.
The Parademons on the battlefield outnumbered those on Earth several times over. Even with New Genesis's legions riding high on morale, it took repeated charges to finally repel all the enemies.
Including casualties from the New Continent, conservative estimates put Parademon deaths at over three hundred million.
New Genesis's warriors also suffered devastating losses. Of the million-strong army that followed Thea to the New Continent, fewer than seven hundred thousand returned—a third had perished there.
The battle on New Genesis itself was even more intense. Countless untrained civilians took up arms to join the fight—the carnage must have been unimaginable.
"Lady Thea, please come look at Lightray." Just as she finished briefing Highfather on the New Continent battle, Orion rushed over, urgently requesting her help for his close friend. Highfather, who truly doted on his adopted son, immediately urged them to go.
Lightray, once a speed demon in his white robe and red pants—an embodiment of sunshine—now lay in a room, his face covered in dark miasma. Sinister energy continuously rose from the darkness—death essence, Thea knew. This New God of light, said to run as fast as light itself, was now barely clinging to life.
A golden dragon hide covered his body. Despite its radiant light energy, it could only delay his death, not heal him.
The room occupied one of New Genesis's highest points, second only to Highfather's quarters. Intense sunlight streamed through the window, yet even the most vibrant rays couldn't approach within ten feet (3 meters) of Lightray.
"Can't we channel more light to him? Maybe he can heal himself by absorbing external light?"
"Nonsense! Do you even understand his injury? He lacks life force—we should supplement his vitality!"
When Thea and Orion entered, several healers were arguing with troubled expressions.
Watching a god slip into eternal slumber from severe wounds wasn't exactly uplifting. The healers debated while treating him with furrowed brows, but their efforts were like a drop in the ocean compared to the black energy corroding Lightray's body.
"Lady Thea!"
"Lord Orion!" They all breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the arrivals. Regardless of expertise, they were mere mortals—these two were gods.
Orion impatiently waved them away, gesturing for Thea to examine Lightray.
Hmm? One look at the wound told Thea everything—this was soul damage.
"Who injured him?"
"Black Racer! Lightray led him away. They raced each other, and Lightray lost..." Orion said bitterly.
He projected an image showing two lightning-fast figures. The one in front was naturally Lightray—he was only the God of Light Energy, not the God of Light itself. That extra word made all the difference in power level. In Thea's estimation, he was roughly on par with the current Barry Allen.
The figure behind wore an absurd all-black outfit with skiing gear—ski poles in hand, skis on his feet. Comical as he looked, his speed was terrifying. Faster than even a drugged-up speedster, Thea thought. He wasn't running—he was gliding on death itself.
Looked impressive, ran fast... but died faster too.
Barry and Lightray could zip around casually without consequence—using super-speed to grab coffee or clean their rooms was perfectly normal for them.
This Death Runner couldn't. Once he started running, someone had to die.
Sounded impressive—like drawing a blade that must taste blood, or unsheathing a sword that must claim a life.
But it was more like drinking water—only you could tell whether it was hot or cold. Death rules weren't easily controlled. Darkseid couldn't manage them, Thea couldn't, and this guy certainly couldn't—especially not while dancing on death's head. One small mistake and this New God would be finished.
Wait, wasn't this guy supposed to be Darkseid's prisoner? Why was he fighting for the Dark Lord? Thea couldn't ponder further—she needed to examine Lightray's injuries carefully.
As she'd initially suspected, this maniac racing around on a black sled wasn't actually a death god—he was the God of Soul Harvesting.
Perhaps because positions related to souls and death were vacant, he'd boasted about being a death god, only to be tragically captured and imprisoned by Darkseid for his trouble.
What's difficult for some is easy for others. If the soul had been extracted, Thea would be helpless—she lacked a death godhood after all. Fortunately, Lightray was a New God with exceptional soul strength. There was still a chance to save him.
"I'll need ten shadowstone crystals, ice fairy hair, Morrigu's spider silk..." She rattled off a list of materials while Orion committed them to memory.
"Who put this ratty hide on him? This is just agitating the soul energy in his body! Ridiculous!" She pulled the golden dragon hide off Lightray and casually stuffed it in her pocket...
She wasn't worried about anyone reporting her. With her contributions so significant, being completely flawless with excellent relationships would actually make Highfather wary. The old man was generally decent—showing some minor flaws helped maintain harmonious relations going forward. So she pocketed the entire adult golden dragon hide without hesitation.
Thea spent two weeks on New Genesis healing Lightray. During this time, she also endured several lectures from Highfather about how the final battle between good and evil hadn't truly arrived yet—this was merely a preview. His words left the New Gods looking glum, as everyone's condition was abysmal and they couldn't fight again in the short term.
Highfather knew his subordinates' status—divine power levels were universally down to half or less. Another battle now would result in more than just one injured Lightray.
The major legions recruited new soldiers to recover their strength, preparing for the next great war.
After another two weeks, the epoch-spanning battle concluded and the multiverse seemed to settle into quiet.
Thea returned to Earth, first accompanying Diana to bury their Amazon sisters, then visiting the Magic School to offer condolences. They'd contributed to the war effort too—except for the slippery Constantine, every instructor bore wounds, and over thirty students had died in battle, including five celebrities and two artists.
She had to arrange pensions for the fallen Yellow and Indigo Lanterns, and escort fallen Green Lanterns back to Oa for burial. After Thea saw off the various Lantern Corps reinforcements, the tense atmosphere finally dissipated. She could finally go home and catch her breath.