Within a graveyard, in that universe, a blonde-haired young man was found crying his eyes out before a tombstone, a letter clenched tightly in his hand. He looked broken, like life had hit him harder than he could handle. Rain poured down, mixing with his tears, when suddenly, he froze, as his 6 sense suddenly went off.
He turned around, instantly on guard, as a portal opened behind him. Out stepped Ashborn, casually looking around—until his eyes landed on the young man. Ashborn paused, taking in the sight before shifting his gaze to the tombstone behind him. It read: Gwen Stacy.
"You must be Peter Parker, right?" Ashborn asked calmly.
Peter's eyes narrowed in shock. He stood quickly, sizing Ashborn up before his attention shifted to the three figures stepping through the portal behind him—Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Raven.
"How do you know who I am?" Peter asked, his voice sharp with suspicion and unease.
"Who is he?" Supergirl asked, glancing at Ashborn.
"This is Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man," Ashborn replied with a sigh. "I guess he just found out his now-dead girlfriend cheated on him with the same enemy who's been trying to kill him… and had twins who now want him dead."
The three behind him widened their eyes in pity—but Peter's face twisted in rage. Before he could react, Ashborn casually stepped back through the portal.
"Avoid MJ. Try Black Cat or Silk if you want to avoid heartache. Or better yet, avoid dating altogether until you stop being Spider-Man," Ashborn said, leaving Peter frozen in place. Peter opened his mouth to ask a question, but before he could get a word out, they were already gone, leaving him standing alone in the rain.
Slowly, Peter lifted his gaze toward the sky, where another Earth loomed overhead… In the end, Ashborn's words didn't matter. Not when the end of the world was so close.
'I thought that whole storyline was retconned… well, there are infinite universes out there,' Ashborn thought to himself.
"Why did we leave?" Raven asked as they stepped into another universe, finding a small house not too far from where they appeared.
"Too awkward… plus, I hate NTR," Ashborn said, before pausing as he noticed a man with glasses stepping out of the house. The man froze the moment he spotted Ashborn and the others.
"W-wait, don't close the portal!" he cried out, causing another person to step outside — MJ. She joined the man, both of them smiling cheerfully at first, only to stop dead in their tracks when they saw Ashborn raising his palm toward them, darkness gathering in his hand.
"What are you doing?" Wonder Woman cried, quickly stopping Ashborn by moving his hand just in time. The beam of darkness he unleashed missed its original target, instead obliterating a mountain in the distance.
"What?" Ashborn said with a shrug. "You know that girl is Peter Parker's girlfriend, right?" he added, causing Wonder Woman's eyes to widen in realization as she pieced together what Ashborn was hinting at..
Ashborn's attention then shifted upward, his expression turning serious as he noticed something far more concerning — the skies above, where entire universes were beginning to crash into each other.
"I was wondering why it was so easy to travel through the multiverse," Ashborn said with a slight frown. He recalled how, in the comics, the forces behind this events were extremely powerful.
"What's happening?" Supergirl asked, tension creeping into her voice.
"Something about universes crashing into each other and wiping each other out," Ashborn replied lazily, shrugging it off. "If I play my cards right, I won't even have to lift a finger against whoever took the deities of death."
"This multiverse is far vaster than our own, even beyond the God Sphere… I don't understand how something can be so endless," Wonder Woman said quietly.
"Yeah, unlike your omniverse's multiverse, every passing moment here pretty much births an infinite number of universes," Ashborn said with a lazy yawn. "Each universe contains an infinite number of variants of 3D spectrum, followed by an infinite-dimensional spectrum—something no mind in mankind could ever truly comprehend."
"I think they call it transfinite or something. Then there's stuff like subspace, which exists between every universe, and higher dimensions layered within," Ashborn said casually while opening a portal to another universe—this time, not at random. "The multiverse is basically an omniverse. There's just so much going on that it's honestly annoying."
"Please, save us!" MJ cried out, her children stepping outside, looking at Ashborn's group with unease.
"We should help them," Wonder Woman said, unwilling to abandon them. But Ashborn ignored her, stepping into the portal without a second glance, followed closely by Raven and Supergirl, who also avoided getting involved.
Left with no other choice, Wonder Woman sighed heavily before stepping into the portal as well—for at the end of the day, she had chosen Ashborn over them.
"This…" Supergirl floated in the sky, looking down at the empty streets of New York. It was a strange and eerie sight—but it made sense. With the end of the multiverse so near, who would care about going to work? One only had to look up at the sky and see another Earth about to crash into this one to see how useless everything was.
"It's called an incursion, by the way." Ashborn said casually, turning his attention toward Stark Tower. "Let's go speak with someone."
"Why isn't there another universe about to crash into yours?" Wonder Woman asked. Her words made Ashborn stop in his tracks, realizing something he hadn't noticed until now. Indeed, his universe had no other timelines, realities, or anything else on a collision course with it.
"Looks like my universe is free from all the chaos—at least until someone decides to target it. I guess it went through a few changes after I conquered it," Ashborn said with a smile. Without another word, he used darkness to open a portal, a new plan forming in his mind.
Stepping through, he appeared inside a grand castle, where Doctor Doom sat across from Namor, who was deep in conversation.
"They have saved countless universes," Namor said with a weary look, his voice heavy, "but they've grown to love the slaughter. They started torturing members of the X-Men and others from different realities, getting a sick thrill from passing judgment on entire worlds. They're already beginning to sense my hesitation. I need your help."
"I think not," Doom replied without a hint of hesitation, his tone final. Namor stared at him in shock, clearly not expecting such a blunt refusal.
"You could have come to me first. You should have come to me first…" Doom said coldly, his voice like a blade drawn across stone. "I can forgive your initial dalliances with Richards and the others—their nature is not conducive to true practicality. But after that, you still chose to throw in your lot with the rest of your superhuman brethren… and now you regret it."
Doom leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp enough to cut through Namor's pride.
"And so you drag the rotting carcass of your failure to my door," Doom finished, his words colder than the deepest abyss.
Namor stood frozen, unable to speak for a moment — but both he and Doom suddenly turned, freezing as someone else casually took a seat at the long table.
"Everyone makes mistakes… but that's not my place to judge," Ashborn said with a friendly smile as he casually took a seat at the long table. "I'm Ashborn. A pleasure to meet the mainstream Doctor Doom… and Namor."
He spoke easily, completely ignoring the fact that Doom had already risen to his feet, magic crackling around his hands as he prepared for battle.
"Calm down," Ashborn said lazily, his tone almost playful. "I'm not here to pick a fight. I just have a few questions. In return, you get the favor of me not bothering you… unless you choose to bother me first."
His relaxed, unbothered attitude only further enraged Doom — but Doom didn't move. He wasn't foolish.
The three women standing behind Ashborn radiated overwhelming strength, and Ashborn himself gave off an air of absolute confidence, the kind that couldn't be faked. Add to that the fact they had all appeared inside his fortress without triggering a single alarm, and Doom knew better than to act rashly… at least for now.
"Who are you?" Doom demanded, his voice carrying the weight of authority.
"Like I said, I'm Ashborn," Ashborn replied casually, resting his arms on the table. "But if you're asking about my status…" He paused, a relaxed smile playing at his lips. "Well, I'm not exactly a household name — not yet, anyway. But to paint you a clearer picture… I'm the future sovereign of Oblivion. Of course, I haven't taken my throne yet — still a bit weak for that. But that's hardly important right now."
The casual way he said it only made it hit harder. Both Doom and Namor stiffened, their eyes widening slightly at the revelation.
"I have a universe under my rule," Ashborn said casually, locking eyes with Doom. "I was wondering if, by chance, during your time-traveling adventures, you happened to stop by there."
Doom's expression shifted — a flicker of shock flashing across his face the idea of a universe free from everything… but he didn't show his shock or thoughts.. Instead, his voice dropped dangerously low.
"You dare to question me?" Doom growled. Ashborn just sighed, clearly unimpressed by the theatrics.
"So arrogant," Ashborn said lightly, brushing off Doom's glare. "Just answer the question — a simple yes or no. It might be one of two universes: one overrun by zombies or one nearly devoid of life, with only a handful of people left on Earth."
Doom's silence spoke volumes, but Ashborn only chuckled.
"If this were a cultivation world, I'd love to see what your Dao heart looks like. But clearly, you weren't the one responsible." Ashborn turned, stretching lazily. "And since you didn't answer my question, that deal's off."
His gaze shifted to Namor. "As for you… you need help. I don't mind picking up a follower." With that, Ashborn rose from his seat, ready to leave.
"Don't mock me!" Namor snapped, his anger flaring instantly. Ashborn just sighed, feeling helpless caught between the two.
"Wait," Wonder Woman spoke up, confusion flashing in her eyes. "Aren't we here to help this multiverse? To stop the Incursions?"
Ashborn gave her a side glance, almost pitying her helpfulness. Clearly, there was no saving this multiverse — even if she, Supergirl, and Raven combined all their power to support it, it would be completely pointless.
"You're too heroic," Ashborn said, clearly annoyed with Wonder Woman's endless need to help anyone in need. His words made Wonder Woman's shoulders sag—she couldn't help it; being a hero was who she was at the core.
"Also, there's no stopping the Incursion. Last I checked, not even the Infinity Stones could prevent it. Saving what can be saved is the only real option," Ashborn said, waving a hand lazily. "I've got better things to do than deal with.."
With that, Ashborn opened a portal back to his universe and casually stepped through, leaving behind an enraged Doctor Doom, who could only watch in silence, seething.
"Thanos should have been the one to stop by here," Ashborn said casually as he returned to his own universe, the portal closing behind him. "Knowing him, he was probably researching ways to win over Mistress Death…"
As they walked, Ashborn began explaining everything to the three women following him.
This was the rough map of what had happened to this zombie universe:
Before the entire zombie catastrophe began, Doom—while time traveling—had arrived in this universe alongside the main timeline's Molecule Man. Somewhere along the line, Molecule Man ended up dead. Whether Doom personally killed him or someone else did was unclear, but the result was the same.
The Molecule Man was essentially a bomb, placed within every universe by the Beyonders. Doom had been traveling across universes alongside the main timeline's Molecule Man to deal with this threat. By killing off each Molecule Man, it was they who unknowingly set off the chain reaction that caused the universes to start colliding into each other.
After the death of the Molecule Man in this universe, some time later, someone appeared and captured the deities of death. As for the zombie virus? There's no clear origin. In one comic, it was said that the Sentry brought the virus into this world; in another, it began through entirely different means.
Ashborn had his own theory: someone had been experimenting with the gods, and that experiment had ultimately led to the birth of the zombie world. It would explain why the gods were locked away—and why they were later taken.
He suspected Thanos was behind it, though he wasn't sure whether it was the main timeline Thanos or another version. But in the end, Ashborn realized it didn't matter anymore. Within a few hours, the collapse of the multiverse would reach its final stage.
All he had to do now was ensure that no one—no one—found a way into his universe.
"Since you all want to do some good, go across the multiverse and save as many people as you can," Ashborn said, waving them off. "Just make sure you don't bring back multiple versions of the same person."
The three looked uneasy, clearly struggling with the idea of abandoning collapsing worlds, but Ashborn didn't share their guilt. To him, it was simple: if everything that happened was ultimately scripted by the One Above All, then why should he get in the way? Besides, wasn't the whole Secret Wars event meant to reset the multiverse anyway? Interfering would be pointless… and exhausting.
Meanwhile, Ashborn had his own agenda. He wasn't about to waste this perfect opportunity. Opening a portal, he stepped through and appeared in the vast emptiness—a void where a universe once stood, destroyed long ago by Thanos.
"Arise," Ashborn commanded, his voice echoing across the emptiness.
At once, the destroyed universe exploded back into existence. Only this time, it wasn't the same—it had been reborn as a shadow universe, everything reconstructed in darkness. Every life that had ever existed here, from the age of Gaia to the present, was restored.