Having captured all six humans whose brains each hold one-sixth of the Anti-Life Equation, Darkseid has Desaad initiate an invasive mind probe to cull the information out. Under the relentless penetrating beam of the probe, Brigadier General Maxwell Torch, Richard Roe, Lorraine Hampton, Dave Lincoln, Donald Bradford and Nomak, howl in anguish. As Desaad's machines finish pulling the Anti-Life Equation from their minds, the image of the Infinity Man begins to coalesce above them. Before Darkseid investigates the mystery surrounding the appearance of the Infinity Man, Desaad's machines form an avatar of Anti-Life, which Darkseid sends to Earth to begin a crusade of death. On New Genesis, the New Gods convene to seek the council of Izaya. Cut off from the Source, the High-Father has nothing to offer but despair. Forager calls their attention to the Pool Of Eternity, where the New Gods bear witness to the Antagonist, spreading the plague of Anti-Life in Metropolis. Izaya sends Forager, Lightray, Jezebelle Of The Fiery Eyes and Metron to Earth, via Boom Tube, to fact the threat of the Adversary. Orion, however, Izaya holds back in reserve. Exposure to Anti-Life empties the minds of man, leaving the citizens of Metropolis conscienceless savages, attacking everything in their path. As they exit the Boom Tube, the New Gods, to a man, are immediately felled by the power of the Antagonist.
The image of the Infinity Man draws Darkseid's thoughts to the past. He recalls the Young Gods of Supertown, who came to be called "The Forever People", on Earth. The Anti-Life Equation, in it's entirety, had been housed within the mind of Beautiful Dreamer. Time and time again, the Forever People thwarted Darkseid's efforts to take the equation from her mind. Most often by merging their essence through their Mother Box to transform into the unbelievably powerful Infinity Man. Darkseid orders Desaad to reactivate the mind probe. Despite the protests of the captive Claudia Shane and Debbie Drake, Darkseid orders the probe to go ever deeper, to learn the secret connection between the six humans and the Infinity Man. Once more Darkseid witnesses the final battle between the Forever People and Devilance. How they transformed into Infinity Man to overcome the threat. The unleashed power of the two combatants consumed an entire island, and with it, seemingly, both Devilance and the Infinity Man. Now, Darkseid sees six beams of light erupt from that explosion, spanning the world to strike the six humans suffering before him, embedding the Anti-Life Equation in their minds.
From this, a terrible truth is revealed to Darkseid. The Infinity Man fought for life, yet he possessed the secret of Anti-Life. All life stems from the Source, yet, Anti-Life, too is connected to the Source. Darkseid reasons that he can use the Anti-Life Equation to reveal the secrets of the Source, and soon thereafter, the universe itself will fall to Darkseid. The New Gods recover and escape from the Antagonist. After fighting a losing battle against the Antagonist and the mindless denizens of Metropolis, the New Gods retreat, to plan a new strategy. At that moment, on Apokolips, the wall to Darkseid's citadel explodes, as Orion storms in. Forcibly grabbing Desaad, Orion demands to see Darkseid. It is too late. Armed with the knowledge and power of the Anti-Life Equatiion, Darkseid has departed for the heart of the Source, to unravel it's secrets, and garner all of it's power.
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