Chapter 4457

Schiller raised an eyebrow as he saw the image on the surveillance screen. The Batmen's suspicions were indeed correct; the mastermind behind this multiverse disturbance was truly related to the power of the Seven Lights, and it was none other than Nekron, who had triggered the "Blackest Night" event.

When the character of Nekron was first created, he actually had nothing to do with the Lantern Corps. At that time, his status was much higher, as he held dominion over the "merciless death" of the entire world. Perhaps "decay" would be a more reasonable explanation—everything has a process of decay, even the universe itself. So, in that era, he could go toe-to-toe with many other powerful entities that served as cosmic background props.

However, after his backstory was reimagined, his primary power became the Black Light of the Black Lantern Corps, distinct from the colored light spectrum. Although still related to death and decay, he no longer held such a high status. His relatively better performance was in the "Blackest Night" event, where he wiped out Hal's hometown in one fell swoop. But his subsequent performances grew increasingly poor, and he was frequently stepped on by others.

Nevertheless, even so, this remains a massive test for the multiverse. Nekron is different from other Lantern entities; his power is stronger, his influence is wider, and he is extremely aggressive, with no room for conversion. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't escape from the realm of the lifeless, he would have long since brought astonishing disaster to the multiverse.

This time, he has joined forces with the multiverse-unified Darkseid, which will make him an even more troublesome enemy for the superheroes. If he were truly allowed to break through the barrier and descend into the reality universe, I fear that even if the superheroes united, they would find it difficult to resist.

Just as Schiller was thinking, Batman walked in. Schiller looked up and asked him, "Is it going smoothly?"

Batman shook his head and said, "The power of the Seven Lights is a very formidable force. I cannot fully crack it, and even utilizing it is quite a struggle. Perhaps I should go ask that main-universe Batman."

Schiller also shook his head and said, "Actually, he isn't very good at utilizing it either; he just uses the power of the Seven Lights as a universal energy source. Aside from the Guardians of the Universe, only that famous First Lantern knows how to correctly apply this power."

"I searched all of Oa, but I didn't find him." Batman sat down, one hand resting on the armrest, and said, "I even suspect whether that news was released by someone to set a trap."

"Who would do such a thing? What benefit would there be in doing so?"

"Perhaps it's Darkseid; he wants us to waste our energy searching for the First Lantern."

"This rumor came from within the Lantern Corps; Darkseid cannot bribe the little blue men. Moreover, multiple universes have similar rumors; it may not be groundless."

"What I am worried about now is, if we proceed according to our plan, will he go find Darkseid?"

Schiller did not speak. He simply recalled the plan he had previously formulated with Batman. When they learned from the main-universe Batman that the source of the death power might be related to the Lantern Corps, Batman had set his sights on Oa.

He knew that the main-universe Batman had once targeted Oa and obtained a massive amount of Seven Lights power, until he built the magic defense network for the main-universe Earth. If he could do it, he naturally could too.

Now he has the improved version of the Hellbat armor in his hands, and because the energy consumed is the Golden Apple, it can be used almost without limit. The power of this armor was initially demonstrated when killing Steppenwolf; once output is pushed to the maximum, it can be described as killing gods if gods stand in the way, and killing Buddhas if Buddhas stand in the way.

But relying on himself alone is not enough; Batman sought out Schiller, and the purpose was to contact Bruce, who had appeared in their universe.

Batman had long heard of the great reputation of the "Nameless Bat." Bruce is a double-edged sword. Under normal circumstances, he will make a mess of his own side's situation. But if used well, he will inevitably be unstoppable.

Batman didn't waste words and directly made a deal with Bruce. Bruce doesn't need to do it himself, but he needs to use dark power to trap Oa, so that the little blue men cannot send out any signals. This is something only the dark power from Barbatos can achieve—because the status is high enough and the power is dense enough to isolate the Lantern Corps' energy.

The Guardians of the Universe indeed possess high technology, but they have been at peace for too long and rely too much on the Lantern Corps. Oa actually lacks any decent weapons. The result of being unable to crush the Hellbat armor in one blow was: the entire Oa was crushed by Batman alone.

Actually, it is also because the little blue men in the movie universe lack strength; a single Parallax could turn the entire universe upside down, and they still have to rely on the Green Lantern to seal it, which is completely incomparable to the main universe.

When Batman wasn't targeting them, this was a disadvantage because they lacked the ability to deal with real crises. But after Batman set his sights on the power of the Seven Lights, this became a huge advantage. In one surprise attack, Batman directly obtained all the Central Power Batteries on Oa.

But obtaining the power of the Seven Lights was just the most inconspicuous part of this plan; what followed was the main event.

After the Justice League returned to Earth, they learned the news that Nekron's "Blackest Day" legion had assembled. They immediately rushed back to headquarters, preparing to discuss how to respond. And at this moment, Hal glanced at his ring.

"What's wrong?" Clark looked back at him.

"Sinestro has summoned the Colored Lantern Corps, preparing to attack Apokolips." Hal said, "They believe it must have been Darkseid who attacked Oa and killed the Guardians of the Universe."

"At a time like this, they are still thinking about revenge?" Diana said with great dissatisfaction, "Although Darkseid isn't a good person either, isn't it obviously more important to protect Earth right now?"

"It's not like that." Hal shook his head and said, "The person who raided Oa took away all the Central Power Batteries, and if they can't get the batteries back, the Lanterns simply cannot fight. So they must go find trouble with Darkseid, otherwise they can't protect Earth either."

"My God!" Barry said, "Does that mean we can't rely on them at all?"

"You can't say it like that either. If they put enough pressure on Darkseid, Darkseid will definitely seek support from this so-called Nekron, and the pressure on Earth might be much less."

"Alright, when do they start the war?"

"It has already started. Sinestro has already led the Green Lantern Corps near the Apokolips territory, and other Colored Lantern Corps are about to arrive; the battle will break out soon."

"Good, then we will focus on dealing with the Blackest Day. Now let's study what to do..."

"What about Batman?" J'onn asked, "Is he not coming?"

"He has to go tinker with those nails." Clark said, "Since we couldn't get the Green Lantern energy back, he has to go find other power. Let's not worry about him for now; if we can't handle the Blackest Day, the nails will definitely be pulled out by them."

Everyone deeply agreed. Superman couldn't pull out the nails because he was worried about hurting Earth. That group of people from the Blackest Day didn't have this concern, or rather, it would be even better if they could hurt Earth. If they could really pull Earth apart directly, they wouldn't even need to kill people themselves.

In this way, their combat objective is to protect that nail. As long as they block the Blackest Day's attack before Batman finishes purifying the seawater, it will be fine.

Just then, Schiller knocked on the door, walked out, looked at Clark, and said: "Just a moment ago, the presidents of other countries all called me. I informed them of Batman's plan. They promised to protect the nails in their respective sea areas as much as possible. So we only need to guard the one we have."

"However, if nothing goes wrong, once Batman starts the purification program, they will notice and make the nail in the Atlantic sea area the focus of their attack. You must be prepared."

Clark nodded and said: "Just let them guard the one at their own doorstep. They don't need to worry about my side."

"Has Batman already obtained the power?" Diana turned and asked.

"This is thanks to you." Schiller nodded at her and said, "The Golden Apple provided him with enough life force, and life force can be output through the Hellbat armor, converted into energy for purification..."

"God!" J'onn exclaimed, "You mean Batman is going to drain his own life force..."

"No!" Clark interrupted without a second thought and said, "He cannot use his life force!"

"It's not his life force being used, but the Golden Apple's." Schiller said, "After he eats the Golden Apple, he will gain a steady stream of life force. Draining some out is nothing."

"It's not that simple." Diana said, "How could a human body withstand such input and output? How could Batman come up with such a dangerous plan?"

"He didn't just come up with it, he has already practiced it." Schiller said, "What do you think that powerful armor is driven by?"

Everyone widened their eyes. Clark looked at Diana. Diana explained: "I thought he just wanted to heal old wounds, and that's what he told me! He never said that armor would drain life force..."

"What you need to do now is not dwell on whether this will cause harm to Batman." Schiller said, "If you can defeat the Blackest Day quickly and find the source of pollution in the ocean, he naturally won't need to sacrifice too much. Isn't that right?"

The Justice League could no longer sit still. Diana felt an indescribable shame—a room full of super-powered individuals, and in the end, they actually had to rely on draining the life force of an ordinary person to turn the situation around. If she didn't give that group of undead a taste of their own medicine, how could she be called a hero?

The Justice League set off immediately, heading toward the Atlantic. When they arrived in front of the nail that was deeply driven into the Earth, they arrived just in time for the device to start.

The huge nail emitted a dazzling light, lighting up the night under the dark clouds like a lighthouse. Energy spread through the sea area, and the seawater was gradually saved from the aura of corruption, becoming clear. But this speed was very slow, and the purification process was visibly difficult.

Clark flew upward, arriving in front of the glass of the operation cabin at the very top, just in time to lock eyes with Batman inside. He was wearing that armor, his eyes dark and unreadable. Clark clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and mouthed to Batman: "Wait for me."

Watching Superman's retreating back, Batman took off the mecha and left it right where it was. It had been infused with the Seven Lights power he had obtained from Oa, and now it was placed in the tower as a battery to store energy.

Of course, he couldn't tell the Justice League the truth—mainly he couldn't tell Superman. Because the power Superman uses is inherently idealistic; only by firmly wanting to do it can he exert the most powerful strength. If his good friend were losing life force every second, Superman's movements would become faster than anyone expected.

Sure enough, just as Batman arrived on the beach and looked back, he saw a red and blue figure descend from above the dark clouds like thunder. The speed ignited the air, and flames tore through the sky. A huge airflow cut through the water surface, exposing the Atlantis at the bottom of the sea to the air.

The magnificent scene of Moses parting the Red Sea now appeared on the Atlantic again. Amidst the terrified expressions of the Atlanteans, the torn ocean and earth swallowed him completely.