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Chapter 238: Defeat Them One by One
Just as the gods of Olympus had anticipated, their God King election meeting had barely concluded when Hephaestus sought out Diana to explain their machinations.
Only then did Diana understand. She had been pondering why that group of gods had suddenly become so courteous, handing the position over to her. It didn't feel like a good thing, but she hadn't known the reason until now.
But naturally, she would not be intimidated by this. Wonder Woman was inherently fearless, a trait inherited from her family line. The recklessness of the Amazons had always rivaled that of the Green Lantern Corps. As the saying goes, they counter every move and adapt to any situation; the word "fear" did not exist in their dictionary.
Of course, after hearing all this, everyone else immediately offered to help. It was only natural to aid a friend in need, not to mention that everyone present in the shop was a natural-born meddler, and each possessed extraordinary powers.
Honestly, even if you excluded a certain M78 civil servant who had cheated his way here from another world, the remaining people included two Kryptonians and a Martian. Rounding up, that was equivalent to half the strength of the Justice League. There weren't many big shots on Earth who could stand up to such a lineup.
However, Diana just smiled and said that it was a family matter and they shouldn't trouble themselves. She had been fighting alone for a century since leaving Paradise Island and was confident there was nothing she couldn't handle.
To show how relaxed and unconcerned she was, Wonder Woman warmly invited everyone to be her guests.
But not in her identity as Wonder Woman, of course. Rather, as Diana Prince, a new artist who had just moved to Gotham. With her extraordinary insights into Greek art and her technical skills, she now had her own studio.
She invited everyone to visit together the next day.
Kara was very interested, and Martian Manhunter, new to this environment, naturally had no reason to refuse a new friend's invitation. The young reporter Clark lamented that he had to work on a weekday, but said he could fly over during his lunch break to eat with them before heading back.
Orin Vale, however, naturally declined. He had quite a few things on his plate.
Although the matters at hand were not finished, he hadn't neglected his scientific research. No matter how busy he was, Orin Vale never forgot the importance of scientific work; it was the basic self-discipline of a technician from the Land of Light.
After dinner, he took the time to make a trip to Central City to see Barry Allen—for the two of them, the journey from Gotham to Central City was merely a matter of a few steps.
Before he left Earth, the Speed Force project had hit a bottleneck. To make a breakthrough, the starting point naturally had to be its source, which was The Flash.
Barry himself was also a science fanatic. In the Original Work, with no one to guide or assist him, he developed a foundational scientific theory of the Speed Force all on his own. Now, with Orin Vale joining the research, their progress was advancing by leaps and bounds.
After their discussion that night, Orin Vale's preliminary judgment was that the current Flash was already very close to his Peak Period after his debut in the Original Work. All he lacked was Experience and Technique. However, these were qualities accumulated through a great deal of practical combat experience on the brink of life and death, not theoretical knowledge that could be quickly mastered.
Oh, right, he was also missing Time Travel.
In the comics, Barry in his Peak Period could casually exceed the speed of light, and Time Travel was considered a minor, routine skill, the kind he would casually insert into a Combo while fighting a Boss in a team battle. Even in the later Justice League, where god-like beings were everywhere, he was a top-tier Overpowered Individual.
Currently, by combining his own Knowledge base with the Cosmic Treadmill 2.0 he had developed, Orin Vale felt that all the theoretical foundations for Barry to complete Time Travel were in place, but they had not yet formally put it into practice.
After all, it was a major project that allowed no room for error. The slightest mistake could lead to severe consequences. After discussing it, Orin Vale and Barry decided to wait until he could free up some dedicated time to arrange this major project.
Completely engrossed in his scientific research, Orin Vale returned from Central City very late. However, when he got back to the shop, he was surprised to find someone still sitting in the main hall.
J'onn J'onzz, the guest from Mars, was sitting by the display window, staring blankly at the bright moonlight.
"Martian Manhunter?"
Orin Vale walked over.
"Do you Martians not have the habit of sleeping? Or are your schedules different?"
Come to think of it, neither he nor the Kryptonians really needed much sleep. Orin Vale sometimes just stayed up all night in the laboratory, and other times he would appear to be sleeping but was actually digesting Knowledge, letting his thoughts wander, or contemplating designs.
"No, we have the same sleeping habits. I just can't seem to fall asleep."
Orin Vale nodded in understanding. "A new place, a new environment. It's like that."
"No, this place is wonderful. I like it very much. I have been alone for many years and never thought I would have a second chance to find such a shelter. It's just..."
Martian Manhunter trailed off, then shook his head after a moment's hesitation.
"Let's not talk about that. I just need some more time. What about you, Mr. Orin?"
He looked at Orin Vale.
"Do you have troubles on your mind as well?"
"A few things, but it's manageable."
Orin Vale, who had just returned from Central City, had a mind full of time theory and Speed Force experiments. On the way back, his brain was still calculating and writing at super-speed, taking stock of the test results from The Flash and the new theories he had conceived.
"I understand." Martian Manhunter smiled. "People like you never stop. I get it. We have people like that on Mars, too. They are either great guardians, or pioneers and guides..."
As he spoke, the sound of flushing echoed from the hallway behind them.
A beam of light shot into the hallway from a pushed-open door, and a figure emerged, yawning. The two turned to look and saw a man with a large white beard. It was the Old Wizard Shazam, surprisingly dressed in SpongeBob pajamas.
"Hmm? You two are up this late too?"
The Old Man rubbed his eyes and walked over.
"I have some things on my mind, making it difficult to sleep."
Martian Manhunter answered honestly, then thought for a moment and asked.
"Do you have troubles on your mind as well?"
"Me? Nope." The Old Man yawned. "It's just that I'm getting on in years, and my body isn't what it used to be. I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night..."
"That sounds like trouble in itself," Orin Vale said seriously.
The Old Wizard's expression froze. He seemed to ponder for a moment and realized that Orin Vale actually had a point.
So he closed his mouth and fell silent.
As the moonlight shone down, the city gained another sad person.
Deherein, the capital.
Thanks to this nation's long-standing isolation, the rest of the world was still unaware of the horrifying coup d'état that had taken place within its borders.
Steppenwolf, the great general from Apokolips, had seized the throne with his own power, becoming the new king.
"Fight for the great General Steppenwolf!"
In front of the royal palace, a man who was once a member of King Malof's royal guard, now clad in Apokoliptian armor, raised his war spear and bellowed.
His name was Machis Malone. He was the first person to turn his coat after Steppenwolf displayed the severed head of the former King, Malof. Steppenwolf found him very astute, someone who knew how to assess a situation. Coupled with his incredibly high efficiency in the subsequent work of reorganizing the army, a job he performed exceptionally well, Steppenwolf promoted him to be the new Supreme Commander.
Now, the entire army of Deherein had been reorganized by Steppenwolf. All of them were elites, equipped with armor from Apokoliptian technology. This force was sufficient to sweep across the combat power of every nation on Earth in a single day...
...if certain flying and tunneling Overpowered Individuals were not counted as conventional combat power.
"Fight for the great General Steppenwolf!"
The army arrayed before Malone roared in unison at his command, their shouts shaking the heavens.
Steppenwolf was very pleased. He nodded slightly from his throne and looked to the person beside him. "What do you think?"
"I think this planet is already in That Lord's grasp."
The one speaking beside him was an eerie skeleton in a long purple dress, emanating a sinister violet light.
Trickster, one of the New Gods from Apokolips, Steppenwolf's right-hand man on this trip to Earth.
"I think so too, aside from a few hidden dangers," Steppenwolf said.
"You mean, those with special abilities?"
"The natives of this planet are fine, nothing we can't handle. The problem is certain Outsiders..."
"The Kryptonian, the Martian," Trickster understood. "And the most troublesome, the giant of unknown origin from the stars."
"We can set that one aside for now. A more careful strategy is needed. But the other two..."
"I understand," Trickster said. "Kryptonite and fire. Their Weaknesses make them easy to target."
"Yes, but I'm afraid I need to defeat them one by one first. If we meet on a frontal battlefield, they'll have allies and be on their guard. Even with their Weaknesses, it won't be easy to exploit them."
Trickster chuckled, and the skeleton's head seemed to form a smile-like expression, making it even more eerie.
"You want me to take care of the trouble."
"I need to prepare for the formal war, and there are still many things to handle. So..."
"Fine."
Before Steppenwolf could finish, Trickster smiled confidently.
"I was worried you'd never ask."
Steppenwolf said, "Be careful. Their strength is not weak, you mustn't be careless..."
"Hah, have you ever seen me fail?" Trickster said with confidence.
Steppenwolf fell silent, then changed his tone with a smile, taking a sip from his wine glass. "In that case, my worries were unnecessary."
"Perhaps they are strong, but a frontal assault has never been my specialty. Believe me..."
The skeleton's head let out a sharp, sinister laugh.
"...They will never know what hit them."
(end of chapter)
Just as the gods of Olympus had anticipated, their God King election meeting had barely concluded when Hephaestus sought out Diana to explain their machinations.
Only then did Diana understand. She had been pondering why that group of gods had suddenly become so courteous, handing the position over to her. It didn't feel like a good thing, but she hadn't known the reason until now.
But naturally, she would not be intimidated by this. Wonder Woman was inherently fearless, a trait inherited from her family line. The recklessness of the Amazons had always rivaled that of the Green Lantern Corps. As the saying goes, they counter every move and adapt to any situation; the word "fear" did not exist in their dictionary.
Of course, after hearing all this, everyone else immediately offered to help. It was only natural to aid a friend in need, not to mention that everyone present in the shop was a natural-born meddler, and each possessed extraordinary powers.
Honestly, even if you excluded a certain M78 civil servant who had cheated his way here from another world, the remaining people included two Kryptonians and a Martian. Rounding up, that was equivalent to half the strength of the Justice League. There weren't many big shots on Earth who could stand up to such a lineup.
However, Diana just smiled and said that it was a family matter and they shouldn't trouble themselves. She had been fighting alone for a century since leaving Paradise Island and was confident there was nothing she couldn't handle.
To show how relaxed and unconcerned she was, Wonder Woman warmly invited everyone to be her guests.
But not in her identity as Wonder Woman, of course. Rather, as Diana Prince, a new artist who had just moved to Gotham. With her extraordinary insights into Greek art and her technical skills, she now had her own studio.
She invited everyone to visit together the next day.
Kara was very interested, and Martian Manhunter, new to this environment, naturally had no reason to refuse a new friend's invitation. The young reporter Clark lamented that he had to work on a weekday, but said he could fly over during his lunch break to eat with them before heading back.
Orin Vale, however, naturally declined. He had quite a few things on his plate.
Although the matters at hand were not finished, he hadn't neglected his scientific research. No matter how busy he was, Orin Vale never forgot the importance of scientific work; it was the basic self-discipline of a technician from the Land of Light.
After dinner, he took the time to make a trip to Central City to see Barry Allen—for the two of them, the journey from Gotham to Central City was merely a matter of a few steps.
Before he left Earth, the Speed Force project had hit a bottleneck. To make a breakthrough, the starting point naturally had to be its source, which was The Flash.
Barry himself was also a science fanatic. In the Original Work, with no one to guide or assist him, he developed a foundational scientific theory of the Speed Force all on his own. Now, with Orin Vale joining the research, their progress was advancing by leaps and bounds.
After their discussion that night, Orin Vale's preliminary judgment was that the current Flash was already very close to his Peak Period after his debut in the Original Work. All he lacked was Experience and Technique. However, these were qualities accumulated through a great deal of practical combat experience on the brink of life and death, not theoretical knowledge that could be quickly mastered.
Oh, right, he was also missing Time Travel.
In the comics, Barry in his Peak Period could casually exceed the speed of light, and Time Travel was considered a minor, routine skill, the kind he would casually insert into a Combo while fighting a Boss in a team battle. Even in the later Justice League, where god-like beings were everywhere, he was a top-tier Overpowered Individual.
Currently, by combining his own Knowledge base with the Cosmic Treadmill 2.0 he had developed, Orin Vale felt that all the theoretical foundations for Barry to complete Time Travel were in place, but they had not yet formally put it into practice.
After all, it was a major project that allowed no room for error. The slightest mistake could lead to severe consequences. After discussing it, Orin Vale and Barry decided to wait until he could free up some dedicated time to arrange this major project.
Completely engrossed in his scientific research, Orin Vale returned from Central City very late. However, when he got back to the shop, he was surprised to find someone still sitting in the main hall.
J'onn J'onzz, the guest from Mars, was sitting by the display window, staring blankly at the bright moonlight.
"Martian Manhunter?"
Orin Vale walked over.
"Do you Martians not have the habit of sleeping? Or are your schedules different?"
Come to think of it, neither he nor the Kryptonians really needed much sleep. Orin Vale sometimes just stayed up all night in the laboratory, and other times he would appear to be sleeping but was actually digesting Knowledge, letting his thoughts wander, or contemplating designs.
"No, we have the same sleeping habits. I just can't seem to fall asleep."
Orin Vale nodded in understanding. "A new place, a new environment. It's like that."
"No, this place is wonderful. I like it very much. I have been alone for many years and never thought I would have a second chance to find such a shelter. It's just..."
Martian Manhunter trailed off, then shook his head after a moment's hesitation.
"Let's not talk about that. I just need some more time. What about you, Mr. Orin?"
He looked at Orin Vale.
"Do you have troubles on your mind as well?"
"A few things, but it's manageable."
Orin Vale, who had just returned from Central City, had a mind full of time theory and Speed Force experiments. On the way back, his brain was still calculating and writing at super-speed, taking stock of the test results from The Flash and the new theories he had conceived.
"I understand." Martian Manhunter smiled. "People like you never stop. I get it. We have people like that on Mars, too. They are either great guardians, or pioneers and guides..."
As he spoke, the sound of flushing echoed from the hallway behind them.
A beam of light shot into the hallway from a pushed-open door, and a figure emerged, yawning. The two turned to look and saw a man with a large white beard. It was the Old Wizard Shazam, surprisingly dressed in SpongeBob pajamas.
"Hmm? You two are up this late too?"
The Old Man rubbed his eyes and walked over.
"I have some things on my mind, making it difficult to sleep."
Martian Manhunter answered honestly, then thought for a moment and asked.
"Do you have troubles on your mind as well?"
"Me? Nope." The Old Man yawned. "It's just that I'm getting on in years, and my body isn't what it used to be. I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night..."
"That sounds like trouble in itself," Orin Vale said seriously.
The Old Wizard's expression froze. He seemed to ponder for a moment and realized that Orin Vale actually had a point.
So he closed his mouth and fell silent.
As the moonlight shone down, the city gained another sad person.
Deherein, the capital.
Thanks to this nation's long-standing isolation, the rest of the world was still unaware of the horrifying coup d'état that had taken place within its borders.
Steppenwolf, the great general from Apokolips, had seized the throne with his own power, becoming the new king.
"Fight for the great General Steppenwolf!"
In front of the royal palace, a man who was once a member of King Malof's royal guard, now clad in Apokoliptian armor, raised his war spear and bellowed.
His name was Machis Malone. He was the first person to turn his coat after Steppenwolf displayed the severed head of the former King, Malof. Steppenwolf found him very astute, someone who knew how to assess a situation. Coupled with his incredibly high efficiency in the subsequent work of reorganizing the army, a job he performed exceptionally well, Steppenwolf promoted him to be the new Supreme Commander.
Now, the entire army of Deherein had been reorganized by Steppenwolf. All of them were elites, equipped with armor from Apokoliptian technology. This force was sufficient to sweep across the combat power of every nation on Earth in a single day...
...if certain flying and tunneling Overpowered Individuals were not counted as conventional combat power.
"Fight for the great General Steppenwolf!"
The army arrayed before Malone roared in unison at his command, their shouts shaking the heavens.
Steppenwolf was very pleased. He nodded slightly from his throne and looked to the person beside him. "What do you think?"
"I think this planet is already in That Lord's grasp."
The one speaking beside him was an eerie skeleton in a long purple dress, emanating a sinister violet light.
Trickster, one of the New Gods from Apokolips, Steppenwolf's right-hand man on this trip to Earth.
"I think so too, aside from a few hidden dangers," Steppenwolf said.
"You mean, those with special abilities?"
"The natives of this planet are fine, nothing we can't handle. The problem is certain Outsiders..."
"The Kryptonian, the Martian," Trickster understood. "And the most troublesome, the giant of unknown origin from the stars."
"We can set that one aside for now. A more careful strategy is needed. But the other two..."
"I understand," Trickster said. "Kryptonite and fire. Their Weaknesses make them easy to target."
"Yes, but I'm afraid I need to defeat them one by one first. If we meet on a frontal battlefield, they'll have allies and be on their guard. Even with their Weaknesses, it won't be easy to exploit them."
Trickster chuckled, and the skeleton's head seemed to form a smile-like expression, making it even more eerie.
"You want me to take care of the trouble."
"I need to prepare for the formal war, and there are still many things to handle. So..."
"Fine."
Before Steppenwolf could finish, Trickster smiled confidently.
"I was worried you'd never ask."
Steppenwolf said, "Be careful. Their strength is not weak, you mustn't be careless..."
"Hah, have you ever seen me fail?" Trickster said with confidence.
Steppenwolf fell silent, then changed his tone with a smile, taking a sip from his wine glass. "In that case, my worries were unnecessary."
"Perhaps they are strong, but a frontal assault has never been my specialty. Believe me..."
The skeleton's head let out a sharp, sinister laugh.
"...They will never know what hit them."
(end of chapter)
