Shiller watched the surveillance screen and raised an eyebrow. Batman and the others were right; the behind-the-scenes manipulator causing disturbances in the multiverse is indeed related to the power of the Seven Lanterns, precisely the Black Death Emperor who triggered the "Blackest Night" event.
When the character of the Black Death Emperor was created, he had nothing to do with the Lantern Corps. At that time, his status was higher, commanding the entire world's "ruthless death." Perhaps explaining it as "decay" is more reasonable—everything decays, including the universe itself. So in that era, he could wrestle with many powerful entities that also formed a cosmic backdrop.
But after the backstory was rewritten, his main power became the Black Lamp Power, aside from the Color Power. Although still related to death and decay, his status is no longer as high. His relatively good performance was during the "Blackest Night" event, where he directly wiped out Hal's hometown. However, his subsequent performances have deteriorated, often being trampled upon.
Nonetheless, it still poses a tremendous test for the multiverse. The Black Death Emperor is different from other Lantern Beasts; his power is stronger, spreads wider, and is extremely aggressive, with no room for conversion. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't escape the lifeless domain, he would have already brought astonishing disaster to the multiverse.
This time, he has united with the multiverse-fused Darkseid, becoming an even greater adversary for superheroes. If he indeed breaks through the barrier and descends into the real universe, the combined efforts of the superheroes might still be unable to resist.
As Shiller pondered, Batman walked in. Shiller looked up and asked, "Is everything going smoothly?"
Batman shook his head, saying, "The power of the Seven Lanterns is incredibly strong. I can't fully decipher it, and even using it is quite forced. Perhaps I should ask that Primary Universe Batman for advice."
Shiller also shook his head and said, "He actually can't use it well either; he merely uses the power of the Seven Lanterns as a universal energy source. Aside from the Guardians of the Universe, only the famous First Lantern knows how to correctly use this power."
"I searched all over Oa Star and couldn't find him," Batman sat down, placing one hand on the armrest, and said, "I even suspect that someone leaked this information as a smokescreen."
"Who would do that? What would be the benefit?"
"Perhaps Darkseid; he wants us to waste our energy looking for the First Lantern."
"This rumor comes from within the Lantern Corps. Darkseid couldn't have bribed the Little Blue People. Moreover, similar rumors exist in multiple universes, so it might not be groundless."
"What I'm worried about now is, if our plan continues, will he go to find Darkseid?"
Shiller remained silent. He was merely recalling the plan he devised with Batman. Upon learning from Primary Universe Batman that the source of the Death Force might be related to the Lantern Corps, Batman set his sights on Oa Star.
He knew that the Primary Universe Batman had once targeted Oa Star and acquired a massive amount of the power of the Seven Lanterns, even establishing a magical defense network for the Primary Universe Earth. If he could do it, so could he.
Now he had a modified version of the Hell Bat Armor, and because the energy consumed was the Golden Apple, it could be used almost indefinitely. The power of this armor had already been initially demonstrated when slaying the Savage Wolf, and when fully exerted, it could be said to be unstoppable by gods or buddhas.
But he couldn't do it alone, so Batman sought out Shiller, aiming to contact Bruce, who appeared in their universe.
Batman had long heard of the famous "Nameless Bat." Bruce is a double-edged sword. Under normal circumstances, he could make a mess of the situation. But if used properly, he could break through with unstoppable force.
Batman didn't mince words and directly made a deal with Bruce. Bruce didn't need to get involved directly, but he needed to use Dark Power to trap Oa Star, preventing any signals from the Little Blue People from getting out. This could only be accomplished with the Dark Power from Barbados—because the status is high enough, the force is concentrated enough to isolate the Lantern Corps' energy.
The Guardians of the Universe indeed possessed high technology, but they had been peaceful for too long and overly reliant on the Lantern Corps. Oa Star didn't have any decent weapons. The result of being unable to annihilate the Hell Bat Armor in one strike was that Batman alone crushed the entire Oa Star.
It's actually because the strength of the Little Blue People in the Movie Universe is lacking; a single Parallax could turn the whole universe upside down, and they had to rely on the Green Lantern to seal it, completely incomparable to the Primary Universe.
Before Batman targeted them, this was a flaw, as they were incapable of coping with a real crisis. But after Batman set his sights on the power of the Seven Lanterns, this became a significant advantage. With a single strike, Batman directly seized all the Total Furnaces on Oa Star.
But obtaining the power of the Seven Lanterns was just the most inconspicuous part of the plan; the main event was yet to come.
After the Justice League returned to Earth, they learned of the assembly of the "Black Death Day" Legion under the Black Death Emperor. They immediately rushed back to headquarters to discuss how to respond. At this moment, Hal glanced at his ring.
"What's wrong?" Clark turned back to look at him.
"Sinestro has gathered the Color Lantern Corps and is preparing to attack Apocalypse," Hal said. "They believe that Darkseid must have attacked Oa Star and killed the Guardians of the Universe."
"At a time like this, they're still thinking about revenge?" Diana said with great dissatisfaction, "While Darkseid is no good guy, isn't it more important to guard Earth right now?"
"That's not the case." Hal shook his head and said, "The person who raided Oa Star took away all the Total Furnaces, and without retrieving them, the Lamp heroes can't fight. So they have to cause trouble for Darkseid, or they can't protect Earth either."
"Oh my God!" Barry said, "So we can't rely on them at all?"
"You can't say that. If they put enough pressure on Darkseid, he'll definitely seek support from this Black Death Emperor, and the pressure on Earth might become much less."
"Alright, when do they start the war?"
"The war has already begun. Sinestro is leading the Green Lantern Corps towards the Apocalypse Star Domain, and the other Color Lantern Corps are also arriving soon. The battle will ignite quickly."
"Okay then, let's focus on dealing with the Black Death Day. Now, let's study what we should do..."
"Where's Batman?" Ron asked, "Isn't he coming?"
"He has to fiddle with those few nails," Clark said. "We couldn't retrieve the green lantern energy, so he has to find other sources of power. Let's not worry about him. If we can't deal with the Black Death Day, the nails will definitely get pulled out by them."
Everyone agreed deeply. Superman couldn't pull out the nails because he was worried about harming Earth. The people of the Black Death Day have no such concerns, or rather, they would prefer to harm Earth. If they can directly dismantle Earth, they wouldn't even need to kill anyone themselves.
It seems their operational goal is to protect that nail. As long as they stop the Black Death Day from attacking before Batman finishes purifying the seawater, they'll be fine.
At this moment, Shiller knocked on the door, came out, and looked at Clark, saying: "Just now, the presidents of other countries called me. I've informed them of Batman's plan. They promised to do their best to protect the nails in their respective sea areas. So we only need to guard ours."
"But, if nothing unexpected happens, once Batman activates the purification program, they will notice and focus their attacks on the Atlantic nail. Be prepared."
Clark nodded and said, "Let them guard their doorstep. I don't need them to worry about mine."
"Has Batman acquired power already?" Diana turned to ask.
"Thanks to you," Shiller nodded to her and said, "The Golden Apple provided him with enough vitality, and vitality can be output through the Hell Bat Armor, converting it into energy for evolution..."
"Oh my God!" Ron exclaimed, "You mean Batman plans to draw his own vitality..."
"No way!" Clark interrupted without a second thought and said, "We can't use his vitality!"
"It's not his vitality, but the Golden Apple's," Shiller said. "Once he ate the Golden Apple, he gained a continuous stream of vitality. Extracting some of it isn't a problem."
"It's not that simple," Diana said. "How can a human body endure such input and output? How could Batman come up with such a dangerous plan?"
"He didn't just come up with it, he's already practicing it," Shiller said. "What do you think powers that mighty armor?"
Everyone's eyes widened. Clark looked at Diana. Diana explained: "I thought he just wanted to heal old wounds, that's what he told me! He never mentioned that armor would draw vitality..."
"What you should focus on now is not whether this will harm Batman," Shiller said. "You must quickly defeat the Black Death Day and find the pollution sources in the ocean. Then he won't have to sacrifice too much, right?"
The Justice League couldn't sit still any longer. Diana felt an indescribable sense of shame — that despite being a room full of superpower users, they had to rely on drawing an ordinary person's vitality to salvage the situation. How could she call herself a hero if she didn't show those undead a lesson?
The Justice League immediately set out, heading for the Atlantic. When they arrived at the nail deep within the Earth, they were just in time for the device's activation.
The enormous nail emitted a blinding light, lighting up the night under the dark clouds like a lighthouse. Energy spread through the sea area, gradually saving the seawater from corruption, turning it clear. However, the speed was very slow, the evolution process visibly struggling.
Clark flew up, reaching the topmost part of the operating cabin's glass, just in time to lock eyes with Batman inside. He wore the armor, his gaze was enigmatic. Clark clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and mouthed to Batman: "Wait for me."
Watching Superman fly away, Batman removed the mecha, leaving it right there. It was imbued with the Power of Seven Lanterns he got from Oa Star, now serving as a battery storing energy, placed in the tower.
He certainly couldn't tell the Justice League the truth — especially couldn't tell Superman. Because Superman's power was essentially idealistic, only by firmly wanting to do something could he unleash his strongest power. If Superman continuously lost vitality every second, his actions would become unpredictably fast for everyone.
Sure enough, as soon as Batman reached the beach, he turned around and saw a red and blue figure descend from the dark clouds like thunder. Speed ignited the air, flames tore through the daylight. A tremendous airflow sliced the water surface, exposing Atlantis beneath the air.
The magnificent scene of Moses parting the Red Sea reappeared over the Atlantic. Amid the Atlanteans' terrified expressions, the torn ocean and land engulfed him.