Chapter 408: Allen Comes to Take the Mother Box
"Seize him!"
The previously calm-faced Queen of the Amazons suddenly changed expression.
The female warriors who had been standing by immediately drew their weapons and surrounded Allen.
"What the heck are you doing?"
Staring at the many weapons pointed at him—razor-sharp spears gleaming with cold light, clearly divine-grade armaments—Allen turned to Hippolyta with a look of confusion and pitifully pleaded, "Mama, don't tell me you want little Dingding and Anna to grow up without a father too?"
"Such shameless lies. Do you really think you can deceive beings of divinity?"
Hippolyta's gaze was icy cold, and she had clearly lost all patience for his antics.
As a divine race created by Zeus, the Amazon women were born with extraordinary abilities. In particular, the divine nature flowing in the Queen's veins made her no weaker than any demigod child of the gods.
One of those divine abilities? The power to detect lies.
"Damn, you old hag. So you knew all along and still played along?" Allen muttered, clearly annoyed.
"Take him away."
At the word "old hag," Hippolyta's face turned to frost. No woman ever liked being reminded of aging beauty—much less one who truly was aged. The words struck her like a critical hit.
"No! Wait!"
With a guard on either side, two Amazon warriors dragged Allen out of the palace, and the hall immediately grew much quieter.
All the way through the corridors, Allen twisted and writhed as he was hauled along, shouting loudly, "I'm innocent! I just want to be a good person…"
But his shifty eyes betrayed him completely, darting left and right to sneak glances at the cleavages of the female warriors.
After all, Themyscira enjoyed eternal spring. The warriors trained constantly and couldn't afford to wear much—over time, their battle uniforms had evolved into skimpy leather bikinis, a feast for the eyes.
Thanks to their rigorous training, the warriors' skin was tight and their bodies free of any excess fat. And being creations of divine power, their facial features were naturally stunning.
As he watched the rhythmic sway of their ample chests and admired their smooth, dusky skin, Allen nodded seriously and muttered, "Dark-skinned sisters... not bad at all."
Thud!
Still expressionless, the stoic warrior tossed Allen into a cell and stood guard silently at the iron bars.
Thanks to his own foolish use of his self-binding "Turtle Tethering Technique," Allen writhed like a maggot trying to get up, his face smushed between two bars and contorted from the pressure.
"Ladies… could you help me out here?" he asked cheekily.
But the two Amazons stood as still as statues, unmoved.
——
A silent night.
From the far reaches of space, tens of thousands of black power rings descended, arcing across the void like a cosmic bridge to Earth.
As they entered the atmosphere, the rings scattered across the globe, each seeking a host to possess.
Wayne Manor.
Alfred stood solemnly before Bruce's grave.
This was the Wayne family's private cemetery—naturally, the late Batman, Bruce Wayne, was buried here.
The last great crisis had claimed too many heroes.
The Justice League was virtually wiped out. Of the Avengers, only Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor survived—alongside a few forgotten supervillains.
Just then, a jet-black ring silently landed before the grave.
"A power ring…?"
Having served Bruce for many years, Alfred recognized many tools of the trade.
Especially considering Batman had once worn rings of all seven colors, and his secret base still housed both a Green Lantern and Yellow Lantern ring.
But this black ring was something entirely new.
Thump!
Just as Alfred reached out to touch it, a decaying hand burst through the earth and clutched the ring.
"What on Earth!?"
Alfred recoiled in terror.
Right before his eyes, Bruce's rotting corpse clawed its way out of the grave.
His decomposing face, the foul stench of death, and the ravenous look on what remained of his features inspired no joy—only raw fear.
"Alfred… I'm starving."
Bruce's contorted figure let out a raspy voice.
"You're not Master Bruce… What are you!?"
Alfred stepped back slowly, trying to create some distance to make his escape.
No matter how he looked at it, the figure before him was something straight out of a horror film.
Roar!
Too bad for him—Bruce lunged without warning.
A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the cemetery, but it was quickly silenced.
Zombie Bruce chomped heartily on a still-warm heart, completely absorbed in his grotesque feast.
And the same horror was unfolding across the globe.
——
Metropolis. National Cemetery.
Boom!
In the dark, quiet night, a figure blasted out of a grave and hovered in the air.
The once-revered "god among men," Clark, had been chosen by a black ring to join the Black Lantern Corps.
His eyes, dull gray and emotionless, held only one thing—an unrelenting hunger.
Stiffly rotating his neck, he looked toward the glittering city lights in the distance.
Boom…
With a sonic boom, zombie Superman flew straight toward the populated city, hungry for flesh.
——
A lighthouse by the crashing waves.
Aquaman's old coastal cabin.
The light was on, and Mera was living quietly on land with her child.
The Queen of Atlantis had promised that once Arthur's child came of age, they would return to claim the throne.
The curtains rustled lightly.
Mera, alert, turned toward the window and called out reflexively, "Joseph, it's late—stop playing and go to bed."
She and her son were the only ones living in the house. Normally, no one came by.
So she naturally assumed her son was being mischievous.
But no one replied.
"Did I imagine it…?"
Mera rubbed her forehead, weary and emotionally drained.
Arthur's death had devastated her. She hadn't yet recovered and often found herself spacing out.
She turned off the TV, planning to rest early.
She then closed the window, not wanting any animals to sneak in during the night.
But as she slid the latch shut—she froze.
In the darkness outside stood a figure she knew all too well.
"Arthur?!"
The surge of joy vanished instantly. Mera snapped back to her senses, and fury rose in her chest.
She remembered clearly—her husband was dead. This had to be some sick impersonation. Someone was mocking the dead, and she intended to punish them.
She grabbed a trident from the corner by the door and stepped outside.
The figure stood motionless on the road in front of the cabin.
"Who are you?" Mera asked coldly.
She took several steps closer, stopping about ten meters away. A wave of putrid stench hit her nose.
She halted.
Something was off.
Eyes narrowing, she scanned the area carefully. "Why are you doing this?"
Digging up Arthur's corpse for a joke? This was beyond disgraceful.
All her past enemies were either dead or long gone—and even if some still sought revenge, none would stoop this low.
"Mera… I've missed you so much."
From start to finish, Arthur's head hung low. And with the clouds covering the moon, Mera couldn't see his face.
But the moment he spoke, her body trembled with emotion.
It was her husband's voice.
They knew each other too well. Appearance, voice, scent—it was all etched into her soul.
Even though Arthur's voice was hoarse, she was absolutely certain it was him.
"Arthur… you're alive?"
Mera looked stunned, unable to believe it.
When the body was brought back, it had no vital signs, and even with Atlantis's advanced medical tech, resurrection was impossible.
Especially not months after burial.
"Mera… I missed you so much, I clawed my way back from hell."
As he spoke, Arthur's lips curled into a cruel grin.
"That's okay… I'll take you back to Atlantis. We'll heal you and get you back to normal."
Convinced her husband had returned, tears welled up in Mera's eyes.
Ah…
In the next moment, just as she let her guard down, Arthur suddenly attacked.
——
"Ooh ooh ooh… eek eek eek…"
Back in the prison, Allen remained energetic even as night fell.
The two new guards on duty stood dumbfounded as they watched Allen's bizarre performance.
"Guess the animal I'm mimicking! One guess per person!"
Allen bent his knees, raised his arms high, and waddled around the cell.
"Chimpanzee!"
"Red-ass baboon!"
These two warriors, still in the bloom of youth, were far more lively than the stiff ones from earlier.
Of course, despite looking young, they were likely thousands of years old—but still youthful at heart.
"Wrong! I was doing King Louie from The Jungle Book!"
Striking a dramatic pose, Allen sneered, "People always say 'big boobs, no brains,' but I think your heads are just full of muscles."
"You cheated! We've never seen this King Louie! You have to mimic real animals from Earth—how else are we supposed to guess?"
The red-haired Nicole, with a smattering of freckles, protested vehemently.
Avril beside her chimed in, "We're not allowed to know anything about the outside world. You're just being mean. If you cheat again, we won't play with you anymore!"
"In that case, I'll lower the difficulty and crush you with my superior intelligence!"
Allen dropped to the ground, belly down, and started squirming forward with his butt in the air.
One stretch, one pull—just like a spineless creature crawling.
"Ugh, are you serious?"
Nicole, who had picked up a few slang phrases, snapped, "You're definitely making up some nonexistent creature!"
Allen kept squirming and defended himself: "I swear on my honor, this is 100% a real Earth creature. You've definitely seen it."
"I know!" Avril suddenly shouted. "It's an earthworm! I've seen them wriggle like that when I dig for bait!"
"He's obviously doing a sea eel with that butt-wiggle," Nicole argued.
"Wrong again!"
Allen leapt to his feet and proudly declared, "I was doing a dung maggot!"
"..."
The two warriors stared blankly for a moment—then gave him looks of pure disgust.
They had seen those before… but who the heck paid attention to something that gross?
Woooooo—
Just as they were about to scold him again, a horn sounded outside the cell.
"What's going on?" Allen pressed his face against the bars, excited. "Maybe that bachelor village is invading your man-hater island?"
"A war horn!"
"Something serious is happening!"
For the battle-hardened Amazons, the meaning was clear. That horn was only blown for two things—launching an attack, or when the island was under siege.
Some centuries passed without it ever being used.
Now chaos erupted across the Amazon ranks.
Because their beloved princess, Diana… had returned from the dead as a zombie.
Hundreds of warriors were fighting to contain her.
Her half-divine body had not decayed despite being dead for months—only a grayish hue now cloaked her flawless skin.
"She is not Diana. Show no mercy," Hippolyta commanded.
She could tell with her divine senses that the Diana before her was merely a puppet controlled by dark forces.
Especially at the beginning—when she pounced on a fellow Amazon and devoured her heart—that act alone confirmed her worst suspicion.
"I am Diana, your beloved and respected princess."
The Black Lantern ring's ability to read memories and replicate combat techniques made this Black Lantern zombie fight exactly like Wonder Woman.
The only difference was the absence of her divine relics—but this was compensated by the manifestation of black blood as weapons. Combined with her undead nature, this version was even more powerful overall.
One by one, Amazons fell seriously wounded. Unable to stand by any longer, Hippolyta had no choice but to personally step in.
She seized the opportunity to trap Diana with a golden lasso glowing with holy light—
The Lasso of Truth.
It both restrained and compelled the truth from its target.
Although Diana's body was restrained, the black blood manifestations continued their relentless assault.
Meanwhile, as others were occupied fighting the Black Lantern zombie—
In the temple housing the Mother Box, the Amazon warriors who guarded it day and night suddenly turned toward the entrance.
"Good evening, ladies."
Allen gave a polite little wave.
Taking advantage of their momentary distraction, he cast a teleportation spell and slipped away.
Earlier, he'd deliberately played a guessing game—pretending to mimic them—just to extract the location of the Mother Box.
In the film, it had been stored in a palace-like building, but the exact location wasn't made clear.
He wasn't stupid. Imitating some "maggot" wasn't just for fun—it was calculated humiliation to get what he wanted.
"The temple is sacred ground. Take one step further, and you die."
Antiope was on duty that night. The moment she saw Allen, she had already drawn her sword.
The warriors on both sides of the corridor gripped heavy hammers, ready to smash the supporting wooden pillars at a moment's notice, collapsing the entrance and sealing themselves inside with him.
Even if it meant death, they were unwavering in their mission.
At the same time, archers surrounding the Mother Box nocked arrows to their bows, eyes locked onto Allen. The instant he made a move, they would fire without hesitation.
"Have any of you ever been pregnant?" Allen asked with what looked like genuine sincerity.
"..."
Pregnant?
How could they possibly be pregnant?
There weren't even any men on Themyscira.
Hmm…
Antiope's brow furrowed slightly—then a twisting pain bloomed in her abdomen.
"Out of the kindness of my heart, I'll let you experience it firsthand."
Still standing at the temple's entrance, Allen quietly cast a custom spell on each Amazon warrior:
Octuple Birth: Difficult Labor Curse.
"Ah! My stomach—what is this pain!?"
"What's going on? What did he do to us!?"
"It's a curse! A vile and wicked curse!"
"..."
In an instant, the female warriors collapsed, all resistance gone, clutching their abdomens in agony.
The wrenching pain was indescribable, far beyond what even seasoned warriors could endure.
Antiope trembled uncontrollably, her forehead soaked in sweat.
Several warriors lay sprawled on the floor, moaning in torment.
Just as Allen stood there, gloating and admiring the results of his spell, he suddenly noticed the Mother Box vibrating uncontrollably.
"…Shit! Steppenwolf is here?!"