Real World.
Dane returned to the Hall of Justice in Kahndaq with Hespera, and the other members had also returned.
As soon as he arrived at the Hall of Justice, he heard Constantine shouting inside.
"That thing is absolutely god-level magic!"
They gathered in front of the large screen, repeatedly watching the footage playing on it.
Just by looking at the "big mouth" that opened in the void, Constantine would bet his future smoking and drinking money that this was definitely the work of a god.
What's going on these days? Why does Earth keep encountering opponents of this level?
At this moment, Dane walked in from outside the door, carrying Hespera.
Batman was the first to notice him.
"Your previous guess was correct; Ares was indeed behind the Pacific Ocean battlefield."
"He's strong, but not our match when we team up," Nightwing said.
"He also has other helpers. According to the energy analysis at the scene, that intensity could very well be another god," Red Hood stated his opinion.
The Bat-Family's analytical abilities were indeed remarkable. Dane knew so much because he had enough information, but they deduced purely from a few clues.
"I already have some idea about the identity of the mastermind who collaborated with Ares, but to understand it more clearly, we can interrogate an informed person."
After saying this, Dane looked beside him, and Cortana appeared at that moment.
Batman narrowed his eyes. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he always felt that Cortana had changed a lot recently, seeming to have surpassed the intelligence level an artificial intelligence should have.
Dane communicated with Cortana: "Have all those people been captured?"
Cortana nodded: "All the Kryptonian corpses have been brought back, and Teth-Adam is also imprisoned in a special prison."
Saying that, Cortana glanced at the unconscious Hespera, waved her hand, and transferred her to her prison.
This action confirmed Batman's guess: Cortana had definitely undergone some upgrade he didn't know about. Her intelligence level was no longer much different from a real person's.
But neither Dane nor Cortana noticed his gaze.
"Cortana, bring Teth-Adam over; we have something to ask him."
Cortana's eyes lit up with magic light, and Teth-Adam was teleported in front of everyone.
He wore anti-magic handcuffs on his hands, unable to resist, but his face still held an unyielding expression.
When he was a slave in Kahndaq, he was submissive to King Acton, the ruler. Who would have thought that after becoming a defender, he would instead become the most steadfast anti-authoritarian, the hardest bone to crack?
"Teth-Adam, tell us the source of that Netherworld power on you. Was it that which teleported those Kryptonian to the Real World?"
Adam sneered at him: "You already know everything, don't you? Why ask me?"
Batman heard this and walked to Dane's side like a ghost.
"If you're willing, I'd be happy to help you interrogate this guy."
Red Hood also spoke: "Or I can do it."
Nightwing looked at the two of them, wondering if he should participate.
"No need for such trouble, Cortana, it's up to you."
Cortana smiled softly, her finger, like an invisible object, reached into Teth-Adam's brain, instantly plunging him into a deep dream.
In the dream, she could freely browse Teth-Adam's memories.
A moment later, she told everyone her findings.
"The person who arranged all this is Hades. Those Kryptonian are also exiles he has accumulated over tens of thousands of years; they all come from the Phantom Zone."
Dane nodded, as he expected.
Batman asked: "What is his purpose?"
"He wants to get Hell," Cortana gave an answer that Batman hadn't expected.
He couldn't help but repeat: "Hell?"
Cortana glanced at Dane, and seeing that he didn't object, continued:
"Hell is currently Dane's territory, so it can basically be confirmed that the opponent is coming for Dane."
"You wait a moment, let me calm down." Nightwing felt that the amount of information was a bit overwhelming.
He suddenly turned his head to look at Dane: "Hell is... your territory now?"
Dane nodded, saying casually: "Just acquired it a while ago."
"I think you should elaborate on this matter."
Batman's face darkened, though no one could see it because of his mask.
Dane saw that everyone else also had a "holy crap" expression, so he could only briefly explain the deal between him and Lucifer.
Zatanna already knew about this, so she wasn't surprised.
On the contrary, Constantine, that scoundrel, upon hearing this news, his first reaction was whether he wouldn't have to fear being hounded for debts if he really went to Hell in the future.
He had also become someone with a powerful backer!
Then why would he go to that damn Heaven? Wouldn't it be better to go to Hell and show off?
Arthur merely sighed at Dane's vast powers; beyond that, he had no other thoughts. His brain capacity was low, and he couldn't think of anything too profound.
But this news was a huge shock to the Bat-Family. It meant that if Shazam were to do evil one day in the future, Earth would almost certainly be powerless to fight back.
But contemplating such issues now was meaningless.
Batman suppressed his diverging thoughts and brought the focus back to the event itself.
If Hades simply wanted Hell, this matter was actually unrelated to humanity and the Real World.
But from Ares's series of actions, even if they didn't obstruct Hades's plan, they didn't seem like they would leave the Real World untouched.
Ultimately, the goal of these gods might still be aimed at the Real World, which gave Batman a massive headache.
What he hated most were these supernatural matters.
Zatanna was the first to state: "We cannot let Hades get Hell. Once he succeeds, his power will swell dramatically because of it.
You should have some understanding of the legends of the Olympian Gods. Hades's relationship with his siblings is very bad, and this will spark a god war!"
Arthur asked curiously: "They fight their battles; what does it have to do with us?"
Zatanna looked at him as if he were an idiot: "Leaving aside other places, your Atlantis, as Poseidon's followers, will definitely participate in the war. You wouldn't think that a god war only concerns gods, would you?"
"At that time, not only you, but Paradise Island will also be dragged into the war. This kind of god war will eventually spread to the Real World, and those gods will use various methods to replenish their troops."
Constantine also frowned, adding: "Moreover, once Hades gets Hell, Heaven certainly won't stand idly by. You wouldn't not know how many people in this World believe in God, would you?"
Everyone realized the seriousness of the situation upon hearing this.
But Dane added fuel to the fire: "In fact, not only that, but once the battle for Hell breaks out, people from other pantheons certainly won't sit idly by. Who knows how many demons and monsters from other pantheons will get involved."
Everyone looked at him speechlessly. Why do you look like it has nothing to do with you?
Isn't that your territory?
Batman suddenly thought of a question.
"Since Hell has become your territory, what about Lucifer? Where did he go? And if you're not in Hell, then who is managing Hell now?"
Dane answered him: "Hell currently has no manager; they're busy fighting amongst themselves. As for Lucifer... I advise you not to mess with him. That Fallen Angel is more dangerous than a true demon."
Constantine immediately understood Dane's governing philosophy.
"Let those demons fight to the death in Hell; they won't have as much energy to bother the human realm. No wonder I feel like there have been a lot fewer exorcism requests recently..."
"So, where exactly were Clark and the others taken?"
Batman asked the most important question.
"Since Hades did this, the greatest possibility is that they were teleported to the Underworld."
"That's Hades's territory. Are they alright?"
Nightwing asked with concern.
Actually, Diana and Hal were fine, but Clark? His power comes from the Sun, and there is no Sun in the Underworld.
The longer he stays there, the weaker he will become.
"Don't worry, I've considered that," Dane reassured him. "Their teleportation bracelets have been updated. They will interfere with the magic's operation when forcibly teleported by other forces, taking them to a relatively safe place in a nearby space."
While Cortana was upgrading, he also upgraded the equipment of other members. Because it was a nanometer particle reorganization, this upgrade did not attract everyone's attention.
The nano battlesuit he threw on Flash was also made with this new technology, so he was sure that Hades would not find them so easily.
Moreover, the upgraded teleportation device also had a stealth function, which could avoid Hades's sight, thus buying them some time.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"