At the final moment of Oa's crisis, Hal Jordan had managed to contact Batman on Earth. Batman reached out to Red Robin, who contacted Wonder Girl Cassie, who went to find Diana. As Diana's protégé, Cassie had the right to enter Themyscira.
New Genesis's army attacking Oa—Diana could barely believe it at first. She assumed her protégé was joking, right up until Highfather personally took the field. After that, the truth was undeniable.
Unlike Thea, Diana wasn't exactly incapable of teleportation. As the commander of the Magic Legion, she'd put in at least some practice. But her skills were rough at best—teleporting herself all the way to Oa would have been a serious ordeal.
However, Highfather hadn't lingered on Oa. He'd returned to New Genesis shortly after, and Diana, after a moment's hesitation, chose not to alert Thea. To prevent the situation from escalating into open war, she activated a Boom Tube alone and headed back to New Genesis to confront Highfather directly.
In truth, Highfather held Diana in very high regard. Selfless, just, a champion of the weak—she was practically a younger version of himself. And Diana was still young, with enormous room to grow.
But today's meeting got off to a rocky start.
Diana spotted Kyle Rayner sitting unrestrained, and some of the tension left her shoulders. She didn't want to blow this up either. With a slight bow, she asked: "Your Majesty, why did you attack Oa?"
Highfather weighed every single word. He didn't want to trigger a full-scale war between New Genesis and the Underworld.
These days, only two powers could field endless waves of troops without restraint: Hell and the Underworld. Both had inexhaustible reserves of soldiers. The Underworld's war potential was especially terrifying—every time one of Highfather's soldiers died, the Underworld gained one more. If the conflict dragged on, no one could withstand that kind of attrition.
New Genesis and Apokolips alike had finite numbers of elite warriors, no matter how formidable they were individually.
Darkseid, currently wrestling with demons on Apokolips, was a living example. Wave after wave of endless demons had ground the New Gods down to exhaustion. Darkseid himself had taken the field multiple times, barely holding the demon armies at bay.
Highfather hoped to use the framework of "justice" to keep Diana in check. His instincts were sharp—as long as Diana opposed the idea, Thea wouldn't declare war.
"For the sake of justice. This Earthling possesses a weapon that could end all evil." His phrasing was excruciatingly careful.
"Please, give me a moment. The legion commanders will arrive shortly, and I will provide a convincing explanation for this operation," Highfather said with evident sincerity.
Diana chose not to press further. She exchanged a few words with Kyle, then sat down to rest.
The battle against Krona had taken a heavy toll on her as well. Her current combat power was less than half of what it had been at her peak, and recovery would take time.
Before long, the legion commanders, Metron in his advisory role, and several New Gods holding specific administrative posts had all assembled.
They bowed to Highfather in turn. Though his personal power surpassed everyone present, New Genesis was not Apokolips—this was a democratic system. Even as the strongest warrior and supreme leader, Highfather owed them an explanation.
Highfather cleared his throat and gestured toward Kyle. "Allow me to introduce our guest. This mortal is Kyle Rayner. His universe recently suffered a catastrophe, and it was he who stepped forward to avert disaster."
"I strive to protect all universes—that is my duty and my honor. Regrettably, this crisis came too suddenly. Even I was powerless to act, and it was this mortal who resolved it. He has earned our respect."
Kyle felt a twinge of distaste. Highfather kept saying "mortal" as casually as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. In Highfather's mind, mortals and gods occupied two entirely different tiers, as if that were simply the natural order.
By comparison, Thea's casual, easy confidence was far more comfortable to be around. As for Highfather's talk of the "universal crisis," Kyle was equally unimpressed. His sacrifice to save the universe had nothing to do with New Genesis. The condescending tone made it sound as though everything he'd endured had been in pursuit of their divine approval.
What had been an eighty-point first impression instantly dropped by thirty.
"The Green Lantern Corps' reckless use of emotions very nearly caused universal annihilation. This was a threat I should have recognized but failed to..." Highfather was still mid-explanation when Diana cut him off.
"That's still no justification for assaulting Oa. The Green Lantern Corps has always upheld universal justice. How is that wrong?"
Diana's interjection sent a ripple through the assembled commanders. Today's meeting was clearly not routine. Her tone, bordering on accusation, made several of them uneasy. New Genesis had always championed itself as a beacon of justice. Evil could devour its own, but justice was supposed to stand united. Was that belief about to crack today? They stayed silent, waiting for Highfather to offer a credible explanation.
"My actions were hasty, but I am certain they were correct," Highfather said with gravity.
Kyle couldn't hold back any longer. "Nonsense! Is the Green Lantern Corps some gang of criminals? They've made enormous contributions to universal peace, saved countless lives, and your army put them to the sword!"
The assembled New Gods exchanged startled glances. Had Highfather truly done something so out of character?
"I acknowledge that errors were made in this matter—"
"No, Father. The fault is mine. I accept full responsibility." At the critical moment, Orion—his adopted son—stepped forward to take the blame. He had darkness in his soul; if he did a bit of killing and arson, everyone would find it perfectly understandable.
His sudden intervention left Diana and Kyle unsure of where to direct their anger.
Diana hadn't been present for the attack. The news had passed from Batman to Cassie to her, and details had inevitably shifted along the way. She turned to Kyle for his perspective.
Kyle had no insight into the political maneuvering behind the scenes. He fell silent.
With his adopted son absorbing the blame, Highfather managed to paper over the assault on Oa. He moved directly to the main point.
"Kyle Rayner carries a power of tremendous magnitude—a weapon critical to our fight against evil."
"If I'm not mistaken, it is the Life Equation. It possesses a force no mortal can withstand. It will correct the universe. The Life Equation will help us reshape reality into what we want it to be. It is the only weapon that can end evil once and for all!"
Highfather fixed his gaze on Kyle and spoke with deliberate weight: "Mortal—the Life Equation exceeds your capacity. Only a god can wield it."
Diana studied Highfather as if seeing him for the first time, examining every detail of his face.
She was no fool—far from it. Highfather was making a play for the prize.