In an instant, the madness and pride on Steppenwolf's face froze, shattered, and were replaced by ultimate terror—fear that came from the deepest depths of his soul! That face… that expression… and that terrifying, nightmare-like aura!
"Yes… is it you…"
Steppenwolf's voice changed sharply from extreme fear, becoming tense and harsh. He'd just stepped into the explosion tunnel, only to suddenly recoil as if shocked by electricity!
Immediately after, he did something that startled everyone—including Diana and Mera, who had been locked in bloody combat. Without any hesitation, he bolted straight back into the Boom Tube! The speed of his movement and the awkwardness of his retreat made it seem as if something a thousand times worse than death was chasing him.
"Ugh!"
He couldn't even defeat the demon army he'd summoned. That person simply teleported him away. Right after, the Boom Tube that had been distorting the space rapidly shrank and, with a "pop," closed completely and disappeared without a trace.
The entire process was extremely fast. From Steppenwolf's intimidating posture to his terrified retreat, it took less than a second.
…
???
The scene fell into an odd silence. Only the leaderless demons, still attacking indiscriminately, proved that what had just happened wasn't an illusion.
Yet without backup or command, these demon-like creatures were no match for the elite Atlantean warriors. In less than two seconds, all the demons were swiftly and neatly disposed of.
The battle was over.
Mera and the warriors stood, weapons in hand, staring at each other, large question marks written on their faces.
"What just… happened?"
A soldier asked blankly.
"That was… the commander of the Apokolips demons, I think… Why did he leave so suddenly?"
Another wondered.
Diana sheathed the Godkiller Sword, a very strange expression on her heroic face. She turned and looked at Lucci, who had been standing there from start to finish, and explained to the others with a slight hint of emotion in her tone:
"That's probably it… Prince Lucci must have scared him off, right?"
Mera and the warriors were stunned when they heard this, then suddenly remembered what Diana had said before. Back when Lucci was on Themyscira, he'd once slashed off one of Steppenwolf's arms with a single sword!
Thinking of this, they looked at Lucci with a strange and inexplicable gaze. What kind of psychological shadow must he have left on Steppenwolf, a legendary ferocious and despotic interstellar conqueror, that not only did he flee in terror without a word, but didn't even dare utter a single cruel remark?
Such deterrence is truly invincible!
Lucci gazed at the spot where Steppenwolf had vanished. The Boom Tube disappeared quickly, and surprise flashed across his face as well.
"He's really cautious."
This Steppenwolf, after experiencing defeat, had learned to be smart. The instant he saw Lucci, he didn't even dare to try—he directly chose a strategic retreat, and decisively at that.
But Lucci didn't care.
You may escape the monk, but you can't escape the temple. The Mother Box was in his hands, which meant he held the absolute initiative. No matter how cautious or hidden Steppenwolf became, as long as he wanted to complete Darkseid's mission, he would eventually have to face Lucci again and meet his death. At most, it would just take a bit more time.
At that moment, Arthur, who had been a "corpse lying in a giant pit," also witnessed Steppenwolf's hasty exit and entry. His shock was even greater than Diana and Mera's, because through his connection with the sea, he could distinctly sense the violent, evil, and destructive power radiating from Steppenwolf. That power was not inferior to his own—if anything, it was greater!
Yet such a powerful and terrifying being, at the mere sight of Lucci, fled like a frightened mouse seeing a cat, without pausing for even a second!
This… Is this the power of the Crown Prince of Asgard? Does simply standing here make the demons of Apokolips flee in terror?
This is unbelievable!
Arthur's heart churned with waves.
Only now did he truly understand how foolish and ignorant his previous actions had been. Looking back, he finally realized that Lucci's earlier attack might have been just a warning. Otherwise, if he had the power to scare off Steppenwolf, a single punch would have been enough to kill him if he'd truly wanted to. The fact that he was merely lying here in pain—was already a great act of mercy.
Thinking this, Arthur lost all his fighting spirit or resistance, left only with bitterness and a faint happiness about being alive.
Arthur coughed awkwardly and called out in a very embarrassed tone,
"So… could someone… help me up?"
His bones were practically shattered; he really couldn't get up even if he tried.
Only then did everyone suddenly remember—the King of the Seas was down in the pit!
"Arthur!"
Mera rushed down, controlled the gentle currents, and carefully "lifted" Arthur out of the human-shaped hole.
Lucci smiled at Arthur's pain and shook his head lightly. He snapped his fingers. An emerald green light, filled with boundless vitality, shot precisely into Arthur's chest from Lucci's fingertip.
The next moment, Arthur felt a warm, comfortable, indescribable energy spread through his limbs. Broken bones, damaged meridians, and internal organs were all nourished by this energy. Healing and regeneration began at a speed visible to the naked eye. He could even clearly hear the sound of bones knitting together inside his body; but instead of pain, it brought a sharp, tingling relief.
But in just a few seconds, Arthur felt all his pain vanish without a trace. Not only that, but he felt even better than before the battle, filled with unprecedented strength!
He moved his limbs and was amazed to find himself completely uninjured.
This scene stunned Arthur, Mera, and the surrounding Atlantean warriors.
"This… this is…"
Arthur stared at Lucci in shock, stammering for words. A gravely injured man, with all his bones broken just moments ago, had fully recovered in an instant!
What kind of healing ability is this?
This is a miracle—a power that can bring the dead back to life!
Thinking this, Arthur's heart filled with profound awe and respect. He knew he had no reason, nor qualification, to be arrogant any longer. He stepped before Lucci and knelt solemnly on one knee.
"Prince Lucci,"
"I, Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis, sincerely apologize for my previous recklessness and ignorance."
"Your strength and your kindness are vaster than the sea."
"From now on, I will lead the entire Kingdom of Atlantis to follow you and fight for you!"
Behind him, Mera and all the Atlantean warriors knelt in unison, expressing their loyalty to Lucci with the utmost solemnity.
…
On the other side of the world, in Pripyat, Apokolips technology continued to transform the ecosystem drastically. Weird, dark-red, vein-like plants jutted out of the concrete, wrapping ruined buildings. The air was thick with radioactive dust and the stench of hellish brimstone.
Thousands of Parademons hovered like flies, buzzing and building chaotic, evil nests above the ruined city.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a popping sound echoed at the center of the nest. A tall figure tumbled out and landed heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust. It was Steppenwolf, who had just fled in panic from Atlantis.
He stood up, gripping his massive tomahawk, his face twisted with fear and uncontrollable anger—two extreme emotions intertwining and distorting his whole being.
"How could this happen? Why—why did it happen!"
He roared, his voice full of humiliation and confusion.
Why?
Why did that terrifying man—the nightmare who cut off his arm with a sword—appear in Atlantis?
This was completely outside of his plan!
Just recalling Lucci's calm gaze, as if looking at a dead thing, made Steppenwolf's soul tremble. It was absolute suppression at the level of life itself—leaving him powerless to even consider resisting.
Shame!
Unprecedented shame and humiliation!
He was a great commander of Apokolips, the conqueror of New Genesis, yet he'd fled in terror from a native of a lower planet!
"Aaaaah!"
Rage and shame erupted like a volcano. Steppenwolf suddenly slapped a hapless Parademon flying toward him.
"Useless trash! Why don't you all just die!"
He roared, his arm muscles suddenly bulging. With a "pop," the demon burst in his fist like an overripe tomato.
But venting his anger did nothing to ease the anxiety in his heart. He couldn't help but imagine how cruelly Lord Darkseid would punish him for failing his mission. Such a fate was a thousand times worse than death!
In the abyss of despair and madness, Steppenwolf's gaze fell by chance on the Mother Box, which had been delivered to humans, now quietly suspended on a makeshift altar at the center of the nest, glowing red—as if mocking his incompetence.
Mother Box…
In the darkness of despair, a faint spark flashed through Steppenwolf's mind. He didn't know much about this ancient and mysterious device—only that it was the "Anti-Life Equation," a "machine of transformation" with infinite possibilities. Even after tens of thousands of years, Apokolips' scientists had been unable to fully understand its mysteries.
In that case…
If it truly has infinite possibilities…
Could it… possibly deal with that terrifying man?
As soon as this thought arose, it clung to Steppenwolf's mind like a crazed vine. Like a drowning man grasping a straw he never knew existed.
He walked over to the Mother Box, reached out, and pressed his palm slowly against the cold metal surface. Closing his eyes, he linked his consciousness to the vast database within the Mother Box—deep as the universe itself.
"Tell me!"
His soul roared and asked,
"How do I deal with… an enemy on this planet far stronger than myself?"
His question became a data stream through the spiritual connection, flowing into the Mother Box's core.
To his surprise, the cold machine actually responded!
In Steppenwolf's spiritual world, countless images and information flooded in all at once. He saw a red cape, an S-shaped symbol, a man spreading his arms toward the sun, destroying alien warships with heat vision, shaking mountains with his body of steel!
It was Superman, the son of Krypton, battling on Earth!
The scene shifted—Superman's corpse lay quietly among the rubble, breath gone.
Finally, a cold, pure stream of data etched itself clearly into Steppenwolf's mind:
[Scheme Generated: Target "Kryptonian" is deceased; its biological structure is highly plastic. Using the power of the Mother Box to reverse the process of entropy, life can be reshaped.]
[Advantages: After resurrection, the Kryptonian will be a blank slate with no memory, allowing their mind to be programmed in a certain way—making them an extremely powerful weapon of destruction.]
[Risk Warning: This plan is not perfect. Time or specific stimuli may cause the target to regain its original memories. The consequences… are unpredictable!]
Receiving all this information, Steppenwolf suddenly opened his eyes. The despair and insanity on his face disappeared, replaced by an almost crazed ecstasy!
"Ha… hahahaha!"
He cackled hysterically, his laughter filled with lifelong joy and hope for revenge.
"Wonderful! Truly marvelous! Kryptonian! Resurrect the Kryptonian!"
He knew exactly how powerful a Kryptonian was.
This was the perfect solution to deal with that terrifying man!
As for the "risk of memory recovery," Steppenwolf didn't care in the least. In his view, it wasn't a problem at all! He'd use the memoryless Kryptonian to seize the Mother Box from that terrifying man and immediately open a permanent Boom Tube to Earth—then his mission would be complete! At that point, Lord Darkseid himself would come to end the fate of the entire planet. As for what a resurrected Kryptonian might do after recovering its memory—how could it possibly matter in the face of Darkseid's supreme power? That wouldn't be his concern!
Thinking this, Steppenwolf's pride and ambition reignited. He immediately issued a top-priority order to the entire nest.
"All Parademons! Find the Kryptonian's corpse! Dig ten feet into the ground if you have to—find it!"
With the order, tens of thousands of Parademons erupted into action, screeching as they burst out of the barrier like a black locust swarm, spreading across the globe to carry out their master's mad command.
Steppenwolf himself placed his hand on the Mother Box again, carefully studying the method of resurrecting the Kryptonian.
…
Gotham City, suburbs.
A low-key black sedan turned off the highway onto a secluded forest road and stopped in front of a seemingly abandoned lakeside warehouse.
Bruce Wayne stepped out of the car, followed by two young men with different expressions. One was Barry Allen, wearing a red hoodie, looking a bit thin, his eyes full of curiosity and excitement about everything around him. The other was tall, half his body covered in dark blue metal emitting light, his face calm but with a faint gloomy vibe—Victor Stone.
After being rejected by Arthur the Aquaman, Bruce Wayne did not give up. He used all his information networks and financial resources to track down and recruit these two "newcomers" with extraordinary abilities. After his persuasion, a ragtag version of the Justice League was barely formed.
"…"
Barry looked at the tattered warehouse with interest, asking, "Is this our base camp?"
A lakeside warehouse? He'd thought it would be a high-rise penthouse or a high-tech lab—something a bit cooler.
Bruce didn't answer, but walked up to the wall, verifying his palm print and iris on a hidden device.
A rumbling sound echoed as the ground before them slowly split open, and a massive elevator platform rose up from below.
….