"The wording of this invitation is quite harsh..." Injustice Batman looked at the Battleworld panel and said, "It seems that Batman is ready to fight back. Do you think I should go?"
Sitting beside him, Injustice Superman rolled his eyes dramatically, saying, "In the past week alone, ten Supermen have come to rescue you already. If you keep staying out of sight, the day I return to Battleworld will be my death day."
"Alright. But they won't think it's me going, they'd think it's you. But that's a good thing, just consider me the Superman's Batman representative."
Injustice Superman sighed heavily. His experiences over the past week have been downright tragic. Ever since the Prime Universe exposed his deeds, Supermen from various universes have taken turns to "rescue" Batman from him.
Injustice Superman wasn't very strong, to begin with; when fighting the Main Universe Superman he was hammered. Most Supermen aren't much different from the Main Universe Superman in terms of strength, and getting chased and beaten by them left him utterly defenseless.
If they had come one by one, it might have been manageable; he could have escaped even if he couldn't win. But they didn't just come individually; they came in groups of three or four, making it impossible for him to fight or flee, ultimately having to call in Injustice Batman for help.
Thankfully, none of the Supermen could bear to harm Batman. As long as Injustice Batman stood there, even if they knew Batman might be under control, they simply couldn't do anything to him, ending up furiously berating Injustice Superman from afar.
This caused Injustice Superman's reputation among Supermen to plummet, while it soared among the Evil Supermen. He couldn't be said to be on equal footing with Night Owl, but he was practically catching up to Mad Laugh.
Injustice Superman initially wanted to salvage the situation. Although he had done some bad things in the past, he never moved a hair on Batman when they broke up, and he eventually reformed, giving up ruling Earth by force. It was the very image of a playboy returning to the right path; how did it turn into the Big devil?
But the more he explained, the worse it got. No one listened to his explanations; if Batman explained, they'd suspect brain control, leading to even more contempt. Eventually, Injustice Superman gave up.
He thought giving up was the end, but there was still room for decline. About three days ago, a Superman from another universe contacted him. This guy called himself Super霸, inviting him to conspire on an evil enterprise.
Initially, Injustice Superman was very dismissive: "Who'd conspire with you? Do you have the brain of Batman?"
But later, when he heard that this guy's corresponding Batman was Night Owl, he understood: "Your Batman doesn't have much of a brain either."
However, what Injustice Superman heard from other Supermen caught his attention: this so-called Super霸 was quite the opposite of the others.
In other words, what scared other Supermen didn't scare him, what they liked, he disliked; where others were righteous, he was evil; other Supermen feared Kryptonite, while he used it as a power source; others needed the Yellow Sun to enhance their strength, while exposure to it weakened him.
This situation was indeed unique. But initially, Injustice Superman was just watching for amusement, as he had already accepted the fact he couldn't beat most Supermen after being teamed up on and pounded by them.
However, the message from Super霸 contained a hidden sense of anxiety that made Injustice Superman feel something wasn't right. Super霸 seemed to be in some sort of trouble, with an undertone of urgency in his words.
Injustice Superman discussed the matter with Injustice Batman. Injustice Batman had no strong opinion on it. If Batman's side being predominantly neutral created an equal opportunity for both justice and evil forces, being a villain among the Supermen was practically suicidal.
The vast majority of Supermen are inherently righteous, and they can't tolerate even a speck of sand in their eyes. If you stay in your own universe and hide in a corner during Battleworld gatherings, it might be okay; but if you dare to come out and openly oppose society, they'd certainly swarm you, with punches coming at the speed of sixty per second being a gentle outcome.
Just like Injustice Superman said himself, he's too afraid to go to the Battleworld base now. If he dared to show his face, he'd be taken down immediately, and the Supermen would absolutely make sure he understood what true justice feels like.
Being a villain among Supermen has no prospects, so Injustice Batman didn't let Injustice Superman take on this role. However, Injustice Batman was quite curious about Night Owl's situation; this Super霸 could be the breakthrough point, so it wouldn't hurt to send Injustice Superman to make contact.
Besides, there was a more pressing issue: if he accepted the Primary Universe Batman's invitation to go to the Prime Universe, what would happen to Injustice Superman?
Without him acting as a human shield, Injustice Superman would undoubtedly be pounded into pulp by those Supermen coming to "rescue" him. But he couldn't possibly take him to attend Batman's meeting, so the best solution was to find another universe to lay low for a while.
The Justice Superman's universe was definitely off-limits; he'd be walking into a trap there. Looking for an evil Superman's universe seemed like the only choice. Night Owl's universe could be the only option.
Injustice Batman stood up and said, "I'll be heading to the Prime Universe soon. You have to leave earlier than I do to check out what's going on in Night Owl's universe. But going alone might be dangerous, it's best to call someone else."
"Call who? I'm the enemy of the Supermen now." Injustice Superman replied with irritation.
"There's always one or two who can tolerate you. I recall a universe where the Justice League turned into the Justice Lord? You guys might have similar political inclinations."
Injustice Superman pondered for a bit before remembering that Lord Superman was that "non-mainstream" with a very unique fashion sense.
The Justice Lord he established bore some resemblance to his Injustice League, so it might just work.
Injustice Superman also agreed that he couldn't stay at home indefinitely; finding a place to hide would be beneficial, and gathering intel on the Night Owl Universe provided a good excuse. So he sent a message to Lord Superman.
The other party was quick to respond, promptly arranging to meet in Battleworld. Unfortunately, Injustice Superman couldn't go to Battleworld right now, so he could only invite Lord Superman to visit his universe for a chat.
Lord Superman readily agreed, which left Injustice Superman a bit puzzled. His mind control of Batman had already spread across the Multiverse, so even if Lord Superman didn't get along with his own Batman, he wouldn't so easily delve into the lair of a "Super Evil Kryptonian," would he? So unguarded?
Injustice Superman tried asking and then learned that in their universe, Lord Superman played the role of Batman. He had to worry about everything, big and small. Recently, he had been so overwhelmed by the Magical Defense Network that he had no time to go online and thus didn't know what Injustice Superman had done.
Injustice Superman breathed a sigh of relief, finally not having to face direct confrontation. His recent experiences had made Injustice Superman fall in love with negotiation.
The day Lord Superman arrived, Injustice Superman received him in the President's Office. Injustice Superman still maintained his cold demeanor, but Lord Superman was generous with his praise.
"Well done, mate," Lord Superman nodded and said, "I heard you ruled the whole world before. That's the kind of boldness a Superman should have; those who just play street heroes wouldn't understand."
Injustice Superman's hand paused, then he said, "You're not bad either. I heard the Justice Lord is a global law enforcement organization, and you've nearly eradicated crime on Earth, which is indeed a tremendous feat."
Lord Superman chuckled and said, "Under my leadership, the Justice Lord maintains global security with unprecedented efficiency. No Justice League can match our achievements, which fully proves I'm right, and most Batmen are wrong."
Injustice Superman's actions paused again. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are Batmen difficult to deal with?"
"Oh, yes. I've heard more than once from other Supermen about Batmen's disagreement with my methods, but as I see it, they're just jealous, jealous that I'm doing better."
"I mean the Batman in your universe."
"Him?" Lord Superman snorted coldly, "He's just stubborn. But after seeing my achievements, he's completely changed his stance. Now he's a good assistant of mine."
"How did you come up with the idea of forming the Justice Lord?" Injustice Superman continued to ask, and then he deliberately added, "Don't mind me, I'm just chatting. After all, if we might cooperate next, it's best to get to know each other a bit. If you have time, I can also tell you my story."
Lord Superman thought for a moment and said, "Actually, it was nothing much, just one day, after using violent means to stop a crime, realizing it was effective, so I created this organization. But if I must trace the specific origin, it starts with the poor Flash."
"The Flash?"
Lord Superman sighed deeply, and Injustice Superman could see the genuine emotion in his eyes. Lord Superman's tone lowered, and he said, "Luther killed the Flash, and I killed Luther. But I have no regrets. When he killed, he should have known this day would come."
Injustice Superman's hand paused as he picked up his coffee cup, and he said, "What about Batman?"
"What?"
"The Batman in your universe...didn't he stop you?"
Lord Superman looked at him rather surprised and said, "How could he stop me? He couldn't even if he tried."
"Didn't he accuse you?"
"Accuse me of what?"
"Accuse you of killing."
Lord Superman was even more confused, he said, "Didn't I say? It was Luther who killed the Flash, and I killed him. The Flash is also Batman's partner, I avenged the Flash for him, so why would he accuse me?"
"Yeah, he definitely shouldn't have accused you." Injustice Superman was already gritting his teeth.
"Batman had long told me that if I killed someone, he'd help me deal with the body. Unfortunately, I rarely leave bodies when I kill." Lord Superman blew on his coffee and said.
"He even said he'd help you deal with the body?!" Injustice Superman raised his voice and said.
"He never told you?" Lord Superman looked at him and said, "No way? When I talked with other Supermen about this, they all said Batman had said something similar. Are you an exception?"
"Heh." Injustice Superman chuckled in anger.
"Okay, I've finished my story, now it's your turn. How was the Injustice League established?" Lord Superman asked.
"Nothing much to say," Injustice Superman stood up coldly and said, "Time waits for no one, let's get going."