Nevada, inside one of the most secure hidden chambers.
In a dimly lit secret room.
A flickering yellow oil lamp cast the shadows of two figures across the wall. The thick, stifling air clung to the skin, making every pore feel suffocated.
Luthor curled the corners of his mouth into a faint smile, his eyes fixed on the tablet in his left hand.
Bardi's declaration played on the screen, and his grand voice echoed through the small room.
"What remarkable courage—to lead mankind into the era of genetic superpowers! In just a few days, all the unrest has been absorbed into his game, training in combat skills, gaming for powers!
Redirect conflict, protect Earth.
Barmulodi's imperial regime is now stabilized."
In Luthor's right hand, a diamond-shaped kryptonite crystal glowed faintly green, sliding between his fingers.
He flipped the tablet shut and placed it on the old gray wooden table, sending dust drifting under the wavering lamplight.
He turned his gaze to the kryptonite, gripping its two sharp ends with his index finger and thumb.
He lifted it toward the lamp. The dim light filtered through the kryptonite, highlighting its faint green glow. It was translucent and beautiful.
"Batman, I'm sorry. If your plan is still to sneak into the Emperor Building, forge kryptonite, search for strange anomalies, and hope I'll find a chance to kill Barmulodi… then I'm done playing your meaningless game."
"Oh, and the Kryptonian spacecraft? That was your idea too. You planned for mutual destruction. But you seem to forget—even if they both fall, Earth will be nothing but ruins."
"What's more, Barmulodi claims he can fight a Kryptonian ship by himself."
Luthor pocketed the kryptonite and turned toward Batman, his eyes cold.
At that moment, Batman stood before him in full form. His consciousness had returned from Mike's body back to his own.
Clad in the iconic dark Bat-suit, under the flickering light, he resembled a shadow emerging from darkness. He spoke slowly.
"You betrayed our alliance, Luthor. You let them die."
His voice was deep, raspy, and heavy with restrained anger, echoing in the oppressive basement.
He was speaking of Earth, and the more than 300 superpowered individuals from the former National Alliance. All were slaughtered, wiped out inside the Emperor Building.
Luthor's cold gaze showed no emotion. His bald head caught the dim glow of the oil lamp.
"I don't recall ever joining any alliance."
In truth, there was nothing Luthor could have done.
He understood that those might have been Earth's last true resistance. But he was powerless to act.
Especially because the Alliance hadn't informed him of anything. The moment they infiltrated the Emperor Building, he had been cut off—completely abandoned. Not a single piece of intel reached him.
At the end, when Deathstroke, who Bardi had warned him never to approach, appeared before him, he couldn't help but wonder—had they been discovered?
The timing was too coincidental. It left Luthor genuinely uneasy.
Batman's face was grim. He met Luthor's stare. Neither man backed down. Cold. Deep. Tense.
What Batman hadn't expected was that Deathstroke, once a key figure in opposing Barmulodi, was actually one of his people. In the end, it was Deathstroke who led Earth's remaining forces to their deaths inside the Emperor Building.
That day, before Batman returned from Themyscira, he had no choice but to use Mike's body to minimize losses. He took a massive risk to infiltrate the Emperor Building during Bardi's absence. There, he used their advanced tech to synthesize some kryptonite and gather other necessary gear.
But this kryptonite was flawed—artificial and temporary. It worked on ordinary Kryptonian genetic soldiers, but had little effect on Barmulodi himself.
"What are you looking for, Batman?"
Luthor asked coldly, staring at him.
While observing Batman through Mike, Luthor had noticed that Batman had been collecting a lot of marked intel—data clearly labeled by Barmulodi.
Obviously, Batman knew something. Like a prophet, he was searching for something.
"To deal with Barmulodi's power."
Batman's voice was low.
He had searched for Shazam, hoping to obtain the Wizard's power. He looked for Black Adam, trying to release him to fight Barmulodi. He searched for the gods of Olympus—tracing Poseidon's location in the sea, looking for signs of the underworld.
He even looked for the Mother Box that had once been on Earth, trying to recreate Cyborg's miracle and use it to combat Barmulodi's artificial intelligence. He had even broadcast a frequency to contact Doctor Fate.
But none of it worked. The world wasn't normal. None of those legendary beings had appeared. Something had caused all the powerful forces to vanish.
Batman was sure—this world was not right.
And it wasn't just because Barry had run out from the Flashpoint. Something was severing this world, making it impossible for those great powers to enter.
This world felt unreal to him. Yet slowly, it began to feel too real. A disturbing contradiction.
Luthor narrowed his eyes, studying Batman. Under the oil lamp's glow, Batman's dark form looked like a brooding oil painting—three-dimensional, real yet illusory, full of unspeakable thoughts.
"You have one more chance."
Luthor said coldly.
Batman had disappointed him. This was it—he couldn't kill Barmulodi.
Barmulodi was always one step ahead. Did Batman really think they could trick him into letting kryptonite be stolen? What would it even accomplish?
Some of Batman's strategies, based on future memories, now seemed ineffective and aimless in Luthor's eyes.
So far, Batman had done nothing to cause Barmulodi serious trouble—much less kill him.
With that, Luthor turned and left the basement.
Batman watched his silhouette. Under the dim light, Luthor's bald head and white suit slowly vanished into the dark corridor.
Silence.
In a shadowy corner of the basement, a red figure flickered into view, accompanied by yellow lightning. The Flash emerged from the wall and walked over to Batman.
"Bruce, the Cosmic Treadmill is finished."
"But I can't run through. Barmulodi is like a nail pinned into this world. I can't reach the Speed Force wall."
The Flash's face was bitter with frustration.
"I'm sorry. Everything… is because of me."
If I hadn't run back to save my mother, this wouldn't have happened.
Barry's heart was heavy with grief. The Justice League was destroyed. Hal was lost in space. Diana was captured. Themyscira had become Barmulodi's weapon. Cyborg was handed over by the Amazons and executed. Aquaman was crucified on a beach.
The child of human hope, Clark, never grew up. He was brutally killed by Barmulodi as an infant.
Shazam vanished. Doctor Fate disappeared. Olympus was gone.
Barmulodi ruled the world.
The seemingly peaceful world was merely the beginning of Barmulodi's conquest of the universe.
He had taken the entire Earth hostage, forcing humanity to fight on his behalf.
"It's not your fault, Barry."
Batman's voice was steady and deep.
"Even if you ran back, it wouldn't explain the disappearance of so many heroes and figures."
"It's strange that they vanished at all, Barry. Maybe it's just coincidence."
"I'll create an opening. You just have to run."
"Barry, run. You just need to run."
(To be continued.)
***
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