The commotion between Dante and Lex Luthor wasn't small. It even drew the attention of most of the students' hidden sentinels.
But after reporting the situation, they all received the same instruction from Professor X.
Dante? If it's him, just leave it. Pretend you didn't see anything.
Others might not know Dante well, but Professor X knew him like the back of his… bald head.
Dante was actually an easygoing guy.
And Professor X had also heard about Lex Luthor.
A spotless reputation. So spotless there wasn't a single blemish.
That, in itself, was unnatural.
For an ordinary person? Fine. But Lex Luthor was the owner of a massive corporation, the heir to the Luthor family.
Not a single blemish?
Who are you trying to kid?
So Professor X simply decided to give Dante full autonomy to deal with him.
He figured Dante's deliberate approach and obvious provocation meant he'd already found leverage or clues.
With that in mind, Professor X sent a video call to Fury.
As soon as it connected, he said, "Fury, Dante's causing trouble again."
"If you're talking about him and Lex Luthor, I already know."
"You really are omnipotent, Fury."
"Omnipotent my ass," Fury said through gritted teeth. "My car was parked near the buffet. Just now, Dante's Death Goddess took my eye patch. So I'm hiding in the car."
"She took your eye patch? What kind of fetish is that?"
"Hell if I know…" Fury muttered from inside the car. "But if a proper goddess needs something of mine, I assume it's for some great purpose. She can't just be messing with me… right?"
He hung up, then switched channels.
"Director Fury calling Coulson. Respond if you hear me."
"Coulson here. What's up?"
"Don't let Dante go too far with Luthor in public. Get him to take Luthor to the interrogation room on your team's Airbus."
"Yes, sir."
Coulson agreed, then looked up just in time to see Dante manhandling the loudly shouting Lex Luthor.
"Dante! Take him back to the Airbus! Too many people here!"
Coulson waved his arms until Dante looked his way.
When Dante finally put Luthor down, Coulson gave the surrounding agents a look.
What are you standing around for? Move it!
Parent Day just started. Get back to your posts!
…
Dante kicked open the interrogation room door, and he and Hela shoved Lex into a chair.
The place was oddly nostalgic.
The last time he'd been in here was when he staged that little performance with Coulson to fool Skye.
Good times.
That kid had been so easy to trick.
"Everything should be mine! It's mine!" Lex glared at Dante, the orange in his eyes deepening. "Superman… and you… sooner or later, you'll both be mine!"
"Thanks for the offer, just got off the plane, not interested," Dante said dryly. Seeing Lex about to keep ranting, he smacked him on the head hard enough to rattle his skull. "Calm down now, or I'll blow that bald head of yours clean off, and your desires will scatter with the wind."
The slap worked like a charm.
Lex's eyes cleared noticeably.
Even completely ruled by greed, the threat of death made him dial it back.
The Orange Light dimmed. He almost seemed human again.
"See? Greed makes you jealous of anyone better, but it also makes you cling to your life," Dante said, mocking him. Then he got down to business. "The attacks on Stark Industries, Wayne Group, and Queen Group… that was your family's doing, wasn't it?"
"That's right." Lex looked almost impressed. "For a frontline FBI agent, you're much sharper than those fools."
"Is that flattery?" Dante's mouth twitched. "I catch one little move of yours and I get praise from a megalomaniac? Should I be honored?"
"I'm being sincere. I didn't directly start that economic war. I funded the biggest rivals of those three companies and let them make the moves." Lex shook his head. "For a businessman, that's child's play. But very effective. And not so easy for agents outside the business world to spot."
Dante thought of those "simple" business wars—stealing company seals, poisoning the competition's money tree…
Yeah. Not that far-fetched.
"Alright, fine. You don't like those three. But why fund Agatha Harkness?" Dante gestured.
Agatha's undying soul drifted through the metal wall into the room.
The old Lex wouldn't have been able to see her.
But now, tainted by Mammon's blood and the Greed Light, he could.
Lex actually rubbed his eyes, startled.
"Lex Luthor, you didn't expect to see me again, did you?"
"No… impossible. The Chthon summoning failed. You shouldn't have survived."
"To be precise, my body is dust, split apart by this agent's axe. But my soul's intact." Agatha smiled coldly. "So in your original plan, once I was corrupted, I was destined to fight the FBI for Chthon, wasn't I?"
Summoning Chthon was just one part of Lex's plan.
Using a Grandet clone made from Mammon's blood to corrupt the Asgardian gods was the backup.
Dante's voice was cold. "I won't even press you on funding Agatha. What I do want to know is… what price did you pay to target the three Asgardian siblings? Mammon's blood, Aether Particle intel… that wasn't cheap. Why go after them?"
Lex's eyes narrowed. "HYDRA fought the FBI in Washington, the whole world saw the Star Team. The most dazzling among them? Those so-called Asgardian gods."
After that battle, Hela, Thor, and Loki were household names.
"You're right, but they don't affect you. Why target them?"
"They're not gods. They're just powerful aliens. And aliens can't live peacefully with humans. This is just a façade. Just like that so-called noble Metropolis Boy Scout. If we let this go, humanity will be replaced. I'm protecting my home."
Dante clapped. "Ohhh, right. I forgot. You're a hardcore xenophobe."
Lex's eyes blazed. "If they're not our kind, their hearts are different."
Dante stared at him, resisting the urge to laugh.
Yeah, good luck with that when the real cosmic horrors show up.
Even 1960s media theorists figured out the "Earth village" concept. And here was Lex, a so-called genius, stuck in caveman mode.
No wonder Lena turned out better.
Hela had heard enough.
She conjured a Nightsword, ready to end him.
Before she could strike, Dante caught the hilt.
The blade still pierced Lex's forehead, blood running down his face.
Dante then left the room with Hela and Agatha.
Outside, Coulson was waiting.
"Cut all of Luthor's comms. Notify LexCorp their boss is in FBI custody. Tell them to find a new master."
Coulson nodded.
As soon as they stepped out of the Airbus, Hela froze, clutching Dante's arm.
The greed was back.
"Elder Sister! What happened?"
Thor came flying in, Loki dangling from his hand.
After landing, both looked at Hela with concern.
During their time together, their sibling bond had deepened.
So when they felt her aura change, they rushed over.
"It's just Mammon's blood and the Greed Light. It won't affect me much…"
"Still pretending you're fine."
Dante patted her hand, then shifted into Green Lantern form. Threads of Willpower Light wrapped around their clasped hands. Hela immediately relaxed.
The best option would be forging an Orange Lantern Ring, but… no materials.
So for now, Green Light suppression would have to do.
While Thor fussed over her, Loki's eyes flicked between everyone.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, we do have a home, right? And in that home, a father… called the King of Gods."
He spread his hands.
"A proper All Father-tier peak dad should be able to fix this, right? Father and daughter, king and crown prince. We're bound to meet again."
"Let's go back to Asgard."
(To be continued.)
***
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