"Seven beacons have been built, only the last one remains."
In the universe, Thanos arrived at Sector 2814. The Red Lantern Corps failed to bring him the Lanterns he wanted, and they lost contact. But everything must come to an end, and it ends here.
At least that's the case at the beginning of this new chapter.
…
"Can you feel it, a mysterious crisis?" Wayne said softly when he saw the team reunited.
"It seems I'm not the only one feeling this way," Diana replied solemnly. As a descendant of the gods, she was far superior to mortals in every way, especially in perception. But this sense of crisis was stronger than ever.
"I was also feeling uneasy, sensing something bad was about to happen, so I interrupted my practice and rushed back," Clark said. That sudden feeling of unease had severely impacted his practice. But the good news was that his strength had skyrocketed in the past few months, seemingly by divine intervention. It was now incomparable to his previous strength.
"He's the only one who can make us all feel this sense of crisis, right?" Hal sighed. Even though he had been trying not to think about that powerful figure for a while, he couldn't avoid him.
"Thanos? He's finally here." Aquaman Arthur, who arrived last, breathed a sigh of relief. The sword of Damocles hanging over his head was finally going to appear and fall.
"How is your girlfriend's training going? Can she master that kind of power?" Barry Allen, who was squatting in the corner, looked left and right, and quietly asked Hal Dao, who was talking to him the most.
"She has always been able to control that power. You should ask, can she be immune to that energy?" Hal spread his hands.
"Then can she be unaffected by the energy of the purple light?" Barry asked again without hesitation.
"It can be controlled, but it's difficult. You know, a woman who is in love is unreasonable, and a woman who is in love and is chosen by the Purple Lantern is even more unreasonable. Do you know what kind of difficult days I have been going through recently? You don't want to know. But things always develop for the best, don't they? At least now when she sees me talking to other girls, she won't lose control of her energy and strangle the girl who is talking to me." Hal sighed.
"What are you talking about?" Carol walked over suspiciously, looking at the two people who were whispering to each other.
"Nothing much, just a greeting since we haven't seen each other for a long time." Hal forced a smile and comforted her.
"Something happened!" John, who had his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
The instrument on Wayne's hand sounded the alarm of the entire base, attracting everyone's attention.
"Energy radar alert? Did we poke some kind of swarm?" Hal blinked at the familiar sound. He'd seen Wayne and the captain use these radars to remove and store dangerous goods, but this was the first time he'd seen it done so chaotically, rapidly, and non-stop, like thousands of spots of light all lighting up the radar screen, taking up all the space.
"Watch the news," John suggested, frowning. Wayne immediately turned on the giant screen in the base.
On the screen, a large purple face that left a deep impression on some of them occupied half of the space.
"He's controlling all the GG screens, computers, and TVs?" Wayne frowned slightly as he looked at the densely packed screens. This was equivalent to the other party hijacking their world's network and satellite signals.
"I know you can see me, but what I'm saying is not just for you." The tall face on the screen, like a purple giant, said softly.
Thanos rested his palm on the metal seat next to him, looking at the screen with his eyes, as if he could see Wayne and the others and fight against them.
"I do not wish to start a war; it would be too cruel for you. My purpose is not to kill. Clark Superman, Bruce Wayne Batman, Hal Jordan Green Lantern, and the companions you have sought, I only need to hand over the purple lamp furnace that houses the lamp beast, and you will all be safe.
"Drag an entire planet to pay for your mistakes is not what you, self-proclaimed heroes, should do. I can wait for a day. If you don't bring the Lantern Beast to me after a day, I will fairly and randomly kill half of the intelligent life on this planet."
As Thanos spoke, the camera switched to the vast expanse of outer space. A dense fleet had already surrounded their planet, their cannons pointed at them. The dense and cold muzzles were enough to evoke despair and fear in people just by looking at them.
"What does he want to do?" Hal looked at the screen that returned to darkness and restored its original image, and looked at the people on the field with some hesitation.
"It's obvious that he is dividing us." Wayne gave a straightforward answer.
"Yes, especially since he gave us one day. Obviously, this day is not for us, but for some troublesome people. What's worse is that he also revealed your identities. You will have to talk to many people soon. Can you convince them? Or, decide to compromise?" Diana guessed Thanos' intention and looked at Wayne who made the decision.
"This is a deterrent. If nothing unexpected happens, chaos will soon break out, along with all the pressure that comes with it. But handing over the lamp beast is like handing over the key to your home," said Wayne.
"So, you plan to continue fighting?" Diana asked again.
"I can feel the other party's cruelty! His heart is as hard as stone. He is a terrible person. I don't think we can trust his words. Rather than letting us go, I believe he will kill half of our population." John Jones groaned, blood flowing from his nostrils, and said with shock on his face.
"Is this the hostage problem? He's holding the entire planet's population hostage." Barry raised his hand.
"If we decide to fight, we must be prepared. We can't fight him on Earth." Clark crossed his arms across his chest. The immense power that filled his body gave him some confidence and courage.
"If a war breaks out, that fleet..."
"Leave that fleet to us. We will protect this planet and destroy it, turning it into drifting cosmic garbage." The Green Lantern Corps, who had been silent until then, stood up. In terms of hatred, they were the ones who held the most grudge against Thanos. Everything they had: their careers, their partners, their faiths—all destroyed by Thanos. Given their deep hatred for Thanos, it was a miracle that some of them hadn't been inspired by the Red Lanterns. It was a miracle that they hadn't changed from Green Lantern to Red Lantern.
"It seems that you have made up your minds to clash with him." The captain spoke with complicated emotions like an outsider. His identity made him feel embarrassed here. If possible, he did not want Wayne and others to conflict with Thanos. He also persuaded Wayne many times, but it was obvious that Bruce was a person who would be difficult to change his will once he made up his mind about something.
What is particularly terrifying is that the other party has the execution ability and resources to support their own goals.
"We can't escape, right? If we want independence, we have to fight first no matter what. Instead of waiting until we can't resist in the future, it's better to prevent Luke from getting through once and for all." Wayne said in a deep voice.
"What's your choice, Captain?" Hal looked at Steve nervously. He had great respect for the Captain's character, and he was afraid that the Captain would choose to oppose them because he had given him and the remaining Green Lanterns a lot of help.
"I will stand with you, but that doesn't stop me from believing you can't win this so-called war." Steve Rogers, who knew Luke well, offered his own answer. He trusted Luke too much. Even if they won against Thanos, it was hard to say Luke didn't have a backup plan. And honestly, he really wanted to go home.
He stands on Wayne's side simply because of his moral concerns and distrust of Thanos.
"We will prove it to you. Believe in the power of miracles." Barry Allen replied in a mysterious tone.
"Get ready, someone's here. I need to go and entertain them." Wayne looked at his communication watch, tapped on it a few times, and spoke.
Those people were moving even faster and more efficiently than he'd imagined. If that energy had been used to clean up Gotham and fight crime, Gotham wouldn't need him to save it; it would have been completely transformed long ago.
…
"Master, Mr. Luthor from LexCorp is here to visit."
Just as Wayne had sent off a group of official figures, the old butler Alfred came with three more people, one of whom made Wayne tense instantly.
"You know him, but don't be nervous. He's mine now." Lex Luthor sensed Wayne's sharp eyes. He glanced at the expressionless Sinestro and smiled at Wayne.
"I thought you were caught up by Thanos." Wayne looked at Sinestro.
"As embarrassing as it may be, I was never his target. He didn't take me seriously," Sinestro said coldly. "Now that he has the Parallax, he no longer cares whether I live or die."
"Time is running out, so the small talk can wait until later. I'm here to join your team." Luther interrupted their conversation and forcefully took back the initiative in the communication.
"I thought you were here like those people, gathering information and trying to persuade me to hand over something to them." Wayne pointed to the door, where a group of people had just left.
"They are a group of hyenas who bully the weak and fear the strong. Can we get the desired results in exchange for handing over things? I never thought so. I also never thought that we would lose to those weird aliens." Luther curled his lips in contempt.
"The enemy is very powerful."
"We are also very powerful. You and I are enough to deal with this crisis. Maybe we can really become the heroes of this planet in the end?" Luther sat down opposite Wayne and said softly.
"What power do you have?" Wayne said, glancing at Sinestro.
"No, not him. He's just one of my helpers. I know he was defeated by Thanos, and I wouldn't expect to be able to fight Thanos by bringing him with you. Allow me to introduce you to my most proud ultimate weapon, Doomsday, a biological weapon created from the corpses of General Zod and other Kryptonians."
Luthor waved his finger, indicating that his trump card was not Sinestro, but the man who came with Sinestro, who was covered in a black cloak and remained silent until now.
"You haven't even joined us yet, and you've already offended Clark." Wayne frowned slightly as he watched the biological weapon pull off his cape, revealing a terrifying face. He was shocked by Luthor's audacity and skill, but this would undoubtedly incur Superman's displeasure. Whether General Zod and his companions were villains and enemies or not, they were the last of Clark's people. Their corpses were being used for research, and now they appeared before him in the form of weapons. He probably wasn't feeling very good about it.
"General Zod is an invader, isn't he? Just like Thanos. I believe he'll understand the greater good." Luthor was unconcerned. If possible, he would have preferred to use Superman for his experiments, but unfortunately, he didn't have the opportunity.
If it wasn't Thanos, Doomsday's first opponent would have been Clark the Superman.
"I need to discuss it with them. But the result will not prevent you from participating in this battlefield." Wayne's eyes flashed and he stood up and said.
"Then I understand." Luther smiled.
…
night.
Green lights shot up into the sky, and the Justice League team shot into the sky in the flying vehicles that Hal created with green light energy. Their actions undoubtedly irritated some people, and when they heard the news, they cursed and retreated to the underground base.
"Your courage is commendable. Just like another group of people." Thanos, whose entire planet was under his surveillance, immediately noticed Wayne and his group's arrival. He could not sense any depression from their emotions, but instead a fearless aura.
Not a negotiation, but a declaration of war.
Thanos rested his arm on the armrest of the chair, supporting his cheek, his eyes deep. He just watched quietly as the Green Lanterns who broke out of the atmosphere rushed into the fleet he recruited and wreaked havoc, watching them break through layers of obstacles and head towards his flagship.
"Thanos!"
A figure broke through the deck and appeared before Thanos's eyes. Then came the second, the third, and more and more figures.
"You have chosen the worst option. Countless people will die because of your actions." Thanos waved his hand to stop the guards around him, and spoke in a low voice to Superman and others who broke in.
"It may not be a bad choice." Superman said, and then two scorching rays shot towards Thanos, firing the first shot of the battle.