Chapter 85: The Mother Box, Crisis Approaches
Crete Island, near the coast.
An ancient white temple had stood here since an unknown age. Because both its exterior and interior remained almost perfectly preserved, it was still one of the most fascinating ruins for archaeologists to study.
Late at night.
While local firefighters worked outside to put out the flames, two figures—one tall and one shorter—walked calmly within the ruins. One was a black-haired woman dressed in ancient battle armor with divine weapons, the other a silver-haired boy in a plain white trench coat.
They were tracing the lingering divine power inside the temple.
Wonder Woman and Xi Nian soon reached an open-air chamber where fire still blazed violently. Clearly, this was the very source of the Amazon Temple's sudden conflagration.
As if sensing the descent of a higher divine presence, the flames in the chamber abruptly weakened and extinguished, revealing at the very center a single object.
Xi Nian, in his half-god state, stepped forward immediately. Kneeling down, he pulled an arrow that was embedded in the stone floor.
The arrowhead gleamed with the chill of the midnight sky. The shaft was coated in a dark golden sheen, carved with mysterious Greek runes, crafted in the same fashion as the divine artifacts his aunt wielded.
Another divine weapon?
As Xi Nian held it, he could feel the vigorous divine power hidden and restrained within it.
Wonder Woman's eyes softened as she explained, "That is the Arrow of Artemis. It can pierce the barrier of Themyscira and reach the human world. My mother must have fired it here from Paradise Island, igniting the ancient beacon flames as a warning to us."
"Invasion?" Xi Nian murmured, gripping the divine arrow firmly as a weapon.
"Yes. As for who the enemy is, there should be clues here." Wonder Woman walked deeper into the chamber, placing her slender palm against a section of wall.
Divine energy activated a mechanism. A sealed stone wall sank inward, releasing a cloud of dust and rubble as it revealed a tunnel that had been sealed for thousands of years.
The tunnel stretched deep into the earth, dark and silent, carrying with it the weight of ancient ages.
"Let's go." Wonder Woman drew out the Lasso of Truth with one hand and extended her other hand toward Xi Nian.
He clasped her cool jade-like hand.
Thud, thud!
Together, they leapt down the tunnel, dropping more than twenty meters before landing in a vast underground chamber beneath the temple.
Wonder Woman raised her left hand, the lasso glowing faintly as it floated like a golden firefly, illuminating the darkness with a dim light.
Xi Nian patted his coat pocket, pulled out his phone, and switched on the flashlight.
Instantly, brilliant white light cut through the dark, shining down a long stairway of white stone.
"Technology—forever divine!" Xi Nian smirked and winked. "Times have changed, Auntie."
Wonder Woman calmly retracted her lasso and flicked his smooth forehead with her finger, making Xi Nian close his mouth quickly.
With the phone's light leading the way, they descended the stairs, finally reaching a hidden underground chamber.
"Shine the light on that wall," Wonder Woman instructed.
Xi Nian raised the phone, illuminating the wall. Strange patterns and Greek inscriptions sprawled across a giant mural.
Though he could not read the words, Xi Nian's eyes widened instantly at one of the painted images.
It was the very same metallic box he had once seen on the altar back on Paradise Island!
But here, there were three of them—depicted together as one set.
Looking further, Xi Nian saw another mural: a grand battle scene that spanned the heavens.
Gigantic warships from the stars filled the battlefield.
Wonder Woman's expression grew grim as she read the inscriptions. "This records an ancient war from countless ages ago. The invaders were a dark, ancient force from beyond the stars. They sought to conquer Earth. Their leader commanded an alien armada. His name was—Darkseid."
"Darkseid…" Xi Nian repeated softly.
Wonder Woman's voice was heavy. "That name is cursed and feared across the cosmos. Back then, Earth's guardians—Old Gods, humans, Amazons, Atlanteans, and other protectors from the stars—all fought against him in one massive war."
"When Darkseid waged war here, he discovered a secret hidden on Earth—some power tied to the infinite cosmos."
"What kind of power?" Xi Nian frowned, his mind flashing to the Cosmic Cube and the Scepter of Mind that he himself had obtained, both holding unfathomable mysteries.
"We don't know exactly what he found," Wonder Woman admitted. "But clearly, Darkseid desperately wanted to seize it. To do so, he used the creations of Apokoliptian science: three Mother Boxes. They are living machines, indestructible. When united as one, the combined force can terraform entire planets, remaking Earth into a world under Darkseid's rule."
"But he failed," Xi Nian said firmly.
Otherwise, Earth as it was today would not exist.
Wonder Woman nodded. "Yes. United, Earth's ancient guardians defeated Darkseid and drove him and his army away. As for the three Mother Boxes: to prevent them from ever calling Apokolips again, one was entrusted to mankind, one given to Atlantis, and the last you already know—it lies hidden on Themyscira."
Xi Nian's eyes narrowed. "Things don't look good. If Paradise Island lit the beacon, it means one Mother Box has already fallen into enemy hands."
And if the other two were found… the consequences would be disastrous.
"Auntie, what do you plan to do next?" Xi Nian asked.
Wonder Woman's brows sharpened with resolve. "We can't delay anymore. In the next couple of days, I will seek out the two individuals I mentioned before and have them join the Justice League. We must assemble a powerful enough team to face the Apokoliptian threat that has already slipped onto Earth."
"Don't forget me. With you, I can fight too." Xi Nian took a deep breath, his tone resolute.
"Of course. You're our true trump card. If the time comes, I won't hesitate to call on you." Wonder Woman smiled softly and brushed her fingers through his silver hair.
But Xi Nian failed to notice the flicker of determination—and something else—in her eyes.
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