[Connection Failed]
A torrent of data flashed across Cyborg's vision—every intrusion attempt blocked, every route sealed by the enemy.
And Cyborg understood the implication immediately:
If he couldn't connect to the Mother Box, this war would never end. The civilians who had been abducted would be turned into monsters—converted into Darkseid's living weapons.
Becoming this half-machine thing wasn't something he had chosen. He was no longer the football player who once lived for the field.
But when he communicated with the Mother Box inside S.T.A.R. Labs, when he learned what Apokolips was and what it meant—
he felt, for the first time, like he'd found a reason to keep living in this new body.
A mission.
So when that flame-covered "weirdo" assigned him the critical task—connect to the Mother Box, shut down the Boom Tubes, and bring the captured people back—
Victor Stone accepted without hesitation.
But now, with [Connection Failed] blinking over and over, he couldn't accept it.
He'd already been transformed into this… so why was it still not enough?
Ben streaked through the air using jets of flame, clearing Parademons that might interrupt Cyborg. Catching the slump in Cyborg's expression—only half a human face left—Ben asked with genuine concern:
"Hey, bro! How's it going?"
"I failed." Cyborg didn't hide it. "I still can't break their firewall."
Ben immediately pieced it together.
"Probably because when I tried controlling the Mother Box earlier, they noticed. Sorry—like this, all I can do is clear the trash mobs."
Ben hated it, but as Heatblast, he couldn't help Cyborg with the actual hacking.
Still, in the chaos he'd noticed something else:
Batman and Green Lantern had disappeared.
Batman wouldn't run. Which meant he had already seen the situation and was solving it in his own way.
"It's fine. Don't overthink it. You just keep trying to connect. The firewall part? Leave it to the world's top hacker—Batman."
Cyborg fell silent. Staring at the relentless [Connection Failed], he couldn't stand the idea that he was useless—waiting for someone else to rescue the mission.
"Trust your teammates. We're all fighting for the same world!"
Superman's voice cut in.
He'd just climbed back up and had heard everything. With super-hearing, he also knew Batman and Green Lantern had already launched their risky plan.
Darkseid was the most terrifying enemy Superman had ever faced—
but Superman didn't retreat.
Again and again he got knocked down, and again and again he rose, believing that if they fought together, they could break through.
Before Cyborg could reply, Darkseid's attention snapped toward him.
Omega Beams fired from his eyes—dodging streetlights and falling chunks of rubble mid-flight—then surged straight at Cyborg.
Wonder Woman crossed her arms and caught the Omega Beams on her silver bracers.
"Warriors—charge with me!"
She raised the Sword of Hephaestus and sounded the attack again.
This time, everyone moved with coordination.
The Flash, fastest of them all, ran tight circles around Darkseid, generating a violent cyclone—wind pressure spiraling into a tornado that wrapped him in a roaring vortex.
As Barry ran, he pulled energy from the Speed Force and converted it into electricity—throwing lightning directly into Darkseid.
Bathed in Barry's thunder-light, Darkseid braced—
and then Superman and Shazam burst through the tornado from opposite sides.
Darkseid tried to seize Shazam again—
but Superman's fist slammed into Darkseid's head first.
The impact shifted Darkseid off-line. Shazam, guided by Solomon's wisdom, seized the opening and drove an uppercut that snapped Darkseid's head back.
Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth flew out and cinched around Darkseid's head. She pulled with everything she had, trying to force him to tilt backward and expose the eyes.
Darkseid's remaining eye flared—Omega Beam curving around his own body toward her.
In the same motion, Wonder Woman hurled her sword to Superman—
then crossed her arms again, bracers up, absorbing the lethal beam.
Superman caught the sword.
No hesitation.
Following the plan's single objective, he lunged and drove the Sword of Hephaestus straight through Darkseid's left eye.
"HRAAAH!"
Darkseid's roar shook the air.
Even wounded, he grabbed Superman, forcing through the pain, and fired Omega Beams from his right eye.
Superman countered with heat vision—
but the Omega Beam still overpowered it and struck him.
Even Superman couldn't tank it.
Darkseid hurled the unconscious Superman toward the sea.
Then he seized the lasso at his neck, yanked Wonder Woman toward him with one arm—
and hammered her with a fist like a meteor.
Darkseid had no interest in giving them breathing room now.
He wanted to wipe the insects out.
"Flash! Shazam! Help Wonder Woman—I'm going to save Superman!"
Ben saw Parademons at the shoreline lifting the unconscious Superman and flying him toward a Boom Tube—toward Apokolips.
Batman and Green Lantern were already infiltrating, but their status was unknown.
Ben couldn't allow Superman to be dragged into Apokolips while unconscious.
He detonated his flames and rocketed toward the sea.
"Fire Fist!"
Mimicking an anime finisher, Ben formed a towering flame-punch that crossed the ocean in a blazing arc—blocking a wave of Parademons and blasting the one carrying Superman out of the sky.
Ben caught Superman as he fell.
Then he looked back toward the battlefield—
and saw Wonder Woman now acting as the frontline pillar, chaining heavy strikes that launched Darkseid into the air.
Shazam—lightning-wrapped—dove from above, syncing with her to smash Darkseid hard in the ribs.
The Flash became a red streak again—running up a building wall, launching himself into the air toward the airborne Darkseid.
In his hand was something he'd "borrowed" one second earlier from a civilian a kilometer away:
the Holy Sword of Physics.
A crowbar.
The crowbar in his right hand vibrated at high frequency—phasing through—
and pierced straight through Darkseid's one remaining eye.
"I did it!"
At that exact moment, on one attempt, Cyborg saw the enemy interception stop.
The Mother Box finally connected.
The Apokolips network was online.
And Cyborg shouted in exhilaration.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 60)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 60)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 64)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter10)
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