amaotonovel Chapter 3884 The Nameless Bat (54)
Chapter 3884 The Nameless Bat (54)
Chapter 3884 The Nameless Bat (Fifty-Four)
Darkseid sat on his throne. Although he was already much taller than the three of them, the physical difference in height gave him more confidence at this moment.
Darkseid is certainly not an insecure person, but the problem is, he's genuinely confused about the Justice League's strategy. What exactly are these three here for?
Of course, it couldn't be a plea for surrender. Otherwise, given their character, they would have been shouting outside the shield long ago. Nor could it be a feigned friendly assassination attempt—the entire universe knows he's invincible on Apokolips; even Little Blue wouldn't come up with such a stupid plan, let alone Batman.
Having eliminated all impossible answers, what remains must be the truth. But this truth swirled in Darkseid's mind dozens of times, never falling into the realm he could trust, instead taking flight towards absurd assertions.
“We’re here to discuss a collaboration with you.” The moment the main universe’s Batman spoke, he nearly startled Desad, who was standing next to him.
Fortunately, Deshad's fall down the stairs was so fast that it masked Darkseid's momentary shock, preventing him from embarrassing himself in front of the Justice League. Darkseid steadied himself and said, "You want to cooperate with me? Batman, is this yet another of your schemes...?"
“Battle Realm.” The main universe’s Batman coldly uttered a single word. Darkseid’s hand on the armrest clenched instantly.
“I know you’ve been spying on the Battle Realm, but haven’t found a way. Let me tell you, that place can’t be entered by any conventional method. Without an invitation, even if you rule the universe, it’s all for naught.”
The main universe's Batman said in a rather sarcastic tone, "But it just so happens that all three of us can go in, my adopted son can go in, and even the Gotham Police Commissioner can go in."
As the analogy with Batman played out, Darkseid's face grew increasingly dark. He finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up, roaring in a deep voice, "Batman!"
“Don’t worry,” the main universe Batman continued. “Just because you can’t get in doesn’t mean you can’t access it. To be precise, you have other ways to access the multiverse.”
"what way?"
“Through me.” The main universe’s Batman met Darkseid’s eyes without flinching and said, “We’ve clashed a few times over the Anti-Life Equation before, thankfully without any casualties. Neither of us managed to take anything useful from the other. I’d say it was a draw, you should agree, right?”
Darkseid's face darkened, but he wasn't entirely lacking in manners. While admitting to a draw with a mere human was indeed somewhat humiliating from his perspective, the fact that Batman could stand before him with such confidence proved that this guy wasn't an ordinary human. If Earth were a realm, then he should be its king.
“A hero doesn’t dwell on past glories,” the main universe Batman continued. “I also admit that you are a formidable opponent, not only as knowledgeable and cunning as I am, but also possessing divine power and the Apocalypse Domain. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be negotiating in this manner.”
Darkseid reminded himself that this was just a cunning verbal trap set by Batman, but he couldn't help feeling a slight sense of smugness. All the sycophants of Apokolips combined couldn't match the satisfaction of Batman's words.
Having clashed with Batman, Darkseid understood that Batman was an extremely efficient person. He would directly manipulate anyone he could control, rather than reason with them, and was very adept at leaving others with no other choice.
But he still came today, and he brought two companions with him. Although they looked like bodyguards, it was more like they were showing their sincerity.
Darkseid also knew that the Justice League was both his strength and his weakness. Batman didn't need the Justice League that much; he could accomplish 100% of what the world was like on his own, and in most cases, even 120%. The Justice League provided him with more emotional support than physical assistance. Batman would never allow his friends to be harmed.
But today he brought two people with him, which was not only a sign of respect for Darkseid's strength, but also a compliment to his character—it was like saying, "I know that a righteous ruler like you would never harm my friends, so I brought them with me."
Even Desad wouldn't use the word "upright and honorable" when flattering Darkseid. But Batman showed his loyalty through his actions: I acknowledge you as an upright and honorable monarch.
Darkseid reminded himself a thousand times over that this was moral blackmail, but his mouth seemed to have its own thoughts.
“I’m genuinely surprised you’ve brought a friend,” he said, standing with his hands behind his back before the throne. “But I’m even more surprised by your understanding of me. This war means nothing to me; I just want to tell all those who dare to challenge me that they will never get what they want. But I can also tell those who believe in me that working with the right people will bring a hundredfold or a thousandfold reward. Tell me what you want to do, Batman.”
"I will destroy the Guardians of the Universe." The voice of the main universe Batman echoed within the vast palace, so cold that Darkseid felt a chill run down his spine.
"Do you know what you're saying?" Disad spoke first. "The Guardians of the Universe are at least a hundred million times more advanced than your Earth. They are an ancient race from the very beginning of the universe's creation, and they were the first to discover the spectrum of emotions and establish the Light Cluster. To this day, they remain one of the strongest races in the universe."
"Otherwise, why would I want to eliminate them?"
At that moment, Darkseid heard his own heart pounding like a drumbeat in his chest. He licked his slightly dry lips and said, "Yeah, if they weren't so strong, what would I be fighting them for?"
Disadad wasn't quite sure what his boss meant, but he was very clever and chose a angle that couldn't be wrong: "No matter what your ambitions are, the Justice League can't achieve them. I know you're thinking of the Legion of Apocalypse, but our fighting the Lanterns doesn't mean we're going against the Guardians. After all, the Emotional Spectrum is the primordial power of the universe, and those Lanterns are just vessels; they wouldn't care how many die. We're not enemies, so you'd better not try to use His Majesty."
"Cooperation is about mutual exploitation." The main universe's Batman refuted Desard's previous statement with one sentence. "Believe me, the benefits I've gained from using you are no more than what you've gained from using me. I'm just a street hero on Earth; I'm not the one who wants to dominate the universe."
Darkseid's fingers twitched again. He understood perfectly well what Batman was talking about. Batman was a protective hero; as long as you didn't do anything particularly outrageous, he wouldn't actively oppose you.
Even when Darkseid tried to take the Anti-Life Formula from him, he only retaliated in a very limited way. Call it conserving his strength, call it playing hard to get, but in any case, Batman never intended to rule the universe. It was Darkseid who harbored the enormous ambition and desire to rule the universe.
The greater the ambition, the more power is needed to support it. That's why Darkseid has been waging wars and destroying civilizations throughout the universe, trying every possible way to increase his power. Therefore, by eliminating a powerful civilization like the Guardians of the Universe, Darkseid must gain far more benefits than Batman.
That leaves only one question. Darkseid asked, "Do you have a solution?"
He didn't even bother asking Batman why he was doing this, or how the profits would be split if it succeeded. They both knew that in matters like this, nothing they said mattered now; only after they'd secured their share would it be a matter of merit.
"Yes," the Batman of the main universe said confidently, "I can turn the Light Brigade against us."
Even Darkseid couldn't help but gasp. He carefully observed Batman's expression, but the mask remained dark as always, yet the man's tone was anything but a joke.
Darkseid was quick-witted; he immediately thought of Green Lantern Hal Jordan. He fiddled with his ring a couple of times and then said, “Through that little Green Lantern? I have to say, he’s got some skills, able to hold his own against Grandma’s army. But he alone isn’t enough.”
“It’s not because of him, but because of the stupidity of the Guardians of the Universe,” said the main universe Batman. “Let me put it this way, even if we do nothing now and just maintain the status quo for a while, the Light Blossoms under the Guardians of the Universe will fall apart. And if you put a little pressure on them during the battle, you’ll be watching fireworks in a few days.”
Darkseid narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure whether to trust Batman's judgment. In fact, as a monarch and a strategist, he sometimes didn't quite understand the Light Brigade's actions—they didn't leave when they should have, and they didn't stay when they should have, making many sacrifices futile.
Kexid was a tyrant by nature, and he didn't have any real subjects under his command, only generals and Parademons. Those generals born in the Apocalypse Realm were inherently loyal to him, and the loyalty of the Parademons was irrelevant. Therefore, he truly found it difficult to fathom the complex thoughts of intelligent beings with rich emotions, and he also lacked understanding of the turbulent state of mind within the Lamplight Clan.
"You mean, the Light Clan is now somewhat dissatisfied with the Guardians of the Universe?"
"The word 'some' is probably not quite accurate," the main universe Batman shook his head and said. "They're already quite dissatisfied. If the two of us work together, it'll be enough to ignite the flames of rebellion."
Darkseid had to admit he was tempted. The path to cosmic domination was like rowing against the current; if you didn't move forward, you fell behind. Prolonged stagnation was itself a form of regression, and a year of deadlock had been long enough.
This is a one-way street; no matter how many obstacles lie ahead, you can only turn around them one by one. The Guardians of the Universe are the adversaries you'll have to face sooner or later. If you miss this chance to get help from Batman, who knows how much more effort you'll have to put into dealing with this problem later.
The Guardians of the Universe are formidable opponents; even Darkseid isn't guaranteed victory. Regardless of how much Batman's involvement might improve the odds, it's an excellent opportunity—a chance that won't come again.
“To be precise, this isn’t a collaboration, it’s me asking you for help,” said the main universe Batman. “If you’re willing to help me, I can pay you extra. It might not be effective in the short term, but you won’t regret your choice.”
Darkseid became genuinely interested. He asked, "What's the reward?"
"Remember the Battle Realm I mentioned before? I can tell you that things aren't peaceful in the multiverse right now either. Since you don't have the ticket to participate in multiverse affairs, you can only do so through me. And I can lead our universe to a higher level."
I went swimming, but my whole body aches. I'm never racing again.