Harley Quinn had been blowing bubble gum beside them, but even she stopped when she heard this.
"And then?" Homelander asked expressionlessly.
"Then Clark came back." Bruce opened his eyes, which were filled with pain. "He happened to see that scene."
"At that moment, Steel Body's heart shattered."
"Darkseid changed him at that very moment..."
"It was the Anti-Life Equation, a mathematical formula capable of stripping all intelligent life of free will." Steel Bone Victor stepped forward to explain. "It proved that hope, love, and free will were all meaningless. It could directly rewrite a living being's mental logic and make them submit unconditionally to its user."
"From that moment on, Superman was dead," Bruce continued. "What survived was Darkseid's most loyal general."
"The Justice League... fell apart that day."
Bruce brought up list after list of casualties.
"Diana... Wonder Woman."
"She led the Amazons in resistance and died on the battlefield. Her body was returned to Themyscira for cremation, and Themyscira later sank beneath the sea."
"Arthur Curry... Aquaman."
"He died upon his own weapon in battle against Darkseid. His trident was now in Mera's hands. She was Atlantis's last exile."
Bruce shut down the holographic projection, and the hall fell into darkness.
"This is the current situation."
"Over the past few months, 80 percent of the global population has vanished. They either died in the war or were captured and transformed into thoughtless Parademons."
"Superman has established a totalitarian empire. He has an army of fanatical puppets, dressed in Nazi-style uniforms bearing the 'S' symbol, hunting down every resistance fighter amid the ruins."
"But that isn't the worst part." Steel Bone took over, projecting a massive black tower in the air.
"That is the information transmission facility at the center of Metropolis. Using Apokolips technology, Superman's regime has