The corridor fell into a deathly silence, with only the huge, scorched hole emitting a pungent ozone odor.
Thor and Nightmare Deathstroke vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
The group looked at each other, unsure how to react.
It was Supergirl Kara who broke the silence first. She, James, Lucy quickly stepped forward and helped the injured person who had fallen to the ground.
Kara took a silver first-aid capsule from her medical kit, crushed it, and pressed it onto Thaddeus Ross's abdominal wound.
Visibly, the gruesome penetrating wound stopped bleeding and healed rapidly in the soft white light.
"Alright, at least we're out of danger for now." Kara breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other side, Speedy Mia and Red Arrow Emiko also struggled to their feet and helped up the Arsenal Roy was almost beaten beyond recognition.
The Justice League's key figures were still standing there, processing what had just happened.
"Alright," Green Lantern Hal Jordan whistled, arms crossed, breaking the heavy atmosphere, "We've lost two bats now, so who's next?"
Upon hearing this, Aquaman Arthur's deep blue eyes instantly widened in surprise. "What kind of time is this? You still have the mind to joke around?!"
"Then tell me your good ideas!" Hal retorted without backing down, as he hated it when people questioned his attitude.
"You!" Arthur was furious. He slammed his golden trident heavily on the ground, causing it to crack.
He raised his trident, seemingly about to stab Hal in the face at any moment.
"Enough!" Wonder Woman Diana's icy voice broke the silence between the two men. She merely took a step forward, and her divine aura silenced them both. "What kind of time is this to be arguing?"
Arthur and Hal glared at each other, then simultaneously let out a disgruntled snort, finally putting the matter behind them.
"Perhaps... we could go find what Thomas mentioned..." The Flash Barry Allen, began hesitantly, attempting to offer a constructive suggestion, "... that... Little Bat?"
Diana turned to him, her silver-grey eyes thoughtful. "You mean, Oliver Queen? Green Arrow?"
"Yes, that's him!" Barry nodded quickly, then, as if afraid of causing a misunderstanding, hurriedly raised his hand to declare beforehand.
"I didn't mean to say that, but Thomas said it himself: Green Arrow is a low-budget version of Batman. So going to him is definitely the right thing to do. Even if he's a low-budget version, he's still a Batman, right?"
" Barry," the previously silent Arsenal Roy, suddenly spoke, clutching his still-throbbing chest and grimacing, "If Oliver knew you talked about him like that, he'd definitely shoot you with an arrow, believe me."
Barry Allen instinctively shrank back and rubbed his head. "Seriously? I mean... we're really short-staffed right now. Do you have anyone else you can help with?"
This issue made the atmosphere, which had just eased, heavy again.
Mia shook her head, her voice weary. " Doctor Fate is maintaining the magical defenses of the Star City underground base. Most of the survivors in Star City are inside; he can't leave."
She paused, then continued, " Oliver... he took Damian and Nightwing to the depths of Atlantis to search for Nth Metal, Mister Terrific also took the Plastic Man's egg to outer space, also to search for Nth Metal. Currently... the only ones capable of fighting are a few of us; we've lost contact with the other superheroes."
"Looks like we'll need the greatest Green Lantern in history to solve this crisis." Hal Jordan shrugged, his tone as confident, or rather, arrogant, as ever.
Nobody paid any attention to his boasting.
Diana took a deep breath; as the pillar of the team, she had to make a decision.
She knew very well that the " The Batman Who Laughs " they were facing was more than just a Joker Batman.
That thing possessed the Joker's chaotic madness, but even more so, Bruce's terrifyingly sharp tactical mind.
This means that the other party is likely aware of each of their weaknesses and will exploit them without hesitation.
"Let's go back to the underground base in Star City first," Diana ordered in a deep voice.
"We need to renegotiate our strategy. As for Barbatos... aside from the Tenth Metal Thomas mentioned, we have no other options for the time being."
No one objected.
Mia and Roy led the way, and the group followed the stairs they had come up from, returning to the ravaged ground.
However, as soon as they stepped onto the street, before they could even determine their direction, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky!
A figure crashed into the ground in front of them like a meteorite, creating a shallow crater.
She was a tall woman with a cold, rocky gray complexion. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, and her eyes were a pure, unadulterated blood red.
He was wearing a dark blue, form-fitting battle suit with lines that exuded power.
Most bizarrely, she was holding an infant in her arms, an infant with the same ashen skin and tightly closed blood-red eyes as her—clearly a miniature version of Darkseid!
In her other hand, she held a massive war scythe taller than herself, its blade gleaming with an ominous dark red light.
Her mere appearance was enough to put the entire Justice League on high alert, instantly assuming a fighting stance.
The arcs of electricity around the Flash began to flicker uneasily, Aquaman gripped his trident tightly, and Green Lantern's ring glowed with a brilliant green light.
Because the person who came was none other than Grail, the daughter of the tyrant Darkseid.
Even Superman, the strongest fighter in the Justice League, needs to exert all his strength to defeat this terrifying being.
Among everyone present, even Diana, a demigod, had no chance of winning in a one-on-one fight.
"Clang!"
The Sword of Hephaestus was instantly drawn, and Diana pointed its tip directly at the woman in front of her, her voice as cold as ice. "What are you doing here, Grail!"
Grail's blood-red eyes swept over the group of "heroes" standing ready for battle, a smirk of undisguised contempt playing on her lips.
She curled her lip and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "My goal hasn't been achieved yet, so this multiverse cannot be destroyed."
She paused, and the baby Darkseid in her arms seemed to stir. She glanced down at him before continuing in that icy tone, "But that doesn't mean I'm your ally. After we deal with Barbatos, we'll still be enemies."
Diana stared intently into her eyes.
The Lasso of Truth was gone, but as a battle-hardened warrior, she could tell from the other person's expression and tone that Grail was not lying.
Her motives were purely selfish, but that's precisely what makes her so believable.
Diana was weighing her options rapidly.
Having another fighter like Grail would undoubtedly be a huge help.
But she was also like a time bomb, ready to stab them in the back at any moment.
But... do they have a choice?
Facing a Batman who knows all their weaknesses, and an evil god from the Dark Multiverse, every bit of power is precious.
Diana did not turn back to seek her teammates' opinions. In this moment, she had to assume the responsibility of leadership.
She slowly sheathed the Sword of Hephaestus.
She looked at this woman, who in some ways could be called a "sister," yet was more powerful and more dangerous than herself, with a complex expression in her eyes.
"Okay," Diana's voice was clear and firm, "I promise you."