The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 4464 The Black Death (Part 1)

Schiller raised an eyebrow as he saw the images on the monitor. The Batmen had been right; the mastermind behind the anomalies in the multiverse was indeed connected to the power of the Seven Lamps—the very Black Death Emperor who had triggered the "Darkest Night" event.

When the Black Death Emperor was created, he actually had no connection to the Light Brigade. At that time, his status was higher, and he controlled the "merciless death" of the entire world. Perhaps "decay" is a more reasonable explanation—everything has a process of decay, even the universe itself. Therefore, in that era, he could rival many powerful beings who were also part of the cosmic background.

However, after the backstory was rewritten, its main power became the Black Lantern power, in addition to the power of the Colored Lanterns. Although it is still related to death and decay, it no longer holds such a high position. Its relatively better performance was in the "Darkest Night" event, where it directly wiped out Howl's hometown. But its performance deteriorated afterward, and it was often trampled on.

Even so, this remains a tremendous test for the multiverse. The Black Death Emperor is different from other Lamp Beasts; its power is greater, its influence wider, and its aggression extremely strong, leaving no room for transformation. If it weren't for the inability to escape from the inanimate realm, it would have already brought astonishing disaster to the multiverse.

This time, he has joined forces with the multifaceted Darkseid, becoming an even greater threat to the superheroes. If he were to break through the barriers and descend into the real universe, even the combined might struggle to withstand him.

Just as Schiller was pondering this, Batman walked in. Schiller looked up and asked, "How did it go?"

Batman shook his head and said, "The power of the Seven Lamps is a very powerful force. I can't fully decipher it either, and even using it is a struggle. Perhaps I should ask that Batman from the main universe."

Schiller shook his head and said, "Actually, he can't use it very well either. He just uses the power of the seven lamps as a universal energy source. Apart from the Guardians of the Universe, only the famous First Lamp Knight knows how to properly use this power."

“I searched all over Oarsfield, but I couldn’t find him.” Batman sat down, one hand on the armrest, and said, “I even suspect that the news was just a deliberate attempt to mislead people.”

"Who would do that? What would be the benefit of doing so?"

"Perhaps it's Darkseid; he wants us to waste our energy searching for the first Lantern."

"This rumor originated from within the Lamp Swarm; Darkseid couldn't bribe the Little Blues. Besides, similar rumors circulate in multiple universes, so it's unlikely to be unfounded."

“My concern now is whether he will go to Darkseid if things proceed as planned.”

Schiller remained silent. He was simply reflecting on the plan he had devised with Batman. When Batman learned from the main universe Batman that the source of the Death Force might be related to the Light Brigade, Batman set his sights on Oa.

He knew that the Batman of the main universe had once fought on Oa and obtained a massive amount of the Seven Lamps' power, eventually building a magical defense network for Earth in the main universe. If he could do it, so could he.

He now possesses an improved version of the Hellbat Armor, and because it consumes the Golden Apple as energy, it can be used almost without limit. The armor's power was already initially demonstrated when it killed Steppenwolf; once it reaches its maximum power, it can be described as unstoppable.

But he couldn't do it alone, so Batman approached Schiller, with the aim of contacting Bruce, who had appeared in their universe.

Batman had long heard of the infamous "Nameless Bat." Bruce was a double-edged sword. Usually, he would make a mess of things for his own side. But if used well, he could be unstoppable.

Batman didn't waste any words and made a deal with Bruce. Bruce didn't need to do it himself, but he needed to use dark power to trap Oa, preventing the little blue man from sending any signals. This was something only the dark power from Barbatos could do—because its rank and power were high enough to block the energy of the light orb.

The Guardians of the Universe did possess advanced technology, but their long period of peace and over-reliance on the Light Bomb meant they lacked any truly formidable weapons. Their inability to decisively defeat the Hellbat Armor resulted in Batman single-handedly defeating the entire planet of Oa.

Actually, it's also because the Blue Man in the cinematic universe isn't strong enough. A single Parallax monster can turn the entire universe upside down, and we have to rely on Green Lantern to seal it away. It's completely incomparable to the Blue Man in the main universe.

This was a weakness when Batman wasn't targeting them, as they lacked the ability to handle real crises. But after Batman set his sights on the Seven Lights, it became a huge advantage. With a single raid, Batman seized control of all the main Lighthouses on Oa.

But obtaining the power of the Seven Lamps is only the most insignificant part of this plan; the real highlight is yet to come.

Upon returning to Earth, the Justice League learned of the Black Death Emperor's "Black Death Sun" army's assembly. They immediately rushed back to headquarters to discuss how to respond. At that moment, Hal glanced at his ring.

"What's wrong?" Clark turned to look at him.

“Sinestro has assembled the Color Lamp Legion and is preparing to attack Apokolips,” Hal said. “They believe that Darkseid must have attacked Oa and killed the Guardian of the Universe.”

"What kind of time is this, and they're still thinking about revenge?" Diana said, quite displeased. "Although Darkseid isn't a good person either, protecting the Earth is clearly more important right now, isn't it?"

“That’s not how it works,” Hal shook his head and said. “The people who raided Oa took all the main furnaces, and if they can’t get the furnaces back, the Lanterns won’t be able to fight at all. So they have to go after Darkseid, otherwise they won’t be able to protect Earth.”

“My God!” Barry said, “So, we can’t count on them at all?”

"That's not entirely true. If they put enough pressure on Darkseid, Darkseid will definitely seek the support of this Black Death Emperor, and the pressure on Earth might be much less."

"Okay, when will they start the war?"

"The war has already begun. Sinestro has led the Green Lantern Corps close to Apokolips, and the other Green Lantern Corps will be arriving soon. The battle will break out very quickly."

"Alright, then let's focus on dealing with the Black Death Sun. Now let's figure out what to do..."

"Where's Batman?" Ron asked. "Isn't he coming?"

“He’ll have to fiddle with those nails,” Clark said. “We couldn’t get the Green Light energy back, so he’ll have to find another power. Never mind him for now; if we can’t handle the Black Death Sun, they’ll pull the nails out anyway.”

Everyone agreed. Superman couldn't pull out the nail because he was worried about harming Earth. The Black Death Sun's group didn't have that concern; in fact, they'd prefer to harm Earth. If they could just pull the Earth apart, they'd save themselves the trouble of killing people.

Therefore, their objective is simply to protect that nail. Their only goal is to stop the Black Death Sun's attack before Batman finishes purifying the seawater.

Just then, Schiller knocked on the door, came out, looked at Clark, and said, "Just now, the presidents of other countries called me. I told them about Batman's plan. They assured me they would protect the spikes in their respective areas as much as possible. So all we need to do is protect ours."

"However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, once Batman activates the purification process, they will detect it and focus their attack on the spikes in the Atlantic Ocean. You need to be prepared."

Clark nodded and said, "Just let them guard the one in front of their own house. They don't need to worry about me."

"Has Batman already acquired the power?" Diana asked, turning to him.

“I have to thank you for that,” Schiller nodded to her. “The Golden Apple replenished his life force sufficiently, and that life force can be output through the Hellbat Armor and converted into energy for purification…”

"God!" Ron exclaimed, "You mean Batman is going to drain his own life force..."

"No!" Clark interrupted without hesitation, saying, "We can't use his life force!"

“It’s not his life force that’s being used, but the golden apple,” Schiller said. “After he eats the golden apple, he gains an inexhaustible source of life force. Taking some out doesn’t matter.”

“It’s not that simple,” Diana said. “How could the human body withstand such input and output? How could Batman come up with such a dangerous plan?”

“He not only came up with the idea, he actually put it into practice,” Schiller said. “What do you think powered that powerful armor?”

Everyone's eyes widened. Clark looked at Diana. Diana explained, "I thought he just wanted to heal old wounds, that's what he told me! He never said that the armor would drain life force..."

“What you need to do right now isn’t worry about whether this will harm Batman,” Schiller said. “If you can defeat the Black Death Sun quickly and find the source of pollution in the ocean, he won’t need to sacrifice so much. Isn’t that right?”

The Justice League could no longer sit idly by. Diana felt an indescribable shame—this whole room full of superpowered individuals had ultimately had to rely on draining the life force of an ordinary person to salvage the situation. How could she call herself a hero if she didn't teach those undead a lesson?

The Justice League immediately set off towards the Atlantic Ocean. Just as they arrived at the nail deeply embedded in the earth, the device was activated.

The enormous nails emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the darkness beneath the clouds like a lighthouse. Energy spread throughout the sea, gradually rescuing it from the putrid atmosphere and making it clear. But this process was extremely slow, the evolution visibly arduous.

Clark flew upwards, arriving at the top cockpit's glass, where he met Batman's gaze. Batman wore the armor, his eyes unfathomable. Clark clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and mouthed to Batman, "Wait for me."

Watching Superman fly away, Batman removed his suit of armor, leaving it behind. It was infused with the power of the Seven Lamps he'd acquired from Oa, and now served as a battery for storing energy, placed inside the tower.

He certainly couldn't tell the Justice League the truth—mainly, he couldn't tell Superman. Because Superman's power is purely psychological; only with a firm will to act can he unleash his full potential. If his friend were losing life force every second, Superman's actions would become faster than anyone could anticipate.

Sure enough, as soon as Batman arrived on the beach, he turned around and saw a red and blue figure descending like lightning from above the clouds. Speed ​​ignited the air, flames piercing the sunlight. A massive gust of air sliced ​​through the water, exposing Atlantis beneath the surface to the air.

The magnificent scene of Moses parting the Red Sea now appears once again on the Atlantic Ocean. To the horror of the Atlanteans, the torn sea and land completely engulf them.