Chapter 57

"Is Doomsday's weakness Kryptonite?" Batman asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yes," Ashborn replied calmly. "He's still weakened by it, just not to the same degree as Superman. And… he can eventually adapt to it, becoming immune."

Batman's eyes narrowed further, already formulating contingencies in his mind.

Ashborn glanced around. "Keep in mind—Doomsday might not be the next danger. It could be Lex Luthor, or something completely unexpected."

Just as he finished speaking, his brow lifted as alarms began to blare through the Watchtower.

"Well, I'll let you guys get to work," Ashborn said casually, his eyes on the screen.

It displayed a clear, side-angle camera view of a group of armored individuals attacking the White House.

Without hesitation, Superman and a few others took off—this was the biggest event to hit since Ashborn's arrival.

Ashborn leaned back, choosing to watch the action unfold.

There were five men in total, each one geared in advanced armor and wielding what looked like alien weaponry.

They were bulletproof, shrugging off standard gunfire with ease—though the White House guards had been issued special weapons that could at least dent their armor.

Ashborn watched as Superman and the others arrived on the scene, quickly engaging the armored attackers.

But his interest faded just as fast. His attention shifted to Wonder Woman, who had stayed behind.

The moment she noticed Ashborn looking at her, her body stiffened.

"So… about that date?" Ashborn asked with a smile. Wonder Woman froze for a long moment, completely silent, before finally shaking her head.

"Sorry," Wonder Woman said, avoiding eye contact. "But I believe co-workers shouldn't engage in that kind of relationship."

Ashborn's eye twitched. Damn Ember. She'd clearly lied about his charm—and worse, she'd given him false hope.

Wonder Woman, sensing the tension, quickly shifted the topic.

"A-about Superman's death," she said, voice quieter now. "You spoke about it like… you don't plan to step in and help."

Ashborn seized the chance to change the subject.

"Yes," Ashborn said lightly. "I'd prefer to avoid drawing the Darkness's attention when I can. So I'll only step in when the benefits outweigh the risk."

"Even if Superman dies?" Wonder Woman asked, her brow furrowed deeply.

Ashborn paused, thinking it over.

"It would depend on how things played out," Ashborn said with a sigh. "I'd rather you all see it for yourselves."

Wonder Woman looked away, clearly disappointed. It was only natural to assume that if Superman wasn't guaranteed to be saved, she wouldn't be either.

It's the main reason she just rejected Ashborn, it came from not knowing Ashborn well enough yet. At the end of the day, they could very well be enemies tomorrow. His willingness to let his allies die was something she couldn't accept, but a part of her was willing to wait and see what Ashborn was talking about.

She didn't care much about the fact that Ashborn was killed. Sometimes, she too had the urge to kill—but she held herself back.

She was a warrior, after all—she'd fought in World War II and had taken many lives. But in modern times, she refrained… not because she couldn't, but because she believed in Superman's words.

Superman was the best of them, and every member of the League believed in him fully.

It didn't take long for the Justice League to return, though a few members split off to visit Cyborg's father, hoping he could analyze the attackers' armor.

That armor… it looked like something straight out of Apokolips. Batman brought back a damaged piece and handed it to Ashborn, curious if he knew anything about it.

Of course, Ashborn didn't. He wasn't some all-knowing god. His Cosmic Awareness pointed him toward Apokolips, but it didn't explain how humans had gotten their hands on that kind of tech.

Still, Ashborn had a feeling this wasn't Darkseid's doing. If he had to guess… it smelled more like Lex Luthor.

"Just how easy is it for Luthor to get his hands on stuff like this?" Ashborn asked, eyeing the piece of armor as he turned to Batman.

Batman's expression tightened.

"On the day you arrived on Earth, there was a robbery in Jump City—five individuals broke into a bank," he said with a frown.

Ashborn blinked. "…A bank? Who the hell stores alien tech in a bank?"

"It wasn't the armor that was stored there," Batman said while turning to leave. "On the night Darkseid invaded, a fragment of a Mother Box landed at that location."

"The owner of the bank not only kept it but actually fought the government in court to make sure it stayed in his possession. And guess who backed him?"

Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes. "Luthor."

Batman nodded. "With someone like Luthor backing you… there's very little you can't do."

He turned to leave, his cape shifting behind him. He didn't need to say more.

Luthor hadn't supported that bank owner out of goodwill—he did it to steal the Mother Box fragment. Now Luthor had it. And he was starting to make his move.

As for what his endgame was? Not even Batman knew.

'When someone like Luthor makes a move, it's never random,' Ashborn thought, rubbing his chin. 'Either he sold that armor to those cannon fodder, or he did it knowing the Justice League would get involved…'

'Was it just a test?' He shrugged. He'd done his part for the day, and hopefully, he'd get some action in the following days. It was weird that a whole day happened without any end-of-the-world event playing out.

Far away, in the void of space, what looked like an asteroid was hurtling toward Earth at an impossible speed.

"My lord, you've finally returned!" The fused shadow of Ashborn's brightest minds—now known as Bright Mind—rushed forward, practically vibrating with excitement. In his hands, he held up a phone like it was the holy grail.

It looked exactly like Ashborn's old one. Ashborn raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks, Bright Mind," he said, taking the phone with a calm nod.

Behind Bright Mind stood dozens of other shadows—former citizens of Gotham, all reborn under Ashborn's command. They had once been ordinary people, but now? Their minds had been sharpened to godly levels. They stood proudly behind their leader, eyes gleaming with satisfaction, like students showing off a science project to their favorite teacher.

Bright Mind, meanwhile, was bouncing in place, unable to contain himself.

"My lord, you haven't even begun to see the greatness of this device!" he beamed, eyes wide with anticipation. 

Ashborn smiled faintly, sensing the excitement. He could easily tell that Bright Mind wanted to tell him everything, so with a nod, he gave permission to speak.