Batman's question hung in the air.
Everyone in the conference room was staring at Levi. Superman had his arms crossed. Wonder Woman's hand rested on the Lasso of Truth. The Flash had stopped shaking his leg. Even Aquaman leaned forward slightly.
Levi didn't answer immediately.
His gaze swept across the room before settling on Batman. Bruce Wayne's eyes were full of caution—the standard reaction he had toward any unknown threat.
"Who I am isn't important," Levi said, raising his right hand. A dark green ring materialized in his palm, its surface engraved with intricate runes. "What matters is that I'm qualified to stand here."
Hal Jordan abruptly stood up, his pupils shrinking.
"That's… a Guardian's ring?"
"Given to me personally by Ganthet." Levi closed his hand around the ring. "A token of trust."
Everyone froze.
"Why would the Guardians give you that ring?" Hal asked in a low voice. "What exactly did you do?"
"Repelled one of the Anti-Monitor's invasions. Saved the Green Lanterns of three sectors while I was at it." Levi shrugged. "Nothing special."
Superman and Wonder Woman exchanged glances. They had personally witnessed Levi devour the Anti-Monitor's projection earlier. That kind of power already exceeded their understanding.
Batman remained silent for a few seconds.
"What's your real purpose in this universe?"
"To stop the Anti-Monitor from collecting the Anti-Life Equation." Levi didn't hide anything. "If he succeeds, the entire multiverse falls. My mission is to secure the fragments before he does—or destroy his plan entirely."
"Sounds noble," Batman said with a trace of sarcasm. "Why should we believe you?"
Levi looked directly at him.
"You don't have to. But right now, you don't have a choice."
With a wave of his hand, the holographic projection in the center of the room lit up. A map of Queens, New York appeared, with a flashing red marker deep beneath an abandoned industrial district.
"A fragment of the Anti-Life Equation is here. If we leave now, we still have a chance to get it before the Anti-Monitor."
He turned toward Cyborg.
"Victor. Scan these coordinates with the Mother Box."
Cyborg hesitated and looked toward Batman.
Bruce stared at Levi for several seconds before nodding.
Cyborg's right eye glowed blue as Mother Box technology activated. Streams of data flooded his vision—geological structures, energy fluctuations, spatial density. Everything was being analyzed in real time.
Then halfway through the scan, his body suddenly stiffened.
"What's wrong?" Superman immediately noticed.
"There's… some kind of barrier," Cyborg said, his voice trembling slightly. "The Mother Box can't penetrate it."
Levi walked over and placed a hand on Cyborg's shoulder.
At that exact moment—
The Mother Box technology inside Cyborg resonated with Levi's alchemical laws.
The incomprehensible Apokoliptian runes suddenly became crystal clear in Levi's perception. The principles behind Boom Tube construction, the core logic of energy conversion, even the imprint of Darkseid's will hidden deep within the Mother Box—all of it unfolded before him.
[S-Rank Ability Detected: Mother Box Technology Mastery]
[Copy?]
Levi answered silently in his mind.
Copy.
A massive torrent of knowledge poured into his consciousness.
Tens of thousands of years of Apokoliptian technological accumulation became part of him in an instant.
The entire process took less than three seconds.
Cyborg merely felt a warm energy spread from Levi's hand as the barrier blocking the scan was torn open. Data resumed flowing, and an image three hundred meters underground appeared clearly in the hologram.
"What…" Cyborg stared at Levi in disbelief. "What did you do?"
"Opened a door for you." Levi withdrew his hand. "Keep scanning."
Batman's gaze sharpened further.
He had noticed Levi's action just now. He had also seen the shock that flashed across Cyborg's face.
This man could not only devour the Anti-Monitor's will—he could interfere with Apokolips technology as well?
The underground structure gradually became clearer on the hologram.
An abandoned subway tunnel, buried beneath the industrial district of Queens. At the end of the tunnel was a sealed chamber, where energy readings indicated the presence of some kind of high-density anomalous substance.
"Found it." Cyborg pointed at the projection. "Right here. But… there are life signs nearby. At least thirty of them. Their patterns are abnormal."
"What does that mean?" Flash leaned over.
"Their brainwaves are almost completely synchronized. Heartbeats, breathing, neural activity—everything follows mechanical precision."
Wonder Woman tightened her grip on her sword.
"They're being controlled?"
"More like corrupted," Levi said while watching the projection. "Fragments of the Anti-Life Equation emit psychic contamination. Prolonged exposure erases free will and turns living beings into puppets driven only by obedience and slaughter."
Superman's expression darkened.
"Can those people still be saved?"
"Depends. If the corruption isn't too deep, I can try. But if they've already been fully assimilated…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
No one needed him to.
Batman rose from his chair.
"We need a detailed plan."
"The plan is simple," Levi replied without turning around. "I lead. You follow. Eliminate the puppets, seal the fragment. If Darkseid's forces or the Anti-Monitor's agents show up, I'll handle them."
"That's not a plan. That's recklessness."
Levi stopped and glanced back at him.
"You got a better idea?"
Batman fell silent.
"Let's move," Superman said as he stepped beside Levi. "We don't have time to waste."
Five minutes later, a Boom Tube tore open outside the Watchtower.
Levi and the core members of the Justice League vanished into the void.
---
Queens, New York — Abandoned Industrial District
The Boom Tube ripped open outside a rust-covered factory, and Levi stepped out first.
The night was deathly silent.
"There's blood in the air," Levi said as he scanned the surroundings.
Superman inhaled deeply.
"I hear heartbeats. A lot of them. But they're all synchronized. Underground."
Batman pulled out a scanner.
"The entrance is on the east side. An abandoned subway access tunnel."
"Move."
After crossing several decaying factory buildings, they arrived at a fenced-off entrance. Rusted warning signs hung from the metal bars, their words nearly corroded beyond recognition.
Flash touched the gate.
"Looks like nobody's opened this in years."
The moment he finished speaking—
Clank.
The gate unlocked itself.
Everyone turned toward Levi.
He withdrew his hand, faint golden light still lingering in his palm.
"Don't waste time."
The tunnel was narrow enough for only two people abreast. Graffiti and mold covered the walls, while stagnant water beneath their feet released a foul stench. The deeper they went, the heavier the atmosphere became.
After about five minutes, a rusted iron door appeared at the end of the passage.
No handle. Just a circular indentation in the center.
Cyborg scanned it.
"It requires a specific energy frequency to open."
"Move aside."
Levi stepped forward and placed his palm against the indentation.
Alchemical law surged into the door, dissecting and reconstructing the machinery within.
Click.
The iron door slowly opened.
A thick wave of blood stench rushed out.
Superman charged in first, his heat vision illuminating the darkness.
Then he stopped cold.
The sight before them made everyone inhale sharply.
This was a massive underground chamber that had once been a subway platform. Now it had become some grotesque altar. Black runes covered the walls. Dozens of corpses—or things that had once been human—lay sprawled across the floor.
Their skin was unnaturally gray-white. Their eyes were completely black, devoid of pupils. Their bodies twisted into impossible shapes, yet their chests still rose faintly.
"They're alive," Wonder Woman whispered.
"No," Levi said as he crouched beside one of the bodies. "They're already dead. Their bodies are just still functioning. Their consciousness was erased long ago."
Batman scanned a corpse.
"Brain activity is nearly nonexistent, but the nervous system remains active. This doesn't match any known biological process."
"Because this isn't biology," Levi replied as he rose and looked toward the center of the chamber. "It's conceptual corruption."
There, floating in midair, was a black crystal about the size of a fist. Strange patterns flowed across its surface, while the surrounding space warped faintly around it.
"A fragment of the Anti-Life Equation," Superman said grimly.
At that moment—
The corpses moved.
They rose in perfect unison, their movements stiff and mechanical, hollow eyes fixed on the intruders.
"Prepare for combat," Batman barked.
But before anyone could attack, a massive psychic pressure descended.
Superman groaned and dropped to one knee. Wonder Woman's sword hand trembled violently. Flash collapsed outright. Batman clutched his head as veins bulged across his forehead.
Only Levi remained standing.
He raised his right hand, soft platinum light blooming from his palm. The Mind Stone's laws fused with Professor X's telepathy, forming an invisible barrier that enveloped everyone.
The pressure vanished.
Superman exhaled heavily as he got back up.
"Thanks."
"Don't relax yet." Levi stared at the crystal. "The real trouble's just beginning."
The instant he finished speaking—
Space trembled.
A massive rift tore open above the crystal as countless black figures poured out.
Parademons.
Darkseid's army.
Shrieking ear-piercing cries, they charged forward wielding energy weapons.
At the same time, another rift opened on the opposite side of the chamber.
This time, Shadow Demons emerged—the Anti-Monitor's servants.
Two invading forces arrived simultaneously, both targeting the floating crystal.
Levi narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting. Looks like we're not the only ones after this thing."
He turned toward the Justice League.
"You handle the Parademons. The Shadow Demons are mine."
"By yourself?" Batman frowned.
"By myself."
Levi's figure blurred and shot straight into the swarm of Shadow Demons.
Superman and Wonder Woman exchanged a glance before turning to meet the Parademons head-on.
The three-way battle began.
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