"I want the Amazons to completely and fully withdraw from the British Isles."
If this was the condition for Joey's cooperation, then Wonder Woman could never agree. If the Amazons left Britain, the only place left for them would be the ocean—and facing Atlantis there would mean certain death.
Even if she couldn't match Joey's strength, she would still have to fight to the death for her people's right to survive. But Joey offered an additional condition she could accept:
"I will bring Themyscira back."
"Impossible."
During the battle on Themyscira against the Atlanteans, Wonder Woman had unsealed Tartarus within the island. The long-suppressed volcano erupted instantly, wiping out most of the Atlantean invaders.
But the resulting tectonic upheaval caused the island to sink into the ocean.
"Simple. Like picking up a stone from underwater."
Joey reached out and pulled Wonder Woman to her feet.
"I'll show you."
Watching Wonder Woman leave with Joey, Penthesilea's eyes were filled with displeasure. She once again lashed out at the members of the Furies:
"Diana should never trust a man again. You failed your duty—you should have killed him when you had the chance!"
The members of the furies said nothing. They were the most elite warriors among the Amazons and answered only to their queen—not to her aunt.
All of this was observed by Kara, who had not yet left the scene. It seemed any future alliance with the Amazons would not be as smooth as expected.
...
There was a reason Wonder Woman chose the British Isles as the new Themyscira. The original island had been located in the North Sea near the Netherlands, surrounded by Britain, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.
Compared to other regions, using Britain—isolated from mainland Europe—as a bridgehead for advancing into the continent was a logical decision.
Joey thought her strategic thinking was unnecessary. Even if she had invaded the Netherlands or Northern Europe directly, those Western European nations—with their almost symbolic military strength—would hardly dare to resist.
In fact, at the very moment Wonder Woman declared her occupation of Britain, the European alliance, led by the Gauls, was already debating whether to resist or surrender.
"You're really trying to lift an entire island?"
Blessed with the strength of Heracles, Wonder Woman might be able to lift such weight—but distributing that weight across an entire island was a completely different matter.
"You might want to think about where to place the new Themyscira."
Joey dropped that line and dove straight into the ocean. Moments later, a massive whirlpool formed, and the sunken island rose once more from the depths.
"My god..."
Wonder Woman saw her homeland again—the Greek architecture, marble statues, and the volcanic rock that covered the island, centered around the erupted crater.
Joey had cut the entire base of the island from beneath and lifted it intact. The Kryptonian biofield was something difficult to describe, but it allowed him to raise the entire island along with its continental shelf instead of piercing through it.
Holding the island high above, its shadow cast over Wonder Woman and the sea below, he said:
"Your people can rebuild here. But this island needs a better location now."
The magical barrier set by Zeus had long been deactivated and could not be restored. The resurfaced island was no longer suitable for the North Sea.
In the end, Joey and Wonder Woman agreed on a new location— the Arctic.
While some political powers might object, for now, the Arctic remained a region without clear sovereignty.
Joey had already placed Kara's ship there. Adding Themyscira wouldn't make much difference. As for the climate, Kryptonian technology could handle it.
Seeing her homeland again, Wonder Woman recalled the deadly conflicts of recent times. They seemed endless.
"If you place Themyscira in the Arctic, Atlantis will come for it soon. Aquaman hates me as much as I hate him."
The Atlanteans had killed her mother. She had personally beheaded Mera. Even if she let go of her hatred, she didn't believe Aquaman would do the same.
"Want to hear my thoughts?"
Joey had a different view of the conflict between the Amazons and Atlantis. Though they seemed locked in endless war, the greatest casualties had actually been humans.
Because of his intervention, Wonder Woman had not yet begun large-scale suppression in Britain. But Aquaman, already in wartime mode, had begun attacking everything within Atlantis's domain.
And in Atlantean worldview, all oceans belonged to them—and so did the airspace above them.
He looked at Diana, who was troubled by what was to come.
"Maybe your personal feud started the war. But what's really keeping it going is that most of the people with power on both sides secretly want to use this chance to wipe out all surface dwellers."
"Your royal conflict is just an excuse."
Joey needed to protect the survivors of Themyscira and calm Atlantis—and quickly.
Because this version of Aquaman had never learned mercy from his human father. He would soon realize a simple truth:
Six billion surface dwellers were nothing but a burden to Atlantis.
And the superweapon he was secretly building was nearing completion.
In the original timeline, it was powerful enough to wipe out all land life on Earth.
If Aquaman chose to activate it, Joey would have no choice but to minimize losses.
---
"No one understands Aquaman better than me. Don't worry, I like Aquaman, and he likes me too—we have a great relationship. I've already sent our best superhero to negotiate with him. WW3 absolutely will not happen~"
Cyborg was in a secret base in Detroit, maintaining his mechanical systems. With only his heart and half his brain still organic, his consciousness could already move freely through cyberspace.
One thread of his processor was currently watching a video of the President playing the accordion while spouting nonsense. He couldn't help but curse under his breath.
The President didn't even know Aquaman's real name, yet he confidently claimed they were friends—and had even used his brilliant judgment to send Captain Atom to negotiate with Atlantis.
From every angle, it was a terrible idea. But as a soldier, Captain Atom had no choice but to obey. Now he was gone, with no contact.
After effectively sending a powerful hero to his death, the President also demanded that Cyborg quickly assemble a truly capable super team to stop the war between Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
He had even named the team himself—the Justice Society of America. And he specifically noted: whether they were just or not didn't matter, as long as they were American.
Thinking about it made Cyborg feel like his processor was overheating.
He had chosen to work with the government to help people. Now he was stuck with this leadership—it was his own fault.
Meanwhile, just as the Amazon invasion had settled, new developments emerged. After an unobserved battle, the Amazons temporarily halted their hostilities in Western Europe.
But Cyborg could access every camera, every satellite, every network.
He saw them—the two figures in red capes, with the large 'S' on their chests.
The same symbol and attire as the alien 'Subject One' who had crashed in Metropolis, been imprisoned underground for twenty years, and later rescued.
They were not from Earth.
The battle in Britain and the experimental data from Subject 1 had already proven the terrifying power of their species.
Even though they had saved millions by stopping the Amazons and claimed to bring peace…
Thinking of what humanity had done to their captured people—
Cyborg felt a chill run down his spine.