"You could," Joseph said. "If you were powerful enough. If you had enough countermeasures. Is that the only reason you joined?"
John snorted. "No. I'm also on the run from the King of the Vampires. Claims he predates humanity—says he fed on the First Human. Wanted me spying on other magicians for him. Bit out of my league, so I figured Justice League Dark might even the odds."
He shrugged. "Oh, and I'm dodging the First of the Fallen after I tricked him into drinking holy water. And then there's the long list of other things that probably want my soul. Too many to count, really."
He said it like he was discussing the weather.
Joseph whistled. "If that many things want you dead, you must be doing something right. So—will you stay with Justice League Dark?"
"Nah. I don't wa—"
"I can help with any occult threat that comes after you," Joseph cut in. "You should have some idea how strong I am. I may not be a powerful magician, but I am the most effective counter to magic."
Alien Excalibur manifested in his hand, humming softly.
"And you know who I am," Joseph continued. "I'll pay you on top of whatever the League gives you through the U.N. to lead it. Let any useful friends of yours know. We can use all the help we can get."
John studied him through the smoke. "You sure you can back that up?"
Joseph smirked beneath his helmet. "Where was the King of the Vampires last seen?"
**
| London - October 21
At night, John Constantine entered the woods of Hampstead Heath.
This was the last place he had encountered the self-proclaimed First Vampire—where he had rejected the creature's offer to be turned and serve as a spy for the rest of eternity. That refusal had earned him a threat: if John couldn't explain why his "piss-boring" human life was better than immortality, the vampire would slit his throat and leave him half alive forever.
Fueled by bravado he didn't know the source of, John had asked whether the vampire could take a walk through the park and hear the birds sing in the morning. Whether he could kiss a girl and know she loved him. Whether he could go out, get pissed with his mates, or watch the sun rise.
The vampire had raged—but in the end, he let John go, parting with the promise that if the King didn't get him, someone else would.
Now, thinking of the contract Joseph Luthor had offered—stuffed with more zeroes than John had ever seen—Constantine couldn't help but wonder if the King of the Vampires had been right.
As he moved deeper into the forest, he felt eyes on him.
He turned and found a wolf staring back, its gaze unmistakably human.
Then others emerged from the undergrowth, slipping past him. Some walked tall and strong, just as they had on the day they died. Others staggered. A few crawled.
Half of London's freaks and phantoms were here, and John stood squarely in the middle of them.
'Here's hoping I didn't put my trust in the wrong person.'
A voice drifted down from above.
"You're back," said the King of the Vampires.
He lounged in a tree as if it were a throne, bearing an unsettling resemblance to James Dean—leather jacket, brown quiff, effortless arrogance. He had spent tens of thousands of years on Earth, killing and feeding on humans. To him, they were little more than cattle, and he thought nothing of maiming or murdering them purely for his own amusement.
Naked men and women clung to his form, while shadowy figures and monsters gathered behind him.
In recent years, he had begun recruiting other outcasts—monsters, murderers, madmen—hoping to build his power base.
"Did the Chaos magic show you how fragile humanity really is?" the King asked smugly. "Have you come to seek a place in my court? I'll let you in if you—"
He stopped.
John caught the briefest flick of the vampire's eyes upward.
The night sky erupted into daylight as a blinding beam of light descended from above like divine judgment, then vanished just as quickly.
Where the undead had stood, nothing remained but scorched earth and drifting ash.
Nova descended from the sky like a god returning to the world.
John stared, speechless. He had been bracing himself for a showdown of catastrophic proportions.
This was… anticlimactic.
"His psychic prowess was impressive," Nova said calmly. "I couldn't breach his mind. Other than that, he was easy money—just a big fish in a small pond of regular humans."
"How did you kill a vampire like that?" John asked. "Your energy shouldn't have even harmed him."
Nova shrugged. "Nova Force is stellar in nature, so it should have worked. But just to be safe, I matched the sun's UV radiation."
Growls rippled through the forest as every remaining monster and spirit converged on their position, drawn by the disturbance.
Nova summoned his sword—and vanished.
All John saw were bodies falling, heads flying, and monsters dying.
Then the forest went still.
Nova reappeared, his blade clean. The fight hadn't even lasted a minute.
"Aight," he said. "Done. Who's next?"
'Leader of the Justice League Dark, huh?' John thought. 'I'm bloody in.'
With this guy on his side, demons would think twice before crossing him no matter how much he scammed them.
'Not even my bad luck should be able to kill this one.'
**
| Watchtower - October 21
A red bird landed on a branch, lingered for a moment, then flitted away.
Batman and Wonder Woman stood in the Watchtower's garden, admiring the view as they waited. The hollowed-out sections of the asteroid—space once unused—had been transformed into a thriving ecosystem, complete with trees, water, and wildlife.
Beyond the greenery stretched the blue planet they called home.
"Moments like these," Wonder Woman said softly, "one truly feels the weight of the world upon one's shoulders."
Superman should have been standing beside them.
Batman responded with a low, noncommittal grunt. Diana had known Bruce long enough to recognize the signs. He was hurting—physically and emotionally.
Batman processed loss through work. He threw himself into patrols, into philanthropic efforts as Bruce Wayne, or vanished into the Batcave for days at a time, poring over data on the monster known as Doomsday.
He likely blamed himself for failing to stop it—just as Diana did. She had been bested, unable to rejoin the fight in time to help Clark.
Aquaman approached, signaling that their wait was over. "Everyone's here."
Wonder Woman walked alongside Batman into the meeting chamber, where the current Justice League had gathered.
Flash. Martian Manhunter. Captain Atom. Captain Marvel. Green Arrow. Black Canary. Two Green Lanterns. Red Tornado. Zatara. Atom. Icon. Plastic Man.
With Batman, Aquaman, and herself, these were meant to be Earth's foremost defenders.
Recent events had proven they were not enough.
"Our agenda is clear," Aquaman began as the meeting was called to order. "What's at stake cannot be underestimated."
"Decisions made today will reverberate for years," Wonder Woman added, "and determine whether the world continues to place its trust in the Justice League."
"Please take your seats," Batman said, his voice rough. "We have work to do."
**
"An expansion of the League risks escalating hostilities with our enemies," Martian Manhunter said, rising as the others sat. "No one needs—or wants—another Light, especially in times like these."
"Point taken," Aquaman replied evenly. "But the option remains to vote no at all candidates."
Martian Manhunter inclined his head and resumed his seat.
"Then I'll begin," Wonder Woman said. "I nominate Starfire." Her protégé had proven herself indispensable during the restoration of the dimensions.
"I nominate Wildcat," Batman followed. "He's recently come out of retirement."
One by one, League members began adding names.
**
"So far," Flash said, scanning the list, "we have Starfire, Wildcat, Vixen, Vigilante, S.T.R.I.P.E., Shining Knight, Mister Terrific, the Question, Elongated Man, Huntress, Booster Gold, B'wana Beast, Black Lightning, and Green Lantern—Guy Gardner. Anyone else?"
"I still think including Guy is a terrible idea," Hal Jordan muttered.
Green Arrow stood. "If we're considering Guy, then I nominate Red Arrow. Roy has more experience. He's not a kid anymore. He's ready."
"Is he?" Aquaman asked coolly. "Red Arrow has been uncooperative and disrespectful. Rewarding that behavior sends the wrong message—especially given the Light's involvement with him."
Wonder Woman understood Aquaman's tone. After learning Ocean Master was his half-brother—and had nearly gotten his pregnant wife killed—Arthur had little patience for anything connected to the Light.
"There's also his mental state to consider," Batman added. "Since learning he's a clone, he's been obsessively pursuing the Light. It may be wiser to wait and see if he even wants to continue this life."
Green Arrow had no rebuttal. He sat back down.
"Maybe," Flash said carefully, "it's time we address the elephant in the room."