"So many monsters!"
"Oh God—Metropolis is finished!"
"No, not just Metropolis. The entire United States is probably done for!"
…
Panicked cries rang out across Metropolis—and echoed through the surrounding cities as well.
There was no helping it.
This time, the portal was simply too massive. Several neighboring cities could see it clearly with their own eyes.
Everyone understood one thing: even though the Parademons were pouring into Metropolis, this crisis would definitely not be limited to Metropolis alone.
Fear and despair began to spread uncontrollably through the population.
"Why hasn't Superman appeared yet?"
"Has he really been captured?"
"Superman, we need Superman!"
"Alex—we need Alex too!"
Countless people prayed for the superheroes to step forward once more and save them.
But unfortunately, whether it was Superman or Alex, neither showed any sign of action.
---
"This is bad!"
"Darkseid has arrived!"
Inside DeSaad's base, the imprisoned Victor Stone turned pale.
Although his body was restrained, his consciousness was not. Victor could still interface with networks, pulling in information through cameras and intercepted audio feeds.
He already knew what was happening outside.
"So… he finally came."
Wonder Woman's face was filled with anxiety and concern. She desperately wanted to rush out and confront Darkseid head-on.
But—
Like the rest of the Justice League, she was tightly bound by heavy restraints, unable to move even a fraction.
Escape was out of the question.
"We can't stay like this!"
"We have to find a way out!"
Aquaman Arthur said firmly, struggling wildly as he spoke.
But it was completely useless.
"Superman, aren't you supposed to be the strongest one here? How did you end up locked up too?"
Frustrated, Aquaman shouted irritably toward Superman in the neighboring cell.
Not everyone knew about Superman's weakness to kryptonite—Aquaman certainly didn't.
"Arthur… Superman's situation is special," Batman explained from another adjacent cell.
"DeSaad found a way to suppress him. Right now, Superman might not even be stronger than me."
"There's something like that?!"
Aquaman was stunned, and even more irritated.
"Then what do we do—just rot in here? Barry, Barry! Why aren't you saying anything?"
Barry Allen was usually a nonstop chatterbox—buzzing like a fly.
But now, he was completely silent.
That was very unusual.
"Barry, come on—you can do this!"
"You've done something like this before. This time it's just a bit more complicated."
"All you need is focus!"
Unbeknownst to the others, the Flash was muttering encouragement to himself.
Because he was about to attempt something critical.
Vibration.
Everyone knew that the Flash had a unique ability—one of his signature skills:
Phasing through solid objects.
By vibrating his body at extremely high frequencies, the Flash could pass through walls and other solid matter.
And now, he was trying to do exactly that.
Although his body was bound, even the tiniest vibrations were still possible.
The problem was—
He had never tried phasing with vibrations this subtle before.
But now, there was no other choice.
Bzzzz…
The Flash began vibrating.
Nothing happened.
Bzzzz…
Again.
Failure.
Bzzzz…
Again.
Failure.
"Barry, you can do this. You have to do this!"
After countless attempts and endless self-encouragement—
Bzzzz…
Whoosh!
The Flash finally succeeded.
He phased straight out of the restraints binding his body.
After that, things became much easier.
Ordinary walls were no obstacle to him at all.
Whoosh!
The Flash phased right through.
"Barry—you made it out! Hahaha, that's amazing!"
Aquaman froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
The other members of the Justice League were just as overjoyed.
"Phasing," the Flash said shyly, smiling. "It's a little specialty of mine."
"Barry, hurry—free the rest of us!"
Wonder Woman immediately urged him.
"I will, but it's not that simple," the Flash replied seriously.
"I don't have the strength to remove those restraints from you. I can only use this trick on myself."
"Give me a moment—let me think…"
"Barry!"
Superman, who had barely spoken until now, interrupted him.
"You can phase through walls, right? Then phase in here and turn off those lights!"
Those kryptonite lamps were the real thing suppressing him.
The heavy restraints were just for show by comparison.
The Flash zipped over to Superman's cell, took one look inside, and nodded immediately.
"Got it. I can do that!"
Bzzzz…
He vibrated and phased straight into Superman's cell.
A burst of electricity surged through the system—
The kryptonite lights went out.
With their power gone, Superman instantly recovered.
Clang!
He flexed slightly, and the restraints on his body shattered.
Then, with a casual punch—
Boom!
The reinforced wall of the cell exploded outward.
After that, there was nothing left to say.
Superman effortlessly freed all the imprisoned members of the Justice League.
Boom!
The moment he was done, Superman wasted no words.
He took off immediately.
His destination was obvious—
Metropolis, to stop Darkseid.
The other members of the Justice League did the same, racing toward Metropolis at top speed.
But when they finally arrived and saw the sky blackened by endless Parademons—
Every one of them felt despair settle in their hearts.
So many Parademons…
How could they possibly fight that?
Boom!
Just then, a sharp sonic boom echoed through the air.
It caught the attention of the Justice League—and of Superman, who was already fighting the Parademons.
They instinctively turned their heads.
In that instant, everyone's spirits soared.
Alex.
It was Alex.
Their final hope—
Alex had finally arrived.
"Alex!"
The Justice League quickly gathered around him, urgently briefing him on the situation at hand.
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