"This strength wasn't that impressive. It seems that except for those well-known demons in Hell, other demons will find it difficult to fight against me. But..."
Marcus thought of the flame demon from over twenty years ago. Although that creature had been just a clone, the power it displayed was much stronger than this pustule demon.
"I don't know who that guy was," he muttered.
Then, as if thinking of something, he shook his head gently. "That kind of creature hiding in the dark probably isn't a powerful existence."
The flame demon had been just a clone. Although it was powerful, it had been so secretive when invading Earth. Obviously, it wasn't a strong fighter but rather someone who relied on conspiracy and tricks.
He waved his hand to release a large amount of power, covering everything around him. Purple energy surged outward.
The entire forest was completely devastated in a violent explosion. Countless trees fell to the ground instantly, all carbonized.
The pustule demon's remaining power was completely wiped out in this blast.
"Well... no problems now," Marcus said, looking at his handiwork with satisfaction.
Although the area looked pretty catastrophic, it definitely wouldn't affect anyone. At most, it would add another unsolved mystery to the world.
After completing all this, Marcus recalled the Exalted Tatsu, and the armor on his body dissipated.
He disappeared from the blasted forest in a flash of lightning. Even before vanishing, he threw a thick lightning bolt at the deep crater.
RUMBLE~
Accompanied by thunder, electrical current spread outward through the carbonized forest, making the place look even more shocking.
Shortly after he left, a thin old man wearing a cowboy hat rushed over with a shotgun.
Marcus didn't know what Jim saw. Marcus had already returned to the farm and reassured Jonathan and Martha that everything was safe.
"That really was a demon—one covered in pustules all over its body. It looked, well... disgusting," Marcus explained.
Recalling the pustule demon's appearance and the scene when those pustules exploded, Marcus felt his stomach begin to churn.
The scene had been so revolting that even just remembering it made him want to vomit.
"What about that explosion just now? You're not injured, are you?" Martha asked with concern.
"Injured? Because of that disgusting thing?" Marcus smiled and waved his hands. "I caused the explosion just to completely get rid of it. If you go over there now, you should be able to see the carbonized forest."
After hearing Marcus's explanation, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
According to Marcus, the demon's strength hadn't been very impressive, but it had been too disgusting, which delayed things somewhat.
But the two couldn't imagine how revolting the demon must have been to make Marcus take so long dealing with it.
Marcus didn't want to recall those details, and the couple could only bury their curiosity. After all, it wasn't good to make him remember unpleasant things.
Beyond the demon itself, the two also became curious about Marcus's true strength.
They knew Clark wasn't Marcus's match, but they didn't understand just how strong Marcus really was. In their memory, Marcus had only shown his strength during the Kryptonian invasion, and that hadn't been his full power.
God knows what kind of performance Marcus would have if he released his full fighting power.
Marcus was helpless about their curiosity, but he couldn't explain it to them. After all, his power was too strong. At least, the power he possessed now couldn't be fully demonstrated.
His strongest armor, Ember Prime [Immortal Flame], now controlled the power of an entire dimension—a dimension composed entirely of flames. Once that armor was used and released at full strength, the entire Earth would become a sea of fire.
At that point, not to mention Jonathan and Martha, even the most powerful creatures on Earth would be burned to ash instantly.
"Don't ask me about my full strength. I can't show you, but I can give you a brief description—it's more dazzling than the sun."
After hearing Marcus's explanation, Jonathan and Martha looked at each other. They really couldn't understand what he meant.
What did "more dazzling than the sun" mean? Could Marcus be a star himself?
All kinds of questions made the two fall silent. Marcus was happy to let the topic drop. He picked up an apple from the fruit basket and started eating it while enjoying the TV program.
In Greece
Bruce had made a special trip to Europe and found Diana, a busy archaeologist, at a temple where excavations were being conducted.
"Hello, ma'am. You're very beautiful," Bruce greeted.
"Thank you. I actually prefer my work over my appearance," Diana responded with a smile.
This was the first time she and Bruce had met, but few people came to visit her specifically. Did this world-class billionaire have something to consult with her about?
"Ma'am, I need your help with something regarding ancient Greek civilization. After all, your historical knowledge is well-known in the archaeological community..."
After greeting Diana, Bruce led her to a remote area of the temple. Some things could only be discussed quietly—like matters concerning demons.
"Look, when would this style of wristband be from?" Bruce asked, handing Diana a photo of a pair of metal wristbands.
To anyone else, these wristbands were just antiques. But when Diana saw them, she was shocked.
These weren't just any wristbands—they were her Bracelets of Submission. The moment she saw them, Diana's demeanor changed, becoming very dangerous.
She understood that her identity had been exposed, at least to this world-famous playboy.
"You..."
"Please don't misunderstand, ma'am. I don't mean any harm. I just want to talk with you," Bruce said with a slight smile, extending his hand to invite her out of the temple.
They moved to a quiet cafe. Bruce took out several more photos, all featuring Diana—from black and white to color, every photo showing her appearance across decades.
"Bruce Wayne," he introduced himself formally.
"Diana. Diana Prince," she replied.
Diana looked at the man before her with curiosity. She wasn't worried about an attack from him. After all, she was different from ordinary humans.
Seeing Diana's fearless expression, Bruce relaxed. As long as she was willing to listen, that was fine. After all, he was looking for an ally, not an enemy.
Taking a deep breath, Bruce straightened his clothes and spoke solemnly.
"Ma'am, I do know your identity and understand that you're an Amazon. But I have no ill intentions. I think you should know about certain special things—such as demons..."
"Demons?" Diana raised her eyebrows slightly.
She did know about demons and had even seen them with her own eyes. After all, she was the daughter of Zeus and had witnessed many strange things.
"Interesting. If I remember correctly, you're the head of the Wayne Group. Someone like you pays attention to whether demons really exist?"
"No, I'm not just paying attention to whether demons exist," Bruce shook his head slightly. "I've seen demons and even killed demons. This started over twenty years ago."
This surprised Diana. A billionaire like Bruce not only clearly knew about demons' existence but had also seen and killed them over two decades ago.
Just as she was about to speak, she saw a bat-shaped dart appear in Bruce's hand. The sight of this dart made her pupils contract.
She knew this dart—or rather, everyone who knew anything about Gotham knew its origin. After all, the legend of the Dark Knight was quite popular.
"You're the Bat of Gotham? If people knew that one of the world's top billionaires does vigilante work in Gotham every night, they'd be shocked."
"Yes, I'm Batman. Now we can talk openly. What do you think about demons?"
"Demons? I'm not clergy. They're meaningless to me unless they attack me or endanger many people."
In Diana's experience, although demons often possessed humans, church clergy or exorcists could use certain tools to remove demons from humans and eliminate them.
If Bruce was looking for her for something like that, she'd leave. She wasn't an exorcist—finding her for such matters was pointless.
Just as she was about to stand, she heard Bruce's voice.
"What if they've already descended to Earth with their physical bodies?"
He placed a few more photos on the table. Seeing the demons pictured, Diana sat back down.
"Demons rarely come to Earth in their physical forms. What's happening in these photos?"
Seeing Diana was now interested, Bruce smiled. "The two in the photos are demon servants. I think you know what demon servants are."
Diana nodded gently. She did know—they were followers and servants of higher demons.
But if the two in the photos were demon servants, how had Bruce defeated them? After all, Bruce appeared to be an ordinary human, albeit a very fit one.
"Someone is summoning these demons—from ordinary demons at first to demon servants now. We don't know their real purpose.
"But one thing is certain: if this continues, Earth will become a paradise for demons."
Diana's brows knitted together. She understood Bruce wasn't exaggerating. If that time really came, Earth would truly become a demon paradise.
Her homeland, Paradise Island, might be spared, but the human world would definitely be completely destroyed.
"Is this why you came to me?"
"Yes. We need your power."
"We?" Diana caught the word. This was the second time she'd heard it, which meant Bruce wasn't without allies. But she didn't know who these helpers were or where they came from.
"Alright, I'll join you. But I need to meet all of you."
"No problem. Come with me."
Bruce led Diana out of the cafe. The two went directly to a hotel invested in by the Wayne Group locally.
In a luxurious room, Bruce opened the case he'd been carrying, which contained a computer and some weapons and equipment.
"Come on, meet the others."
After operating the computer a few times, the screen suddenly changed, and Alfred's face appeared.
"Master!"
"Notify everyone. We need to have a meeting," Bruce ordered.
Under Bruce's direction, Alfred connected all the members. Separate video feeds divided the screen.
"Bruce~"
"Mr. Bruce!"
Various greetings came through. Bruce had to respond to each one, then switched the camera to show Diana.
"Hello everyone. Since this is the first time we're all meeting, everyone should introduce themselves."
"I'm Bruce Wayne, also known as Gotham's Dark Knight, Batman."
"My name is Selina. You can also call me Catwoman," Selina greeted with a smile.
"I think everyone should know me. I'm the Superman you've heard about," Clark introduced himself.
This surprised everyone. The recent Kryptonian invasion had made people worldwide pay attention to this alien who'd lived on Earth for thirty-three years.
His strength was formidable, which excited them.
As everyone continued introducing themselves, Diana became more and more surprised. Although these people were involved in different fields, they were almost all exceptional individuals.
Among them was Constantine, who had quite a reputation in Europe. Diana knew quite a bit about this famous exorcist.
But Superman surprised her even more. After all, she'd witnessed the Kryptonian invasion with her own eyes.
Soon, everyone had finished introducing themselves. Only Diana remained. Everyone stared at Diana on screen, waiting for her introduction.
"Hello everyone. I'm Diana Prince from the Amazons. You can also call me by my title—Wonder Woman."
"Good. Now that everyone knows each other, let's begin. Constantine?"
After addressing Constantine, Bruce stopped and waited for the exorcist's explanation.
"I believe everyone has encountered demons, or at least heard about them from Bruce.
"That's right—our world is being invaded by demons, and a group of people are summoning them. Although we don't know what they want to accomplish, we must stop them and prevent this world from becoming a demon paradise..."
With his explanation, everyone understood the demons' origins. They also saw the demons Constantine had reshaped with magic.
"...These two demons are powerful demon servants. They're very strong. Perhaps only our Superman could easily defeat them."
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