The smoke had not fully cleared from Metropolis, but the cheers had already begun.
Civilians poured out from the shelters, their voices echoing in the half-ruined streets. They clapped, waved, and shouted until their throats were raw.
It didn't matter that the buildings were cracked, or that pieces of alien tech still smoldered on the sidewalks.
To them, the sight of their protectors—bruised, bloodied, but standing tall—was hope made real.
They didn't know the full truth of what had just unfolded. They didn't see the being who had truly broken Darkseid. But they understood instinctively that this group had fought for them, bled for them, and survived. That was enough.
Superman stood a little apart from the others, looking over the sea of faces. His expression tightened as the chanting grew louder: "Superman! Batman! Wonder Woman!" The people listed every name they knew, and some they didn't. But none called for the man who had actually carried the final burden.
Clark inhaled, ready to speak, but a hand touched his arm. Diana shook her head gently.
"Wait, Superman," she said, her tone firm but not unkind. "I know your intent. But the people need heroes to look up to. They need to believe in something that will last. Let them."
His jaw flexed. "They should know who truly saved them. This… credit doesn't belong to us."
"It does, in part," Diana countered. "We fought. We stood. We didn't run. That matters. And the man who struck the final blow? If he wished to be known, he would stand here beside us now. He doesn't care about these things."
Superman hesitated, then looked away, conceding her point. The crowd's cheers washed over them, and for a moment he allowed it.
Batman's voice cut through, low but absolute. "She's right. He doesn't care about recognition. My guess? He wants humans to stand on their own feet. To grow stronger without leaning on him every time something goes wrong."
His eyes narrowed, shadowed beneath the cowl. "That's why he probably left."
Billy, still in his Shazam form, rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… it's not like we didn't do anything. We kinda got our asses kicked by Darkseid to buy people time. We also rescued them. That's worth something, right?"
Barry snorted, crossing his arms. "Yeah, sure. But what happens when that guy comes back? Or worse, when something even bigger shows up? We're not exactly in the same league as—well, him."
Bruce glanced at him sideways, voice steady as steel. "Then we adapt. We train. We get stronger and work together. That's the only way forward if we want to protect this planet."
For a moment, silence hung over them. Then Superman exhaled, his gaze drifting to Faora where she stood slightly apart, watching the crowd but stealing glances at him. He gave her a faint smile, and when he looked back at the others, his shoulders squared.
"He's right," Clark said. "We can't rely on anyone else. But together, we can do it. We proved it today."
Hal Jordan leaned casually on his ring hand, smirking like he was only half-invested. "Yeah, about that. Look, I've got an entire sector to worry about. Earth isn't my only problem.
And you guys each have your own cities. If you're talking about turning this into some kind of full-time club, I don't see it working."
Cyborg straightened, calm but firm. "Doesn't have to be full-time. We don't need to sit in the same room every day. We've got comms, satellites, encryption. If something happens, we coordinate. We cover for each other. That's how a team works."
Bruce nodded faintly. "And we may not be eight after all. During the battle, I crossed paths with another. He called himself Martian Manhunter. Said he'd keep watch on one of Darkseid's remaining generals."
Diana's eyes lit with interest. "A Martian? Then Earth may not be as alone as we thought. We should seek him out."
She paused, thoughtful. "And Atlantis. Their armies are strong, their technology advanced. Their king could be a valuable ally. I will reach out."
Shazame widened his eyes. " Wait, Atlantis is real too! I don't know what else is actually real out there."
Hal patted his shoulder. " Hey, atleast Santa is real too."
Shazame almost passed out. " Stop messing with me! Now you are just making things up."
Hal chuckled. " You'll see if I am kidding."
Barry raised his hand suddenly, grinning. "Okay, wait. If we're gonna be a team, shouldn't we, I don't know, have a name?"
Billy perked up instantly. "Oh, oh! How about… Super 8!"
The groans were unanimous.
Hal barked a laugh. "What are you, twelve? That sounds like a bad reality show."
Shazame winced. "Hey, it's catchy! And what's with the age-shaming, man? You sound like my—uh… uncle."
Clark's lips curved into a smile despite the exhaustion. "We are a league of heroes who stood together against an alien tyrant. We fought for justice. Maybe… something like that."
Bruce's eyes flickered, and he gave a short nod. "Justice League."
Hal scoffed. "Oh yeah, that's so much better. Real creative, Bats."
Barry ignored him, his grin widening. "No, no, I like it! Justice League. And we could even have a catchphrase—like, 'You've just been served… some justice!'"
Clark chuckled, and before anyone could stop him, he and Barry high-fived like schoolkids.
"I was thinking the same thing, Flash," he admitted with a grin.
Diana actually laughed, shaking her head. "Justice League it is then."
Hal muttered under his breath, "I hate democracy."
Before the banter could devolve further, officials from Metropolis approached. The mayor, still pale from the ordeal but determined to appear strong, gestured for them to join him at a hastily erected stage near the city square.
Microphones crackled as he spoke, thanking them for their defense, praising their courage, assuring the people that Earth had guardians now.
One by one, their names were read aloud—Superman, Superwoman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Shazame, Cyborg. The final words sealed it: "Together, they are the Justice League—the defenders of Earth."
The cheers were deafening. For a few minutes, even the scars of battle seemed forgotten.
When the stage cleared and the civilians dispersed to tend their wounded city, the heroes regrouped in the shadows of a ruined tower. The weight of what they had agreed upon settled in, heavier than any applause.
"This won't be the last time," Bruce said flatly. "Darkseid will come again. Others will come too. We can't let today make us complacent."
Clark met his gaze steadily. "Then we'll be ready."
It didn't happen overnight, but in the weeks and months that followed, peace returned. The destroyed cities were rebuilt with the help of magic and human workers. Slowly, life returned to its usual routine.
******
Months after the battle, Metropolis had healed enough to hide most of its scars, but the heroes who fought Darkseid hadn't forgotten. Even Hank Henshaw, Martian Manhunter also met them, but he left Earth to check on something after saying something happened in his home planet Mars.
They had kept in contact sparingly—through comms, brief check-ins, and the occasional joint fight—but the question of a central base lingered.
Bruce Wayne, being Bruce Wayne, answered it first.
One of his old properties, a stone-and-steel structure near the edge of Metropolis, had been gutted and remade. Cyborg threw himself into the design, integrating a central hub of alien and Earth tech, linking it into global defense satellites and hidden sub-frequencies.
When the League gathered for the first official tour, Victor was practically glowing. "Alright, so check this out." He tapped into the holographic console, and the room lit up with shifting blue light. "Real-time monitoring across the planet. Seismic activity, energy signatures, atmospheric anomalies—you name it, I can see it. We're basically plugged into the pulse of the Earth."
Barry let out a low whistle. "Man, it's like NASA and Google had a baby, and then that baby got jacked on steroids."
Hal smirked, arms crossed. "Cute toy, Cyborg. But what happens when it glitches out, huh? You ever heard of turning it off and back on again?"
Victor gave him a flat look. "It won't glitch out. It's literally fused with my systems. If it crashes, I crash. And if I crash, well… you lose the only guy who knows how to reboot this whole setup."
Hal raised his brows and muttered, "Guess I better keep you alive then."
Diana walked along the edge of the room, her fingers brushing the new walls. She gave Bruce a sideways glance. "So this is yours?"
He didn't look up from his tablet. "One of many."
Clark raised a brow. "Just how many safehouses do you have?"
Batman answered without a trace of humor. "Enough."
Barry leaned toward Shazam, stage-whispering, "Translation: a creepy billionaire with too much free time."
Billy snorted, barely stifling his laugh.
Diana cut across their noise. "Enough distractions. This headquarters is a symbol,
not just a tool. If the people believe in our unity, then they'll believe they are not defenseless."
Hal, predictably, rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Symbolism. But can we talk about how this 'Hall of Justice' name still sounds like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon?"
Barry grinned. "I like Saturday morning cartoons. Better than 'Super 8.'"
Billy immediately perked up. "Hey! That was a good idea!"
"Sure it was, kid," Hal shot back, smirking.
Victor sighed. "Focus, people."
The group settled in around the main table, the first meeting of the Justice League officially underway.
Superman started to speak about coordinating schedules and patrol responsibilities when Barry suddenly leaned back in his chair, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"So… uh… I gotta ask. Diana. Back during the invasion—you made a call before mystery-guy showed up, right? Said something about calling your father?"
The table grew still.
Diana's expression didn't flicker, but her posture straightened. "That is a personal matter."
Barry raised his hands. "Whoa, hey, just asking. It's not every day someone like him drops in, chains up Darkseid, and drags him into space like it's Tuesday."
Hal leaned forward, smirking. "Yeah, I've been wondering too. You called him, then bam, he's here. Pretty big coincidence. You know him, don't you?"
Even Victor, who usually kept detached, chimed in. "From what I saw of his power set… he wasn't just anyone. If we're going to coordinate defenses for the planet, it matters if one of us has ties to someone like that."
Faora, standing near Clark, crossed her arms. Her voice was measured but pointed. "I was raised to respect strength. That man… he wasn't like Kal or me. His power felt different. And you spoke to him before he appeared. Who is he to you? We won't press if it's inconvenient."
All eyes turned to Diana.
She inhaled slowly, jaw tightening. "I told you. It is personal. "
Batman's voice cut in, dry as ever. "She knows him. Probably related to him. That would explain her reluctance to disclose the information."
Diana's head snapped toward him, her glare sharp enough to pierce steel. "You presume much, Batman."
Bruce smirked. " Only when I don't get a clear answer."
Barry muttered under his breath, "Pretty sure Bats is never wrong about this stuff."
Shazam leaned forward eagerly. "Wait, wait—so is he like your uncle? Or cousin? Oh! Is he your dad? You did say father—"
Diana's hand slammed down on the table, not hard enough to break it but enough to make the sound echo. "Enough."
The group quieted immediately.
Hal whispered to Barry. " Is it weird that I feel turned on by that?"
Barry looked at him weirdly and moved away. "You need help."
Diana's gaze swept across each of them. "What matters is that he came when called. He stopped Darkseid. And he left without asking for recognition. That should be enough for you."
Hal whistled low. "Someones rather defensive.
Diana sighed. " Look, we all have our secrets. Some we can share, some private. Even if I was related to him, I would prefer to be seen and treated as myself, not just as someone's relative or blood. Maybe I will talk about this one day, but not today."
Clark stepped in gently, trying to diffuse the tension. "She's right. Whoever he is, he's not here now. What matters is us, this League, and what we do moving forward."
Barry still looked like he wanted to press to inquire if she was indeed the daughter of his idol, but one look at Diana's face kept him quiet.
Diana exhaled through her nose, her composure slipping back into place. "Good. Then let us focus on work, not gossip."
The awkward silence that followed was broken only when Victor pulled up a new holo-display of the Earth, bright with data streams. "Right. Assignments. Coverage. Let's get to it."
The meeting moved on, but the question of Edward lingered unspoken in the room.
And though Diana said nothing more, the slight tension in her shoulders betrayed the truth: the subject wasn't closed.
Soon They got busy with life and work. They eventually formed bonds between them as more than just colleagues, they became friends. Their first awkward interactions became more and more closer.
Batman and Superman formed an unusual friendship.
Diana and Faora became good friends Being the only two women.
Flash and Green Lantern had their friendly dynamics as well. Shazam the talkative guy and Cyborg the introvert also formed an unusual friendship.
It looked like everything was going well. But none of them knew that the next crisis was already approaching them.
And it would be coming from the magical side of their planet that held a lot of secrets.
*****
Yeah, i added the fate stuff for a reason. So get ready to D-d-d-d-uel! Oopss wrong anime!
It's been a while since someone died....
*Cracks knuckles*