The Totality is in hand, right in the depths beneath the Hall of Justice, safely kept.
At this moment, Batman was sitting alone, expressionless, in front of the monitoring console. While he supervised the situation in various cities, he held a small jar with his only movable left hand.
The jar looked like the kind used by ordinary people to make homemade jam. However, inside his jar was a blue-purple sea star with a yellow single eye.
It was a split body of the Planet Conqueror Starro.
Starro is a supervillain and the catalyst for the founding of the Justice League, being their first opponent.
Although it looked like an ordinary starfish, it was, in fact, a cosmic psychic sea star with powerful psychic abilities.
Not even Gorilla Grundy's mental powers could compare to Starro when it reached its full form.
It could read others' thoughts and memories and control anyone by splitting its offspring, much like an alien baby 'facehugger.'
It earned the title of Planet Conqueror because of this, as it had completely mind-controlled all life on entire planets multiple times.
Of course, it was eventually thwarted by the Justice League.
Afterward, it stopped its activities on Earth and went to another planet. This time, it didn't rely on mind control; instead, it allied with the dictator Onima of the Sena Star, enjoying a happy life there.
Senaa Star is the primary source of N Metal.
Benefitting from the amplification of N Metal, it evolved to the point where it could control others simply by looking at them.
However, during the last Omega Four Gods' attack on Earth, when Starro attempted to use its massive body to control a Giant God, it was torn to pieces by the opponent's enormous power.
Batman seized the opportunity to take a small piece of its flesh, which has now regenerated into a small starfish form.
Its abilities are now considerably weaker than before, but its mind has become very simple, allowing Batman to use it effectively.
If something happened to Ron, Starro could also serve as a communicator for the Justice League. If someone approached with malicious intent, Starro would be able to detect it immediately.
Since it was Starro in a jar, Batman named it 'Can Luo,' ensuring it couldn't parasitize humans by keeping the jar completely sealed.
What Batman is contemplating now is the issue of the Otherworldly Deathstroke.
According to Can Luo, that person's mind was completely inaccessible, let alone susceptible to mind control.
It was consistent with what Ron had told Batman, though Can Luo, with its stronger power, saw a bit more.
It said, "White, bright..."
Batman was contemplating this matter at that moment.
.................
Wonder Woman was moving bricks around in her palace for a while, but found it uninteresting. She wanted to transform the place into a prayer room, but couldn't find inspiration at the moment.
She lay on her bed for a while, but the scent of Harley's perfume was all over it, which to Diana was nothing short of a crime, making it impossible for her to sleep.
It was already late, and everyone from the Justice League was absent. Batman was certainly not the type to chat with.
She queried the main computer for the date and found out it was a weekend. So, she donned a cloak to cover her armor, planning to go out and have some fun in the city.
Today was the day Zatanna was performing at the Magic Theater.
Since Diana returned from the Kro planet last time, Zatanna seemed to have been avoiding her. Even when they met face-to-face, Zatanna's gaze would be evasive, which was peculiar.
Diana decided to go and ask her about it.
They had co-founded the Dark Justice League to handle mysticism crises around the world, so it was only natural to check in on a colleague.
Just as Diana stepped out of her divine hall, she saw Deathstroke sauntering down the corridor.
"Your Majesty, where are you headed this evening?"
Feeling great because he had made some money and spanked a goddess, Su Ming was planning to borrow Barry's bed for a nap.
"This isn't Paradise Island, and you're not an Amazon," Diana glared at him coldly and brushed past him, "This is the Justice League—call me Wonder Woman."
"Okay, Your Majesty, where are you headed?" Su Ming turned around to catch up with her, making sure she didn't leave alone—he needed to be present in case goddesses like Athena sought out Diana.
Diana sighed. She had serious business to attend to, so why did Deathstroke feel like he was monitoring her, as if possessed by Batman?
"I'm going to see Zatanna's performance, in the theater her father once ran."
"Oh... then I'll accompany you."
Su Ming's expression remained blank, but internally he had a premonition. Diana engaging with the magic world at this time wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Diana uncomfortably fiddled with her long hair beneath her cloak.
Was this... a date?
But watching magic shows seemed a bit boring, after all, both she and Deathstroke knew Zatanna's performances weren't ordinary magic but genuine 'Antithesis Magic.'
Perhaps dragon hunting would be more exciting? Diana knew there were plenty of wild sub-dragons up in Northern Europe.
"So, you're planning to see Zatanna?" Diana was somewhat pleased but still kept her head down, walking quickly.
Why watch Zatanna? Su Ming wasn't familiar with her: "No, I just don't want you out of my sight."
"..."
Under her cloak, Diana's face turned red; his words, like strong liquor, made her chest burn, leaving her slightly flustered, nearly tripping over her Lasso of Truth.
Su Ming indeed didn't want her out of sight, in part due to the goddesses, but also because of Earth's survival.
Hera had mentioned sorcery, and Su Ming suspected it was related to those seven forces; he needed to investigate.
"How are we getting there? Are you flying?"
Diana shook her head. The Magic Theater was not far from Washington, just in Los Angeles; flying was easy for them.
"We're flying ourselves, care to join?"
"Of course."
..................
Throughout the journey, they flew through the dark night sky. The moon was just over a quarter full, and Clark had purposely arranged its pieces into a bat shape, likely to please Batman.
However, the side of the moon that reflected light was white; Bruce wouldn't like a white bat.
Diana and Su Ming chatted while flying, though it was mostly Diana talking and Su Ming listening.
There wasn't much worth sharing about his past, and Marvel's affairs were off-limits, so Su Ming only briefly mentioned news he'd heard from the Fire God.
Diana nearly fell from the sky.
"You mean there's now a whole bunch of gods after you?" Diana's eyes widened, as if expecting to see Su Ming sprout extra arms.
After all, in mythology, only a monster like the Hundred-armed Titan dared to challenge the gods and even he lost.
"Hephaestus said so, and it seems he wasn't wrong. Attempting to monopolize four beauties of the divine system—I'm no Zeus—naturally earns universal hatred." Su Ming laughed and shook his head.
"Then you'd better be careful. Divine methods aren't always much better than those of demons." Diana clearly held little affection for Olympus.
"Even killing them, they'd reincarnate through the Netherworld—I need an effective plan." The red lenses of his mask left linear trails in the air: "Fortunately, I have a good idea."