"Phew... It's finally almost done." The Flash let out a big sigh. He looked at the unprecedentedly gigantic Lantern Furnace in front of him and said admiringly, "I never expected this thing to be so magnificent once it was completed, and it can store so much power..."
Green Lantern also stood beneath the Lantern Furnace and said, "Those damned Guardians of the Universe sure took a lot in kickbacks. A Lantern Furnace this big can be filled to the brim, and we've run at least over 200 trips, haven't we?"
Barry just crossed his arms and shook his head somewhat helplessly, saying, "Haven't you thought that there's something off about the design style of this Lantern Furnace?"
"What's off?" The two of them simultaneously looked up.
The gigantic Lantern Furnace was more than a dozen meters tall, and although it looked similar to the ones commonly used by Green Lanterns—a round canister with a large lantern in the front—the symbol in the center wasn't that of the Lantern Corps but a bat.
"Why does Batman love bats so much?" Barry asked, "Does he have to engrave bats on everything?"
"Oh, you mean this." The Flash shrugged and said, "He created this thing, so it's understandable to engrave his symbol on it. I think it looks better than the Green Lantern symbol."
"Of course," Green Lantern said coldly, "The Green Lantern symbol was designed by the Guardians of the Universe. I feel uncomfortable every time I see it now. Once the war is completely over, we'll choose the designs of our own symbols by vote, so we won't use those idiots' symbols anymore."
"Make sure Batman doesn't participate in the voting," Barry said, "Otherwise, you'll have to rename yourselves as the 'Green Bat Corps,' which sounds like one of those vegetarian gatherings."
"Alright, stop talking about that," The Flash interrupted them, then said, "Now that the energy has been brought back, shouldn't we be able to start building the magical defense network? I heard Batman distributed it across seven safe houses globally, transforming them into pillars for the magical defense network; as long as we infuse energy into them in a certain way, the Earth will have its own shield."
"It was originally like that, but plans have changed now." Primary Universe Batman pushed open the door and walked in, saying, "I need to charge the armor, and then we need to make a trip to Mount Olympus."
The three of them simultaneously turned to look at him. Primary Universe Batman continued expressionlessly: "Previously, the Hell Bat Armor I controlled had a version developed with improvements, but because there wasn't enough energy to drive it, it was just a decoration in the Batcave. Now, it's about to have its day. Follow me."
The three followed him from the special secret room at the bottom of the Batcave to the first floor of the cave. There was a square dedicated to parking vehicles, but the Batmobiles and Batplanes were stored in the nearby hangar. At this moment, there was only a mecha workstation and an incredibly cool mecha.
The Hell Bat Armor was black and red, covered in sharp spikes, with a pair of huge mechanical wings on the back. The mask turned into a full-cover type, made of non-reflective matte metal, with only a red "V"-shaped visor over the eyes. The pointed bat ears shortened and curved slightly forward, and the bat insignia and belt on the chest became bright red.
Green Lantern and The Flash saw this armor for the first time and both let out a sound of awe. The Flash walked around the armor a few times, saying, "Oh my god, this is so cool. Why haven't you worn it before?"
"After the last trip to Apocalypse Star, I discovered more shortcomings. Since I learned some skills from a Mech Master from a neighboring world, I changed it to an external energy source. But the energy needed to drive this armor is immense, and before obtaining sufficient power, it could only be stored away. Fortunately, now the energy issue is resolved, it can see the light of day again."
Primary Universe Batman picked up a prismatic crystal from a nearby workstation. The Flash leaned in to take a look, saying, "I think I know who that Mech Master you mentioned is. When I discovered someone embedded a reactor in their chest, I wanted to turn my legs and run; and when I found the reactor had a hot-swappable function, I even considered quitting the Battleworld altogether."
Green Lantern looked at him somewhat puzzled. The Flash whispered, "Tony Stark. You've encountered that annoying guy in Battleworld, right? He's exceedingly arrogant, but he indeed excels in mechanical engineering. That reactor on his chest can even charge my phone."
"And you still have the nerve to call him annoying?"
"Just because I had to listen to his complaints all the way while using the reactor to charge my phone. You have no idea how pretentious he can be..."
Primary Universe Batman didn't pay attention to their muttering, merely placing the crystal into a slot beside the mecha workstation. The pipes began to light up, and the Power of Seven Lanterns sealed in the underground chamber emitted a rainbow glow in the energy channels, making the once ordinary gemstone sparkle brilliantly when infused into the crystal.
After the charging was complete, the crystal flashed. Primary Universe Batman cut the power and then picked up the crystal, inserting it into the slot on the chest of the Hell Bat Armor.
In an instant, the mecha emitted a faint red glow, and the subtle sound of gears grinding was heard successively, as if the whole mecha had come to life.
Primary Universe Batman pressed a button, and the mecha was placed on the ground. He walked over, back to the mecha, and the mecha armed itself onto him as if it was a well-fitting outfit.
"How's it?" Primary Universe Batman's voice processed through the Hell Bat Armor sounded deeper and raspier.
"Oh my god, you sound so evil," The Flash said, "Just like an Evil Robot that might destroy the world any moment."
"I only have one question," Green Lantern asked, "Who do you plan to fight wearing it?"
His implication was clear: facing Darkseid and taking down the Guardians of the Universe, you never wore it, and now that you've brought it out, you're not planning to invade Heaven, are you?
"If I really plan to fight someone, I wouldn't wear it," Primary Universe Batman shook his head and said, "You know I'm not one to overly rely on violence. This armor's key function is deterrence."
Green Lantern kept nodding, with a look of "ah yes, yes," then asked, "So who do you plan to deter with it?"
"Of course, the gods of Mount Olympus," Primary Universe Batman said, "My counterparts in other universes obtained a significant amount of energy from them, at least two-thirds of ours—naturally, combined energy from the gods. I don't need that much, just one-third to keep the leading edge is enough. So, compared to outright plundering, I think I can have a negotiation with them."
"Will Diana agree?" The Flash couldn't help but ask.
"If I make this request while wearing this, she will definitely agree," the Primary Universe Batman said, "And she'll even be glad that I'm just going to rob them, instead of planning to slaughter that whole family like my counterpart."
"You've really changed a lot, Batman," The Flash shook his head and said, "You never used to speak about robbery so righteously."
"I just wouldn't say it. Alright, what was it again? — Justice League assemble."
Ten minutes later, Superman and Wonder Woman looked at the fully equipped Batman, not really paying attention to his plan. As soon as the meeting ended, Superman started warming up.
"Come on! Batman! Let's have a few rounds!" Superman mimicked a football player warming up before a game, saying, "I won't bully you, it's cloudy today. If you can take three of my moves, I'll support whatever you do!"
"Don't joke around, Clark!" Wonder Woman stopped him and then said, "Batman should first spar with me to test how much the armor is affected by divine power. If we can't determine this, wouldn't it be dangerous when facing the gods?"
After saying this, she looked at the Primary Universe Batman and said, "I don't oppose you going to Mount Olympus, Batman. But first, you have to defeat me, a demigod. Otherwise, my father and hundreds of my siblings will make things hard for you."
"Let's give it a try then," the Primary Universe Batman said, "Do you think if I wear this suit to Battleworld, they'd mistake me for Iron Man?"
"You're way more handsome than Iron Man," Superman flew up and came between them acting as referee, "Three, two, one, go!"
Without any fancy tricks, the two figures collided. Wonder Woman harnessed most of her divine power, and the magical energy in the chest of the Hell Bat Armor grew brighter.
Boom!
A small-scale energy explosion sent both of them flying. As the dust settled, Wonder Woman cautiously looked around, already blown away the moment she sensed the energy surge.
But in midair, she suddenly twisted her body, her divine power showing again as she crossed her arms in front of her chest to block another fierce strike from Batman. Upon landing, she defiantly kicked out, and Batman's mechanical wings on one side flexibly extended to block Wonder Woman's attack.
Realizing she couldn't budge him, Wonder Woman used the momentum of the kick to flip up, landing behind Batman, and delivered a punch aimed directly at his back. But Batman's figure swiftly disappeared.
"What's going on?" Wonder Woman slightly frowned, "Did you call in The Flash as backup?"
"Of course not," the Primary Universe Batman reappeared and said, "This armor can reach near-light speed at maximum output."
"Are you okay with that?" Superman asked, somewhat shocked.
"Without magical energy protection, it would be impossible. But with enough energy, the magical shield inside can maintain a stable state inside, so I'm fine," he replied.
"My god, that's incredible. My normal top cruising speed can only reach near-light speed," Superman shook his head and said, "You can fly just as fast as I can with only a suit of armor—I'm really glad I came to Earth."
"Actually, I've planned to make you a suit of armor," the Primary Universe Batman said, "It will convert magical energy into the yellow sun energy you need, so even without the sun, you can continue fighting. What do you think?"
"Sounds good, but you're not going to sneak Kryptonite in there, are you?"
"Of course I am. I've even designed a slot specifically for storing Kryptonite on the hand armor, completely isolated from the inside with magical energy. You can use it to fight other Supermen," Batman replied.
"Why would I want to fight other Supermen?" Superman couldn't help but say, "Although a few of us have bad tempers, most of us Supermen get along well. We even exchange recipes and help our counterparts with deadlines, unlike you guys who are always ready to fight."
Even Wonder Woman couldn't help but sigh and said, "Sometimes I really envy your innocence, Clark."
"You don't seem surprised at all about me robbing Mount Olympus, ma'am," the Primary Universe Batman looked at Wonder Woman.
"That's because your good friend, Universe's Wonder Woman, already warned us in the group: if Batman tries to trick us into a little black room, don't go. She's already been trapped, luckily Batman targeted Mount Olympus rather than trying something with her, otherwise we'd have to rescue him collectively."
"What on Earth is going on with you guys?" Superman seemed a bit puzzled, he said, "Is there something happening in the Multiverse that I don't know about?"
"When was the last time you checked Battleworld news?" the Primary Universe Batman asked.
"I've been caught up in the universe for so long, forcing me to stay up all night working, and I've blocked all social media. What's going on?"
As Superman spoke, he opened the Battleworld communication channel. As soon as he opened it, tens of thousands of messages flooded the group.