"What… is that!?"
In that instant, every eye was drawn to the colossal mechanical construct in the sky. Its sheer size made its presence even more oppressive than the Anti-Monitor himself.
Hourman stared with his mouth agape, disbelief plastered across his face as he looked at the massive steel fortress that dominated half the sky. His eyes were filled with pure shock and awe.
The others weren't doing any better. The Queen of the Amazons froze entirely, her mind unable to process what she was seeing. Even the Queen of Atlantis was left speechless.
They had never seen such a pinnacle of technological engineering. Maybe its energy signature couldn't compare to a Mother Box, but in terms of size and design, this titan of machinery was far beyond anything Earth in the Flashpoint Universe could have created.
At that moment, a civilian jet streaked across the sky. Inside, Damian Wayne stared out at the immense fortress in stunned silence before shouting—
"The… the Watchtower!?"
"You know what that thing is?" asked Lady Robin, glancing back at him.
Still overwhelmed, Damian murmured, "That's the Justice League's creation… a space station from the Wasteland Universe. But why… why is it here now?"
Meanwhile, at the very peak of the Watchtower—beneath the Nova Dome—Tony Stark stood at the command console, arms raised in triumph.
"That's right! Let that oversized cosmic tyrant taste what Earth's got!"
(Stark, stick to the plan.)
A holographic projection of Madame Masque scowled from the side display.
"My plan is to act," Tony smirked, then said, "Madam, I need you to get Luthor to approve a very special contingency."
(What—)
"This one!" he interrupted, slamming a button.
In the next moment, a surge of blue energy surged from Tony's armor and shot directly into the Watchtower's systems.
The entire fortress began to shimmer, its surface lighting up with an eerie cerulean glow. Then, a mechanical voice echoed throughout:
[Main protocol initiated. Watchtower control acquired.]
[Anti-Energy Protocol: Deployed.]
[Thrusters: Charged.]
[Energy Diagnostics: Complete.]
[Weapons Systems: Online.]
[Standing by, sir.]
(Stark, what the hell are you doing?!)
Madame Masque watched as all her access privileges to the Watchtower were revoked in real-time. She looked completely panicked, but Tony's next words stunned her silent.
"Don't worry, Madam. Luthor and I built this for exactly this day."
(You… and Lord Luthor?)
Her projection widened its eyes in disbelief, unable to process the revelation that Luthor had kept this from her.
"Like I said—space is dangerous. Between Thanos, the Peregrine Child, and Galactus, we're just scratching the surface. So Luthor, Batman, Superman, and I secretly collaborated on… an idea."
Tony swung his arm theatrically.
"A Big BeautifulIdea!"
And just as he said that, the entire Watchtower began to tremble.
From the Nova Dome, a massive Iron Man helmet emerged. Two airborne carriers unfolded into arms, Thanos' warship split and reformed into legs, and cannons along the back stood tall. In mere moments, the Watchtower transformed into a colossal Iron Man mech.
"Now this… is the real Iron Man. Model: FT0001. But I like to call it…"
A massive arc reactor—thousands of times larger than a standard one—glowed in its chest. The armor shimmered with golden and crimson magical runes, etched into the plating.
"The Anti-Anti-Monitor Armor!!"
With Tony's triumphant shout, the mech let loose a punch that sent the stunned Anti-Monitor flying backward through the sky.
The sheer force of the strike triggered a sonic boom. The Anti-Monitor dug his heels into the ground and launched a furious counterpunch.
Anti-matter energy collided with repulsor blasts, creating a brilliant explosion in the sky as the two towering titans began to brawl with world-ending force.
Their punches may not have seemed fast, but no one watching dared underestimate the scale of the destruction they caused.
"Holy crap…"
Watching a single swipe from either of those titanic beings shatter mountains and split the earth, Lady Robin frantically pulled the controls, steering the Batwing away from the brutal clash between the Anti-Monitor and the Anti-Anti-Monitor Armor.
But Damian Wayne wasn't watching in awe—his brows furrowed deeply, and his expression turned strangely conflicted.
Noticing this, Tim Drake couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Damian? Isn't that the reinforcements from your universe?"
Tony Stark's voice had echoed loud and clear across the battlefield earlier: "Your savior… has arrived!" Even Tim and the others, who hadn't reached the site yet at the time, had heard it—and instantly recognized Stark's voice.
But Damian only gave a helpless, bitter smile and shook his head.
"Yeah, it is our reinforcement, no doubt. And while I'm shocked at how much power that thing is packing, that's not what's bothering me."
He rubbed his temple, memories flooding back of his time aboard the Watchtower.
"What Tony seems to have forgotten… is that the Watchtower's a diplomatic hub. There are ambassadors from dozens of alien civilizations on that thing!"
At those words, both Tim and Lady Robin froze.
They paused for a moment, then as realization struck, both whipped their heads around to stare at Damian, their faces contorting into bewildered disbelief.
". . . !?"
Anti-Anti-Monitor Armor: Swoosh!
Anti-Monitor: ROAR!
Tony Stark: Yeah~!
Alien Ambassadors: Ugh…
-----------------------------------
Meanwhile, Ashley Barton had successfully weaved her way past the swarm of shadow demons, bringing the aged Bruce Wayne to a collapsed ruin.
"You sure this is the place?" she asked, scanning the area with a frown. Whatever this place had once been, it was now just rubble and dust.
She'd followed Bruce's directions, but now that they'd arrived, even she couldn't tell where they were exactly.
"I'd never forget, Ashley," Bruce replied casually. "Even if I forgot where I live, I'd never forget Arkham Asylum."
"Yeah, I'm not buying that," Ashley muttered, rolling her eyes.
Just then, Bruce suddenly perked up, spotting something. "It's underground—right there. Take me down."
"Underground?" Ashley raised a brow, spotting a deep fissure in the earth nearby. Judging by its depth, it had to be what Bruce meant.
Well, she'd brought him this far. No point in turning back now. With a sigh, she grabbed Bruce and leapt into the chasm below.
"Watch yourself, kid. I'm picking up something weird." came Venom's voice in her ear.
Ashley scowled.
"What the hell is it this time?"
Her Spidey-sense had been on full alert ever since the Anti-Monitor showed up, but it hadn't stopped blaring since, and it was driving her nuts.
Just then, from one of the lower tunnels ahead, a faint eerie glow began creeping into the darkness.
Ashley instantly shifted into a defensive stance, putting herself in front of Bruce protectively.
But Bruce gently rested a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
"Relax—it's one of ours."
"One of ours?" Ashley didn't lower her guard. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm the one who called you here."
A deep, raspy voice echoed from the darkness. A limping figure stepped into the light, half-shrouded in shadow.
At the sound of that unmistakable voice, Ashley's pupils contracted. She hadn't yet seen the man's face, but just the outline was enough.
"Batman?! What the hell—why are you here?!"
"I've been waiting here for you," Batman said, clutching his injured arm as he turned his gaze toward Old Bruce Wayne. "The Watchtower won't hold for long… This time, it all depends on you."
Old Bruce didn't respond. He just gave a firm, silent nod.
Watching the unspoken understanding between the two Batmen, Ashley Barton was completely stunned. She had no idea what was going on—let alone what the two Batmen were about to do.
But time was of the essence, and Batman didn't bother being cryptic. He quickly stepped aside, revealing a glowing object deep within the cave.
Ashley followed his gaze and saw a chair—collapsed on the ground—clearly built with highly advanced technology. But it was smeared with blood, a grim sign of what it had endured.
"Once this thing loses control, it will try to flee this universe," Batman said, voice steady. "But thanks to the influence of a certain entity, it's been anchored here. This chair was created by the Anti-Monitor, and it's also our only hope of defeating him."
Batman glanced at the object glowing with a faint blue light—the Mobius Chair—and spoke with conviction.
"If this thing is so important, why don't you just sit on it?" Ashley asked. "You got here before us, didn't you?"
Batman shook his head slightly.
"I can't. I've sat on the Mobius Chair before—but this version isn't the same. Now, it's rejecting me. I can't interface with it."
"So that's why…" Ashley murmured, beginning to understand. Her gaze shifted toward Old Bruce Wayne.
With Ashley's help, Bruce struggled to his feet, his brow furrowed in determination. He gave a slow, resolute nod.
"I know what I have to do now."
.....
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