Thea was about to clash head-on with Darkseid himself, so his imposing aura felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze to her. But for ordinary people, the mental pressure was overwhelming. She had no choice but to use a wisp of divine soul power to dispel Darkseid's psychic suppression.
The fact that she had to deploy divine power just to counter his mere presence—never mind the actual power gap—showed how vastly different their understanding and mastery of divine authority truly was.
Darkseid hovered in midair, hands clasped behind his back, regarding her with a cold gaze that mixed killing intent with icy disdain.
"What's the matter, Your Majesty? Looking for round two?" Thea asked tentatively. Truth be told, she was bluffing hard. In a straight fight, even using every trick in her book, she'd last maybe forty or fifty moves before going down in defeat.
The Dark Lord's expression was as stony as Batman's—which was saying something. He glanced at her with contempt, his voice rumbling as if it came from deep within granite. "You are no match for me."
Painfully accurate! Thea had enough self-awareness to recognize that truth. She chose silence. Darkseid, likewise, wasn't eager to personally engage in battle. Even if he won after a prolonged fight with Thea, the effort required would actually tarnish his invincible reputation.
Both chose to face off without attacking. Thea didn't dare make the first move, while Darkseid feared a drawn-out battle would damage his image.
"Clark and I will take on the big guy together..." Thea began organizing their lineup, but Diana interrupted her. "I'll face Darkseid with you."
Thea was pleased. Diana had finally let go of her fixation on killing Steppenwolf to avenge the other Wonder Woman. Their coordination would definitely be better—the two goddesses had sparred countless times and worked together seamlessly, far better than she could with Superman.
"All right then. Clark, you handle the guy in armor with the axe over there."
"Uncle J'onn, you take the one in the blood-red robes. His magic is formidable, but I believe your psychic abilities are superior. You're no longer afraid of fire, remember that!"
After assigning everyone their roles, Thea focused all her attention on Darkseid. She faced the greatest pressure here—if he attacked, she'd have to block his devastating first strike.
The battle in the sky was about to erupt. On the ground, Batman was making his final preparations.
Unlike the original timeline where seven heroes fought in the wilderness, this time Batman had an additional title: Pentagon Special Military Advisor. All aliens, superheroes, and human forces fell under his command.
To protect him from accidents, Thea had even sent Lobo, their only resident berserker, to guard him specifically.
At this moment, Batman and the disgraced, redemption-seeking Lex Luthor were distributing assignments. Ten million Earth soldiers from eighty-five nations formed a coalition that didn't normally answer to a single command structure, plus two million Atlantean troops and various aliens thrown into the mix.
Even with both their genius-level intellects working overtime, they were swamped.
"37.1% of enemy forces within quantum field range."
"11.5% of enemy forces within railgun strike range."
"17% of enemy forces within maximum positron cannon range."
For this battle, Thea, Batman, and A.R.G.U.S. had deployed numerous advanced weapons. The enemy had numerical superiority, but Earth's forces were confident they could eliminate a third of them using the prepared battlefield.
However, the aerial standoff dragged on without anyone making a move, leaving the ground personnel unable to decide. Many shared the sentiment: if we can avoid fighting, let's avoid it.
After all information was compiled, the command center fell into a brief silence. Even Batman went quiet.
Not giving the order preserved a sliver of hope for peace. Giving it might plunge humanity into an era of warfare. Facing this choice, he felt crushing pressure unlike anything he'd experienced fighting Gotham's criminals. The responsibility weighed on him like a mountain.
But he was Batman. He immediately dismissed the possibility of peace. Without telling anyone, he'd taken a trip to Earth-2 and glimpsed old Thomas Wayne from afar. The devastation of that Earth remained vivid in his mind. Peace? Impossible.
"War is here. Don't hesitate. Open fire!" His voice transmitted through the command system to every soldier's ear.
Some immediately pressed their triggers. Others hesitated. Still others chose a different path...
Various energy weapons rained down on the Apokoliptian parademons. Countless pre-installed traps activated.
Five helicarriers opened fire simultaneously. Forty giant mechs began clearing the outer parademon ranks. Smaller mechs blazed trails for ground forces. One hundred thousand Demon Breakers and New God warriors raised their weapons and charged into the parademons, carving waves of carnage.
The giant beast cavalry demonstrated what "devastating charge" truly meant. Like their commander Ugha, these rough-looking warriors wielded massive hammers, riding their beasts straight into enemy lines and leaving severed limbs in their wake.
Lightning spearmen and sky archers coordinated seamlessly—one close-range, one long-range. Any enemy entering their attack range didn't survive three seconds, either run through the chest or shot through the throat. Efficient and lethal, completely different from the beast cavalry's approach.
The Demon Breakers, wielding long blades and kite shields, marched in perfect formation. At their commander's order, they unleashed waves of slashing steel, like an iron wall steadily compressing the enemy lines.
The remaining Minotaurs, fully-armed Amazon warriors, and death knights each cut down enemies in their own style.
Seeing their allies' effectiveness, human forces finally abandoned their reservations. They raised their weapons and joined the battle in formation.
In the command center, Batman constantly monitored battlefield feedback. The human coalition's morale was sky-high, all the preset traps had been activated, and events were unfolding exactly as he'd predicted. Yet his heart still clenched. Years of training had honed his danger sense, and it screamed at him now. Soon, something bad would happen. After two decades in Gotham's trenches, he trusted his instincts completely.
"How many enemies are currently on the battlefield?" Seeing several generals showing relief, Batman felt furious. You think we've won? Laughable.
The data came quickly. A staffer reported loudly, "Currently 25 million enemies on the battlefield. The original number should've been under 30 million. In just one minute, coalition forces have eliminated over a million enemies!" His voice couldn't hide his excitement.
The enemy had hidden part of their forces. Thea had said they'd have between 30 and 50 million troops. Though Batman regularly worked on anti-Thea armor designs, he completely trusted the heiress's intelligence.
Where would the enemy strike? His command center or the rear?
Commanding this many soldiers was infinitely harder than directing a few heroes. Batman, who was used to controlling every variable, felt ready to tear his hair out. Forget thinking ten steps ahead—he couldn't even predict the enemy's next move. If there was ever a next time, he'd rather suit up and fight the enemy directly than deal with this command nonsense again.