(~˘▾˘)~~(˘▾˘~)
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"Diana explained that she is an Amazon princess, and humans are not qualified to award her any type of honors, so she has no intention of attending."
Facing Hal Jordan's question, Clark knew the most and answered.
"That's right.
You all seem to have forgotten when she introduced herself, mentioning that she's already several thousand years old," The Flash whispered.
In the grand scale of millennia, nations are quite small. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is a respected old man, but he is probably just a newborn in her eyes.
"David has never liked these kinds of occasions," Clark continued.
In fact, he felt that David, like Diana, had no interest in the medals officially awarded by the United Nations at all. He didn't need others to give him medals to recognize him.
"Arthur's reasons are vague; it seems he doesn't want to appear in the spotlight."
"As for Cyborg..." he paused, and The Flash took over.
"Cyborg can't accept his appearance for the time being."
Barry Allen, dressed in a red costume, felt the eyes of so many people, especially considering this scene would be broadcast worldwide. His palms were sweaty, and his voice was a bit tense.
He had only been helping the police catch small-time thieves and criminals in Central City before, never experiencing such a grand event.
"Think about it, his strange half-human, half-machine appearance appearing in front of the global public will undoubtedly arouse public curiosity and discussions, which is equivalent to tearing open his wounds for the whole world to see."
Speaking of the pitiful Cyborg, there was a moment of silence among the group.
"To be honest, it really surprised me.
You actually showed up. Before I met you, I always thought you were a bat vampire that could only survive in the dark, only coming out at night."
After a few seconds, Hal Jordan teasingly looked at the other side where Batman was.
"I got tired of having to watch out for the police shooting me in the back while catching criminals in the city."
Bruce Wayne remained expressionless and said with a low voice.
Many times, he had narrowly escaped both the fists of criminals and bullets from the police. Despite saving countless lives in Gotham, he, like the criminals he apprehended, was still a dangerous wanted man in Gotham.
This time, receiving the honorary medal from the United Nations could reduce some of his troubles.
"We're about to announce our team's name to the world."
Hal Jordan lowered his voice and quietly asked.
"Have you figured out the first thing you want to do after our Justice League makes its official debut?"
After that day, through the secret communication channel, the group discussed team names, but after much deliberation, they couldn't come up with a satisfactory result.
David felt that their discussion was entirely unnecessary. Could it be possible to escape the name Justice League in the end?
He decided to bring it up directly to avoid Clark constantly mentioning it on the channel and annoying him by asking for suggestions from time to time.
After the name Justice League was proposed, everyone unanimously agreed. It captured the team's initial purpose, being concise yet powerful, and so the team's name was settled.
The initial alliance consisted of eight members, with the possibility of absorbing new members later if necessary.
Although David claimed he just wanted to be a figurehead, no one would really consider listing the powerhouse who had repeatedly saved the world, and the strongest among them, as a mere figurehead.
"After the award ceremony, the United Nations Secretary-General seems to have something to request from us."
Batman knew that after the establishment of the league, the world's attention might converge on them. The first thing they did had to be impressive and flawless, and it couldn't be just a casual resolution of a minor issue.
"The Secretary-General?" Hal Jordan was puzzled.
What could the Secretary-General, representing the United Nations, possibly request from them?
The main responsibilities of the United Nations were to prevent war, maintain international peace and security, and act as a lubricant and mediator to uphold friendly relations between nations. Whatever the request was, it must be related to this.
"Is there any unrest in any region lately? The Middle East?"
Mentioning ongoing wars in the modern world, it was hard not to think of the Middle East.
"I've been following the news, and it seems a country in the Middle East named Kandak has changed leadership.
The new ruler managed to unify the entire country within three days, ruling with ruthless authority. After coming to power, he declared war on several neighboring countries, aiming to make those nations that had oppressed and occupied Kandak's land for centuries pay the price with blood!"
Clark frowned.
"They seem to call him - Black Adam!"
...
In the small town of Smallville, warm sunlight bathed the roads on a beautiful morning.
With a shopping list from his mother Martha, David leisurely drove the family's red pickup truck to town for groceries.
Although with his speed, he could finish all the tasks in an instant, it was completely unnecessary, sometimes life goes by too fast, and much beautiful scenery along its road is missed.
"Szizz..."
Suddenly, the car radio no longer played the melodious music but instead emitted a crackling sound of electricity. The screen displaying the song's name flashed with strange symbols.
After a couple of attempts to fix it, on the seat, David raised an eyebrow, sitting up alert. A force came and enveloped him.
"Troubles come even when you're at home?"
He absorbed the power effortlessly.
Different from the smooth absorption of physical energies like kinetic and thermal, this new energy felt slightly more challenging, similar to the divine power he had once absorbed from Ares, though slightly inferior.
'Magic?'
David thought of a type of energy.
An energy he could absorb but had never encountered before.
Once again, a new magical energy descended from the void and was absorbed by him. He stepped on the brake, parking the pickup truck on the side of the road, curious about who was messing with him.
After expending what could be considered a massive amount of magic for an ordinary wizard, seeing that he still couldn't bring anyone to him, the wizard, existing in a dimension beyond the mortal realm, coughed, feeling a sense of helplessness and anguish over his grievous injuries.
"Beyonder, do not resist.
I don't have much power left. I'm waiting for you at the Rock of Eternity. Humanity needs your protection."
An old and weak voice echoed from the car radio.
"The Rock of Eternity?"
Hearing someone refer to him as the Beyonder during ordinary times, David frowned.
But upon hearing the words 'Rock of Eternity,' he immediately thought of something.
"Shazam?"
The Rock of Eternity was the base of the Council of Eternity, where the wizard Shazam selected his champions to inherit the powers of Solomon's wisdom, Hercules' strength, Atlas' endurance, Achilles' invulnerability, Mercury's speed, and Zeus' lightning, becoming the magical superhero known as Shazam!
'In this timeline, the last wizard should not have encountered Billy Batson yet, still searching for his heir...'
What does he want with me?
With a glint in his eyes, David decided to go and find out.
He no longer resisted, letting the magical energy envelop and transport him.
Upon opening his eyes again, he found himself in an ancient and sacred hall. The former brilliance was gone, replaced by debris scattered everywhere. The hall was filled with shattered stones and charred marks, resembling the aftermath of lightning strikes.
"Let me introduce myself to you, Beyonder.
Or should I say, David Kent."
The elderly wizard, with snow-white hair, struggled to maintain dignity as he sat on a stone throne, supporting himself with a staff. His red wizard robe seemed torn by lightning, revealing a body underneath covered in blood and flesh. His voice was weak, intermittent.
"This is the Rock of Eternity, the greatest magical fortress throughout history. I am the last member of the Council of Eternity and the guardian of mankind."
"It seems that a great battle happened here?"
Surveying the cold and silent hall, David asked, detecting a mixed scent of sulfur and scorched air, reminiscent of high-temperature burning.
The wizard hesitated, seemingly not expecting such a reaction from David.
In fact, David already knew everything he wanted to say, so how could he be surprised?
"All of this is exactly what I want to talk to you about."
After a few seconds of silence, the wizard looked around.
"I've brought you here to inherit my power, to face the imminent crisis approaching humanity!"
"Me?"
...
One hour earlier.
"It happened on an ordinary morning. I woke up from my bed, about to get ready for the day.
I opened the door, but what I stepped into wasn't my living room. It was a place resembling a castle, cold and silent, with many strange objects scattered around."
In a dim office, a woman narrated a mysterious event she had encountered not long ago, through a video call on the screen.
"There was an old man with a full white beard sitting on a cold throne. He called himself a wizard, searching for someone with a pure heart to inherit his power... there were some grotesque statues standing on the side of the stone hall."
"Do you remember what happened after that?"
In the office, a cold and bald man wearing glasses, exuding a scholarly air, played with a black toy ball while questioning.
"He tested me. The statues spoke to me, tempting me to grab a lightning-fast ball. I did it like a man possessed.
Just when I was about to grab it, the wizard struck my hand with lightning, scolding me for not passing the test.
Then, I appeared in my living room, like I just woke up from a nightmare."
"Dr. Sivana, I consulted other doctors afterward. They said I had hysteria. But the cameras in my room clearly recorded when I went to that place. At that time, light flashed through the door crack in my bedroom, and strange symbols flashed on the bedside clock."
"Symbols?"
Dr. Sivana, initially casually asking questions, suddenly sat up, an animal finding its prey, and slammed his hand on the desk.
"You said you recorded it on video?"
"Yes... I did."
The woman wanted to share her bizarre experience and seek answers, so she sent a video recording.
In the video, a bright white lightning-like light leaked through the bedroom door crack. The electronic alarm clock displayed red symbols on its black screen, most of which he recognized, except for the last one, which was entirely new and unfamiliar.
"Fifty-seven, I've searched for fifty-seven people. Finally found the last piece!"
Dr. Sivana squeezed the game ball in his hand fiercely, his gaze cold as he abruptly ended the video call.
He had obtained what he wanted; this woman was now worthless to him.
He needed to return to that place, the one that had cost him his father and family, to reclaim what was rightfully his!
After over a decade of waiting and suffering, Sivana couldn't wait to get up, his hands trembling as he rapidly engraved on the door seven sequences formed by seven symbols, each in a different order. This was a spell composed of magical runes.
It could transport a person to a certain place, which was the strange place that frequently appeared in his nightmares.
However, having the spell wasn't the end, as it lacked the most crucial component: sufficient, connected magical power.
"It doesn't matter.
Over a decade ago, when I was still a child and was not chosen by the wizard,
I gained the favor of something else."
Sivana pressed the toy ball containing the power of dark demons hard against the door.
The sphere disintegrated; a surge of power poured into the door. Sivana opened it, revealing an ancient stone hall, where on the other side of the door, everything seemed like a dream.
Stepping into the stone hall, Sivana finally returned to that place again.
On the stone throne in the hall, a frail old man in a red wizard robe, with white hair and a magical staff made from ancient wood, rested with closed eyes, appearing fragile like a flickering candle.
He abruptly opened his eyes, disturbed by the intrusion of strange magical power.
"Who is it?
Dare to break into my domain!?"
"You look even weaker.
I've been waiting for this moment to see you again!"
Sivana approached slowly. As he walked, the seven demonic statues arranged in the stone hall each with grotesque forms and different demonic features lit up their crimson eyes, emitting sharp and gleeful laughter.
They were also waiting, waiting for the moment of release.
"Who are you?"
The wizard shouted, and the sealed seven primeval demonic entities began to struggle, assaulting their seals. Weakly, he tightly gripped his staff, exerting every effort to suppress them.
"Don't remember me?
Well, it has been a long time."
Sivana's tone seemed indifferent, but in his eyes, there flashed a sea of resentment.
"Over a decade ago, on a Christmas Eve with falling snow, my father was driving my brother and me to my grandfather's house.
It was supposed to be a night for a family reunion but forever changed my life.
"When I was young, I failed your test and was sent back to the car. I could instinctively feel that I missed an important opportunity.
I kept clamoring to go back, and while my father scolded me, he got distracted and had a fatal accident."
His father died on the spot, and his mother resented him, believing that if their younger son hadn't been screaming and acting crazy in the car, her husband wouldn't have died.
The family fortune went to his brother, and he became the 'crazy kid who killed his father' in the local community.
"My soul wasn't pure enough?"
Sivana echoed the judgment the wizard had placed on him years ago, a sardonic smile playing on his lips.
"It doesn't matter.
I couldn't become the child chosen by the wizard in a fairy tale.
But someone else chose me!"
While the wizard struggled to suppress the seven rioting demons, his aged body trembling with exertion, Sivana approached the lightning ball that had tested him years ago. This ball sealed the power of the seven demons, and with a firm grip, he disrupted the balance.
"We are free, wizard!
You are weakened to the extreme. After all these years, you still haven't found a pure-hearted successor.
But we have found our successor!"
The seven demonic statues representing the seven deadly sins—pride, greed, wrath, and more—shattered. The seven demons, like ethereal spirits, hovered over the stone hall, mocking the wizard, and then their formidable demonic power flowed into Sivana like a dark smoke.
"No!"
The seven sin demons broke free, and the wizard shouted. The staff shot out a powerful lightning bolt towards Sivana but empowered by the seven sins, he effortlessly caught it, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it back. The wizard was sent flying.
Having realized that he was no longer a match for Sivana he quickly used magic to teleport the Sivana, who had just inherited the demonic power and was still unfamiliar with it, away.
After a flash of lightning, the stone hall returned to silence, with only the wizard gasping for breath, struggling for survival.
"Time is running out. I must choose a successor immediately."
But with the seven sin demons, other demons, and the newly escaped Black Adam, could a new inheritor unfamiliar with his powers handle these enemies and protect humanity?
"Protect humanity..."
In this critical moment, he thought of a candidate he had previously rejected for some reason.
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(~˘▾˘)~Don't forget to send your power-stones!~(˘▾˘~)