The days began to pass as various organizations around the world focused on their own dealings and individual plans. Arias's plan for Markovia was now in full swing, with Markovia's children's hospital receiving a complete renovation to accommodate its new responsibilities.
All of this was overseen by Baron Bedlam and his subordinates, with little international involvement—even from Arias's organization through Terra. She had returned to the Ark institution, and for a time, Arias appeared to have gone silent. The only person allied with him still making moves was Slade.
This gave the impression that Arias's sole focus was getting Slade into office.
In truth, however, Arias hadn't even contacted Slade regarding that. Whether Slade won or not was of little consequence, as Arias's plans would work no matter the result.
His real goal was to divert the government's attention away from him. Now, with the ever-increasing incidents from the Human Supremacy group, the government had no choice but to divert its resources entirely.
This was finalized in the White House's situation room, where only the president and his highest-ranking officials were present. Superman was also there as a representative of the Justice League. His physical recovery didn't take long, just like before, but mentally, he was deeply scarred by his encounters with Arias, having nearly lost his life to him twice.
So when the meeting concluded with the decision that Arias was no longer a significant threat, Superman was livid.
"What!?"
His hand slammed against the table, shattering it as he stood up in disagreement with the meeting's resolution.
The few guards stationed in the office immediately drew their weapons and pointed them at him, but the president quickly waved them off.
"Stand down!"
After doing so, he looked at the frowning Superman and spoke. "Look, as it stands, the country's resources are already stretched thin. We can't afford to funnel efforts toward both Arias Markovic and the Human Supremacy group. One is lying dormant, and the other is threatening the entire meta-human population. Think about it."
Even in his anger, Superman couldn't argue with the logic behind the decision. The greater threat was clearly the Human Supremacy group, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the longer they let Arias roam free, the harder he would be to deal with.
"Fine." Superman answered passively and began walking toward the exit. But before he could leave, the president said one final thing.
"Can we expect the League to cooperate with our government in bringing this threat to an end?" he asked.
Superman looked back in silence for a moment before replying, "I'll discuss it with the others and get back to you."
Saying nothing more, Superman left, and the president heaved a bitter sigh while shaking his head. With so much happening, he could barely focus on his campaign.
If he chose to ignore these developments, the opposition would undoubtedly use it to criticize him and his term in office. The entire ordeal was proving to be an immense headache for him.
But he wasn't alone in his frustration...
Superman, having just left the meeting, was even more stressed over the current state of the world. So much had happened—Luthor, Joker, and Waller's deaths, Slade's candidacy, Arias's rise to prominence, his impact on the meta-human community, and much more.
For now, he pushed those thoughts aside and rushed to the Hall of Justice, where the other League members were already waiting to hear about his meeting with the president.
They had gathered in the usual hall, but this time the junior team was absent. Superman didn't waste time and went straight into what had been discussed: the decision to focus on the Human Supremacy group.
Superman didn't mention his own concerns about Arias, as he didn't want to seem paranoid in front of the others.
The members of the League had mixed reactions to his revelation.
Green Arrow, especially concerned, voiced his thoughts. "Sounds like the president wants us to deal with it quietly so it doesn't affect his political image with the elections coming up. If he mobilizes government resources and fails, it'll look bad for him."
Black Canary nodded and added, "But by using us, even if we fail, the government loses nothing. If we succeed, the president takes credit and boosts his image. It's a win-win for him."
Her arms crossed, and her brows furrowed, as did the expressions of the others as they considered the situation more clearly.
Most of them had joined to protect the world, not to act as the government's personal army.
Batman, who had remained silent with an unreadable expression, finally spoke. "We've got nothing to lose by agreeing to work with them. Our focus is the Human Supremacy group, which we know very little about. If working with the government helps us deal with this threat faster, then we should agree."
His logic was clear. Although they'd be helping the president's image if they succeeded, they needed the information and resources the government would secretly provide to aid in combating the Human Supremacy group.
Given what was at stake, no one seemed opposed to this approach. But Batman wasn't finished. He also revealed that he had contacted Arias Markovic and asked for his assistance in dealing with the group.
Unsurprisingly, Superman was the first to object. "What?! You can't be serious."
Batman had anticipated this reaction from Superman and was ready for it.
"I am. Arias is far too cautious and strategic to be caught by us or the government directly. But if we use a common enemy to establish an alliance, we'll have the opportunity to strike when he least expects it."
After Batman explained, the others began to understand the logic behind his plan.
By using Arias's help in dealing with the Human Supremacy group, they could exploit the period when his caution toward them lowered, preparing a way to capture him.
Even if they failed, they'd still have gained some assistance against the Human Supremacy group.
Despite the apparent benefits, Superman remained skeptical.
"And what if the plan fails? What if he doesn't lower his guard?" he asked, arms crossed and brows furrowed.
Batman, however, replied casually, "Then we use your approach to dealing with him, since you must have a better one, right?"
Superman had no such approach in mind. His only concern was that Arias needed to be dealt with, but he hadn't thought through how.
Realizing that his emotions were clouding his judgment, Superman conceded. "I don't. We'll do it your way then."
Clearly upset, Superman left quickly after agreeing, leaving the others in deep thought.
Martian Manhunter was the first to break the silence. "His mind is in unrest. He just needs time to properly process everything. Otherwise, this plan does seem most optimal, given the current circumstances."
Batman nodded but cautioned, "Let's hope it works and that Arias doesn't see through us. The juniors shouldn't know what's really happening, and they should play a distant role if possible. Just as we think we're fooling him, he could be using this situation to fool us."