"He's declaring war on us," Superman's voice rumbled low, chilling everyone to the bone.
Hearing this, Diana, dressed in her golden eagle armor, tightened her grip on the Lasso of Truth at her waist, "Then we will meet him in battle."
"But—" Barry Allen, the Flash, stood somewhat apart from the others, his red carbon-fiber suit gleaming under the hall's lights.
He looked around at his teammates, confused, "But you all know that Kong Kenan's resistance army has a huge number of people. If we fight them, many innocent citizens could be caught in the crossfire."
"That's exactly why you're here, Barry," said Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, standing beside him.
Cyborg glanced over at Barry, his voice cool and distant, "This is precisely why we need to engage them as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more citizens they'll sway to their cause, and the messier things will get. We can't let Kong Kenan and the Avengers form a full alliance—that would be a disaster for us."
"I've said it before—we can't give the Avengers any breathing room," Sinestro, the Yellow Lantern, remarked, his arms crossed as he directed his gaze toward the silent Batman.
His lips curled into a mocking smirk, "Why is it that our search across the four oceans has been so slow? We still haven't found their underground base's exact location."
The one in charge of the search for the Avengers' underground base was none other than Batman and Superman.
Batman stood beside Superman's throne, his freezing stare cutting right back at Sinestro's taunt.
A bright beam of light illuminated Batman's cloaked figure, casting a circular shadow on the polished floor tiles.
Superman, still resting his chin on the back of his hand, remained shrouded in shadow.
Only his muscular, tightly-suited legs were visible, stretching out in front of him.
"Their bases are mostly built near lead deposits. My x-ray vision doesn't work through lead," Superman said, his voice resonating from the shadows.
Sinestro raised an eyebrow, "And Batman, what's your take on this?"
Batman's gaze was as cold as ice.
With eyes like shards of broken ice, Batman narrowed his gaze at Sinestro, "My take is—we can launch a raid during their guard shift change."
"A raid?" Diana asked, her eyes questioning Batman.
"I've gathered intelligence on the Asian refuge. Due to the leak of the surface refuge's location, they will be shifting their defenses in three days, moving from the current refuge to a new underground one. We can use that opportunity to launch a raid and take down Kong Kenan," Batman's voice was gravelly and deep, like sandpaper scraping against stone.
Barry Allen interrupted him, "Wait, B, we've never conducted a military raid on anyone before; it's against our principles. We're not waging military strikes—we're fighting for the peace of humanity. If you're turning this into a military raid, what does that make us?"
Diana furrowed her brow, not agreeing with Flash's logic.
Just as she was about to speak, Superman's voice cut through.
The head of world government, seated in the armchair, looked up and glanced at everyone.
He calmly said, "No, we can."
"If a lightning raid can bring long-term peace, then we can proceed with it."
Superman's voice was not loud; he did not raise his tone, but each word he spoke rang out like a giant bell, resonating in everyone's ears.
No one stepped forward to oppose him.
Batman stood by, silently turning his head, his gaze sweeping across the hall and landing on Soren.
They shared a distant glance, and Soren looked away, lowering his gaze without speaking.
With the raid plan finalized, the members of the Justice League began to leave the hall.
Only Superman remained, unmoved, still sitting in the chair as if his body had turned into a timeless statue.
Every muscle under his tight suit was clearly defined, a divine physique that would make even artists marvel.
He sat like a meticulously sculpted statue of the sun god, shrouded in shadows, waiting to be uncovered by the world a millennium later.
As Batman left, he brushed past Soren and Billy, who were hiding behind a pillar.
His hand rested on Billy's shoulder, "Let's go."
Billy hesitated for a moment before reluctantly following Batman out of the hall.
This left Soren alone, his hands hanging at his sides, clenching and unclenching his fists.
His gaze never wavered as he looked toward Clark, and he eventually began to walk slowly toward him.
From the unlit corner, he made his way to where Superman was also shrouded in shadows.
His steps were almost silent.
"Clark."
Soren approached Clark and called out softly.
He extended his hand forward, touching Clark's elbow, then grasped his firm, hard wrist, gently pulling his body closer, and tenderly embraced Clark.
Clark opened his arms to return the embrace, pulling Soren into his arms and holding him close.
"...Are you going to fight in Asia?" Soren asked quietly.
"Yes."
Soren looked up at Clark, tracing the silent lines of his face with his eyes, "You've helped Kong Kenan defeat King Asura before. Why are you fighting him now?"
"It's him who's declaring war on me."
Clark's expression showed his reluctance to say more.
"But you know he... he has abilities similar to yours, and he isn't afraid of Kryptonite. He will definitely use it to fight against you. Clark, I don't want you to get hurt."
Soren caressed Clark's face.
Clark took his hand, his gaze seemingly lost in a corner of his memories.
"I once had Kryptonite open my chest. Since then—trace amounts of Kryptonite can no longer harm me. He can't hurt me. My current strength far exceeds his; he's merely a replica of my power from years ago," Clark reassured him.
Soren looked alarmed, his eyes trembling slightly, "...You just have to—"
"I will have Billy stay here with you," Clark said directly.
...He did not address Soren's unfinished statement.