"Speaking of Justice Points, there nothing particularly pressing at the moment… Oh, right, the Fantastic Four are still floating in space.
They should be back on Earth soon. When that happens, there'll probably be some good opportunities to 'pluck some wool' from Doctor Doom."
Anton pondered, his thoughts drifting.
While considering his next steps, he entered his system space to check on Batman suits of armor.
Sitting on a hefty balance of 45 million Justice Points, Anton couldn't be bothered to even glance at anything priced below that. His eyes went straight to the ultimate goal.
"The Ultimate Suit for just 100 million? That a steal!"
Anton grinned, his heart racing with excitement. "After the New York battle, I'll be even closer to hitting that small goal."
But then, something caught his attention on the Ultimate Suit display—an unfamiliar line of text.
This was something he hadn't seen before, likely unlocked after amassing his current wealth, akin to a "credit check before purchase."
As he read it, his smile froze, replaced by sheer disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? I was wondering why the Ultimate Suit was priced so 'cheap'—turns out there a catch!"
The details hit him like a lightning bolt.
The Ultimate Suit, described as Batman most powerful armor, required not only 100 million Justice Points but also the integration of universal artifacts to meet the criteria for an equivalent exchange.
In the Marvel Universe, what counted as universal artifacts?
The Infinity Stones.
In other words, to unlock the Ultimate Suit, Anton needed all six Infinity Stones and 100 million Justice Points.
Anton heart sank. Frustrated, he quickly scrolled to check the other suits.
The next disappointment came swiftly: the Hellbat Suit, the second most powerful suit after the Ultimate, also had a hidden condition.
The Hellbat Suit was a masterpiece forged by the Justice League elite members—Superman forged it in the sun, Aquaman tempered it in the ocean depths, Wonder Woman enchanted it, Cyborg and Dr. Stone engineered its systems, Flash infused it with the Speed Force, and Green Lantern crafted its cape.
This suit was a near-divine creation, capable of conquering any terrain, and only slightly inferior to the Ultimate Suit. Even the Fenrir Suit, a formidable option, couldn't compare.
Wearing the Hellbat Suit, Batman had once beaten Darkseid into submission.
To unlock it, however, Anton had to first exchange Justice Points to summon the Justice League key figures who had crafted it, combine their abilities, and add 80 million Justice Points on top of that.
"Hiss—"
Anton sucked in a sharp breath.
It felt like one of those novels he'd read in his past life, where the author panicked about balance issues and hastily patched things up overnight.
Too much!
What was the point of saving up for a "small goal" now?
Anton felt that unlocking the Hellbat Suit was nearly as difficult as the Ultimate Suit—except for needing 20 million fewer Justice Points.
Thankfully, a quick review of the other suits showed that only these two had additional restrictions.
The remaining suits required only Justice Points to unlock, including the Fenrir Suit, which also cost 80 million Justice Points.
The Fenrir Suit boasted exceptional defensive capabilities, could track Flash speed, and included gloves storing red solar energy to weaken Superman powers.
Simply put, Batman had designed it to exploit the vulnerabilities of the Justice League heavy hitters.
During the "Endgame" arc in the New 52 comics, the Joker used a custom toxin to control the Justice League, turning them against Batman.
The Fenrir Suit was his key to exploiting their weaknesses and defeating them one by one.
Thus, like the Hellbat Suit, the Fenrir Suit was tied closely to the Justice League core members.
However, in terms of raw power, it was clear the Fenrir Suit fell short of the Hellbat Suit.
"So, I just need to save up to 80 million Justice Points before re-evaluating my options…" Anton murmured, frowning slightly with dissatisfaction.
"But by the time I save up 80 million, I might already have enough to summon a Superman counterpart. At that point, Batman suits won't be nearly as vital anymore…"
"Then again, why not whip up a new suit of armor to play around with first?"
After everything that had happened, Anton had come to a stark realization.
Batman combat capabilities were running dangerously low.
During this latest incident—a battle between the Justice League and the Avengers—Batman had stayed on the sidelines for most of the fight.
Only at the end did he board the Helicarrier and bring the confrontation to a definitive close. Was it just to show off?
No.
It was purely because the Arkham Knight armor was no longer enough to keep up with the rapidly escalating power levels of the Avengers.
Take Captain America, who could hold his own against anyone. Then consider Hawkeye and Black Widow, now enhanced by the Extremis virus.
It was clear that the current Batman could no longer effortlessly overpower Hawkeye, as he had during their first encounter.
And as for the other Avengers? Iron Man and Doctor Octopus were formidable in their own right, especially the former.
The only relatively manageable adversary was Crossbones, Brock Rumlow.
Could Batman stoop to competing with Green Arrow and Venom for scraps? That would be far beneath his dignity.
So, in the end, his only remaining target was the Helicarrier that had arrived as reinforcements.
With the Batwing, Anton—donning the mantle of Batman—had put on a spectacular show, covering up any weaknesses.
Yet, this situation forced Anton to confront a harsh truth: Batman capabilities were in urgent need of an upgrade.
"The Kingdom Come armor, priced at 40 million Justice Points..."
"The Anti-Superman suit, priced at 50 million Justice Points..."
Anton examined the two armors he could most feasibly acquire given his current resources, weighing whether it was worth saving up.
The Kingdom Come armor was inspired by a future alternate universe where superheroes, now past their prime, were overshadowed by a new generation.
Humanity had become collateral damage in the battles between heroes and villains. Superman, long retired, returned as a god-like figure detached from humanity.
To keep up, Batman had created the Kingdom Come armor, capable of flight and immense defense—making him a "god" among mortals.
The Anti-Superman suit, on the other hand, was a classic piece of gear.
As seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it could absorb an entire city electrical power and unleash it from the fingertips while enhancing Batman strength.
On balance, the former offered better value for the cost.
Though the Anti-Superman suit had famously bested Superman, its victory relied heavily on Kryptonite, not the suit inherent power.
In Anton opinion, it wasn't as effective as the Kingdom Come armor. Its reputation was just bolstered by its dramatic battle record.
"Forget it, there no rush," Anton muttered.
After much deliberation, he suppressed the temptation to make an immediate purchase. Instead, he decided to save his Justice Points for now.
Accumulating as much as possible—up to the cap of 80 million—would allow him to redeem armor only when absolutely necessary.
After all, some ultimate armors like the Hellbat or the Final Batsuit required additional prerequisites. Blindly hoarding Justice Points for these options had lost its original appeal.
For Anton, the smarter choice was to use Justice Points when needed to enhance Batman power.
He murmured to himself, "Thor first movie plotline is done, and with the Avengers forming ahead of schedule, the next big Marvel event should be the Battle of New York..."
A pivotal figure in that battle was Loki, the God of Mischief.
Though Loki had been thoroughly beaten by Wonder Woman during the recent Thor-related events, he had managed to escape under the watchful gaze of Odin, the Allfather.
This meant the Battle of New York was still inevitable.
The timing, however, was uncertain. The altered timeline might shorten or lengthen the wait.
In any case, resolving the Battle of New York would be another opportunity to earn a significant amount of Justice Points.
And if Anton could perfectly deal with the Chitauri invasion, he might rake in even more Justice Points.
In his mind, the key to a flawless resolution lay in destroying the Chitauri mothership.
It was the difference between passively shutting down the portal to cut off the invasion and actively diving into the enemy forces to wreak havoc.
The outcomes—and the rewards—would be worlds apart.
However, with the Justice League current power levels, charging into space to destroy the Chitauri mothership seemed a bit out of reach.
The only hero with such capability, Superman, was still unavailable.
It seemed that redeeming a more powerful Batman suit was the only way to achieve his goals...
Anton stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Forget it. No point overthinking. The Avengers will be the ones taking the brunt of the attack anyway.
If worst comes to worst, I'll just close the portal and cut off the invasion. That'll work too."