Spider-Man and the others stared at Superman, who was floating before them, their expressions blank with shock.
Had Batman introduced him already?
It seemed like he had mentioned bringing in a new member, but no one expected this.
Superman's existence was no mystery. His story had been told through Anton's movies and various works released by DC.
If one disregarded the timing of his actual appearance and instead focused on the first piece of media about him—whether it be comics or the Man of Steel movie—Superman could be considered one of the earliest members of the existing Justice League.
However, since Man of Steel had been released, Superman had never truly appeared in real life. Over time, people stopped expecting him.
But after today?
Who would dare ignore him now?
With his power alone, he had crushed an alien conspiracy, successfully defended New York—and even the entire Earth—leaving humanity in awe.
And the most terrifying part?
When the Justice League, the Avengers, and other superpowered individuals had been copied by Carter's Super Skrulls, it was Superman who cut down those imposters one by one.
The entire process was nothing short of breathtaking.
"Uh… h-hello, Superman."
Spider-Man, visibly nervous, spoke hesitantly.
"Uh… do we need to introduce ourselves?"
"No need."
Superman's gaze swept over the group.
"I already know all of you."
As Superman conversed with the Justice League, a Skrull spacecraft quietly flew over New York, landing just outside the city.
Moments later, a metallic frame detached from the vessel and disappeared into the sky.
Meanwhile, Anton contacted Agent Z, the second-in-command of the Men in Black, and provided him with the spacecraft's landing coordinates.
"The Skrull base is on the moon," Cyborg reported, having extracted key information from the ship's systems.
Anton, nodding, spoke with certainty.
"That moon base will be useful to us. We could build a prison there or set up something even more strategic. Either way, this ship needs to be in our hands."
"Understood."
Agent Z nodded. The message was clear—the spacecraft and the moon base were now under Men in Black jurisdiction. No other organization would be allowed to interfere.
"Good. Get your team over there immediately and take control of the ship."
Anton ended the call.
Almost immediately, he received another message—this time from John Keller.
[We want to meet Superman. Can you arrange it?]
Short, direct, and straight to the point.
Anton wasn't surprised. He casually typed a response:
[I can't. Superman's already gone.]
It was the truth.
After briefly meeting with the Justice League, Superman had taken off, soaring high into the sky.
Under the watchful eyes of countless spectators, he shot beyond the atmosphere.
Satellite feeds tracking him showed only a streak of light, like a comet passing by Earth, before he vanished from view.
In the end, everyone understood—Superman had left.
But no one doubted he would return.
As long as Batman existed, as long as the Justice League stood, as long as humanity endured—
Superman would never truly be far from Earth.
This was the bond between him and the planet.
With the invasion thwarted, the world slowly began to move on.
Superman had disappeared into the cosmos, yet the battle—and the sheer impact of his return—continued to ripple across the globe. The aftershocks of his presence refused to fade.
His power had left an indelible mark on the minds of people everywhere.
Not even Batman could achieve this level of influence.
In fact, Superman's reputation, solidified in a single battle, now rivaled the recognition Batman had built over multiple appearances.
And the best reflection of this?
The box office.
Anton's latest film—one he co-directed—was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Its earnings had skyrocketed.
According to recent surveys, 80% of audiences had bought their tickets for one reason:
Superman.
Especially those fans returning for their second or third viewing.
Without exception, they had all become Superman's devoted supporters.
More importantly, on the system panel—visible only to Anton—Superman's fan count had skyrocketed by 40 million in just a day or two.
The frightening part? That number was still climbing at an astonishing rate.
Clearly, this was a gold mine.
After all, if Anton wanted his Superman clone to remain active for extended periods, he needed a steady supply of fan value to sustain his existence.
Now, with Superman's reputation surging, Anton was reaping the rewards.
And there was another critical factor—Justice Value.
After the Battle of New York and the Ghost Rider incident, the system had rewarded Anton with 5 million justice points.
This time, thanks to Superman's intervention and his victory over Carter's Super Skrulls, the system had granted him an even greater reward—8 million justice points.
[Current Justice Value Balance: 38 million]
While Justice Value wasn't as vital to Anton as it once was—especially with his focus now on collecting the six Infinity Stones—it was still the primary currency he aimed to accumulate.
Anton arrived at the Men in Black headquarters.
In his office, he activated a projection device, establishing a long-overdue communication with representatives of the World Security Council.
This was the first meeting between Anton and the Council since the Skrull incident.
"Hello, Anton."
"Hello, delegates."
As soon as greetings were exchanged, the U.S. representative wasted no time in speaking up.
"Do you have nothing to say?"
Anton raised an eyebrow.
"What is there to say?"
He spread his hands.
"Everything happened right under your noses. Haven't you all seen it for yourselves?"
After a brief pause, he sighed, feigning helplessness.
"What more can I say about events that the whole world witnessed firsthand?"
The U.S. representative leaned forward.
"Superman."
His tone was sharp.
"Did he really leave?"
"Yes, he did."
Anton nodded, his gaze sweeping across the room. His voice was calm, measured.
"We all know that Earth cannot accommodate him. At least, not the Earth as it is now."
He paused, observing the silence in the room.
A flicker of amusement passed through his eyes, but when he spoke again, his tone grew heavy.
"Superman never intended to stir conflict, which is why he left in the first place. Even after returning, he understood that the time still wasn't right… But one day, when we truly need him—he will return."
The room fell into silence.
Because Anton was right.
The current Earth simply wasn't ready for Superman.
Had he not publicly flown into space before the entire world, the political leaders and military officials gathered here likely wouldn't have been able to sleep at night.
No one wanted a walking god hovering over them—like the Sword of Damocles, ready to strike at any moment.
A man with absolute power, who also happened to be an alien…
It was impossible to predict what effect that could have on the delicate balance of global politics.
Soon, the Council members seemed to come to a silent agreement—none of them wanted to dwell on the Superman issueany longer.
Instead, they shifted to more practical matters.
"Let's be direct, Anton."
The U.S. representative spoke again.
"Regarding the Skrull spaceship—your Men in Black organization took immediate control and has refused to grant us access."
"This is unacceptable, Anton. You're failing our trust."
"We expect the Men in Black to share the ship with the World Security Council, including all data and information retrieved from it."
Another representative added:
"Furthermore, while Carter and his Super Skrull soldiers are dead, there are still countless Skrulls hidden across Earth.
"What is your plan for dealing with them?"
Anton didn't hesitate.
He had already anticipated these questions long before stepping into this meeting.
And he was more than ready to answer them.
"The spaceship is Superman's trophy. Before he left, he told Batman that he was willing to transfer it to the Justice League. And since Batman is the leader of the Justice League, he chose to lend it to me for research."
Anton spoke casually, his tone light.
"In essence, the spaceship belongs to Batman personally. The Men in Black only have access to it because of my connection to him. Therefore, I have no right to share it with the World Security Council. So, I'm sorry—but the spacecraft cannot be provided to you."
As he spoke, the representatives of the World Security Council frowned slightly.
But before they could object, Anton continued.
"However, as the leader of the Men in Black, I am willing to make some sacrifices."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Most of the intelligence and data retrieved from the spacecraft will be placed in the Men in Black's public database, accessible to all representatives of the World Security Council. As for certain classified information, you may submit a formal application for access."
"Application?"
The representatives exchanged glances.
At this moment, the Men in Black no longer seemed like a subordinate organization under the World Security Council. Instead, they seemed to be in charge.
Anton acknowledged their reaction with a faint smile.
"Yes. And that brings us to the second issue."
His expression darkened slightly as he continued.
"The Skrulls have not been completely eradicated. There are still infiltrators hidden among us—including within the World Security Council itself. However, I can confirm with absolute certainty that there are no Skrull spies within the Men in Black."
A representative raised an eyebrow.
"Are you saying that we—the World Security Council—are not trusted by the Men in Black?"
Others picked up on the implication, their faces shifting into astonishment.
Anton met their gazes without hesitation.
"Yes."
His response was blunt, unapologetic.
"But rest assured—the technology to detect and neutralize Skrull shapeshifting has already been developed. The Justice League's research team is finalizing production, and soon, the Men in Black will receive the first batch of completed devices. Once they're deployed, the Skrulls will no longer pose a threat."
The room fell into silence.
For the first time, the World Security Council found itself dealing with a subordinate—Anton—who acted like he was above them.
And the worst part?
They had no grounds to argue.
From the start of the Skrull crisis to its resolution, Anton had been the one pulling the strings.
Yes, Batman had likely played a guiding role behind the scenes.
But it was Anton who had taken action.
Meanwhile, all the World Security Council had done was listen to his advice, suppress some news, and quietly arrest the Skrull spies Anton had identified for them.
In the end, they couldn't refute his words—because even they couldn't be sure they could trust their own people.
After a long silence, the U.S. representative finally spoke.
"Very well. We'll proceed as you suggest."
His voice was tight with barely concealed frustration.
"I just hope you eliminate the remaining Skrulls as soon as possible."
Anton gave a small nod.
"The Men in Black are working on it."
Shortly after, the meeting concluded.
Anton shut off the projection device, leaning back in his chair as a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Superman's dramatic departure from Earth had served its purpose.
As he had said before—having Superman remain on Earth would have only led to unnecessary political conflicts. It was far better to create the illusion that Superman had left.
Anton had no interest in ruling the planet.
Besides, Earth already had an ancient guardian.
For Superman, the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, was a natural enemy.
When Anton synchronized his Superman clone's memories, he had distinctly felt something—
The moment Superman appeared, somewhere on Earth, a pair of terrifying, all-seeing eyes had locked onto him, watching, analyzing… waiting.
The owner of those eyes was most likely the Ancient One.
However, Anton had no plans to meet her. For now, it seemed the feeling was mutual.
There was a silent understanding between them—neither side would interfere with the other.
That aside, Anton did have a plan for Superman's journey into space.
His goal?
To find the Infinity Stones.
The system required Anton to collect all six Infinity Stones as a prerequisite for unlocking Batman's Ultimate Battlegear.
Currently, he had two in his possession:
The Mind Stone The Space Stone
Aside from the Time Stone, which remained on Earth inside the Eye of Agamotto, the other three were somewhere in the universe:
The Reality Stone (Aether from Thor: The Dark World) The Power Stone The Soul Stone
The Reality Stone was tied to the Dark Elves and first appeared in Thor: The Dark World, discovered by Jane Foster.
Since the Battle of New York, Anton had been carefully monitoring key figures and any unusual cosmic activity.
Jane Foster, in particular, had been under observation.
However, due to Wonder Woman's presence, Jane's fate had seemingly diverged from the original timeline.
In the original story, Jane Foster's deep bond with Thor led her to discover the Aether.
But now?
Anton's intelligence suggested that Jane no longer showed any interest in studying interdimensional space.
Even so, he would continue to keep an eye on her.
Between the Power Stone and Soul Stone, Anton prioritized the Power Stone.
The Soul Stone was a different problem altogether.
Guarded by the Red Skull on Vormir, the only way to claim it was to sacrifice someone you love.
Anton had no intention of making such a trade.
For now, he would leave it alone and look for alternative opportunities to acquire it in the future.
The Power Stone, on the other hand, was about to surface soon.
It played a major role in Star-Lord's storyline in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Anton was determined to intercept it before others could claim it.
With his Superman clone, getting the stone would be effortless.
Anton knew that he needed to establish a presence in space—someone to gather intelligence, track cosmic anomalies, and locate Infinity Stones.
The Power Stone was about to appear, and when it did...
Anton would be ready.
….
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