"I know I might sound like a dumbass… but maybe if the world starts seeing the Joker as a good guy, you're doing something wrong. Maybe if you're teaming up with someone named Sinestro… I don't know, maybe, just maybe, you're doing something wrong," Ashborn said, his tone casual but biting. "I know, I know, I sound stupid, but hear me out."
Their expressions tightened with irritation, but that irritation quickly faded as a glowing image appeared in the air beside Ashborn.
Their eyes widened, and then slowly darkened with shame and horror as the scene unfolded—Sinestro, cold and merciless, killing John Stewart. And worse, manipulating Hal into killing a former ally.
"The sad part is… all of this happened while the balance between light and darkness was still intact. You were so stupid," Ashborn said coldly. "But I don't care to go over the list of your crimes. So, you ex-heroes have two options—death, or sacrifice yourselves to restore that balance."
His gaze locked onto Sinestro, who was quietly edging backward, clearly preparing to flee. But he froze in place as Ashborn's mocking smirk settled on him.
"I… I'm sorry," Hal whispered, collapsing to his knees as tears streamed down his face. "I thought we were doing the right thing."
Those quiet words were the final blow. The shoulders of the other former heroes slumped, the crushing weight of truth settling in as they finally accepted it—they had been the villains all along.
"Is that Ares?" Ashborn asked, narrowing his eyes at the figure clad in armor. At the mention of his name, the god of war, who had been standing quietly among the Superman team, took a cautious step back.
"You teamed up with the god of war, isn't that guy evil… but I want him as my shadow," Ashborn said with a smirk.
Ares' pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he turned to flee—but it was already too late. A humanoid shadow ant appeared behind him in an instant. Before Ares could react, the ant's tail pierced cleanly through his chest.
As soon as Ares died, a surge of darkness rose from his body—but just as quickly, it vanished, leaving everyone confused.
"Looks like the Darkness can't affect those killed by the darkness," Ember said lightly, causing Ashborn's eyebrow to rise in interest.
Without a word, Ashborn gave Meruem a nod. In an instant, Sinestro was dead.
Batman instinctively stepped forward, as if to intervene—but stopped himself. What could he have done? Meruem was simply too fast.
"Arise," Ashborn said, ignoring Batman's glare as he calmly watched two new shadow soldiers emerge. With a wave of his hand, he stored them away into his shadow. He gave Meruem a nod of thanks, which the ant king accepted with visible pride before disappearing back into the shadows.
"Why would you kill them?" Batman demanded, anger simmering in his voice.
"Because villains don't change their nature," Ashborn replied bluntly. "I highly doubt Sinestro was going to turn into some superhero who fights for justice. His connection to the Darkness ran far deeper than Superman's ever did… That's the only reason I'm giving the rest of you the chance to live. Deep down, you're still heroes."
His words left Hal and the others speechless.
"Your answers?" Ashborn asked, not forgetting the choices he had given them.
"We'll restore the balance," Cyborg said softly, his voice carrying the weight of regret. The others nodded in quiet agreement.
Ashborn gave a satisfied nod and pulled out his phone.
"Hey Siri, create a Multiverse Justice League Watchtower. Make it the size of a universe. Equip it with scanners capable of detecting crimes across the multiverse—specifically those that could lead to a universe falling into darkness and dying. Include everything else that might be necessary," Ashborn said calmly.
Everyone looked at him in confusion. After all, what kind of phone could actually do something like that?
"Understood. This portal will lead you to the Watchtower," Siri said.
Ashborn nodded in approval before stepping through the portal Siri created, motioning for the others to follow. When they emerged, they were met with the breathtaking sight of what looked like an entire city inside the Watchtower.
"This Watchtower is equipped with countless sub-dimensions, each tailored to a specific hero," Siri explained as she floated in front of them. "For example, the Superman dimension is a city created to house only Supermen. It can hold up to eight billion of them. The same applies to the Batman dimension, Wonder Woman dimension, and many more."
"Time flows differently here in the Watchtower," Siri explained. "The past and future of the multiverse coexist at once, allowing Justice League members to respond to calls for help across all timelines. Currently, an infinite number of distress signals are occurring simultaneously. While it's possible to answer every call, speed is essential—once the balance of a universe breaks, it begins to collapse."
A massive screen appeared before them, displaying a map of the multiverse. Each universe was marked with indicators showing the heroes steadily losing ground. Alongside it, countdowns ticked away, showing how much time remained before certain universes would fall.
"When a universe loses its balance entirely," Siri continued, "it descends into the Dark Multiverse and begins to fade from existence. Your mission is twofold: prevent universes from falling… and erase the Dark Multiverse itself, ensuring nothing escapes to spread chaos."
Ashborn wasted no time searching for a universe filled with robots and advanced technology—something that could prove useful. He didn't want to rely too much on Siri, nor did he want to overexert himself. The more he acted, the higher the risk that the Darkness would trace the anomaly back to him.
"First things first—we need manpower," Ashborn said calmly. "Go to this universe and bring back the Superman robots. Make sure to arrive during the exact time period of the alert; it'll help keep the Darkness from noticing any inconsistencies caused by time flow."
With those words, Ashborn teleported away, heading toward a universe where he'd spotted a particularly cool-looking robot.
In the depths of space, Superman stood alongside the full might of the Justice League—well, almost full. A few members remained on Earth as a second line of defense. Superman floated at the forefront, facing dozens of alien ships, his eyes locked on the golden blur rocketing toward them.
It was Amazo. A machine designed to mimic and adapt to any power it witnessed—save for magic. And now, it was returning to Earth with a singular goal: to wipe out all life.
It had been searching for purpose, and someone had given it one—told it that by erasing all life across the multiverse, it would ascend to a higher dimension and evolve into the ultimate lifeform.
For the first time in its short existence, Amazo understood the hunger for power. It felt something—emotion. And with that newfound emotion… came unstoppable resolve.