Chapter 301: C261
Seeing the energy rays coming, Anton's eyes narrowed as he quickly dodged.
Boom!!
The wall behind him exploded, leaving a gaping hole.
Anton's brows furrowed slightly beneath his mask. Although the cloak on his back provided some protection, it was no match for the energy rays from the psychic scepter in Loki's hand.
In other words, facing Loki while wearing the Arkham Knight's armor—a relic against a god from Asgard—was clearly outdated.
It's time for an upgrade.
[Current Justice Value: 45 million. You can redeem the batman beyond Battle Armor.]
[Redeem now?]
Anton didn't hesitate. Originally, he had planned to farm justice points using the villain from the Fantastic Four movie, Victor Von Doom.
But he hadn't expected S.H.I.E.L.D. to recruit Victor into the Avengers early, robbing him of that opportunity.
With no chance to earn more points, his justice value was stuck at 45 million—5 million short of his goal.
Well, no need to debate between this armor and the Anti-Superman armor.
[Redemption successful. 40 million Justice Value deducted.]
The system prompt echoed in his mind as Anton clenched his fists. In front of Loki, his armor began to shift.
"Oh?"
Loki's expression changed. In the blink of an eye, the Batman standing before him radiated a threat unlike anything he'd felt before.
The transformation was swift. The golden belt turned silver, still bearing the iconic bat emblem. The matte black armor morphed into a sleeker, shinier metallic black.
Even the cloak transformed—it no longer looked like fabric but resembled wings, reinforced with metal.
It was worth noting that the most significant change in this suit was the advanced flight system on the back, along with high-powered lasers and razor-sharp blades on the wings.
Oh, and let's not forget—the terrifying defensive capabilities.
After all, this was an armor designed to stand toe-to-toe with Superman.
In the batman beyond storyline, the conflict among superheroes became catastrophic. Superpowered beings no longer cared for humanity, leading to devastation.
During the height of the battle, Captain Atom exploded, turning the entire state of Kansas into a radioactive wasteland. Nearly a million people died instantly, sending shockwaves around the world.
In the aftermath, Superman—who had retired after Lois Lane's death—returned. But this wasn't the Superman of old.
His divinity overshadowed his humanity, and he enforced order among superhumans with an iron fist.
Those who resisted were treated as enemies. He formed a new Justice League to uphold his version of peace.
Batman, however, disagreed with Superman's authoritarian methods. He refused to join the new League and instead secretly aligned himself with Superman's old nemesis, Lex Luthor.
In the final three-way battle, Batman Beyond armor proved to be just as formidable as any superpowered being on the field.
The conflict raged until Shazam sacrificed himself, reigniting Superman's lost humanity. Only then did the apocalyptic battle come to a close, ending on a somewhat peaceful—and politically correct—note. Thus, the batman beyond saga concluded.
In every version of the story, someone always ends up sacrificing themselves. It's usually either Lois Lane or Barry Allen.
But in batman beyond , Lois had already died, setting the stage for Superman's divine overreach.
Thankfully, perhaps due to the writer's conscience, it wasn't the Flash who made the final sacrifice this time—it was Shazam. The loveable fool.
But back to the present...
"You?"
Seeing that Batman had undergone an earth-shaking transformation in the blink of an eye, Loki squinted, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
At this moment, the threat posed by Batman had increased exponentially.
Loki could see that his opponent's armor had changed, but he had no idea what kind of power the new suit possessed.
Whoosh!
Loki raised his scepter again, firing another blast of energy rays.
But this time, Anton didn't dodge. The batman beyond armor was equipped with advanced laser systems, giving him the ability to counterattack from long range.
Boom!
Energy rays and lasers collided mid-air, erupting in a fiery explosion. A wave of searing heat rolled outward, distorting the air.
Loki frowned. It was clear that after switching armors, Batman's combat effectiveness had skyrocketed.
"The leader of the Justice League really does have a few tricks up his sleeve," Loki sneered.
Whoosh!
Batman burst through the flames, heat waves swirling around him. Boosted by the flight system on his back, his fist—massive and as solid as a boulder—rocketed toward Loki with enough force to shatter stone.
Loki raised his hand, conjuring a magical shield. He was a master of illusions, but that didn't mean he was unfamiliar with other branches of magic.
A magical shield—or divine shield—was one of the most basic defensive spells.
Crack! Crack!
To Loki's shock, Batman's punch shattered his divine shield. The translucent barrier splintered like fragile glass, cracks spreading in an instant.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, Batman unleashed a laser blast.
Boom!!
Loki's pupils contracted. The laser pierced through his body, boring a hole in the floor beneath him.
But Anton didn't celebrate. He'd seen through it immediately. The Loki in front of him shimmered and faded—it was just an illusion.
"Somewhat capable," Anton muttered, expressionless, unsurprised.
Running away was what Loki did best. If he were that easy to kill, he wouldn't have caused trouble from The Avengers all the way until his death in Infinity War.
Of course, according to the film and TV announcements Marvel had made before Anton crossed into this world, the dead Loki was just one from a parallel timeline.
In Avengers: Endgame, the team's time-travel escapades altered the timeline, allowing Loki—who should've died—to escape his fate.
Marvel even announced the Loki series, making it clear that Loki was favored by fate, his survival instincts as stubborn as a cockroach that refused to die.
While thinking this over, Anton moved past a large open window, taking in the chaotic view of Manhattan. The sky was swarming with the dense, advancing Chitauri army.
"Time's running out!"
Anton's eyes grew cold as he scanned for Loki's real body.
"I don't have time to play with you."
Near Stark Tower
The battle between the Justice League and the Avengers had reached a fever pitch in a short amount of time.
This time, no one from the Justice League held back. They all knew the Avengers were under enemy control.
Every attack was aimed at critical points, with no time for hesitation, especially with the swarm of deadly aliens surrounding them. There was no room for drawn-out battles with the Avengers—they had to go all out.
"Speaking of which… it doesn't seem right to kill you…"
Green Arrow, alongside Venom and the Turtles, had Hawkeye and Black Widow pinned down. He swapped out arrows in his quiver, his tone low and grim.
"Let's just finish this."
…
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