Chapter 38: Chapter 38
"Now," I said, leaning forward slightly, my gaze sweeping over the courtroom, "go build your arguments, collect your evidence, and gather whatever you think you'll need. You have 30 minutes."
With a casual wave of my hand, the entire room shimmered as if caught in a heatwave. In an instant, everyone vanished and teleported back to their respective homes or hideouts.
"Judge Broly…" I mused aloud, rubbing my chin thoughtfully as the idea formed. "This should be a live event, something the entire world can witness."
With a snap of my fingers, cameras materialized around the courtroom, hovering silently in strategic positions. They hummed softly, their lenses gleaming as they began broadcasting the event across every screen in the universe. Every language was instantly translated, ensuring no one could miss a single word of my judgment.
With everything set and the courtroom silent, I leaned back in the judge's chair, my gaze wandering around aimlessly. It didn't take long for the boredom to settle in. I sighed deeply, already regretting the decision to give them 30 whole minutes.
"What was I thinking?" I muttered to myself, drumming my fingers on the armrest. The room felt emptier with every passing second, and the silence only made it worse.
After a moment of deliberation, I shrugged and conjured a glowing tablet from thin air. "Might as well make use of the time," I said, tapping away as I accessed the history of this universe.
"Wow, this guy really became a tyrant," I said, momentarily speechless as I scrolled through the records of Superman's actions ever since that fateful mistake—the day he accidentally killed his wife.
The screen played through event after event: the regimes, the executions, the fear he instilled across the world. I tilted my head, unimpressed. "Yikes," I muttered. "Talk about a spiral."
Still, I couldn't bring myself to care too much. With an infinite number of universes out there, there had to be an infinite number of evil Supermen. Was I going to make it my mission to stop all of them? Nah, that sounded way too troublesome.
I leaned back in my chair, smirking. "But I've never been a judge before," I mused to myself. "This could be fun."
With that thought, I settled in, ready to see just how entertaining this trial was going to get.
The 30 minutes flew by now that I had something to occupy my time. Soon enough, the courtroom was filled once more, every seat occupied by the summoned individuals. Whether they wanted to return or not didn't matter—they had no choice. My overwhelming power ensured their compliance, and their own comparative weakness made resistance laughable.
I scanned the room, watching as confusion and frustration danced across their faces. Some glared, others avoided my gaze entirely.
"Order! Order!" I roared, slamming my hammer on the judge's stand as the room erupted into chaos the moment they arrived. The sharp crack of the gavel echoed, and silence fell almost immediately.
"That's better," I said, leaning back slightly. My eyes scanned the room, pausing as I noticed an unexpected face among Superman's team. "Superman, and your team…" I began, then froze, my eyebrow arching in surprise. "Oh, wait—you're Raven?"
My gaze settled on the audit version of Raven, and I couldn't hide my curiosity. "Huh. Didn't expect that. So that's what Aduit Raven looks like," I muttered to myself, tilting my head slightly.
The room remained silent, though a few uneasy glances were exchanged. I shook my head, recovering quickly.
"Don't look at me with those disgusting eyes," Raven snapped, her tone sharp and filled with annoyance.
Her words caught me completely off guard. My eyebrow twitched as I stared at her, momentarily stunned. How was she able to speak? No one else had managed it, and yet here she was, defying the very order I had imposed.
I glanced down at my gavel, frowning as I examined it. "Huh," I muttered, tilting my head. "Did this thing lose its power?"
I tapped the gavel lightly on the stand, testing it, but nothing seemed off. My confusion only deepened as I turned my gaze back to Raven.
"When are you returning back? Don't tell me you got lost in the multiverse," Raven said, her lips curling into a mocking smirk.
Her words hit me like a bolt of lightning, and my eyes widened in genuine shock. The pieces fell into place almost instantly. She wasn't just a Raven anymore—she had transcended. She'd reached the Sphere of the Gods, elevating herself beyond her counterparts.
This Raven wasn't merely an individual; she was now the prime essence, with every other Raven across the multiverse serving as her avatar.
"Lost? Nope," I said, lying without a shred of shame. It wasn't as if finding my way back home was difficult—I could do it with ease. But why rush? The multiverse was far too entertaining to leave behind just yet.
Raven rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed by my response. Then, without another word, she went silent, her presence fading as she relinquished control of this particular avatar.
I frowned slightly, glancing around the room. Oddly, no one seemed to have noticed the brief exchange. It was as if the entire conversation had been nothing more than an illusion—a subtle trick of Raven's creation, slipping through reality unnoticed.
"Superman," I began, my tone steady as I pointed at the battered Kryptonian sitting before me. I held up my phone, scrolling through an impossibly long list. "You are being judged here today for the following crimes: mass murder, populicide, manslaughter, filicide, uxoricide, kidnapping, assault and battery, torture, mass property damage, conspiracy, terrorism, war crimes, brainwashing, abuse of power, animal cruelty, blackmail, stalking, mutilation, high treason, and crimes against humanity."
I paused for dramatic effect, lowering the phone slightly as I glanced at him. "Quite the résumé, wouldn't you say?"
The courtroom remained silent, the weight of the charges hanging in the air. A few of the onlookers exchanged uneasy glances, while Superman's face remained unreadable—or maybe he was still too swollen from earlier to show much expression.
"Wait," I said, raising a hand and tilting my head slightly. "You didn't mean to commit filicide, right? I'll take that one off the list." I made a show of crossing it out on my phone, then glanced back at Superman. "So, who do you have to defend you?"
Superman stood straighter, his eyes narrowing as he met my gaze. "Everything I did was for the sake of Earth," he said, his voice steady, filled with that all-too-familiar righteousness.
"I need evidence," I said firmly, cutting Superman off mid-sentence. "I couldn't care less about your feelings or justifications. Show me a chart, data, anything that proves your actions have had a major positive impact on the world—or whatever nonsense you think will defend you. If you can't, then shut your mouth and await the cruel fate that's waiting for you."
Superman's mouth snapped shut, his jaw tightening as my words hung heavy in the air.
From the crowd, Batman stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he spoke, his voice low and sharp. "What fate is that?"
"Simple," I said with a bored yawn, waving my hand dismissively. "I'm a treasure collector. A Superman with a Yellow Lantern Ring? That's got to be rare. I'd freeze him and add him to my collection."
The courtroom stirred uneasily at my words, but I continued, unfazed. "Don't worry, this wouldn't kill the crazy madman. He'd still be alive—just... on display."
"...The rest?" Batman asked, his voice calm, though his eyes remained locked on me, searching for any hint of my intentions.
I shifted my gaze across the room, scanning the gathered heroes and villains. "That's a good question," I mused, tapping my chin mockingly. "Most of you are just side characters in the grand scheme of things. So, I suppose your crimes will meet your punishments."
I paused, letting the tension in the room rise before continuing. "But here's the twist: I'll leave that to the people of Earth to decide. Power to the people, as they say." I leaned forward, a cold, mocking smirk curling across my lips. "Now's not the time to get nervous. You've picked on the weak for years, and now the weak have the power to judge your fate. A fitting end, wouldn't you agree?"
Chills rippled through the room. Shazam, Wonder Woman, and the others shifted uncomfortably, the weight of my words settling heavily on their shoulders.