He painfully closed his eyes, then snapped them open, his pupils contracting with fear.
"But he knew… Before I even made my move, he knew! It was like he could read my mind—my plan, my weapons, everything about me…"
His body began to tremble, his voice laced with a whimper.
"He didn't even give me a chance to die! In an instant, my comrades, my Batcave, my armory… he crushed them all as if they were toys!"
The insane laughter gradually turned into hysterical sobs, and he buried his face in his knees, his shoulders shaking violently.
"It's useless… He's already a God… How can a human possibly kill a God…?"
Li Yu's lips curved slightly, and a golden light suddenly illuminated his surroundings.
His gentle yet undeniable majesty instantly dispelled the chill in the alley.
His voice clearly reached Bruce's ears.
"A God? In my eyes, they are merely creatures with slightly higher life intensity."
He leaned down to look at Bruce, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
"Bruce Wayne, don't you want to save this world?"
"When the Bat-Signal lights up at night, will you still be able to step forward to protect this city?!"
Bruce's body jolted, his hands trembling slightly, and the head buried in his knees slowly lifted.
In his eyes, which had long lost their light, a faint, starlike glimmer emerged… Inside the Kryptonian Temple in Metropolis, the lingering glow of the sunset streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden light splotches on the pristine white marble floor.
Wonder Woman Diana stood by the window, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders, the cape of her star-spangled armor gently fluttering. Her hand unconsciously rested on her slightly swollen abdomen, her eyes filled with worry.
Superman gently embraced her from behind, his chin resting on the crown of her head, his warm breath caressing her neck with a hint of scorching heat.
"What's wrong, my darling? I see worry in your eyes."
His voice was tender, his fingertips gently caressing her abdomen, his actions filled with tenderness.
Diana turned around, raising her hand to caress Superman's cheek, the worry in her eyes impossible to hide.
"I'm fine… I just had a nightmare."
She paused, her voice a few shades lower.
"I dreamt you were killed."
Superman's lips curved into a confident smile, a golden aura swirling around him.
"Dreams are often the opposite, my dear. In this world, who else can harm me?"
He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his tone teasing.
"It must be the pregnancy making the former Goddess of War so sentimental."
At the mention of the child in her womb, the worry in Diana's eyes was instantly replaced by maternal tenderness. She took Superman's hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.
"I had thought we wouldn't have children. After all, our physiques are too powerful, and our genes are difficult to merge… But their arrival is truly an unexpected surprise."
Red heat vision ignited in Superman's eyes, but he deliberately restrained its power, only gently gazing at Diana's abdomen.
"I can feel their power."
His voice carried a hint of pride.
"These two children, fused with our bloodlines, possess talent far surpassing anyone. Once born, they will be the most powerful Gods on this planet, and even in the entire universe!"
His arms suddenly tightened, pulling Diana close to him, his tone filled with undeniable ruthlessness.
"Whoever wishes to end my happiness, I will make them pay a price more painful than death!"
The sunset outside the window completely faded, and darkness enveloped Metropolis, with only the golden light of the Kryptonian Temple, like a giant cage, covering the entire city, beneath the light of order… At the entrance of the temple in Elysium, two shadowy figures in purple-black slowly emerged.
Thanatos, God of Death, and Hypnos, God of Sleep, clad in purple-black Surplices, their forehead hexagrams glowing with a faint blue light in the darkness.
"Lord Hades, Thanatos and Hypnos request an audience!"
The voices of the Twin Gods, imbued with their characteristic indifference, echoed outside the empty temple.
Moments later, the heavy black doors of the temple slowly opened inward, the creaking of the hinges like the wailing of the undead.
A thick aura of death surged from within the hall.
Hades' divine consciousness directly entered their minds, devoid of any warmth.
"Enter."
The Twin Gods stepped into the temple; as soon as they crossed the threshold, an icy coldness far surpassing that outside instantly enveloped them.
This was not a physical chill, but a pure power of death that could penetrate Surplices, devouring souls and hope, as if even the life of a God would be dissolved by it.
In the depths of the temple, the colossal statue representing the Underworld King's divine body stood silently, black mist coiling around its black marble form, and eerie green light flickering in its hollow eye sockets.
Thanatos and Hypnos knelt before the statue, their Surplice-clad knees striking the ground with a dull thud.
"Lord Hades, why have you summoned us?" Hypnos's voice carried a hint of languor, and a faint purple mist unconsciously emanated from his eyes.
"Is it time to begin the Holy War?" "Is it finally starting, Lord Hades?!"
A flicker of excited crimson flashed in Thanatos's eyes, and his hands clenched into fists.
"I can't wait to cast the souls of those Saints into eternal darkness, Lord Hades!"
Without a word, a divine thought, imbued with endless malice and destructive will, was directly imprinted into the divine consciousness of the Twin Gods.
It was Hades' command, cold and resolute.
"Changes have occurred in the upcoming Holy War. Sea Emperor Poseidon and Athena have allied, and the Sanctuary's strength has greatly increased. In that case, let us activate God Annihilation!"
"God Annihilation?!"
Thanatos and Hypnos's bodies simultaneously jolted.
They abruptly looked up, their eyes filled with incredulous shock.
Thanatos was the first to speak, his voice trembling slightly.
"But, Lord Hades, God Annihilation is a forbidden technique that was banned in ancient times!"
"Throughout all previous Holy Wars, the outcome of the battle between the two sides' Saints determined the dominion of the earth; there has never been a precedent of Gods directly intervening in the human world!"
"If we do this, will it not displease the other Gods of Olympus?"
Hypnos also shed his languor, his tone solemn.
As the God of Sleep and Dreams, his perception of the world's rules was far more acute than that of the God of Death.
"Though Zeus has vanished, the rules he left behind still constrain the Gods…"
"Hmph…"
Hades' cold laugh echoed through the temple, carrying undisguised mockery.
"This generation's Athena has distributed a portion of her divine power to her Saints, thinking she can rely on mortal strength to oppose me?"
"She thinks herself clever, yet she doesn't know that all of this is under my watchful eye."
Hades' divine consciousness grew even colder, like ten-thousand-year-old ice.
"Thanatos, Hypnos, execute the command. I will bear all consequences."
He paused, his divine consciousness exuding absolute confidence and dominance.
"Besides, Zeus has been missing for a thousand years; no one in this world can stop me!"
Black mist surged around the statue, as if responding to the Underworld King's will.
"Let those lowly beings experience eternal slumber and death. Let their screams become offerings to awaken my true power!"
"Yes, Lord Hades!"