Diana walked towards the giant handle, which looked like a hollow ring. It seemed that just by twisting it, the rocket would start its pre-launch preparation and then take off as planned.
She grabbed the ring with both hands and started to turn it with great effort. It was incredibly strenuous; its age and lack of maintenance made it more challenging than lifting an airplane barehanded.
The creaking sound echoed continuously in the cavern, and Diana gritted her teeth, sweat trickling down her forehead.
But she suddenly let go, rolled on the ground, and drew her sword to thrust it backward.
The blade embedded into a furry body.
It was precisely her arch-enemy, Cheetah.
Luthor had seen through Batman's plan and used the door handle's teleportation ability to send Cheetah directly into the underground space.
And with night vision and silent movement capabilities, Cheetah had a significant advantage in the underground activities.
Minerva thought so too. She had been lurking in the shadows, spying on Diana's erratic movements. Her yellow fur was inconspicuous in the dazzling cave.
She hid in the mechanical gaps, and her feline body allowed her to 'flow' through narrow spaces as if she had no bones.
Her claws, covered in the Tear of Extinction, made her very confident in killing Diana.
When Minerva saw Diana struggling with a metal ring, utterly focused and exerting effort, she quietly crept up from behind, planning to launch a surprise attack.
Just as her claws were about to seize Diana's neck, Diana suddenly retaliated with a reverse sword strike.
"Why? How did you discover me?" Minerva clutched her stomach, stepping back from Diana.
Diana stood up, her lips twitching as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
"If you've been ambushed from behind several times in a short period, you'll be particularly mindful of any movements behind you..."
Cheetah lacked a self-healing ability; this injury required treatment: "This time you got lucky. You deceived me before, and I will definitely kill you!"
"No, Minerva, Luthor's actions are wrong. You don't need to serve him." Diana still didn't want to kill the big cat; Minerva had once been her best friend.
Though it was likely Cheetah's deception, each time she recalled the time they spent together, Diana couldn't bring herself to act.
She had a wealth of knowledge and common sense about human society that Minerva had taught her, not to mention an interest in history and a love for sculpture, all thanks to Cheetah's guidance.
Back then, Cheetah wasn't like a feline creature; she was Minerva, a Professor of archaeology with a PhD.
Upon learning that Diana was immortal, she desired immortality as well. After all, Diana was also her friend. How could she continue to play with Diana when she aged?
So she leveraged her relationship with Diana to steal a magic dagger from the Celestial Eye Association, prepared a ritual according to ancient texts, and stabbed the dagger into her chest.
But it wasn't an immortal blessing; it was a curse, transforming her into a beastly creature, not a cat-eared lady.
Diana came to retrieve the dagger, and in a foul mood, Minerva fought with her, turning their relationship into a love-hate dynamic.
"It's too late, Diana, too late. Either you kill me, or I kill you, there's no other choice."
Minerva shook her head, her golden pupils staring at Diana, then a blue light transported her away.
Luthor never hesitated in retreat. Once Minerva told him of the failed plan, he'd immediately extract her, leaving the Justice League no chance.
He knew Diana wouldn't make a move, but he couldn't be sure if Cheetah would turn against him.
Diana sheathed her weapon, sighed, but time was of the essence, and she couldn't dwell on it. She continued to grapple with the rocket, as the Justice League was still waiting for her.
Twisting the giant key, the control panel activated, and the rocket began fueling up.
Soon, flames rose from the abyss below, and the rocket ignited, ready to soar.
The area would soon collapse like Poseidonis above, turning into ruins.
Diana had to leave, but she wasn't quite sure about the rocket's launch direction. It had to clash directly with the barrier.
She thought for a moment, removed her Lasso of Truth, and looped it around one of the rockets.
With both hands on the lasso, she rode it like a horse, clamping it tightly between her legs, securing herself firmly on the cold metal.
Aside from looking less elegant, everything was fine. She could ride the rocket, much like controlling a griffin, and steer it in the correct direction.
The powerful thrust from the rocket transmitted a tingling tremor between her legs. Her face reddened slightly, but she quickly turned her gaze forward, waiting to burst through the water's surface.
........
In the sky, the Justice League members were already engaged in a brawl with the aliens. Countless alien ships buzzed around theirs like a carousel, and various bizarre Fish-Men leaped down like airdrops, converging on them from air and water.
Superman and Barry were fast in action, but when it came to clearing the grunts, the warlocks were more efficient.
Raven's dark magic didn't seem to release any energy, yet the Fish-Men across withered en masse, as if drained of their fluids.
From their mouths, black smoke or soul-like black water would occasionally spurt out.
Night Shadow's magic was more like Pac-Man, tearing open a small corner of the Shadow Plane, stuffing the Fish-Men inside, then instantly closing it.
They would probably end up somewhere in the Cosmos, being urinated out by the giant statues on the Origin Wall.
Without the protection of a spaceship, these Fish-Men couldn't possibly survive in space; there's a high chance they'd instantly turn into ice sculptures.
Black Alice had more tactical choices, transforming into Superman and unleashing Heat Sight all over, then becoming The Flash to dart around, even imitating Mera's Water Control Magic.
As for the Titan Squad, along with the Blue Demon, their only task was to protect the Warlock on the vessel.
Superman flew towards the Barrier in the sky. After soaking up the sun for so long, he felt a bit of strength and decided to test if he could break the Barrier.
Diana was moving a bit slowly; at this rate, everyone would be overwhelmed by the Alien Fish People.
But despite using all his strength against the Barrier, the red energy layer didn't even budge, only shedding some powder like broken biscuits; he was merely wasting effort.
"No, Batman, I can't break it."
"Wait, there's movement below." Batman, standing on the deck, knocked a Fish-Man away and observed the surging waves on the sea surface.
Several dark shadows rapidly rose from underwater, displacing large amounts of seawater to the sides.
"Did it succeed? Unbelievable, Atlantis actually hid a rocket."
Mera sighed, it was one thing for Om to keep secrets, but Arthur too had secrets. How many mysteries lay hidden in the depths of the ocean that she didn't know about?
Arthur, who was defending her side, tore apart a few Fish-Men and was about to say something, but then saw Diana riding a rocket emerge on the sea surface.
The long-legged beauty clutched tightly to a giant pillar-like object, her slightly curled hair fluttering in the wind, leaving a long trail of fire and smoke in the air, with falling seawater reflecting rainbow colors.
Arthur momentarily forgot what he was about to say, just stared at the rocket rapidly ascending.
Mera angrily pinched his waist again, spinning madly.
"Sure, Wonder Woman's legs are long and she's 3 inches taller than me, but you don't have to keep staring, right?"
"Hmm? I'm watching the rocket, to see if it can break through the Barrier." Arthur looked at his wife puzzled, why was she pinching him again?
"Hmph." Mera turned her head away; now they were still on the battlefield, and it wasn't convenient to talk, but she'd get back at him once they were home!
Batman held down Can Luo; at this distance, they could use the Sea Star's mental communication. He calculated the rocket's speed and incidence angle: "Diana, how is it going?"
Diana clung tightly to the Lasso of Truth with one hand, while using a Shield in the other to fend off Alien firepower.
"It's like riding a horse on an Ancient Times' rocket; I can only say, it's all about feeling."
"The angle is fine, and the power is enough. Remember to jump off, don't be carried out of the atmosphere." Batman calmly responded to her, then turned to have the Sea Star contact Bo Bo: "Take off immediately, follow the rocket; we'll engage in boarding combat with the Alien Sea Gods."
As long as they're close enough, the Hard Water Sword infused with the Tear of Extinction is enough to kill these gods.
Batman was continuously trying to prevent the Justice League's heroes from killing. Last time he saw seven alternate versions of himself, those lost in the frenzy of death—those were the consequences of being mired in confusion and madness.
Killing can be addictive, much like drug use; if you keep killing enemies, while it may be easy in the short term.
But in doing so, rational thinking will degrade, gradually turning into a monster only knowing Destruction, killing until the entire Earth is left with just himself, becoming a madman.
The Dark Batmen are the sole survivors of those worlds, having slaughtered an entire Monistic Universe.
Batman weighed the pros and cons, concluding that killing humanoid creatures on Earth was more harmful to him and the Justice League alike.
Preserving humanity was a must—it's the last line of defense.
And after the fall of the Totality, to achieve a higher meaningful Transcendence, the heroes should do better.
So Batman hadn't decided if he should personally kill these Alien Sea Gods; if there's any negative impact, he'd bear it himself.
While he pondered, the rocket broke through the red Barrier, like a pin piercing a sheet of plastic, leaving a void.
Bo Bo swiftly turned the helm with agility, navigating the spaceship through the hole with a series of drifts.
He wiped his brow and picked up a nearby shell for a drink of water; during the drifting, not a drop spilled.
"Nice going, catching shrimp, even drifting on a spaceship."
"Deathstroke?" Suddenly someone spoke behind him; Bo Bo was startled and turned to see the familiar black and yellow figure: "When did you come back?"
"Shh, don't speak, watch how the Justice League plans to play it out; Batman seems quite conflicted." Su Ming raised a finger in front of his Mask, determined to enjoy the show.
Bo Bo's eyes lost focus instantly; Deathstroke's dark sense of humor was just too...