The Four Legions temporarily disbanded their formations. Thea traded six hundred thousand mages for two hundred thousand Beast Cavalry, two hundred thousand Lightning Spear troops, and two hundred thousand Sky Archers.
Over the following days, intelligence poured into the gods' council.
"Confirmed intelligence: Darkseid's avatar and the true forms of Steppenwolf and DeSaad are still on Apokolips—for now. The force attacking your homeworld numbers between thirty and fifty million." Highfather's voice carried weight and authority.
"Goddess Thea, I don't demand you kill Darkseid's avatar." Highfather spoke slowly.
Thea smiled bitterly. Boss, you really overestimate me...
"As long as you stall him, victory will be ours!" With Highfather's declaration, several fierce generals roared in unison—morale visibly skyrocketed.
No wonder they were excited. With Steppenwolf and Desaad also retreating, eight versus six had become six versus six. Generals prepared to fight to the death repaying Highfather's grace breathed secret sighs of relief.
Thea remained unfazed. Steppenwolf and Desaad were nothing special. Superman versus Steppenwolf, Martian Manhunter—no longer so vulnerable to fire—against the Grand Sorcerer, herself plus Diana fighting Darkseid's avatar—this lineup could absolutely fight.
Even if another enemy appeared, Saint Walker's combat power could handle a two-on-one stall.
These details she'd keep to herself. No need to tell the big boss. Tell him Earth has incredibly powerful fighters, give me more enemies? Impossible.
Thea adopted a tearful farewell expression, demanding Highfather promise absolutely not to add more enemies. We Earth people are weaklings—barely managing two New Gods and Darkseid's avatar is our limit.
After Highfather's repeated assurances, they left New Genesis. Before departing, Thea convinced Highfather to provide a pile of rare materials to build a permanent Weave on the new continent.
As a member of the Council of Ten, Diana coordinated with Thea's deputy—sorceress Bekka—directing New Genesis warriors into human fortifications and distributing assignments.
Thea began establishing a miniature Weave using rules identical to New Genesis.
The next morning, she summoned Hogwarts' four Heads of House. After studying magic their entire lives, they marveled at this simplified casting model. Only Zatanna had reservations.
"This method of training mages seems a bit..." She couldn't quite articulate it. Thea finished for her.
"Too simple, right? Traditional mages needed to learn extensively—not just using magic but understanding its principles. During casting, pronunciation, gestures, movements, material components—none could be omitted, not one error permitted."
"Training like that definitely produces all-around talent. People like you or Constantine can use any magic freely. That's absolutely correct, just not suited to the modern era. Magic is entering ordinary people's view. High-talent individuals should study theory. Low-talent individuals shouldn't be abandoned either—proficient usage is enough."
The academy-trained mages fell silent. Thea asked about the school's current status. Including the performers, the magic school had roughly a thousand mages of varying abilities. The teachers could handle themselves; students were far weaker.
Zatanna proposed inviting Madame Xanadu to teach Divination after the war. Papa Midnite planned recruiting Dr. Sivana for magical history. Thea approved everything. Even if you bring in old Merlin to teach Astronomy, I'm fine with it!
These thousand-plus were Earth's only magical forces currently. She didn't hoard them, instructing Zatanna to coordinate with Batman for distribution throughout the army, providing some auxiliary support.
The unknown enemy seemed ready to jump out any second. Leaders from various nations, including Moira, toured the front lines like a revolving door before fleeing back to Earth.
Large groups of non-combat personnel also fully evacuated. Batman and Luthor's traitor hunt showed no results. Thea had no better solution either. Departing personnel underwent full searches—people could leave, but Mother Boxes absolutely couldn't return to Earth.
All Mother Boxes were positioned at the predetermined battlefield. Human warriors, New Genesis troops, Atlanteans, Amazons—all endured three agonizing days of waiting...
A silent stillness swept suddenly through everyone's hearts. Each person felt a mountain rushing toward them. Those with insufficient willpower—some new recruits—dropped to their knees begging for mercy. Thea couldn't manage ground affairs. She shouted, "The enemy's here! Prepare yourselves!"
Using her Soul domain, this cry restored everyone's fighting spirit. Artists distributed among units mustered courage to dance. Singers raised their voices. New Genesis's authentic bards played ancient melodies. Earth forces gradually threw off that terrible pressure.
"BOOM—BOOM!" Mother Boxes activated in succession, orange portals opening from the other side. Countless black shadows poured through.
But this time the locust-like grunts didn't immediately swarm forward. Instead, they spread across sky and ground, watching the Earth coalition hungrily from the opposite side.
"So many..."
"These things don't eat people, do they?"
Soldiers' whispers weren't stopped by officers—they were equally dumbfounded. Peacetime warfare meant launching a missile and calling it done. Who needed face-to-face death matches?
The officers struggled to control themselves, not turning to flee—already a testament to their high quality.
Two more portals opened. Old acquaintances Steppenwolf and Grand Sorcerer DeSaad stepped through. Steppenwolf saw Thea standing at the forefront and couldn't help gripping his axe tighter, afraid she'd blast him with an energy beam. His eyes looked evasive.
Thea's nose emitted a contemptuous snort. This guy's no longer my match. A fair fight would take time but guarantee victory. Unfortunately, Diana wanted revenge for Earth-2's Wonder Woman. Steppenwolf was her designated target.
Thea flew into the air. Diana on her left, Superman—having emerged from six months' training with vastly increased power—on her right, and Martian Manhunter finally revealing his true form flying slightly behind Superman. The four formed a line, facing the largest portal.
"THOOM, THOOM, THOOM!" Heavy footsteps seemed to tread on everyone's hearts. Four meters tall (over 13 feet), iron-blue skin, wearing heavy blue armor with a massive Omega symbol on his chest—the Dark Lord strode out slowly.
Irresistible momentum crushed the entire field. Unbearable pressure weighed on every heart.
Can we really defeat such a terrifying enemy? Even the dancers and bards couldn't withstand it this time. Each collapsed trembling on the ground—not unwilling to run, but legs too weak to move!
"Heh. Dark Lord, don't you find it beneath your dignity to bully these ordinary people?" Just as civilians were about to pull out their guns for suicide, Thea's light words entered everyone's hearts.