Daniel looked down at the wound running across his chest.
Under normal circumstances, the injury would've healed within moments, but this time the regeneration had slowed dramatically — the damaged flesh remained open, as though something was actively resisting his healing.
"These Mother Boxes are really a pain in the ass," Daniel muttered. The beam hadn't simply burned him.
The Mother Box manipulated matter at the atomic level, capable of breaking it apart and reconstructing it, and it seemed the attack had carried that same property, interfering with his body's ability to repair itself.
He had just experienced firsthand why the Mother Boxes were feared throughout the universe.
"I really can't let Steppenwolf complete the Unity," Daniel said quietly. "Looks like I underestimated what those things are capable of."
Before he could think any further, the underground laboratory shook violently as supporting walls gave way under the pressure of the surrounding ocean.
Cracks spread through the structure, and seawater burst into the chamber from every direction, rapidly flooding the entire facility.
Daniel glanced at the collapsing laboratory before disappearing. A moment later he reappeared on the surface above the ruined building.
He expanded his senses across the entire complex one last time, searching every room and every underground chamber, but there was no trace of the third Mother Box.
Daniel frowned. "So Steppenwolf already took it."
A familiar presence descended from the sky. Diana landed beside him in full Amazon armor, her eyes immediately falling on the deep wound across his chest, her expression tightening.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Daniel glanced at the injury before looking back at her. "I'll recover. It just isn't healing the way it normally does. You came because of the Mother Boxes?"
Diana nodded. "Yes. Protecting Earth from this threat has always been the responsibility of the Amazons."
Daniel folded his arms. "Steppenwolf already has the Amazon Mother Box and the Atlantean one. Now only the human Mother Box remains."
Diana's face became more serious. "Do you know where it is?"
"If I knew, I would've moved it long before Steppenwolf had the chance to find it."
A sonic boom echoed across the city. Superman descended and landed beside them, his eyes immediately noticing the wound across Daniel's chest before shifting toward Diana.
"I heard part of your conversation before I landed," Clark said. "Is the situation really that serious?"
Daniel nodded. "If Steppenwolf unites all three Mother Boxes, the Unity will begin. The Earth won't simply be conquered — the Mother Boxes will rewrite the planet at the atomic level, transforming it into another Apokolips where life as we know it won't survive. And conventional armies won't be able to stop them."
He looked toward the horizon. "Parademons aren't born. They're made. Every civilization Steppenwolf conquers becomes another source of soldiers — the defeated are transformed and forced to fight for Apokolips."
A brief silence followed. "So every battle they win only makes their army larger," Clark said, understanding the implication immediately. "The longer the invasion lasts, the stronger their forces become."
"Exactly," Daniel said. "Which is why we can't afford to lose the third Mother Box. If Steppenwolf gets it, humanity won't just lose the war. It'll become part of his army."
Daniel's phone rang. He glanced at the screen before answering. "Yeah, Bruce." He listened quietly for several seconds.
"Yep. The situation is already out of control."
He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket, looking between Wonder Woman and Superman before letting out a slow breath.
"Well, it seems it's about time we gathered everyone." A faint smile appeared on his face. "It's time for the Justice League to assemble."
***
Central City
Inside S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry Allen, Cisco Ramon, and Caitlin Snow stood in front of the large monitor watching the live news broadcast from Gotham.
The footage showed an armored alien leading an army of winged creatures while explosions echoed across the city, leaving the military powerless to stop the invasion.
Caitlin folded her arms as another report appeared on the screen. "Is it just me, or is the world becoming more chaotic lately? We already had one alien invasion a few months ago, and now there's another one."
Cisco rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, Caitlin. Recently I've been getting the feeling we're living inside some kind of movie or comic book. One crazy incident happens after another. It honestly feels like someone's writing a story."
"Well... in a way, you're not wrong."
The unfamiliar voice came from directly behind them. The three of them froze at the same time before quickly turning around.
Daniel stood a few meters away with his hands in his pockets. He casually raised one hand. "Hi there, Flash... and Team Flash."
Cisco's eyes widened, his mouth slowly falling open as he stared at Daniel in complete disbelief. For several seconds, he couldn't say a single word.
His idol was standing right inside S.T.A.R. Labs.
*****
A/N: If you'd like to read ahead of the Webnovel release schedule, you can join my Patreon!
The Patreon version is 30 chapters ahead.
👉 patreon.com/Universal_Peace