After glancing around at everyone present, Lucas suddenly raised his hand and clapped.
Immediately, all eyes turned toward him.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon."
"Before we begin, I would like everyone to listen to what I have to say."
Lucas remained seated while looking around the table.
"Some of you already know each other, while others are meeting for the first time."
"But that's fine. I've compiled basic information about everyone here in an introduction booklet."
"If you need it, feel free to take a look."
As his voice fell, lights suddenly flickered in front of everyone.
Streams of data gathered together, quickly forming a magazine-like booklet for each person.
Everyone picked them up and flipped through them.
Soon they understood the identities of everyone present.
However, some revelations surprised several people.
For example, Hela's identity caused quite a few people to glance at her again.
---
"Alright. Now that everyone has a basic understanding of who is present," Lucas continued.
"Each of you here either possesses extraordinary power…"
"Or represents an important faction on Earth…"
"Or is a key figure within those factions."
"In other words, the people sitting here today can basically represent the major forces of the entire planet."
"The first matter I want to discuss is Earth's relationship with extraterrestrial life."
"After General Zod arrived on Earth last time, you all realized something important."
"Earth is not alone in the universe."
"And not all alien civilizations are friendly toward us."
Lucas paused briefly before continuing.
"Based on the intelligence I've gathered…"
"Earth has already caught the attention of powerful beings throughout the cosmos."
"And very soon, various cosmic conflicts will begin to appear on our planet."
"Don't assume that every alien will be as manageable as General Zod."
"Some alien lifeforms are so powerful that even I might not be able to defeat them right now."
Everyone's expressions became serious.
Even Batman clutched his hands together.
Lucas continued:
"And it's not just alien races."
"The demon gods of the Dark Dimension…"
"The devil lords of Hell's dimension…"
"They've all begun setting their sights on Earth."
"Right now, Earth only has one ally in the universe—Asgard."
"Our overall strength is far too limited."
"If we continue fighting among ourselves while enemies approach from outside…"
"Humanity will eventually be destroyed or enslaved."
Lucas slowly stood up.
His tone changed.
"So from this moment forward…"
"Earth will begin entering a preliminary state of war readiness."
He looked at everyone present.
"Listen carefully."
"Under normal circumstances, I won't interfere with your affairs."
"But if extraterrestrial forces or beings from other dimensions launch a large-scale invasion…"
"I will take command of Earth's unified defense."
Lucas' gaze swept across the room.
"Who agrees?"
"And Who opposes?"
---
Those representing independent factions exchanged glances.
None of them had any objections.
Clark spoke first.
"Lucas, if something like that happens, I'll be the first to stand with you."
"Same here."
Kara, Deadshot, Tony, Layla, Captain America, and others immediately voiced their support.
After all, if such a situation occurred, everyone would prefer unified command against an external threat.
However, the major political factions hesitated.
Then Hela spoke first.
"Lucas, I've said it before."
"As long as I live, Asgard's power will always be at your disposal."
"I fully support you."
She glanced sideways at Thor.
"Isn't that right, brother?"
Thor quickly nodded.
"That's right! Asgard will always stand beside you, my brother!"
Arthur spoke next.
"Atlantis will always obey your command."
"The strength of our entire kingdom will be placed in your hands."
"Wherever your blade points, we shall follow."
Wang also spoke.
"All the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj will obey your command at any time."
Nick Fury frowned slightly but said diplomatically,
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is willing to follow your directives as well."
The representatives of the five major world powers exchanged looks.
Finally, the representative from America spoke.
"Mr. Lucas, our president has stated clearly that whenever you call upon us, we will not hesitate."
The other four representatives nodded reluctantly.
"We agree. If Earth enters a state of cosmic war, all our forces will follow your command."
Lucas nodded.
"Good."
---
But suddenly, an untimely voice spoke.
"I disagree."
Everyone immediately turned toward the speaker.
It was Bruce Wayne, who had remained silent the entire time.
Under the gaze of everyone present, Bruce remained completely calm.
He looked at Lucas and said,
"So much power would be concentrated in a single individual."
"What happens if your thinking changes?"
"What if you decide to use this power to establish a dictatorship?"
"Who would be able to stop you then?"
It was a very typical Batman-style argument.
Lucas suddenly laughed.
"Bruce Wayne…"
"If I truly wanted to do that…"
"Who on this planet could actually stop me?"
He continued calmly.
"To be blunt, even if all of you unified the entire world and handed over full authority to me…"
"I would still refuse."
"I have absolutely no interest in becoming the dictator of this planet."
"Frankly, I hate dealing with endless responsibilities."
Bruce replied coldly,
"But how can you prove that your actions will always match your intentions?"
Lucas shrugged slightly.
"I don't need to prove anything to you."
"There's no need."
"After all this time, everyone already understands who I am."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.
But Bruce continued without hesitation.
"Perhaps that's just another mask."
"You may not want to rule humanity…"
"But you could still lead human civilization to total destruction."
"I'm not necessarily accusing you."
"I'm simply explaining a principle."
"If the fate of human civilization is placed entirely under a single will—one that cannot be challenged by other viewpoints…"
"Then the margin for error becomes dangerously small."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"So what's your proposal, Batman?"
Bruce seemed prepared.
Looking directly into Lucas's eyes, he said,
"I propose forming an alliance."
"Those who join this alliance will collectively hold the 'key' to the leadership of humanity."
"And if more than half the alliance members agree that the key-holder should be replaced…"
"Then the leadership must change."
After hearing this, Lucas let out a cold laugh.
"Then feel free to create such an alliance."
"I won't interfere."
..
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