The Vanished Justice League

"What did you say!? My brother is dead?"

Kara’s rosy lips trembled slightly. She even prayed that she had misheard.

Black Canary fell silent, her face filled with sorrow. Honestly, even she found this hard to accept. She could not imagine how desperate Kara, Carl’s cousin, must have felt upon hearing this news.

"Could there be some mistake? I don’t know much about the Superman from your world, but Kryptonians should be practically invincible, shouldn’t they? Did you really see Superman die?" Pietro asked after thinking it over, uncertainty in his voice.

Perhaps Barton and the others did not know how formidable Kara was, but having gone through two universes, Pietro understood the strength of Kryptonians all too well. As long as they could absorb enough stellar energy, they were practically unstoppable gods.

With such an overwhelming gap that ordinary people could not even hope to look up at, Kara’s cousin, a member of Krypton, naturally could not have been some insignificant figure that anyone could easily handle.

It was hard to believe that such a terrifying being had actually perished.

Black Canary glanced up at Pietro, then lowered her eyes again. "I did not see him die, but what I do know is that the members of the Justice League never returned."

At that, Black Canary slowly closed her eyes.

"And then Earth fell. My Earth."

Barton, Melissa, and the others could no longer join the conversation. They had no idea what Black Canary, Kara, and the others were talking about, but they understood now. Black Canary was speaking of the end of the superheroes in her world.

"Zhang Ye was right. The connection between these two worlds is very close. With all the superheroes in this universe dead, that means Dinah’s universe is probably the same."

Pietro stared at Dinah’s pretty face for a moment, then quietly sighed. "Zhang Ye had wondered before what could cause people to cross between different universes. Looking at it now, the only explanation is that both universes are on the brink of destruction, perhaps even at risk of colliding."

"A universe collision… Wait, who exactly are you people?" Black Canary was frightened by Pietro’s words. She realized she was finding it harder and harder to see through these two young people.

"We’re like you. None of us are from this universe. Kara and I each came from a universe that was about to be destroyed. With Zhang Ye’s help, our universes barely stabilized, and the two of us… are currently wandering through different universes with Zhang Ye."

Black Canary’s expression was a sight to behold as she slowly digested this worldview-shattering news.

Though she had lived through many major events and had saved Earth several times alongside members of the Justice League, she still could not help feeling a solemn respect for Pietro and Kara.

Old Barton felt the same way. Though he had long known that Zhang Ye and the others had impressive backgrounds, he had never imagined that these young-looking kids possessed such extraordinary accomplishments.

Pietro made it sound so ordinary, summarizing their experiences in just a few sentences. But everyone present lived in worlds on the brink of destruction. No one understood better than they did just how despairing a universe headed for ruin could be.

So when Pietro casually said that he and Zhang Ye had quelled disasters and restored stability to their universes, the way Old Barton, Black Canary, and the others looked at Pietro and Kara changed.

"How many universes have you been through?" Old Barton could not help asking.

"Four for me. Kara should count as three? One of those universes was created by The Flash Barry Allen himself. Believe me, that was not a pleasant experience. By the way, Dinah, do you know The Flash?"

"Yes. My husband is very close with him and Green Lantern Hal." Dinah answered blankly, then continued, "Who is this Zhang Ye you mentioned? Is he a hero too?"

"Zhang Ye…" Pietro shook his head, unsure how to introduce him.

In an instant, everyone’s gaze focused on Pietro. Including Ashley, they all wanted to know Zhang Ye’s true identity. At the same time, they wanted to know who this mysterious yet seemingly omniscient man really was.

Noticing their stares, Pietro scratched his head helplessly. He wanted to introduce Zhang Ye to them, but on second thought, he realized he did not know Zhang Ye all that well either.

Every impression Pietro had of Zhang Ye came from what they had experienced after meeting. Before that, he could not say a single thing about Zhang Ye.

So Pietro smiled slightly and waved his hand. "Zhang Ye is an Easterner, codenamed Witch Raven. Batman from the universe before last gave him that codename. As for the rest, you’ll find out when you meet him."

Seeing that Pietro did not wish to say more, Black Canary did not press him. They had only just met, after all. It would not be appropriate to ask too much, especially when Zhang Ye was not present.

But Zhang Ye’s codename caught Black Canary’s attention. "Witch Raven… Is he a wizard?"

"Yes. Zhang Ye is very skilled in witchcraft. He created many spells himself."

As Pietro answered, Ashley, who had remained silent, added, "He really is strong."

"I have a friend named Zatanna. She is also well versed in magic. With sophisticated magical channels, she can indeed simulate images of the Justice League. But for him to deceive so many people… Zhang Ye’s mastery of magic must truly be remarkable."

Black Canary spoke from the heart. "In that case, our chances of rescuing Red Hood are even greater. When the time comes, perhaps I can find a way home."

As she said that, Black Canary could not help looking around and asking curiously.

"Then where is he now? Wasn’t he supposed to meet us here so we could act together? Or does he have other plans?"

"Him…" Pietro raised an eyebrow.

"Zhang Ye chose the place to meet us at the execution ground where Red Skull announced Red Hood’s execution—New Babylon. As for where he is now…"

Outside New Babylon, in a rundown roadside bar motel.

Zhang Ye flipped through the Darkhold in his hands with a puzzled expression.

He had possessed the book for two days and had studied it for quite some time, but he had never expected this divine book, said to bring ultimate darkness, to look like this in his hands.

Closing the Darkhold again, Zhang Ye turned to look at Miss Minutes, who sat on the edge of the bed swinging her legs, and asked.

"Are you sure we got the genuine article? Why isn’t there a single word in it?"