The Primary Universe Batman knew very well that if it were someone else, they might linger in battle, thinking they were so close to achieving their goal that they'd push once more. But Batmen definitely wouldn't do that. Batman's discipline is exceptionally high, which is the main reason they can always stay safe while walking the edge of danger for years.
Once the target is determined, they complete the mission and withdraw; if it's not completed and they reach the expected time, they retreat immediately. Even if the target is just a meter away, they would choose to withdraw rather than charge forward.
Now, they have exceeded the planned retreat time by nearly 50 hours, and there's no news of death from Battleworld, so they might be trapped.
This is even more troublesome than if they were dead because if they had died, they could have sent a Battleworld message to at least let us know how they died. Now that they're trapped, they can't even communicate what the dimension is like. The Primary Universe Batman must consider whether it's still necessary to send more people in.
"There's no news from the black market," Arkham Batman said. "We suspect that the Nightmare Phantom might have escaped to the dimension where the Infinity Gem is."
"That makes sense," Primary Universe Batman said, tapping the table with his fingertip. "Initially, I thought they did it on purpose to keep us from getting the last Infinity Gem. But over the past three days, while investigating the blockade, I found that the opponents are also treating it as a formidable enemy, patrolling consistently, seemingly fearing something from the dimension coming out. It might have been beyond their expectations as well."
"Of course, this thing attacks indiscriminately, whoever goes in gets attacked. We can't get the Infinity Gem, and neither can they; that's definitely not what they wanted." The agent sighed, "So, are we going to fight it out?"
The Primary Universe Batman pondered for a moment, then said, "Yes, we are in a better position than they are, and another large-scale battle is not a problem. I'll arrange the personnel."
The Earth Command Center soon received the news that the DC army was mobilizing. Conveniently, on the Asgard side, the speed of the Destroying Worms was faster, already pushing the two major empires' mechanical armies to the edge of the Nine Major Kingdoms. Though Asgard is crawling with these worms, they don't target the God Clan, and with Franklin and Legion managing the situation, some of the reinforcements sent earlier can be withdrawn.
Thus, The Avengers and some mutants withdrew from Asgard, heading to the dimensional entrance. This time, both sides amassed significant forces, making it the largest deployment and the highest power level battle since the war began.
Moreover, this time it's a frontal battle, with no defensive or offensive dilemmas and no conspiracy or ploys to use, just two sides crashing into each other's lines from different directions—a true test of raw strength.
On Batman's side, Hal and other Green Lanterns were fully mobilized, with Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League present, along with second-generation heroes like Lilith, Blue Beetle, and Teen Titans—all who came joined the fight.
Marvel's side wasn't weak either, with Captain America, Iron Man, and other Avengers present, along with mutants like Magneto, Professor X, and Scarlet Witch. The New Warriors Team and West Coast Avengers, along with the Spider Legion, were all in position.
Overall, Marvel's forces were stronger because they suffered fewer losses, had more personnel, and a large number of robot armies.
But the DC side had Super Bodies and Manhattan Batman, making their high-end combat capabilities stronger. However, equally overpowered individuals like Franklin could also be brought in. So, overall, Marvel had a slight edge, but the gap wasn't large.
As the front lines were set, both sides were eager for battle. Normally there would be a pre-fight trash-talking session, but Batman was clearly not one for verbal fights, and there wasn't much to say at the command center either, so the order was simple: seize the opponent and pummel them.
Initially, the fight was somewhat orderly, with melee heroes leading the charge. Captain America, Iron Fist, and Wolverine rushed in, not outdone by Wonder Woman and others, who each picked their opponents, clashing and occasionally supporting each other or switching opponents, creating a chaotic melee.
Heroes with long-range attacks covered from the back, targeting the opponent's mages. Martian Manhunter used X-rays, while Magneto retorted with electromagnetic storms; Raven used Demon Power, countered by Scarlet Witch's power of Scarlet, the battle almost like a turn-based strategy game.
But battles are never that simple. Soon, the mages from both sides got carried away, disregarding their front-line troops' positions, ignoring distances, and unleashing their powers without restraint, not disabling friendly fire.
The front-line melee heroes couldn't stand there and endure friendly fire, so they quickly dodged, but doing so pushed them into others' areas, transforming squad tactics into full-blown chaos, where choosing opponents was no longer an option—it was a free-for-all.
When their side's assassin-type heroes entered, the chaos escalated. Fragile mages like Professor X had to flee to others for safety, while assassins relentlessly pursued. Seeing their home front under attack, the earlier battles mage rushed to hit back the assassins, causing another wave of friendly fire, further disrupting the rear formation.
Eventually, front, middle, and back lines became irrelevant, as everyone attacked whoever they saw, and if they couldn't dodge, they accepted their misfortune, relying on reflexes and luck.
The Primary Universe Batman couldn't help but cover his forehead, knowing that this is how superhero fights go. Due to varying personal skills and abilities, maintaining discipline was impossible. Eventually, chaos was inevitable.
Fortunately, with Batman's presence, their side managed to create some battle groups, allowing Batman to perform some micro-management, like "Move the X-ray 5 centimeters to the left." The Justice League instinctively followed Batman's orders, giving their formation a slight advantage over the other side.
But the other side had an ace up their sleeve. The Spider Legion's Spider-Sense was made for such chaotic battles, making them nearly untouchable while providing alerts to others, significantly reducing Marvel's casualty rate.
As the battle turned into a free-for-all, the Primary Universe Batman didn't just stand idle; he hadn't forgotten that the Dark Multiverse Batman was still trapped in the dimension, and he needed to find a way to rescue them. He directly sent Injustice Superman and the remaining other Supermen into the dimension where the Infinity Gem was to search and rescue.
What he didn't know was that the Primary Universe Reed Richards, also known as Primary Universe Mr. Fantastic, was quietly approaching the dimensional entrance together with Central Universe Doom.