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Chapter 255 - Chapter 256: Bruce Wayne's Traditional Virtues

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome."

"This is your flight from Kansas to London..."

"Please turn off all electronic devices, adjust your seats, and fasten your seatbelts."

The pre-flight announcement from the broadcast prompted Diana to turn off her phone and retrieve her eye mask, preparing to put it on.

After a short rest, she would arrive in London.

Before returning to Themyscira to research Steppenwolf and Darkseid, she had some minor matters to attend to in London.

After all, she hadn't been living alone for the past half-century.

"Diana, I apologize about Lothar."

"My initial judgment was wrong. Lothar isn't a descendant of a Norse deity; like your father, he's a descendant of the Titans."

"Whew."

As Diana lay back with her eye mask on, Bruce Wayne's words from earlier at the airport echoed in her ears.

The book in the blue robotic cat's hands, and the pages that were made clear through special technical means.

The title "Son of the Titan" was written plainly.

After the Olympian gods, led by Zeus, defeated the Titans, they didn't continue using the name "Titans." Instead, they started anew and adopted a new name.

"I need Lothar's information, Diana. I need you to find any relevant information about Lothar in Themyscira's database."

"We must know whose descendant he truly is."

"We must know if he's friend or foe."

Bruce Wayne's character dictated that he wouldn't trust Lothar like Mera, who was a princess oblivious to worldly affairs.

He only trusted his own judgment.

"He's called the Son of Titan, and he's also linked to Norse mythology."

"Setting aside the contradictory creation myths, Lothar could very well be an existence from the same era as Zeus, the Greek chief god."

"No, given Zeus's nature, after defeating his own father, he wouldn't have overlooked any Son of Titan who could potentially become his enemy in the future."

"That means Lothar was likely just an infant at that time."

Gotham, Batcave.

Back in his headquarters, Bruce Wayne typed on his keyboard, following the thoughts in his mind.

Various conjectures about Lothar's true identity gradually became clear.

'According to Greek mythology, Zeus, who won the holy war by overthrowing his predecessors, controlled the sky, Poseidon dominated the seven seas, and the honest Hades became the much-maligned King of the Underworld.'

'But what if the Norse gods interfered at this point?'

'The Norse gods hid the Titan descendant Lothar and raised him, hoping he would overthrow Zeus's rule.'

'And later, Athena, Zeus's daughter and the goddess of war and wisdom, discovered the Norse gods' conspiracy through her intelligence, thus initiating a divine war and indirectly leading to the Norse Ragnarok?'

'Also, what does "Lord of the Chitauri Star" mean?'

Various contradictory mythical descriptions clogged Bruce Wayne's train of thought.

"Are you determined to uncover this Lothar's background, Master Bruce?"

Alfred, the butler, placed a cup of coffee in front of Bruce.

"He feels very dangerous to me, Alfred."

"Do you remember the golden giant ape that briefly appeared during the Doomsday event?"

"That was him."

Bruce Wayne took a small sip of coffee, rubbing his temples as he relayed the news Diana had heard from Mera to Alfred.

"That certainly aligns with the physique of the Titans in Greek mythology."

Alfred raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes.

'No wonder Master Bruce was so concerned.'

What if this ancient son of a god wanted to overthrow modern civilization and re-establish the order of the mythical era?

Looking at the battle footage he secretly filmed of Lothar and Steppenwolf, Bruce Wayne fell into his usual anxiety.

He used to have this kind of anxiety about Superman, Clark, too.

"Alfred, have the analysis results for Lothar's combat data come in yet?"

"Of course, but according to the computer's calculations, our Son of Titan didn't use his full power."

Alfred, who had come precisely to deliver the data, pushed the file toward Bruce Wayne.

"For now, it should be enough."

"The armor's strength should be based on the suit I use to contend with Clark, but remember to use materials capable of resisting Lothar's energy particle properties for its construction."

"That material might be hard to find, Master Bruce." Alfred pushed another document in front of Bruce.

The Batcave was missing a full 36 types of materials needed to build the "Anti-Lothar Armor."

"Find a reason for the Applied Sciences Division to focus on producing these 36 materials."

"Unlimited funding."

If Bruce Wayne had anything in abundance, it was money.

With enough money, he could even fight Superman wearing the "Anti-Superman Armor."

What did Bruce Wayne rely on to contend with gods as a mortal?

Money and brains!

"Oh, by the way, Master Bruce, the Kansas State Government has accepted your donation. Also, regarding Steppenwolf, from what we've heard internally, they'll find a way to suppress the public opinion."

"I understand. How's Steppenwolf's arm?"

"The analysis results aren't out yet. Our extraterrestrial visitor's cellular structure is quite complex."

...

Underwater, Atlantis.

The entire nation was in mourning.

Mera, dressed in formal attire, followed closely behind her father, King Nereus, joining the royalty from the other underwater kingdoms to express their condolences to the Atlantean high command.

Among them, what these old foxes cared about most was undoubtedly who the next King of Atlantis would be.

This concerned whether Orm's policies would die with him or continue on.

King Orm of Atlantis was known by all as the warmongering faction leader of the underwater kingdoms.

"If I'm not mistaken, the former Queen of Atlantis, Atlanna, also had a son, didn't she?"

Mera's father, Nereus, leader of the Xebel kingdom, turned his gaze to Atlantis's second-in-command, Vulko.

A veteran figure who had assisted two monarchs.

"That's right, I thought so too. Bringing Arthur Curry back, but many still disagree, Nereus."

In the hearts of most Atlanteans, Arthur Curry was, after all, the illegitimate son of the former queen and a surface human, not presentable.

"Unless he can find the weapon symbolizing the sovereign of the seven seas, otherwise, with Arthur Curry's current status, I can't possibly put him on the throne."

He had no prestige, no military achievements, and still carried the blood of a lowly human.

"How about this: I'll have Mera step forward as Orm's fiancée, to be your nominal queen of Atlantis."

"Mera is a familiar face to your Atlantean people; let's stabilize the situation first."

"During this time, you quickly find Arthur Curry and have him embark on a quest for that legendary weapon. What do you say?"

To Mera's utter astonishment, her usually amicable father, Nereus, slowly made a suggestion to Atlantis's second-in-command in an undeniable tone.

"No, Father, I—"

Mera tried to speak but was cut off by her father's piercing gaze.

"I don't think this is very appropriate." Vulko, Atlantis's second-in-command, controlled his emotions, intending to refuse.

"Atlantis needs a nominal leader, Vulko." Nereus emphasized the word "nominal."

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