Chapter 227: Views Part 1

As news regarding the alleged HS attack spread across the globe, it reached Batman and his team, who were currently in transit aboard his jet, making their way back to the U.S.

The only person who had already left in advance was The Flash, for obvious reasons concerning Kid Flash, as soon as the news of his death had broken.

Having initially gone to Markovia in hopes of tracing a lead by shadowing Arias's movements, Batman and the small team he took were unable to uncover anything aside from the traces the Light had purposefully planted to further support the existence of the HS group and mask the real operations going on in Markovia.

Despite Batman finding this evidence, it was created in such a way that it would provide clues to lead them elsewhere—sometimes to actual crime operations, other times to emptied bunkers with even more signs and clues of the HS group having been there.

It was a simple strategy that would eventually cease to work, as Batman would sooner or later build a large collection of clues that would reveal he was simply on a wild goose chase.

At that point, he'd also begin to question whether the HS group was even real.

But Arias didn't plan on ever letting things get that far. Even if he did, he always made sure to keep a few problematic events rising to keep Batman and the League busy.

Hearing the news, Black Canary, who sat in a seat just behind Batman, couldn't help but comment, "This doesn't make any sense. Did we miss something?"

Having combed through as many routes as they could into Markovia in search of clues regarding the HS group, Black Canary found it hard to believe that an attack of that scale was launched without them finding a single clue to suggest it was coming.

Batman, although having been silent for much of the flight, felt the same. From the time the news reached them, he kept processing the clues in his mind, trying to find some sort of connection.

But his instincts kept leading him to a single conclusion.

"It must be a great ploy. Arias Markovic could have staged this whole thing so that his adoptive daughter could ascend to the throne," Batman suggested. He had doubts about this point, though, and stated it only to get a non-biased perspective, as his view of Arias was clouded and suspicious.

Hearing the suggestion, Black Canary, who had already considered the point, quickly shook her head.

"That wouldn't make sense either. Princess Tara turns 18 in a year, so even if Arias Markovic were in a hurry to make her Queen, there'd be no point in rushing it to this extent. I also don't see what he'd gain from it that he didn't already have before giving up his billions… supposedly," she theorized.

Arias's movements and actions made it incredibly difficult to predict his goals accurately.

He had reached a stage where he possessed influence that could rival minor religious figures, his wealth was among the world's elite, he had powerful meta-human abilities, and he had shown that he could even take down Superman. But despite all this, he didn't seem to pursue personal power, but rather spread what he felt was a better life for others.

This was why Batman saw him as an extremist and not inherently evil. Even Superman, no matter how much he hated Arias's way of doing things, couldn't view him in the same light as sadistic villains like the Joker.

Because of this image that Arias had so neatly crafted, he could not only build his foundation but also seek to taint that of the League itself, without them being any wiser.

Destruction was easy, but careful assimilation, where the most benefits could be achieved, was far from simple—yet it was already in motion.

As Batman and Canary discussed the issue, Superman and Martian Manhunter were doing the same on an island in an unknown location.

Superman hovered above the island, watching as his many robots worked efficiently toward the construction of a new base for the Justice League.

As he and J'onn oversaw the construction, news reached them of what transpired in Markovia.

Still not over the deaths of Green Lantern and Kid Flash, Superman wasn't in the mood to hear any news regarding the person who had humiliated him on more than one occasion.

Not even for a second did Superman believe that Arias was actually hurt—such a thought was wishful thinking to him.

But as Arias's name was brought up, Superman couldn't help but remember his most recent beating. He had long suspected his attacker in Metropolis had been Arias, but he could never settle on this point, for the same reason as Batman.

It didn't fit the profile Arias had built. Arias had the opportunity to kill not only Superman but other members of the League before when they attempted to capture him. However, he had surrendered to avoid risking the lives of children, beating up Superman only later—and even then, not killing him.

Although many other factors could be considered, they didn't provide much proof of Arias being more than just a meta-human extremist with a deep care for children.

This was an actual government profile made on him, with many believing he was this way due to the psychological trauma he faced as a child.

All in all, it was quite comical. And until the day Arias blatantly killed innocent people in front of their eyes, it was unlikely they would see the truth.

Especially since most were beginning to accept him as a necessary evil. He was beyond their ability to contain and control, but his actions often improved the lives of many, even if his methods were extreme.