Chapter 160: I Can't Help You

Zatanna was clad in a fitted suit, a slim waist accentuating her full frame. Beneath fishnet stockings were black high boots, her coiled black hair complementing the classic face contorted with anger.

Once childhood sweethearts with Bruce, she harbored feelings for him, marking her as Bruce's first love.

However, while she was away for college, traveling the world to enrich her magic skills, Bruce became Batman. To protect Zatanna from his dangerous life, he ruthlessly severed their relationship.

Eventually, Zatanna deduced Bruce's identity as Batman, openly accepted Bruce's Batman persona, and was willing to assist him.

But Bruce, determined to protect Zatanna, deliberately severed this first love, devoting himself entirely to Batman's cause.

When she saw on the news that Batman was injured, Zatanna couldn't resist and traveled far to Wayne Manor, using magic to heal Batman.

"Lie down, Bruce. Healing you cost me a lot of energy."

Zatanna coldly snorted, striding in her high boots to Bruce's bedside. Crossing her arms, she gazed fiercely at Bruce, emphasizing the white shirt beneath his suit.

His presence brought her special worries and irritations.

Bruce glanced at the familiar childhood friend, emotions welling up inside him, then turned to the bewitching figure behind her, a puzzled Nimue constantly flipping tarot cards.

"Thank you, Zee." Bruce thanked her, then turned to Alfred and asked in a deep voice, "Alfred, what's the current situation?"

Before Alfred could respond, Zatanna, with furious eyes, stared angrily at Bruce and rebuked, "Don't be so arrogant, Bruce. You almost died. You're just an ordinary person. You can't stop an interstellar war."

Her crisp, fiery rebuke reverberated in the spacious room.

Everyone knew she was deeply worried about Bruce.

Because he was just a human, lacking the physical prowess of Superman, the speed of the Flash, or the ability to communicate with fish like Aquaman.

At any moment, a bullet could end him.

"Someone has to step up." Bruce's face was resolute, his eyes determined, his voice steady and forceful.

Someone always has to step up.

If no one steps up, then I will.

If someone does, they'll stand beside me in battle.

Zatanna's classical face turned crimson with rage. Clenching her fists against her chest, she trembled with anger.

Bruce, as obstinate and stubborn as ever, hasn't the damage been great enough? Nearly shattered ribs, almost losing half his life.

Maybe she shouldn't have come to help him recover. He should have stayed in bed until everything was over, instead of barely recovered and acting like a hero!

"I don't care about you anymore, go die, Bruce!!"

Zatanna, fuming, turned around, swinging her coiled black hair's tail end. Her eyes were fiery red with anger, her footsteps heavy as she stormed out of the room.

She arrived in a hurry and left in a rage.

Bruce calmly watched her leave.

Nimue paused, glancing at Zatanna's departing figure, then shifted her gaze back to the tarot cards in her hands, occasionally flipping through the deck.

Alfred looked on with regret at Zatanna's departure, lamenting how he didn't know her temperament well enough. She's quick to be angered and even quicker to leave.

'Miss Zatanna, at this time, you should firmly support the master. Then, at night when the master is seriously injured, comfort his wounded soul. After ten months, bear the master's child. This way, even if the master sacrifices himself, there'll still be a bloodline left for the Wayne family.'

With these thoughts, Alfred looked at the master with a resentful gaze, reluctantly picked up the now-cold meat porridge, and handed it to him.

Not interested in feeding him. The ungrateful offspring of the Wayne family won't even pop out a child.

"Recent news... he used the annihilator cannon and destroyed Mars," Alfred said solemnly. "Mars was sliced open like a watermelon."

It's understandable that Zatanna's angry. What can you do alone, Bruce? Are you trying to stand up against the annihilator cannon with an ordinary human body? If you don't hurry up and have ten or eight children to inherit Wayne's legacy, are you planning to rush into death?

Bruce, who had just taken the meat porridge, trembled. He fell silent, finally understanding why Zatanna was so angry.

He really couldn't stand up against the annihilator cannon.

But doing nothing wasn't an option either.

Bruce's composed eyes began to flicker with thought as he asked, "How is Arthur?"

He started considering the armies of Atlantis, perhaps their magic technology army could fight in defense of Earth.

He just needed to persuade Arthur.

Arthur was also a member of Earth, a member of the Justice League. It was normal to ask him for some troops to defend Earth.

"Arthur's butler, Nuidis, came out of the deep sea two days ago looking for me, wanting the Justice League to save Arthur," Alfred mentioned.

"Arthur returned to Atlantis severely injured and was imprisoned by his brother, Ocean Master Orm, using the excuse of communicating with surface dwellers and fighting for their interests, stripping him of the throne.

After learning that the Justice League couldn't save Arthur, Nuidis condemned us, believing that the Justice League harmed their king of the Seven Seas. He was very angry," Alfred explained.

Bruce felt awkward.

He couldn't even eat the meat porridge; it lay untouched on his lap.

Politics in Atlantis seemed complex too. Arthur returned injured, only to be stripped of his throne and imprisoned.

This... was genuinely bleak.

"I *cough*... Where are the other members of the Justice League?" Bruce coughed twice, inquiring about the other members of the Justice League.

It wasn't that he didn't want to save Arthur, but facing the invasion of Kryptonians, he truly couldn't.

Priorities mattered, and evidently, dealing with the Kryptonian invasion, armed with weapons capable of destroying Earth like the Annihilator Cannon, took precedence.

He had no choice but to inconvenience Arthur.

"Superman and the Flash were taken to the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic. Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, feeling powerless after the nation's demise, sought support separately. Cyborg is currently being repaired at the Star Labs in Metropolis," Alfred continued.

Bruce's face darkened as he pondered.

It seemed that there were no other armies capable of helping against the Kryptonians.

His mind began to calculate.

If push came to shove, he'd activate Cyborg's Mother Box, revealing its location, to attract Apokolips to fight against the Kryptonians.

It was his final contingency plan.

With that in mind, he slowly turned to face the furrowed brow and bewitching Nimue.

Nimue halted her tarot card movements, looking hauntingly into Bruce's eyes, resembling a bewitching fox.

It was quite evident that Bruce wanted her as a soldier.

"The Dark Justice League has not yet appeared. At this moment, his presence doesn't exist in the future either," Nimue said coldly.

"What do you mean?" Bruce inquired.

"He isn't the person of the present or the future. In my foresight, there's no trace of him. He shouldn't exist.

The Flash should be your key in dealing with him."

Nimue's tarot cards rolled again, pulling out a card. Her furrowed brow jumped in shock, shaking her to the core.

"Where is the Flash? I need your help—"

"I can't help you." Nimue said, her face filled with shock, her trembling fingers holding the tarot cards, hastily stopping Bruce's request.

It truly shocked her.

The future had been disrupted by the appearance of the Kryptonian Emperor.

She foresaw the consequence of aiding Bruce, and the card she drew depicted the Queen.

This card signifies abundance, maternal love, pregnancy, love, production, and creation.

The Queen card indicated that if she intended to conceive in the near future, it might happen sooner than expected.

But she had no intention of getting pregnant. What did this card mean? It indicated that if she helped Bruce in this war or after the war, she would become pregnant.

She didn't know the process, nor did she know whose child it would be.

But considering the result, it scared her.

Subsequently, her bewitching face tensed up, frantically flipping through the tarot cards, continuously drawing the Ten of Wands, the Five of Pentacles, and the upright King of Cups. (A/N: Idk shit about Tarot cards, so if there's something wrong about the names and shit, just go along.)

It was an unreasonable future, repeatedly pregnant one after another, even more prolific than a sow.

Nimue trembled, her face turning pale, involuntarily taking a few steps back.

Her scalp was tingling; she was petrified.

°°°

Next chapter's title: The Guardians of the Universe

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