Chapter 181: Unforeseen Events Part 1

While Arias was on the move, the Justice League was also planning for him. Inside the meeting area in the Hall of Justice, Batman had summoned all the members, with the exception of the younger team. This time, even Aquaman, who hadn't attended prior meetings, was present. The only absent member was Superman, who was receiving treatment at an undisclosed location known only to Batman and Martian Manhunter.

Superman's situation was known to all the members present, adding tension to the atmosphere. All the seated members remained silent, their eyes on Batman, waiting for him to begin.

After heaving a sigh, Batman stood up, his expression serious. "As of now, we can consider Arias Markovic to be one of the more important world-level threats present on Earth."

Batman's words weren't met with much surprise. In the eyes of the League, anyone capable of beating Superman was indeed a world-level threat, much like Darkseid.

Following this revelation, Green Lantern raised his hand. "Does that mean we're actively going to go after him?"

Green Lantern's question seemed like the most reasonable route to take after Batman's statement, but surprisingly, Batman shook his head. "No. As it stands, even if we do successfully apprehend him, he will have to undergo trial in the U.S., but I very much don't see that happening. Worst of all, if Slade Wilson wins the election, he has solid ground to provide Arias Markovic with a presidential pardon."

This news wasn't at all well-received, especially by Green Arrow, who held a grudge against Arias after what he did to Flash and Black Canary.

"So what? You called us here just to tell us we can't do anything about him?" Green Arrow angrily slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

Batman remained silent, which in itself was an answer.

"Tsk. I joined this group to do some good, not let dangerous criminals run free just because they manipulated the system. This time it's Arias Markovic, but what if more criminals are left to run free?" Green Arrow clicked his tongue in frustration and walked out, venting his opinion as he did so.

After he left, the others turned to Batman, who sighed inwardly but maintained a calm exterior.

"I know it's hard to accept, but we can't deal with Arias Markovic without criminalizing ourselves. More than that, Arias has clearly shown he can kill multiple members of the League. This warning shouldn't be taken lightly. I'm not asking us to forget what he's done, but to act cautiously and figure out how we can deal with him without losing lives in the process." Batman's argument was sound; they couldn't act recklessly.

Aquaman, who had been silent until now, finally raised his hand. "Is that wise? I mean, who's to say he won't become more dangerous with time?"

It was a reasonable question, but Black Canary answered before Batman could. 

"That's very unlikely. You've all seen it yourselves. If his motives were truly sinister, we'd be powerless to stop him as things stand. He's an extremist, willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goals, but as far as we know, his goals themselves aren't bad. So, until a solution is reached, we lose nothing by letting him be. Right?" She glanced at Batman, having roughly guessed his line of thought.

Unlike other world-level threats, Arias hadn't shown any desire to harm humanity. In fact, he seemed to be doing the opposite. With the amount of good he'd done outweighing the bad, it was no surprise that Batman chose a passive route—for now. He still hadn't come up with a way to stop Arias.

Batman could only blame his failure to notice the early signs that Arias posed a threat. But with Arias's rise being unprecedented, even Batman was caught off guard. For now, his only option was to bide time, plan contingencies, and focus on dealing with the human supremacy group.

Unbeknownst to Batman, by choosing this route, he was giving Arias more than enough time to plot against the League and transform it from a mere annoyance into a tool, all while the League's focus remained on a group that Arias had created to fool the world, masking both his and the Light's true intentions.

...

But even Batman couldn't have anticipated the next piece of news that would reach the world.

Later that evening, just as news regarding the HS virus was beginning to dwindle due to the appearance of a cure, a new headline caught the world's attention:

**[Breaking News: Wanted fugitive Arias Markovic has turned himself in. Less than an hour ago, we received a tip that a jet suspected of carrying him had landed at Gotham International Airport. Authorities were surprised to arrive on the scene and find him already in custody, with airport officials stating he had turned himself in. The details are still vague at this moment, but we believe—]**

Batman, watching this piece of news from the Hall of Justice, cut off the feed and left the room.

As soon as he stepped out, he encountered some of the members still present: Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.

Flash was the first to speak. Upon noticing the tense atmosphere, he couldn't help but feel concerned. "I take it the news I'm seeing can't be considered good?"

He trailed off as he saw Batman's lack of reaction to his attempt at humor.

"No. He's planning something. The question is, what? Does he really intend to go through with a trial and wait for Slade to win, or is it something else?"

Batman couldn't determine what Arias hoped to achieve by turning himself in. His initial thought was that Arias was indeed waiting for Slade's presidential bid to succeed, which would lead to a pardon. 

But with Arias, Batman had learned from his mistakes. He wasn't about to accept the most obvious possibility.