Chapter 167: A Diabolical Mind Part 1

The stage was set, and Arias's plans were in full motion. The final piece of the puzzle came in the form of a phone call from Barbara Gordon. It was early morning when Arias received the call, just as he was lounging in his bedroom, finalizing his plans.

Upon picking up, he heard the conflicted tone of Barbara as she revealed, **"Uh, Bruce... Batman called me late yesterday and asked me to join the junior Justice League team. He said he won't interfere in my personal matters, like going to your school and all, but... I don't know if he's planning something."**

From her tone, Arias could tell that Barbara was clearly shaken by Bruce's call, and his initial suspicions of her still harboring feelings toward Bruce were confirmed.

How could he not know? He had witnessed many women stay and even defend abusive or toxic partners simply because they loved them. A woman's love could be strong—so strong it often blinded her to the plain truth. In this case, Barbara had begun to get over her initial anger toward Bruce. All it took was a phone call where he expressed that he actually cared and would train her better to make her reconsider.

Arias understood that the only real reason she was calling him now was that she trusted him more—much like how a woman might ask her best friend for advice, even if she wasn't planning to follow it. 

The difference here was that Barbara was smart, but driven by her emotions. Such emotions would only fade when someone was truly hurt by their partner, often breaking them and leaving them a shell of their former selves. It was then that they would try to turn over a new leaf, though many times they became hypocrites in the process.

For Barbara to lose these lingering feelings for Batman, Arias knew he had to break her emotionally. Only by doing so could he make her grow to doubt herself and place her trust solely in him. Trauma had a way of securing such loyalty.

His response was reflective of this line of thought. 

"I'm not surprised. Like I said, you're incredibly talented and have a lot of latent potential, Barbara. Though I don't trust Bruce, he's one of the few who can teach you to fully utilize your abilities and fulfill your dream. So if you want to join, I have no qualms with that," Arias said in a tone that was understanding but cautious, especially when he mentioned Bruce's name, making it clear that he didn't trust him.

On the other side, Barbara's mind was in turmoil as she tried to reach a decision. She had called Arias hoping he would tell her not to join and remind her that Bruce was bad. Arias knew this. 

But if he outright told her not to join, the feelings would remain and only grow stronger over time, making her a liability. 

By leaving the decision to her, Arias showed that he trusted her, but it also meant she could only blame herself if things went wrong—especially with the warning Arias had subtly provided. 

Barbara didn't think about it this deeply. Her thoughts were more grounded, simplistic. She was afraid she might not prove good enough in the junior team and disappoint Batman for inviting her.

Truly, a woman governed by emotions was a pitiful and weak creature. In the same way, a man governed by emotions was dangerous.

After a brief moment of silence, Barbara finally sorted her thoughts and made her decision. 

"I'll accept his offer and see for myself. I really want to be the best I can be," she reassured herself, but to Arias, these were nothing more than empty words—words lacking any real value. 

Their only purpose was to reassure Barbara that she was doing this for a greater cause, rather than her buried feelings for Bruce. 

Arias played along and acknowledged her decision. "I'm sure you'll do great. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish."

The rest of the call was focused on Barbara revealing the little she had discovered about the spies within the Ark Institutions. Arias had little concern in this regard. The true purpose of the institutions had yet to even begin, so any information being reported was simply what Arias wanted to be known.

As for how far he was willing to go to make his plans a reality while still securing his image... the world could only wait to be shocked.

---

In the following days, the Human Supremacy group became more infamous with their actions, quickly rising to the position of the most wanted terrorist organization in the world. 

Their actions were violent and brutal, targeting innocent non-meta families who harbored or had relations with meta-humans, calling them "tainted." It was almost a cult-like organization with numerous resources, but its rise baffled the world's superpowers.

Some speculated that the world's elite were secretly funding the organization to remove the threat that meta-humans posed to the global economic and political balance. 

Others believed that the organization had been operating for a long time, giving it ties to anti-superhuman groups dating back to the 16th century. 

All these rumors were, of course, started by Arias. His purpose was to create a controlled chaos that would fool the world as a whole.

With many elites suspected of having a hand in the organization, Arias was conveniently absent from any involvement and was instead seen as a savior, making him one of the terrorist organization's biggest targets, along with any elite that supported meta-humans.

While the organization ran amok, the Light was funneling a great number of meta-humans into Markovia, reaching hundreds by the day. Within a month, this had become a global issue that needed to be dealt with. 

Fortunately, with so many intelligence organizations working to find and dismantle the group, it didn't take long for stations, depots, and bunkers to be discovered or suspected in various regions around the world.

This, of course, was kept secret from the public as operations were now in the midst of planning.

---

Early the next month, Arias received the call he had been waiting for—from Bruce.

**"I think we found the Human Supremacy group. It was one of the six locations you provided. The others are depots and bunkers,"** Bruce revealed in his ever-straightforward manner.

Over the past few days, Arias had played a reluctant role in providing information, making it clear to Batman that he was only helping because Arias lacked the freedom and resources to fully investigate himself. This was believable, considering how closely the government monitored the assets and wealth he left with Terra.

"Good. So when do we act?" Arias asked, showing some minor relief in his otherwise cold tone.

Bruce believed this act, seeing no break in Arias's character as he replied, **"In 48 hours. I'll communicate the plan to you. Just be ready."**

"Of course," Arias replied before cutting the call, thinking to himself, *Time to give my enemies what they so desperately want to see.*