Chapter 48

It took just a few minutes to gather all the information about the stolen amulet.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to work with.

Kaldur'ahm knew a lot about ancient magical amulets, but he couldn't give them a deep understanding of them.

He then contacted a friend of his in Atlantis who might have more information, as their king wasn't answering calls.

The conversation with his friend was quick, but it created a sense of urgency.

The amulet was no ordinary item.

Robin placed an emergency call to Batman, and within minutes, the Batplane landed on the rooftop helipad, with Diana flying alongside him.

"What's the information?"

Batman asked as he stepped out of his plane.

They were on the rooftop, and Batman wasted no time and didn't even wait for them to enter the building.

It had been some time since Dio had seen him, and he appeared as cold and intimidating as ever.

Diana stood beside Dio, her hands on her waist, and smiled at them as she always did.

"We've obtained some information about the theft. I think it's best if Kaldur'ahm explains."

Robin said this to Batman.

Kaldur'ahm took the lead and started to talk about what the team had discovered.

"The stolen jewel is the Amulet of Arion."

Kaldur'ahm said.

"Great Hera."

Diana exclaimed and interrupted.

"You know him?"

Batman asked.

"Arion is well-known among the Amazons. He was one of the first heroes of ancient Atlantis, and he was born before the great flood."

Diana explained.

"That still doesn't explain the 'Great Hera.'"

Dio said.

"Arion is a being of immense power and powerful enough to seal away the ancient gods known as the Black Giants. That means the power of any artifact bearing his name is powerful. Diana went on."

Diana continued.

They had gained some information about what the amulet could do, but not about its current owner. However, knowing its previous owner was enough to justify calling in the League.

"What information did you gather about the amulet's use?"

Batman asked Kaldur'ahm.

"Not much, only that the stone is a sort of magical battery connected to the gods."

Kaldur'ahm replied.

"Gods? Like Poseidon?"

Batman asked.

"No, I'm referring to the gods of Atlantis before it sank. It was only after that event that Poseidon became our patron."

Kaldur'ahm clarified.

Because of the event where Atlantis sank into the sea, they lost an important part of their history and knowledge.

It's not an exaggeration to say that their technology level before the sinking was far superior to what they have now.

Atlantis is still one of the most powerful nations in the world, even though they lost a lot of their knowledge.

"We still lack information about the amulet and who might know about it."

Batman pondered aloud.

Batman made an interesting point, how did the person who stole the amulet know its value?

After learning a lot from a good detective, Robin came to the same conclusion.

"A magic user could recognize the jewel's value even without knowing its history, which would also explain the miraculous escape that just happened."

Robin said.

"I agree."

Batman replied.

Then Dio realized that the agreement was too confident in the possibility that there was nothing they could do in that situation.

Furthermore, they hadn't sent any detailed reports about what happened for him to arrive at this conclusion.

"You were watching us, weren't you?"

Dio asked Batman, and everyone turned to him.

"Yes, I was."

Batman replied without changing his cold and emotionless expression.

"A test?"

Dio asked again.

"Correct."

Batman answered.

Dio didn't mind. He didn't care about this, as he knew what the comics told him.

It's likely that he already has ten different plans to defeat Dio, if necessary. Dio was fine with that, but his team wasn't.

"You said this team was approved, and now you're testing us?"

Roy asked furiously.

"I wasn't testing you for that reason but to see if the team could function without the supervision of a League member."

Batman explained.

Dio ignored him and looked at Diana.

"You approved this too?"

This level of paranoia is expected from Batman, but Dio would feel bad if Diana had been involved as well.

"Wonder Woman and the other League members didn't know that I was watching you or that you were working alone."

Batman replied on her behalf and gave Dio relief.

"I noticed."

Robin said, which surprised everyone except Batman.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Wally asked.

"It didn't matter. I know you probably didn't like it, but that was our fight, whether he was watching us or not."

Robin replied.

"I don't mind either, and I'm just a little upset that I couldn't sense his presence."

Koriand'r said and gave her opinion on the matter.

She has a good point.

Dio's senses were very sharp, but all he could see or hear were the heartbeats of his team and the other police officers.

Of course, Batman could have stayed out of Dio's range, but he was almost sure that he had entered the sewer with them when the escape began.

Dio kept his senses at a normal level in the upper city, but he used them all the way to the limit in the sewers and still didn't sense Batman.

In addition to his training, his suit must have helped him do this.

He remembered that there was a version of his suit that could hide his presence from almost everything, even telepathic beings.

From the anger on Roy's face, Dio knows he's going to talk about this subject for a long time, so he tries to get the topic back to what's important right now before he speaks.

"How are we going to track the amulet?"

Dio asked.

"We could ask the King to talk to the Queen; she might have a spell for it."

Kaldur'ahm suggests.

"Aquaman is currently in the middle of the Atlantic and was dealing with a massive oil spill on a vessel."

Batman said.

"Zatanna?"

Dio asked Diana.

"She's currently unreachable."

Diana replied and didn't provide many details.

Then Diana looked at Batman and said, "What about Doctor Fate?"

"He's not very helpful,"

Batman responded without hesitation.

"It's either him or Constantine."

"Doctor Fate, then."

Batman replied without a second thought.

"I'll go along!"

Dio shouted in excitement and then felt a bit embarrassed for my lack of control, making Diana laugh.

When Dio has the chance to meet the "Sorcerer Supreme" of Earth, he is usually very quiet and calm, but when it comes up, Dio gets a little excited.

Dio doesn't even mind knowing that the jerk Constantine has had encounters with them.

Since Dio started studying magic, he has developed more respect for those on the mystical side of heroes, and Doctor Fate is the most powerful living sorcerer.

Unfortunately, he's an arrogant jerk, or at least that's how he's usually shown, but his arrogance is acceptable; the guy is so powerful it's almost ridiculous.

A lot of people think Superman is the strongest being on Earth, but they're wrong.

There are many monsters and other entities in this little world that are stronger than him, and Doctor Fate is one of them.

"Yes, Dio, you can come."

Diana accepted his request.

Dio already knows about some of her adventures, as she tells him about them.

In this reality, Doctor Fate has been active since World War II, when Diana and her friends started the Justice Battalion, which later became the Justice Society of America.

But after the war, he spent more and more time in his tower and only came out very rarely.

"Meanwhile, Robin and I will track down anyone who has shown interest in seeking or obtaining this gem."

Batman said that and went for the elevator with his protege following him.

"I'm also going to Atlantis; my friend has started searching for more information about the artifact in the old records, and even if your magician friend helps you, it's likely the city's archives have important information."

Kaldur'ahm said that and also went for the elevator.

"As intriguing as meeting a sorcerer is, I have school."

Wally said that and ran off.

"Hmm."

Roy just grunted and turned his back on them.

"Can I go too? It'll be the first time I've met a magic user besides Dio."

Koriand'r asked Diana.

It seems that despite existing longer than Earth, Tamaran doesn't have any magicians or sorcerers, at least to the princess's knowledge.

"Sorry, sister, but Fate doesn't like strangers in his house, and I'm already risking a very unpleasant welcome by bringing Dio with me."

Koriand'r lowered her head in disappointment, and it's something she learned instinctively to make Dio reconsider any request she makes.

Thank the gods that Dio doesn't have to handle this request.

"No need to be sad; I've got an idea. How about coming to Themyscira next week?"

That's good compensation.

Koriand'r seemed to accept the offer and smiled happily at Diana. After thanking her, she left the rooftop and left them alone.

"Now, I'm the one feeling jealous."

Dio told her.

Themyscira is a magical land with so much to learn within it.

Unfortunately, there's a darn ancient law that says no man is welcome there. Dio should thank Hercules for that when he meets him.

Naturally, there are some cases where this doesn't apply.

The Amazon queen has to say yes to any offer from an Olympian, but none of the Olympians like Dio's father very much, except for Hermes, who meets him a lot as he leads souls to the Underworld.

The other exception is if Themyscira is under attack and in danger. Then, the Queen can reconsider the rule if a man comes to help.

"I know, Diana. I'm just kidding."

Dio reassured her.

"I know that, but I really wish to show you the place where I was born."

Diana said this while turning around and looking at the city skyline on the horizon.

...

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