276 Chapter 271: World War III Part 1

With the seed of doubt now planted in the league, Arias, Tala, and Cheshire returned to the hacienda in Mexico as if nothing had happened. Even Cheshire was a bit confused as to why she had been brought along, as she hadn't contributed to this particular set of events. 

In fact, she didn't even know what Arias had done just yet, and she likely wouldn't. Arias greatly doubted that the league would let it be known to the public that Green Arrow died and Superman suffered yet another defeat. No matter how he saw it, just keeping this piece of information quiet gave the seed time to grow. Unfortunately for them, Arias wasn't that patient but fortunately enough though, he had more urgent matters to attend to first.

Upon arriving at the hacienda, Arias wasted no time in finding Dr. June, who had chosen to isolate herself in the garden area, reading as she always did and enjoying the somewhat peaceful life she now had, despite being on the run and fighting for her sanity every day. 

Both Cheshire and Tala made sure to follow Arias as he reached the garden. Though, he paused and turned to look back at Tala, "Go find Raven and get better acquainted. You two will be spending more time together after all. I'll look for you if anything else," he casually instructed before turning his head and continuing to walk, not waiting for her to respond. 

Tala simply bowed and accepted the instructions. "Of courze, mazter. Anyzhing for you." Even as she said this, though, she looked at Cheshire through the corner of her eye with a hateful glance.

Cheshire, ironically, remained unbothered, unaware that if it weren't for Arias's favor, Tala might have already killed her as she saw her as an obstacle toward gaining more of Arias's attention. However, Tala was not shaken by this and was instead motivated to prove that she was indeed a loyal servant. To do this, she wouldn't dare argue against Arias's instructions. So, after saying those words, she turned around and went to look for Raven.

Arias was well aware of Tala's possessiveness and eagerness to please, especially now that he had shown her a fraction of what he could offer. However, by choosing not to give her a lot of attention, he knew she would strive for more. And what better way to strive for it than to do exceedingly well in the tasks Arias assigned? It was as simple as that.

Having done that, Arias approached Dr. June from behind and spoke up, bringing her out of the daze she was in. Upon Arias's quick arrival back, Dr. June flinched and dropped her book, turning around and fumbling. "Oh, you're back. Is there something I can do for you or… did you want Enchantress?" she laughed nervously, inwardly very scared of Arias. He also knew this, but she was a unique case. 

Arias was still inwardly debating whether to have Enchantress fully take over her body or to aid her in controlling Enchantress. It was a matter of which option would best serve him. For now, however, he leaned toward letting Enchantress take over, for the simple fact that she was easier to control. 

As long as Arias was more powerful than her, Enchantress would be obedient, simple as that. Whereas with Dr. June, emotional elements had to be put into play, and even then, gratitude alone wouldn't signify loyalty or willingness to do whatever Arias asked of her. This was the biggest negative with helping Dr. June take over Enchantress; the chances of it being beneficial to Arias were just fairly slim.

For now, however, he was in no rush to do so, as he hadn't yet displayed a level of power that could truly make Enchantress, at her full power, fearful, and he didn't plan on doing so immediately, or at least not at this very instance. 

Not one to mince words, Arias answered, "Yes. I'm here for Enchantress since you yourself seem to be scared of me," he teased, showing a friendly smile as he spoke. Dr. June was instead a bit scared of this statement. 

Having been around Amanda Waller for a good portion of her career and other figures of power, she knew better and was always careful with what she said and how she carried herself, because deep down, she knew even those who put on friendly faces may have simply been doing so for a purpose.

This was hard to see in Arias, however, because he rarely showed any lack of sincerity in his words. Even now, he spoke sincerely; it was simply a matter of choosing what to say and how to say it. 

"N-no it's not that, you just seem so busy, and there is nothing to really talk about," Dr. June didn't know how to answer Arias and so she fumbled her words a bit. Back at her job, silence was usually the best answer. Whatever the case, silence was usually the best response, as anytime she tried to argue, her argument was simply put down by the power of authority. 

This time, however, as she tried to speak, Arias allowed her to do so, even while fumbling, which made it hard for her to continue as she was used to being silent. Instead, she didn't know what to say or how to say it and was worried she may indirectly offend Arias.

Arias gave her a few seconds of fumbling before choosing to speak again, "Maybe you'd prefer finishing your reading. It's no problem at all, my plans can wait." 

"Oh no, no, no, no," Dr. June immediately stood up and refused Arias's offer, worried that she may be inwardly angering him, and he was simply putting on the front of being nice. 

Arias was about to continue leading her on with words, but the panicked in Dr. June took the liberty of closing her eyes before muttering "Enchantress", and in the blink of an eye, her figure changed to that of Enchantress. 

Upon looking at Arias, Enchantress frowned and crouched like a primal being while tilting her head side to side. Her wariness toward Arias grew with every instance they met; she knew he was powerful, but how powerful is what she did not know.

Cheshire smiled at the sight. "You really know how to move people, boss."

Arias chuckled at this. "I assure you, it wasn't my intention to make her run away. Regardless, you don't look happy to see me, Enchantress. What's wrong?" Arias's once nice expression changed to a more neutral one as he took a step forward toward Enchantress. 

Unlike with Dr. June, Arias took the opposite approach with Enchantress. Being an ancient goddess, it was a pipe dream to think he could cajole her into obediently listening to his orders and coming under him; that just wasn't possible. 

The pride she had developed as a goddess wouldn't allow her to so easily bow to another, even if they were powerful. Arias had that in mind though, and so he simply had to take a different approach, one of a brutal and unforgiving master. 

So, as Enchantress frowned at him, he walked over toward her and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck before bringing her head closer to his. This, however, wasn't enough to instill fear in the ancient entity, as she simply showed a creepy smile, as if she enjoyed the action, going as far as to remove her tongue in an attempt to lick Arias's face as she whispered in a echoed voice, "Give me a kiss."

Arias's grip on her neck tightened, and the air around them tensed as his eyes took on a bright glow, something that greatly unsettled Enchantress as she immediately teleported herself away from Arias, reappearing just a few feet away, with extreme caution now in her eye. 

Arias then laughed as he asked her, "What, didn't you want a kiss? Now come along. I don't have time to play your games." Arias's grin faded, and the glowing in his eyes did as well, as he turned to start walking, a simple demonstration that he wasn't a toy she could hope to manipulate, but rather a being who could end her life if he so wished.

Unfortunately for Enchantress, much like the league, it was only the start of her 'education'.