Superman from the comics: Starting with the Black Robe

Chapter 48 Wonder Woman

This was Joey's first time meeting Wonder Woman, the queen of Paradise Island.

Unlike the Queen Maeve he first encountered in the otherworld version, Joey now had a fully open perspective and easily saw that she was different from ordinary humans.

To be honest, you might not even need superhuman vision to tell the difference; Diana's aura was far more imposing than the Vulcan sword she had drawn.

This deadly aura is far beyond what Queen Maeve, who spent her days holed up in the Water Tower, indulging in a life of debauchery, drinking martinis and brandy, and playing with young male and female models, could ever match.

In her youth, Wonder Woman had no contact with the human world. The first person she encountered outside of Paradise Island was King Arthur Curry of Atlantis.

The young Wonder Woman and Aquaman fell in love at first sight, and both dreamed that their marriage would bring a better future to the Amazons, Atlantis, and the world.

However, Amazon and Atlantis were sworn enemies, and the marriage between Wonder Woman and Aquaman displeased the vast majority of people on both sides.

No one can recount in detail how this seemingly perfect marriage, based on mutual affection and social standing, devolved into a chaotic and bloody wedding.

But the outcome of this bloody wedding was obvious: the destruction of Paradise Island and the death of her mother Hippolyta made Wonder Woman Diana, this demigoddess warrior, and her people one of the most dangerous beings on Earth.

Mera's crown, the lover of Aquaman Arthur, is still worn on Wonder Woman's head as a trophy after Wonder Woman beheads her opponent. This serves as a constant reminder to Aquaman and his people of their stance towards Wonder Woman.

To be honest, Joey didn't like the British. At least 80% of the many humanitarian tragedies he witnessed in Africa and the eastern Mediterranean in his previous life that kept him up all night were related to the British colonial history.

Now that their own homeland has been occupied by the Amazons and renamed New Paradise Island, isn't that a kind of dark humor?

Just as Joey had thought, he now only needed a thought to decide the life and death of these Britons based on his personal likes and dislikes, and to allow these Amazons to do whatever they wanted to the British Isles.

They have already begun the repression and transformation on the island. Men will be expelled or imprisoned in camps, while women will undergo a series of brutal trials and magical rituals, with only one in ten surviving, before being transformed into new Amazonian women.

What these Britons are experiencing now is, strictly speaking, nothing more than what they have done to others in their history.

But Joey wouldn't do that.

It's not about justice or moral bottom lines; the life and death of billions of people around the world is the real justice and moral bottom line.

He would never refuse to trade the British Isles for lasting and stable peace.

But Joey understood that simply handing over Britain to the Amazons would not bring peace to the Earth for their time.

As long as the battle between the Amazons and the Atlanteans continues, Wonder Woman's invasion of the mortal world will not cease.

The Amazons are outnumbered in their fight against the Atlanteans, and they need resources from the mortal world to win the war.

Joey reached out his hand to the Queen of Paradise Island:

"Cooperate with me, and I can stop your war with the Atlanteans, bring true peace to this planet, and make the world a better place, provided that..."

"A foolish suggestion."

Wonder Woman didn't even hear the details of the proposal; she simply held her sword forward indifferently, the blade of Vulcan's sword aimed directly at Joey's neck. She no longer believed such arguments.

The Sea King once told her the same thing, saying that their union would make the world a better place, but the end result is the current situation, an endless feud between the two races.

boom!

Joey sprang into action instantly, slamming Wonder Woman from mid-air to the ground with a speed that even surpassed Wonder Woman's reaction time.

The immense force slammed Wonder Woman directly onto the street where she had just delivered her speech at 10 Downing Street, leveling the former residence of the British Prime Minister.

The reporters who had just been driven away by the Amazons with swords had not gone far when such a commotion occurred. Now, the Amazons who had driven them away were rushing towards the center of the impact, so the reporters raised their long guns and short cannons again.

"Quick, Jimmy! Turn it on right now!"

Louis Lane hurriedly urged Jimmy Olson to get the camera ready. Just as they turned it on, they saw a red line shoot from the sky to the ground on the camera monitor, triggering a second, even larger impact that made Jimmy, carrying the camera, stumble.

"Stop looking, Louis, we have to run for our lives!"

In the normal DC universe, they should have been Superman's beloved friends, but in this out-of-control universe, they are like strangers to Superman.

Joey swooped down and punched Wonder Woman's raised wrist guards. The magical gauntlets, blessed by the gods, groaned under the strain, but then functioned to return the damage as a shockwave to Joey.

This triggered the third explosion at Downing Street, reducing the former British administrative center to rubble. Joey, who was thrown back by the shockwave, threw another punch, which Wonder Woman parried with the Sword of Vulcan.

Wonder Woman held her sword with one hand and reached for her waist with the other, swinging out her Lasso of Truth in an attempt to subdue Joey. However, Joey caught the blade with his bare hands and flung Wonder Woman and her sword into the air once again.

Before the effects of weightlessness could be fully countered, Joey had already lunged forward again. This time, Wonder Woman, who was in mid-air, was unable to keep up with Joey's sudden speed and could only take the punch headfirst. The Atlantean crown she had taken from Mera the Mera Queen was smashed to pieces by the blow.

Joey's eyes reddened, and his heat gaze swept across Wonder Woman's face again, leaving a shallow wound. Wonder Woman seized the opportunity when his gaze shifted to her own face and retaliated with the Sword of Vulcan. The blade, blessed by the gods, swiftly pierced through Joey's left shoulder.

This was almost the first injury in Joey's life.

Amidst the pain, Joey reached out and grabbed the hilt of the Vulcan Sword, kicked Wonder Woman aside, and seized the sword.

Joey pulled the longsword that was stuck in his shoulder. Wonder Woman's sneak attack had almost dislocated one of his arms. Although blood was flowing freely, Joey felt his senses becoming clearer.

Wonder Woman, dozens of meters away, was throwing out her Lasso of Truth, and Joey, without needing to concentrate, began to see the microscopic world hidden beneath these appearances.

Joey raised his left hand to grasp the Lasso of Truth that Wonder Woman had thrown, and began to wrestle with her. The wound on his left shoulder was healing rapidly, while his right hand raised the Vulcan sword he had just seized.

Joey looked at Wonder Woman, who was gripping the Lasso of Truth tightly in both hands. Even with all her strength, she couldn't overcome his still-healing left hand. He decided to teach this Amazon how to properly use her weapon:

"I remember this sword can cut through objects at the subatomic level. Now I'll teach you how to actually use it!"

Joey swung his sword directly, precisely slashing at one of the atoms in the air, while simultaneously using the Lasso of Truth to close the distance between himself and Wonder Woman.

Boom!

This action triggered a small fission explosion in the sky, after which two figures fell from the sky to the ground.

Although the explosion was closer to Joey, the impact on Wonder Woman was far more severe. Diana's skin on Themyscira is tough enough to withstand the power of Kryptonians, but it is not immune to ordinary weapons.

As the smoke cleared, Joey had already wrapped Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth around her neck. Her own divine power was no match for the power of the Lasso of Truth. At this moment, although she was a demigod, she was no different from a mortal.

The Amazon warriors who had already arrived hesitated to advance. The queen's life was now in the hands of others, making them hesitant to attack the enemy before them.

But Penthesilea, who arrived shortly after, was far more resolute. She was Hippolyta's sister and Wonder Woman's aunt, and was now loudly berating Wonder Woman's "Nemesis" guards:

"What are you doing?! In the name of Zeus, rush up and rescue the Queen!"

"Stop, Joey!"

Kara flew to the scene from outside the atmosphere. She had retrieved the El family's battle suit from the spaceship located in the Arctic. The red and blue bodysuit outlined her fully recovered figure, and the large gold "S" shaped logo on her chest, identical to Joey's, declared her allegiance.

The Kryptonians were incredibly fast in the sky, and the Amazons in the air didn't have time to react to Kara's arrival before she broke through the encirclement and stood in front of Joey.

She reached out and grabbed the Lasso of Truth from Joey's hand: "No."

Joey looked at Wonder Woman kneeling at his feet, groaning in pain from lack of oxygen. He could easily take her life with a single pull.

Every cell in his body was urging him to do it; even Wonder Woman managed to squeeze out a few words: "Do it! What are you waiting for?!"

"No."

Looking at Kara pleading with him, Joey calmed down a bit—he had indeed come to negotiate with the Amazons in the first place.

He loosened the Lasso of Truth, giving Wonder Woman a chance to catch her breath, but he didn't completely let go; he still had one question to ask:

How can I find the location of Paradise Island?

Limited by the power of the Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman could only answer truthfully about the location of Paradise Island, the hidden land of the Amazons, before Joey threw the lasso back at her, freeing her.

Diana didn't know why the other party chose to let go at the last moment. When the Lasso of Truth is used, it connects the minds of both parties, which is why those bound by the Lasso of Truth can only speak the truth.

She had sensed her opponent's overwhelming killing intent during their struggle with the Mantra Lasso, and she was mentally prepared when she was captured. She hadn't expected her opponent to choose weakness at the last moment.

"I acknowledge your strength, but a merciful person like you cannot end a war. Besides, Paradise Island has sunk, and whatever you're looking for, you'll find nothing there."

"Don't mistake my sympathy for the weak for weakness."

Joey looked down at Wonder Woman, who was kneeling on the ground, and reached out his hand again:

My suggestion still stands.