The Watchtower dimmed.
The light from Earth below painted Elias's face in silver-blue as lines of alien code unraveled around him. The System filtered data at speeds even Cyborg couldn't match. Every line of encryption, every false signature, every manipulated packet — decrypted, exposed, traced.
There it was.
The betrayal.
Plain. Undeniable. Personal.
Elias stood slowly from the center of the chamber. His body hummed with pure intent. The Omega signal beneath his skin pulsed louder, stronger, as if responding to the justice he was about to unleash.
He stepped into the hallway.
The doors obeyed him now.
The Watchtower didn't just acknowledge him — it responded to him.
He was no longer a guest.
He was becoming its master.
Control Room – Level 4.
Superman, Batman, Diana, and Cyborg stood around a projection of Apokolips, reviewing planetary shifts. Barry paced behind them, muttering something about temporal feedback.
"Where is he?" Bruce asked.
"Interfacing with systems," Diana replied. "Or interrogating them."
Then the doors hissed open.
Elias walked in like a king who'd already declared war.
"You found the traitor?" Kal-El asked.
Elias smiled like a wolf with blood on its lips.
"I did."
Everyone looked up.
Cyborg frowned. "Let's confirm it together. I can run an isolated cross—"
Elias walked past him.
"Don't care."
He stopped in front of the table, Omega energy crackling in his fingertips. Without another word, he waved his hand. A glowing sigil burst into the air — encrypted files, call traces, and a video feed playing back...
A private conversation between John Stewart — the Green Lantern — and a masked Apokoliptian transmission node.
Everyone went still.
Bruce cursed under his breath. "John...?"
"He's been off-world," Diana said. "Assigned to sector 2813."
Elias scoffed. "Assigned? He assigned himself a betrayal."
He flicked his hand.
A final image appeared: encrypted delivery logs, coordinates of Elias's location, and a signature code embedded with Lantern constructs.
Superman stared in disbelief.
Elias raised an eyebrow. "Still want to talk about hope and honor, Kal?"
Cyborg stepped forward. "Wait, let's process this. John was under mental stress. He may have been compromised."
Elias turned slowly to him.
And slapped him.
Hard.
A burst of Omega static cracked through the air, slamming Cyborg back against the wall.
Barry flinched. "Oh, crap—"
Elias's voice dropped.
"Stop. Explaining. Traitors."
Kal's heat vision began to glow. "That's enough."
Elias walked up to him.
Slapped him too.
Open palm.
Right across the Man of Steel's face.
Superman staggered. The room fell silent.
A red handprint burned on his cheek — not just physical pain, but a signature burn of the Omega Effect. A warning: you bleed, too.
Kal's fists clenched.
Elias stared into his eyes.
"You let your boy scouts roam without leashes, and now one of them sold your future to the very god you fear. Don't bark at me for bringing you the leash."
"Are you out of your mind?" Kal snapped.
"I left my mind in the ashes of my old life," Elias snarled. "Now I run on instinct, vengeance, and just enough patience not to destroy this tower."
Diana stepped forward between them.
She didn't raise her sword.
But her stare was steel.
"Enough, both of you. Elias — if you kill Stewart without confirmation from the Guardians, there will be war."
"I hope so," Elias said with a twisted grin. "Because I haven't burned a planet yet today."
"You'll stand down."
"I'll do what I want. He sold me out. That makes him mine."
Bruce stepped up then, clutching a small EMP baton. His voice was sharp.
"We don't kill without a trial."
Elias turned to him.
"Don't tempt me, old man."
"Or what?"
And SLAP.
The sound echoed louder than any weapon.
Batman's head jerked sideways.
Elias stared down at him.
"I warned you. I don't do 'rules.' I do results."
Batman wiped the blood from his lip, smiling.
"You're exactly what Darkseid would've made. Rage. Chaos. Arrogance."
Elias leaned in.
"I'm what Darkseid feared. Free will, armed with apocalypse."
Just then, the chamber shimmered.
A green portal opened — and John Stewart stepped through, Lantern ring glowing.
"Why is my name flagged on a traitor board?" he asked coldly.
Elias didn't wait.
He leapt forward.
Omega energy exploded from his body like a supernova. He tackled John through the wall, down a corridor, slamming him into the war room bulkhead.
"YOU SENT THEM!" Elias roared. "YOU SOLD MY LOCATION!"
John grunted, shielding with his ring. "I never—! What are you—?!"
"LIES!"
The System roared in his ear:
[Omega Pulse Active – Resonant Damage Scaling Initiated]
[Integrity Lock: 82%]
[Will-Based Constructs: Crumbling]
Elias raised his hand.
Omega flame burst from his palm, wrapping around the ring.
John screamed.
"You made a deal!" Elias bellowed. "You sent them through your ring network to triangulate my Omega awakening. I tracked it. You were there."
John's voice cracked. "I tried to warn them—to stop them from activating the signal!"
Elias hesitated.
Just for a heartbeat.
[Conflicting Data Detected]
[System Parsing Divergent Threads]
John's eyes widened. "I was compromised. My ring—it was rewritten! The signal was a trap—for both of us!"
Elias stared.
The glow in his hand flickered.
Then died.
He let John drop.
Back in the chamber, Diana stepped forward as Elias re-entered, dragging a scorched but breathing Lantern behind him.
"I'll find out who hijacked him," Elias said, voice low, deadly. "And when I do… you'd better pray they don't wear your crest."
He looked across the League.
No more jokes. No more slaps.
Just a single warning.
"Next time any of you lie to me, touch me, or get in my way… I don't slap. I erase."