**Chapter 247: No Good Fortune Comes Twice (First Update)**  

On the distant edge of the galaxy, **Steppenwolf** looked extremely disheveled. Standing at three and a half meters tall, he was definitely a giant by human standards.

But at this moment, he was nowhere near as mighty and imposing as he had been just moments ago.

His once pristine spiked armor, perfect for squeezing into a packed subway, was now in tatters.

If he used to be like a hedgehog—anyone who touched him would regret it—he now looked more like a mummy that had just been stabbed full of holes by an iron maiden.

Oh, and this "mummy" was still bleeding.

Normally, as a member of the New Gods from Apokolips, known as "Hell on Earth," Steppenwolf wouldn’t be injured by something as trivial as armor spikes. His divine body could withstand anything, even human artillery or nuclear missiles.

But this mission had started badly. He hadn't even encountered his enemies yet when he was crushed by the sudden closure of a space portal.

Steppenwolf had barely escaped—if he'd been any slower, only half of him would have made it through.

Now, the giant New God was gasping for breath, his massive chest heaving violently as if he hadn't recovered from the shock.

In front of him, a metallic lump suddenly began to shift, transforming into an even more imposing metal giant.

Though it was merely a projection, the figure’s rough features, as if carved from stone, made it clear who it was.

An overwhelming sense of pressure emanated from the figure, so intense that Steppenwolf instinctively dropped to one knee, bowing in submission to the supreme ruler of Apokolips.

“Steppenwolf! You have failed,” boomed a thunderous voice, tinged with unmistakable anger.

Even the mindless Parademons around Steppenwolf, incapable of thought, were driven to cower in fear, lying flat on the ground without a sound.

“No! I haven’t failed yet. I was just caught off guard.” Suddenly remembering something, Steppenwolf shouted, “Ares! Yes, Ares was right there on the other side of the portal!”

“Oh?” Darkseid’s long life hadn’t dulled his memory of that humiliating defeat. It was one of his rare losses.

“You’re certain it was him?”

“No mistake! It was the power of the God of War!”

Darkseid sensed something.

At that moment, on Earth’s Paradise Island, numerous small portals surrounding the central one had opened near the Hall of Seals.

Hundreds of Parademons were pouring through, but most were immediately met by volleys of arrows from the Amazon warriors.

Empowered by the force of the God of War, their arrows had become devastatingly powerful.

This confirmed Steppenwolf’s words.

After a moment of silence, Darkseid’s thunderous voice again rang in Steppenwolf’s ears. “The plan proceeds! The Olympian Gods left that planet long ago. Zeus has lost his edge. There is no one left to resist my army.”

“Yes!” Steppenwolf bowed his noble head.

On Paradise Island, the battle continued.

Although the Amazons had been blessed by the gods, divine power wasn’t a cure-all. It greatly increased their damage output and made them immune to fear.

But if they were shot in a vital spot by a Parademon’s laser gun, they would still die.

Yet the brave Amazons didn’t care. They constantly replaced fallen comrades, launching arrows of destruction toward the sky.

A few larger Parademons, clearly squad leaders, swooped down. Penthesilea sprang into the air, and within a five-meter radius around her, everything fell within the reach of her sword.

With a stunning spin of her blade, she effortlessly sliced through the Parademon captains, dismembering them in midair like snapping a bunch of matchsticks.

Both she and the other Amazons displayed exceptional combat prowess.

However...

“It’s about time,” Atreus sighed softly, spreading his hands toward the sky.

Purple lights began to flicker in the portals around the Hall of Seals, like faulty lightbulbs, before the portals all vanished.

Aside from the nearly thousand bodies littering the ground, the invasion that had threatened to be immense came to an abrupt end.

The two Amazon queens, alongside Diana and the other generals, surveyed the battlefield with grave expressions.

Penthesilea spoke up: “As expected, it was Steppenwolf and Darkseid. Atreus, they aren’t foes we can defeat on our own.”

Atreus nodded.

In the "history" he knew, Steppenwolf was killed by Superman, but there was no guarantee Darkseid wouldn’t follow.

He was confident he could defeat Steppenwolf alone, but if Darkseid showed up, that would be a different story.

“Hippolyta, I know where we can find the Atlanteans. As for the third Mother Box, lost in the hands of humans, I can’t help with that.”

“Then…”

“I don’t think we need to fight on Paradise Island. Send 100 elite warriors with me. I’ll take Penthesilea and Diana to get the Mother Box and choose another battleground.”

The Amazons’ first instinct was to refuse.

This was a violation of their duty as guardians. They instinctively rejected the idea.

But Atreus divine status worked to his advantage.

As descendants of the Greek gods, unless they were dealing with a traitor like Ares, their bloodline compelled them to follow the commands of their gods.

Regardless of Atreus relationship with the Greek pantheon, as long as he wasn’t confirmed to be an enemy, his divine will was absolute.

Hippolyta knew Atreus was trying to protect Paradise Island, not wanting the Amazons’ homeland to be destroyed.

Moreover, he was still asking them to send warriors.

“Antiope, select 100 elites,” Hippolyta signaled with her eyes, and Antiope knew she should choose young and powerful warriors.

Even if Atreus didn’t care, it wouldn’t hurt to make a good impression.

The battle on Paradise Island had been brief but intense. Luckily, because the conflict had been large enough to be classified as a war, Atreus divine power had not diminished but increased.

A minor issue now stood before Atreus—whether to inform Tony and the others.

After all, the **Justice League**’s problems had nothing to do with the **Avengers**.

But considering this was Earth in a mixed universe, it was hard to say.

When Atreus pretended to call Tony, he received word that Tony and the others weren’t in the U.S.

At hearing the location, Atreus couldn’t help but mentally groan:

**Damn it! The events of *Avengers: Age of Ultron* and *Justice League* are happening at the same time!?**

(End of Chapter)

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