The underground chamber had grown quieter after Arthur’s explanation, the floating holographic displays drifted softly above the table while everyone processed the sheer scale of what they had learned. Monarchs. Rulers. Destroyed worlds. Ancient wars that made humanity’s greatest conflicts look insignificant.

Yet despite all of it, nobody looked at Arthur with fear. Clark especially.

The Man of Steel stood near the table with his arms crossed for a long moment before finally stepping toward Arthur. Arthur looked up slightly as Clark placed a hand firmly on his shoulder, the gesture was simple, grounded and human.

Clark smiled faintly.

"You know..." His blue eyes carried that warmth Superman always seemed to have even after hearing things that should’ve shaken most people. "I’ve met gods, monsters, cosmic beings, living weapons..."

He shook his head softly.

"I still think the same way, even after years of hearing certain words."

Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly.

Clark’s smile widened a little. "Power itself means nothing, what matters is the person carrying it, my father told me that."

His voice remained calm, "You were given power that could destroy worlds."

Clark’s hand tightened slightly on Arthur’s shoulder.

"And instead of ruling people through fear..."

A small smile appeared.

"...you chose to protect them."

Arthur looked away briefly while Clark continued.

"You protect your family, your friends, and complete strangers you don’t even know."

Then Clark laughed softly.

"You literally threw yourself into another dimension with a strange time flow, for years just to stop monsters from reaching Earth."

Kara smiled proudly hearing that.

Clark’s expression softened afterward.

"That tells me everything I need to know about the kind of man you are, and I’ve known that for a long time now."

Arthur looked at him quietly for a moment before smiling. "You make me sound better than I actually am."

Clark immediately pointed at him.

"That right there?" He grinned.

"That’s another reason why I trust you, and why I think Kara made the right choice."

Even Diana smiled slightly at that.

Kara crossed her arms proudly afterward.

"Exactly."

Then she glanced toward Bruce who was already moving toward the exit.

"Unfortunately not everyone sees it that way."

Bruce didn’t even turn around.

But Clark laughed immediately.

"Oh c’mon."

Bruce stopped halfway and Clark looked amused now.

"He won’t admit it out loud because he’s emotionally allergic to sincerity..."

Bruce sighed audibly.

"...but Bruce respects people like Arthur more than anyone."

Bruce finally looked over his shoulder slightly.

"You done?"

Clark grinned.

"Absolutely not."

Arthur rubbed his forehead while Raven quietly snorted beside him.

Clark continued anyway.

"Arthur’s exactly the type of person Bruce places his faith in."

Diana actually laughed.

Arthur shook his head with a tired smile before speaking again.

"Anyway..."

His tone became more serious again.

"That’s everything I wanted to share for now."

He looked around the room.

"You all deserved to know the truth about our enemies..."

Then his violet eyes dimmed slightly.

"...and about me."

Nobody answered immediately.

Because strangely enough, the truth only made them understand him better.

Arthur continued calmly.

"Keep your eyes open."

He crossed his arms lightly.

"I’ll continue helping with Gates and assisting Hunters using my shadow army."

Clark nodded once at that.

Arthur’s expression sharpened slightly afterward.

"And I’ll search for the vessels of the Rulers."

That caught everyone’s attention again.

Clark frowned slightly. "Why? Aren’t they also hunters, they won’t make trouble for us right?"

Arthur nodded slowly.

"Yes, I want to contact the Rulers through them, these individuals might be a bit difficult, I’m sure they think they carry an incredible power, and it will affect their... let’s just say their ego. That’s why I’m the one that needs to meet them."

His voice lowered slightly.

"Ashborn distrusted the Rulers almost as much as he distrusted the Monarchs."

Then his glowing eyes narrowed faintly.

"And after everything I’ve learned..."

He paused for a second. "...I do too."

Raven leaned against the table with crossed arms.

"You know..."

Her violet eyes studied him carefully.

"You fought three Monarchs yesterday."

Arthur glanced toward her.

"And?"

Raven blinked once.

"And maybe normal people would consider resting."

Arthur actually looked confused for a second.

That alone made Kara laugh, Arthur shook his head afterward.

"Our enemies are still alive."

His voice became colder.

"That makes resting difficult."

Clark sighed. "You are not normal."

"Neither are you," Arthur shot back immediately.

Clark nodded thoughtfully.

"Fair point."

The meeting slowly wrapped up afterward.

Diana departed first after exchanging a final respectful nod toward Arthur.

Clark followed after speaking quietly with Kara for a moment.

Then eventually, the massive underground chamber emptied.

Leaving behind only Arthur, Kara and Raven,

...and George.

The old butler stood near the side table arranging untouched drinks with perfect composure, then he adjusted his gloves slightly before speaking.

"Master Arthur."

Arthur already knew that tone.

George sighed faintly.

"I must insist that you rest."

Arthur immediately groaned quietly.

"Don’t start, George."

George looked personally offended.

"Sir, you were impaled, poisoned, involved in several apocalyptic battles, and fought reality-threatening entities within the span of a few days, years? I’m not quite sure anymore. I believe sleep is a reasonable suggestion or some casual activity."

Raven smiled slightly.

"You do have a point but I’m not sure Arthur will change his mind."

Arthur ignored both of them completely.

"I need to move."

He walked toward one of the holographic screens.

"I think I know where to find the vessels."

Bruce had apparently left files already.

Arthur flicked through them quickly.

"Batman identified two possible candidates, there should be Seven of them, one for each Ruler."

Kara immediately straightened.

"Great."

She cracked her knuckles slightly.

"Let’s go."

Arthur raised a hand immediately without even looking at her.

"No."

Kara blinked.

"...No?"

Arthur finally turned toward her fully.

"Kara."

His tone became calmer now.

"You of all people are not coming with me."

Kara immediately frowned.

"You can’t just decide that yourself!"

Arthur stepped closer.

"Yes I can, Clark himself would back me up on this."

"No he wouldn’t!" Kara looked betrayed.

Arthur sighed before speaking more softly.

"Kara..." His eyes drifted briefly toward her stomach. "You’re pregnant."

The words immediately weakened her argument slightly.

"Three months in."Arthur’s voice lowered. "I’m already impressed you fought through kryptonite gas, poison, and two Monarchs while protecting yourself."

Then his expression hardened slightly. "But I’m not letting my lover and my child walk into unnecessary danger any longer."

Kara crossed her arms stubbornly.

"I can still fight."

"I know!" Arthur stepped closer. "That’s exactly the problem."

Raven snorted softly.

George nodded solemnly as if Arthur had spoken profound wisdom.

Arthur continued calmly.

"The vessels aren’t Monarchs..."

Then he exhaled softly.

"But they can still be dangerous."

His eyes narrowed faintly.

"They’re humans empowered by cosmic entities."

A faint smirk appeared afterward.

"And humans with power tend to develop... interesting egos."

Raven immediately nodded.

"Oh that’s definitely true."

Then she looked toward Kara.

"You should rest anyway."

Her eyes drifted downward teasingly.

"Your uniform is barely surviving this pregnancy."

Kara’s face immediately turned red.

"HEY!"

Raven looked entirely unapologetic.

George cleared his throat politely. "Miss Kara."

His sophisticated tone somehow made everything sound more official.

"Master Arthur may occasionally express himself with excessive severity..."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"...but in this instance, he is correct."

George folded his hands behind his back elegantly.

"You are undoubtedly a powerful Kryptonian warrior."

Then his expression softened slightly.

"But you are also going to become a mother."

A pause.

"I assume Kryptonians approach such matters similarly to humans."

Kara’s expression softened a little.

"In ancient Krypton, yes."

Then her voice became almost distant.

"But natural births became a myth."

Everyone listened carefully.

"Kal was the first naturally born Kryptonian in centuries."

A small smile appeared on her face afterward.

"And until now..."

She looked down briefly.

"...the last."

George blinked once.

"Oh." Then he added very politely, "I see."

Arthur stayed quiet for a moment before finally speaking softly.

"Not the last anymore."

Kara looked toward him immediately, their eyes met and just like that

Her stubbornness faded. "...Fine."

Arthur blinked.

"That easy?"

Even Raven looked suspicious now.

"Yeah..."

She narrowed her eyes playfully.

"I was expecting at least another ten minutes of arguing."

Kara huffed dramatically.

"Just go already!"

Then she pointed at Arthur accusingly.

"You have trust issues."

Arthur walked toward her slowly before gently pulling her closer.

"I trust you completely."

Then he kissed her lightly.

"But..."

A teasing smile appeared afterward.

"...I’m still leaving Marshals behind to monitor you."

Kara’s face became completely red.

"You!"

Raven burst out laughing immediately.

Even George looked dangerously close to smiling.

Arthur stepped backward afterward while shadows slowly gathered around his feet.

"Behave yourselves."

Kara pointed at him furiously.

"You’re the worst!"

Arthur grinned.

"I know."

Then with a gust of violet shadows, he vanished.

/-\

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