Chapter 258: Chapter 253: A Plot Brewing Part 3
Kara frowned deeply upon hearing Arias's reply. She couldn't help but think that he was just trying to gain her help in his own interest. Despite all the valid points he did put across, she just didn't trust him.
However, if she chose to ignore his words and he ended up being right, she could never forgive herself if countless people died. For someone as selfless as her, there was only one logical answer.
"Fine, but I'm going to do it on my own terms, not yours." Saying this, Kara took the opportunity to turn around first and start walking away.
Arias tilted his head and smirked slightly at the sight. It was clear to him that this was her way of saying she couldn't be used or moved by him, something he certainly found adorable. Because even without knowing it, she had already fallen into his ploy.
He soon turned to Raven and asked her, "What do you think about her?"
Raven watched Kara leave and then turned to Arias, avoiding locking into his gaze as she replied in a low tone, "I guess you could say she's loud." Raven flatly answered.
She wasn't truly good at describing people in complex terms, as she didn't have that much interaction with people to begin with. And Arias began to understand this, hence why he had posed the question. On the surface, though, he gave her a nod and simply answered, "I suppose you're right. Let's go."
Raven couldn't help but wonder what the purpose of the question was, but considering how casual Arius was about it, she simply brushed it off as him being cryptic.
…
The following day, headlines somehow caught word of the story about not only Harley Quinn and Wonder Woman escaping but also Supergirl moving from the recently attacked Metropolis to aid the situation in Markovia.
It also just so happened that the first news station to reveal this information was the Gotham Gazette, with none other than Vicki Vale being the poster girl. It became immediately clear to anyone with enough critical thinking to see that something was clearly orchestrated there, as the circumstances seemed just far too good to be true in favor of Markovia.
Why? Because ever since numerous nations collectively agreed that the situation in Markovia needed to be dealt with, they heavily restricted reports that were received by the people. It was only on somewhat free-speech platforms like social media where people would occasionally stumble across a post in relation to Markovia, if it was trending.
But there was no way the world would overlook a situation in which big names such as Wonder Woman were heading to Markovia to support the metahumans there.
It quickly sparked controversy and divided people once more, with some saying Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, and Supergirl were all bought off by Princess Tara, using the wealth she had inherited from Arias, in collaboration with Mercy, who was the sole beneficiary of LexCorp.
It was a pretty bold, but also obvious claim to make. However, it lacked great evidence, but evidence never really mattered in cases of national self-interest.
Despite the attention the situation got, most nations didn't back out from their beliefs that Markovia needed to be handled.
Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, and Supergirl arriving was only more proof of that. In addition, the presence of the Junior Justice League also unsettled the nations. However, the Justice League did make it clear that they are only there to look out for civilian casualties and not intervene in the situation, which seemed odd coming from the Justice League that claimed to look out for everyone.
But they had no choice but to say it, not because they believed in the stance, but because they needed to make it look so, so that they could resolve the situation in the background.
Arias had predicted that this was the route they were taking immediately he saw them coming into Markovia, and thus the spore attacks worked as a great distraction. Because not only did they distract the League, it also made the League look incredibly bad in the eyes of the public, as it now meant they had no reason to stand by in a situation where metahumans may get slaughtered.
Choosing to do otherwise would mean they were simply against their fellow metahumans and in support of the government. But why would a league made up of super beings be in support of the government? Simple, to monopolize power.
Arias didn't even need to have any pieces set for the function of distributing this false claim; people naturally reached that conclusion themselves. It made sense.
The Justice League was threatened, and so was the government. So all the collective superpowers wanted to quickly crush this nation that wanted to nurture metahumans to the best of their potential. It made a great deal of sense, so much so that even those of low intellect could understand this.
Still, this didn't bring humans to a collective decision, and Arias knew it was impossible to do so. But he certainly knew that a good majority of the public now also saw Markovia as the underdog and metahumans as the unfairly treated group.
And no matter how powerful a nation or organization was, when the foundations from which their power came grew unsteady, it would cause for concern. Concern that left no choice but to consolidate.
That very day, in the afternoon, various nations were quick to put across statements denying these claims. Some nations didn't change their stances on Markovia, while others became a bit more hesitant, stating they only wanted their citizens returned to them and their families, and other words of sophistry.
But in reality, it didn't matter what they did, as the point still remained: they were now hindered from progressing, and the public opinion had shifted.
The one most impressed by this was none other than Ra's al Ghul himself, who sat in his study in Nanda Parbat, listening to the report of the news that talked about the current world affairs.
He couldn't help but show a smile.
At this time, his daughter, Talia, who stood by his side, couldn't help but ask, "Is something the matter?"
Ra's al Ghul shook his head, "No, but let us keep observing the situation."
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