"I think you're right." Before the Primary Universe Batman left, Ben looked at him and said, "If we don't unite, our universe will surely be powerless in the face of the multiverse's disasters. Humankind has been able to overcome one powerful enemy after another and stand at the top of the food chain through teamwork. If you have any plans, be sure to count me in."
The Primary Universe Batman nodded. Before this, Ben had always been a neutral Batman. Although he didn't like Night Owl, he also didn't like dealing with other Batmen, always acting alone and even resenting forming cliques.
But after this incident, he was preparing to fully side with the Primary Universe Batman. If the Batmen of the multiverse must unite and choose a leader, then the Primary Universe Batman is undoubtedly the one.
Before this incident, perhaps Night Owl still had a chance to fight. But looking at the entire Ultron invasion event, the Primary Universe Batman's performance was impeccable. He reacted quickly, commanded properly, made decisive decisions, not only becoming the first in the multiverse to build a complete magical defense network but also having the capacity to support other universes and help anyone in need. Regardless of ability or moral standards, he lives up to the title of Primary Universe Batman.
In contrast, Night Owl was silent from the start. Those evil Batmen who joined his camp were quite unlucky, not getting any help from start to finish, hardly exchanging information, and now instead becoming a breakthrough point for the multiverse.
So, Ben had no other choice but to join the Multiverse Alliance; only then could his universe more effectively resist disasters. Every Batman, when making such decisions, would not let personal preferences interfere with the bigger picture. Even if they prefer to act alone, they must make rational decisions and the most beneficial choices.
Just as the Primary Universe Batman returned to his own universe, Beihan Batman came over, accompanied by a Batman in a blue cloak, also a Batman from the cartoon. They both looked quite lively, seeming to have forged a deep friendship recently.
"Bro, we are ready to join you," the blue cape Batman from the animation said, "This thing really took a toll on us; if we don't find some good partners, my universe is going to be torn apart by them. You're willing to let us join, right?"
The Primary Universe Batman patted his arm and said, "It's never too late. Unity doesn't happen overnight; each individual's joining contributes to the group's strength. I never refuse friends who want to contribute to the group."
Beihan sighed and said, "If we had realized this sooner, it would have been better. Honestly, before this, I never thought there could be an enemy strong enough to invade so many universes at once, causing quite some trouble for everyone. But from the current situation, this might just be an appetizer."
The Primary Universe Batman nodded, sat them down, and then said, "Ultron invaded from another world; after all, it is not a native existence and inevitably has significant weaknesses, with a universal solution to deal with him. But the enemies we will face later won't be so easy to handle, and what awaits us are battle after battle."
"What do you plan to do?" Beihan leaned forward and asked.
"We must find a way to train the troops. Ultron isn't enough; he's not comprehensive, and magic power completely restrains him, leaving others' abilities unused. Also, the chaos here has only just ended, and we need time to recover."
"You mean..."
"We're going to have a battle next door," the Primary Universe Batman clasped his fingers together, "First, since Ultron came over here and caused us losses, it's only fair for us to trouble them; second, fighting over there, although logistics support will be difficult, we need to consider the worst-case scenarios, where almost everyone's powers can't be replenished, resources are exhausted, and the enemy is especially comprehensive and powerful—can we still repel them?"
Beihan opened his mouth and said, "I think training the troops is necessary, but isn't the opponent you're choosing too strong? Do you really think we can fight against the neighboring world's superheroes and mutants?"
The Primary Universe Batman shook his head and said, "If we launch a full-scale war, we have more than just the Justice League on our side, and we're not completely unprepared. But this time, we're not causing such a large commotion, just conducting limited training. They won't want a do-or-die situation with us either, so there will be restraint."
"Sounds like you've had this planned," the Blue Bat said, "What about the venue? Which universe would allow a large group of us to go over and wage a war? Wouldn't it end up in a do-or-die situation?"
"If it's the universe of the mastermind, they would surely resist desperately. But if the fight is arranged in another universe, where both sides can withdraw if they can't win, it won't be so extreme."
"Which third-party universe would be willing?"
"There's never a shortage of madmen in the multiverse," the Primary Universe Batman said with a hint of implication, "especially greedy madmen."
As the Batmen gradually left the Prime Universe, they all returned to their own universes, starting to fully construct their magical defense networks. For those Batmen with lesser capabilities or in less favorable universes, the Primary Universe Batman also lent them interest-free loans to help them construct a basic version of the magical defense network.
Although everyone was building magical defense networks, there were varying levels of strength. The vast majority were not constructing full versions because the energy required was just too much. Most just set up a framework, which simply involved erecting a few pillars to hold up a shield to prevent external energy invasions. As for monitoring functionalities, there were basically none, and even the switches were manual, temporarily only capable of defending against Ultron.
It's not that the Batmen didn't want to build the highest-level defense at once, but besides the need for energy, it also required constructing supports. Most Batmen, unlike the Supreme Magician who was born so early, did not have the authority akin to a president, meaning the supports had to be hidden here and there, sometimes only establishing temporary temples. In summary, the conditions were tough, so they had to make do.
In contrast, the magical defense network in the Prime Universe was considered luxurious. Not only did the Supreme Magician guide personally, but after a major cosmic battle, the amount of energy seized was countless, allowing them to install all possible plugins and functions, making it second only to Marvel's official version, and even better than some of Marvel's individual universe magical defense networks.
Thus, although basically, every Earth had such a thing, the Prime Universe remained the undisputed safe house. In situations where Battleworld might not be so secure, Batmen were more willing to come to the Prime Universe for discussions.
After the construction of the magical defense network, more than half of the neutral Batmen began to waver, and many, like Ben, directly pledged allegiance. Some expressed that while they wouldn't fully join, they would follow orders in emergencies.
The remaining ones actually didn't matter much. In such situations, those who couldn't see the situation clearly either had something wrong mentally or weren't very sober. Even if they joined, they would only cause trouble during decision-making. Rather than striving for them, it was better to list them among those in need, ensuring support in case of an incident.
Thus, the camp of the Primary Universe Batman greatly expanded, essentially unifying the multiverse. With the establishment of the magical defense network, most of the Ultrons couldn't make any waves. The events gradually moved to the next phase, which was preparing for potentially more severe multiverse invasion events in the future.
On this day, the Batmen gathered again in the Justice Hall of the Prime Universe, and as the Primary Universe Batman stood in the center, scanning them, he said:
"I believe everyone is already aware of my training plan. Initiating wars and resorting to violence is not my intention; invading other universes is evil. But if under mutual understanding, we engage in some sparring that doesn't harm the innocent, it can help avoid greater losses in the future. I believe you all agree with this."
The Batmen below exchanged hushed discussions, mostly nodding, acknowledging the words of the Primary Universe Batman. After the Ultron incident, they understood that when facing a multiverse invasion, hiding was never an option; even burying one's head in the sand would only lead to being dug out and decapitated. It was better to flap their wings more; maybe not to fly, but at least give a slap when invaders came.
"Since we've reached such a consensus, let's discuss some details. First, although this is a training, we have enough reason to help our neighboring universe recognize the importance of experimental safety, the root cause of these series of events. Overall, don't hold back too much; it's best if we can teach them a lesson."
"Of course," a Batman folded his arms and said, "Ultron scared Barbara in my universe pretty badly, so I certainly want to show them some colors. As long as there's no fatality, I'll beat those mad scientists to their limits."
Other Batmen echoed the sentiment. It was impossible to say there wasn't any anger. If this thing came from one of them, it would be different, but it came from the neighboring universe, making them innocent victims. If they didn't show the other side some colors, one might come today and another tomorrow; how could life go on?
"Battleworld also has to take responsibility," Arkham Batman said, "If they hadn't been lax in control, this wouldn't have come to our universe. We can take this opportunity to lay down conditions and have those administrators back us up."
"That's what I was thinking," the Primary Universe Batman said, "I'll apply for us to go over in the form of a Battleworld mission, allowing us to revive in Battleworld after death, giving everyone one life, then retreat after the fight, preventing war expansion."
Batmen obviously agreed more with this mode. If there were real deaths, they might not dare to take action, unable to exert full strength. When real invasion events occur, lacking the experience to fight desperately, the drills would be meaningless.
And if there were infinite revivals, the war would get more intense, possibly kindling a real fire that would be hard to extinguish in the end. A one-life limitation could effectively prevent the escalation of events.
"The neighboring world might do the same," the Primary Universe Batman said, "They also have administrators; we need not worry about cosmic parameters and capability usage."
"Let's study the strategy," Blue Bat said, rubbing his hands, "You should have data on the neighboring world's superheroes, right? Even if it's just an exercise, we must be cautious. Let me see how we should fight."
The Primary Universe Batman didn't refuse, distributing all the data and projecting it with a projector. The Batmen began analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the superheroes one by one.