"When power stands beside conviction, the measure of a hero is not in what they can do, but in what they choose not to."
---
The Watch Tower's observation deck overlooked Earth in silence, the curvature of the planet glowing beneath the League's feet.
King stood near the railing, scar catching the sun. He did not raise his voice. He did not make a gesture of dominance. Yet every League member felt the gravity of his presence.
The Debate Begins
"You demonstrate power beyond anything we've ever encountered. But power alone does not justify your methods. You act without oversight — without accountability." Said Superman.
"I act because action is necessary. Accountability exists in your understanding of law and procedure. I answer only to truth and consequence." Replied King without breaking eye contact.
"Yet justice is more than truth. It is ideals, compassion and the protection of life. How do you measure morality?" Asked Wonder Woman.
"By choice. By intention. By restraint. Life preserved through understanding is greater than life preserved through fear." Replied King.
"You claim restraint, but you've already intervened in Gotham in ways we cannot predict. You decide who lives, who changes, who is influenced. That is control." Argues Batman.
"Control is the byproduct of presence. Influence is the byproduct of choice. I neither seek one nor impose the other. I exist and they decide." Said King with unwavering conviction.
"Yet you alter outcomes simply by being there. That is unavoidable influence. Is that not a form of coercion?" Asks Martian Manhunter.
"Only if you perceive influence as coercion. A man who cannot be moved does not compel. He reveals. Choices remain theirs." Answered King.
"So, you're basically untouchable, but also… trying to be morally perfect?" Quips Flash.
King smiles faintly "Not perfect. Simply deliberate. Strength without deliberation is destruction. Morality is not perfection — it is awareness of consequence."
"What about the people you don't save? The decisions you don't make?" Asks Green Arrow while crossing his arm.
King looked at him. "Every inaction carries weight. That is why I act when action matters most. Lesser interventions are left to others — heroes, institutions, fate."
The Ideological Clash
"But can one man, however strong, bear the burden of choosing the right for others?" Wonder Woman asked.
King replied. "I do not choose right for them. I only act as my conscience dictates and allows them to witness the truth of choice."
"And if that choice conflicts with our ideals? With global consequences?" Asks Superman.
"Then we debate. Then we learn. Then we adjust. But the measure of power is not dominance — it is understanding, restraint and purpose." Replied King.
"You are not like anyone I've trained, fought, or allied with. You exist outside the rules that shape this world." Said Batman.
"Rules are tools. I am not bound by them — only by reason, consequence and choice. That is enough." King replied, his tone devoid of any emotions.
Martian Manhunter said after a pause "You teach without words, strike without violence and command without force. That… is frightening."
King answers. "Fear is the product of misunderstanding. Respect is the product of understanding. I offer the latter — the rest is a choice."
The League remained silent, absorbing the weight of King's words. Even Superman lowered his gaze. Wonder Woman's arms folded thoughtfully. Batman, ever analytical, simply studied him, silent for the first time in their encounter.
King finally stepped back from the railing, a subtle nod to the League. "I am not your enemy. I am not your soldier. I am a man who cannot be moved — by fear, by desire, by expectation. And that is all I need to be."
The Watch Tower hummed quietly, Earth turning below them. For the first time, the League realized that King's greatest power was not his strength, nor his invincibility — it was the indomitable nature of his mind and soul, challenging them to rethink the very foundation of heroism.
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