Faced with a great demon like Basha, members of the Justice League in the second and third tiers of strength knew their place. They did not foolishly challenge Basha but remained in the flooded city, engaging in a battle of wits with the Trench creatures while rescuing those in need.
The Justice League members who directly confronted Basha were the usual veterans.
These included Batman, who had just made a move, as well as veteran members like The Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Captain Atom, Red Tornado, Monarch, and Zatanna.
Facing a multitude of Basha's clones, Cyborg, Captain Atom, and Red Tornado initiated the assault, clearing out a wave with large-scale AoE skills. Following that, the other superheroes interspersed themselves into the battlefield, each finding their own opponents, supporting and assisting each other.
Zatanna, in particular, having just broken free from Doctor Fate's control, was a perfect match for Basha, who was also a magic user. Although not a match for Basha's true form, she could handle clearing out these clones and slightly suppress Basha's influence on the weather with ease.
As the Justice League joined the fray, the tide of the battle gradually began to turn, allowing S.H.I.E.L.D. to shift its focus from confronting Basha to personnel rescue.
Just as everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction, another unexpected event occurred.
Basha's initial attack on human cities was to abduct populations and cultivate her own forces on a large scale.
In the beginning, everything went very smoothly. Despite humans desperately fighting for their lives, a large number of them were dragged into the water by the Trench creatures and taken away. However, with the intervention of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Justice League, the situation began to change.
The number of Trench creatures on their side was increasing, while the number of captured humans was decreasing. Even with Basha deploying numerous clones and destroying a third of the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier, the situation did not improve.
Frustrated, Basha could no longer sit still. She intensified the magical output of her clones, making them stronger and more difficult to deal with. Basha even mingled among these clones, launching surprise attacks on Justice League members.
As Basha continued her "trickster" tactics, more and more Justice League members were heavily injured and forced to withdraw from the battlefield. Several even narrowly escaped death.
Batman, observing the entire battlefield from his fighter jet, frowned. He could clearly sense that this Water Demon was weaker than any he had encountered before.
If Superman were present, along with appropriate magical support, they could quickly repel her, perhaps even permanently eliminate her. However, Superman was currently recuperating in the Fortress of Solitude, severely injured from his battle with the Holy Lord, which had led to the current stalemate.
Watching his teammates fall one by one and be forced out of the fight, Batman felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. If he didn't think of a solution soon, they would be picked off one by one. Moreover, as time dragged on, Basha grew increasingly agitated, her surprise attacks becoming more frequent. She even stopped hiding and used her water magic to directly eliminate several members, her intent clear: to end the battle quickly.
At this critical juncture, Hal, the main damage dealer, the Green Lantern, seemed to suffer a mental attack. His vision darkened, and he plummeted into the sea with a splash.
The battlefield was in chaos at the moment, and no one noticed Hal falling into the water. It was his old flame, Hawkgirl, who first noticed Hal's absence.
Sensing something was wrong, she dove into the sea and found Hal unconscious and sinking.
Seeing this, Hawkgirl did not hesitate. She quickly swam to Hal's side and, with one arm around the unconscious hero, swam rapidly towards the surface.
After such a long time, Basha had not managed to defeat even a single Justice League member, and she was furious. Now, seeing such a prime opportunity, she would not let it pass.
Instantly, over a dozen of Basha's clones surged towards Hawkgirl and Hal.
With one arm occupied by the unconscious Hal and fighting underwater, Hawkgirl's combat effectiveness was greatly diminished. Furthermore, Basha knew the weakness of these land-dwelling, lung-breathing "monkeys." She didn't need to attack directly; she only needed to stall them, and they would eventually suffocate.
This was precisely what happened. As time wore on, Hawkgirl's oxygen began to run out, and her vision blurred. Above her, a large number of Basha's clones blocked her escape, and the fight with them further depleted her already scarce oxygen. The only one who could help her escape this predicament was still unconscious in her arms.
Just as Hawkgirl was being overwhelmed by Basha's clones and was on the verge of death, a blinding green light suddenly erupted. Wherever the green light passed, Basha's clones dissolved.
Yes, Hal had woken up. Not only had he dispersed the numerous Basha clones with the power of his ring, but he had also encased himself and Hawkgirl, shielding them from the seawater.
However, Hawkgirl was too weak at the moment to notice Hal's awakening, his eyes now consumed by terrifying darkness.
Carrying Hawkgirl out of the sea and handing her over to the nearby Red Tornado, Hal rejoined the battle.
But compared to the beginning, Hal's fighting style was far more ferocious.
The other teammates naturally attributed Hal's change to the unconscious Hawkgirl, as their relationship was obvious to everyone in the League.
Even the creatures manifested by his ring were becoming increasingly wild.
Having served in the air force before, Hal previously used his ring to conjure fighter jets, missiles, or robots in battle. But now, the creatures Hal conjured were giant octopus tentacles, terrifying spherical beings with dozens of mouths, or grotesque monsters of unknown origin.
Yet, one had to admit, although the creatures Hal now conjured were ugly, their power had greatly increased compared to before. The teammates did not question it deeply, merely assuming that as a Green Lantern who traversed the universe, Hal might have encountered these creatures on other planets.
A spherical monster conjured by the ring swallowed several of Basha's clones whole. With its powerful jaws, it masticated them into puddles of seawater, which were then expelled.
However, unlike before, the dark energy that composed the clones did not return to the main body upon their destruction. Instead, it was absorbed by the ring.
Initially, Basha did not notice. But as Hal rampaged through the battlefield, Basha gradually realized the seriousness of the problem.
While the primary component of her clones was water, their core was Basha's dark energy. Although each clone required only a small amount of dark energy, and the energy used to create the clones would return to Basha's body after their destruction, Basha, who already had limited dark energy reserves, dared to create clones on such a massive scale.