The Shadow Monarch In The Marvel World

{A/N: For this chapter and the following chapters, I kept erasing and trying something new. If you guys find yourselves having a hard time living it, I'm here to point out it was me powering through Writer's Block. 

Also, I planned to only have 2 people in the harem which is why MC came to DC for Raven. But on second thought, I realize that you guys might not like simply 2 harem members. I honestly don't care who joins, MC isn't much of a hero so even NTR is on a table... then again, The Human Torch and a few other heroes do go around doing such things, so it would be nothing new.

To those who don't know, there was this one comic that had the Human Torch sleeping with Doom's girl. Susan Storm is well known for cheating on Reed Richard, and Jean Grey is also a cheater, But the most messed up to me would be Gwen Stacy cheating on Spiderman with the Green Goblin and having his twins, and the list goes on... then again, Spiderman is always having girl problem. Like how MJ got stoke in a different dimension... I don't even want to explain that one. Poor Spider.}

"So… what was the whole chocolate thing about?"

Back at the Watchtower, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter observed Ashborn as he tapped away at a computer, sifting through the vast expanse of the World Wide Web in search of anything useful.

With Ashborn staying the night at the Watchtower, the Justice League's heavy hitters had decided to remain as well—just in case.

"I have this bag that can create food based on whatever I picture—as long as I pour enough energy into it," Ashborn said lazily, his fingers tapping away at the keyboard. "I made a chocolate bar and infused it with the energy equivalent to an entire city. So… it ended up as some godly-tier chocolate that overloaded her pleasure senses or whatever, and she went crazy."

His search continued. He scoured the internet for important things—One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball—only to be met with disappointment. They didn't exist here.

Flash suddenly appeared at his side. "What are you looking for?"

"Anime." Ashborn sighed, rubbing his chin. "But this omniverse doesn't have it…" He paused, his mind working through a realization. "Though, if what I think I know about infinity is true… that means somewhere out there in the multiverse, the anime I want does exist."

"Are we just gonna ignore the fact that he has a bag that can create godly food?" Green Lantern asked, baffled that no one seemed particularly concerned about this.

"The green guy has a point," Ashborn said, turning away from the computer. "Five minds are better than one. So, how about you all come up with some crazy ideas? I wanna see just how ridiculous the stuff I can create."

With a casual motion, he reached into his shadow and pulled out the bag.

Flash shrugged. "Alright… how about pizza that tastes amazing but also helps you lose weight?"

Ashborn gave him an approving nod as that was a smart idea. Without hesitation, he reached into the bag, focused for a moment, and then pulled out a pizza box, placing it on the table in front of them.

"… No way," Hal muttered in shock.

His ring had scanned the pizza, and sure enough, it was exactly what Flash had asked for—a delicious, weight-loss-inducing masterpiece.

The room fell into stunned silence before chaos erupted. One by one, wild food ideas were tossed around, ranging from the bizarre to the outright ridiculous. Even concepts beyond food, like potions that granted temporary buffs, were suggested—just to see if the bag had any limits.

As the excitement settled for a moment, Ashborn leaned back and asked casually, "How long have you guys even been part of the Justice League?"

"Oh, we came together about a year ago when Darkseid attacked," Flash answered. "After that, we started bringing in new members until we got to where we are today."

Ashborn nodded in understanding, filing away that piece of information.

"So… you guys haven't faced beings like Doomsday?" Ashborn asked.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. The name didn't seem to ring a bell for any of them. That caught Ashborn off guard.

"…Did Darkseid himself attack?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

They shook their heads.

"No, just his army," Superman answered. "We managed to push them back before he could arrive."

Superman suddenly frowned. "Wait—I thought you didn't know about this world?"

His gaze locked onto Ashborn, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"That's a secret," Ashborn said casually. "By the way, is Cyborg part of the Justice League or the Teen Titans?"

"He's a temporary member of the Justice League. He's not old enough to join officially," Flash explained.

The conversation continued, with Ashborn learning more about the League. They were still relatively new, but over the past year, they had gathered heroes from all over the world.

They had faced many dangerous threats, but nothing they couldn't handle. For now, Earth had been at peace.

So when Ashborn suddenly appeared, they were all quick to react…

"So… do you have a girlfriend or something back home?" Flash asked, breaking the silence. With things getting dull, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Nope," Ashborn replied without hesitation. "I was never the handsome type." He glanced at Superman. "Especially with guys like him running around. Hard to compete when someone looks like god took extra care of them when they were in the oven."

Sure, Ashborn had a high charm stat—but as far as he could tell, it had zero effect on his looks. At best, it probably boosted his persuasion, social manipulation, and mental resistance. But his actual appearance? Clearly beyond even the system's ability to improve.

Otherwise, why weren't zombies baddies throwing themselves at him?

Not that he wanted that, of course—he was just being honest. He was so ugly that even the undead didn't find him attractive… and he'd made peace with that.

He liked to think he looked like Sung Jinwoo, but deep down, he knew that might just be wishful thinking.

And that was fine. He wasn't here to win beauty contests—he was just grateful for everything he.

"…" Flash, Superman, and the rest of the group stared at Ashborn with blank expressions.

They had never seen someone so absurdly handsome talk about not being handsome before. Ashborn wasn't just good-looking—he was easily one of the most attractive people they had ever seen. And yet, here he was, claiming otherwise… even comparing himself to Superman, How was Superman supposed to feel about that?

"What?" Ashborn frowned, displeased by their looks. They were staring at him as if he were some hideous creature.

If they wanted to test him, he'd fight them. Just because he'd made peace with his looks didn't mean he was about to take this disrespect lying down.

"N-nothing," Flash stammered, struggling to find a response. He glanced around at the others, hoping for backup, but they all seemed just as awkward.

"I think you're handsome," Wonder Woman said casually. Ashborn, who had just lifted a slice of pizza to his mouth, froze mid-bite. 

How exactly was he supposed to react when his childhood crush called him handsome? Sure, she was probably just saying it to cheer him up… but still.

Before he could say anything, the room suddenly grew hot. Ashborn's gaze slowly shifted toward his shadow. A hand emerged, fingers curling over the edge like a predator creeping into the light. Ember pulled herself free, her glowing eyes locking onto Wonder Woman almost instantly.

"…" Ember and Wonder Woman locked eyes, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a blade. Meanwhile, Ashborn stared at Ember, utterly speechless.

Did she really hate him that much? Enough to react this strongly to someone giving him a half-assed compliment out of pity?

For a moment, he genuinely didn't know how to respond. He had always thought he and Ember were close—like those friends who were constantly bickering but, deep down, were inseparable.

But now… he wasn't so sure. Did Ember not see their relationship the same way? Were they actually friends… or what?

"She was just being nice. It's not like she even meant the compliment," Ashborn said with a frown.

Ember froze, her gaze snapping back to him. She opened her mouth to say something, but the displeasure in Ashborn's eyes made her pause. He had completely misunderstood the situation.

"I wasn't trying to be nice. I state facts," Wonder Woman declared. Without warning, she drew her sword and pointed it straight at Ashborn.

Ashborn blinked, stunned. Up until now, Wonder Woman had been mostly quiet, watching things unfold rather than getting involved. Now she had a blade to his face—for what? To force him into believing her?

What kind of hero was this? And more importantly—how was crime even still a thing if she was out here handling things like this?