Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 121: Ch.120 Reinforcements Arrive

Chapter 121: Ch.120 Reinforcements Arrive

The pillar of light came as quickly as it went. The intense tremors soon subsided as Barbatos used his dark energy to stabilize Challenger Mountain, which was the base of the Cosmic Tuning Fork—he still needed it.

Su Ming got up, dusting off the ash from his body. Not far in front of him was a massive crater, as if a comet had struck the Earth. There was no trace of the Murder Machine—only black lava remained on the ground.

Superman landed beside Su Ming, the two of them standing off against the distant army of villains. Zeus's intervention at a god-level had clearly intimidated them, leaving them momentarily uncertain.

"How are you holding up, Slade?"

"Not a scratch. You handle these guys—I'm going to find Barry."

Su Ming didn't waste words, grabbing his large sword and heading toward another battlefield nearby.

In the sky, Zeus seemed to cast a deep gaze at Barbatos before disappearing with the other gods, leaving Gotham shrouded in darkness once more.

As the golden light dissipated, Su Ming noticed that Challenger Mountain had now fully entered the Dark Multiverse. The surrounding scenery gradually took on a cosmic environment, with visible planets and colorful nebulae. Various Earths from different universes were also growing larger in his field of vision.

Maybe the Prime Earth was still stuck in the rift of the Blood Realm, but time was running out. Although Su Ming had completed his original objectives, the Justice League was still at a disadvantage on the battlefield, shattering his hopes of taking it easy.

If Superman were replaced by Ultraman at this moment, the situation might improve drastically. But Superman's refusal to use lethal force against these alternate-universe villains left Su Ming somewhat speechless.

Bruce was likely still waiting for the right moment, hiding where no one could find him. Su Ming decided to help Barry first, to free their speedster.

Finding Barry wasn't hard—wherever enemies inexplicably tripped, that's where he was.

Su Ming stretched his shoulders, picked up the phone he had dropped, and silently cut his way through the enemies with his large sword until he spotted The Drowned.

He didn't know which version of Batman this was or what tragic fate he had endured. All he needed to know was that he was the enemy, and that was enough.

Su Ming wasn't some saint. No matter how much suffering the enemy had gone through, it wasn't his concern. If given the chance, Su Ming might study these tragic experiences thoroughly, as they could reveal psychological weaknesses he could exploit.

Killing them by exploiting these weaknesses, thus sparing them future torment, was the greatest mercy Deathstroke could offer.

To be honest, this battlefield was not suitable for The Drowned.

Firstly, this was a small plateau on a mountain, with no water around. The Drowned's body, modified for underwater combat, was completely out of place here.

Secondly, the dead water army he could spew from within—a group of genetically engineered liquid creatures—was only formidable near water or the sea. Barry's speed prevented him from even summoning them.

Every time The Drowned opened his mouth to release the dead water, Barry would punch him in the jaw, almost making him bite off his own tongue.

But seeing that The Drowned wasn't Bryce Wayne, Su Ming felt a fleeting sense of relief, knowing his efforts on Earth -11 hadn't been in vain. Still, that emotion quickly passed, as his focus remained on the battlefield.

He didn't rush into battle, instead dealing with nearby grunts while carefully observing the fight between Barry and The Drowned from a distance, secretly noting a few things.

Unlike his previous battle against Queen Mera, Su Ming now had much better weapons, and The Drowned could be killed. He was clearly suffering from being out of his element—his special abilities were entirely useless, leaving him as just a modified version of Batman.

An underwater-type cyborg was no different from a regular person to Su Ming on land. As a master of weapons, dealing with a hand-to-hand combatant like this was child's play.

"Barry, hit him in the ulnar nerve under his elbow!"

Amid the chaotic battle, Su Ming suddenly shouted to Barry.

Although he couldn't see Barry clearly, only a faint shadow and a ball of electricity, Su Ming didn't hesitate to leap from the crowd, lunging toward The Drowned with his sword raised, ready to strike.

The ulnar nerve groove, known in layman's terms as the "funny bone," is that sensitive spot under the elbow.

While Barry was a forensic scientist, his expertise lay in evidence analysis, such as studying chemical compositions and ballistics. Anatomy was more the domain of a medical examiner.

However, Barry had always been good at cramming when necessary.

He quickly sped to Gotham's library, reading everything on human anatomy, traditional Chinese medicine meridian theory, massage, and acupuncture.

By the time he returned to the battlefield, everyone else seemed frozen, barely moving, except for Deathstroke, who was at least showing some signs of movement.

Su Ming might not have realized it, or perhaps he did but chose not to mention it, but Barry had noticed several times that Deathstroke's compatibility with the Speed Force was increasing, making him faster. Although he wasn't a speedster, he was now much faster than an ordinary person.

Previously, as a super soldier, speed wasn't one of Deathstroke's strengths—he could run 100 meters in about four seconds.

But after working together for a while, Barry noticed that Deathstroke was getting faster and had recently made a significant leap. If he were to run 100 meters now, he could do it in just over half a second.

Running nearly ten kilometers in a minute was an impressive speed for someone without superpowers. Even if this burst speed was short-lived, it gave him a considerable advantage.

Reaching such speeds with just physical strength, without the Speed Force or other superpowers, puzzled Barry.

But Barry wasn't Batman—he didn't dwell on it. As long as Deathstroke was on the side of the Justice League, the stronger, the better.

Before The Drowned could react, or more accurately, before his brain could process what was happening, his elbow joints suddenly felt a sharp impact. Barry had also targeted other sensitive nerve spots, like the deltoid muscle on the shoulder and the deep layers behind the knee.

He hit them all with precision.

To move freely underwater, The Drowned had the thinnest armor of all the Nightmare Batmen. Not wearing heavy armor had its drawbacks—he was vulnerable to hand-to-hand attacks.

After Barry's quick "full-body massage," The Drowned's body went numb. His brain couldn't command his body, and the pain and numbness made him go limp, dropping his barnacle-covered trident with a clatter.

At that moment, Su Ming descended from above, his black sword glittering with starlight.

The Drowned did react, attempting to dodge, but Su Ming wasn't an ordinary warrior. Every possible angle and direction The Drowned could evade had already been calculated and sealed off.

The fact that The Drowned chose to fight on a mountain was a fatal mistake.

The sword in Su Ming's hand was already exceptional, and after being coated in Nth Metal, it became one of the most powerful artifacts in the DC Universe.

With one swing, he not only severed The Drowned's arm but also split his head and body in two, sending white and red matter spraying out like a fountain of silken tofu.

Barry, who was standing not far away, saw everything clearly—the blood mist and eyeballs spinning right before him. Finally, he exited the Speed Force, grabbed Su Ming's arm, and began to vomit.

That's the drawback of the Speed Force—what should have been a momentary process lingered, allowing Barry to witness the gruesome scene in excruciating detail, as if it were frozen in time just for him.

He couldn't handle the shock, and the little bit of canned food in his stomach came back up.

"Ugh... wait, give me a moment."

Su Ming looked at the surrounding enemies closing in, feeling a bit helpless. There was no such thing as a safe place to rest on the battlefield.

"Godkiller, tower shield."

He drew the Godkiller, and with a thought, the scimitar transformed into a massive, semi-transparent tower shield, shielding the two of them. Various ranged attacks rained down on the shield, creating bursts of colorful light.

Fortunately, with the Godkiller's strength, it could withstand this level of assault for a long time. These divine weapons were indeed handy—this event had already made Su Ming's acquisition of them worthwhile.

Just then, a massive golden warship appeared at the mountaintop, with a group of people jumping out like dumplings, joining the battle.

Su Ming patted Barry on the back to help him feel better. "It's the Sky Carrier. Our reinforcements have arrived."

This warship was the Sky Carrier, which the Council of Eternity had taken from the Watchers. After their previous mission on Blackhawk Island, the three had dealt with the Blackhawk Squadron, and then Gorilla Detective, Red Tornado, and Raven, among others, defected from the Council, deciding not to play their game anymore. They piloted the Sky Carrier across the multiverse to gather reinforcements, arriving just in time.

The reinforcements included all the Justice Leagues from the Light Multiverse and some other heroes from alternate worlds. After Diana signaled them with her bracelets, they had gathered and rushed to the battlefield on the Sky Carrier.

Seeing nearly forty differently dressed Supermen flying out of the ship, Su Ming knew they could temporarily gain the

upper hand on the battlefield, but it wouldn't last long.

None of these Supermen had Nth Metal, and Barbatos surely had already prepared a countermeasure for them.

But Su Ming needed to see Barbatos's next move before deciding on his own tactics. The initial plan was now obsolete—he'd have to adapt on the fly.

As he pondered, several Dianas landed around Su Ming and Barry, helping to clear the surrounding enemies and forming a thin battle line.

These Dianas varied in age, appearance, height, and attire. One even had sharp little fangs, clearly from a vampire universe.

Despite their small number, they held back the tide of enemies rushing in.

Then, a golden door appeared beside the two, shining brilliantly. Doctor Fate had arrived with the survivors of the Gotham Resistance—some of the Teen Titans and a few members of the Birds of Prey. And finally... Constantine.

"Constantine, well, well, what a small world. Any last words?" Su Ming transformed the Godkiller into a spear and playfully poked Constantine's neck with the tip.

This guy's scroll had been a trick, and the protective circle that was supposed to last three days hadn't even been reliable. If Su Ming hadn't been prepared for Constantine's antics, he'd have been in serious trouble this time.

Cough, cough. "I'm so badly injured. We were ambushed by the Dark Knights. I'm about to die," Constantine moaned, not waiting for Su Ming to say anything, before collapsing and pretending to be dead.

His acting was so unconvincing—if he had internal injuries, why was he holding his head?

Su Ming didn't bother arguing with him. Things were too chaotic now. The battle had intensified with the arrival of reinforcements, surrounded by explosions and flames. He'd settle things with Constantine later.

Aside from Constantine, everyone else joined the battle as soon as they arrived. Although they couldn't completely neutralize the enemy's numerical advantage, they had taken the upper hand in combat effectiveness.

But Barbatos, perched atop the Cosmic Tuning Fork, continued to watch the battlefield with an air of indifference, as if none of them were worth his attention. A low, eerie laugh echoed from beneath his black cloak.