Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 221: Ch.220 Symbiosis

Chapter 221: Ch.220 Symbiosis

Su Ming was about 400 meters away from the left flank of the battlefield, where Master Gibbor and Druid were fighting. The surrounding buildings and vegetation had been reduced to rubble by the fighting, leaving a vast open space.

If Su Ming wanted to sneak across without being noticed, he would need to be a little clever.

He scratched the Magic Cloak draped over his neck, which had gone limp and was hanging listlessly behind his head.

"Cloak, can you change color?"

The Magic Cloak shook its collar, signaling that it couldn't.

If the wearer was a sorcerer, it had several accompanying spells that allowed it to change colors, alter its style, and transform into a suit or robe. It could even elongate, shorten, or turn into a scarf. Sorcerers could summon it across dimensions or control it remotely, but these features were reserved for sorcerers only.

The cloak had been found by the Ancient One, but it refused to acknowledge her as its master. It didn't like any of the disciples at Kamar-Taj either.

The Ancient One was too quiet and boring, and the other disciples lacked the skills and qualifications to wield such a treasure.

The Ancient One didn't force it and let it float in a glass case at the New York Sanctum, waiting for someone worthy.

But due to the recent dimensional collision, which affected the three Sanctums and temporarily drained its magic, the cloak was reactivated by Su Ming using the Manhattan gemstone.

"Can't even change color? What's the use of you?" Su Ming complained, flicking its collar.

His plan was to disguise himself as a corpse and 'slide' across the battlefield, but his brightly colored armor would make him stand out. Walking brazenly past hundreds of sorcerers wasn't an option.

He had hoped to cover himself with a cloth to blend in like a corpse beneath a rag, but it seemed the cloak's color-changing abilities were sorcerer-exclusive.

If the cloak had a mouth, it would surely grumble. How many sorcerers had considered it a priceless treasure, yet here it was, reduced to a useless object in the hands of a brute who didn't even know magic?

The cloak, feeling indignant, tried to lift Su Ming off the ground to air-drop him directly beside Druid.

However, Su Ming clung tightly to the broken wall he was using as cover. Despite the cloak's attempts to pull him, he didn't budge.

These sorcerers were nothing like the bugs they had fought before. The bugs didn't have ranged attacks, so an air-drop was no problem. But in a battle of black magic, elemental spells like lightning, ice, fire, and curses could be thrown at a moment's notice. Even though the cloak and the Icon armor offered some resistance to magic, it wasn't wise to charge headfirst into unknown spells.

Speaking of color-changing, Su Ming remembered something he'd picked up earlier that could do just that.

He reached into his gear pouch and pulled out the symbiote, which now resembled a solid, rectangular black brick, sitting obediently.

If it weren't for the toothy, wide mouth on it, Su Ming might have believed it was harmless.

He patted the cloak, sending it off to play with Holloway for a while.

Then, holding the symbiote in front of him, he said, "Listen, I know you can understand human speech. Now, I need you to turn into a rag."

The symbiote complied, but what it became looked more like a piece of slick leather—shiny and far too small to cover Su Ming's entire body.

Su Ming understood what was going on. It needed a host and energy, or Earth's gravity would gradually weaken it until it eventually died.

Without hesitation, Su Ming removed his Icon armor. With the X-metal exoskeleton inside him, he wasn't too worried about losing protection.

Originally, he had planned to study the symbiote later, but now it seemed he'd need to move up the timeline.

Once he had the idea and deemed it feasible, there was no need to hesitate. Overthinking in battle leads to missed opportunities.

"Alright, let's do this. Bond with me," Su Ming said as he pressed the symbiote against his chest. The cold sensation sent chills through his body. "But I'm warning you, there are some places on the human body you shouldn't enter. Otherwise, I'll roast you over a fire for a hundred years."

Whether the symbiote understood or not, it rapidly liquefied, spreading over Su Ming's body like tar. It sprouted countless sharp tendrils that penetrated his spine, muscles, and nerves, linking its nervous system to his.

The process was agonizing. Though Su Ming was used to enduring pain without making a sound, sweat still dripped from his forehead.

However, the discomfort soon vanished. He and the symbiote had become one, with no sense of cumbersome clothing. Instead, he felt incredible power surging through his body.

He could feel the wind against his skin, sense the faint tremors in the ground, smell through his skin, and shape-shift at will.

In short, he felt invincible.

There were no strength-testing machines around, but Su Ming felt like he could destroy worlds.

If Superman showed up now, Su Ming thought, he could punch him from Metropolis all the way to the Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole.

However, in the next moment, his rational mind kicked in, and Su Ming calmed down, realizing the symbiote was influencing him.

His current strength didn't exceed 100 tons. The symbiote had just bonded with him and hadn't fully recovered its peak state. He wasn't anywhere near Superman's level—he'd be lucky to beat Aquaman at this point.

The symbiote gave its hosts an inflated sense of confidence, making them overestimate their abilities.

Frowning, Su Ming patted his chest, which was more like hitting the symbiote, though it looked like he was hitting himself.

"I know I'm probably the strongest host you've ever had, but there's always someone stronger. Keep your crazy thoughts in check."

As soon as he said it, the exaggerated ideas disappeared, and the symbiote settled down.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he could control it. The symbiote wasn't too experienced, having only had a few hosts, so its mind was still relatively simple. It had occasional impulses and emotions that Su Ming could suppress.

The symbiote's influence was stronger than expected, but if it had been Venom, polluted by Deadpool, Su Ming knew he would've gone insane.

Still, there was a lingering issue. The symbiote could tap into a host's inner thoughts, amplifying their darker or bloodthirsty desires.

Many symbiote hosts became lost in their lust for violence, turning into slaves to power, puppets of the symbiote. Su Ming would have to be cautious about using his deadly skills without succumbing to those urges.

For now, though, the benefits outweighed the risks. Su Ming gained a shape-shifting body and greatly enhanced regeneration. He just needed to train in syncing the X-metal with the symbiote.

The symbiote's healing was usually patchwork, filling in gaps in the host's body with its own tissue. After separation, the host was often left half-dead. But this symbiote had shared its liquid healing ability with Su Ming, a result of its magical modification.

"Cough, cough... Deathstroke, are you okay?"

Su Ming turned to see Holloway watching him with a wary expression. His mouth hung open, as if he had just witnessed something shocking.

And no wonder—he had just watched a liquid monster 'devour' a living person, complete with spraying blood and flying slime. That Holloway hadn't screamed was a testament to his willpower.

Currently, Deathstroke's suit was still black and yellow, but his face now sported a large, fanged mouth, and a tongue flicked out like a serpent's.

Su Ming nodded, grabbing the tongue and stuffing it back into his mouth as he mumbled, "Not bad."

"Phew... as long as you're still you," Holloway said, relieved. The idea of Deathstroke turning into a full-blown monster was too much to bear.

"Don't worry. The symbiote is safest with me... probably."

"I get it, but still, be cautious," Holloway warned. The creature was no joke, and Deathstroke's muscles had swelled to more than twice their size, making him look like he was made of nothing but muscle.

Su Ming smiled and patted Holloway on the shoulder, though with the symbiote's menacing grin, the smile looked terrifying. He appreciated the concern, but Deathstroke didn't need anyone's approval.

With a thought, the X-metal and the symbiote worked together. Su Ming's neck stretched like a periscope, peeking over the cover to reassess the battlefield.

In the time it took for the symbiosis, things had unfolded as Su Ming predicted—the tide of battle was turning in favor of the black magic sorcerers.

The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were visibly exhausted, and several had suffered magical backlash after casting their spells. Su Ming needed to join the fight quickly.