Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 54: Ch.53 Finally Meeting

Chapter 54: Ch.53 Finally Meeting

The dim room was filled with silence. Aside from the two Deathstrokes being confident, the other three were nervously watching their surroundings. Only the crackling of the logs in the fireplace could be heard, the flames still roaring but destined to turn to embers.

"You're right, nothing can hide in the shadows forever, not even me."

A mature, raspy female voice rang out from the direction Cindy had pointed her gun earlier. Suddenly, as if out of thin air, two people appeared, with golden lightning slowly fading from their black uniforms.

It was Batwoman. She wore a slightly different Bat-suit, her dark blue eyes studying Su Ming from behind her mask.

As she had suspected, this Deathstroke didn't belong to this world. He not only knew about her but also knew about Barry, who came from another world. He seemed prepared yet not hostile, and judging by his tone, he even seemed pleased.

In fact, they had just arrived. After reaching the Indian Hill underground lab, they followed the trail of bodies left by Su Ming and his group. Once they entered the room, they hid inside, as Su Ming had mentioned, Barry wrapped both of them in the Speed Force, running along the walls of the room. By moving at such high speed, they wouldn't leave an image on the retina, achieving a state of "invisibility."

However, Su Ming still noticed them. Once he consciously considered this possibility, it was easy for him to connect the dots to the Flash. After all, during the Metal event, Barry was the one tasked with reaching out to the Multiverse for reinforcements.

But... his aim should have been the Multiverse, like Earth-2, Earth-12, or Earth-42. Why was he in the Dark Multiverse?

The timing was also off. At this point, Barbatos hadn't yet gathered the Dark Knights nor begun his attack on the Light Multiverse. In the main world right now, everyone except Batman should be living their normal lives.

It seemed something had gone wrong with the Speed Force.

As a higher-dimensional power in the DC Universe, the Speed Force was indeed extremely dangerous. Speedsters could harness its power, but it could also consume any one of them.

Barry caused the Flashpoint event, resetting the Multiverse. Later, in other events, he disappeared into the Speed Force for a long time, and everyone thought he was dead.

His nephew, Wally, Kid Flash, the third Flash, was also trapped in the Speed Force for ten years.

Villains who used the Speed Force almost all died within it.

Generations of Flashes used a power they didn't fully understand to be superheroes. One had to admit that the Allens had nerves of steel and were willing to sacrifice their lives to do good.

In the realm of Bullet Time, when Su Ming mentioned ways to deal with speedsters, Barry's face stiffened. The methods Su Ming spoke of had indeed been proven effective by Deathstroke in the main world. As another Deathstroke, he could easily replicate them if he wanted.

And Barry didn't have Wally's accelerated cellular regeneration. Each person gained a unique and random ability from the Speed Force. Taking a stab wound would be no easy feat for him.

Though Deathstroke appeared slow, when necessary, he could be just as fast in his movements, especially when drawing his blade.

Batwoman naturally noticed this as well, sensing Barry's surprise.

"He's telling the truth?"

"Yes, if it's the Deathstroke from our side, he's defeated speedsters before, more than once... There are also civilians here. I'm not confident I can save them while facing Deathstroke and an explosion."

"Then we leave. Switch to Plan B."

Su Ming was also observing Batwoman. He had to admit she felt more dangerous than Bruce from the main universe. She exuded a darker aura and appeared more ruthless.

Bruce from the main world wouldn't get involved in various power struggles, but Batwoman had a hand in both the Amazon-Atlantean war.

The dark environment of the Dark Multiverse had deeply influenced her.

But Earth Negative 11 still had hope, unlike the other Dark Knights' worlds. Though it hadn't shattered to become part of the World Forge, life here had gone extinct. Perhaps in tens of thousands of years, Earth would evolve new life again.

This gave Su Ming confidence. He could secretly protect this place as long as Barbatos didn't notice and didn't draw the attention of the Dark Knights.

"Batwoman, you made it quite difficult for us to find you. But with Barry by your side, I suppose I don't need to explain much?" Su Ming pushed a glass toward her, motioning for her to sit down. He changed his original plan, deciding to use the backup one instead. "But Barry, could you go downstairs and bring up an old man? He's probably planning to blow up all of Gotham."

"Oh, though we don't know each other, let's talk later... Alright, how did you know about me?"

He gave Su Ming a puzzled look but quickly found the entrance to the underground. In a flash, he returned twice, bringing up Falcone, Sofia, and Gordon.

He recognized Gordon, so he placed him on the sofa. As for the Falcone father-daughter duo, they were knocked out and thrown on the floor, covered in feathers from the pillow, looking like they had turned into poultry.

Poor Gotham villains—they might stand a chance against a regular Batwoman, but against true superpowered beings, they were outmatched. Aside from Aquaman's dim-wittedness, every other Justice League member should be able to handle Gotham's problems with ease.

That's how it was in DC. The Flash faced speedster villains, Wonder Woman faced mythological figures, Green Lantern faced aliens, and Batman faced lunatics.

If the Justice League switched villains, anyone could solve the others' problems effortlessly.

"Dad!"

Barbara wheeled herself to Gordon's side. Gordon, still dazed, grasped her hand in disbelief, feeling the warmth there.

"You... Barbara, are you alright? You're still alive?"

"Yes, Dad, Deathstroke helped me." Barbara cried as she hugged him.

"That's great, that's great..." Tears streamed down Gordon's face as he held his daughter tightly. "I thought you were dead. I didn't know what I'd do without you."

Batwoman sat down on the sofa. She didn't reach for the drink or teapot but watched the two Deathstrokes sitting side by side, lost in thought. Yet, she spoke to Gordon.

"Actually, if you'd calmly analyzed the situation, you would've noticed the bullet's trajectory was off, and there was no blood spray."

"Batwoman..." Gordon looked conflicted. He didn't want her to return, as she had said it would bring danger to the world. But he had to admit, seeing her now was a relief.

"Cough, cough, Gordon, first of all, we're the ones who saved Barbara. Secondly, we're the ones who came to rescue you first. So if you're looking gratefully at Batwoman, you're thanking the wrong person."

Cindy pouted, knocking the long knife against her leg armor in protest.

"..."

Gordon's expression turned even stranger. Deathstroke had always been a top criminal in Gotham, but he realized he had no position or power to arrest her now.

"The cost of rescuing Commissioner Gordon, I'll settle that with you. Cash or transfer, it's your choice," Batwoman interjected. She leaned back on the sofa, hiding her face in the shadows, fingers interlaced before her as she stared at Su Ming. "So who exactly are you? And what do you know?"

Su Ming raised an eyebrow, glancing at Vick. She was excited as if it were Christmas. "Now that the commissioner has been saved, he'll probably want an exclusive interview. Barbara can be in the shot. I'll cancel my demands on your TV station."

Vick handed the camera to Pete, grabbing her microphone and leading the bewildered Gordon and his daughter out the door. She knew Deathstroke had something he didn't want her to hear but restrained her curiosity.

"Don't forget my payment," Vick mouthed to Su Ming as she turned.

Su Ming looked at Cindy, who nodded. She would handle this deal.