Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 117: Ch.116 Prime Earth Gotham

Diana tossed the Lasso of Truth, allowing Slade and Barry to grab onto it before she shot into the sky, heading towards the rift.

As they left the crater, the group immediately noticed the state of the surrounding cosmos.

Though it looked like space, it wasn\'t a true vacuum. Nearby, several Earths were aligned like beads on a necklace, all part of the Dark Multiverse, waiting for something.

Barry immediately felt uneasy. The last time he\'d seen all the universes lined up together in the same space like this was during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which led to the reboot of the multiverse.

If it weren\'t for the Speed Force preserving some of his memories, he would have forgotten many important things and people. He held his friends dear, and losing their precious memories was what he feared most.

Superman was also catching up from behind, carrying Bruce. Bruce remained silent, his Batcowl\'s lenses reflecting the countless Earths of the multiverse.

"Time\'s running out," Slade said calmly to the group as Diana pulled them toward Prime Earth. "Let\'s set up our tactical objectives. Any objections?"

Bruce turned his gaze to Slade. With his silver half-armor, he looked very different from before. "This will be a large-scale battlefield, and you\'re the expert. I\'d like to hear your thoughts."

"Our enemies fall into three categories. First, there\'s Barbatos. He\'s a dark god, with power levels that speak for themselves. But for now, he won\'t leave the Cosmic Tuning Fork. He has to remain there to coordinate the energy, so in the first phase of the battle, we need to keep our distance from him and focus on eliminating the other two types of enemies."

Slade laid out his strategy clearly—cut off Barbatos\'s wings first.

Bruce thought briefly and then nodded. "It\'s feasible."

With Bruce\'s agreement, there was no need to worry about Superman and Diana\'s stance.

"The second type of enemy consists of the various villains Barbatos has summoned from across the multiverse. There are likely thousands of them, so that\'s Superman\'s task. Use your freeze breath or other methods to contain them and buy us time. I estimate our reinforcements will arrive soon."

"What reinforcements?" Barry was visibly encouraged—reinforcements were always welcome.

"No idea," Slade replied succinctly.

"Uh?" Barry\'s jaw dropped as if he\'d just short-circuited.

Diana faltered slightly in her flight and turned to glare at him. Her large eyes clearly expressed her thoughts.

"And what makes you think reinforcements are on their way?" she asked.

Slade looked up at their destination, the outline of Gotham becoming clearer. "Because this is a crisis threatening the entire multiverse. We\'re not the only ones fighting Barbatos. The heroes of the multiverse are just waiting for the right moment, waiting for a group to take the lead. Time is short. Once we start the final battle, those unwilling to bow to Barbatos will undoubtedly join us."

Batman had thought of this too, but he remained silent, gesturing for Slade to continue. Even though he was being tightly held by Clark from behind, which looked a bit odd.

"The third type of enemy is the Dark Knights—the twisted versions of Batman."

As Slade continued to explain his plan, everyone instinctively glanced at Bruce. But his expression didn\'t change. Though those twisted Batmen came from the Dark Multiverse and shared his face, they were completely different from him. He wouldn\'t carry the burden for their actions.

"So far, we know that The Devastator, The Drowned, The Murder Machine, and The Batman Who Laughs are still alive. It\'s uncertain whether The Dawnbreaker is alive, but he was terrified by Sinestro and can no longer use his ring. I also cut off half of his body, so even if he\'s alive, he\'s no threat."

"They must be dealt with separately, just as the Dark Knights separated to deal with us," Batman interjected. He knew himself well, despite these Batmen being like living nightmares.

Slade raised an eyebrow, his thoughts aligning perfectly with Bruce\'s. "So, we split up. Unlike before, we pick opponents we can counter. I\'ll handle The Murder Machine and The Devastator."

Slade immediately volunteered to take on the two toughest foes, which puzzled the others with less tactical acumen. But Slade didn\'t bother explaining, though Bruce understood this was an ancient Eastern tactic similar to Tian Ji\'s horse race strategy.

Using a weaker horse to race against the opponent\'s strongest horse, a medium horse against their weakest, and the best horse to win against their medium horse—winning two out of three rounds.

But in this case, Slade didn\'t necessarily need to win. In combat, he just had to buy time.

Unfortunately, Bruce\'s reasoning had been led astray by Slade. Slade had never mentioned Tian Ji\'s horse race strategy. He\'d been preparing for this moment all along.

He continued assigning tasks. "Diana, you\'ll go after The Batman Who Laughs. You must kill him quickly. Remember, only total annihilation is safe."

Diana looked at Bruce, who nodded, so she followed suit. "Understood."

"Once Diana finishes, she\'ll assist Barry," Slade added, turning to Barry. "Your task is to handle The Drowned. It\'ll be a land battle—just keep pushing him and poke his eyes with your fingers."

"Got it," Barry readily agreed, recalling his past encounter with Queen Mera, which gave him confidence.

Finally, Slade turned his gaze to Batman. "Bruce, your task is to find Cyborg and Aquaman on the Cosmic Tuning Fork and rescue them from under Barbatos\'s nose. You\'re the best at stealth and seizing opportunities, making you the ideal choice for this mission."

Batman signaled his understanding. He had initially thought Slade might abandon the two, but had his previous judgment been wrong?

However, Slade\'s real intention was to send Batman away. He needed control over the battlefield, and whether Batman could rescue the two wasn\'t within his consideration. But this tactical arrangement left Bruce with no room to refuse.

Everyone had their tasks, and none were easy. Diana\'s mission was manageable, but she was the key to the entire battle.

With the strategy set, the five descended from the sky, landing in a corner of the Challenger\'s Mountain plateau.

Purple lightning streaked across the sky, and in the dark world, only blood and death could be seen.

While they were still in the air, Slade sensed that Barbatos had noticed them. That dark, abyssal gaze seemed to fixate on them, sending a chill through his very organs.

But he quickly overcame this feeling, and the group descended rapidly.

Before them, countless villains from across the multiverse surged toward them like a tidal wave.

These enemies bore varying resemblances to the Prime Earth\'s villains but differed in several ways. Slade, for instance, saw a Cheetah clad in Wonder Woman\'s armor and a Mr. Freeze wielding a flamethrower.

Clark immediately took to the air, inhaling deeply, ready to freeze the oncoming horde. But several Kryptonite bullets and beams shot from the enemy ranks, even a red sun energy blast, striking his armor.

Superman was never good at dodging, but at that moment, these previously effective attacks merely struck his Nth Metal armor, either bouncing off or being absorbed. He glowed with a silvery light, impervious to harm.

He realized that creating this armor had been a stroke of genius. Bruce had strongly urged him to do so, and now it made sense—had he anticipated this moment?

It felt incredible to have no weaknesses. Clark touched the glowing silver S on his chest, took a deep breath, and exhaled towards the enemies. Dozens of them, unable to dodge in time, were instantly encased in ice.

This wasn\'t a lethal move—just a method of confinement.

"Diana, strike your silver bracelets together," Slade commanded, noticing that Clark had stabilized the front line.

"Is this to announce our presence to the Dark Knights?" Diana raised her arms, her bracers—coated with Nth Metal—shone with a beautiful silver light.

"It\'s a signal, and a battle cry. The unique properties of Nth Metal will send this sound across the entire multiverse, letting our allies know that the Justice League has entered the fight."

Slade watched as hundreds of various villains were temporarily held off by Superman, then pulled out his phone.