chapter 317 part 1
Chapter 315: Gods, You're So Appetizing!
"Who the hell are you?"
Hank Henshaw asked with extreme irritability, not even bothering to question how the other party had directly connected to his brain to converse with him so smoothly.
A man determined to find death always has enough nerve to ignore such details.
"I am Bruce Wayne, the Batman of the Dark Multiverse. I am currently seeking a crucial opportunity, and I believe you can help me—of course, I will help you first. At the very least, I must show you clearly that I can provide what you've been dreaming of."
"I don't care if you're Batman or some other guy. Now, get out of my brain. I have no interest in talking to someone of unknown origin," Hank Henshaw said coldly.
"Hehehe, if you refuse me, you will be eternally plunged into Du Wa's domain, like a moth caught in a spider's web, never to break free. As far as I know, Du Wa controls a collective consciousness world for Xenomorphs. All Xenomorphs who die in battle will gain eternal life there, and Du Wa can resurrect them at any time he wishes!"
The Batman Who Laughs chuckled deeply. "You may not have noticed yet, but the other world that is fusing with the Main Universe also has a god of death. My eyes see it clearly—a similar, yet different, set of rules for death. Du Wa has already taken control of the Dark Walker and can use the Emotional Spectrum to suppress Black Hand. Now there's another true death. The space for you to die in is becoming increasingly narrow."
Hank Henshaw said nothing. This was why he could fight the Main Universe Superman with no psychological burden, yet felt a deep-seated fear of Du Wa, who had never even given him a second glance. He was terrified of becoming immortal.
"Different types of death gods are gradually falling into Du Wa's hands. His objective is already crystal clear. He not only wants to incorporate the living into the Xenomorph sequence, but even in death, their souls should belong to the Xenomorphs, for him to command anytime, anywhere... Now, do you still want to refuse my invitation, Henshaw?"
"I have to say, you've convinced me. So, what do I do?"
"It's simple. First, find Batman... You can't reach the Batman of the Main Universe, so let's find the second-most important Batman."
The Batman of the New 52 Universe.
Hank Henshaw quickly received the knowledge transmitted remotely by The Batman Who Laughs, taking a second to organize it. "So it's that guy. I know he piloted a strange black and red armor into the Main Universe, attempting to rescue the Main Universe's Justice League, only to be defeated by Thanoseid."
Thinking back, it had happened not long ago, but recalling it now, it felt like a distant memory.
Ghost had gone to the New 52 Universe, instigating the New 52 Batman to forge the Hellbat Armor and invade the Main Universe. The power source for that Hellbat Armor was the divinity provided by the Main Universe's Darkseid.
During the fiercest part of the battle, Ghost had even briefly possessed the New 52 Batman, but the result was still defeat. Thanoseid destroyed the Hellbat Armor and plundered the divinity of the Main Universe's Darkseid. The Quantum Batman then focused his main efforts on the subsequent attack by Doomsday, and Ghost could only escape with the New 52 Batman.
Now, The Batman Who Laughs had set his sights on the New 52 Batman, intending to bring the Cyborg Superman along for the ride.
Ostensibly, The Batman Who Laughs had to placate Barbatos, at least by finding a stable path for Barbatos to enter the Multiverse. The method was simple: insert five special metals into a Batman, who would then become a portal for Barbatos to use.
"Ghost's attention is entirely on the Main Universe. I alone can capture the Batman of the New 52 Universe and complete that damn metal project for you."
Hank Henshaw immediately understood what The Batman Who Laughs wanted to do. It was nothing more than instigating a Major Event. Since it involved the Dark Multiverse, perhaps there was a God from the Dark Multiverse behind The Batman Who Laughs?
Were they seeing how lively and special the Main Universe was and couldn't wait to join in? Hank Henshaw didn't care. If that was the case, it would be even better. At least a new God would attract Du Wa's attention, and he could stay far away from Du Wa.
"A wise decision. If you continue to wait aimlessly, you are irreversibly drawing closer to the Xenomorphs, even if you do nothing," The Batman Who Laughs praised grimly.
Hank Henshaw immediately sprang into action, adjusting his mechanical body. Under the guidance of The Batman Who Laughs, he detonated a massive amount of energy and broke away from the Main Universe.
This interesting little change attracted the attention of many Gods, but once they saw it was the Cyborg Superman, none of them paid him any real mind.
Even Du Wa, who had long since noticed the actions of a minor character like Hank Henshaw, had no interest in specifically stopping him.
The New 52 Universe.
The New 52 Batman had been closely monitoring the changes in the universe's various indexes with a terrified heart. Now, he was shocked by the sudden appearance of Hank Henshaw, who descended from the sky.
"Cyborg Superman? No, you're not the Cyborg Superman of this universe!"
"That's right, I'm from the Main Universe! A certain Batman made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I must serve him, just this once!"
Hank Henshaw threw a punch, only to be met by a furious bombardment from various defense systems that suddenly activated within the Batcave.
His hardened mechanical body completely ignored such technological weapons. "How strange. You've actually added the unique energies of many others to your own defense systems? It seems the you of this universe is very popular in the Justice League."
The vast Batcave was instantly plunged into a fierce battle. The ground shook, and terrifying cracks began to appear, causing the entire base to start collapsing.
Meanwhile, The Batman Who Laughs, the instigator of this battle, had already shifted his gaze to another fellow—the eye-demon.
"It's our turn now, Starro. As a member of the parasitic race, you don't want to be wiped out by the God of Xenomorphs, do you? Let me remind you, not long ago, you spread a massive number of parasitic spores in the Main Universe, guiding Doomsday's entry. You actually caused quite a bit of trouble for Du Wa."
The Batman Who Laughs immediately contacted another character, the giant starfish known as the premier master of mind control. A being with countless spores, exceedingly difficult to kill, who could parasitize and control innumerable creatures, just like Du Wa.
"Don't threaten me with such language! The God of Xenomorphs didn't even notice my minor actions, or I would have been dead long ago!"
"He didn't notice, that's true, but that doesn't mean you can rest easy. He just hasn't had the time to clean up such trivial matters. But once he's finished with what he's doing now, you'll be in big trouble. I'm offering you a way out. Spread your spores further into these universes, along with the ones you previously scattered to track Doomsday's movements. Let them all become my eyes."
The Batman Who Laughs continued, "Otherwise, I will tell Lord Barbatos about you. You will forever live under the threat of Du Wa, never again able to return to the safety of the Dark Multiverse."
What a terrible dark joke. The Dark Multiverse, a place filled with madness and corruption, had somehow become a rare sanctuary among the Worlds within the Wall. Xenomorphs wouldn't breed there, Starro thought reluctantly.
It had no choice but to begin creating and deploying more spores.