Chapter 230: To Deal with the God of Xenomorphs, We Can Only Ask You, Our Meritorious Brethren, to Die
As a Batman originating from the DCEU, he truly disliked some of his parallel universe variants.
"Another me who believes in a no-kill philosophy?"
Batman sat at his computer desk, rapidly retrieving information about the Main Universe's Earth, focusing his search on Gotham City. However, the results he found were not to his satisfaction.
He even felt a certain revulsion.
After all, for an older Batman like him, a man in his middle age approaching his senior years, it was far too difficult to change the killing philosophy he had practiced his entire life.
For the past twenty years, while the DCEU Batman couldn't be described as bloodthirsty when punishing criminals, he never hesitated to deliver a killing blow to anyone who dared stand in his way. Whoever blocked him, died.
He would dedicate his brain's precious computing power to how he could efficiently eliminate enemies and achieve tactical objectives, rather than wasting it on desperately calculating how to defeat an enemy while also avoiding their vital points to ensure he didn't beat them to death.
Although he knew that people from the 52 core universes seemed to be generally stronger in their professional abilities than those from the DCEU, this only highlighted the problem further. Since these universes were stronger overall, with a higher risk factor and smarter, more powerful enemies, one thing remained unchanged:
Most Batmen were still mortal, having undergone no genetic modification. Most of their battles also relied on conventional technological weapons.
This made it even more inappropriate to play games of not killing in such a highly dangerous universe. On the contrary, they should seize every opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
"But this guy's success rate in various missions is actually very high..." Batman frowned as he reviewed the deeds of his Main Universe self.
"Hehe, I know what you're thinking, Bat. This shows that the Main Universe you possesses far more talent than you—hundreds of times more. Not just in ability, but perhaps in intelligence level as well."
With a flash of white light, the DCEU's Lex Luthor appeared before Du Wa, sitting in the Mobius Chair.
Batman retorted, "That's impossible! According to the intelligence classification Du Wa gave me, the Main Universe me couldn't possibly possess an intelligence level hundreds of times greater than mine. Even you only possess such extraordinary intellectual performance because you rely on the Mobius Chair's information retrieval and computation abilities."
"Let me put it another way. The Main Universe you has an intellectual performance hundreds of times greater than yours, or even more, simply because he is the Main Universe Batman, the strongest variant of all you Batmen," Lex Luthor said dismissively, leaning back in the chair and speaking glibly.
Batman was silent for a moment.
Although he was unwilling to admit that his intelligence was inferior to others, it was true that the Main Universe variant was generally the strongest in the Multiverse, a point that Du Wa had also acknowledged.
According to Du Wa, it seemed to be the same in another Multiverse. Whenever a crisis affecting multiple universes erupted, the heroes from the Main Universe would often gain the trust and reliance of their variants from other universes.
However, Batman's defiance had no effect on the current Lex Luthor, because this man had already shed his mortal body and possessed the divine power of a Deity.
"That's not the point. For those versions of me who believe in the no-kill philosophy, the tolerance for error is too low. It's like walking a tightrope. One mistake can easily create a terrible disaster. No one can guarantee they'll succeed forever. A single failure can push a parallel universe me into an extreme situation, forcing him to make extreme changes to break the stalemate."
Batman sized up the crazed Lex Luthor and said coldly, "I never would have thought that a villain like Alexander Luthor would secretly team up with you, and even hand this artifact over to you in the end."
Yes, while Du Wa was leading the main force to advance on the Main Universe, these intelligent people had remained in Universe 3, engaging in a civil war. All sorts of dirty tricks were used, but in the end, it was Lex Luthor who seized the Mobius Chair, becoming the God of Knowledge in a single leap.
The pitiful New God, Metron, could only accept his failure with a dazed and shattered expression.
Although he was still a New God without the Mobius Chair, he, who was never known for his strength, could no longer even defeat the Dark Walker, another New God. If he still had the Mobius Chair, he would have been able to fight the Dark Walker to an even match.
"Speak. What kind of evil plan did you offer Alexander Luthor? A man like him would never give up an artifact that's fallen into his hands, especially a weapon like the Mobius Chair, which is best suited for intelligent people."
"Hmph, I merely provided him with a foreseeable prospect... an incredibly insane monster," Lex Luthor laughed loudly, not revealing too much information.
Batman watched his disappearing figure, a shadow of gloom flashing in his eyes. He desperately wanted to uncover Luthor's conspiracy, but he was currently unable to do so.
"Forget it. Just because I can't do it for now doesn't mean Du Wa can't. He doesn't care at all about the two Luthors' scheming, so what am I worrying about..." Batman secretly shook his head.
A man like Du Wa didn't even care about Thanoseid's betrayal. Instead, he turned around and began commanding Thanoseid again as if nothing had happened, having merely crushed Thanoseid's spirit.
However, Batman had a premonition that if the two Luthors launched a rebellion and failed, their end would likely not be a good one. He really couldn't see what value these two Luthors had that would make Du Wa hesitate to kill them.
Were they highly intelligent? But in the end, they were still mortal. Even if their intelligence was comparable to a Deity's, Du Wa had many such intelligent people under his command. If he wished, he could easily invade other universes and capture a whole bunch of Batmen and Luthors.
Although he didn't know what mystery Thanoseid held that made Du Wa value him so much, it was definitely not something people like them could compare to.
Meanwhile, the people on Main Universe Earth had also detected the presence of outsiders.
"High-intensity spatial fluctuations. An outsider has opened a spatial tunnel. They're either massive in size or numerous."
"I hope it's not an invading Demon God."
During this period, Main Universe Earth was extremely sensitive to any disturbance. After all, it had just recently experienced the universe-spanning Blackest Night, where Black Hand almost wiped out all life forms in the universe.
Even though the White Lantern of Life had ended the Blackest Night, it didn't mean all the Black Lantern zombies across the universe had been eliminated. It was possible that in some unknown dark corner, a group of Black Lantern zombies was lying in wait, ready to attack the living at any moment.
But what they didn't know was that another terrible slaughter was about to brew.
"This hacking technology..."
The Main Universe Batman's brow furrowed. It felt vaguely familiar, like a coding technique he had mastered many years ago, yet it was slightly different, as if some other intelligent person had supplemented it.
Based on the coordinates, he dialed an encrypted number: "Kyle Rayner, I need you to go to Coast City and check these coordinates..."
"I'm busy. You'd better go yourself."
"I'm monitoring strange spatial fluctuations, trying to find the cause of this change. Besides, Coast City is Hal's city. He's not on Earth, so I can only rely on you now."
"Unfortunately, I'm not on Earth either. There's a big problem here on Oa. Hal and Sinestro are here too."
After replying, Kyle Rayner abruptly hung up.
The Main Universe Batman mused, "There are sounds of arguing and fighting in the background... Looks like the Green Lantern Corps is in trouble again? What's the cause this time? And how did Hal get his Green Lantern ring back? And this criminal named Simon Baz, who was approved by a Green Lantern ring while serving time in prison..."
The Green Lantern Corps was truly a handful. The various Lantern rings, which chose their wielders based on subjective will and extreme emotions, were also a huge problem. They were practically time bombs.
He opened a screen on another computer, watching the video playing on it, which showed the fleeting figures of Xenomorphs.
Even the Xenomorphs—creatures that lived in hives, possessed a highly structured society, yet remained incredibly low-key—were now beginning to act strangely.
There were many races on Earth, a fact the Main Universe Batman was well aware of. There were those that flew in the sky, swam in the water, and even intelligent plant life. Therefore, the existence of Xenomorphs was not something worthy of excessive attention, especially since these creatures only hid in remote places to hunt wild animals and showed no signs of expanding their population.
Occasionally, someone would get ideas about the Xenomorphs, only to die an inexplicable death, even with high-tech weapons and supernatural energy. Over time, everyone became unwilling to provoke these mysterious and bizarre creatures.
Crises were constant on Earth, and troubles were even more frequent beyond it. Before he had a free hand, even Batman wouldn't proactively detonate these races that had been incredibly quiet and low-key since their appearance on Earth.
But now, these Xenomorphs were showing a unified intent to move. This was not a good omen.
Batman donned his battlesuit and, in the pouring rain, stood atop a skyscraper, looking down at Gotham in the night.
Sometimes, he too was helpless against this city. After dealing with one batch of criminals, an endless stream of even more powerful ones would emerge. It was never-ending.
"It's just like Jörmungandr..."
The Main Universe Batman dialed another encrypted communication: "Superman, get ready. We're about to have trouble."
"Is it about the Green Lantern Corps? I saw Hal leave Earth with that dangerous fellow, Sinestro, earlier, but I didn't intervene. The Green Lantern Corps' affairs can only be resolved by themselves. It seems Sinestro has abandoned his yellow ring and put on a green one. I don't know if he's reached a new agreement with the Guardians."
A majestic voice responded immediately.
Superman was always like this. No matter the time, he could always give people an inexplicable sense of security. Perhaps it was the confidence that came from his identity as the strongest Superman in the many universes, Batman thought.
He recalled the mission to the Injustice Universe a few years ago. Injustice Superman was extremely dominant, even daring to fight that universe's Zeus. That universe's version of himself, after confirming there was no other good option, simply opened a spatial tunnel and brought the Main Universe Superman over.
The result was naturally brutal. The previously invincible Injustice Superman was thoroughly thrashed by the Main Universe Superman, a miserable sight to behold.
From that moment on, the Main Universe Batman realized that the Main Universe's Superman was perhaps the strongest, far stronger than the Supermen of other universes.
Following that logic, was the Main Universe's Batman stronger than the Batmen of other universes? Stronger due to superior intelligence?
"It's not just the Green Lantern Corps. The matters of the universe should be handled by the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians. But matters on Earth can only be resolved by us. Perhaps the strange spatial fluctuations are mainly related to the Xenomorphs' restlessness, and have little to do with the Green Lantern Corps," the Main Universe Batman said.
"Do you have any clues, Batman?"
"No, but when I see a Xenomorph moving right under my nose, I don't need any more evidence."
"What? Xenomorphs have infiltrated Gotham City? What's the reason for this? Gotham is in for major trouble. If these things build a nest in Gotham City, a large number of humans will be parasitized," Superman grew serious. This was definitely a terrifying disaster. "Prioritize finding the Queen. We might be able to get valuable intelligence from her. A power capable of commanding the Xenomorphs... besides the Queen, who else could it be?"
After waiting a moment without a response, Superman spoke up, "Batman? I can head to Gotham immediately."
"No, that's no longer necessary. I think I've already found the culprit. I'll handle my own business."
"Who?"
"Me. Another me. A clone, or a visitor from a parallel universe."
Batman cut the communication.
A massive bolt of lightning tore open the night sky.
In the brief moment of day-like brightness, under the pouring rain, the Main Universe Batman stood at an angle on the slope of the skyscraper's roof, one hand gripping the wall to steady himself. At the same time, he stared intently at the Batman on the opposite building, who was striking the exact same pose.
Most importantly, behind that other Batman, several Xenomorphs, like ghostly assassins, were clustered, yet they were as docile as pets. A great sense of alarm rose within the Main Universe Batman.
The DCEU Batman scrutinized this self who was supposedly the strongest in the multiverse. No matter how he looked, he seemed completely ordinary, but his past feats of defeating numerous god-level enemies were real.
Whoosh!
He grabbed his cape with both hands, raised it high like a bat in the night, and sent a signal.
The Main Universe Batman quickly understood. This was a form of communication between Batmen. Translated, it meant—
You're in big trouble!
At the same time.
The Guardians had arrived at the Shadow Cabinet and worked together to open the prison holding Volthoom.
"Ah, it's you, Ganthet! And my compatriots! What in the world is happening? Didn't we agree? We would abandon everything to imprison Volthoom in the Shadow Cabinet, ensuring he could never escape... But what are you doing? Why are you opening the Shadow Cabinet?!"
The Invisibles, also emotion-suppressed Maltusians, questioned their compatriots whom they hadn't seen in a billion years.
"Things have changed. We now need to extract Volthoom's power," Ganthet replied coldly.
"What? Then what was our billion years of imprisonment for? Absolutely not! For the peace and stability of the universe, we will not hand Volthoom over to you," the Invisibles rejected the Guardians' demand.
"I am sorry, my compatriots. You have suffered. To prevent you from becoming obstacles on the path to peace, I grant you death."
At Ganthet's command, the Guardians suddenly attacked, delivering killing blows to their own kind.
"What? You're insane! You're actually trying to kill us?"
"I apologize, but I must do this. Without borrowing Volthoom's power, we cannot create the Third Army, nor can we capture the Xenomorphs and successfully turn them into the Third Army. We also need to build up strength to guard against the God of Xenomorphs."
(end of chapter)