Su Ming, along with the Red Death Demon, crashed to the ground. The scalding golden sand burst upwards as if it had exploded, then fell like rain. A large amount of fine sand seeped into the gaps in their armor, and both spat out a mouthful of blood simultaneously.
Su Ming was severely injured. The promethium-made armor was not very shock-absorbent, and his self-healing cells were now screaming madly, urging him to immediately devour the person in front of him. At the same time, a flood of memories surged into his mind, recalling Slade's family life, his comrades, and acquaintances.
In a rainforest, not yet wearing the black and yellow armor, he was in intense combat with a group of dark-skinned people. There was a large python coiled on a branch, coldly observing the humans below.
In an endless swamp, he, feverish and riddled with bullet holes, was being carried by Holly towards a helicopter coming to their aid, while a group of strangely dressed natives with automatic weapons pursued them from afar.
In a dim, dilapidated laboratory, wearing an army green T-shirt, he was strapped to an operating table, and a radiant, transparent liquid was injected into his arm.
Similar scenes continuously appeared in his mind. Initially, they were just like still photos, then they came alive, beginning to play like a movie, and finally, the perspective changed to first-person.
The visions before him were too clear; these were his own memories. The headache they induced already overshadowed the bloodthirsty desire, putting him in a peculiarly calm state.
He let go of his grip, releasing the Lasso of Truth, watching as the Red Death Demon's blood dyed the desert red and quickly seeped underground.
"Cough cough... phew." Su Ming took off his helmet and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. Although the suit had shielded him from the grenade shrapnel, the shock from the explosion was wholly absorbed, and there was continuous pain from his ribs. His eyes were filled with red, and he could barely maintain his sanity amid labored breaths.
But the plan succeeded. The previously blackened chest of the Red Death Demon was pierced through with Bat Gold, like a stake driving through a vampire's heart.
The massive impact drove the sharp raw Bat Gold deeper into the Red Death Demon's chest cavity. After all, he was still an ordinary person, and even though users of Divine Speed regenerate relatively faster, there was no avoiding death from a pierced heart.
He wasn't dead yet, but the Bat Gold was guiding the dark energy within him to be expelled. Once the energy was gone, the injury alone was enough to kill any person.
Barry appeared by his side with a streak of red light. He had stopped the Speed Force Storm by running in reverse, and those other automatic killing machines had also ceased moving, having lost their Speed Force drive.
"You did it, Slade." He looked at the Red Death Demon lying quietly on the ground, breathing heavily, speaking to Su Ming with a complex tone.
He didn't want to kill, nor to see anyone die, but faced with the previous situation, even if it were him, he couldn't think of any peaceful resolution.
"You better stay back; I'm worried you might recharge him." Su Ming struggled to sit up, reaching out to remove the Red Death Demon's mask, confirming the kill.
The Red Death Demon looked extremely thin, a result of malnutrition from excessive use of Divine Speed. At the moment, blood was flowing from his orifices, and he stared blankly at the darkening sun in the sky.
The red lightning flowing out of his body sank into the ground, and the black smoke spilling from the Bat Gold wound was almost invisible. Su Ming estimated he had only about ten seconds left.
An illusory image flickered across his face, as if a soul was leaving the body. His face, initially a scar-covered Bruce Batman visage, changed with a twitch, and the red armor, covered in flesh and blood, also transformed into gold.
Barry was about to step back but froze upon seeing the scene.
"Wait... he kind of looks like me."
Su Ming wiped the blood off the Red Death Demon's face, turned it over and looked. The sky in the Red Death Demon's eyes had changed to black and yellow.
"That's right, this body is you from Earth -52. Remember, 'wearing the same clothes' is not scary; whoever has thinner clothes feels embarrassed."
"But..." Barry tilted his head, gesturing for a pause, "shouldn't it be Bruce?"
"That's also correct. The Divine Speed is very capricious." Su Ming endured the pain in his chest, sitting in the sand nearby, slowly pulling out a cigarette, lighting it as he held it between his lips. "The Red Death Demon is the fusion of Batman and The Flash from Earth -52. You know, Divine Speed is almost impossible for ordinary people to master. That Batman wanted Divine Speed, so the Divine Speed melded them together. He could be either of the two."
"..." Barry moved a little closer, watching as the man on the ground slowly approached death, feeling a bit reluctant.
Su Ming exhaled a light puff of smoke, his chest burning with pain. He thought for a moment: "The twisted soul of Batman died with the dissipation of the dark energy. You can get a bit closer now; that Barry was a good person too."
"....How much longer can he live?" Barry paused for a moment, crouching beside Su Ming.
"Judging by the rate of blood loss, at most ten more seconds." Su Ming stated a speculative number. Normally, such a wound would lead to immediate death, but the cancellation of Divine Speed and dark energy allowed the Red Death Demon to live a little longer, though he was beyond saving.
The crazed Bruce was gone, his body gradually taken over by another Barry. He had for long been confined to a corner of the mind, watching helplessly as the Red Death Demon committed various atrocities with Divine Speed.
Now, though he was about to die, he finally felt freedom and relief. When one became a threat, perhaps suicide was what a superhero should do.
"Deathstroke... thank you." The Flash, clad in the Red Death Demon's armor, spoke, and as he did, large amounts of blood and visceral fragments gushed from his mouth.
Su Ming sighed, stood up, dusted off his behind, and turned towards the Fire God Sword fallen in the desert: "You guys can talk now, time is short."
The Red Death Demon looked at the other Barry, struggling to turn his head. He saw the familiar red costume and the lightning insignia on Barry's chest.
A shy smile appeared on his face, identical to Barry's, but the loss of Divine Speed made him appear several times older.
"The Flash of the Main World, I'm sorry. I did something wrong."
Barry crawled a bit forward, dragging two marks through the blood-soaked red sand, clasping the Red Death Demon's hand in his own. Golden lightning spread from him onto the shattered armor.
"We all know it wasn't you. You were just... not in control."
"The Divine Speed... is no longer usable. I'm like a leaky bucket now; your power is dissipating in vain."
The Red Death Demon spoke calmly, having come to terms with everything. All his family and friends had perished when Earth -52 was destroyed by the Divine Speed, and he was on his way to apologize to them.
"No, you're like me. I believe you're a good person. It's all because of that mad Batman." Barry shook his head, the Divine Speed lightning on him growing more intense, yet he felt the Divine Speed pouring into the Red Death Demon was like sinking into the abyss.
"Bruce was my good friend. He was just..." The Red Death Demon closed his eyes, speaking with difficulty, "deceived. Unfortunately, I wasn't eloquent enough to convince him."
"You did your best." Barry panted heavily; he had crossed dimensions, raced the Red Death Demon, and then stopped the Speed Force Storm through reverse running. He was thoroughly exhausted, and the Divine Speed lightning on him flickered intermittently.
"I didn't do enough. I'm sorry, the other me, we damaged your Midtown." The Red Death Demon began to cough; he could already see it, see his loved ones beckoning in the Divine Speed: "Cough cough... beware Barbatos, he's too powerful."
Barry's Divine Speed ultimately disconnected. He couldn't sustain it any longer, only clutching the Red Death Demon's hand tightly to express his determination.
The Red Death Demon opened his eyes, looking towards the distant Midtown. The city, partially damaged from the earlier battle, still had many intact buildings. At this dim sunlight moment, it resembled a sunset, the glass of the high-rises reflecting multicolored halos, just like Midtown's other name, Gem City.
He smiled, not sure what exactly he was describing: "Beautiful... I'm home..."
The hand clad in ceramic armor slipped from Barry's grip, Barry's exhaustion was so severe that he couldn't hold onto that hand.
The Red Death Demon lay quietly in the desert outside Midtown.