After saying goodbye to the Fire God, Barry, already feeling overheated, raced across the sea with Su Ming. On this volcanic island, only gods and their followers could probably live here.
Every day was filled with forging, eating, sleeping, and bustling around in extreme temperatures. Without faith, it would be impossible to persist.
This was near the coast of Italy, another mission crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, something Barry was quite accustomed to.
"Do we have a strategy to deal with the Merciless Iron Fists?"
As they ran, Barry inquired of Su Ming.
Su Ming looked at the vast ocean, rubbing his chest. His injuries had almost healed, but an itchy feeling remained: "He's Batman of Earth -12, essentially still a mortal. His power source is the War God's Helmet on his head. That thing fried his brain, turning him into a War God obsessed with deathblow and battle."
In that world, Batman was also in a relationship with Wonder Woman, but after he went crazy, Wonder Woman died at his hands.
"So... should I run over and take off his helmet?" Barry tilted his head, tentatively asking.
Su Ming shook his head: "It's useless. That's a divine artifact. Unless he willingly takes it off, it can't be removed."
"Then what do we do?"
"My strength is no match for his, but martial arts aren't just about strength. Though he is Bruce and trained by his world's Wonder Woman, I believe I can hold him off for some time. With Diana's help, we can defeat him... Here, take this."
Su Ming handed the Divine Gold Hand Grenade to Barry. Barry had stealthily given it to him earlier, and it hadn't even warmed up yet.
"No, I can't kill people."
"You don't need to kill anyone. Merciless Iron Fists has another trump card, a huge gold coin." Su Ming pressed the grenade into his hand.
"A gold coin?"
"That's right. How much do you know about Greek mythology?"
"Uh... a little bit."
"In mythology, after anyone who believes in Olympus dies, they go to the Netherworld to await the Nether God's arrangement, crossing the Nether River along the way. Souls must pay a coin as fare, or they'll sink to the riverbed."
Barry nodded, pocketing the grenade: "I've heard that before. Some people even place a coin in the mouth or on the forehead of the deceased. But it seems... using US cents or pence is incorrect."
"Exactly. Legends say the Netherworld River Ferryman only accepts one type of Ancient Greek currency, the Drachma. Besides its monetary value, it has special magical functions. It can house souls as a residence in the Netherworld. Souls that can't afford it are thrown into the Nether River. The Underworld doesn't provide accommodations; that's why the ferryman charges a fare." Su Ming hooked an arm around Barry's neck, watching the scenery blur around them.
"So what do I need to do?"
"Merciless Iron Fists destroyed his world. After killing everyone and every god, he went to the Netherworld and obtained Hades' treasure. He melted all the Amazonians' fares together, recasting them into a gigantic gold coin, about two meters in diameter and... this thick." Su Ming gestured with his hands, indicating the coin's thickness of several dozen centimeters.
"Uh... is that Bruce very short on cash?" Barry couldn't understand. He'd witnessed countless multiverses but had never seen an impoverished Batman robbing others' vaults.
"No, it's a magic prop." Su Ming looked at him helplessly, feeling like his earlier mythological explanation had been in vain: "It contains natural dark energy capable of housing the souls of the dead. Right now, inside it, is the Amazon ghost army from Earth -12."
"So you need me to blow it up?" Barry nodded slowly. He knew how to use a grenade and had no problem destroying props; as long as it wasn't a task to kill, he was fine. As for the souls inside, they were originally deceased spirits, and destroying the coin to let them rest was also a good deed.
"Exactly. If you don't want us surrounded by thousands of ghosts, you must blow it up." Su Ming patted his shoulder encouragingly: "You are the key to success. Diana's and my lives depend on you."
"Whew... alright, I'll do it."
The East Coast of the United States was already in sight, and in the blink of an eye, they stood firmly on the shore.
"Oh God..."
Barry looked at the ruins of Washington D.C. before him, uttering the words involuntarily. Everywhere were broken walls, and some buildings had been completely reduced to dust. Smoke and flames spread across the entire city, and mangled bodies lay buried beneath the debris.
"This is the power of the War God. God may be powerful, but he clearly doesn't care about this. Let's keep moving; there's nothing more we can do." Su Ming took a glance before regaining his composure, knowing past events couldn't be undone.
"Sigh..."
...........
1200 meters underground in the Celestial Eye Association's secret warehouse.
This had been transformed by Merciless Iron Fists into a massive exhibition hall, filled with specimens of various monsters and all the divine artifacts he collected from godslaying.
Unlike a typical exhibition hall, all items were arranged along the walls, leaving a large open space in the middle with luxurious carpets covering the floor, making it resemble an indoor ballroom.
A tall figure clad in full medieval armor was staring at a much smaller woman before him.
The heavy armor appeared blue, not forged from Divine Gold; it was seized from the world of his Ares.
On his chest was a white-winged bat emblem, though slightly different from Batman of the Main World; over his bat emblem was also the mark of Wonder Woman, resembling a flying eagle with double W's.
The face of the War God's Helmet was a massive skull, with ear pieces like bat wings fanning out on both sides, and red light emanating from the eyes.
"Diana, do you like how I transformed the Batcave for you?" His deep voice echoed from under the helmet like the wailing of the dead from Hell: "In the past, in my universe, I hoped we could have a home together."
Wonder Woman stood opposite him. After the Justice League left the Forgotten Tavern, though they had their own tasks, Barbatos' powerful dark energy quickly located them all. A mysterious dark magic created wormholes that sucked them in, dispersing them across the Nightmare Batcaves worldwide.
One Nightmare Batman awaited each of them inside.
Diana knew this was a tactic to divide the Justice League, Batman's specialty, which the Nightmare Batmans clearly inherited.
"It just means that my counterpart in another world had poor taste in every aspect." Diana wore a contemptuous smile, looking unfazed and fearless, only raising her sword and shield defensively.
"Perhaps that was our most intimate time." Merciless Iron Fists turned away, selecting a weapon radiating golden light from a nearby rack, then challenged Diana: "These displayed here are the weapons of the gods I slew. Come, my dear, choose one. No god can control our destiny anymore."
Diana's eyes narrowed; she recognized the weapon that was both like a sword and a blade as the 'Godslayer.' Fire God once forged it in the Main World, using it as bait to lure Deathstroke to work for him, hoping Deathstroke could use the Godslayer to kill a Titan named Lapetus imprisoned beneath Paradise Island.
The Titans were enemies of Olympus, Zeus wanted Lapetus dead, and Fire God was merely an errand boy.
But things never went smoothly. Deathstroke caused massive trouble on Paradise Island with the dreadful weapon, leading the Fire God to reclaim the Godslayer afterward.
The sword could communicate with a person's mind, possessing unmatched power, able to alter its shape at will into any weapon. But all that was history; the present problem was urgent, and none of the weapons in the room could match the Godslayer.
Diana thought for a moment, then let her Fire God Sword and Amazon Divine Shield fall to the carpet with a heavy thud...