With Barry's Divine Speed, they managed to disappear from the Dark Universe before the enemy arrived. In the last moment, Su Ming even felt that those covered in Dark Energy almost touched the wings.
Those people once lived in the world-devouring realms of the Dark Multiverse.
They're not really the living nor the undead; they exist by utilizing Dark Energy, surviving in the cracks of the Dark Universe as slaves of Barbatos.
"Huff... Huff..."
Barry panted heavily; they succeeded. Although they didn't know exactly where they were, at least they were far from the enemy. He had never tried converting an airplane into a treadmill for the world; the consumption was enormous. He felt like he was running until his liver ached.
Su Ming got down from the pilot's seat. In such a cosmic environment, there weren't even concepts of up, down, left, or right, not even directions. He was there just for show.
Diana was at the back of the plane taking care of two 'elderly folks'. Batman and Superman had their lives drained for decades to be used as battery power, spending those years in nightmares. The endless despair and failure turned into Dark Energy, also consuming their life force.
But now they were awake, at least their consciousness was.
"Where are we?"
Bruce stood up, supporting himself on the cabin wall, and peered outside. It was pitch black outside the porthole.
He was now hunched, with gray hair, and the Bat Suit hung loosely on his aged and frail body. Still, he was slowly regaining his former composure.
"We're in a desolate Dark Multiverse, where there's no mass, no time—nothing. This is an empty shell left after Barbatos devoured it, where we've escaped his minions' search."
Su Ming took off his helmet, looking at the elderly Batman. Even knowing that this unnatural loss of youth could be restored, it still led to a sense of an old hero in decline.
"... Reasonable, but who are you?"
Batman turned his head away from the shattered world, having seen enough similar brutal scenes during his decades in nightmares.
The person wearing Deathstroke's uniform didn't match in height, weight, or age; he needed to confirm this stranger's identity.
"I'm Deathstroke from another world, and I'm on your side now."
Time was limited, and Su Ming didn't bother to elaborate further, just addressing the point Bruce cared about the most.
Bruce was skeptical, but he could see that Barry and Diana trusted this Deathstroke, and given the current situation, that was enough.
He still harbored some doubts as to whether he had entered yet another dream, but he didn't voice it, keeping that suspicion to himself and observing quietly.
"What's our next target?"
Diana relaxed, her face softening a lot. The presence of Batman and Superman made her feel much better, as the Justice League was complete with both brains and strength.
"Having rescued Superman and Batman, we're just one step from victory: finding the World Furnace, obtaining X Metal, and letting Clark face Barbatos head-on."
Su Ming shrugged. The previous experiences were actually the most dangerous, and now that the big shots in the Justice League were rescued, he could afford to take it easy and play support.
Seeing Barry and Diana turning their gaze towards him, Bruce was somewhat puzzled. He didn't know the location of the World Furnace. Why were all three looking at him?
At this point, the nearby Superman also came to his senses, but seeing the three waiting silently for Batman to speak, he swallowed his questions and joined the waiting.
"The problem is I don't know the exact location of the World Furnace."
"Correct, you indeed don't know," Su Ming nodded, acknowledging what he said was right: "But your new friend knows; wasn't he the one who told you about Barbatos's existence?"
"You mean Dream God Daniel, right?" Batman, tormented, found those memories from before his nightmares seemed like another lifetime, yet he still recalled the voice that frequently spoke in his dreams.
"Yes, you just need to call his name now, and he will take us to his home, the Dream Country, and from the dream passage to the Eternal Furnace."
On the entire Earth, Bruce was the only one who could contact Dream God while awake. This preferential DC treatment was unparalleled.
Batman now got a headache at the mention of dreams, but Barry knew that what Deathstroke said was true. His eager eyes looked at Bruce as if saying, 'We're counting on you, we're counting on you...'
"... Dream God! Daniel! Take us out of here!"
Bruce couldn't stand those eyes.
He immediately called out loudly for Daniel, and then a faint mist enveloped them, dreamlike and illusionary. The surrounding environment twisted and changed, and they appeared in an immense library.
Looking up, it seemed impossible to see its top; each level was filled with bookshelves, storing all history like a Heaven-Reaching Tower.
"We've arrived." Su Ming sighed in relief; here, for the moment, was safe: "This is the Dream Country."
"Looks like a Great Library." Barry picked up a book randomly, finding it contained the story of a superhero from another world.
"Correct. It's both memory and dream; it's the place that records all of world's history."
A human form composed of smoke appeared before them, towering and clad in swirling phantasmal mist, the manifestation of dreams.
He answered Bruce's question, then looked with vacant eyes at the others, especially Su Ming. His records had no past of this individual...
"You clearly had the ability to save us!" Bruce tried to grab the Dream God, but dream was an illusion; he grasped only a handful of mist: "You let us be lost in nightmares for decades, you have no idea what we've been through!"
"No, you were not lost." Daniel turned to the library, where some books were already ignited. This was Barbatos's power invading; the burned books represented parts of a hero's history being annihilated.
"Then join us; let's fight Barbatos together." Bruce took a step closer, his aged face showing intense determination.
"No, I do not exist in the reality world, so I cannot fight alongside you." Daniel gently replied, expressing his helplessness: "But I can assist you; I can bestow you the most effective weapon—a story... "
He waved his hand, and they switched positions, now seemingly standing amongst The Stars, countless stars forming constellations, which then spun to form images.
"A long time ago, during the Cosmos's creation, there emerged two brothers..."
"Ahem!" Su Ming stepped forward; he wasn't here for stories: "Sorry, Daniel, I've told that story before. Could you skip this part and send us to the World Furnace directly?"
"???"
Dream God was stunned, while Barry nodded beside him, indicating he had indeed heard about the Origin story of the Watcher, Anti-Monitor, World Forger, and Barbatos.
Su Ming had also previously mentioned X Metal was the weapon against Barbatos.
Barry, usually gossip-inclined and fond of stories, currently didn't want to waste time, as the Eternal Furnace's fire might extinguish at any moment.
Su Ming's impression of Dream God was average. Earlier, when Bruce was in the Main Universe, Daniel's dream power wasn't enough to fully reach him, but when Barbatos was arriving, he panicked and told Bruce about Barbatos in his sleep, resulting in fragmented, ambiguous words.
The outcome was Bruce understood only half, leading him to collect 'metals' across the world, falling into the Owls's trap and becoming Barbatos's Door.
One could say Dream God bore some responsibility for the current disaster in the Multiverse.
It couldn't be said he had some conspiracy, only that good intentions had resulted in a misstep.