The beam of light came and went quickly, and the intense tremor soon disappeared. Barbatos used his dark energy to stabilize the entire Challenger Mountain, for he still needed the Cosmic Tuning Fork's base here.
Su Ming got up, patted the dust off himself, and in front of him was a massive crater, as if a comet had slammed into the Earth. Forget about Killing Machines; now there was only black magma on the ground.
Superman landed beside Su Ming, and the two faced the opposing villain army from a distance. The main god-level Zeus's intervention had clearly intimidated them, leaving them somewhat at a loss.
"How are you, Slade?"
"Unscathed. You deal with these people; I'll go find Barry."
Su Ming didn't say much, just picked up his Great Sword and headed towards another nearby battlefield.
Zeus in the sky seemed to give Barbatos a deep look before disappearing with the gods, and Gotham was once again shrouded in darkness.
As the golden light across the sky faded, Su Ming realized Challenger Mountain was now part of the Dark Multiverse. The surrounding scenery gradually took on a cosmic ambiance, with extraterrestrial planets and various nebulae becoming visible, and Earths from different universes gradually enlarging in view.
Maybe the Earth of the Main World was still stuck in the crack of the Blood Domain, but there wasn't much time left. Although Su Ming had achieved his predetermined goal, the Justice League was still at a disadvantage, and his dream of slacking off was shattered.
If only Superman were replaced by Super Dominator, the effect might be much better. Now, Superman still refrained from using lethal means against these Otherworld villains, leaving Su Ming somewhat speechless...
Bruce was probably still waiting for the right opportunity. Where he was hiding, no one could find him. Su Ming decided to first help Barry and liberate their own Speedster.
Barry's location was easy to find; wherever enemies inexplicably fell, there he was.
Su Ming moved his shoulders, picked up a fallen phone from the ground, and silently cut his way through with the Great Sword, encountering a new Drowned.
He didn't know which world's Batman this was, nor what tragic fate he had endured. Knowing he was an enemy was enough.
Su Ming wasn't some Holy Mother. No matter how much suffering the enemy endured, what did it have to do with him? If given the chance, Su Ming would overturn and study these tragic experiences, as it might reveal the enemy's psychological weaknesses for exploitation.
Killing them through these weaknesses, sparing them future torment, was the greatest mercy Deathstroke could offer.
Honestly, this place was not suitable for the Drowned to wield his capabilities.
Firstly, this was a small plateau atop a mountain, with not a drop of water around, making the water-based modifications of the Drowned useless here.
Secondly, his Dead Water Army that he could spew from within were genetically modified liquid creatures, but they were also more formidable in water or by the sea. Barry ran too fast, giving him no chance to summon Dead Water.
Every time he opened his mouth intending to release Dead Water, Barry would punch him in the jaw, nearly causing him to bite off his tongue.
However, seeing that this Drowned wasn't Briss indicated that Su Ming hadn't worked in vain on Earth -11, bringing him some comfort, although it was fleeting, as his attention returned to the battlefield.
He didn't rush into battle, tackling the small fry around him while carefully observing Barry and the Drowned's fight from a distance, secretly summarizing some insights.
Unlike fighting against the Sea Queen in the past, Su Ming was armed to the teeth now, and this Drowned was killable. His condition was clearly one of being "unadapted to the land," with specialized abilities rendered useless, reducing him to a modified Batman.
A water-type modified being on land made no difference to Su Ming, who, as a Weapon Master, found dealing with such melee-type characters straightforward.
"Barry, strike his ulnar nerve below the elbow joint!"
Seeming to fight amidst the small fry, Su Ming suddenly called out to Barry.
Though he couldn't accurately pinpoint Barry's location, seeing only faint shadows and a flicker of electric light, Su Ming called out and unhesitantly leapt from the crowd towards the Drowned, raising his Great Sword to slash.
The so-called ulnar nerve, known in Celestial Dynasty slang as the funny bone below the elbow.
Although Barry was in forensics, his specialty was evidence identification, such as chemical composition and ballistic patterns. Anatomical knowledge fell into the medical examiner's realm.
But for him, last-minute cramming always proved useful.
He hurried to the Gotham City Library, reading all the books on human medicine, traditional Chinese medicine theories, and massage acupuncture.
Upon returning to the battlefield, except for Deathstroke who slightly indicated movement, everyone else appeared frozen.
Su Ming might not have realized it, or perhaps he did and didn't mention it, but Barry repeatedly pointed out his increasing Divine Speed compatibility, leading to ever-faster speed, though he was still not a Speedster, he was far faster than ordinary humans.
Previously, as a modified Super Soldier, speed wasn't Deathstroke's forte, with a 100-meter dash in about four seconds.
Yet after operating together for some time, Barry noticed Deathstroke's progressive speed increase, recently achieving a massive leap; now, he could finish a 100-meter run in just over half a second.
Being able to run nearly ten kilometers in a minute was a significant speed for a non-superpower user and gave him considerable advantage, even as a temporary surge.
Lacking Divine Speed or other superpowers, reaching such speed with sheer physical prowess left Barry baffled about the cause.
But Barry isn't Batman; he doesn't dwell on these matters. Since Deathstroke is on the side of the Justice League, the stronger, the better.
Before the Drowned could react, or rather, before her brain could respond and take action, she felt a sharp jab under her elbows. Barry had also learned about other pressure points, like the deltoid on the shoulder, the deep part behind the knee, and so on.
He hit them all with force.
To move freely underwater, the Drowned is the Nightmare Bat with the thinnest armor. Not wearing heavy armor leads to this awkwardness—unable to withstand unarmed attacks.
After Barry gave her an "all-over massage" in an instant, her entire body went numb. Her brain was completely unresponsive, and the pain and tingling made her body as limp as noodles. The trident covered in barnacles and seaweed clattered to the ground.
Just then, Su Ming descended from the sky, and the black, starlit great sword came crashing down on her head.
The Drowned indeed reacted, trying to dodge; however, Su Ming wasn't any ordinary warrior. All angles and directions the Drowned could dodge were calculated and completely blocked.
The fact is the Drowned really chose the wrong battlefield; fighting on a mountain is like driving a duck into a pen.
The great sword in Su Ming's hand was already extraordinary and was later coated with X Metal, ranking among the top divine artifacts in the DC World.
This strike not only chopped off one of her arms but also split her head and body in half like cutting a watermelon. White and red splashed everywhere, like a fountain of salty tofu pudding.
Barry, who was not far away, saw it all clearly; the blood mist and eyeballs spun right in front of him. He finally detached from the Divine Speed, leaned on Su Ming's arm, and started to vomit.
The flaw of Divine Speed is this: what should have been brief appeared in excruciating clarity to Barry, the brutal scene seemingly frozen mid-air as if putting on a show just for him.
He couldn't handle the shock, and what little canned food was in his stomach came up.
"Ugh... hold on, let me catch my breath..."
Looking at the encroaching enemies, Su Ming felt a bit helpless. On a battlefield, where could he safely rest...
"Godslayer, tower shield."
He drew the Godslayer and, with a single thought, transformed the scimitar into a giant, semi-translucent tower shield, protecting both of them behind it. Various ranged attacks fell on the shield like rain, stirring up hues of halos.
Fortunately, with the strength of the Godslayer, it could withstand such attacks for quite some time. These two divine weapons are indeed useful; having acquired them in this major event, Su Ming didn't lose out.
At that moment, a massive golden warship teleported to the mountaintop, and a group of people jumped out like dumplings, joining the battle.
Su Ming patted Barry's back, helping him feel better: "It's the Qiongji, our reinforcements have arrived."
This warship was the Qiongji taken from the Watcher by the Eternal Council. During the earlier Black Hawk Island expedition, three people took down the Blackhawk Squadron. Afterwards, Detective Gorilla, Red Tornado, and Raven and others defected during the battle, refusing to play along with the Eternal Council. They piloted the Qiongji to the Multiverse to call for reinforcements and arrived just in time.
Descending from the spaceship were all the Justice League members from the Bright Multiverse, along with some otherworld heroes. After Diana sent out a signal with her bracelet, they gathered and, through Qiongji, arrived on the battlefield.
Seeing nearly forty differently dressed Supermen fly out of the ship, Su Ming knew the frontline could temporarily regain an advantage, but time would surely be limited.
None of these Supermen had X Metal, and Barbatos surely had measures to counter them long prepared.
But Su Ming needed to see Barbatos's next move to decide his strategy. Their preliminary plans had already failed, necessitating adaptability.
While he pondered, several Dianas landed beside Su Ming and Barry, helping clear the surrounding enemies, forming a thin battle line.
Among these Dianas, some were young, some old, with slight differences in appearance, height, and attire. Among them was one with tiny fang-like teeth, clearly from the Vampire Universe.
However, even with just a few people, they firmly held back the tide of incoming enemies.
Soon after, a golden door unfolded out of thin air beside them, radiating golden light. Doctor Fate brought the survivors of the Gotham Resistance—some members of the Teen Titans, a few from the Birds of Prey, and finally... Zha Kang.
"Constantine, tsk tsk... we meet all over the place. Any last words?" Su Ming transformed the Godslayer into a lance and tickled Zha Kang's neck with the tip.
This guy's scrolls are not only misleading, but the formations he promised would last three days never came through. If Su Ming hadn't known about his nature early on, he would be in deep trouble this time.
"Cough cough, my injuries are severe. We were ambushed by the Dark Knights; I'm dying," Constantine didn't wait for Su Ming to respond and covered his head, falling down, pretending to be dead.
His acting was utterly unconvincing. If his internal organs were injured, why cover his head?
Su Ming didn't bother with him; he was too busy. With the reinforcements in, the battle grew increasingly fierce, surrounded by explosions and flames; he would settle the score later.
Except for this guy, everyone else who arrived on the battlefield joined the fight instantly. While they couldn't completely overcome the enemy's numerical advantage, they had already gained an edge in combat power.
But atop the Cosmic Tuning Fork, Barbatos still watched the battlefield indifferently, seemingly ignoring everyone, a low chuckle emanating from beneath its black cloak.