As the saying goes, tactics are never constant, like water takes no fixed form. After arriving from the World Furnace, Su Ming's plan changed time and time again.
Originally, he wanted to rely on Superman and Diana to solve everything, but his plan to slack off came to a halt when Diana went missing, and Batman's attempt to save Sea King and Steel Bone was unsuccessful as they disappeared. After that, he thought of sending Barry to find Diana, but Barry just kept vomiting and couldn't run at all.
"Sure enough, when you rely on mountains, they collapse; when you rely on water, it dries up. At critical moments, you have to rely on yourself."
Su Ming sighed helplessly and nodded to the Red Son beside him. He had made up his mind to meet Barbatos in person.
Though it seemed like he was left with no choice, there was a part of him eager for the challenge.
After merging with Slade's soul, facing such a powerful opponent, how could a warrior not engage in battle?
As long as he's not directly hit by Barbatos' Dark Energy, his life should remain secure. However, if he delays any longer, waiting for all worlds to collide, that's when they truly face doom.
The wind from the battlefield blew up from the foot of the mountain. Though the distance was far, it seemed to carry the scent of gunpowder and blood, stimulating his adrenaline to surge wildly.
Brute force against Barbatos is futile. A tactical approach is necessary, starting with a surprise attack to take the initiative. If the timing is right, he might severely hurt Barbatos in an instant.
His Great Sword was coated with X Metal, a nemesis of the Dark God. The challenge in defeating Barbatos was not in how to attack, but in how to approach.
Once he got close, even hacking away indiscriminately could solve the problem.
The Red Son picked up Su Ming and shot away from the battlefield at high speed, everything below appearing insignificant. Challenger Mountain looked like a twisting centipede, and Barbatos was merely a small black dot in view, like a sesame seed on the head of the centipede.
"Is this position okay?"
The Red Son asked him, and at this moment, the two were floating above Gotham City. However, the surrounding scene was no longer the gray sky but a series of otherworldly Earths, like a bunch of blue fruits of different sizes, looking particularly conspicuous.
"The distance is about right. Wait for an opportunity."
Su Ming gripped his Great Sword tightly, slowed his breathing, and prepared himself.
"What opportunity?"
Superman observed the battlefield with his special vision, seeing things Su Ming couldn't see right now.
"Wait for Barbatos to attack the Counterattack Alliance."
This was Su Ming's plan. Barbatos felt curious about the counterattackers, but this was a battlefield. He could not allow these unknown-capacity enemies to approach him.
When they got within a certain range, he would definitely attack them, as the other minions were not enough to stop a combination as powerful as a knock-off green giant with Thunder God.
"Distraction tactics? I can understand that, but I'm not familiar with the people in the Counterattack Alliance. Would they suffer losses?"
"There shouldn't be a problem. Their leader is a man who uses belief as his Shield, and you know, belief in humans is a power that can't be precisely quantified." Su Ming couldn't see the detailed situation on the battlefield but answered Clark's question matter-of-factly: "If he doesn't want to fall, he can hold out under Barbatos' bombardment for an entire day."
Given that the American Warrior was somewhat stronger than the original Captain America, with an additional Great Treasure Sword, he could probably hold out a bit longer.
Their tactic should involve the American Warrior tanking damage and taunting, with the Blue Giant Infant and Wang Jina drawing attention, while the killing blow would be the Silver-White Witch's Powerful Magic.
However, the flaw in this tactic is that Barbatos is still too strong. Without 'metal,' their strength cannot exceed the Dark God, so if this is the only tactic they use, the outcome is already destined.
......................
"Struggle, suffer, for your world is finished! Everything shall return to darkness!"
Indeed, as Su Ming expected, Barbatos's attention to novelties was very limited.
He was like someone who had just seen a little worm for the first time, but in the end, they were just worms. The Counterattack Alliance only captured his interest for a brief moment before he lost the desire to observe.
He raised an arm, much like King Kong leaning his body on the Empire State Building, declaring to the world the arrival of a dark apocalypse with a screeching voice, and planned to crush these front-line bugs with his formidable energy.
The gigantic Dark Energy Beam suddenly lit up, with black light descending over the battlefield. On the beam's path, many of Barbatos' loyal followers were caught, but in an instant, they turned to ash.
"Scatter!"
The American Warrior shouted loudly, urging his teammates to evade while he raised his Shield, curling up behind it.
Almost the next instant, the beam struck him.
Yet that miraculous Shield actually withstood the powerful Dark Energy. Although the semi-transparent Energy Shield looked like a piece of red glass, it was indeed full of faith and unyielding will, and it remained unbroken.
Of course, the American Warrior wasn't unscathed. He was like a ball, knocked several hundred meters away by Barbatos, bouncing off the ground and landing again.
But he stood up again from the dust, looking very disheveled, and charged once more towards Barbatos.
..................
"He blocked an attack."
The Red Son spoke to Su Ming, whose vision was limited, with a slight hint of surprise in his tone. He found it hard to imagine how an ordinary person could survive such a powerful attack.
"Don't always think humans need protecting. When necessary, humans will stand up to protect what they care about."
Su Ming replied with a hint of meaning. The Red Son had been overly protective of humanity, merging the responsibilities of superhumans with the Fur Bear Ministry of Internal Affairs' approach, offering comprehensive protection for humans.
In that world, Lex Luthor described the Red Son as putting everyone in a jar, metaphorically portraying that omnipresent surveillance in a big-brother style.
Superman nodded thoughtfully, a smile briefly appearing on his face before settling: "I understand. Barbatos is about to launch his next attack. That blue giant is now at the front, drawing Barbatos' attention."
"Good, I must fly fast enough; otherwise, there's a chance he might evade."
Su Ming flexed his wrist, his Great Sword in hand twirling in a flourish of light points. He faced the battlefield, which was indistinguishable, and slowly exhaled.
"Urrah!"
Otherworld Clark let out a low roar, grabbing Su Ming's legs with both hands and spinning once, hurling Su Ming like throwing a hammer towards the top of the Tuning Fork.
The fierce wind howled past his ears; even through the helmet, he could hear the air's roar. The armor on his body seemed to heat up from friction, but Su Ming didn't care; his target in the red lenses of his eyes was rapidly enlarging.