Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 63: Ch.62 Departure

"Go on, continue."

Bryce emerged from a nearby cabinet, having already changed into her pajamas, her Batwoman uniform discarded. She began checking various pieces of intelligence from the month on the massive computer in front of her.

Su Ming summarized the information he could share: "At the dawn of the Multiverse, two brothers were born from the chaos, responsible for overseeing the order of the universe."

Barry clapped his hands and raised a finger, smiling, "Ah, the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor, I know this one."

Su Ming nodded at him, acknowledging he was correct. "But they actually had another brother, the World Forger. He resides eternally in the World Forge, using the flames within to forge endless new worlds, placing them within the Multiverse."

"I'm starting to get lost, but your information seems credible for now," Bryce said as she treated the bruises on her body, spraying some unknown chemical on her injuries.

"The brighter worlds are placed in the Light Multiverse, while the darker ones are placed in the Dark Multiverse, like two sides of a plate. This plate is called the Bleed," Su Ming continued, deliberately avoiding looking at her bare legs, staying focused on his explanation.

"Barbatos is the World Forger?" Barry asked, rubbing his temples. This information was all new to him, and he felt mentally exhausted.

". . . No, he isn't. He was actually the World Forger's assistant, responsible for retrieving the trash and bringing it back to the World Forge."

". . ."

Barry looked at Su Ming as if he were joking. Cindy and Bryce didn't have such dramatic expressions, but their eyes conveyed a similar sentiment.

So, this supposed dark god? This so-called destroyer of worlds?

Su Ming glared at Barry. Clearly, all his schooling had gone to waste. Barbatos's job, though it sounded mundane, was anything but. If one thought about it, who else could handle such a task?

His role involved traversing the Multiverse, destroying and recovering individual universes, absorbing all dark energy and negative emotions. He was, without a doubt, a Multiverse-level powerhouse.

"The World Forger's process is somewhat like blacksmithing, you know, with sparks flying and molten metal flowing everywhere," Su Ming said, rubbing his eyes before taking Barry's towel to wipe the blood off his hands. "These sparks, when cooled, become misshapen universes. Barbatos's original task was to shatter these malformed universes into fragments and bring them back to the World Forge for reforging. He can drag entire universes and now plans to drag 52 universes into darkness. It's not as simple as you might think."

"What about now?" Barry asked again.

"The World Forger was killed by Barbatos. Now Barbatos wants to seize control of everything. He plans to extinguish the forge's flames and bring all worlds under his rule. Because the worlds in the Light Multiverse are higher up, like fruits on the front of the plate, he can't reach them. So he wants to drill a hole in the bottom of the plate, causing the fruits above to fall down."

Su Ming wiped the towel, now stained with blood and mud, forming an indistinguishable pattern. He then tossed it aside.

Bryce squinted, contemplating what he had said, before speaking in a low voice, "Sounds like a madman."

"If these 52 fruits fall down and mix with the 52 stuck underneath, everything will disappear. Even Barbatos would vanish, and the Multiverse would descend into complete silence," Su Ming responded, rubbing his temples. He didn't know if the Multiverse would reboot in that scenario, but if it did, he, as an outsider, would likely be erased, like a soap bubble bursting and disappearing forever.

Everyone was digesting this information. Cindy had heard Su Ming's explanation before, so she seemed rather idle, knowing he already had a plan.

Bryce crossed her arms, pondering for a moment before parting her black-painted lips and speaking in a deep tone, "Barry and I originally acquired the Lazarus Pit from the Shadow League, intending to use it on Queen Mera. As long as she didn't die, I wouldn't need to intervene in the Amazon-Atlantis war, and the world situation might stabilize. But given what's happening now, if the Court of Owls keeps stirring things up, that plan would only delay the inevitable destruction."

"If it were just you two, buying more time would make sense. But if this world catches Barbatos's attention, it's unlikely to survive. I have a plan: to sever their connection to Barbatos and fly under his radar," Su Ming said, repeating what he had told Cindy earlier, but without mentioning Cindy's plan to carry out assassinations in Gotham. As he had anticipated, after learning that the Court of Owls might have been involved in her parents' deaths, the possibility lingered in Bryce's suspicious mind.

"The base of the Strigidae Priests is also in Egypt. They are descendants of the Bird Tribe; that place is their stronghold," Su Ming threw out this final piece of information, then fell silent. He knew how Bryce would choose.

"You know where they are?" Bryce's fingers clenched, emitting a cracking sound. It wasn't that she longed for revenge for her parents. That hatred had transformed into something else over countless missions in the darkness.

She wanted to repay the fear the killers had inflicted upon her a hundredfold.

"Yeah, they're in the Temple of Set," Su Ming took the opportunity to propose his plan.

"Right, the Temple of Set! How could I have forgotten? What's wrong with me?" Barry slapped his head repeatedly. He suspected the Speed Force had caused him to forget some memories, and it was a very unsettling feeling.

The Speed Force could sometimes cause people to lose track of time or forget certain memories. Almost every speedster had experienced being trapped by the Speed Force at some point.

Bryce glanced from Barry to Su Ming, knowing Deathstroke had other motives. But Su Ming met her gaze without any guilt, his single eye filled with determination.

"We leave after dinner."

In the end, Bryce decided to let it go. Once they visited Egypt together, everything would become clear. Su Ming smiled, and his hand subtly made a gesture to Cindy that only the two of them understood:

"Great. I'm looking forward to Alfred's cooking."

"Thank you for the compliment. I'll bring it out right away."

Just then, Alfred wheeled a cart out of the elevator, having prepared a second supper. It wasn't the leftovers from Bryce and Barry's earlier meal but an entirely new spread.

"Don't bother with courses. Just put everything out," Bryce instructed, as they had no time to enjoy a leisurely, aristocratic dinner. She gestured for the butler to lay everything out on the workstation.

"Miss, if you keep eating in the Batcave, our dining room will lose its purpose," the butler said as he efficiently set the table, not forgetting to chide Bryce.

After eating, Su Ming's headache and throbbing temples subsided for the time being. Slade's memories were now neatly organized in his mind, fully integrated or recalled. He felt much more relaxed.

After a few glasses of wine paired with the meal, he was ready for the next action.

He donned his armor again and asked Alfred to find him a broadsword, which turned out to be a decorative sword from one of the mansion's medieval armors, but it was at least sharpened. Bryce had put on her Batwoman suit again, and Barry had changed back into his red tights.

Before Bryce could speak, Su Ming preempted her, addressing Barry, "Barry, take Bryce and me to Egypt."

Barry looked at Bryce, who nodded in agreement. So he grabbed them both, and with a burst of Speed Force, they vanished instantly. Cindy rocked in her seat, stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray, and put on her helmet again, starting to check her ammunition and weapons.

"Now then, Alfred, I should get to work too. Could I borrow a car?" she asked.

"I'll go with you and drive. I overheard some of your conversation," Alfred replied, taking off his apron with his usual politeness.

Cindy paused. "Our plan is a bit more 'direct' than Bryce's."

Alfred quickly placed the dishes back on the cart, his tone steady. "Yes, I believe Miss Wayne considered that when she hired you. But Mr. Allen speaks highly of you two. He says you'll fight for the world."

"Heh, it's just self-preservation, really. Earning money is just a bonus. Besides, this job has to get done, unless we all want to end up as sludge at the bottom of the sea."

Cindy laughed. She and Su Ming were not noble people; their goal was simple—survival.

"I used to be a government agent. I've killed a lot of people for the government, so I understand sometimes you need to use 'direct' methods," Alfred chuckled. It was hard to believe that this elderly man, with his graying hair, had once been part of the government's execution squad. "But I'm long retired. I'm only driving for you this time. I don't care how you mercenaries conduct your business, but I have to make sure Miss Wayne's money is well spent."

Cindy shrugged. She knew this was meant as supervision. Bryce had clearly sensed something. Alfred alone wouldn't be able to keep her in check. Bryce probably just wanted to slightly restrain her actions, making sure she didn't go too far.

It would be easy to shake him off, but having someone familiar with the roads to drive was useful. It would also give her a chance to test Batwoman's limits.

"Alright then, come along. Just don't get in my way."