Black Golden Retriever

Amidst the aroma of fruit, the night breeze gently caressed everyone's faces.

Damian rarely showed a smile befitting her age, as she was fighting two Robin, and the combat techniques she had learned from Hela were even able to overpower Dick.

Jason was still fast asleep in the chair.

Thomas and Martha sat side by side, quietly enjoying this rare moment of family time, watching the children play and reminiscing about the past.

Alfred's once bald head was now covered with thick black hair. Holding scissors, he soon appeared before everyone as a dashing middle-aged man, looking at his new look with satisfaction.

Selina is feeding Bruce fruit.

Venom and Kara held Kino's hand and sat together on the beach.

Kino grasped their hands in return, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

On this ordinary night, on this beautiful beach, there are no superheroes or cosmic crises, only a group of ordinary people enjoying life.

The banquet eventually came to an end, and Kino planned to leave and return to his little villa.

"There's so much left, it's a bit of a waste."

Kara looked regretfully at the remaining squid, which was still mostly gone, and the large amount of fruit.

"It won't be a waste."

Kino raised his hand, and the black wristband on his wrist suddenly began to wriggle, extending several black tentacles that devoured the iron plate, along with the squid and the remaining fruit, leaving nothing behind.

"You're treating the Black Death Sword like a leftover food processor, aren't you afraid it'll rebel?"

Venom's eyes held a smile.

"Isn't it because you're here? And it's eating happily too."

Kino, wearing a black wristband, nodded in agreement, giving a thumbs-up.

Kara curiously poked it; it looked like Venom.

Bruce silently recorded the information.

A night breeze carrying a salty, damp scent swept by, Kara's hair gently brushed against Kino's face, tickling him yet carrying a hint of tenderness.

Venom and Kino held hands, lost in thought, as she contemplated trying something new that night.

Upon entering the villa, the warm lights instantly dispelled the chill of the night.

Kara, like a cheerful little bird, went to the bathroom to run hot water, humming an unknown tune.

Venom seemed to realize something and followed them inside, where they came out whispering amongst themselves.

Kino stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the shimmering sea in the distance, but her thoughts drifted involuntarily to the party that evening.

After the excitement ends, loneliness follows, and a sense of melancholy lingers.

"Kino, come take a bath!" Kara's voice came from the bathroom, tinged with a hint of shyness.

Kino smiled, took the Black Death Sword from his wrist and placed it on the dining table, then turned and walked towards the bathroom.

The bathroom was steamy, and an inflatable mat was placed on the floor.

Kara and Venom sat on either side, wearing barely-there bikinis, making even Kino worry they'd get cold.

Water droplets slid down her glistening skin, shimmering with a captivating glow under the light.

When Kara saw Kino enter, her cheeks flushed instantly, but her eyes were full of anticipation.

Venom casually patted the inflatable cushion.

"You applied it for us during the day, now we'll apply it for you, hurry up."

"Okay! ^ω^"

The next day.

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains into the bedroom, casting dappled golden spots on the wooden floor.

Kino reached for his pillow, only to feel the lingering warmth of his body in the folds of the sheets. The sizzling sound of frying eggs mixed with the aroma of coffee came from downstairs. He put on his bathrobe and pushed open the door.

Venom sat on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine filled with chocolate milk, and Kino.

"If you don't get up soon, Kara is going to feed her whole breakfast to Black Death Sword."

"Then I'll have your breakfast."

Kino took a sip of the Venom chocolate milk.

Kara was squatting by the dining table, trying to feed Black Death Sword a strawberry, but Black Death Sword wouldn't open his mouth.

"Kino, is it sick? It won't eat anything."

"Not eating?"

Kino walked over and looked at Black Death Sword, which now had the appearance of a large black golden retriever. It was lying quietly on the ground, but its eyes were fixed on the bowl of strawberries on the table.

The Black Death Sword saw Kino and opened its mouth wide.

It spat out a red, human-shaped object, along with a strange, slimy substance.

Then Black Death Sword swept the strawberries on the table, plate and all, clean, and licked his lips with satisfaction.

"Barry?"

Kino looked at the unshaven, somewhat thin Barry on the ground and exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing Kino's voice, Barry opened his eyes and, seeing Kino, couldn't help but pounce on him.

"Brother Kino, I almost got... ugh!"

With a loud bang, Barry crashed into a transparent wall, clutching his face in pain and rolling around on the ground.

"Barry, how did you get inside the Black Death Sword?"

Kino snapped his the Snap, wiping the filth off Barry.

Barry got up from the ground, his nose bright red.

"My power bank was fully charged, and I came to find you, Brother Kino. But when I opened the door, everything went black, and I found myself in a strange place filled with sticky tunnels, glowing squid bones, and slimy liquid everywhere. Thankfully, it stank. I feel like everything smells like it now."

As he spoke, Barry gagged a few times.

Kino understood. Barry had come over in the middle of the night and was swallowed by the Black Death Sword as an enemy. Perhaps because it recognized Barry, it didn't digest him, but it also didn't release him.

Venom shook its head as it chuckled, sloshing the chocolate milk in the glass.

"So, Barry, you almost became the Black Death Sword's defense."

"The Black Death Sword?"

Barry was taken aback, looked around but didn't see any sword-like weapon.

"It is the Black Death Sword."

Kara kindly pointed to the big black golden retriever at his feet.

Barry slowly lowered his head.

Black Death Sword also opened its mouth wide, fully extending 180 degrees, revealing a mouthful of densely packed fangs. Following its throat, Barry saw the place where he had spent the night the previous night.

"I must be dreaming..."

Barry felt a sudden dizziness, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

Already exhausted, and having spent the night inside the Black Death Sword's esophagus, and now knowing that he almost became the one defending his thesis, it would be unbearable for anyone.

A few minutes

Barry woke up again, looked at the food in front of him, and immediately started eating; he was truly starving.

Kino, holding the small Speed Force battery, was indeed fully charged by Barry.

The previous estimate of a year was a joke, but based on his calculations of Barry's production speed, it would take at least half a month.

Barry said, wolfing down his food, "I was running around in there for days, and then I stopped and came out after only one night."

Kino knew this wasn't a hallucination; Barry had really been running for several days.

Time Acceleration Field: Users of the Speed Force can accelerate the flow of time relative to their surroundings, and can even bring others into this state.

One second outside is equivalent to a year inside the Speed Force; this requires a very strong control over the Speed Force.

However, it's not without its drawbacks; the rate of physical aging also changes with the time within the domain. p1

p1: In the anime Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry used this trick, taking his lover with him.

However, he and his loved one also grew old.