Chapter Summaries

Su Ming and his companions descended into Tartarus and found a vast underground prison where magical beasts had escaped and fought among themselves. They confronted Scylla, a monstrous Titan who charged at them, and Su Ming prepared to attack her.

• Su Ming and the others traveled through the Earth’s depths and reached Tartarus, where the surroundings grew cold and they found a cavern full of magical beasts and bones.
• Donna warned that many magical beasts had escaped, while Su Ming reassured her that Barry and Clark could handle the creatures outside.
• Arthur recognized Scylla as the monster that had destroyed the southern outpost and killed Atlantean soldiers, and Donna identified her as a cursed daughter of an ancient sea god.
• Su Ming recalled Scylla’s transformation into a six-headed, twelve-legged monster and criticized Zeus for sealing her with the other magical beasts.
• Scylla charged at the group, and Su Ming rose into the air with Cosmic Energy and prepared to cut off her serpent and wolf heads.

Su Ming defeated Scylla by tangling her serpentine limbs and cutting her in half. The Spectre then appeared, stirring violent emotions among the team as they tried to resist his influence.

• Su Ming used himself as bait to make Scylla’s sea serpents chase him and knot themselves around her wolf heads.
• Su Ming cut Scylla in half with Godslayer while Arthur, Bobo, Raven, Donna, and the others watched.
• Arthur said he would learn knitting, and Bobo explained that Su Ming had won by choosing clever tactics instead of meeting Scylla’s strength directly.
• The Spectre formed from green smoke, and his presence awakened dark impulses in Raven and Harley while the Tenth Metal patches helped the others stay calm.
• Harley admitted she was pretending to act crazy so nobody would mistake her for an animal, prompting Bobo to defend his intelligence and making the team laugh.

Su Ming and his companions encountered the Spectre without his host, Corrigan, and found him wandering in a sleepwalking state. They tried to restrain him with Donna’s lasso and prepared to question him together, but the Spectre remained unresponsive.

• Su Ming called out to the Spectre and offered to make a deal, while Bobo and the others explained how the Spectre’s power and Corrigan’s role worked.
• Su Ming tied Donna’s Lasso of Persuasion around the distracted Spectre and fed him Spicy Strips, while Harley drew a smile on him with lipstick.
• Su Ming and Donna brought the Spectre down to the ground and planned to use the lasso to make him tell the truth.
• Su Ming asked everyone to join hands on the lasso and lend their willpower, and Bobo, Harley, Raven, and Arthur joined Donna and Su Ming.

Su Ming and the others used the lasso to see tragedies caused by revenge, but the Spectre revealed no useful information to most of them. Harley said she knew where Detective Corrigan was, while Corrigan resisted the Spectre in the Abyss and refused to help it punish the world.

• The Spectre erupted in green light as the lasso showed Su Ming and the others a flood of revenge stories ending in tragedy.
• Bobo, Arthur, Raven, and the others described disturbing visions they had seen, while Su Ming concluded they had learned little of use.
• Harley said the Spectre had shown her images of Joker, then claimed the narration boxes had revealed where Detective Corrigan was.
• Deathstroke rewarded Harley with a lollipop and let her lead the group toward Corrigan.
• In the Abyss, Corrigan argued with the Spectre, rejected its claims of divine judgment, and refused to return to the world to help it kill people.

Corrigan trapped himself and The Spectre in Tartarus to keep the spirit from interfering with the Justice League, while Luthor investigated a way to make a cure for The Batman Who Laughs Virus. Joker left to steal Tenth Metal from John, and Luthor warned him to stay discreet until the Serum worked.

• Corrigan tricked The Spectre into taking him to Paradise Island, then jumped into Tartarus and refused to leave or cooperate with his bound spirit.
• The Spectre tried to spur the magical beasts to dig an escape route, but Corrigan’s refusal kept him trapped.
• At STAR Labs, Luthor examined the corpse of Merciless and explained that the Dark Knights’ madness came from a cross-world method of infection.
• Luthor said the Serum needed Tenth Metal, which had purified Deathstroke’s blood and was also held by Green Lantern John.
• Joker said he and Punchline would lure John into giving up the metal, while Luthor urged him to stay low-profile until the Serum succeeded.

Donna led the group to the Titans’ prison, where she opened the enormous door using her authority as an Amazon princess. Harley identified Corrigan’s location in the Titans’ feeding trough, and the group headed toward the Abyss to find him.

• Raven explained that her magical coordinate had brought them close to the Titans’ prison.
• The group found that brute force could not open the gigantic prison door, so Donna spoke the command that made it open.
• Donna warned that the door could not stay open long and urged everyone to find Corrigan quickly.
• Harley pointed out that Corrigan was in an Abyss, and Raven identified the area as the Titans’ feeding trough, stocked with poisonous beasts.
• Su Ming led the group toward the Abyss and told everyone to protect themselves while he spoke with The Spectre and the others.

Deathstroke and his allies rescued Detective Corrigan from the Abyss and confronted The Spectre over his campaign of revenge against humanity. Su Ming challenged The Spectre's selective judgments, leaving the divine spirit speechless and accused of hypocrisy.

• Deathstroke, Donna, Aquaman, and their companions reached Corrigan in the Abyss, where he waited among The Spectre's beasts.
• The Spectre left Corrigan's body, but Deathstroke seized the detective and used him as a human shield to prevent an attack.
• Corrigan told Su Ming that The Spectre's revenge had expanded from punishing criminals into systematic genocide against humanity.
• The Spectre claimed that revenge was justice, and Su Ming questioned why he judged humans but ignored alien lives and grievances.
• Su Ming called The Spectre a hypocrite who neglected his duties and used God's name to serve his own desires.

Deathstroke tried to force The Spectre to reveal how to catch The Upside-Down Man, but the spirit refused, so Su Ming activated Plan D and summoned Deadpool. The Spectre fought back as the group battled monsters, and Deadpool began a plan to break his spirit while keeping him alive for questioning.

• Deathstroke demanded that The Spectre explain how to catch The Upside-Down Man, but The Spectre refused and said only Zatanna could take revenge.
• Su Ming crushed a Spider Totem and ordered the Adjutant to initiate Plan D, using a Hell teleportation route to bring Deadpool to them.
• Deadpool arrived and agreed to fight The Spectre after Su Ming offered payment, despite joking about his fee and insulting his opponent.
• The Spectre sent monsters against Deathstroke's group, while Donna, Arthur, Harley, and the others fought them and Corrigan blocked The Spectre's attack on Deadpool.
• Su Ming offered Deadpool a hundred thousand to keep The Spectre alive, and Deadpool proposed breaking his spirit by singing to him.

Deadpool used his MP3 and his terrible rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” to overwhelm The Spectre with nausea. The Spectre broke down and abandoned his pursuit of revenge, while the others recovered from the spectacle.

• Deadpool started singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” after Su Ming told him to use his MP3.
• The Spectre and the demonic beasts became nauseated, causing most of the Heroes fighting them to vomit.
• Su Ming warned Officer Corrigan to cover his eyes and ears, while Strangle blocked the detective’s and Bobo’s ears.
• Harley enjoyed watching the Heroes and monsters vomit as Deadpool danced around The Spectre.
• Deadpool climbed onto The Spectre, soaked him with vomit, and finished his performance with a fart.
• The Spectre collapsed in tears and gave up thoughts of revenge, justice, and destiny.

Deathstroke forced The Spectre into a helpless state while seeking a way to capture The Upside-Down Man, but the Voice of God arrived and offered him information about both The Upside-Down Man and The Batman Who Laughs. After making a deal, Deathstroke left with the puppy, while Barry woke from a warning vision and set out to find Wally.

• Deadpool landed badly and broke his ankle, then collected an IOU from Su Ming for winning their bet.
• Su Ming ordered Black Pearl to protect Detective Corrigan and sent Harley and Bobo to help Donna, Arthur, and the others.
• Su Ming tried to make The Spectre reveal how to capture The Upside-Down Man, but The Spectre remained paralyzed and could only vomit.
• The Voice of God appeared as a puppy and offered Su Ming information about The Upside-Down Man and The Batman Who Laughs in exchange for a deal.
• Barry woke from a disturbing dream, sensed a warning from the Speed Force, and left to find Wally.

Barry remembered that Wally might still be in danger from Black Flash and headed to Blackgate Penitentiary, where Wally was imprisoned. Wally brooded over the deaths he had caused and, when Double Down attacked him, made no attempt to defend himself.

• Barry recalled that Wally had triggered another Black Flash pursuit and raced toward Blackgate Penitentiary in Gotham.
• Wally remembered how his future self had killed Roy and twelve other heroes, and how Barry had broken the resulting time loop.
• Wally lay awake in Blackgate, blaming himself and believing he deserved to remain imprisoned while wearing a power-suppressing collar.
• Guards escorted Wally to a late-night meal, where he realized the other prisoners hated him and the guards were not staying to protect him.
• Double Down attacked Wally with a sharpened toothbrush handle, and Wally sat still, hoping the blow would end his life.

Wally was saved from Double Down by The Whisperer, then visited in Blackgate by Barry, who tried to persuade him not to plead guilty. They discussed a mysterious shadow that was provoking warnings from the Speed Force, and Wally offered to serve as bait.

• The Whisperer knocked out Double Down and saved Wally, then left after Wally thanked him.
• Guards escorted Wally to meet Barry, who asked why he had refused legal help and whether he planned to plead guilty to the murders.
• Wally insisted that taking responsibility was right and refused Barry's argument that the killings were an accident.
• Barry asked whether Wally had sensed a warning from the Speed Force and explained that a shadow had awakened him despite Otherworld Deathstroke's help.
• Wally proposed using himself as bait so he could help stop the shadow and atone.

Barry told Su Ming about Wally’s vision of a shadow in the Speed Force and asked for help, hoping to keep Wally safe in prison. Su Ming argued that Wally was a victim rather than a murderer and offered to bring the dead heroes back so they could judge the matter themselves.

• Barry refused Wally’s request to use him as bait and promised to find a safer prison for him.
• Barry contacted Green Arrow, learned that Su Ming and the others were on Karpathos Island, and ran there to find them gathered around a puppy.
• Barry told Su Ming about the coming Speed Force threat and his plan to transfer Wally from Blackgate Penitentiary.
• Su Ming criticized the Justice League for imprisoning Wally and argued that the thirteen heroes had died protecting him.
• Su Ming offered to visit the heroes’ graves with Barry and use his Black-and-White Lantern Ring to wake them and ask whether they blamed Wally.

Su Ming assigned his allies to cut off the Upside-Down Man’s power supply and arranged to visit Wally’s buried teammates with Barry. On Earth -24, Diana advanced through the fighting toward The Batman Who Laughs, waiting for a chance to kill him.

• Su Ming explained that the team would use Nth Metal to channel energy into the Fire Pits of Sepulk and lure out the Upside-Down Man.
• Su Ming sent Donna and Raven to Thanagar to obtain Nth Metal, and directed Bobo, Deadpool, and Harley to prepare at the Rock of Eternity.
• Su Ming told Aquaman to search the deep sea for escaped magical beasts, then asked Barry to take him to Roy’s grave in Star City.
• Barry carried Su Ming as they set off to visit Roy, while Diana quietly moved through the battle on Earth -24 toward The Batman Who Laughs.

Batman and The Batman Who Laughs fought amid the undead as Batman used deception and a contingency device to hold his enemy in place. Diana emerged from a Black Lantern Zombie and beheaded The Batman Who Laughs with Vulcan's Sword.

• Batman distracted The Batman Who Laughs while the undead and Dark Knights fought around them.
• The Batman Who Laughs recognized Batman's apparent plan to hide Diana in a cloak, but mistook a Black Lantern Zombie wearing Batman's uniform for the real Bruce.
• Bruce revealed himself from the cloaked disguise and attacked The Batman Who Laughs, but his opponent's enhanced strength overwhelmed him.
• Batman bound their limbs together with sticky foam from his suit and called for Diana.
• Diana burst from a Black Lantern Zombie and beheaded The Batman Who Laughs with Vulcan's Sword.

Diana and Batwoman escaped Earth -24 after destroying The Batman Who Laughs's body, unaware that King Robin recovered a hidden sphere before the planet was destroyed. Su Ming temporarily revived Roy, who revealed he had seven days before his resurrection mission had to be completed, and agreed to accompany Su Ming to see Wally.

• Diana and Batwoman burned and minced The Batman Who Laughs's corpse, then escaped through the Boom Tube while Joker appeared and spoke to Batwoman.
• King Robin extinguished the flames, recovered a metal sphere from The Batman Who Laughs's skull, and teleported away as the Dark Knights evacuated and Earth -24 exploded.
• Su Ming offered Roy bread and explained that he had used Black and White Lantern Rings to give him temporary life.
• Roy said the White Lantern had assigned him a mission for true resurrection and that failure would erase him completely.
• Roy collected his bow and arrows and agreed to go with Su Ming to see Wally before his seven days of freedom ran out.

After Su Ming helped resurrect Roy, the group returned to the Hall of Justice, where Diana reported killing The Batman Who Laughs. Su Ming revealed that the villain had a second life, while Roy reassured Diana that he blamed no one for his death.

• Barry explained the lantern resurrection risks to Green Arrow, who spoke with Roy before cutting the call short to respond to Batwoman and Wonder Woman's arrival.
• Su Ming chose to return to the Hall of Justice with Barry and Roy so he could question Diana about the missing intelligence.
• Diana told Su Ming she had killed The Batman Who Laughs, and Su Ming explained that she had only killed one of his lives.
• Diana described how Batwoman had kept her from contacting Su Ming while they were on Earth -3, and Roy greeted her after she noticed his resurrection.
• Diana apologized to Roy over Sanctuary and the heroes' deaths, but Roy said they had chosen their own paths and should not be blamed.

Su Ming reassured Diana that Roy’s resurrection and forgiveness of Wally were genuine, then gathered the heroes to exchange intelligence about The Batman Who Laughs. The group concluded that the villain had a second life and was pursuing a plan centered on winning and collecting “crisis.”

• Su Ming claimed Roy was living by his own will, while Barry and Roy vouched for his help and Diana agreed to focus on freeing Wally.
• Oliver arrived and tearfully reunited with Roy, then joined the others as Su Ming chaired the meeting while Batwoman received treatment.
• Barry, Su Ming, and Diana shared what they had learned about the Speed Force shadows, Donna, The Spectre, and events after Sepulk.
• Oliver argued that The Batman Who Laughs had another life because Hawkman, Blue Beetle, and Shazam had not appeared in the previous battle.
• Su Ming rejected metal as the villain’s true focus and revealed that The Batman Who Laughs had collected “crisis” as part of a grand plan to win.

Deathstroke explained Crisis Energy and the Force of Connection to the Justice League, outlining The Batman Who Laughs's plan to break the multiverse and escape its destruction. He intended the information to reach Batwoman, knowing she would become bait for The Batman Who Laughs's next move.

• Roy asked for help understanding the lesson, and Oliver told him to focus on his resurrection task instead.
• Deathstroke described the multiverse as a balanced system of opposing forces, with the Force of Connection restraining Crisis Energy.
• Deathstroke explained that The Batman Who Laughs gathered Crisis Energy to destabilize the multiverse, leave himself as its sole survivor, and find a place to stand outside it.
• Deathstroke revealed that Batwoman was listening from the infirmary and had shared the information to draw her into becoming bait.
• Deathstroke expected The Batman Who Laughs to make the next attack, though he did not know who the target would be.

Su Ming explained the void beyond the Source Wall and the history of Perpetua's multiverse, including how it was isolated and how Perpetua later tried to escape. He left the group with the revelation that The Batman Who Laughs had taken over Perpetua's Crisis Energy plan.

• Su Ming described the void beyond the Source Wall and explained that higher-dimensional creators used the Force of Connection and Tenth Metal to shape multiverses.
• Su Ming said Perpetua had used Crisis Energy to make their multiverse feed on others, and that the Origin Judges had isolated it behind the Source Wall.
• Barry clarified that his own reboot was Flashpoint, while the era Su Ming described had occurred earlier; Diana lamented that their memories had been altered repeatedly.
• Su Ming explained that Perpetua's sons had reported her to The Source, leading the Origin Judges to imprison her and overlay the Fourth Dimension over the original Third Dimension.
• Su Ming said Perpetua had stirred crises from within the Source Wall until Barbatos destroyed it and freed her, but Su Ming had stopped her plan with the Thought Robot.
• Su Ming revealed that The Batman Who Laughs had discovered Crisis Energy and taken over Perpetua's operation for his own plan.