Chapter Summaries

Deathstroke, Barry, and Holy Arrival dealt with the beeping Mother Box and prepared to implant it in Cyborg, while the Justice League debated how to stop Brutus. Batwoman left the meeting after Alfred reported that a mysterious, badly injured woman had appeared in the lake behind her manor.

• Holy Arrival explained that the Mother Box was sending Darkseid a message about the Anti-Life Equation, but she could not trace its recipient if Darkseid was outside the multiverse.
• Deathstroke joked that he would want Batwoman to build him a Deathstroke-mobile as extra payment for killing his mahjong-playing Darkseid duplicate.
• Su Ming cut open Cyborg’s chest and put the Mother Box inside, telling Barry to use its computing power and check that Cyborg was really himself when he woke.
• The Justice League discussed Brutus’s teleportation, his attacks on Kahndaq and Paradise Island, and whether Deathstroke could be trusted.
• Alfred told Batwoman that a strange woman with shattered internal organs had been found alive in the lake behind her manor, and Batwoman left the meeting to investigate.

After helping Barry restore Cyborg’s consciousness in the Speed Force Plane, Deathstroke returned to Doom Patrol’s laboratory and prepared to investigate the threat from Darkseid. He sent Barry, Hawkgirl, and Cyborg to the Hall of Justice while he set out with Cockroach for Oblivion Bar.

• Barry successfully rewrote the alien code in Cyborg’s mind with Holy Arrival’s help, and Deathstroke confirmed the mission had succeeded.
• Deathstroke and his companions left the Speed Force Plane in Harlequin’s Duck Boat and returned to Doom Patrol’s laboratory, where the group had been playing Monopoly while Chief remained asleep.
• Hawkgirl and Deathstroke decided the team needed to reach the Hall of Justice and report what had happened, while Deathstroke warned Doom Patrol to keep Chief away from Hypertime.
• Deathstroke sent Barry, Hawkgirl, and Cyborg to the Hall of Justice so Cyborg could share his memories with Batwoman, then split off to take Cockroach to Oblivion Bar.
• Deathstroke asked Adjutant to teleport him and Cockroach to Oblivion Bar and check whether Constantine had returned to Earth-0.

Su Ming brought Ezekiel to the Oblivion Bar and asked Tracy about reports of a dangerous Minotaur and recent activity beyond the Source Wall. He learned that mages had begun traveling beyond the multiverse only a week earlier, though none had returned.

• Su Ming teleported with Ezekiel to the Oblivion Bar and told him he would stay in its Pocket Dimension.
• Su Ming learned from Tracy that Bobo had left with the Justice League Dark and asked how her father was doing.
• Su Ming showed Tracy footage of Brutus and asked whether anyone had encountered Minotaurs; she offered to ask her sisters.
• Tracy told Su Ming that mages had recently begun leaving the multiverse to seek riches beyond the Source Wall, and none had returned yet.
• Su Ming noted that the sudden departures had begun only a week earlier, despite the Source Wall having shattered about six months ago.

Su Ming learned that a powerful, hidden sorcerer was luring Mages out of the multiverse with promises of fortune, then discovered Diana, Donna, Zatanna, and Ragman had gone missing. He left the bar in Los Angeles and sent Strangle to track them by scent.

• Su Ming discussed the mysterious sorcerer with Tracy and Ezekiel, who said the figure was powerful enough to conceal their Destiny.
• Tracy told Su Ming that Diana and the Justice League were worried about Darkseid and the Power of Grayskull.
• Su Ming tried calling Diana and Bobo, then learned from Tracy that Diana, Donna, Zatanna, and Ragman had left together.
• Su Ming recognized Ragman as a likely source of trouble and headed out of the bar into Los Angeles.
• Su Ming ordered Strangle to find Diana, and Bean Sprout pointed toward the group's trail.

Su Ming investigated the murder at the One Thousand and One Pages bookstore and traced the missing books to a deal with a man named Wales. Lucifer arrived, sensed a magical trap but could not identify it, then invited Su Ming to his nightclub.

• Su Ming and Strangle examined the corpse and ash, finding that the victim was human, the ash came from an unknown creature, and the blood nearby belonged to Zatanna.
• Su Ming found a ledger showing the bookstore owner had bought a set of books for two hundred thousand US Dollars, and he deduced the killer had stolen them from the open safe during a deal with Mr. Wales.
• Strangle suggested Ragman had found the monster and gone to the nearby Oblivion Bar for help, where the Justice League Dark happened to be present.
• Lucifer appeared at the bookstore, inspected the corpse, and sensed that the killer had left a magical trap with traces he found familiar.
• Lucifer invited Su Ming to his nightclub, offering to introduce him to attractive men and women.

Deathstroke learned from Lucifer that the magic behind Zatanna’s injury came from beyond the multiverse, then tracked Diana and Bobo to Papa Midnite’s restaurant. Papa Midnite revealed that he had sent them to Shadow Crown Manor, and Deathstroke had him open a passage there.

• Lucifer told Deathstroke that the magic that injured Zatanna came from beyond the multiverse before vanishing.
• Deathstroke followed Ragman’s stench through Los Angeles to Papa Midnite’s restaurant, where the workers surrendered when he entered.
• Papa Midnite explained that Diana had asked him to teleport her and the others to Shadow Crown Manor because Zatanna could not use teleportation magic.
• Deathstroke asked Papa Midnite to send him to Shadow Crown Manor, and the witch doctor revealed that the magic circle was still prepared.

Su Ming arrived at Shadow Crown Manor to check on Zatanna after she collapsed. He knocked her into a deep sleep with Godslayer, suspected her soul had been injured again, and asked why the others had gone investigating.

• Su Ming and Strangle used Midnight's Voodoo teleportation to reach Shadow Crown Manor, where Bobo greeted them.
• Bobo told Su Ming that Zatanna had collapsed and that Diana and Donna could not determine what was wrong.
• Su Ming examined Zatanna, struck her once with the Frying Pan, and found her eyes had stopped moving as she fell asleep.
• Su Ming suspected Zatanna had suffered another soul attack and asked why the group had left to investigate instead of waiting for Zha Kang.
• Bobo explained that they had gone to investigate the Gold Rush, that Ragman had asked for help by coincidence, and that he might have found a clue.

Su Ming and the others investigated Zatanna’s childhood home after she arrived there gravely injured, suspecting she had come to find a clue about the mysterious killer’s magic. They ruled out the books in her bedroom and decided to search the Shadow Crown family’s inherited magic library.

• Su Ming sent his Cloak after a ghost in the hallway, then began searching Zatanna’s childhood books while Bobo described a suspected plot targeting wizards from other worlds.
• Diana said Zatanna may have uncovered a lead while investigating a nearby magic murder, and Su Ming dispelled another ghost with his White Lantern Ring.
• Su Ming used the Strangler Sprout to probe Zatanna’s memories but found that a mental seal blocked the important ones.
• Su Ming reasoned that Zatanna had come to her family home because she recognized the killer’s magic from a book or scroll.
• Su Ming and Bobo concluded that the clue was likely in a magic book inherited by Zatanna’s family, so Bobo began investigating.

Su Ming’s group searched Zatara’s haunted mansion for a library and a hidden door while Deathstroke explained that the ghosts were trapped resentful spirits. In a study, Su Ming revealed that Batwoman had created a cross-multiverse route to his Earth-40K, and the group found a clue that might point to a secret passage.

• Su Ming’s group searched the mansion as ghosts laughed, flickered the lights, and hurled objects at them; Deathstroke explained that Zatara had captured the spirits and that the mansion’s barrier kept them trapped.
• Su Ming warned that Ragman might betray them if someone impersonated God, and he said they should send him away once they found him.
• Su Ming told the group that Batwoman had made a magical transfer station connecting Earth-0 to his Earth-40K, possibly as an escape route, while Luthor had found another way to cross over.
• Su Ming reassured Wonder Woman that he had a backup plan, and Strangle’s Spider-Silk swayed toward one side of the bookshelf, suggesting a breeze and a possible hidden passage.

Su Ming and the others searched Zatanna’s mansion for clues about the culprit and discovered records pointing to Merlin, who had been resurrected and was seeking the Alchemy Stone. Su Ming concluded that Merlin had already begun acting openly after killing a bookstore owner.

• Diana led the group into the hidden elevator beneath the mansion, and Su Ming guided them through an underground corridor to a vast magical library.
• Su Ming sent Strangle through the shelves to search for records about the Source Wall, ancient magic, and vulture-like magical beasts.
• Strangle found books linking those clues to Merlin, prompting Bobo and Diana to discuss Merlin’s supposed death and his past bloody rituals.
• Diana read that Merlin’s Alchemy Stone could grant wishes through equivalent exchange and had been sealed away with a Mirror Lake Knight guarding it.
• Su Ming concluded that Merlin had been resurrected a week earlier, had been spreading rumors about the multiverse, and had recently killed a bookstore owner.

Su Ming and his companions discussed the Alchemy Stone, Merlin, and the threats facing the Justice League as they left the library. A ghostly corridor trapped them, but Su Ming used his White Lantern Ring to dispel it and bring them to the elevator.

• Su Ming suggested the Alchemy Stone could be a key to the Door of Truth, while Bobo complained that talk of doors gave him a headache.
• Su Ming told Diana and Bobo that unknown Heroes had appeared and that Brutus, backed by someone named Zubado, planned to invade Earth-0.
• Deathstroke said he had pulled Cyborg from the Consciousness Layer and asked them to check whether Cyborg had recovered any memories about Darkseid.
• Su Ming noticed that the corridor was not getting any shorter and identified their predicament as a Ghost Wall.
• Su Ming released positive energy from his White Lantern Ring, dispelling the cold corridor and placing everyone in front of the elevator.

Su Ming sent Ragman to take Zatanna to the Hall of Justice while he and the others headed to Wayne Manor in response to Batman’s call. After arriving, Su Ming deliberately acted like an ordinary, pleasure-loving man to keep Batman from suspecting his true nature.

• Su Ming asked Ragman to escort Zatanna to the Hall of Justice and protect her, then recalled the Cloak of Levitation and left the Pocket Dimension with the others.
• Batman called Little Dai and curtly ordered the group to come to his house, so Su Ming changed their plans to visit Morgan and set course for Wayne Manor.
• As they flew, Donna suggested Deathstroke could replace Batman in the Justice League, but Diana ultimately rejected the idea.
• Alfred welcomed the group to Wayne Manor, offered them food, and led them toward Batman in the underground rooms.
• Su Ming made a point of requesting specific food and discussing his enjoyment of life, hoping Batman would regard him as an ordinary human rather than a god.

Deathstroke and the others met Ainala Rostu, an ancient knight who had awakened after fifteen hundred years and warned them that Merlin had betrayed King Arthur and stolen the Philosopher’s Stone. Batwoman summoned a knight who might help them investigate Merlin’s next move.

• Deathstroke and the others found Ainala Rostu being treated in the Batcave after Merlin attacked her and left a hole in her breastplate.
• Ainala introduced herself as King Arthur’s thirteenth sworn knight and said Merlin had stolen the Alchemy Stone, putting their world in danger.
• Ainala explained that the Lady of the Lake had placed her in a long slumber while she guarded the Philosopher’s Stone’s seal.
• Ainala said she knew Nimue Inwudu, Jason Blood, Morgan, and Vivienne, and asked where Sir Blood was.
• Diana questioned Ainala about Merlin’s next move, but Ainala admitted she did not know.
• Bobo asked Batwoman to summon their knight in human form, and Batwoman said he was already on his way by motorcycle.

Su Ming and the others waited for Sir Jason Blood, whose history with Etrigan and Merlin explained how he had survived and why he had remained hidden. After Jason reunited with Etrigan, the group found that neither knight nor the awakened female knight could explain what Merlin had done with the Alchemy Stone, so they turned to learning Merlin’s habits instead.

• The chapter recounted how Morgan le Fay used Jason Blood to betray King Arthur, then tried to kill him before Merlin saved him by having Etrigan possess him.
• Merlin hid Jason from Morgan and planned to kill her, but he went mad and forgot Jason, who remained concealed for centuries.
• Sir Blood arrived in human form and reunited tearfully with Etrigan while Su Ming ate Alfred’s steamed buns.
• Batwoman and Diana learned little from the knights, who had not followed King Arthur to the end and struggled to communicate.
• The female knight said Merlin had taken her heart and the Alchemy Stone, but she knew nothing about the stone’s purpose.
• Su Ming decided to ask Etrigan about Merlin’s habits and abilities so the group could profile and confront him.

Su Ming questioned Etrigan about Merlin’s unfinished plan and used Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth to make the rhyming demon speak plainly. Etrigan revealed that Merlin had returned to Earth Zero and that the Philosopher’s Stone was connected to his disappearance.

• Bobo asked whether he could sell buns at the Oblivion Bar, and Su Ming offered to find him undead waiters after the busy period.
• Su Ming asked Jason to let Etrigan speak, and Etrigan took over Jason’s body in a burst of Hellfire.
• Batwoman knocked the female knight unconscious and sent her upstairs with the Pale Knight and his wife.
• Su Ming threatened Etrigan and asked what Merlin had planned before Madame Xanadu killed him.
• Etrigan answered in rhyme that Merlin had returned to Earth Zero and mentioned the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Wonder Woman looped the Lasso of Truth around Etrigan so he could speak normally.

Etrigan told Su Ming that Merlin might be seeking a legendary door connected to the source of magic, and Su Ming decided to look for clues in Dream's library. The group arrived in the Dreaming, where Daniel stood gazing sadly at the slide sending Faceless Men to Hell.

• Etrigan explained that Merlin had possessed the Alchemy Stone and might be seeking a legendary door to supreme knowledge and power.
• Su Ming assigned Etrigan to guard Avalon while the others searched for the door, and learned it was not in Avalon.
• Su Ming warned Batman to watch the Hall of Justice because Brutus might return, while Batman reassured Diana about the Flash Family's safety.
• Su Ming gathered Diana, Donna, and Bobo, then had the Adjutant transport them to the Dreaming to search Dream's library for clues.
• The group arrived at Daniel's castle and saw him standing sorrowfully before the slide that carried Faceless Men into Hell.

Deathstroke and his companions found Dream asleep on his feet in the Dreaming and woke him with a Phoenix feather. Dream welcomed them into his library, where Deathstroke planned to search for a story that had happened or might happen.

• Bobo, Diana, and Donna mistook Dream's sleep for grief over the Faceless Men, while Deathstroke approached him with his steward.
• Deathstroke tickled Dream's nose with a Phoenix feather, waking him with a sneeze.
• Dream recognized Deathstroke and agreed to let him use the library to find a story from the past or future.
• Dream opened a portal to the library, where Deathstroke noticed the remaining fire damage from his earlier visit.
• Deathstroke asked what Dream had been doing since returning, and Dream said he had just been living before forgetting what they had discussed.

Su Ming and his companions searched Dream’s scrolls for the ancient door connected to Merlin and learned it was the doorway Hecate had used to steal the Upside-Down Man’s power. They concluded Merlin must want to reach something more terrifying than the Upside-Down Man, and Su Ming began to infer his real plan.

• Su Ming asked Dream for help finding a story about Merlin’s door, and Dream offered scrolls containing dreams he had dropped.
• Su Ming and Dream discussed Death, Darkseid, and Lucifer while Bobo and Diana searched the scrolls.
• Bobo discovered that Hecate had used the door to look beyond the Source Wall and steal the Upside-Down Man’s witchcraft power.
• Diana reasoned that Merlin’s pursuit of the door could not be about dealing with the defeated Upside-Down Man and must involve a more terrifying existence.
• Su Ming and the others questioned why Merlin needed the door now that the Source Wall was gone, and Su Ming began to grasp Merlin’s purpose.

Deathstroke and his companions prepared to find Hecate’s door, with Su Ming deciding to interrogate the original owner trapped in The Totality for its location. Meanwhile, Mr. Wales reached a site in the North Atlantic and opened the sea with powerful magic.

• Deathstroke thanked Dream for his help and declined his offer to recruit sleeping wizards, explaining that Merlin could overwhelm any spellcaster they brought.
• Diana, Donna, Bobo, and Daniel debated whether Hecate’s door was on Witch’s Moon, Earth, or in another dimension.
• Su Ming said the original owner whose power Hecate had stolen must know where the door was, and planned to use its Deadpool figurine as leverage during interrogation.
• Mr. Wales paid a captain to take him to coordinates in the North Atlantic, then walked across the ocean’s surface.
• Mr. Wales declared that he was human rather than a god and split the sea apart with a spell.

Merlin explored the sunken city where Hecate once shared witchcraft with humanity, seeking the door in her former home. He entered the ruins intending to claim it and use it to reach the Omniverse’s origin.

• Merlin walked across the Mediterranean seafloor, examined an abandoned enamel hospital urinal, and discarded it.
• Merlin recalled how Hecate had shared witchcraft with Zeus, Nabu, and other mortals, who later drained her power and imprisoned her.
• Merlin reflected that Deathstroke had defeated Hecate and The Upside-Down Man, and wondered how a mortal had overcome the latter.
• Merlin reached the buried city built for Hecate and entered its ruins to find the door he wanted.
• Merlin planned to take The Doorway and use it to cross the void, reach the origin, and witness the Omniverse.