The woman in black finally moved.
Her movements were so light that she didn't stir up a gust of wind; she simply walked naturally to Thor's side.
She was almost a head shorter Thor, so she tilted her head up slightly, reached out her pale hand, and took Thor's arm in an intimate and casual gesture.
"I'm sorry, children." Tetiyu's voice was incredibly gentle, like a spring breeze brushing against Tombstone, carrying a strangely comforting quality. "But some rules cannot be broken so easily."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Kara, Kate, and Barbara in turn, her deep eyes filled with a universal compassion and clarity:
"To reverse the death of a planet, an equal exchange is required, except for Thor." She gently rested her head on Thor's arm. "You have no bargaining power with me."
In an instant, Kara, Kate, and Barbara's gazes refocused, all fixed on Thor.
Who exactly is this lazy man, this guy they just mistook for some superhero's sidekick?
Why did even the god who controls death consider him the sole exception?
"Don't look at me like that, it's putting a lot of pressure on me." Thor felt a little uneasy under the gazes of the three women and could only offer an explanation.
"Resurrecting one or two people is like catching a few fish from a river—not a big problem. But resurrecting billions of people is like draining the entire river and then filling it back in; the ecosystem would completely collapse."
He pointed to Tetiyu beside him and introduced her to the two Batgirl: "This is the goddess who governs the death of all living beings in your universe. Every living being will only see her twice in their lifetime. Once at birth, she will come to see you; the other time is at death, when she will come to guide you. You understand what I mean? She is your native goddess, and you are under her jurisdiction."
Kara frowned, her cold, hard aura returning, her dark eyes filled with pure doubt. "Is it really not possible? I remember you're a god too, Thor."
"Yes, I am a god." Thor nodded, then spread his hands, looking helpless.
"But I'm from out of town, and I don't have the authority. For example, she's a local police officer in charge of household registration. I'm just a tourist from out of town, and I want her to burn all the household registration books for the entire district and rewrite them. Do you think she can do that? I'm sorry, I can't help you with that."
This metaphor is crude, but exceptionally easy to understand.
Kate and Barbara exchanged a glance, seeing the same thought on each other's faces.
If large-scale resurrection doesn't work, what about small-scale resurrection?
Kate took a step forward, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, but she remained calm. "Then... can you resurrect Red Hood... Jason Todd, and Nightwing, Dick Grayson, and... Commissioner Gordon?"
Barbara's body trembled violently; she bit her lower lip hard to keep herself from crying out.
Thor glanced at them, said nothing, and simply raised his hand and waved it lightly at the empty ruins.
A ripple spread through the space, and two figures appeared out of thin air, staggering and falling to the ground.
One was a burly man wearing a leather jacket with a red hood; the other wore a trench coat, his gray hair stained with blood and dust.
It was Jason Todd and James Gordon.
Their fatal wounds had disappeared, and their bodies had been restored to their most perfect state.
Both of them were a little confused, staring blankly at their hands and then at their surroundings.
"What... what happened?" Commissioner Gordon rubbed his forehead, his memory still stuck on the moment his chest was ripped open by a Doomsday. "We... weren't we dead?"
Jason became even more alert. He immediately sensed his own body, then his gaze swept over Kate and Barbara before finally settling on the three strangers: Thor, Tetiyu, and Kara.
Barbara could no longer hold back. She rushed forward and hugged her father tightly, letting her tears, which had been building up for months, flow freely as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Kate's heart was pounding, but she forced herself to remain calm. She looked at Thor and asked urgently, "Where's Nightwing? Where's Dick?"
"Him?" Thor shrugged, giving him a "you're too late" look. "He's already been resurrected. What, do you want me to kill him again and resurrect him for you to see?"
Kate understood instantly.
At this critical juncture, who else, besides that kid who uses the Lazarus Pit as his own swimming pool, has the ability and the willingness to revive Dick?
It's Damian; he's still alive.
This realization stirred a complex mix of emotions in Kate, including relief and deeper worry.
On the other side, Barbara, choking back tears, explained everything that had happened to Gordon and Jason as quickly as possible.
After hearing this, even the old man Gotham had seen it all in Commissioner Gordon looked incredulous. He looked at his daughter, then at Thor, and finally let out a long sigh.
Jason's reaction was much more direct. He stretched his limbs, feeling his new and powerful body, and then curled his lip indifferently.
"Anyway, this isn't my second resurrection, is it?" He looked at Kate and Barbara, a violent flame reigniting in his eyes hidden in the shadows. "Tell me, what are your plans?"
Barbara wiped away her tears, straightened up from her father's embrace, and spoke in a soft but unusually firm voice.
"We're going to gather all the remaining forces on Earth," she said, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, "And then, we'll go to Apokolips and rescue the Justice League."