Thor completely ignored Clark's tense expression, and with a flick of his wrist, a golden light appeared out of thin air.
It was a rope woven from pure light, radiating a sacred and warm aura; it was the Lasso of Truth.
"Whoosh--!"
The golden rope, like a Shenron come to life, pierced the darkness and precisely wrapped around the waist of the massive, mountain-like Carter Hall in the distance.
Clark and Bruce were both on tenterhooks.
They couldn't understand what use a harmless rope could be against a monster completely corrupted by dark forces.
However, the answer was revealed the next second.
The first ray of pure light, originating from another universe and born from the creation of the world by the Celestial, surged wildly into Carter's body through the lasso.
"Roar... Ughhhhh--!"
Carter let out a roar that was a mixture of pain and relief. The dense, impenetrable dark energy on his body melted and was purified at a visible speed, like ice and snow encountering a raging fire!
His enormous, deformed body shrank rapidly, like a punctured balloon.
In just a few breaths, the hideous monster vanished, replaced by a middle-aged man wearing Nth Metal armor, his face blank, falling from mid-air.
"Bang."
Carter Hall regained his normal physical condition and his sanity.
With a flick of his wrist, Thor's Lasso of Truth deftly broke free from Carter, tracing a graceful arc in the air before landing firmly and accurately on the unconscious Kendra on the ground.
The same light shines, and the same process repeats itself.
The dark aura around Kendra was dispelled, but Thor deliberately controlled his strength, not erasing the power Barbatos had given her.
He knew perfectly well that the Hawkman and Hawkgirl in this universe were different from Shayera, who was born with wings; they flew using Nth Metal equipment.
Although Barbatos's buffs were ill-intentioned, they ended up providing Kendra with a free upgrade to his equipment.
Seeing this, Clark finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
His heart finally settled, though his back was soaked with cold sweat.
Thankfully... thankfully Thomas didn't pull out that sniper rifle that could blow Black Adam's head off in one shot again.
Bruce quickly stepped forward, helped the still somewhat weak Carter to his feet, and then looked at Kendra, explaining succinctly, "We are now at the very bottom of the Dark Multiverse, the World Forge, the origin of Barbatos."
Carter and Kendra, who had just woken up, exchanged a glance, both seeing in each other's eyes the shock and confusion of surviving a disaster.
Thor, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened and walked to the edge of this space on his own.
It was a huge, crater-like opening, with churning, molten lava below, radiating temperatures high enough to melt steel.
Any creature that falls in will likely be reduced to ashes instantly.
But Thor's eyes shone with an astonishing light as he looked at the lava.
He had read the original book and knew that what lay below was not a deadly trap at all, but rather the source of creation for the entire multiverse— the Tenth Metal, also known as Element X.
In the original comics, not to mention Superman and Wonder Woman, even Batman, a completely ordinary person, was perfectly fine after jumping off.
An interesting idea popped into his mind.
Or should he jump in himself, retrieve the treasure, deal with Barbatos, and then casually pocket it?
Or... should I kick that cold-faced big brother next to me down and use him as a tool to retrieve the things and hand them over to me?
Just as Thor was plotting how to trick his son, a resentful question broke the temporary peace.
"It's all your fault, Bruce!" Kendra staggered to her feet, her dark armor no longer radiating evil, but still looking menacing.
She pointed at Bruce, her voice shrill, "If you hadn't insisted on investigating the secrets of those metals, Barbatos would never have found the coordinates to invade our world!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kendra suddenly felt a chilling killing intent lock onto him.
She turned her head sharply and met Thor's cold eyes.
Suddenly, Thor pulled out a huge, outlandish Rocket from somewhere, and pointed its dark muzzle straight at her head.
"I should have just killed you." Thor's voice was flat and emotionless. "What? You're not happy? Do you have the ability to resolve this crisis? If not, then shut up."
"Wait! Thomas!" Clark exclaimed in alarm, stepping between Thor and Kendra, spreading his arms wide. "She didn't mean it! She just... just woke up, and her emotions are still unstable!"
Kendra, however, showed no appreciation whatsoever. She looked at Thor's suit, which was strikingly similar to Bruce's but with a scarlet bat emblem on the chest, and her face revealed undisguised mockery.
"Another bat? What, are you trying to bring us a new crisis this time?"
Upon hearing those words, Clark's heart skipped a beat.
It's over!
He realized it instantly.
Although Bruce is obsessive, he will weigh options, compromise, and even join forces with certain villains to achieve his goals for the greater good.
But this Thomas who claims to be Bruce's father... he's a complete madman!
His logic contains no compromise, only threats and the elimination of threats!
The next second, Thor's actions confirmed Clark's conjecture.
Without even glancing at Clark, he shoved the Rocket in his hand into Clark's arms and strode towards Kendra.
Kendra wasn't intimidated at all.
Batman is just an ordinary person; how powerful could his father be?
Even without wearing this enhanced Nth Metal armor, he could easily suppress his opponent.
She didn't even bother to adopt a defensive stance; she simply crossed her arms and coldly watched Thor approach.
She expected to see a look of embarrassment and anger on the other person's face.
However, she was wrong.
That's completely wrong.
She didn't even see how Thor moved; she only felt a blur before her eyes, and then three heavy, muffled thuds came from her abdomen, so loud they almost displaced her internal organs!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The excruciating pain caused her to curl up like a shrimp instantly, and a mouthful of blood mixed with stomach acid spurted from her mouth.
Her mind went blank; she couldn't even scream.
Immediately afterwards, a large, iron-like hand gripped her chin and lifted it sharply upwards!
"Click!"
The crisp sound of the jawbone cracking was clearly audible.
Before the excruciating pain could spread throughout her body, she felt a tightening around her waist. The golden rope reappeared, but instead of purifying her, it transformed into the cruelest instrument of torture!
"Whoosh--!"
Thor suddenly exerted force with his arm, Lasso of Truth, carrying an unparalleled strength, ripped one of the Nth Metal wings off her back from the base!
"Aaaaaaah--!"
The belated, heart-wrenching scream finally broke through the throat.
Blood mixed with broken metal parts gushed out like a fountain, staining the dark ground with a glaring red flower.
Thor stomped on the screaming Kendra, grinding her face, contorted in agony, under his foot, and looked down at her, his voice icy cold.
Now, tell me, Kendra.
"You're a piece of trash who can't even compare to my son Bruce, where do you get the nerve to mock him?"