The corrupted Poison Ivy's dozens of fleshy tendrils came crashing down, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air.
Diana immediately raised her shield to block, the golden Element X divine power shield colliding with the fleshy branches, producing a dull thud.
The impact made her take half a step back, and her arm went numb.
This power is strange; it's more than ten times stronger than Pamela herself!
"Scatter! Maintain formation!" Aquaman Arthur roared, his trident, wreathed in golden energy, sweeping out and smashing a nightmare aggregate made of rotten teeth that charged at him to pieces.
The golden Element X, like boiling oil poured onto snow, instantly purified the dark matter, but even more monsters surged in from all directions of the street, endless and overwhelming.
Hal Jordan's Green Lantern Ring emitted a beam of energy, forming a massive energy wall that temporarily halted the Suicide Squad's first wave of attack.
But the corrupted Harley Quinn merely grinned, swung her disproportionately large hammer, and smashed a spiderweb of cracks into the energy wall with a single blow.
"Damn it, their power has been amplified!" Roy Harper shot an arrow through Captain Boomerang's shoulder. The Element X Arrow purified the dark energy within him, causing him to let out a painful roar, but the next instant, black energy swirled in his empty eye sockets, and he stood up expressionlessly again.
The battle was at a disadvantage from the very beginning.
There are too many enemies.
Their former enemies and comrades have now become painless, tireless the Murder Machine, relentlessly draining their strength and energy.
Damian's twin blades drew two sharp arcs in the air, forcing back the black giant bear that the Beast Boy had transformed into.
But before he could catch his breath, a pure black magical energy attacked him from the side.
Damian rolled away awkwardly to avoid the attack, and looked up to meet Raven's emotionless, pure black eyes.
" Raven!" he roared, his voice trembling without him even realizing it.
His response was met with even more intense dark magic.
Thor stood at the very back of the battle circle, not making a move; he simply watched, his brow slightly furrowed.
This is not right. Barbatos is not using these people to fight; he is using them... as sacrifices.
Whenever a corrupted hero or villain is struck and purified by the Element X, the dark energy they release does not disappear, but is absorbed by the pillar of light that pierces through Challengers Mountain.
It fuels itself through the resistance of heroes.
Batman clearly noticed this as well, and his expression grew increasingly grim beneath his mask.
Every second that passes, Barbatos gets stronger; it's an unsolvable deadlock.
Just then, a figure stepped in front of everyone.
The red cloak stood still in the polluted air.
Clark Kent, Superman, stood between the entire team and the endless army of nightmares.
" Bruce."
He spoke, his voice not loud, but it reached Batman's ears clearly.
He didn't turn around, but just stared at the dark tide ahead.
Batman paused for a moment, looking at the broad back.
"You go find Barbatos," Clark said calmly, as if stating something perfectly ordinary. "Leave this to me."
What Bruce Wayne wanted to say was, "We'll do it together," "There are other ways," and all his backup plans.
But he couldn't utter a single word.
He knew it was over.
Under the overwhelming power disparity and the pressure of time, all schemes become meaningless.
This is the only way.
Clark slowly removed the Element X covering his body.
The thin layer of golden light peeled off his body and flew back to Batman's side.
You need this more than I do.
After saying that, he took a step forward.
There were no earth-shattering shouts, no fancy opening moves.
He simply opened his arms, as if to embrace the entire corrupt Gotham.
The Sun energy within his body began to boil, and the blood vessels under his skin glowed with a golden light, starting from his heart and spreading throughout his body.
The "S" emblem on his chest became the only Sun in this Hell.
" Clark, no!" Diana cried out.
A dazzling golden light erupted from Clark's body, forming an unstoppable shockwave.
That wasn't Heat Vision, nor any of his usual abilities, but rather the Sun Flare was the very essence of his life, stored in every cell, released all at once without reservation.
boom--!
The world instantly lost its sound and color, leaving only a pure, warm golden hue.
The nightmare monsters and corrupted villains at the forefront were instantly vaporized in this golden sea of light, leaving not even ashes.
That dark tide was forcibly torn open, leaving a huge gap in the middle.
Clark, like a golden star falling in reverse, charged alone into the army of millions.
He used his own flesh and blood to clear a path to Challengers Mountain for those behind him.
"Walk!"
Batman's voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded. He didn't look back once more and was the first to rush out.
Diana, gritting her teeth and with red eyes, followed closely behind.
Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern... everyone was silent, sprinting forward with all their might.
They knew that the time Superman had bought them was measured in seconds, and they couldn't afford to waste a single second.
The facilities at the summit of Challengers Mountain are right in front of you.
The enormous black pillar of light rose from the center of the main building, stirring up the clouds and sky.
Just as they were about to rush into the facility's gate, a figure emerged from the shadows and blocked their path.
The figure wore a tattered black Batsuit bound by straitjackets, a metal eye mask with spikes on its face, and a perpetually unhealed, Joker grin on its lips.
"Hehehehe... Look who's here."
The Batman Who Laughs.
He held a bloodstained chain in his hand, examining Bruce Wayne's brand-new silver-gold armor with great interest.
"New toys? Beautiful. But you're late, Bruce. The party's already started." He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. "Lord Barbatos loved the gifts your birds sent, Hawkman's wings, and Cyborg's body... Oh, those are truly perfect... masterpieces."
Batman's body was taut like a fully drawn bow.
" Diana, you go in, rescue Victor, and stop the ritual," he ordered, his voice as cold as ice. "Leave this to me."
He drew the golden longsword from his waist, which was entirely composed of the Element X.
Diana glanced at him, then at the crazed Batman, and nodded emphatically. "Be careful, Bruce."
After saying that, she led the rest of the group around the side of the Batman Who Laughs and rushed into the research facility.
The Batman Who Laughs did not stop him; his goal had been singular from the beginning.
His gaze was fixed on Bruce, as if glued to chewing gum.
"It's just the two of us left, isn't that great?" He smiled, lowering his body slightly to assume a fighting stance identical to Bruce's.
"Come on, let me see, what's left of you when you've lost all pain and darkness?"
Before he finished speaking, he moved.
His speed was beyond imagination; Barbatos ' dark energy had blessed him, allowing him to surpass human limits.
Instead of attacking directly, he moved like a hyena circling its prey, constantly probing with his unpredictable movements and poisoned black Batarang.
Bruce wielded the Element X longsword, its blade flashing with power, each strike imbued with purifying energy.
But the Batman Who Laughs was wary of his armor and weapons, slippery as an eel, and would never make any direct physical contact with them.
He enjoyed the process, the cat-and-mouse game.
"What's your plan? What's your backup plan?" The Batman Who Laughs dodged as his shrill voice pierced Bruce's eardrums. "Oh, I forgot, your biggest backup plan, that big guy in the red cape, just burned himself out, all to buy you a few minutes. Was it worth it, Bruce? Trading a god for a few minutes of lingering existence?"
Bruce remained unmoved, only increasing the frequency of his attacks. But he knew in his heart that the Batman Who Laughs was right.
The battle had reached a deadly stalemate.
He could feel the cosmic rift above his head expanding rapidly, the whole world groaning and collapsing. He didn't have time to waste here.
But the Batman Who Laughs is like his own shadow, knowing all his moves, all his tactics, and even able to predict his predictions.
"Bang!"
In a moment of carelessness, the Batman Who Laughs seized the opportunity and kicked Bruce in the side of the knee.
Although the Element X armor blocked most of the force, the cold, dark energy still seeped in through the joints.
Bruce grunted and knelt on one knee.
"You see, you still make mistakes." The Batman Who Laughs, approaching step by step, the bloodstained chain in his hand dragging on the ground with a grating sound. "But I won't. Because I've embraced all the mistakes, all the madness! I am you, fully evolved!"
He raised the chain high and brought it down on Bruce's head.
Bruce's heart sank to the bottom.
He knew he couldn't dodge this attack.
Just then...
"Hahaha... hahahahahaha--!"
A laugh, purer, more manic, and more hysterical than the Batman Who Laughs, rang out from the shadows not far away.
The laughter was so sharp, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, that it made both Batman pause in their tracks.
A slender figure emerged from behind a pile of building rubble.
He was wearing a purple suit, his green hair was a mess like a clump of weeds, and his pale face was painted with exaggerated red lipstick.
The newcomer was none other than the Joker from the Prime Universe!
He brandished a crowbar smeared with green acid, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism as he stared intently at the Batman Who Laughs.
"Hey! You... imposter!" The Joker's voice distorted with excitement, "Who gave you permission to touch my little bat?!"
The Batman Who Laughs's smile froze on his face.
"Only me!" the Joker screamed, charging forward like a purple lightning bolt without warning, his crowbar slamming down on the Batman Who Laughs on the back of the head. "Only I can torture him! Only I can make him suffer! Only I can... kill him!"
The Batman Who Laughs instinctively turned to block, and the chain collided with the crowbar.
This flaw occurred in a fraction of a second.
But for Bruce Wayne, that was enough.
He sprang up abruptly, his Element X longsword seizing the fleeting opportunity without hesitation, thrusting it from below at an extremely tricky angle into the exposed, unarmored abdomen of the Batman Who Laughs as he turned.
"Pfft--"
The golden blade pierced through the dark flesh.
The Batman Who Laughs froze, looking down in disbelief at the golden sword tip protruding from his chest.
"How... could this be...?"
Bruce didn't answer. He and the Joker, one in front and one behind, formed a bizarre yet terrifyingly coordinated pincer movement.
At this moment, light and darkness, order and chaos, the greatest hero and the most insane criminal joined forces to pin this monster from the nightmare to the spot.