"How... could this be..." For the first time, a crack appeared in the Batman Who Laughs's Eternity, sinister laugh, not from pain, but from a pure, incomprehensible absurdity.
He had calculated everything, anticipated all of Bruce's tactics, but he hadn't accounted for one completely chaotic variable.
"Hehe... Hahahaha!" The Joker's laughter was right next to his ear, as close as a lover's whisper.
The crowbar in his hand was still firmly pressed against the back of the Batman Who Laughs, preventing him from making any unnecessary movements. "Because you're not fun, imposter. All you do is win, that's no fun at all."
The Joker's eyes held no reason, only a morbid, focused fanaticism. He looked at Bruce as if admiring a perfect work of art. "Only I... can see his beautiful face when he loses everything, and you... don't deserve it."
Bruce ignored the Joker's ravings.
His eyes were icy, and he twisted his wrist sharply. The Element X longsword writhed within his body, completely shattering the life core of the Batman Who Laughs.
"No..." The Batman Who Laughs's last words faded into the air. His body, bound by the straitjacket, slumped down like a sculpture with its skeleton removed, and then turned to ashes in the golden light, leaving not a trace.
The Joker disgustedly flicked the black ash off the crowbar, then looked at Bruce, his grin widening.
He didn't attack again, but took two steps back and disappeared back into the shadows, his sharp laughter echoing through the ruins and fading into the distance.
He has achieved his goal; he has protected his "property".
The moment the Batman Who Laughs disappeared, the entire Gotham City trembled violently.
The black beam of light that pierced through Challengers Mountain suddenly expanded, shooting straight into the sky and tearing the rift in the universe even wider.
A shadow so vast it defies visual measurement slowly emerged from the crack.
That is not an entity.
That's a concept, a projection of one dimension.
Barbatos.
It had no eyes, but everyone felt they were being watched.
It has no mouth, but an ancient roar from the depths of the Soul Stone resounds in everyone's mind, filled with hunger and malice.
" Diana!" Bruce roared.
Without needing his reminder, Diana had already led Aquaman and the Flash into the mountaintop facility.
They must stop the ritual and rescue Cyborg, who is being used as an energy beacon.
But Barbatos paid no attention to those few "ants" who rushed in.
Its "gaze" was fixed on Bruce and Thor outside the facility.
Or rather, it was focused on Bruce's armor made of Element X.
That's the only thing that can hurt it.
An invisible pressure descended from the sky, as if the weight of the entire Dark Multiverse had pressed down upon it.
Bruce felt his armor groaning under the strain, and even its golden light dimmed slightly.
"Watch out! Bruce!" Thor warned.
Bruce raised the Element X longsword, aiming it at the massive shadow in the sky.
But he couldn't lock onto the target at all.
Barbatos exists in every corner, yet seems to exist nowhere at all.
It transcends the physical laws of three-dimensional space.
Just then, a gasp of Diana came from inside the research facility.
Immediately afterwards, three figures were sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when they rushed in, crashing heavily to the ground.
It's Diana, Aquaman, and the Flash.
"What happened?" Bruce rushed over and helped Diana up.
Diana's face was pale, her silver-grey eyes filled with pain and struggle. "It's... a mental attack... it directly invades our brains..." Before she could finish speaking, her pupils suddenly dilated, and her beautiful eyes were instantly swallowed by pure darkness.
She shoved Bruce aside abruptly, Sword of Hephaestus in her hand, carrying an unprecedentedly violent aura, slashed down at his head.
"Clang!"
Bruce parried with his sword, his arm trembling violently. This power was even more terrifying than that of the corrupted Poison Ivy.
This is not simple corruption, this is direct manipulation!
At the same time, Aquaman Arthur also stood up, his golden pupils turning into two black holes, his trident stirring up dark energy as he thrust it straight at Thor's chest.
Barry Allen transformed into a black lightning bolt, unleashing countless fists imbued with the Dark Speed Force, attacking the two from all directions and sealing off all escape routes.
Element X weapons can protect their bodies from being corrupted by dark energy, but they cannot protect their minds.
Compared to a dimensional evil god like Barbatos, the human brain is as fragile as a piece of paper.
"Damn it!" Bruce gritted his teeth, forced to passively parry Diana's relentless barrage of attacks.
He couldn't hurt her; every move he made was restrained.
Thor, on the other hand, seemed to be handling the situation with ease.
He wielded the Element X longsword with wide, sweeping movements, seemingly struggling to fend off the combined attacks of Aquaman and the Flash. Each strike precisely targeted the weak points of their attacks, neutralizing them with minimal effort.
'Tsk, what a hassle.' Thor was internally groaning. 'Why isn't this kid giving up yet? I've been waiting forever!'
The battle situation had reached its worst point.
Bruce was held back by his most trusted comrade and was forced to retreat step by step.
"Bang!" Bruce was caught off guard and was kicked in the chest by Diana, sending him flying backward and crashing into a pile of broken walls and rubble.
The Element X armor flickered a few times, and its energy supply became unstable.
" Bruce!" Diana uttered a superimposed, malevolent whisper, "Give up, your world is doomed. Your hope, your light, will become my best sustenance."
Bruce, supporting himself on the ground, coughed up blood. Looking at his three companions with dark eyes, a profound sense of powerlessness washed over him.
All his plans and preparations became a joke in the face of such an absolute dimensional difference.
The Tenth Metal can indeed counter Barbatos, but it cannot fully equip all its teammates, which gives Barbatos an opportunity to counterattack.
unless...
He glanced at Thor, who was still "fighting back" beside him, and said in a hoarse voice, " Thomas... I'm out of ideas."
This is both a test and a last-ditch plea for help.
Thor forced Aquaman back with a single sword strike, glanced at him sideways, and finally stopped acting.
The cynical expression on his face vanished, replaced by an ancient and detached calm.
"So you're finally admitting you're just a mortal?" Thor's tone was calm, but his words sent a jolt through Bruce.
"I am the agent of death, Bruce Wayne." Thor walked to his side, casually planting his longsword in the ground. Diana and the others, who were under his control, seemed to have been put on pause, staring at them with empty eyes, without attacking again.
"I can feel the 'death' of this universe wailing. And you are its chosen variable."
Thor stretched out his hand, pointing to the surrounding air, to the ruins beneath his feet, and to the sky. " The Tenth Metal within you is pure possibility, the cornerstone of creation. It is everywhere—in the air, in the dust, even in the blood of every one of you."
Bruce's breathing stopped.
"I can help you gather them together, using the hopes of this entire multiverse to forge you a divine armor." Thor's eyes became incredibly serious. "But you only have one chance. Whether you can withstand this power depends on your own will."
Bruce Wayne stared intently at the man before him who called himself " Thomas."
He didn't know who the other person was or where they came from.
He couldn't even verify whether the other person was actually his father.
But he could sense the power that surpassed that of the gods, and the undeniable truth in his words.
This is his last chance.
This is the world's last chance!
He slowly straightened up and spoke solemnly and clearly.
"I understand, Father."
Thor smiled and raised his hand, palm up.
An invisible force of law emanated from him.
"In the name of the end, I command the beginning of all things!"
Buzz--
The entire Earth, the entire Sun System, the entire Milky Way galaxy... all the free and minute amounts of the Tenth Metal in the entire multiverse heard the call at this moment.
They precipitated from rocks, peeled from Nebula, and rose from the blood of living beings, transforming into billions of golden starlight points that traversed endless space, surging wildly towards Gotham City and the summit of Challengers Mountain!
For the first time, Barbatos in the sky let out a terrified roar.
It sensed a deadly threat! That power was the absolute nemesis of its dark nature!
Ignoring everyone else, its enormous shadow, as vast as the sky, suddenly contracted, transforming into a giant claw made entirely of dark energy. With the power to destroy the entire universe, it slammed down on Bruce, who was gathering light!
"Don't even think about it!"
A hoarse yet resolute roar rang out.
A red and blue figure, trailing a golden tail of flame, sped across the horizon.
It's Superman Clark!
He didn't die; he simply exhausted all his energy and managed to regain a little strength in the afterglow of the Sun.
He roared, and with his battered and bruised body, he stood up to meet the enormous, dark claw that blotted out the sky!
Boom--!
Clark was like a bullet that crashed into a mountain, small, yet unyielding.
He coughed up large amounts of blood, his bones shattering inch by inch, but with the last shred of Kryptonian pride, he single-handedly withstood this devastating blow for Bruce.
Right behind him, all the golden starlight poured into Bruce's body.
The light faded.
A completely new entity appeared in the same spot.
It was a deity composed entirely of flowing, golden metal that shone with endless hope.
He retains Batman's appearance, but every inch of his armor seems to be forged from cosmic stars, and a pair of enormous wings of light, composed of pure possibilities, unfold from his back.
A godlike aura instantly swept across the entire battlefield.
The God of Bats, descend!
He raised his head, his golden eyes piercing through the darkness, staring directly at the evil god in the sky.
The ultimate showdown has officially begun!