As the platinum-gold light that traversed the universe was completely extinguished, the decadence and despair that had plagued the multiverse for countless epochs also vanished.
On Earth, amidst the ruins of Gotham City, both surviving citizens and exhausted heroes instinctively raised their heads.
The heavy feeling that had weighed on the hearts of every living being vanished.
"It's over..."
Someone murmured to themselves, and the next second, cheers of survivors rose sporadically from every corner of the city, eventually coalescing into a faint but resilient wave of sound.
In the depths of space.
Bruce Wayne hovered there, the last trace of platinum light around him slowly dissipating.
He could feel that omnipotent creative power was gently peeling away from his body, about to return to the universe.
This is normal.
The power of the gods should not belong to mortals.
He is preparing to return to Earth.
However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred.
Without warning, an indescribable crack appeared in the void before him.
It wasn't a physical crack, but a spatial fault of a higher dimension, with a pure, incomprehensible chaos inside.
A terrifying suction force emanated from the crack.
Bruce was astonished to discover that the Tenth Metal and the power of light, which should have dissipated naturally, seemed to have found an outlet and were being frantically and greedily sucked away by the crack!
'No, this isn't dissipation, this is... being hijacked!'
He tried to resist, but the level of that power was too high; it was simply beyond his control.
In just a few seconds, all the divine power in his body was completely drained.
The feeling of being omnipotent disappeared.
Instead, there was a bone-chilling cold and a familiar feeling of weightlessness.
He transformed back into Bruce Wayne, a mortal.
The powerful gravity instantly captured him, and he began to plummet rapidly towards the blue planet below.
There was no time to panic.
Just before his consciousness sank into a stupor due to the high-speed fall, Bruce, relying on his honed combat instincts, gritted his teeth and abruptly pressed a mechanism on his uniform.
Sizzle!
The black cape behind him instantly hardened and unfolded, forming a pair of simple hang gliders.
His descent slowed slightly, and he traced a somewhat disheveled yet incredibly resilient arc in the air above Bai Ze, like a bat with a broken wing that still refused to give up flying.
"What's that?" On the ruins, Hal Jordan was the first to spot the black dot that had fallen.
"It's Bruce!" Clark's super vision locked onto the target instantly; he could even see Bruce's taut jawline.
Without the slightest hesitation, a red and blue figure soared into the sky, drawing a perfect arc in the air, and steadily caught the man who was falling from the sky.
A moment later, Clark landed safely with Bruce in his arms.
Diana, Barry, Arthur... the entire Justice League immediately surrounded them.
" Bruce, are you alright?" Diana stepped forward. She could sense that the sacred and vast aura that once emanated from Bruce had completely vanished. Now, he was just an utterly exhausted human being.
"You scared me to death, buddy." Barry patted his chest, the electricity around him finally stabilizing.
However, Bruce did not respond to anyone.
He gently pushed away Clark's helping hand and steadied himself.
His gaze didn't linger on any of his teammates, but instead swept over everyone and fixed intently on Thomas, who was standing not far away with Death, looking like he was about to make a run for it.
Bruce has many problems.
The question concerns the whereabouts of that power, Barbatos, and the Dark Multiverse, but most importantly, it concerns the true identity of the man before us.
Every cell in his body was screaming for him to figure it all out.
The atmosphere on the ruins became somewhat stagnant for a moment.
The Justice League members followed Bruce's gaze and finally noticed " Batman's Papa," whom they had been overlooking.
Thor was secretly delighted by Bruce's "you better give me an explanation" expression.
'Wow, look at that glare, like he's about to eat me alive,' he thought to himself. 'No wonder he's Batman; the first thing he does after saving the world is interrogate suspicious individuals.'
He decided not to give Bruce a chance to speak.
"Don't rush to analyze me with your suspicious mind, Bruce." Thor spoke first, a playful smile playing on his lips, his words carrying clearly to everyone's ears.
His relaxed tone made Diana and the others frown.
"Soothe your world, clean up this mess." Thor shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I'll come find you in a while."
He paused, as if remembering something, and added a sentence.
"By the way... I'll hand Martha over to you safe and sound."
" Martha ".
The moment Thor uttered that name, the whole world seemed to be muted.
Barry's smile froze.
Hal's hand, which was touching his chin, froze in mid-air.
Diana and Clark exchanged a glance, both seeing utter confusion in each other's eyes.
Martha? Which Martha?
But Bruce Wayne was different.
This name, like a red-hot steel needle, pierced precisely into the deepest wound of his Soul Stone.
His pupils, which had remained calm even after witnessing divine battles, contracted violently at this moment.
His body suddenly stiffened, and even his breathing stopped for a moment.
He wanted to go forward, to grab the man, to pry him open and find out if he really was Thomas.
However, his body was still extremely weak due to the loss of strength and the rapid fall, making it impossible for him to react quickly.
Thor, however, didn't give him that chance at all.
After saying that, he gave Death Tetiyu a wink.
Done, job done, out of here!
Death chuckled softly and nodded at him.
Thor turned and waved to Bruce, as if saying goodbye to an old friend.
The next second, a rift tearing through space exploded out of nowhere, the violent energy distorting the light, and Thor and Death's figures completely disappeared within that halo of light.
They arrived abruptly and left gracefully.
All that remained was a scene of ruins, a group of Justice League staring at each other in bewilderment, and Batman body was stiff and whose mind was in turmoil.
" Bruce... he's talking about Martha... is..." Clark began cautiously, considering a possibility that seemed utterly absurd.
Bruce did not answer.
He simply stood there, motionless.
After an unknown amount of time, the first rays of morning sunlight finally pierced the gloom over Gotham, casting golden light upon the ravaged city.
The sunlight shone on Bruce's face, casting a soft, warm hue on his hard features.
He took a slow, deep breath.
It was as if all the turmoil, shock, and doubt in my heart had been suppressed deep within.
He turned away, no longer looking at the spot where Thor had disappeared.
His gaze swept over the ruins of Gotham, over the citizens who peeked out from the rubble, looking around blankly.
He knew there were more important things to do than to pursue a transdimensional mystery.
His city, his world, awaits their reconstruction.
" Victor," Bruce began, his voice hoarse but unusually calm, "Assess the damage to cities worldwide, establish safe zones, and prioritize the rescue of civilians."
"Received." Cyborg's electronic eyes flashed, and it began executing the command.
" Diana, Arthur, clear the main streets of the threat."
" Barry, you need to travel the world and gather information on the wounded for me."
" Clark, work with me to handle the most dangerous areas."
He issued commands methodically, and the Justice League, this powerful War Machine, began to operate efficiently once again.
The heroes accepted their orders and rushed to the battlefield.
Bruce took one last look at the ray of morning light piercing the darkness, but deep in his eyes still lingered the immense shadow cast by that name.
He knew that from this day forward, besides the Joker and the sins of Gotham, there was another mystery in his life that he had to unravel.
A mystery named " Thomas Wayne ".