Frost City atop the highest spire on the continent of Asgard.
This is the highest point in the city, with a constant stream of floating cars and bizarre urban wonders below. In the distance, you can even see people riding pterosaurs and strolling through the clouds.
Thor and Death Tetiyu appeared out of thin air.
"This is it." Thor clapped his hands, as if to begin a grand performance.
Without uttering any unnecessary words, he made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand, causing ripples to spread across the space in front of him, much like the surface of water.
He forcibly dragged six twisted, tormented Soul Stone out of the chaos.
Those were the six members of the Dark Knight Order: the Red Death's rapid resentment, the Devastator's destructive desires, the Murder Machine's cold logic, the Dawnbreaker, the vengeful obsession of the Drowned, and the Merciless's endless fighting spirit.
These Soul Stone, corrupted by Barbatos ' dark energy, have long since lost their human form, leaving only their mad instincts.
"It's your turn, professional." Thor nodded toward Death beside him.
Death Tetiyu simply watched quietly, then reached out her pale hand and gently touched it.
The authority belonging to the Soul Stone unfolded silently, soothing and calming the six raging Soul Stone, and stripping away their most fundamental essence.
"Leave the rest to me."
Thor spread his arms wide, and platinum-gold divine power poured down like a waterfall.
Creation and life, two of the most fundamental laws of the universe, are intertwined.
The divine power washed over the six Soul Stone origins, and the dark energy attached to them, the corrosion of the Nth Metal, and even those twisted superpowers were quickly purified, stripped away, and evaporated, like snow meeting the scorching sun.
The speedster armor that originally belonged to the Red Death melted away, the nanomechanicals that belonged to the Murder Machine disintegrated, and the bone spikes that belonged to the Devastator turned to ashes...
Within the platinum-gold light, six brand-new, healthy, and normal human bodies are visibly reforming.
Five males and one female.
As the light faded, six naked " Bruce Wayne " figures lay quietly on the cold ground of the spire, their breathing steady.
The next second, all six people opened their eyes almost simultaneously.
There was no confusion, no bewilderment.
Their first reaction was to roll on the spot, instantly assuming the most perfect combat readiness stance.
Six pairs of eyes, like six sharp blades, locked onto Thor, the only one standing in the arena, from different angles.
At the same time, he was checking his own body.
Gone was the aging sensation brought by the Speed Force, gone was the stinging pain of the Doomsday Virus, gone was the constraint of cold machinery, gone was the corrosive energy of the Lantern Ring, gone was the suffocation of the deep sea, and gone was the whisper of the Helmet of the God of War.
They turned back into humans.
A pure, healthy human being, even more powerful than they could remember.
"Who are you?" The only woman to speak was Bryce Wayne, the Drowned.
Her voice was clear, no longer carrying the saltiness of seawater or the hoarseness of drowning, but the alertness and sharpness in her tone remained undiminished.
"Our purpose is to revive you." The other Bruce replied, still retaining a trace of the chilling aura of the Dawnbreaker.
Thor looked at the six " Bruce " who were identical in expression, posture, and even their wary eyes, and felt a sudden, inexplicable toothache.
Tsk, one Batman was troublesome enough, now there are six.
If you put all of these together at one table, you could probably calculate the entire universe.
He didn't bother beating around the bush and went straight to the point.
"My multiverse cities are expanding too rapidly, and we desperately need a group of high-end management talents," Thor said in the calm tone of announcing what would be for lunch. "Simply put, I resurrected you to hire you as high-level employees."
"..."
"..."
Six Bruce Wayne's, six battle-hardened, shrewd to the point of being pathological, Dark Knight from different tragic universes, fell into a collective silence at this moment.
They considered countless possibilities.
They were resurrected to serve as henchmen, experimental subjects, or pawns in a conspiracy.
But they never imagined they would be pulled from the brink of death and then told... they had to become office workers?
What is this? Hell joke?
"Just for this?" Red Death, Bruce, who had once merged with the Flash, had an expression of utter absurdity on his face.
"Otherwise?" Thor retorted. "What do you think you have that I would want? Your twisted powers are worthless to me."
This statement is more damaging than any sarcasm.
The six men fell silent again. They had to admit that what the man said was true.
The fact that he could easily kill and resurrect them shows that their power was indeed insignificant in front of him.
Bryce Wayne stared intently at Thor, more desperate than anyone else to grasp at that lifeline.
Her world, her lover, both perished at sea.
"You... can grant any request?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly, a tremor she herself didn't even realize. "Then... what about resurrecting the Deadman?"
Upon hearing this question, the other five Bruce all held their breath.
This is the deepest, most fundamental obsession in their Soul Stone.
Thor looked at the identical, almost burning flames in their eyes and nodded domineeringly.
"Can."
He held up his finger, pointing it at the six people.
"Don't even mention resurrecting a few Deadman. As long as you do a good job, I can reverse time for you and save your respective universes. I could even create a completely new universe for each of you, letting you be your own creators."
"The only condition," Thor's lips curled into a smile, "Is to sign this contract of servitude and work for me."
Without hesitation.
Or rather, they had already made their choice upon hearing the phrase "save their respective universes."
Six Batman from the shadows, six wise men who have seen through humanity and evil, at this moment, for that Void yet incredibly alluring hope, unhesitatingly chose to bow their heads.
"We agree," Bryce, giving the answer on behalf of everyone.
"Very good."
Thor snapped his the Snap with satisfaction.
"Smack!"
A spatial rift suddenly tore open beside him, and a man in a purple suit and a signature helmet was pulled out of the rift, looking completely bewildered.
He was still holding a few twisted steel bars in his hand, seemingly busy with something.
" Thor!" Magneto Erik complained irritably as soon as he landed, "I'm directing those Superman to move bricks in the South District. Can't you at least give me a heads-up every time?"
Thor completely ignored Erik's complaints and pointed to the six tense-looking Bruce.
" Erik, take these six new recruits to the city lord's mansion and have Secretary Hill complete their onboarding procedures."
He paused, then added, "Oh, and while you're at it, let them meet with that ' Batman ' next to Hill and exchange work experience."
There's another bat?
The thought flashed through the minds of all six of them simultaneously.
Erik glanced at his six new colleagues, who all looked almost identical, with disdain, and muttered under his breath, "Why is it always the same template? Can't you come up with a different look? I'm getting tired of it."
Although he complained, he still waved his hand, and several steel bars on the ground automatically flew up and formed a simple platform under his feet.
"Come with me, new employees." Erik stepped onto the platform and waved to the six people.
The six Bruce, expressionless, exchanged a glance and silently followed.
Soon, only Thor and Death Tetiyu remained at the top of the spire.
Thor turned around and started to shoo him away. "Alright, that's enough. Go do what you need to do, and you'd better stay away from my Frost City. Your presence is affecting the appreciation of real estate here."
Upon hearing this, Death Tetiyu abandoned his detached, all-knowing demeanor and adopted a pitiful expression, the beauty mark at the corner of his eye seemingly filled with grievance.
"Use and discard, how heartless of you, Thor." Her voice was so gentle it could melt water. "I kindly helped you retrieve your Soul Stone, and you won't even offer me a cup of tea?"
Thor wasn't buying it at all, and bluntly retorted, "Don't think I don't know you're a peeping tom, always watching other people's lives. Get out of here, don't get in my way."
Having said that, he didn't give Death Tetiyu a chance to continue his performance. With a flash, he instantly disappeared from the spot.
They came suddenly and left gracefully.
Death Tetiyu looked at the spot where Thor had disappeared, the resentment on his face instantly fading, replaced by a helpless chuckle.
"She's so impatient," she murmured to herself.
Her gaze pierced through the clouds, as if she could see somewhere in the city.
Inside a villa with a hot spring, a woman with long orange-red hair was soaking in the water, with only her head showing, her wings occasionally fluttering.
On her head, perched quietly a strange creature with an adorable design resembling Thor.
Death's gaze lingered on the creature for a moment, then the smile in his eyes deepened.
"This Thor is really popular..."
She shook her head, her figure disappearing silently from the top of the spire like dust blown away by the wind.
Meanwhile, Magneto Erik, who had been forcibly dragged into being a guide, was leading six silent Batman towards the city lord's mansion.
He was already planning to complain to Emma Frost later and apply for workers' compensation and compensation for emotional distress.
After all, managing six Batman at the same time is much more tiring than manual labor.