Multiverse: Deathstroke-Chapter 474: Acting Showdown

Yeah, with enough intel in the bag, it was time for a solid round of guesswork.

Not much to say, really—Arthur's latest scoop sealed it. The sea gods were out for revenge, claiming Arian and Poseidon screwed them over.

Toss in the dirt Su Ming snooped from Batman, Starfire's rundown, plus Beast Boy and Wonder Woman's bits, and he had a bead on Poseidon's MO. The whole mess was coming into focus.

Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years back, Arian whipped up a beacon, aiming to unite all cosmic sea clans for some grand "prosperity and progress" gig.

The alien sea folk RSVP'd—high rollers too, all sea gods. Big respect, sending top brass to negotiate with Earth.

But these were old-school deities, each packing wrists thicker than Poseidon's thighs.

Poseidon freaked.

His family's juice was all swiped from Hecate—shaky roots, limited oomph.

Now a squad of off-world sea gods rolls in, preaching "equal partnership." Who's calling shots later?

Not him—his power was peanuts.

His plan was to recruit some alien grunts, regular sea clan to play worker bees, worshipping him like a god.

Instead, he got a pantheon stronger than him. Game over.

So Poseidon bailed on the deal.

No clue if he spiked the banquet wine or shanked them with Tear of Extinction-coated daggers, but he hoodwinked Arian with divine mojo and took them down.

Why not finish them off?

Beats him. Maybe Poseidon got off on tormenting them—some twisted thrill. Locked them up instead.

The Tomb of Gods? No idea what it's like—maybe Krypton's Phantom Zone vibe, but higher-tier.

Those alien gods could only watch their worlds burn from inside.

Poseidon ate it up. Moody as the sea—nurturing one sec, wrecking the next.

Seeing others lose homes and planets? Pure bliss.

Then, either the Tomb got rusty or Lex mucked with the timeline, and three sea gods broke out.

No surprise—they're gunning for Earth, aiming to snag the Tomb's key, free their pals, and split the planet.

Lex? He's dangling a trap for these suckers, piggybacking to his own endgame.

"That's the gist. Batman's probably tangling with Lex right now," Su Ming said, wrapping up for Arthur and Wonder Woman, tossing in a casual kicker.

"What?!" Arthur jolted, adrenaline spiking. Ignoring his still-bleeding chest, he slammed it with a meaty hand—thud thud. "We've gotta help Batman!"

He was ready to bully Cyborg into juicing this junker ship's speed.

"Chill. Batman's not croaking," Su Ming said, cool as ever, sipping plain water from a shell like it was fine tea.

Wonder Woman knew Deathstroke had sniffed something out again. That smug "I've got it, but you're in the dark" look? Infuriating.

"Spit it out—what's rattling in that head?" she snapped, leaning in, patience fraying like she might bite.

Su Ming shook his head. Can't these two think for themselves?

"First off, Batman left Aggregate at Justice Hall—whole world knows it." He twirled the shell, tracing its ridges. "Lex knows too. So why'd Batman do it?"

Wonder Woman and Arthur blanked. Yeah—Batman not only parked Aggregate there, he sent everyone else packing, solo.

Like strolling into a thief den with gold strapped to his back.

The ship hummed steady, all systems green, but the air turned icy for the warrior and sea king.

Su Ming didn't tease longer—neither were brainiacs.

"Lex has been chasing Aggregate—he's got more dirt on that mystery orb. In the League's hands, Batman and Martian Manhunter poked it, got zilch. So why not let Lex crack it, then snatch it back once he's done?"

Yup—per Starfire's tale, Su Ming figured Batman caught Lex eavesdropping on Justice Hall comms.

So he ordered the evac, hammering that he, Batman, and Aggregate were staying put.

Practically whispering it in Lex's ear.

Later, Batman would "lose" Aggregate—Lex "stealing" it.

All scripted. Batman's got tricks on it—tracker, something.

Lex? Guy who needs what he wants. Knowing Aggregate's at the Hall, he'd storm it with the Legion of Doom.

Right into Batman's snare.

Crippled now, Batman could play the "underestimate me" card. Teammates wouldn't blame him—they'd cheer his survival.

A deep, underwater scheme—classic Batman, hiding it from the squad.

Handing Aggregate to Lex carried risks—team would've nixed it.

But he's Batman. Doesn't need buy-in. If he thinks it works, he rolls.

Problem: Su Ming saw through it and spilled to Wonder Woman and Arthur. Now it's a party.

Arthur slammed the table. "I said from jump—blow that damn ball up! We'd find another way to save the multiverse. Now Batman's gambling every life on his experiment."

Wonder Woman was stumped. Kept in the dark versus knowing Batman conned them? Different beasts.

She had no fix.

They didn't clock it, though—piecing the sea gods' story with Deathstroke's moves, they didn't doubt him.

Su Ming says Batman's this or that, fits his MO, and they swallowed it, freaking out.

He just needed to nudge the League's seams—grease the wheels for that "Transcendence" key. Still needed them out front, soaking hits.

"Relax, guys. Batman's got this locked," Su Ming said, waving them to sit, sharing the water.

"Aggregate's with Lex—he won't move fast. We've got time."

Arthur flailed like a headless fly, squirming in his chair. Wonder Woman cooled off some—she bought Deathstroke's take harder.

Having a sharp mind in the crew rocked. Seeing through Batman's game? Not bad.

Beats the old days—scrambling blind.

Back then, slugging it out with cosmic heavies, stalemate city, and Batman pipes up:

"Hey, so-and-so, I stashed a micro-nuke in your belt's third slot—chuck it. And you, check your heel—I hid a mini black hole ball there. Toss it too."

League must've lost it.

When'd he plant that crap? What if it went off by accident?

But Batman's plans rarely flopped—never fried a teammate. Always a remote trigger or timer.

Aggregate's no different.

Maybe it's from beyond the Source Wall, infinite power, unknowable secrets. To Batman? A shiny bait ball for traps.

Save Earth? League's top job.

Smash the "Destruction" guy—done. Plan's airtight.

"So what's our move?" Wonder Woman asked Deathstroke.

He smirked, lighting a cig.

"Godslayer, feather fan." With a thought, Godslayer morphed into a bright yellow feather fan. He grabbed it, fanning lightly.

"We snag Flash. Speed Force perks—who wants 'em? Nail it, you get 'em."

"Sweet! Your call," Arthur said, flopping on the floor, satisfied. Just say the goal—skip the deduction crap. Too dense.

All that blood loss for nothing—dizzy now. Time for chimp bandages.

"Batman's plan's rushed, though. Probably a backup forced online after you two got nabbed. He had a smoother one—less suspicious for Lex—to 'gift' Aggregate over," Su Ming said, fanning casually, like he'd seen it all.

Wonder Woman pursed her lips, staying mum. Deathstroke's sharp, sure, but sometimes off-kilter.

Ship's climate-controlled—why fan?

Still, it tracked. Batman was play-acting with the Legion now.

Lex sent Joker and crew after him, staying back with Cheetah to scope Aggregate—a faceted blue orb, thousands of cuts, near-spherical.

It glowed fierce, making Lex's armor look greener.

"Last time, I let the League nab Aggregate on purpose. Looks like they got nothing from it," Lex said, rubbing his chin, circling it. He peeked at Cheetah from the other side. "Honestly, I'm disappointed."

Barbara knew the score. Lex claimed Aggregate was "stolen" last time—everyone saw the act.

Fully armed, "Destruction" doorknob in hand, Joker backing him—lose to Hawk Girl?

What's she got? A hammer?

Lex's suit packed enough firepower to spook her dead.

But he played frazzled, bailed with Joker. Why?

To let the League grab Aggregate—see what they'd dig up that he didn't know.

He'd lurked in Superman and Martian Manhunter's heads, staged that drama, all to make the League obsess over it.

Once they had it, they'd test it every way.

Turned out, Lex knew it all already. The League? Clueless—studied it, locked it away.

He'd hacked Justice Hall's network, watched two days, relaxed. Time to reclaim it.

Now he stood here—plan smooth as silk.