Multiverse: Deathstroke-Chapter 484: Light of Creation

After repeating the process a few times, Larfleeze could no longer find that peculiar food around him. Once he calmed down, he realized he desperately needed water.

His brain felt numb, and he couldn’t even feel his tongue.

"Hiss... water..."

He darted through the garbage mountains, rushing back to his cave. If he didn’t want to drink the polluted lake water, he needed to find his treasures.

Like the various drinks he’d scavenged from Earth or other planets.

Some were found, others were stolen.

But now, they were all his.

Drinking water and food were stored in a safe spot in the cave. He hurried back and opened a safe.

He didn’t know what kind of water it was, but he grabbed a bottle of green liquid and chugged it down, finally feeling his tongue return to his mouth.

But with it came a burning pain and a hoarse sensation in his throat.

No good—he needed more water.

As he kept drinking, growing more relaxed, a dark shadow suddenly leapt from the nearby trash pile. He didn’t even have time to dodge.

The last sound he heard was—

DUANG!!!

Looking at Larfleeze sprawled on the ground, the half-finished alien drink spilling everywhere, Su Ming rolled his shoulders.

A classic "lure the tiger from the mountain" ploy, combined with a modified rat trap, and Larfleeze fell for it.

While Larfleeze was chasing spicy snack trails outside, Su Ming had sneaked into his cave.

The environment was filthy, and the stench was awful, but for the sake of the universe, Su Ming endured.

He knew that ambushing a Lantern like Larfleeze in his own territory, catching him off-guard, was the only way to knock him out without killing him. Taking down an Orange Lantern without lethal force was no easy feat.

The Orange Lantern had no personal grudge with Su Ming and posed no threat to the universe. As a Lantern Corps leader, Larfleeze was valuable.

If he could be spared, Su Ming would try to keep him alive.

Thanks to the stack of rings on his fingers, Su Ming’s speed and strength had surged. Swinging his frying pan felt even more satisfying.

Even with full force, Larfleeze was only knocked into the ground and passed out. He’d probably wake up soon.

But that was enough. Su Ming crouched down and slid the orange ring off Larfleeze’s finger.

Truth be told, stealing other colored rings could cause issues if worn directly.

But the Orange Ring? Whoever grabs it owns it. Greed fit its requirements perfectly, and theft was just one way to express it.

Larfleeze hadn’t washed his paws in who-knows-how-long, though. The ring was grimy and reeked.

Su Ming grimaced but put it on anyway, going through the motions.

"Su Ming of Earth, Sector 2814, your heart is an abyss of desire. You belong to the Orange Lantern Corps!"

"Mine! All mine! What’s mine is mine! Not yours!"

Yup, that’s the Orange Lantern oath—short and sweet.

Back when facing the Dawnbreaker, Su Ming had attracted a Yellow Ring. He knew these rings could peer into a person’s soul, so his real name was probably already in the Book of Oa.

No big deal. With all seven colored rings on his hand, the combined spectrum energy was unprecedented.

In the old DC Universe, this was called the Full Spectrum, or some said, the "Life Equation."

When the seven lights merged, they could transform into the White Lantern, as Kyle Rayner had done.

One of the Guardians, Ganthet, had also collected all seven rings during Green Lantern: War of the Green Lanterns, but Hal Jordan still took him down, failing to summon the White Lantern power.

It’s said that becoming a White Lantern through the seven rings requires a "deep understanding" of the seven emotions.

There’s no clear standard for what "deep understanding" means. How deep is deep enough?

Su Ming had all the rainbow crayons now, but he hadn’t turned into a White Lantern. Something was missing—maybe his understanding of some emotions was off.

No matter. This was expected. Rings obtained through unconventional means always had quirks. Su Ming hadn’t counted on the seven rings becoming a White Lantern. He wanted the seven and the White Lantern to coexist.

Kyle traded seven rings for one—clearly a bad deal. Why trade when you can wear them all?

From Su Ming’s intel, the Entity of Life was currently on Earth, or rather, it was the collective consciousness of humanity itself.

And now was when it was weakest. It needed a push from its opposite—the Black Lantern energy.

Unlike the White Lantern, Su Ming now looked like he was wearing a chaotic camouflage suit, with a jumbled Lantern Corps symbol on his chest like a tangled ball of yarn.

Beneath the Lantern uniform, Stranglehold formed an inner armor layer. Outside, he still wore Deathstroke’s iconic armor. The bizarre combo was hidden from view.

As long as it didn’t hinder movement, more armor was always better. Medieval knights wore chainmail under plate armor, after all.

Now, he was headed to the Light Repository beyond the Source Wall to have a chat with Black Hand and take his Black Lantern Ring.

Black Hand had triggered Blackest Night, the darkest event in DC history, where dead heroes rose to attack the living.

He was defeated by the other Lantern Corps, but as the Black Lantern Emperor’s lackey, he couldn’t truly die.

Later, he revived in the Black Lantern Emperor’s underworld, the "Death Realm," and caused more trouble. The Corps decided to banish him beyond the Source Wall, trapping him in a timeless chaos prison.

If Su Ming went to kill him now, letting him return to the underworld, Black Hand might even thank Deathstroke.

So maybe no theft was needed—just a conversation to get the Black Lantern Ring.

Spreading Black Lantern energy on Earth would trigger a reaction from the White Lantern. Then, Su Ming would use X-Metal to connect with Earth’s remaining humans and claim the White Lantern Ring.

With the Black Lantern, White Lantern, and X-Metal in hand, he’d wield the concepts of "Death," "Life," and "Creation."

That was the Light of Creation Su Ming sought.

As he prepared to leave, Su Ming noticed a few bottles of cola in Larfleeze’s safe.

"Well, it’s been a while since I had some happy nerd juice. Thanks for the treat!"

He politely nodded to the unconscious dog-headed alien, removed his helmet, and opened a bottle to taste it.

It tasted weird. Frowning, Su Ming checked the production date—1982?

Too strong for his taste. He’d bring it back for Barry and the others to try. It was all his now, anyway.

He put his helmet back on, stretched a fist toward the safe, and a green energy shield enveloped it like a flask. Dragging it, Su Ming shot into the sky.

He flew with Green Lantern energy for a bit, then Yellow, then switched colors.

In the vast cosmos, his flight trail flickered like a signal light.

The rings’ flight speed matched his cloak, so he quickly reached the Moon, dropped off the safe, and flew the familiar route to the crack in the Source Wall.

Dimming his lights, he let his cloak carry him quietly closer, avoiding the Lantern Corps grunts and heading straight for Hal.

A fighter jet in a cosmic battle?

How much combat power could a ring-wielder get from that? Sure, it made him recognizable.

Among thousands of multicolored Lanterns, a green F-16 zipped around.

Su Ming flew up and knocked on the cockpit glass.

Tap tap tap.

Hal visibly flinched in the cockpit, startled.

No wonder—Su Ming’s armor was showing its orange side, and under the green glow, Hal mistook it for a Yellow Lantern.

But Hal quickly calmed down, dismissed his construct, and spoke with Deathstroke, though not exactly thrilled.

He remembered this Deathstroke from another universe. Last time, this guy handed him over to Sinestro, and the mental torment on Korugar still made Hal shudder.

"What are you doing here? I’m busy," Hal said, pointing to the battlefield where Colossal Statues chased and pummeled Lanterns, with casualties mounting.

"Earth’s in bad shape. Alien gods have invaded, and a piece of the Source Wall crashed there."

Exaggerate the stakes—Earth’s comms were down, so Hal couldn’t verify anything.

"I know about the Anti-Monitor, but alien gods? What’s going on?" Hal’s eyes narrowed beneath his green mask. He’d been fighting these Source Statues in space for who-knows-how-long.

Su Ming gave a quick rundown, and Hal grew conflicted. He wanted to return to Earth, but he was needed here.

The Lantern Corps were united only because of Hal’s influence. Leaving would make him look like a deserter.

Seeing Hal’s hesitation, Su Ming dropped his prepared lie.

"Batman has a plan. He sent me to retrieve something from beyond the Source Wall. We can handle the invaders and save our world."

Hal frowned. "What’s out there? Just chaos and the Light Repository. You sure you can come back?"

"Positive. But we need to hurry!" Su Ming urged, feigning urgency.

"I don’t know what Batman’s after, but it’s probably dangerous. Be careful. If it’s his plan, I won’t pry."

Hal rubbed his chin, but hearing it was Batman’s plan, he instinctively stopped questioning.

He asked what Batman’s plan was, and Deathstroke said he didn’t know.

Classic Batman—keeping even his allies in the dark.

Hal cleared the way for Su Ming but couldn’t secure the passage. Deathstroke would have to break through alone.

Charging past a horde of kilometer-tall statues to reach the wall’s exterior? Easy. He’d done it before.

These giant statues weren’t much of a threat to small targets like him. Circling around them, they could barely turn in time.

"Your battle’s looking rough. Ever tried attacking from below?" Su Ming glanced at the battlefield, tossing Hal a suggestion.

The statues’ main attack was energy beams from their eyes, sweeping after the Lanterns.

What if, while being chased by a beam, you flew between a statue’s legs? Would it slice itself in half?

Using the enemy’s strength against them—that’s the right tactic.

This defensive stalemate was like a firing squad.

The tactical master’s advice was out there. Whether Hal listened was up to him. Su Ming zipped through the legs of a string of statues and vanished in a flash.