Multiverse: Deathstroke-Chapter 486: Hunting the Eclipse Star

While Su Ming negotiated contract terms with Black Hand beyond the Source Wall, back on Earth, the Justice League had just finished their meeting. Everyone except the stiff-postured Batman returned to the bridge looking utterly confused.

What had Batman said? Why did his words sound so convincing? Yet, they were impossible to fully grasp.

Diana planned to discreetly ask Deathstroke for clarity, while Barry intended to ask him outright.

According to Batman, he had indeed planned to hand the Anti-Monitor to Luthor, followed by an elaborate, foolproof strategy.

For some reason, when these illogical statements came from Batman’s mouth, they seemed utterly believable, as if the world would bend to his will.

That’s what Diana and Barry wanted to understand—why was Batman so confident? Where did that confidence come from?

Superman had no such doubts. His trust in Batman bordered on blind faith.

Their mothers were both named Martha—they were practically brothers.

Aquaman, on the other hand, shared a namesake with Batman’s father, Thomas, but that wasn’t why he lacked questions.

He fought without needing intricate plans. Just point him at the enemy and tell him who to hit.

His style mirrored Cyborg’s—full of the reckless vigor of their Teen Titans days.

Cyborg, being young, struggled with battlefield tactics. Batman taught him to treat combat like a football game.

Whether to block the opposing center or disrupt their quarterback, Cyborg relied on instinct.

Lacking a military or police background, advanced tactical command was beyond him.

But he was an athlete. Football was his domain, and with the Mother Box’s aid, he and Aquaman fought on gut feeling.

Some might assume Cyborg, with his high-tech appearance and cybernetic gear, was a scientist. Wrong.

He was just an athlete. Without the Mother Box, he’d be clueless about tech.

Victor was fast now, but his lack of cunning remained incurable. Machines lacked creativity, so he couldn’t devise dazzling tactics.

Diana stormed back to the bridge, spun the captain’s chair around, and demanded answers from Deathstroke about what to do next.

But when the chair turned, only a black-furred gorilla sat there, staring back at her.

Diana: "..."

Bobo: "..."

"Where is he?"

Diana’s temper flared. Deathstroke had slipped away again. Always vanishing like a ghost.

Bobo, chomping his cigar, swallowed hard. Could he stop Deathstroke from leaving?

With legendary weapons like Godslayer and Nightfall, Bobo wasn’t about to mess with either.

"He said he’s stepping out briefly. Command’s fully handed to Batman."

Batman, trailing at the back, narrowed his eyes, puzzled. If Deathstroke had been scheming to undermine the Justice League or seize opportunities for himself, why surrender all command now? What was he plotting?

Scanning the group, Batman noticed Harley and Poison Ivy were gone too. With so little intel, even he couldn’t guess what Deathstroke was up to with two women on a flooded Earth.

A romantic boat ride on the high seas?

Batman raised an arm, rubbing his stubbled chin, but found no answers.

Earlier, Diana, in her frustration, had shoved him. Even in his power armor, Batman felt his insides ache.

Harley and Ivy were old acquaintances. Batman knew their abilities better than they did.

That knowledge misled him. He couldn’t imagine what Harley, Ivy, and Deathstroke could accomplish together.

But since Deathstroke relinquished command, Batman accepted it. He’d planned to wrest control from him anyway.

The situation was clear. The aliens, repelled in the desert and aware Earth had weapons against them, would launch an all-out final assault.

To these beings, imprisoned for millennia, Atlantis was Earth’s heart—back then, it was.

Even with Atlantis submerged, they’d choose it as their battlefield.

"We’re heading to—"

Batman’s low voice began, ordering the ship to what was now Poseidonis.

Bobo leapt from the captain’s chair, adding, "Oh, Deathstroke already ordered us to Atlantis. We’re almost there."

Batman opened his mouth, then clamped it shut, lips curling downward. He took the captain’s seat.

Deathstroke had calculated everything. Truly...

From a pile of minced flesh, Su Ming retrieved the glowing Black Lantern Ring and a few flashlight-like Black Lantern Batteries.

The Black Lantern Ring was immensely powerful. If the user stayed sane, it didn’t need a lantern to charge—just rip out hearts to fuel it.

The other seven rings were like appliances, needing a lantern or intense emotion to recharge.

But Su Ming bypassed that. With X-Metal, why bother? The universe’s primal energy was more than enough.

Truthfully, Black Hand was hard to kill. As a dead man, truly "killing" him was tough.

When Su Ming struck, decapitation didn’t work. Bisecting him didn’t either. The Black Lantern Ring spewed sludge-like matter to repair his body.

No choice but to use dual blades, enhanced by other rings’ powers, to chop faster than the ring could heal, turning Black Hand into mincemeat.

His flesh was black, reeking of decay, but the texture was decent—half fat, half lean.

This only destroyed the body’s vitality. Black Hand’s soul would endure.

If Su Ming’s guess was right, he’d respawn within the Wall.

Normally, a living being wearing the Black Lantern Ring would die instantly, their heart becoming a vessel for its energy.

But Su Ming was confident he could wear it unscathed. Lady Death wouldn’t let him die. As a DC rule, if "Death" didn’t allow it, no one could kill him.

The Black Lantern Emperor was powerless against him.

All calculated. Su Ming shook off the blood and flesh, removed his gauntlet, and slipped on the ring.

The obsidian-like ring tightened, piercing his flesh and lodging in his finger bone. But beyond the Source Wall, the Black Lantern Emperor’s will couldn’t reach.

The ring’s aura of desolation and decay circled Su Ming’s mind briefly before fading.

With this ring, he could command the dead and wield a sliver of Death’s authority.

Delaying death.

Yes, even the universe would die. Everything was inevitable. The Black Lantern Ring’s role was to hold back some of the dead, serving the ring’s master before reaching eternal peace.

"..."

No welcome speech from the Black Lantern, but Su Ming knew it awaited an oath, a proxy.

"Blackest Night eclipses the sun, darkness rises as light is undone. Hearts torn out, your fate is sealed, the dead shall rise when Deathstroke’s bell peals!"

The Black Lantern Ring erupted in black light, icy death enveloping Su Ming.

Everything seemed to freeze. The sensation of death was cold, merciless indifference. The living world receded, replaced by death’s aura.

Rot. Dryness. The lonely scent of an empty, lightless basement.

The Black Lantern nullified the emotional influence of the other rings.

With self-suggestion and hormones from Stranglehold, Su Ming adjusted, gradually returning to normal.

"Whew, that’s intense. Black Hand feeling any emotion at all is a miracle."

Time to head back inside the Wall. Before claiming the White Lantern Ring, one loose end needed tying.

The Invisible Light—the violet tattoo-like ring etched on his finger.

The Saint Walker had warned him once, and Su Ming hadn’t forgotten. Detonating the Eclipse Star’s lantern was the closest he’d come to death.

Even then, the Eclipse Star wasn’t fully destroyed. It still lurked somewhere, hidden behind an invisible phase veil.

Finding it before might’ve been hard, but with the Black Lantern Ring, things were different.

Su Ming had detonated a Black Lantern Battery in its core. Now, with the ring’s senses, he could track it like a bloodhound following a scent.

Luthor, the aliens, the Justice League—they were all caught up in their game, forgetting the Eclipse Star, just as they overlooked the immense power of the emotional spectrum.

Maybe Luthor planned to use the Eclipse Star as his "sun," hiding it after banishing the Lanterns from Earth.

Su Ming’s response? Nice sun, Luthor. Next moment, it’s mine!

As a lantern, the Eclipse Star could activate the Invisible Light Ring. Spectrum energy from beyond the Source Wall would be a major power boost.

With other rings to balance it, Su Ming wasn’t worried about it going rogue.

He had Black Lantern Batteries now. He could repeat his old tactic endlessly. He couldn’t die.

Worst case, he’d chill and chat with Lady Death.

How many more explosions could the Eclipse Star withstand?

Legend said it was a living central lantern, both a corps and a beast. If it could communicate, Su Ming would try to sway it.

Regret and guilt weren’t negative emotions—they were part of human self-reflection.

But the Invisible Lantern had clearly overdone it.

Humans needed balanced emotions, not extremes.

If the big light ball behaved, Su Ming wouldn’t destroy it. Humanity needed reflection and self-criticism.

But if it was uncooperative or clueless, humanity could go all-in on another path. Su Ming would find another way. The universe was vast—self-aware stars weren’t unique.

While the Justice League and Doom Legion clashed, Su Ming chose to steal the show and disrupt Luthor’s plans.

If his plan worked, Luthor would be dumbfounded.

"Black Lantern Ring! Seek similar energy sources!"

Back inside the Source Wall, avoiding Hal and the others’ sight, Su Ming ordered the Black Lantern Ring to scan Sector 2814 for matching energy.

Luthor wouldn’t let the Eclipse Star stray far. Su Ming just had to watch out for Sinestro.

With so many rings, even forming shields and charging with blades, Sinestro likely wasn’t his match.