Multiverse: Deathstroke-Chapter 487: Final Battle

"Arjen fell for Arqiang, on a starry, starry night~~, planes roared overhead, meteors streaked through the sky..."

Su Ming was squandering the Lantern Rings’ powers with reckless abandon. Not only did he keep switching between colorful light trails in flight, but with the ability to breathe and speak in space, he belted out a pop song.

Idle during the journey, a song passed the time just fine.

He was being pulled along by the Black Lantern Ring’s navigation, no effort required. Before wearing the rings, he never imagined they’d come with an autopilot feature.

But he’d have to avoid saying "home" to the rings. That’d probably dislocate every finger.

The Green Ring would drag him to Oa, the Red to Ysmault, the Yellow to Qward in the Anti-Matter Universe...

His fingers would snap in an instant.

As he let his mind wander, the Black Lantern Ring stopped.

Before him was ordinary cosmic space—distant stars twinkled, planets orbited, nothing special.

But the Black Lantern Ring didn’t err. Phase-shifting couldn’t sever energy connections.

"Eclipse Star! I’m here to negotiate!"

The line felt awkward at first, but after a few times, it rolled off the tongue.

Had the Ancient One tampered with the Anti-Life Cloak, planting subliminal suggestions when he wasn’t focused?

No way. Supreme Sorcerer was too costly a gig unless Vishanti signed a contract like the Upside-Down Man’s.

Too steep a price. Better stick to raising rabbits, though they stank.

Heard bamboo rats were cleaner?

Su Ming, expressionless, arms crossed, bobbed in space, his mind juggling unrelated thoughts.

The Anti-Life Cloak billowed like a flag behind him, even in the windless void, blocking a sliver of sunlight.

The space ahead showed no reaction, still empty as ever.

Phase-shifted, it was invisible and intangible.

Su Ming smirked. Found you—think you can hide? Phase powers impressive? Time the Eclipse Star learned about magic.

"Upside-Down Man, Upside-Down Man, Upside-Down Man..." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Su Ming began chanting, and the Upside-Down Man didn’t disappoint, appearing instantly.

Same grotesque entrance: a wormhole tore open, and its slimy white form slid out backward.

But why was it holding... a Deadpool doll?

And an Elder God version, no less.

Su Ming gagged.

In the Upside-Down Man’s hands, the doll looked disturbingly real. It had tweaked the "Elder Godpool" with magical rules, making it seem alive.

"Agent, why summon me?" The Upside-Down Man made the Elder Godpool doll pirouette, its tentacled legs flopping like a tail.

"Forget that—explain the thing in your hand."

Su Ming turned his head. In proverb terms, this was the Upside-Down Man inviting Deadpool for dinner—disgustingly domestic.

"This? My debt-collection tool." It dangled the mini Elder Godpool toward Su Ming, who pushed it away in disgust. Unfazed, it continued, "Last time, I noticed your creation deals massive damage to Earth’s mages. Running a lending business, I need a helper to collect debts, right?"

Fair point. Some mages, like Constantine, would dodge debts. With magic growing stronger, he’d likely borrow for new spells.

That guy’s the type to stiff anyone.

The Upside-Down Man couldn’t personally chase every debtor. Crafting a magical minion as a debt enforcer made sense.

But where’d it learn this? When did it pick up debt-collection agency tactics?

"After our deal, I kept thinking this form was perfect for debt collection. Like a voice from beyond the universe told me so."

The Upside-Down Man gazed at its doll, and the rotting, mushroom-sprouting Elder Godpool face smiled back.

"Ugh, whatever makes you happy." Su Ming shifted to face it with his eyeless right side. "There’s a star in front of us. Can you see it?"

"Of course. It’s in the fourth phase—turned to light, in human terms."

The Upside-Down Man had no eyes but saw everything.

"I need it pulled back to the main phase. Trade my stored fireball spells for a temporal anchor spell."

"Deal. It’s a massive star—about 100,000 fireball spells’ worth. Confirm?"

It hung upside-down in space, using the doll like a ventriloquist’s dummy.

Calling the Upside-Down Man for every spell swap was a hassle, but it needed assurance Su Ming wasn’t scheming against it, like Hecate’s fate.

Knowing the spell’s purpose reassured it, part of their partnership.

If the requested magic posed no threat, it could convert Su Ming’s stored fireball spells into any form.

"Confirmed."

Su Ming understood the arrangement. He’d keep banking fireball spells. Should he give the Upside-Down Man a walkie-talkie to skip the chanting? It felt too mystical.

The Upside-Down Man snapped its fingers, the sound clear in the airless void, like space itself tore.

The next second, a massive violet star appeared before Su Ming.

Poseidonis was fully submerged. Batman ordered the ship to fly low, skimming the sea.

Tens of thousands of meters above, the alien fleet was massing. On the flagship’s bridge, Batman saw three sea gods standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

Black Manta lurked behind them in an inconspicuous corner.

Between the two sides stretched a thick, red grid-like barrier, extending to the horizon—the aliens’ blockade sealing Earth.

"We need to breach that barrier," Diana said, looking to Batman.

The Justice League, with the Titans and Shadowpact, stood on the deck, leaving Bobo at the helm. All gazed up at the enemy fleet blotting out the sky.

The air grew heavy with the weight of a final battle. In a war of this scale, anyone could die.

"..."

Batman stayed silent. His armor could teleport to the Watchtower on the Moon, but what good would that do?

Proud to be human, he knew even in Luthor’s armor, he couldn’t make a dent in this war.

If he knew enough about the three sea gods, he might have a solid plan, but now, success seemed unlikely.

He was stubborn, but not reckless enough to let teammates die needlessly.

If it came to it, he’d ask Mera for the Tear of Extinction, coat his armor’s fists with it, and face the aliens himself. Better than waiting for their bombardment.

To Batman, aliens weren’t people. He’d killed countless Apokoliptian Parademons—adding a few sea aliens wouldn’t matter.

But as he opened his mouth, Arthur, usually just a bruiser, spoke up.

"There’s a way—let Atlantis truly sink." He answered Diana, nervously stroking his beard, stealing a glance at his wife, Atlantis’s queen.

"What do you mean?" Diana frowned.

"Last time, I worked with the older Deathstroke, hoping to find N-Metal in Atlantis’s seabed, in an ancient kings’ tomb."

"And you found it, only to get ambushed by the Dark Knights and hung on a Christmas tree with that Deathstroke," Barry quipped. That divide-and-conquer fiasco made things dire.

If Barry hadn’t met the otherworld Deathstroke on Earth-11, who agreed to help against the crisis, who knows how things would’ve ended?

"Ahem, yeah. In that tomb, there were launch platform controls." Arthur rubbed his face awkwardly as Mera’s fingers subtly twisted at his waist.

Keeping secrets, huh? Next, he’d be hiding a mistress!

"Atlantis was once a land-based cosmic adventurer civilization. Those launch platforms...?" Barry caught on.

Arthur nodded, holding Mera’s hand. "Yes, they’re spacecraft launch platforms. Those Atlantean spires under the water? They’re special rocket-like vessels."

Batman got it. "Made of divine metal. With enough thrust, they can break through any barrier."

"Uh, maybe. I’m not sure if they still work after being submerged so long..."

Seeing everyone lean toward his plan, Arthur panicked. What if it flopped?

"Ugh, wish Deathstroke was here—the otherworld one, not our main world’s fishy old Deathstroke who tried to stab us with a sword. Sounds like a tongue-twister, but I miss his Nightfall Greatsword. X-Metal can cut through barriers like cake, right?"

Diana stayed silent, sharing the sentiment. Where was Deathstroke?

Batman’s eyes narrowed. He had a hunch where Deathstroke went, but saw no threat—only benefits for the League.

He glanced at Superman, who met his gaze with a firm nod, awaiting orders.

"No Deathstroke in the Justice League. Let’s move."

Batman issued the command calmly.