Multiverse: Deathstroke-Chapter 497: Path to Collection

As Su Ming said, he had a pile of tasks to handle.

Being a mercenary wasn’t just about completing missions and walking away. Most times, collecting payment was part of the job.

The White Lantern ring was a loan from the Spirit of Existence, given in desperation, and could be reclaimed anytime.

The Invisible Light ring from Eclipse Star was similar. Though Su Ming struck a truce with it, it didn’t take Sinestro’s ring back—just gave him an identical one.

Eclipse Star could stay neutral, no longer devouring the universe, but it still wanted more emissaries.

Su Ming didn’t mind. He was curious what Luthor planned with the Invisible Light, giving him an inside intel source.

If Eclipse Star tried reclaiming Sinestro’s ring, Su Ming wouldn’t let it.

It kept enemies off-guard and left a backdoor—always plan ahead. If intel leaked both ways, it’d come down to who thought faster.

With all ten rings still in hand, Su Ming intended to use them.

First, Olympus—to "console" the flood-stricken gods and hear Hera’s explanation about the marriage proposal.

What game was Eris playing?

New Olympus was intact, no flood damage, but stepping off his ship, Su Ming saw the gods holding a funeral for Poseidon.

He grimaced, sucking air through his teeth.

A funeral? Bad timing to collect payment. Business was business, but doing something that callous might curse his luck.

Maybe come back later?

Stare.

As he turned to leave, he felt eyes on him.

Athena, in the crowd, spotted Deathstroke. Tissue stuffed in her nostrils, she shivered. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Deathstroke had dumped her in Antarctica, then defeated Hecate, stripping the gods’ powers.

Waking in a makeshift igloo from Barry, Athena survived only because Hera’s magic mirror, unaffected by the power loss, let Hephaestus retrieve her by ship.

She’d planned to confront Deathstroke, but the global flood hit. The gods scrambled to repair Olympus’s protective spells all day.

Athena caught a bad cold.

She sought the plague god, but without divine power, he had no authority over her illness.

He suggested Hephaestus take her to human doctors.

She’d heard human doctors stripped patients and jabbed needles in unsavory places. No way.

Hephaestus figured her divine constitution would recover in days, gave her tissues, and returned to his volcano.

He had his own work. Hera’s errand was a one-off; he didn’t want to linger on Olympus.

Forging without divine power was tougher, but he had tech—presses and lathes still worked.

Seeing Athena’s complex glare, Su Ming paused.

The gods didn’t seem too broken up. Athena had time to daydream, not mourn. Hardly solemn.

Poseidon was her uncle, reckless and vile, but family.

If they weren’t grieving, Su Ming wouldn’t either. Time to collect from Hera.

Ignoring Athena’s stare—and Artemis behind her—he strode up the mountain to Hera’s palace.

In the Greek-styled divine realm, Su Ming felt like a Saint Seiya. With Athena powerless, was she planning to train Japanese teens to fight him as the big bad?

The thought made him chuckle. Cultivating a "small universe" in DC? Pure madness.

Entering Hera’s palace, she seemed to expect him, leaning calmly by a pool.

"Mother of Gods." Su Ming nodded in greeting.

"You know there are no gods left," Hera said serenely, unbothered by their lost divinity.

"You’re not human either. Gotta call you something." Su Ming grinned, removing his helmet, sitting in the same spot as last time. Servants brought fruit and wine.

Hera nodded, sipping her wine. "You’ve learned much. We were once human, now just pitiful beings."

Su Ming saw no pity. The gods lived lavishly off stolen fire for eons. Was returning to normal pitiable?

Their lives were better than Gotham’s slums.

"I’m not great at comforting, but you know why I’m here. Diana survived Hecate, thriving better than you all. My job’s done."

"You want payment, but Olympus already paid." Hera’s eyes widened, feigning confusion.

"Heh." Su Ming laughed. Had Olympus been detached too long to know deposits from final payments? No one stiffed him. "Paid? I didn’t see it. The weapon enchantment was the deposit, clear as day."

"I gave you my aunt and daughter. What more do you want?" Hera clutched her peacock shawl, looking anguished. "Without power, what does Olympus have that you’d want? We’ve given our most precious things."

"Oh, I get it."

Su Ming paused. So that’s how it was.

Hera foresaw no one could stop the Upside-Down Man’s revenge.

She predicted the gods’ fall, so she used her daughter to settle the debt, calling it payment but really tying Olympus to a new protector.

Maybe she let Eris stir trouble to set this up. If Deathstroke failed, Olympus was doomed, and the marriage talk didn’t matter.

If he succeeded, Olympus gained a powerful ally, ensuring survival.

Clever. Ruthless.

Though Hera didn’t know his full strength, defeating Athena, Diana, Hecate, and negotiating with the Upside-Down Man marked him as a titan.

Dark, too dark. No wonder Diana avoided the gods. Hera’s schemes outdid a hundred Dianas.

"Stop the pitiful act. We both know the score. Why me? I’m not Earth’s strongest."

Hera dropped the facade, resuming her regal air. "Before you wore ten rings, who’d predict you’d reach this level? Investing means betting on potential."

Su Ming glanced at his bare fingers, wondering how she knew.

"These powers might vanish soon. That’s fine?"

"The universe is vast, with countless unfathomable forces. Even I can’t name them all. Lose the spectrum? You’ll find equal power with your skills."

Hera was candid.

Olympus had chosen him, no matter what.

Su Ming nodded. The spectrum wasn’t the only rule-based power. Beyond the Source Wall, concepts abounded. In Justice No More, he could’ve claimed the dead concept god’s "Entropy," a primal human force.

But to fight Luthor? No need to show all his cards. Better they stay scattered in the cosmos.

Saves a certain black-clad paranoiac from a persecution complex.

"Your vision’s sharp, your moves decisive. You’re a better leader than Zeus," Su Ming said with a sigh.

Hera sneered, draining her wine and tossing the cup aside. "He was decent when thinking with his brain. Stealing power and imprisoning Hecate—his plans made Olympus thrive. But later, he thought with what’s between his legs, nearly dooming us."

Su Ming got Zeus. A king’s desires burned stronger than anyone’s.

Messing with humans or aliens was one thing, but cows, sheep, chickens, fish? Who could stand that?

Freakish offspring kept showing up on Olympus, claiming kin. Hera’s endurance was remarkable.

"One last check—can’t we cash out? Gold, jewels, real estate?"

Su Ming wasn’t immune to goddesses’ charms. They were pristine, stunning—near Albedo’s seductive perfection.

But women, mortal or divine, were chains. He was human, with emotions and desires. Long-term bonds could trap him.

They offered no power growth.

Why woo goddesses when he could train deadlifts or sprints?

Hera smiled, shaking her head, plucking a grape. "Didn’t you tell Batman? Humans are the core. To stay human, not a concept or god, slow down. Enjoy the scenery, wait for others. Olympus learned this after millennia of mistakes."

Su Ming fell into thought.