Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 124: Ch.123 Surprise Attack

"It\'s true what they say: rely on the mountains, and they\'ll collapse; rely on water, and it will dry up. At critical moments, you have to rely on yourself."

Su Ming sighed helplessly, nodding at the Red Son Superman beside him. He had made up his mind to confront Barbatos personally.

Though his words might have sounded like he was reluctant, deep inside, he was eager to test himself.

After merging with Slade\'s soul, encountering such a powerful opponent stirred the warrior within him. How could he not want to engage in battle?

As long as he wasn\'t directly hit by Barbatos\'s dark energy, his life should be safe. But if he delayed any longer, once all the worlds collided, that would truly be the end.

The battlefield winds blew up from the mountain, carrying the scent of gunpowder and blood into Su Ming\'s nose, even from this distance, making his adrenaline pump wildly.

Brute force wouldn\'t work against Barbatos. A tactical approach was necessary—a sudden surprise attack to catch him off guard. If he timed it right, he might be able to severely wound Barbatos in an instant.

His sword, now coated in X-Metal, was a bane to the Dark God. The challenge wasn\'t in attacking Barbatos, but in getting close to him.

Once he was within reach, any random slash would be enough to end the fight.

The Red Son Superman grabbed Su Ming, pulling him away from the battlefield at high speed. Everything below became tiny, with Challenger Mountain resembling a winding centipede, and Barbatos appearing as a small black dot, like a sesame seed on the head of that centipede.

"Is this a good spot?"

The Red Son asked as they hovered above Gotham. The surrounding scene was no longer the gloomy sky but a series of alternate Earths, like a string of differently sized blue fruits, conspicuously visible.

"The distance is about right. Now, we wait for the right moment."

Su Ming gripped his sword tightly, steadying his breath, preparing himself.

"What moment?"

Superman scanned the battlefield with his enhanced vision, seeing things Su Ming could not.

"When Barbatos launches an attack on the Retaliators."

That was Su Ming\'s plan. Although Barbatos might be curious about the Retaliators, this was still a battlefield, and he couldn\'t let these enemies with unknown abilities get too close.

When they approached a certain range, he would definitely attack them. The other minions wouldn\'t be enough to stop a combo like a knockoff Hulk and Thor.

"An eastern strategy to strike the west? The tactic makes sense, but I\'m not familiar with the Retaliators. Will they survive?"

"They should be fine. Their leader is a man who uses faith as his shield. You must understand that faith is a power that cannot be precisely measured," Su Ming couldn\'t see the specific situation on the battlefield, but he answered Superman\'s question based on what he knew. "If he doesn\'t want to fall, he could withstand Barbatos\'s bombardment all day long."

Given that the American Crusader was even slightly stronger than the original Captain America, with the addition of a great sword, he could probably hold out even longer.

Their strategy was likely for the American Crusader to absorb the damage and taunt Barbatos, while Blue Bowman and Wandjina drew his attention, with Silver Sorceress delivering the killing blow with powerful magic.

However, the problem with this tactic was that Barbatos was simply too powerful. Without any "metal," they couldn\'t possibly overpower the Dark God. So, if this was their only tactic, the outcome was already determined.

"Struggle, suffer, your world is doomed! Everything will return to darkness!"

Just as Su Ming anticipated, Barbatos\'s curiosity about new things was limited.

He was like a child who had spotted an unfamiliar bug—only to quickly lose interest. The Retaliators only held his attention for a moment before he dismissed them.

He raised one arm like King Kong atop the Empire State Building, tilting his massive form, and announced the arrival of the dark apocalypse in a grating voice, preparing to crush the pests charging at him with overwhelming power.

A massive dark energy beam suddenly illuminated the battlefield. The black light descended, cutting through the chaos, and in its path were many of Barbatos\'s followers, who were instantly reduced to ash.

"Scatter!"

The American Crusader shouted, urging his teammates to dodge. He himself curled up behind his shield.

In the next moment, the beam struck.

But that miraculous shield withstood the powerful dark energy. Despite appearing like a piece of red glass, it was imbued with faith and unyielding will, remaining intact.

Of course, the American Crusader wasn\'t unscathed. He was knocked back like a rubber ball, flying several hundred meters before bouncing off the ground.

But he rose again from the dust, looking battered yet undeterred, charging at Barbatos once more.

"He withstood an attack."

The Red Son Superman commented, somewhat surprised. It was hard for him to imagine an ordinary person surviving such a powerful strike.

"Don\'t always assume that humans need protection. When necessary, they will stand up to protect what they care about."

Su Ming responded pointedly, knowing that the Red Son had taken the idea of protecting humans to an extreme. He had merged the responsibility of a superhuman with the KGB\'s methods, implementing comprehensive protection over humanity.

Lex Luthor from that world had described the Red Son as putting everyone in a jar, illustrating Big Brother\'s omnipresent surveillance.

Superman nodded thoughtfully, a smile briefly crossing his face before he composed himself again. "I see, Barbatos is preparing for his next attack. That big blue guy is now leading the charge, drawing Barbatos\'s attention."

"Good, make sure you throw me fast enough. If not, he might evade."

Su Ming flexed his wrist, the light of his sword gleaming as he twirled it. He faced the battlefield that was barely visible and exhaled slowly.

"Ura!"

Isekai Superman roared, gripping Su Ming\'s legs, and spun him around like a hammer throw, hurling him toward the top of the tuning fork.

The intense wind roared in Su Ming\'s ears, even through his helmet. His armor felt like it was heating up from the friction, but Su Ming didn\'t care. The target in his red-tinged goggles was rapidly growing larger.