"How dare he..."
The Laughing Bat watched Su Ming charge at him, which was somewhat beyond his expectations. After all, on the battlefield, Deathstroke's combat style had always been full of tactical rhythm.
This sudden charge did not fit his psychological profile at all. What exactly had happened?
But he didn't care anymore.
Are you charging to slash me? Do you think I'm not going to press the button because I'm waiting for Bruce?
Then you've guessed wrong...
Even though he couldn't see the Batman from the Main World, which left some flaws in the script, when the universe is destroyed, everyone watching this puppet show will witness his creation, and Bruce will always know...
Hahahahahahahaha.
However, just as he was about to press the button in his hand, a black Giant Sword spun towards him. The Robin Hounds standing in front of him didn't even have time to whimper before they were cut in half like cutting wheat.
Su Ming swung his arm around and hurled the Nightfall Greatsword from his hand, and the sharp N-Metal Weapons instantly took the lives of the Robins.
The Laughing Bat didn't have time to press the button nor spare a glance at the Robins' tragic state; he rolled on the ground to dodge the blade of the Great Sword.
"Ssssss!"
The Great Sword stabbed directly into the Brother Eye Host behind him, sparks flew, and the screen instantly went dark. The Laughing Bat couldn't see Su Ming anymore, and the sudden change from light to darkness left him momentarily dazed.
Meanwhile, Su Ming, still wearing his helmet, had the night vision functionality of his tactical goggles operating normally. He kicked the corpses of the Otherworld Robins aside and continued his charge.
But his target was not the Laughing Bat; it was the 'Final Machine' operating table now binding the Watcher.
Charging forward a bit, from this angle he could finally see the scene behind the stone wall. The Watcher was secured on the operating table, his skull missing. Not far above his head, on a makeshift stand resembling an alcohol lamp, rested a flat brain.
"Don't even think about it!"
Though the Laughing Bat couldn't see, he pressed the button in his hand without hesitation. He chuckled sinisterly, thinking now everyone was going to die.
What kind of scene would greet him the next time he opened his eyes?
Perhaps the familiar ones would return to his side... just so he can kill them once more!
However, he neither felt any pain nor an explosion. Gradually acclimating to the darkness, he saw Deathstroke's hand grasp a golden great sword, which transformed into a long-handled fork, precisely spearing the descending cosmic brain.
The brain, emanating faint waves of thought, was being retrieved by Deathstroke. The fork, with it, swiftly shortened.
Indeed, as long as Su Ming saw the target, it could be handled. As a divine artifact, the Godslayer was naturally sharp; though Laughing Bat fixed the Watcher's head with a glass cover, ensuring the two brains would collide as planned.
But even the strongest tempered glass couldn't withstand the sharpness of the Godslayer.
At the critical moment, Su Ming caught the brain in mid-air, as if spearing a piece of pudding on a dining table.
However, the unfortunate Watcher beneath might suffer, as shards of broken glass fell into his skull. He might develop symptoms of dementia in the future.
But Earth and the Multiverse were saved, weren't they?
"What did you just say? Don't even think about it?"
Su Ming turned around, removing the Anti-Monitor's brain from the fork. This thing would be a disaster if left on Earth; it must not fall into the hands of the Eternal Council again.
He flipped his hand, and the brain dropped to the ground like jelly. He stomped on it with his combat boots, producing a "squelch" sound.
Red and white fluids splattered everywhere, followed by an instant outburst of a soul-piercing screech.
Su Ming possessed double soul strength; this was merely like a gale to him, but Diana fainted with a "whimper".
The Laughing Bat was affected but possessed extremely strong willpower. He merely wobbled before regaining his footing.
But his face was devoid of any smile, replaced by cold indifference.
Su Ming still preferred this version of Bruce; serious and cold was how he knew him best.
The Laughing Bat turned and extracted Su Ming's Nightfall Greatsword from the Brother Eye Host. The N Metal constituting the sword hilt steamed, emitting enticing aromas of cooked meat.
But he didn't care; he only knew his plan had failed, and the Deathstroke before him was the culprit.
"You've given me quite a lot of trouble. You understand nothing. Now I have to kill them one by one. It's wasting my time."
The Laughing Bat, or rather the Bat of No Laughter, spoke with a low voice to Su Ming as he raised the Great Sword, facing Su Ming quietly.
He too had undergone rigorous training and could wield any weapon. The Bruce from the Main World didn't kill, so he never used such large weapons, but the Laughing had long abandoned these restrictions.
"You originally had seven people, direct or indirectly dying by my hand. What gives you the confidence to believe you're different from other Bruce?"
With his Godslayer, which reverted from a fork to its great sword form, Su Ming replied to the Laughing Bat's question while charging with a slash.
Their great swords collided in the darkness, sparks flying, their users coldly staring at each other across the weapons, each applying pressure hoping to break the other.
Indeed, the Godslayer's material wasn't as good as Nightfall's. Being a weapon formed of divine power, it was naturally countered by N Metal, yet it hadn't shattered thanks to the Fire God's excellent craftsmanship.
The Laughing Bat, however, was at a disadvantage in strength; he wasn't as strong as Su Ming, nor was his martial skill slightly inferior to Deathstroke's.
Overall, the two were evenly matched.
Luckily, Su Ming had controlled the dispersal of X Metal on the sword blade before hurling the Nightfall, decreasing its sharpness by several levels, otherwise engaging in a direct fight would be daunting.
"Because I am different from them, different from all of you, I possess the truth."
The Laughing Bat stated coldly, lifting Su Ming's sword hilt with his knee, flipping backward to create some distance as he swung at Su Ming's midsection.
Su Ming gently twisted the sword, causing another burst of sparks as both great swords were deflected.
"Is it because you realized you're a comic character? Ha, many have realized this."
Su Ming promptly drew a handgun and fired a shot that, while ineffective, still forced the Laughing Bat's head to tilt as if he'd been slapped.
The Laughing Bat shrugged off such attacks but couldn't ignore Su Ming's words.
"What?!"
"Indeed, everyone is a comic character, and everyone knows it, except you're too foolish, taking it too seriously."
Not everyone knew, of course, but the Laughing Bat couldn't verify it; Su Ming merely spoke whatever was most vexing.
Now, reality proved the Laughing Bat wasn't truly insane, so he had to mention concepts beyond his understanding, forcing him to lose himself in the flood of information.
The smarter one is, the likelier they are to overthink, a classic example of wisdom getting foiled by its own cleverness.
"How is that possible?" The Laughing Bat evaded Su Ming's opportunistic swing, retreating a few steps, momentarily unable to comprehend.
This Deathstroke appeared knowledgeable; the former Harley too seemed that way to him.
Could it be as he said, that many people knew and chose to act according to the script?
No, what Su Ming said could be false, for this theory couldn't be proven.
Yet, he could also be truthful, for he himself was an example.
The Laughing Bat indeed fell into a dilemma.
Su Ming seized the advantage, pressing further: "Why can't it be? I came from outside your so-called comic world. Outside, we are controlled by something called the Celestial Path. Everyone knows."
"Celestial Path?" The Laughing Bat retreated again.
"Yes, you thought a group wielding pens controlled your fate, but they too are governed by the Celestial Path."
The Laughing Bat's face grew colder; this was an unfamiliar concept to him, yet from the name alone, he sensed its immense power.
He became more conflicted.
Su Ming slashed down, the golden great sword sweeping with a gale in the darkness, but the Laughing still dodged.
It's rather tricky; the Laughing Bat had perfectly integrated Bruce's fighting techniques into his body, dodging instinctively even while distracted.
As for the Celestial Path mentioned earlier, the Laughing Bat understanding it would be miraculous.
Even if he broke through the Fourth Wall, he would only see the reality of the United States; how could he comprehend the settings of Celestial Dynasty fantasy novels?
In terms of layers, these might count as the Fifth and Sixth Walls, with one being the new Great Wall codenamed "Green Dam."
Whether the Celestial Path truly existed was unknown, neither provable nor disprovable. However, it made fine ammunition for verbal warfare.