"Hey~"
Bruce walked out of the grand hall with his helmet tucked under his arm. Outside, several goddesses eyed his appearance and physique, their gazes full of allure as they greeted him. The style of their greeting felt quite familiar, similar to certain special activities that take place in dark alleyways at night.
Although they were certainly pretty, they completely lacked personality. Such trophy figures are only good for fun and nothing else. But playing with them openly in Olympus, with all the gods watching? Definitely not in the mood for that.
He was anxious to return to the human world and prepare for the next phase of his plan.
At that moment, something golden rolled across the ground and bumped against his foot.
He glanced down and saw it was a golden apple.
Bruce's mouth twitched slightly. This kind of trick, once used, obviously exposes one's identity, doesn't it?
"Come out, Eris, or do you prefer to be called 'Struggle'?"
From behind a pillar by the palace gates, a figure emerged. It was a young girl dressed in a punk style, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old.
She had heavy eye makeup, wore a low-cut t-shirt, and draped herself in a fishnet-like revealing outfit, walking over with a cheeky smile.
"You know me? Did the Celestial Empress tell you?"
"The golden apple told me. You've been playing this trick for thousands of years, and you're still not tired of it?" Bruce remained unfazed, having no intention of picking up the apple.
"Ha, humans have played with jealousy and hatred for thousands of years, and it's not like you're tired of it either?" She picked up the apple from the ground and deliberately thrust her chest forward to show Bruce a cleavage.
Too bad her assets didn't measure up, far inferior to Diana's. Bruce's heart remained unchanged, and he even wanted to laugh.
"Goodbye."
"Huh?" Eris seemed puzzled, wondering why this mortal wanted to avoid her the moment they met. After all, she is a goddess: "Wait, I have something to ask you."
Why avoid her? Because Struggle is skilled at stirring up trouble, and it's best to steer clear of such women at times like this.
"No comment."
Bruce started walking away, having just regarded the door-flirty goddesses as uninteresting, only to encounter Struggle, with a personality so strong it could topple even Hera.
Eris once caused a feud among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite over a golden apple claimed to be for 'the most beautiful goddess,' sparking the Trojan War in the human world.
Her appearance here must be for a reason.
Despite her youthful appearance, as if unaware of the world, she is one of the top strategists in the DC World. Her long-term vision and unpredictable nature make her exceptionally dangerous.
She delights in creating chaos and then enjoying the spectacle.
Eris didn't pester Bruce further. She watched him leave with the Fire God while her eyes shifted, planning to take the apple to her sister.
She had a fun plan.
..........
Meanwhile, Bruce asked the Fire God to transport him to Gotham. He wanted to see how things were going there and take a rest overnight.
With the Bat Lamp atop his head, sleeping would feel secure...not really.
Initially, his plan to gather intel at night was canceled, leaving him idle.
"Ah, Gotham, a city cloaked in darkness within its very air." Bruce once again flew to the top of Wayne Tower, reminiscent of his first arrival on Earth -11.
Everything felt like a fleeting dream.
He quickly steadied himself. From Hera, he learned that several sealed powers from the other side of the Origin would gradually descend upon Earth.
The timing was uncertain but inevitable.
These forces would change the world, potentially elevating the DC World to resemble Marvel's All-Powerful Universe. Alternatively, they might destroy it and prompt a reboot.
As an outsider, a reboot is unkind to him, but unlike before, he can escape at any time. If things become unmanageable, he can retreat to Marvel to wait it out.
For now, he can endeavor to gain some benefits from the situation.
The 'Metal' event was just the beginning, introducing the concept of the Dark Multiverse to the DC World. Next, the Infinite Universe and Infinite Earth might return.
Of course, not as they were before but through some new method.
Currently, Bruce has no specific concept, but the Totality should be the start of everything.
It is the Multiverse's tangible manifestation, possessing self-awareness and immense energy, the very essence of the Multiverse, safeguarded by the Origin Wall, a backup of the Old Universe.
Once it gains other forces from outside the Origin Wall, the Infinite Universe will return to the DC narrative.
Bruce stood on the Dripping Stone Beast, watching the streetlights glow beneath him, summarizing all the intel.
Currently known forces from the other side of the Origin Wall have indeed manifest on Earth, represented by the White Lantern—Spirit of Existence.
Previously, the eerie sights seen at the Láhe Studio, the abnormal proliferation of plants, strongly suggest the handiwork of White Lantern Energy.
Old cells don't perish, new ones keep growing—resulting in distortion.
However, the Spirit of Existence remains unseen and untouchable, beyond reach. Maybe setting a trap to lure and eliminate the White Lantern Hero should be considered...
Some may think the White Lantern Hero is powerful, but for Bruce, armed with countless intel, the hero is not invincible.
Kael Renner has a father, two ex-girlfriends, and several good friends. With the Black Lantern Battery in Bruce's possession, overcoming this young man is effortless.
Yet, such thoroughly villainous actions are ill-suited for now; it's better to wait for the right moment.
For now, he awaits the Justice League's next move to reap the spoils.
Since in Gotham, with Bruce currently busy in Washington, perhaps...
He sneaked into a nearby rooftop storage room, hiding his weapons and gear securely. Then he patted his chest: "Strangulation, transform."
The pitch-black symbiote flowed out from the armor's crevices, engulfing the surface of the Holy Statue Armor, forming a black-and-gray bat emblem on his chest.
Bruce adjusted the Magic Floating Cloak's form, making it resemble Batman's Bat Cloak.
Ten seconds later, stepping out of the storage room, he had transformed into Batman's likeness.
But with the Holy Statue Armor padding inside, it appeared taller, and under the moonlight, somewhat greasy, gleaming like a fried bat.
Using a shard of glass, Bruce inspected his transformed face, feeling slightly dissatisfied.
"Strangulation, your transformation doesn't look quite right. Is this how Batman should look?"
"???" Strangulation sent a confused signal, claiming to have based the transformation on the host's memory—is the host wanting to transform into that female Batman?
Bruce removed the hand armor, rubbing his chin, its icy touch feeling utterly unreal, like a mass of rubber.
"Why does my chin now resemble a posterior?"