"Continue talking."
Briss emerged from a nearby cabinet, having changed into her pajamas, shedding Batwoman's uniform, and began reviewing various intelligence reports for the month in front of the massive computer.
Su Ming summarized the information he could share with her: "At the inception of the Multiverse, two brothers were born out of chaos, tasked with overseeing the order of the Cosmos..."
Barry clapped his hands and raised a finger with a smile: "Ah, the Watcher and the Anti-Monitor, I know them."
Su Ming nodded to him, indicating that he was correct: "Besides them, there is actually another brother, the World Forger, who eternally resides in the World Furnace, using its flames to forge a constant stream of new worlds, placing them within the Multiverse."
"Some of these things I don't quite understand, but I find your information credible for now." Briss, showing some bruises on her body, was tending to her wounds, spraying an unknown chemical agent over them.
"Worlds that are brighter are placed into the Bright Universe, while those that are darker are placed into the Dark Universe, like two sides of a plate, which is called the Blood Domain." Su Ming continued speaking without looking at her pale thighs.
"Is the World Forger Barbatos?" Barry rubbed his temples; this information was news to him, leaving him feeling mentally exhausted.
"...He is not, he is actually the World Forger's assistant, responsible for collecting the waste and returning it to the World Furnace."
"...."
Barry looked at Su Ming with an expression as if he were joking, while Cindy and Briss, although less theatrical, had similar meanings in their gazes.
What about the Dark God? What about the Worlds Destroyer?
Su Ming gave Barry a disgruntled look, thinking he must have gone stupid from school; Barbatos' seemingly ordinary job, if carefully considered, isn't something just anyone could do, right?
His job involves traversing the Multiverse, destroying and reclaiming Monistic Universes, absorbing all Dark Energy and people's negative emotions, which definitely makes him a Cosmic Level big shot.
"The World Forger's process of forging is a bit like blacksmithing, you know, with sparks flying and molten iron flowing." Su Ming rubbed his eyes, grabbed Barry's towel to wipe the blood from his hands: "The sparks that scatter and cool down turn into shapeless universes, and Barbatos' original task was to break down these shapeless universes into fragments and bring them back to the World Furnace for reforging. He can tow entire Monistic Universes, and now he's planning to drag 52 universes into darkness. This isn't as simple as you imagined it to be."
"And now?" Barry asked again.
"The World Forger was killed by Barbatos, who set up his own domain. He intends to extinguish the furnace fire and bring all worlds under his rule because the worlds of the Bright Multiverse are a bit high, like fruit on the face of the plate that he can't reach, so he plans to drill a hole in the bottom of the plate to let the fruit from the top fall down."
Su Ming wiped the white towel so that it was full of blood and mud stains, resembling a bewildering pattern, then threw the towel away.
Briss squinted, contemplated for a moment, and then spoke: "Sounds like a madman."
"These 52 pieces of fruit, if combined with the other 52 stuck to the bottom of the plate, will cause everyone to disappear, even Barbatos, and the Multiverse will be rendered extinct." Su Ming responded to her, rubbing his temples. He didn't know if the Multiverse would restart like this, but if it did, he'd be left out as an outsider, popping like a soap bubble, never to be seen again.
Everyone was digesting this information, while Cindy, familiar with Su Ming's prior explanations, appeared relaxed, knowing he already had a plan.
Briss stood quietly with her arms crossed, contemplating, before parting her black-lipsticked lips to speak in a low voice: "Originally, Barry and I obtained Lazarus' Spring from the Shadow Dancer Alliance, intending to use it on the Sea Queen. As long as she doesn't die, and I don't get involved in the Amazon and underwater war, the global situation might stabilize significantly. But given the current situation, if the Owl Court keeps messing around, this solution will merely delay destruction."
"If it were just the two of you, securing more time would be expected, but should this world catch Barbatos' attention, it'd be difficult to escape. I have a plan to cut off their ability to contact Barbatos, slipping past right under his nose."
Su Ming repeated the conversation he'd had with Cindy as planned, only withholding the forthcoming assassination in Gotham. As expected, after learning that the Owl might have been involved in her parents' death, the suspicious Briss couldn't shake the idea from her mind.
"The Owl Priest's stronghold is also in Egypt, as they are descendants of the Bird Tribe. That's their foundation," Su Ming concluded, offering no further comment, knowing what choice Briss would make.
"You know where they are?" Briss's fingers clenched tightly, emitting cracking sounds. It wasn't a yearning for vengeance against her parents' murderers; such hatred had long transformed into something else through countless dark operations.
She wanted to return the fear the culprits instilled in her a thousandfold.
"Hmm, they're in Set's temple." Su Ming took the opportunity to throw out his suggestion.
"Oh right, Set's temple, how did I forget about this? What's going on..." Barry kept slapping his head, suspecting that the Divine Speed might be causing him to lose some memories, which felt very unsettling.
The Divine Speed sometimes causes people to lose time, and sometimes memory lapses occur. Almost all Speedsters have experienced being trapped by the Divine Speed.
Briss looked at Barry with an inquisitive gaze, then at Su Ming. She knew Deathstroke had other motives, but Su Ming met her gaze without a hint of guilt, his one eye full of determination.
"We'll set off after dinner."
In the end, Briss decided to drop her inquiry. She would understand everything once she went to Egypt with Su Ming. Su Ming smiled, and behind his back, he made a gesture to Cindy that only the two of them understood:
"Great, I'm looking forward to Alfred's cooking."
"Thank you for the compliment, then I shall serve the food."
Just then, Alfred pushed a dining cart out of the elevator. He had prepared a second round of supper, not just leftovers from what Briss and Barry had eaten earlier, but a newly made meal.
"Don't serve the dishes in order, just put everything out." There were things to do afterward, and no time to enjoy a noble-style dinner. Briss signaled the butler to lay all the dishes on the worktable.
"Miss, if you keep dining in the Bat Cave, our dining room will lose its function." Butler Hero decisively served the dishes, not forgetting to remind Briss about this.
.................
After eating, the headache and throbbing temples Su Ming experienced temporarily faded away. Slade's memories were neatly organized in his mind, fully accepted, or rather recalled, making him feel much more at ease.
After a few glasses of wine, he prepared for the upcoming action.
Putting on his armor again, he also had Ah Fu fetch him a broadsword. It was just a decorative sword from the mansion's medieval armor, but at least it was sharpened. Briss changed back into her Bat Suit, and Barry also donned his red tights.
Before Briss could speak, Su Ming swiftly said to Barry, "Barry, take Briss and me to Egypt."
Barry glanced at Briss, who nodded in agreement. He wrapped an arm around each of them, activated the Divine Speed, and the three vanished instantly. Cindy leaned back in her chair, snuffed out her cigarette in the ashtray, and donned her helmet, beginning to check her ammunition and weapons: "Well, Pennyworth the Butler, I should get going too. Can you lend me a car here?"
"I will go with you and drive. I overheard some of your conversation." Alfred said politely as he removed his apron.
Cindy paused: "My plan with Su is much more 'direct' than Briss's plan."
Alfred quickly placed the plates on the dining cart, maintaining a calm tone: "Yes, I suspect Miss anticipated that when she hired you, but Mr. Allen holds you in high regard and said you would fight for the world."
"Ha ha, it's just self-preservation, earning money would be even better. Besides, someone has to do this job even if there's no pay, unless we all want to become seabed muck."
Cindy chuckled. She and Su Ming were not noble people; their goal was simple: survival.
"I used to be a government special agent, killed quite a few people for the government, knowing that sometimes 'direct' methods are necessary." Alfred chuckled, showing no trace of the elderly former government executioner: "However, I retired long ago. This trip is merely to drive you. I'm not concerned about how you mercenaries conduct business, but I ensure Miss's money is well spent."
Cindy shrugged, recognizing it as a form of oversight. Briss surely noticed something... Alone, the butler couldn't keep an eye on her, and Briss might just want to impose a slight restraint on her actions, to not go overboard.
Getting rid of him would be easy, but having someone familiar with the roads to drive was also convenient, and it was a chance to test Batwoman's boundaries...
"Follow along, then, but try not to get in the way."