mtl008 Chapter 4469 The Black Death (6)
Chapter 4469 The Black Death (6)
Chapter 4469 The Black Death (Part Six)
However, there's still one final push before we can completely drive the Black Death Emperor out of this universe. If we don't use our trump card, he'll try every means to stay here because of sunk costs.
This is hardly a good place for a duel. Firstly, the Black Emperor has already made arrangements here, giving it a semi-home advantage, which is too disadvantageous for the side of justice. Secondly, this universe itself is unstable and too weak. If a real fight breaks out, it's likely to fall apart.
Therefore, they must drive the Black Death Emperor out of here. We should choose the venue for the final battle to take advantage of our home field.
In a crematorium in the coastal city, Atlan grabbed one of the Allen couple. As his pale hand tightened, the power of death emanated from Mrs. Allen's mouth and nose, swirling around Atlan's arm. After a long while, her breath grew weaker and weaker, and Mrs. Allen turned back into a corpse, falling to the ground.
Mr. Allen had already been drained dry by Steppenwolf. Dr. Oed was huddled in a corner, trembling, but he too couldn't escape being turned back into a corpse. Amanda, who had already transformed into a monster, escaped death, but Steppenwolf and Atlan paid her no heed.
“That Superman is too much trouble,” Steppenwolf said in a low voice, a flicker of fear crossing his horribly disfigured face. He had already been killed by Superman four times: thrown into the sun, melted by lasers, frozen into an ice sculpture, and even torn to pieces. Superman’s power was growing stronger and stronger, seemingly without end.
“We need to change our strategy,” Atlan said. “So that big guy wants us to target Green Lantern, but I don’t think Hal Jordan will last long. Superman is the real problem.”
They both looked at the masked man beside them, and Atlan spoke up, "Blackhand, what do you think?"
“Green Lantern is indeed our nemesis,” Blackhand said, but quickly changed the subject, “However, he has been corrupted. Judging from the lividity, he has been eroded for a long time.”
"If he has already been corrupted, why would Lord Black Death still regard him as the number one enemy?"
"Of course, it's because the green light energy is inherently very powerful." Black Hand speculated to himself, "Even after being corrupted for so long, he can still move freely. Lord Black Death can't control him at all. That's why he needs our help to suppress him from the outside so that the power of death can penetrate better."
“Although this is Lord Black Death’s plan, we can’t be completely inflexible. The most terrifying thing right now is Superman.” Black Hand shrank back as he said this. Superman was simply too terrifying now; they didn’t even dare to go outside.
The sky outside was blood red, but it wasn't the sunset; it was laser light shooting from Superman's eyes. He was scanning the seabed at a rate of three shots per second.
The source of the death power in the Pacific Ocean is hidden very deep. The Justice League has fought the Black Death Emperor twice, but they still haven't found it. Clark has completely lost patience and has started using exhaustive methods.
If it were anyone else, Black Hand would just laugh at his overestimation of his abilities. But now it seems that Superman can actually come up with an exhaustive list.
He doesn't get tired at all; the lasers keep firing non-stop. And while he's enumerating targets, he can also take care of them in the process. Everyone else is fighting in the Rift, but he's playing URF (Ultra Rapid Fire). Now, the Black Death Emperor has been pushed back to his high ground and doesn't even dare stay behind the second turret.
"Damn it, we're outnumbered," Steppenwolf complained. "If only Lord Black Death could resurrect a few more..."
"Hmph, resurrect who? Those weak humans?" Atlan said disdainfully. "It turns out that humans are completely useless. Otherwise, the previous plan should have already torn the Justice League apart, and now we're the ones having to launch a full-scale attack."
“Don’t question the adults’ decision!” Black Hand raised his voice. “He must have his reasons for doing this. We just need to fight our battle well.”
"Even if we recover these forces, we are still no match for them. If we send troops to fight Green Lantern, we will have even less chance of winning."
Steppenwolf couldn't help but recall the previous battle. Actually, it wasn't that they were completely outmatched by Superman, but due to the orders of the Black Death Emperor, they had to target Green Lantern.
They initially thought Green Lantern's energy was limited, and that as long as they put enough pressure on him, they could easily defeat him once he was exhausted. However, when you attacked Green Lantern, Superman attacked you in return, like a tank with high damage output, spinning like a windmill and charging into the crowd, with a cunning archer shooting arrows from behind, making Black Death's life miserable.
The key point is that Hal spent a long time unleashing his attacks, and he didn't seem to be exhausted. He was releasing green energy like it was free. When he attacked, the green even overwhelmed the red of Superman's laser beam, turning the whole world into a sea of green.
To be honest, even without Superman stopping them, they might not be able to win, let alone with Superman standing in their way. Continuing to fight like this is simply not a solution; they'll lose no matter how many times they fight.
“Forget about Green Lantern for now. He’s been infected with the power of death, and he’ll become Lord Black Death’s subordinate sooner or later. Let’s focus on dealing with Superman first and get him infected first.”
Steppenwolf and Atlan were now satisfied. After all, they weren't trying to kill Superman; infecting him was still a very good chance. And if they could infect him, he would eventually become their teammate. With such a powerful teammate, what was there to worry about in achieving their grand plan?
"Wait a minute," Steppenwolf spoke again, "Wonder Woman and Flash were also infected, weren't they? Where are they?"
He really wanted the Flash's powers. That guy's abilities were so convenient. With them, he could launch a deadly sneak attack at any time. Logically, he should have already been transformed by now, so why is there no movement?
"Lord Black Death has his reasons," Black Hand said. "Perhaps he's sending them on other missions. Let's not worry about that, let's just focus on our own tasks."
In truth, Black Hand was also wondering: what mission could be more important than pushing the tower? He hadn't considered that the other party hadn't been converted, after all, the two of them were too deeply corrupted, and without the power of Green Lantern energy to restrain corruption, it was already beyond saving.
After resting and absorbing the death energy left on the humans, Steppenwolf and Atlantis struck again. This time, they set their sights on Superman.
Both of their attacks were aimed directly at Superman. Ron had to stay on the sidelines the whole time. He wasn't worried that they could kill Superman, but he was afraid they might use underhanded tactics to ambush him and infect him, which would be a huge problem.
These two were indeed formidable fighters, their moves were wide and powerful, and their teamwork was quite good. Moreover, in the battle on the sea, Atlantis had a clear advantage, constantly harassing the others with seawater, preventing them from helping. Superman was also unable to spare any energy to search for the source on the seabed, and instead focused on the battle.
Superman and the two of them fought fiercely, creating huge waves in the Pacific Ocean. One moment they were flying through the air exchanging punches, the next they were diving into the sea, maneuvering and weaving. Hal was not to be outdone, but fearing a trap, he dared not approach, instead hiding in the distance, constantly bombarding Clark with Green Lantern energy to clear a path. Victor also used the power of the Mother Box to interfere from the sidelines, disrupting Atlantis and Steppenwolf's offensive rhythm.
Gradually, Clark regained his rhythm. With the help of Ron, Green Lantern, and Victor, he was able to overpower the two opponents and was about to push them back to their high ground.
But just then, a figure wielding a long axe and wearing a double-horned helmet suddenly appeared on the shore. Ron was the first to notice the anomaly. Taking advantage of the other's unpreparedness, he directly read the brainwaves and then exclaimed in shock, "Ares, the God of War!"
Steppenwolf turned around and saw the figure on the shore, enveloped in a dense aura of death. He laughed loudly and shouted, "Hurry and submit to Lord Black Death! Everyone will return to the embrace of death!!!"
Hal noticed the scene as well. Although he couldn't make out the figure clearly yet, upon hearing the name Ares, he knew that this must be the Olympian god who had been killed by Diana.
The arrival of another powerful enemy immediately shattered the balance of the battlefield. Ares raised his battle axe, cleaving the sea in two with a single blow, then spun around, the axe, imbued with the power of death, flying towards Superman. Clark dared not fail to dodge; he dodged, but Steppenwolf immediately followed, ramming into Clark's waist and sending him flying.
Clark managed to regain his footing mid-air, but the waves controlled by Atlantis were already crashing in. He had no choice but to keep pulling higher, which separated him from his teammates.
Ron flew anxiously in that direction. Hal's eyes darted around, and he decided not to chase Clark anymore. Instead, he turned back and blocked Ares, the slowest flying god of war, and started fighting him.
Without Ares, Clark's situation did improve somewhat. However, with reinforcements arriving, Atlantis and Steppenwolves fought with increasing ferocity, even risking injury to get close enough to Clark to deliver a fatal blow.
Clark fought with restraint because he dared not get injured. Even if he were to trade injuries, he would definitely be at a disadvantage, as he might get infected, while his opponent had countless lives.
Clark, recalling his earlier speculation, realized that if he could remove the other person's ring, the situation would instantly reverse. So he focused his attention on the two people's fingers and, sure enough, found the black ring.
You can see it, but taking it off is easier said than done. That thing is a ring, not armor. Helmets are easier to deal with; you can just cut off the head. But cutting off the hand is a different story.
Moreover, Clark knew he couldn't act rashly; if his intentions were discovered, the other side would definitely keep his hands hidden. He had to strike decisively and accurately.
Clark spent some more time dealing with them before deciding to tackle Steppenwolf first. Atlan's water manipulation abilities, while annoying, didn't actually do much damage to him; in other words, they were impenetrable. Steppenwolf, however, was different. This guy truly lived up to his reputation as one of Darkseid's fierce warriors—ruthless, sharp, and well-rounded. Even Superman dared not engage him in close combat.
Taking advantage of the moment Steppenwolf threw a punch, Clark dodged to the side, feigning an opening. Sure enough, Steppenwolf lashed out with its claws again. Clark realized: this guy was just using a habitual attack; he hadn't even remembered he had a ring on his hand.
So he guided Steppenwolf to fly in the other direction. Steppenwolf, thinking he was finally outmatched and trying to retreat, chased even more fiercely. Seeing Superman slowed down by the waves, he rushed forward and threw a straight punch. But the next second, Superman suddenly turned around, grabbed his wrist, and a laser beam swept across.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
Steppenwolf howled in agony as his arm was severed at the root. Clark quickly grabbed the arm, trying to tear off the ring. But in that instant, the arm seemed to come alive, its claws slicing into Superman's arm. The claws, formed from dense death energy, tore through Superman's steel body. Blood gushed from Clark's upper arm as the death energy seeped into the wound.
The Steppenwolf, who had fallen into the sea, laughed loudly: "Hahahaha! Superman! Submit to the great Black Death Emperor!!!"