Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 70: Ch.69 Wonder Man Dane

Bryce was still in her original position, seemingly merged with the darkness. The Bat-Cape completely concealed her silhouette.

Seeing the two emerge, she tried to hand one of the flower pots back to Su Ming.

"Poison Ivy was that cooperative?"

"Not at all cooperative, actually. It's just that her tricks don't work on me." Su Ming didn't take the pot, gesturing for Bryce to hold onto it for now. "The Queen's amphibious breathing ability isn't from divine power or any external source—it's inherent in her bloodline. I need Scarecrow's fear toxin to make her develop a fear of water, so she psychologically cannot approach the sea."

When it comes to instilling fear, Bryce is an expert, but her arsenal is limited to Bat-fear alone, whereas Scarecrow's fear toxin is far more versatile.

In most cases, Scarecrow prefers to use gas form to spread fear, as it affects a larger area and more people. However, in specific situations, especially against enemies with strong willpower, he would use concentrated liquid toxins injected directly into the victim's body, accompanied by psychological guidance and suggestions, almost ensuring the subject could be made to fear anything.

Scarecrow brings out the deepest fears hidden within people's hearts, leading them into madness or catatonia. For instance, Bruce herself had once been injected with the toxin, and the hallucinations she saw were a nightmarish vision of her parents being murdered before her eyes amid a swarm of bats, which deeply traumatized her.

Now, Su Ming needed to go to the black market to buy some fear toxin and prepare a special needle capable of piercing the Queen's skin.

However, with Batwoman tagging along, it seemed like things might get a little violent.

Dawn at Themyscira.

Themyscira always looked like this: clear waters, lush mountains, a pleasant climate, with flowers and greenery everywhere. Beautiful white marble houses were hidden among the landscape, devoid of skyscrapers or the dazzling lights of the city. It was like a paradise.

A clear stream cascaded down from the mountaintop, forming a high waterfall that created a rainbow. The residents of the island, all smiling, enjoyed their lives.

Even though the Amazons ruled the world, Themyscira remained their sanctuary. There were no massive constructions or an overpopulated state. Only the families of council members and the royal bloodline could reside on Themyscira; everyone else had to live in society beyond the island.

There was no other choice. Even the Amazons now faced a population explosion issue. Maybe in the era of wars, the Amazons had a high casualty rate, but after centuries of peace, their naturally long lives meant more and more offspring.

But all of this had nothing to do with Dane.

As the Amazon prince, his home naturally had palaces and castles. Although the Amazons prized simplicity and valor and looked down on men, a prince was still a prince, and a son of a god, which was a whole different matter.

Although compared to the outside world, the luxuries here were nothing, when he saw everyone else wearing animal skins and linen while he wore artifacts, he was quite satisfied.

No need for the best, just better than others.

It wasn't that he hadn't been to the outside world, but he'd caused quite a mess every time, at least according to the Amazon council, who saw it as signs of a tyrant in the making.

For instance, turning a city stadium into a gladiator arena, secretly capturing civilians to watch them being slaughtered by mythical creatures; or destroying all the cars in a city so people had to ride horses to work; or luring Atlanteans into the city to massacre civilians, then showing up as a hero to defeat the Atlanteans, like some poorly written drama.

Unfortunately, it seemed like he was just a few neurons short, and the council discovered all these acts and reported them to the Queen.

They still covered up what could be covered up. After all, it concerned the Amazon image, and the council would naturally find excuses for the prince to deceive the general public.

All kinds of media and news outlets were in full swing, portraying him as a positive figure, a hero with the world in his heart, with experts and scholars backing him up. The stance was: regardless of whether the masses believed it, they did.

But just misleading the public wasn't enough, so he was grounded on Themyscira by the Queen, not allowed to leave, to keep him out of trouble until things cooled down.

He wasn't in a hurry. He could fly, after all. Leaving was just a thought away, but lately, he hadn't come up with any fun new ideas, so he decided to take this time to think.

At the moment, he was in the palace garden, happily tending to the plants. He had sent the surrounding guards away, as none of them together could be his match anyway. They were pointless.

The Queen's confinement was more for show, to shut the council up.

The palace garden was vast, with some mythical animals like white deer with star-like antlers and winged rabbits.

He plucked a small flower, sniffed it, and smiled sweetly at his reflection in the garden's pool. He then tucked the flower behind his ear, admiring himself in the water's reflection, striking coquettish poses, basking in his own beauty.

"Oh, I'm the most beautiful man in the world," he murmured, touching his face with his thick fingers. He had no beard, and divine power kept him forever youthful, looking perpetually around seventeen or eighteen.

After a while, he reached out to touch his reflection in the water, then put his wet fingers in his mouth, his broad tongue licking them as he spoke to his reflection: "Even you look so beautiful because I am just so stunning, hehe."

"Ugh."

However, just as he was indulging in his self-admiration, he heard someone behind him making an untimely gagging sound.

How dare they!

Who dared to mock the prince of the Amazons?! The most beautiful man in the world?! Did they really think the Amazonian swords and spears were dull?

With a face like thunder, he turned around and saw a strangely dressed person.

It was hard to tell if they were male or female, but their outfit looked like a noble hunter's garb from hundreds of years ago, and they wore a ridiculous mask with two round lenses, resembling an owl's eyes.

"Who are you?! How dare you trespass on Themyscira?!" He immediately drew his Sword of Ares and the shield from his back. An Amazonian warrior was never without their weapons, always ready for a glorious battle.

"Coo... Ugh."

The person didn't respond, instead letting out a strange cry, as if trying to mimic some animal, but then immediately gagged again.

Dane's face turned from green to red and then to black. He screamed and slashed his sword.

This kind of scoundrel must be jealous of his beauty, deliberately acting in this strange way. He planned to kill this person and make them into jerky for the dogs.

Even though the stranger kept gagging, as soon as Dane attacked, they flipped a dagger out of their sleeve and deflected the Sword of Ares.

This stunned Dane.

The Sword of Ares was forged by the god of fire. How could it be blocked by such an insignificant dagger? Let alone the fact that he was a demigod, possessing immense strength beyond compare.

But the opponent seemed to have some special deflecting technique. His sword strike was not met head-on but was diverted away, striking the garden ground instead.

In that instant, the Lasso of Truth on his belt disappeared.

Yes, disappeared. It had been hanging there just fine, and there was no visible movement from the enemy, yet the lasso had inexplicably vanished.

"My treasure! Damn you, little brat! Give it back!" He swung his sword again, but the owl-masked person agilely dodged.

"Gross! Barry, hurry up, I'm really going to puke!" The stranger's voice was filled with disdain.

From somewhere behind Dane, a voice responded, "Sorry, I just ran to the beach to throw up. You know, I have a sensitive system."

The newcomer seemed to be talking to someone, but Dane, being a warrior, knew this was not good. Sure enough, in the next moment, lightning surrounded him, and suddenly he found himself tightly bound by his own Lasso of Truth.

The other end of the lasso was held in the hands of the strange hooded figure.

"Hmph! So you're a man! How dare you, unworthy one, hold such a divine artifact?" Dane sneered, beginning to pull on the lasso, but the Lasso of Truth, being an official weakness against Wonder Woman herself in DC Comics, was no different for the Dark Multiverse's strange hero.

Once bound by the Lasso of Truth, he became weak and powerless.

And then, in the next second—

Clink.

Two crisp sounds echoed as he realized his bracers of divine power had fallen off somehow.

Replaced by a pair of bronze cuffs engraved with the head of Medusa, eerie black magic flowed from Medusa's eyes like sewage, covering his entire body.

The divine power within him faded as if it were an illusion, and he became weaker than an ordinary person. The strength he once had vanished, and under the powerful pull of the enemy, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Got him. Retreat."

Su Ming released the lasso and gave the command, knocking Dane out before picking up the sword and shield. Using his dagger, he cut a small wound on Dane's arm.

Blood flowed out, and he dipped his fingers in it, drawing an owl's head and a scale on a pillar in the garden, boldly writing:

"The Court of Owls will rule the world."

"All roads lead to darkness! All things will return to Barbatos!"

With that, a red flash swept through, and the three of them disappeared from the scene.