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[Superman] Chapter 247: Barry's Unwavering Resolve
🕑 Added 2024-10-05 06:26:51 +0000 UTC"Can we really save our universe in the midst of this crisis?"
Although Batman firmly assured everyone, they couldn't help but feel doubt at this moment.
Even though they questioned whether they could withstand the crisis and save their universe, all they could do now was follow the plan and cherish the last hope they had of saving the world.
And so, under the command of the Justice League, countless heroes from surviving universes followed orders.
Soon, under the manipulation of the Monitor, numerous portals linking their respective universes began to appear in this special area.
Endless resources were transported here.
Everyone began, in an orderly fashion, to construct special devices in their respective universes according to the plan — devices that would synchronize the vibrations of all universes to the same frequency.
"If it weren’t for their help, at our original pace, we would never have completed this massive plan before the anti-matter energy consumed all the surviving universes."
Watching the many busy figures, Justice League members who were part of the previous plan couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
If not for the critical moment when the Monitor suddenly appeared and used his extraordinary power to gather heroes from the surviving universes to assist in carrying out the plan, they would never have managed to complete the preparations before everything was destroyed by the anti-matter energy.
"Even so, I still feel like this isn’t as simple as it seems..."
Despite everything, Batman maintained a look of concern on his face. He glanced at the busy crowd before turning his gaze to the distant Monitor, standing on a high platform and overseeing everything. He couldn’t shake off a strange feeling inside him.
"Bruce, what’s worrying you?"
Clark, sensing Batman’s emotions, asked.
"I’m not sure. Everything seems to be going well, but I have a feeling there’s a deeper plot hidden beneath this crisis."
It wasn’t that Batman distrusted the Monitor entirely. He just sensed that there might be more going on in this crisis than they were aware of.
As for the Monitor, it seemed like there were still things he hadn’t fully explained.
…
Batman’s suspicions about the Monitor didn’t hinder their plan.
Thanks to the collective effort of heroes across all the surviving universes, the construction of the universal resonance devices — a task that could have taken years — was completed in just a few days.
By now, enormous metallic towers had been erected on countless Earths across many universes.
These towers, representing the peak of technological advancement, served a singular purpose: to gather energy from all universes and unify them into a single whole.
And this one purpose alone would be enough to save the universes from the anti-matter crisis.
"We did it! It’s finally done!"
As the final tower in the last surviving universe was completed, cheers of excitement erupted from everyone involved in the effort.
"Strength in numbers is undeniable."
"Unity is the most powerful force."
Everyone marveled at how unity had helped them fight the crisis and save their universes.
"But… what we built seems so simple. Can it really stand against a crisis as terrifying as this?"
Despite the excitement, some couldn’t help but question whether such a seemingly simple structure could truly fend off a universe-destroying crisis.
"Yeah, can our plan really be foolproof?"
At that moment, it wasn’t just those unfamiliar with the full details of the plan who had these doubts. Even some members of the Justice League, who had been involved in every step, couldn’t shake their concerns about whether the plan would succeed.
"In theory, our plan should work perfectly."
Cyborg, one of the plan’s key architects, had full confidence in their design.
"But there’s no such thing as a guaranteed success. No plan can be foolproof."
"That’s right. Nothing in the world is 100% certain. All we can do now is try our best to make everything as perfect as possible!"
Batman, suppressing his earlier unease, knew there was no turning back now. They had to make the plan succeed, no matter what.
"Barry, from here on out, it’s all up to you!"
All eyes quickly turned to Barry, because while the preparations were done, the most critical step of the plan still depended on him.
"Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll give it everything I’ve got to save all of us and every universe!"
Barry, seeing everyone’s expectant eyes on him, nodded resolutely without hesitation.
He then glanced towards the Monitor on the distant platform.
And to his surprise, the Monitor seemed to sense his gaze and met his eyes.
In that moment, Barry read something in the Monitor’s gaze — a hidden emotion.
"Even if it costs me my life, I’m ready to pay the price..."
Feeling the unspoken sentiment in the Monitor’s gaze, Barry had already steeled himself for the worst outcome.
Just as the Monitor had warned him before:
"Your life may be the price to restore harmony to the universe!"
...
With all the preparations complete, under the watchful eyes of heroes from across the multiverse, Barry walked alone towards the platform that symbolized honor and conviction.
"Are you really ready?"
The Monitor asked as he watched the approaching Flash, seemingly making a final confirmation.
"Of course. I've been preparing for this moment my whole life!"
In Barry's eyes, arcs of lightning flickered, as the Speed Force within him surged uncontrollably, growing ever more active.
"Then everything is in your hands."
The Monitor nodded calmly and, with a wave of his hand, brilliant light filled the surroundings. Countless particles rapidly converged on the platform before him.
Under the astonished gazes of all present, a colossal cosmic treadmill gradually took shape before them.
"This is a multiverse treadmill I specially created for you!"
"It possesses incredible power, capable of connecting to the source of the Speed Force across the entire multiverse."
"It will sustain and complete the plan you’ve set in motion."
The Monitor's expression remained unchanged from start to finish, as if the crisis of the universe meant nothing to him. Whether the plan to save the universe succeeded or failed, it didn't seem to affect him.
Once the cosmic treadmill was constructed, he stepped aside, leaving the central position of the platform solely for Barry.
Without hesitation, Barry stepped onto the massive treadmill, as all eyes were fixed on his every move.
"Can he really succeed?"
At that moment, nearly every hero was focused on Barry's actions. Some knew him, knew of the Flash. Others had never heard of him and were entirely unaware of the Flash's existence.
But now, every single one of them poured their hopes into Barry. They all prayed for his success—for him to save them, and all of reality across the multiverse.
"For all of you, for all universes, even if it costs my life, I will not retreat or give up!"
Standing on the cosmic treadmill, Barry took a deep breath. His gaze swept across the crowd of familiar and unfamiliar heroes below, as if trying to imprint their faces into his mind in that fleeting moment.
Then, he slowly donned his mask, his expression becoming resolute. In an instant, the Speed Force within him surged to life, crackling arcs of lightning dancing around him.
Time seemed to freeze. The expressions of everyone present were frozen in that moment, as the immense power of the Speed Force surpassed both time and space, radiating from the origin of time itself, blazing with an unimaginable energy capable of sweeping across the entire multiverse.
"Barry, RUN!"
Inside his mind, Barry spoke those words to himself—the words that filled him with both excitement and determination.
The next moment, the immense power of the Speed Force, which had been building up, erupted within him. In a flash, he became a near-invisible blur, accompanied by brilliant lightning, as he started running at incredible speed on the cosmic treadmill.
"This… is the true speed of the Flash?"
At that moment, Barry's movements had reached such an extreme speed that even his form appeared blurred and intangible. To the naked eye of ordinary people, he was almost impossible to see.
Even Superman, one of the strongest beings, found it hard to fully keep track of Barry's movements as he ran at blinding speed. The immense speed generated an overwhelming surge of Speed Force, which poured out of Barry's body, only to be absorbed by the cosmic treadmill beneath him.
Suddenly, strange patterns on the platform began to glow, activated by the enormous influx of Speed Force. The patterns rapidly spread outward, reaching the feet of all those present.
The Speed Force patterns quickly covered the surface of the origin world—the special planet that stood at the beginning of time, fusing seamlessly with it.
Bzzt!
In that instant, the once lifeless origin world suddenly erupted with a dazzling brilliance, as if billions of universes exploded before everyone's eyes, unleashing a blinding radiance.
"What… what’s happening?"
Countless voices shouted in astonishment, overwhelmed by the spectacle. The light did not stop; it surged with unimaginable power, surpassing all realities—time, space, and dimensions—sweeping across the entire multiverse at an unstoppable pace.
---
"Hahaha, now, no one can stop me from devouring the realities of infinite universes!"
After a prolonged period of consuming vast numbers of universe realities, the Anti-Monitor's power had grown exponentially.
He now felt so strong, it was almost beyond comprehension. There was no one left in the infinite multiverse who could stop him from engulfing it entirely—not even his accursed rival, the Monitor, who oversaw and protected the infinite universes.
But the process of consuming endless realities had taken up far too much of his time.
"Now that my power has reached such an extraordinary level, it’s time to devour and end all universes in one fell swoop!"
With his ever-growing power, the Anti-Monitor had gained incredible mastery over the antimatter energy he commanded.
The antimatter wave, which had once slowly consumed universe after universe, could now spread at an exponentially faster rate. In fact, he no longer needed the zombified Flash to help maintain the operation of his antimatter cannon to keep engulfing infinite realities.
"Hmph, once I’ve completed my plan, I'll deal with those who dared to negotiate with me!"
The Anti-Monitor wasn't in a rush to betray them yet. He intended to finish devouring all realities first, then deal with those who had dared to make demands of him.
Without hesitation, the eager Anti-Monitor fully unleashed the antimatter energy wall, accelerating its spread across the remaining realities of the surviving universes.
"Wait, what’s that?"
But just as the Anti-Monitor increased the speed at which his antimatter energy consumed the universes, he suddenly noticed a powerful, radiant surge of energy spreading rapidly from the center of the universe outward.
The terrifying energy momentarily stunned even the Anti-Monitor, as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
It wasn’t until that energy passed through his antimatter wall and continued to spread further into the void that he snapped back to reality.
But to his surprise, his antimatter energy was completely unaffected.
"This energy… it feels like there’s a deeper plot behind it."
Just as the Anti-Monitor tried to make sense of the situation, Batman, seated in his chair among the shadowy figures behind the zombie Superman, slowly opened his mouth and spoke in a deep voice.
...
(End of Chapter)
