Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 104: Ch.103 True Awakening

He was now a mere consciousness, existing in a mental space. But what was the connection between this and the Fear Toxin?

He had been affected by bloodlust before, and losing his rationality never brought him here. But now, an immense fear had led him to a place he had never been before.

Wait.

Deathstroke had never known fear. His mind was always rational and calm. Could it be that since he had never experienced fear before, this first encounter with such an emotion caused his consciousness to retreat?

This blank space... could it be the manifestation of his deepest fear?

"Emptiness is my greatest fear. What does it represent?" Slade sat cross-legged in mid-air, scratching his chin with his hand.

To leave this strange place, he needed to understand his true self, to face himself.

The battlefield outside wasn't exactly a good place for enlightenment. Things were heating up out there, and staying motionless here made him an easy target.

Still, it was oddly satisfying to scratch his chin while floating in mid-air...

"Wait! I get it!" He realized that he didn't have a beard on his chin. His spiritual form was Su Ming, not Slade Wilson.

In this world, empty except for himself, he was the embodiment of fear. What Su Ming feared most was reverting to his former, insignificant self!

The moment he understood, countless figures appeared around him, smiling as they approached.

He could tell from their attire that they held various professions—some in suits, some in camouflage, others dressed like vagrants, and some even wearing patient uniforms with psychiatric hospital names on them.

There were over a hundred of them. They materialized out of thin air, walking toward him, each one merging into his body. A flood of memories rushed back.

These were all past versions of Slade. There was a presence that had made Deathstroke wander endlessly through countless worlds, reincarnating again and again, but Su Ming's arrival had changed everything.

"You remember now," Su Ming said, nodding, speaking to himself in an eerie manner.

"Yes, someone has obscured my memories, making me live and die as an ordinary person on different Earths, endlessly. My original memories were hidden within my human instinct for fear because Deathstroke knows no fear, so I would subconsciously overlook those memories."

An unexpected external event had interrupted this cycle, causing Slade to re-emerge as Deathstroke.

"My memories and soul come from outside the DC world. From his perspective, I'm a higher-dimensional existence. It's 80% likely that my appearance disrupted his plans."

Su Ming spoke to the other "himself," knowing what he was about to face.

"Your soul is a higher-dimensional being. He cannot erase you. I believe he will try to banish us again," Slade's voice echoed in his mind, devoid of emotion.

"Do you remember exactly who you are?"

"I once thought I was you or any one of them, but those memories were too ordinary, like..."

"Like they were fake, right?" Su Ming finished the thought for him. "You were trapped in an endless loop, experiencing life after life."

Su Ming rubbed his head, but absorbing the memories in this space caused no discomfort. They were countless lives Slade had lived, now merging with Su Ming.

There wasn't much useful knowledge; Deathstroke already had a wealth of it. But now he felt his soul was stronger, his mind sharper.

Since Su Ming's soul came from outside DC, it was naturally the strongest, possessing everything.

"I'm a character from the game *Batman: Arkham Origins*," Slade inside him recalled. "Once, by accident, I realized I was a character in a game. I found a bug, transcended that world, but ended up in the main DC universe, meeting him. Then, I was cast into endless cycles."

"My soul doesn't belong to him. This time he might use new methods," Su Ming had gained some memories from those phantoms—Slade's many reincarnations across the multiverse. It seemed he had been cast into the era of the Infinite Earths.

None of those lives were complete. None ended naturally. They all ended in violent deaths.

So it wasn't just memory suppression, but also destiny manipulation?

"He will come for us. He sees me as a cosmic anomaly," Slade said. Armor pieces flew from all directions, reassembling onto Su Ming, rearming him.

"Absolute rationality doesn't bring absolute strength." Su Ming had never been impressed with that guy. "You can rest now; I'll handle him."

"Yeah, countless cycles, he probably meant to wear me down over time. Luckily, you showed up." Slade's voice rang out. "Maybe my soul will dissipate, but our memories as a whole will remain."

"Yes, we are both Deathstroke. I already have a plan to deal with him."

Su Ming remained calm, feeling that after accepting these memories, Slade and the other past souls might no longer exist. It was just a strong premonition without any logical basis.

Slade's voice faded away, and Su Ming gained everything he had.

He looked up at the vast white world.

"I am Su Ming, and I am Slade Wilson, codename Deathstroke. I am fear itself!"

In the next moment, the white space seemed to be stained with blood. Countless streams of red liquid flowed from the distant sky, turning everything blood red. The conscious world then crumbled and shattered. He was back on the streets of Coast City, surrounded by nothing but a faint green light.

In the dark sky above, the sound of clashing weapons echoed continuously.

"Slade?" Barry leaned closer as he saw Su Ming open his eyes, cautiously testing.

"What is it, Barry?" Su Ming fumbled for his pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it.

"My God, you actually overcame the Fear Toxin. Overcoming human instincts with sheer willpower is far harder than suppressing the knee-jerk reflex," Barry reached out to touch his arm but only felt the cold statue-like armor.

"It's nothing. Just a minor hiccup in the execution of the plan." Su Ming took a drag, calmly responding.

"Uh, you seem... different somehow."

"Do I?"

"Uh, I can't put it into words. You just feel... different." Barry scratched his head, his vocabulary failing him.

"Well, as long as I didn't get older. Besides, the accident had some benefits. I discovered... an enemy." He patted Barry on the shoulder and handed a cigarette to Hal.

Hal waved it away repeatedly. "I'm a pilot, I don't smoke."

Su Ming shrugged. He'd only offered to ease Hal's pain with some nicotine, but this guy didn't appreciate it. "Your loss. It's genuine imported stuff from Earth-11."

"Smoking doesn't help our current situation," Hal said irritably, leaning against the wall, feeling pain all over.

"Don't worry. I'm just letting the ring fly a little longer." Su Ming calmly drew his greatsword and rested it under his arm, looking up at the sky.

"Ring?"

Hal was about to ask more, but what he saw answered his question.

In the thick darkness above, a golden trail descended straight down, stopping right in front of Su Ming.

Encased in golden light was a ring, intricately carved with patterns, and a cold voice spoke out.

"Intelligent lifeform detected. Su Ming from Sector 2814 of Earth, you have the ability to instill and wield great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps!"

Hal spat out some blood and struggled to stand, trying to distance himself, his expression filled with disgust. "I knew it! Deathstroke overcoming fear wasn't due to willpower; you just used fear as a tool!"

What else would fear be used for? Deathstroke could turn anything into a tool to achieve his goals.

Su Ming didn't care about Hal's judgment. He had never planned to wear the Yellow Ring.

Even if he put it on and became a Yellow Lantern, he'd still be a rookie. How could he fight Dawnbreaker without knowing how to manifest fear constructs or wield the ring effectively?

The ring slowly approached him, indicating for him to extend his finger. But he only gripped his greatsword and, with one slash, the ring was split in two.

This left Hal and Barry completely baffled. Their mouths hung open in disbelief. The Yellow Ring was known for its immense power in the universe. If he didn't want it, why put himself through the trouble? Injecting Fear Toxin certainly wasn't good for one's health.

"What are you doing? Regretting it?" Hal asked, looking at the shattered ring rolling on the ground, sparking like a firework before fading away.

"Hal Jordan, don't you understand why?"

Another voice echoed from the sky, familiar yet devoid of any friendly tone.

Hal was struck like lightning. He stood there, frozen for a moment, before slowly sitting down, leaning against the wall.

"Sinestro..."

He realized why Deathstroke had destroyed the ring. Sinestro, as the leader of the Yellow Lanterns, would, of course, know where his rings flew. If one of his rings flew to Coast City, who else could be a candidate for the Yellow Lanterns but Hal Jordan?

Hal had worn the Yellow Ring before and even become the host of Parallax, though he had since turned over a new leaf. If someone in Coast City became a Yellow Lantern, the first suspect would be Hal Jordan.

Sinestro had once been a Green Lantern, a mentor and comrade to Hal. After certain events, he betrayed the Corps and became the leader of the Sinestro Corps.

Hal had fought and cooperated with him countless times, their ent

angled history beyond explanation.

When Sinestro discovered a Yellow Ring flying towards Coast City, he immediately became interested and followed it here.

He had planned to mock Hal, demoralize him, and then bring him back to the Yellow Lanterns for a welcoming party. He still considered Hal a friend, and the Sinestro Corps could use a strong Green Lantern defector like Hal.

But he hadn't expected the ring's target to be Deathstroke, and even less that Deathstroke would disdain the ring and destroy it.

Sinestro descended slowly from the sky, looking at the heavens, then at Su Ming, who was casually smoking and sheathing his greatsword, a cunning smile spreading across his face.

"Nice plan. I like smart people. If you ever want to join my corps, I can give you another ring. You've got potential; even the ring feared you."

Su Ming twirled his helmet in his hand like a nobleman, nodding slightly but saying nothing.

Sinestro was quite pleased. He enjoyed seeing people submit to authority, so he turned his attention back to Hal. Looking at his ring, barely glowing green, he scoffed, the mustache on his red face curling.

"Green Lanterns are useless, Hal. I've told you that many times. Now watch as I show you how your undefeated foe falls to fear!"