Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 399: Ch.398 Smartest Man in the World

Circe once again warmly welcomed Diana, offering her a treasured pot of tea.

"Diana, I was so worried about you. What Su Ming and the others did—throwing you into Hell—was simply too cruel. You could never imagine what those Hell demons are capable of."

Diana was indeed quite thirsty, especially as this topic made the back of her head ache slightly.

She drank the tea in large gulps, easing her resentment.

Then she remembered Mazikeen, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes in front of her. She shivered involuntarily.

"No... I couldn't imagine before, but now I can..."

"Oh, my poor Diana, betrayed by your teammates... So, what do you plan to do next? Go back to the Hall of Justice to rest? Or back to Themyscira?" Circe asked, gently holding Diana's hand and rubbing it. Diana, as if jolted by electricity, quickly withdrew her hand. She wasn't ready to get close to any woman right now.

To cover her awkward reaction, Diana pretended to be angry, punching her own knee and saying:

"Of course, I'm going to find that guy Su Ming, teach him a good lesson, and make him beg me to return to the team."

Circe raised her eyebrows, her expression turning ambiguous. "So the rumors are true, then? You and he, that...?"

Diana lowered her head and shook it. "No, not yet."

Circe squinted slightly—had the bald one misjudged the situation? Was Diana not Su Ming's weakness?

"You said 'not yet,' didn't you?"

"I don't know, and now's not the time to discuss this. Tell me, where did they go after?" Diana evaded the topic, regaining her energetic demeanor.

Circe smacked her lips, revealing a strange smile. She set the teapot down and sat on the armrest of Diana's sofa.

"After you were sent away, he immediately called your sister, and had her wear a uniform just like yours. I saw that young girl looking at him... not quite right, you know. Be careful."

"Donna? What is she doing there?"

She had many sisters, but the only one Su Ming might call was someone from the Justice League, which would have to be Donna.

Diana frowned. Donna had her own Darkstar uniform, and besides that, she had an Amazonian-style battle outfit—there was no need for her to wear the same Titan-style outfit that Diana wore.

With Circe's instigation, Diana instantly felt quite uneasy.

Circe, of course, knew that Su Ming's plan was simply to create a decoy, but she wasn't going to tell Diana that. This was her turf, and she had a thousand ways to prevent Batman from contacting Wonder Woman through any kind of psychic link.

In fact, that tea just now was part of her plan—hadn't Diana noticed that Circe hadn't drunk any herself?

"Tsk, who knows? But Donna is younger, more energetic, and her personality is softer. Su Ming might just..."

Circe was an expert in using the dark side of the human heart, well-versed in the art of words. Saying half and leaving half unsaid was most effective.

Now was the perfect time to sow further discord in Diana's heart, giving Hecate an opportunity.

"Hoo..." Diana sighed, tightening her grip on the teacup. "Even if it's true, I wouldn't be jealous of Donna, just as she has never been jealous of me... Now, tell me, where did they go?"

Circe silently cursed. Diana wasn't taking the bait at all.

However, the bald one had prepared for this.

"Before you were knocked out, weren't you talking about Nanda Parbat? They're still there."

She deliberately gave an outdated lead, knowing that a big surprise awaited Diana there.

Wonder Woman adjusted her tiara, pressing it snugly against her forehead—the cool metal alleviated the burning sensation of the mark. She nodded at Circe and set her teacup down. "Thank you for your hospitality. I have to get going."

With that, she took off, disappearing over the horizon from the mouth of the cave.

After putting some distance between herself and Circe's lair, she pulled out her phone to contact Batman, only to find that the device seemed to have overloaded, becoming unresponsive.

Maybe her trip to Hell had broken it.

Wonder Woman wasn't very knowledgeable about technology, especially something as advanced as a high-tech phone developed by Cyborg. With it now frozen and unable to turn on, she had no choice.

However, now that she knew where Su Ming and the others were, everything would become much easier once she regrouped with them.

Diana flew while thinking about how to make Su Ming admit his wrongdoing. And what should happen to Donna if she returned?

Circe watched Diana leave, her smile growing larger. Everything was going according to plan—soon, she'd reap her rewards.

She touched her forehead, unable to suppress a chuckle.

"Witch, it's not time to celebrate just yet. Our plan has only just begun."

In one corner of the room, the air seemed to desaturate, revealing several figures sitting on the sofa.

In the center of them sat a bald man wearing a green suit of iron armor. Though he wore a smile, his mood was visibly sour.

A sense of irritation clung to him, and there were dents on his armor from heavy impacts.

"Things are going well, aren't they?" Circe shrugged nonchalantly, once again resisting the urge to turn all these men into pigs. "Whether Diana or Hecate wins, all the energy in the marks will flow to the final Mark Bearer..."

Lex Luthor stood, the armor clanking with the sound of metal. "That's just a trivial benefit. I had you provoke Hecate, deceiving her into trying to replace Death's position, not just for this insignificant gain."

"Hahahaha, deceit—it's so touching," Joker wiped away tears, almost dozing off. Hiding in the corner, listening to a meeting—how boring.

If Luthor hadn't held him back and covered his mouth, Joker would've jumped out to greet Su Ming.

Circe nodded, taking a step towards them. Her suit burned away in purple flames, transforming into her combat uniform.

"You're right. Compared to a position in the Endless family, the Witch Queen's standing is insignificant... But are you really confident in dealing with them? Don't you understand that they're conceptual beings, coexisting with our multiverse?"

"I am the smartest man in the world. Whether it's the human heart, technology, or magic—even this world itself—I understand it all far better than you do."

Luthor wasn't angered, but instead pulled a doorknob out of his somewhat battered armor. It emitted a bright red light that seemed to melt everything: "This is power from beyond the Source—a great flood to destroy everything, a button to end a tragic future. You all know nothing about real power."

Circe looked at Cheetah, who was sharpening her claws on her sofa, and Black Manta, who was fiddling endlessly with his helmet, and shook her head.

"What lies beyond the Source—no one knows. You say this 'doorknob' represents destruction, but from what I know, there is a 'Destruction' in the Endless."

"He's just the 'Destruction' of our multiverse. When I take that step, even 'Destiny' will no longer have authority over us." Luthor opened his palm. The doorknob lay quietly in his hand, the glowing marks upon it forming a half-finished outline. "I, a mere human, have been beyond the Source. I have seen broader and further—it's time to teach these rules of the multiverse a lesson."

Joker tore at his hair, clumps of green strands falling to the ground.

"Are you done yet? Your joke is boring! I can't wait to see Batman in pain! No matter what you want to do—just kill the Justice League, kill them all! Hahahaha! Uh, no! Don't kill them just yet! I want Batman to kneel and beg me to spare them! Hahahaha!"

Luthor smiled helplessly and sighed slowly: "You only see the doorknob. Do you see the door behind it? No worries, I'll show it to you."