He was now a re consciousness, existing in a ntal 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 imnse 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 enlightennt. 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 embodint of fear. What Su Ming feared most was reverting to his forr, insignificant self!
The mont he understood, countless figures appeared around him, smiling as they approached.
He could tell from their attire that they held various professions—so in suits, so in camouflage, others dressed like vagrants, and so even wearing patient uniforms with psychiatric hospital nas on them.
There were over a hundred of them. They materialized out of thin air, walking toward him, each one rging into his body. A flood of mories 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 rember now," Su Ming said, nodding, speaking to himself in an eerie manner.
"Yes, soone has obscured my mories, making live and die as an ordinary person on different Earths, endlessly. My original mories were hidden within my human instinct for fear because Deathstroke knows no fear, so I would subconsciously overlook those mories."
An unexpected external event had interrupted this cycle, causing Slade to re-erge as Deathstroke.
"My mories and soul co from outside the DC world. From his perspective, I'm a higher-dinsional 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-dinsional 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 rember exactly who you are?"
"I once thought I was you or any one of them, but those mories 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 mories in this space caused no discomfort. They were countless lives Slade had lived, now rging 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 ca from outside DC, it was naturally the strongest, possessing everything.
"I'm a character from the ga *Batman: Arkham Origins*," Slade inside him recalled. "Once, by accident, I realized I was a character in a ga. I found a bug, transcended that world, but ended up in the main DC universe, eting him. Then, I was cast into endless cycles."
"My soul doesn't belong to him. This ti he might use new thods," Su Ming had gained so mories from those phantoms—Slade's many reincarnations across the multiverse. It seed 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 mory suppression, but also destiny manipulation?
"He will co for us. He sees 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 ant to wear down over ti. Luckily, you showed up." Slade's voice rang out. "Maybe my soul will dissipate, but our mories 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 mories, 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, codena Deathstroke. I am fear itself!"
In the next mont, the white space seed 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 overca 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 sohow."
"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 so 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 so 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. Welco to the Sinestro Corps!"
Hal spat out so 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 judgnt. He had never planned to wear the Yellow Ring.
Even if he put it on and beca 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 imnse 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 mont, 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 beco the host of Parallax, though he had since turned over a new leaf. If soone in Coast City beca a Yellow Lantern, the first suspect would be Hal Jordan.
Sinestro had once been a Green Lantern, a ntor and comrade to Hal. After certain events, he betrayed the Corps and beca the leader of the Sinestro Corps.
Hal had fought and cooperated with him countless tis, their ent
angled history beyond explanation.
When Sinestro discovered a Yellow Ring flying towards Coast City, he imdiately beca 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 helt 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 tis. Now watch as I show you how your undefeated foe falls to fear!"
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