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[Superman] Chapter 232: Back to the Starting Point
🕑 Added 2024-10-02 10:19:09 +0000 UTC"Could this be Superman's secret base, the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic?"
In his universe, young Barry had heard many times about Superman's special Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic.
From his observations, the surroundings seemed very similar to the legendary fortress.
Before he could fully confirm it, the Barry ahead of him introduced himself to the group.
"Hi, everyone, I'm Barry Allen. It's an honor to meet you!"
After looking around, young Barry noticed the several figures standing before him. He couldn't help but cautiously greet them, his gaze continually examining the group, especially their outfits, which resembled Superman's. This filled him with intense curiosity and surprise.
Could there really be multiple Supermen here?
"Wait, it's not just Superman. There's also a female version…"
"This is insane!"
Despite mentally preparing for the craziness of the multiverse, the sheer madness of this situation still left young Barry struggling to accept it.
"Hello, Barry Allen from another universe. I'm Clark Kent. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Those familiar with the multiverse were not surprised that young Barry shared the same name as the Flash. After all, they already had two almost identical Supermen among them.
"So, Barry, is there someone else doing the same thing we're doing… Is it him?"
The group turned toward Barry, puzzled, waiting for confirmation.
"Yes, it's him. Like us, he's also trying to figure out how to save the multiverse!"
Barry nodded seriously, knowing that at this moment, every additional person represented more hope.
"No, it's not just me. In my universe, there are many Justice League members, all working hard to find a way to save all the universes!"
Faced with the group's stares, young Barry shook his head and quickly clarified. It wasn't just him making the effort to save the universe, but also his comrades from the Justice League.
After all, during this time, he had barely done any work except for focusing on mastering the Speed Force.
"Justice League? What's that, an organization?"
The group exchanged confused looks. It was clear that none of them, except Peter, had heard of the Justice League.
"What? You guys don't know about the Justice League? Is there no Justice League in your universe?"
This time, it was young Barry's turn to be shocked. Did their universe not have a Justice League?
"Uh, I'd love to argue, but unfortunately, there's no such thing as the Justice League in our universe."
They exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"This can't be! As Supermen, how could you not have formed the Justice League with Batman to protect peace and justice on Earth?"
Young Barry was astonished, unable to stop himself from asking in a low voice.
"What? Me and Batman? That lunatic from Gotham who only comes out at night and never shows his face? How could I ever cooperate with someone like him?"
When the Superman from this universe heard "Batman," his face darkened, and he spoke with clear anger.
"Alright, I don't know why you have such a strong bias against that Batman, but I support you."
It was rare to see Superman get this angry, and the others couldn't help but wonder what had happened between them to cause such a deep prejudice.
"Uh, did I say something wrong?"
Young Barry hadn't expected such a strong reaction from a casual comment and spoke timidly.
"Forget it, it's not your fault. I just can't accept that in another universe, I would team up with that crazy Batman!"
Superman quickly calmed down, waving off Barry's concern.
"Alright, there's no need to keep discussing these trivial matters."
"Since we all have the same goal of saving our universes, why not work together to figure out a way to save all of them?"
Sensing the conversation veering off track, Barry gently guided it back.
"Exactly, I agree with Barry."
"I agree too…"
Kara and her cousin didn't hesitate to support Barry's idea. Peter also nodded in agreement, content to blend into the group without offering any ideas or plans.
Finally, only the Superman from this universe seemed to hesitate.
"Clark, what's on your mind?"
"Nothing, I just don't like the idea of cooperating with Batman. But I understand this isn't the time to dwell on that, especially since it's a Batman from another universe."
"So, I agree with the plan."
With that, the Superman from this universe gave his approval.
"Alright then, let's prepare and head to his universe."
"Honestly, I can't wait to see what kind of organization the Justice League is!"
Ever since hearing about the Justice League, the group had been filled with curiosity.
…
Everyone quickly prepared everything.
As soon as Barry successfully opened the Speed Force portal using his powers, the group wasted no time and entered without hesitation.
With Barry leading the way, they raced through the Speed Force dimension at lightning speed.
In a short amount of time, they arrived at the place where Barry had once met his younger self. This was also the entrance to the young Barry’s universe.
"Welcome to my universe, everyone!" said young Barry, his face full of excitement, as he stood at the portal’s entrance.
Without hesitation, he led the way into the passage that connected to their universe.
"Let's go, we should follow!"
The others exchanged glances, then entered the portal without any hesitation.
Buzz!
With a unique ripple of space-time, the scene before them changed drastically in an instant. They were no longer in the Speed Force dimension but had arrived in the reality of another universe.
"Looks like we've come full circle, back to where it all started," Peter realized immediately upon arrival. This was the DC Universe he had first visited.
"Hmm, if that's the case, I need to tweak how they see reality..." Peter thought about the heroes of this universe who had seen him before. They might recognize him.
So, he simply altered the reality around him, ensuring that he appeared as nothing more than a stranger from another universe in their eyes. For Peter, this was an easy feat.
Before long, the others snapped back to reality. However, before they could even take in their surroundings, a sudden, urgent alarm rang out.
Woo-woo-woo…
"Cyborg, what's happening? Why is the alarm going off all of a sudden?"
In a sealed laboratory, Cyborg and Batman were conducting the final checks on a machine capable of connecting multiple universes, preparing it to serve its true purpose.
The alarm interrupted them, and Batman couldn’t help but ask Cyborg, his face tense.
"Wait a second… This alarm is for intruders in the Watchtower! And it's not just one person—there's a group of them, and they’ve already reached the core area!" Cyborg connected to the Watchtower's intelligent systems and instantly realized the issue.
"What? How is that possible? Who could bypass our system and infiltrate the Watchtower?" Even the normally composed Batman couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.
After all, the Watchtower was the Justice League's headquarters, with unparalleled security, far more advanced than even the defenses of any nation's president on Earth.
Yet somehow, intruders had bypassed it all and reached the Watchtower's core before the alarm was even triggered.
"Damn it, their target seems to be Barry!" Cyborg's face suddenly darkened, and panic overtook him.
He sensed that the intruders had appeared in the very area where Barry trained and ran every day—the Speed Force track.
"What? Barry's the target? This is bad, we need to get over there and assist him, now!" Batman's face turned grim the moment he realized the enemy might be after Barry.
In an instant, countless thoughts and possibilities raced through his mind.
"Could they be trying to stop us from saving the multiverse?"
Right now, with a multiverse crisis looming, Barry was undeniably the most important person to them. Even if any of the others faced danger, Barry absolutely could not. Without him, they would lose their only chance to save the multiverse.
"Everyone, Barry is under attack by intruders. Get to him immediately and ensure his safety at all costs!"
In this moment of crisis, Batman instantly elevated the threat level to the highest tier and forcefully activated every Justice League member's communication signal, calling for immediate backup.
Of course, Batman's command wasn’t even needed. As soon as the alarm rang out, Superman, who was in the Watchtower, had already sensed the presence of the intruders.
Even more concerning, he could feel that three out of the four strangers possessed incredibly powerful energy within them.
Without hesitation, Superman shot off in the direction where they had appeared.
In no time, he reached the Speed Force track, where he saw several figures surrounding Barry, seemingly "pressuring" him.
Seeing this "crisis," Superman wasted no time. He launched himself toward them, fists clenched, ready to save Barry from being "trapped."
"Let go of Barry!"
Though Superman was fast, this time he was facing beings who were just as powerful as him—and there wasn’t just one of them.
One of them, Superman II, was not only older than Superman but had also absorbed the sun's energy for more years, giving him greater experience in combat.
In an instant, Superman II reacted, turning to face Superman as he charged.
"Hmm? Their outfits..." Superman, in his hurried attack, finally noticed that two of the figures wore outfits remarkably similar to his own.
This realization gave him a moment of hesitation, and he lessened the force of his blow.
Bang!
Even so, his punch landed squarely on one of the figures. However, rather than sending them flying, the blow was easily blocked by an outstretched hand.
"Heh, what a special way to welcome us," said the alternate Superman with a smile as he gently lowered his hand, gazing at the attacking Superman.
"Who… who are you? And why are you attacking Barry?" Superman, surprised by how easily his attack was blocked, was even more shocked by these strangers’ identities.
"Superman, you've got it wrong. They’re not attacking me!" Barry quickly stepped between them, realizing that a misunderstanding had occurred, and started explaining.
At the same time, Batman's voice came through Barry’s communication system, ordering everyone to assist him. Barry couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
"Uh, Batman, I’m not under attack. It’s just a misunderstanding—you'll see soon enough!"
…
Not long after, the others quickly arrived, and both sides gathered together. Fortunately, Barry soon cleared up the misunderstanding.
Both teams realized each other's identities and origins.
More importantly, they all understood that, in the near future, they might fight side by side to save the multiverse.
"Thank you all for coming to help us," Batman said after Barry's introductions, stepping forward to express his gratitude after a brief moment of curiosity and observation from both sides.
"There's no need for thanks. We're not doing this for you—we're doing this for the entire universe," Superman II replied as he slowly stepped forward, his serious gaze locking with Batman's.
After a moment, a small smile appeared on his face.
"And I believe you're doing the same."
....
(End of Chapter)
