Chapter 84: Ch.83 Death

Chapter 84: Ch.83 Death

Su Ming and Red Death slammed into the ground. The scorching golden sand burst into the air like an explosion, then fell like rain. Fine sand seeped into the gaps of their armor, and both of them spat out a mouthful of blood simultaneously.

Su Ming's injuries were not light. The damping of his Promethium armor was subpar, causing his regenerative cells to scream like crazy, demanding him to devour the person in front of him immediately. A torrent of memories flooded his mind—he remembered Slade's family life, his comrades, and acquaintances.

In a dense rainforest, before donning his black and yellow armor, he was engaged in a fierce firefight with a group of dark-skinned people. A large python coiled on a tree branch above, coldly watching the humans below.

In an endless swamp, his body riddled with bullet holes and burning with fever, he was being carried by Wintergreen toward a rescue helicopter, while a group of bizarrely dressed indigenous people armed with automatic weapons pursued them from afar.

In a dim, dilapidated laboratory, wearing an olive-green T-shirt, he was strapped to an operating table. A transparent liquid emitting a dazzling glow was injected into his arm.

These similar scenes kept appearing in his mind, at first just like still photos, then they came alive, playing like a movie. Finally, the perspective changed to the first person.

These vivid scenes were his own memories, so clear that the pain they brought surpassed his bloodthirsty urges, putting him in a bizarrely calm state.

He released his grip, undoing the Lasso of Truth, watching as Red Death's blood dyed a patch of the desert red, then rapidly seeped into the ground.

"Cough... Pfft." Su Ming removed his helmet and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. Although his uniform had deflected the grenade shrapnel, the shock from the explosion was real and fully absorbed. The pain from his ribs was incessant, his vision was filled with a red haze, and he could only maintain his sanity by gasping heavily.

But the plan succeeded. On Red Death's charred chest, the Bat Gold protruded like a stake through a vampire's heart, piercing his heart.

The immense impact drove the sharp Bat Gold further into Red Death's chest cavity. In the end, he was still just an ordinary person, and although Speed Force users recovered quickly, it was far from enough to avoid death from a pierced heart.

He wasn't dead yet, but the Bat Gold was expelling the dark energy within him. When all the energy was exhausted, these injuries would be fatal for anyone.

Barry appeared beside him in a flash of red lightning. He had stopped the Speed Force storm by running in reverse, and those auto-killer battle cars had also stopped where they were, having lost their Speed Force drive.

"You did it, Slade." He looked at the quietly lying Red Death on the ground, breathing heavily, speaking to Su Ming in a complicated tone.

He didn't want to kill, nor did he want to see anyone die, but if he were in Su Ming's place earlier, he couldn't think of any peaceful solution.

"You'd better stay back. I'm worried you might recharge him." Su Ming struggled to sit up, reached out to remove Red Death's mask, confirming the kill.

Red Death looked at the other Barry, struggling to turn his head. He saw the familiar red suit and the lightning emblem on Barry's chest.

A shy smile appeared on his stiffening face, identical to Barry's, but the loss of Speed Force made him look decades older.

"Main Earth's Flash, I'm sorry. I've done terrible things."

Barry crawled closer, dragging two bloodstained trails in the red sand, grabbing Red Death's hand. Golden lightning spread from his body onto the shattered armor.

"We all know it wasn't you. You were just forced into it."

"The Speed Force is useless now. I'm like a leaky bucket, your power is wasting away."

Red Death spoke calmly. He had accepted everything. His family and friends had all died when the Speed Force destroyed Earth -52. Now, he was on his way to apologize to them.

"No, you're just like me. I believe you're a good person. It's all because of that insane Batman." Barry shook his head, the Speed Force lightning on his body becoming more intense, but he could feel it sinking into Red Death's body like a stone into the sea.

"Bruce was my good friend. He was just..." Red Death closed his eyes, speaking with difficulty, "He was deceived. Too bad I'm not good with words, I couldn't persuade him."

"You did your best." Barry was panting heavily. He had first traversed dimensions, then raced against Red Death, and later stopped the Speed Force storm by running in reverse. He was severely exhausted, the Speed Force lightning on his body flickering on and off.

"I didn't do enough. I'm sorry, other me, we wrecked your Central City." Red Death coughed. He could see them now, his family beckoning to him in the Speed Force: "Cough... Be careful of Barbatos, he's too powerful."

The Speed Force on Barry's body finally disconnected. He couldn't hold on anymore. He could only grip Red Death's hand tightly, expressing his determination.

Red Death opened his eyes and looked at the distant Central City. Part of it had been destroyed in the earlier battle, but many buildings were still intact. Under the dim sunlight, the high-rise buildings reflected colorful halos, just like Central City's nickname, the Gem City.

He smiled, not knowing exactly what he was describing: "So beautiful... I'm home."

The hand covered in ceramic armor slipped from Barry's grasp. Barry was too exhausted to even hold onto it.

Red Death lay quietly in the desert outside Central City.