RNP Chapter 448 You will eventually meet someone you cannot defeat even if you fight with all your might
Chapter 448 You will eventually meet someone you cannot defeat even if you fight with all your might
Chapter 448 You will eventually meet an enemy you cannot defeat even if you fight with all your might (5200-word long chapter)
"What happened?"
"Hurry! Raise it! Raise the drawbridge! Protect the totems!"
"ah!!!"
Amidst the screams of a Crimson Warrior of All Beings, the Blood Lord tore off his leopard head. These beast-headed, human-bodied creatures with bird wings and wielding weapons were warriors who had used the power of the Souls of All Beings throughout the ages, and who, after death, entered the Crimson Underworld of All Beings and were reborn as warriors.
For example, users like Killer Croc and Human-Faced Bat would become them after death under normal circumstances.
There can only be one King of Life in each generation, but there can be countless users of Crimson of All Beings, so the number of warriors of Crimson of All Beings is still relatively considerable.
Their combat prowess is not lacking, but the problem is that they are creations of the Crimson of All Beings. When faced with another user of the Crimson of All Beings who has higher and stronger authority than them, they can only... suffer a crushing defeat.
"You pathetic creatures, how dare you attack me! I am flesh, I am blood!"
Soon the forces of the Crimson Legion were routed. The warriors of the Crimson Legion flapped their wings and fled in panic toward the palace of the Totem Council.
"Damn it, we're too late! We can't take down the drawbridge in time!"
Two crocodile-headed men tried to pull up the drawbridge, but to no avail.
The Blood King grabbed a Crimson Warrior by the neck and lifted him high into the air:
"I'll ask you one more time, do you still want to stop me?"
He crushed the other man's throat and threw it on the ground.
Immediately following the Blood Cult Leader's howl, several enormous bone spikes pierced through the two crocodile-headed men who were fleeing for their lives on the bridge:
"It's too late!"
Soon, piles of corpses lay at the entrance of the main hall, and no one could stop the Blood Cult Leader's advance.
He stepped over blood, and streaks of blood spread from his palms, like veins drawing upon the blood of the dead Red Warriors, creating a dense, spiderweb-like trail beneath his feet.
"Where are you? Where is the ruler of this place? I will show you that you have every right to fear me!"
He looked up and saw several totem spirits of the red mortal beings, their towering figures occupying high positions in the red hall.
"You could have chosen me. If we had joined forces with the Crimson of All Beings, we could have ruled the four directions and achieved true hegemony! Great Totem Council, totems... you may be able to fool your pathetic incarnations, but I have long seen through you. You are nothing but a bunch of timid, cowering, and panicked little animals in the face of true power!"
"How dare you..." The rhinoceros totem wanted to say something, but as the Blood Cult Leader raised his arm, the entire red hall trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and then collapsed.
Amidst the ruins, countless red blood vessels were grasped in the hands of the Blood Cult Master like lightning. The many totems of the Totem Council gathered together to form a protective shield of flesh and blood to block the falling debris.
"How is this possible? This is the Crimson Realm of All Beings, our territory!"
A wild boar totem with a human-like appearance said:
"His power...where did he get this power from?"
"He has eroded a portion of the power of the Crimson of All Beings; this could not have been done out of thin air!" the rhinoceros totem exclaimed. "Whether it's through technology or magic, while it's possible to connect to the Crimson of All Beings, it's absolutely impossible to seize such a vast amount of its power—it's even close to that of the King of Life! Someone must be interfering; we must..."
"Oh, the facts are before us, brothers and sisters. As you can see, I chose this man, and I showed him the way to the Red Realm of All Beings, in order to accomplish great deeds."
The rhinoceros totem suddenly turned around and looked at the deer antler totem.
"Totem Brother, what have you done... Aaaaaah!!!"
As the totem spirit screamed in its death throes, the deer antler totem expressionlessly pulled the beast claw that had pierced its back.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Blood Cult Leader manipulated his lightning-fast blood vessels to tear apart the flesh and blood barrier formed by the totems.
"I was just doing my duty. I'm fed up with you bunch of senile old folks who only choose children and liars as their incarnations. You've been so accommodating to Batman that he treats the Red Isles as his backyard, where he can come and go as he pleases."
You have kept the Crimson of All Beings subservient to the shadows of the Corrupt Kingdom and the Green of All Things, but this will not happen again. The time for the Crimson of All Beings to rise has come. And Blood Cult Leader… you are my warrior!
……
……
……
"So—I'll ask again. Can we talk properly now?"
A large number of Atlantean warriors had risen from the water, staring blankly at their king.
In the end, Lord Orm could only remove his own helmet.
"I abdicate."
Damn it, if only his magic trident hadn't been stolen before things started—
Just as Lord Orm was thinking this, he saw Batman's face turn green, and then three pink dots appeared on his forehead.
As a shrunken beam belonging to Brainiac flashed by, Chen Tao pulled out Lord Orm's magical trident from behind his back: "Orm has already ceded the throne of Atlantis to me—"
Orm felt his blood pressure nearly explode, and he quickly interrupted Batman:
"No, I gave it to my brother! Arthur! My brother Arthur!"
"What? So it wasn't meant for me after all." He heard Batman say, "But you just said you would give it to me."
Lord Orm had almost forgotten about Batman wielding his magical trident: "Which ear did you hear that with???"
Chen Tao pursed his lips.
Okay, enough teasing the idiots.
This magic trident of Lord Orm, to some extent, is similar to Arthur's trident, possessing the ability to command the sea.
Even though Chen Tao's synchronized bat mage didn't actually understand the water magic unique to Atlantis, he could still manipulate some of the seawater with just this weapon called a trident, which was actually a spellcasting staff... at least to prevent some people from trying to cross Orm and launch a tsunami.
Who are you looking at? I'm talking to you, Night Owl.
Chen Tao glanced at the numerous Atlantean fleets and warriors on the sea surface, but he couldn't tell yet whether Night Owl had made any preparations.
But in fact, if we put ourselves in Chen Tao's shoes, if he were the Night Owl and wanted to orchestrate all of this, he would definitely prepare a plan for Lord Orm's failure, especially since Orm had virtually no resistance to his brother Arthur.
"Om, the men you brought are your loyal followers; they won't obey my orders."
"Arthur said."
But his words were immediately refuted by his own younger brother:
"They obey the laws of Atlantis."
"That's because you're willing to abide by the laws of Atlantis. Om, don't impose your own moral standards on all those under your command," Chen Tao said.
"I will go with you to send your men back to Atlantis. This absurd war must end here," Arthur said.
Chen Tao glanced at the other party. What? Lord Orm's men wouldn't obey Arthur's orders? He's the King of Atlantis, who would dare disobey him?
Arthur was merely using this as an excuse to get Lord Orm to return to Atlantis with the Atlantean fleet.
He was terrified that Batman would demand Orm go to jail for his actions. In the original comics, Orm had killed too many people, so Arthur couldn't protect him. But now, Orm only wanted to act but hadn't actually carried it out, and the live stream had been cut off, so there were no real consequences. Arthur naturally wanted to send Orm back to Atlantis rather than suffer any other fate.
Chen Tao's opinion on this is:
What are you thinking? You overestimate my moral standards.
He said that to Orm, but also to Arthur. Arthur was a typical example of applying his own moral standards to his old bat, but Chen Tao had absolutely no such outdated notion of procedural justice as "a crime without a definite fact is still a crime and everyone should go to jail."
The government has objections? The Pentagon has objections? So what?
Wait, no one thinks Chen Tao would confront the government head-on over something like this, right? Of course not. What good is Fuleniak's telepathic ability? No matter how big the disagreement, if even the memory is erased, what dispute is there left?
Ultimately, Chen Tao is fully capable of manipulating the government officials; he's not going to be foolish enough to make a mess of things by thinking "I can't change other people's minds."
Of course……
Chen Tao watched as Arthur and Lord Orm walked towards the Atlantean fleet.
Of course, if he were Night Owl, things wouldn't end so easily, he was sure...
"Awoooo ...
In an instant, violent screams suddenly rang out from the Atlantean fleet.
An Atlantean soldier clutched his throat, and black bristles sprouted from his hands and cheeks.
The sharp fingernails grew wildly and pierced his own throat in an instant, but in the time it took to breathe, the wound healed and disappeared without a trace.
His nose and muzzle stretched and began to resemble those of a canine, followed by howls that were not human.
"This is fucking bizarre."
Chen Tao cursed.
He turned his head and abruptly asked the air, "What did you do, Night Owl?"
There was no response.
"Stop pretending, Night Owl. Nanobots are something I've already mastered."
Chen Tao said.
With a flick of his wrist, the tattered bat appeared on his body in sync with the silvery-white bat. Black sand spread through the air, and in an instant, tiny blue specks of light appeared in the air. These were the nanobots controlled by Night Owl, forced to condense in the air by Chen Tao's nanobots.
Soon, the blue nanobots condensed in mid-air into half of the night owl's blue face.
"Bruce," the voice from the face said, "I'm trying to help you. Please, don't do that."
"I don't think so," Chen Tao said.
"You've almost guessed my plan, haven't you?" Night Owl said. "Once the Atlantean tsunami floods the land, you'll soon have over 80 billion small killer crocodiles enhanced by the power of the Crimson of All Beings. The help they can provide is far greater than the millions of Atlanteans you're currently scheming for."
"If defeating Atlantis were achieved with the help of everyone—"
"You know very well that the change in the Crimson of All Beings is not an irreversible change."
Night Owl said, "Once they're restored, it will be the world you love again."
"Many people will die. Some will die because they cannot withstand the power of the red of all living beings, some will die because they cannot withstand my sharing of the power, and even some will drown because of their position after being transformed into animals... There are far too many lives."
"So what?" Night Owl said. "You're going to reject my plan because of this? What's the point of sticking to these damn principles if the whole world is about to be destroyed?"
The owl, far away on the other side, seemed somewhat angered, then he took a deep breath:
"Listen to me, Batman. You think you're so great, don't you? You saw through my plan, you can solve all problems, you think you're omnipotent like a god, you think you're incredibly smart and wise, capable of solving all the problems in the world?"
"Bat, I know this all too well, I know this all too well... because I used to be that kind of person."
The owl even sounded somewhat sincere: "I am invincible in my universe, I can command the wind and rain, just like you have been doing now. My plans have never failed. My mind is active and intelligent, and I can always think of what the enemy is thinking and respond in advance."
"Aside from failing with Claw Dick Grayson... I've never failed. Not even against those superhumans."
"Superpower and Super Queen, they may be naturally powerful monsters, but I can manipulate them at will."
"...But you've never seen what despair is, have you? You've never encountered an enemy you can't defeat no matter how hard you try."
"But I've seen it all, I've seen it all. That's why I made these plans. I lost, I lost utterly. As long as this event continues, as long as there's even the slightest hope of defeating that guy... so-called morality and bottom lines are things that can be discarded at will."
"So, I'm telling you honestly: agree to my plan, and then we'll work together to see if we can defeat the anti-surveillance agents. Do you agree?"
Then he saw Batman tilt his head slightly.
"What you're saying is true; you're telling the truth."
"That's right."
"So what's your decision?" Night Owl said.
"So, if I'm willing to follow your plan, you can help me find 80 billion 'water carriers' to share the burden?"
"Yes, and as long as you are willing to cooperate with me, we have the ability to minimize casualties. Although all the transformed humans will become mindless, red beast-like beings, if you cooperate, I can make most of them grow gills, so that even if they are in a bad position and accidentally get trapped, they will not drown."
"Bat, I've offered the best terms. This isn't for me, but for your universe... and perhaps a little for me too," said Night Owl.
He saw Batman lower his head and remain silent, which briefly gave him a glimmer of hope.
"But I refuse. What I love most is saying no to self-righteous people."
But that hope was immediately shattered.
Night Owl's face darkened.
"That doesn't matter," he said. "Without a tsunami to submerge the entire world to aid in the transformation, having the beastmen attack ordinary people to transform them is also a viable option. It's just that this option is much bloodier and more cruel than the tsunami option, but it's your choice, Batman. You…"
Then he met Batman's indifferent eyes.
The owl realized something. He fell silent.
After a long pause, he said, "The Blood Cult Leader can resolve the Totem Council issue."
"The Blood Cult Leader? Who is that? In any case, it should be the 'dark side of the red of all beings' that you have influenced and controlled, I'll just assume that."
Chen Tao said:
"That's right, he can indeed deal with the Totem Council."
Then he paused and said:
"But he can't defeat the Justice League."
He almost felt pity: "I really want to see what it was like back then."
"You're incredibly stupid, Batman."
He heard the sound of an owl.
"You have no idea what you're doing... You... You'll eventually meet an enemy you can't defeat no matter how hard you try, Batman."
Chen Tao turned his head away.
……
……
……
Paradise Island.
"Aaaaaaah, Diana! This battery compartment hurts so much! And what are batteries anyway?"
"Sisters, I know this is difficult, but if we have no other choice, this may be our last resort. Listen to me, inhale, exhale, it feels like you are lifting a thousand-pound weight... I know you can do this—excuse me, I need to take this call."
"Something that can deliver a message in an instant, like Hermes (one of the twelve Olympian gods, who served as a messenger)?"
Before Diana could answer her Amazonian sisters' questions, she turned on her communicator:
"Batman?"
"Diana, I need your urgent support..."
Pentagon.
"General Swanwick (Mars Manhunter's alias)... General Swanwick?"
When the Martian hunter's secretary walked in, she saw only an empty desk and an open window next to it.
There was a note on the table that read:
I'll be back soon.
"But the meeting starts in three minutes! What about your presentation, General?" the secretary exclaimed. "Really?"
Kansas.
Kent Farms...
Clark attempts to fly again across the field...
Gotham City, Botanical Garden.
Poison Ivy, who was trying to cultivate a Wood's Cycad (an endangered plant, dioecious), took out her phone...
Central City.
Interstellar Laboratory.
Barry is trying to increase his speed on the cosmic treadmill, but he's never fast enough.
This is strange. Batman told him that every Flash has the ability to travel through time, and he has mastered his own power for many years.
He should have already mastered this ability, but that boundary always remained in front of him, and he could not break through it no matter what.
Cisco and Catherine were helping out as they collected experimental data, but soon Batman's face appeared on the computer screen in the interplanetary lab:
"Barry, we might need your help. Could you put what you're doing aside and come over?"
"Oh, and by the way... could you also help pick up our teammates?"
(End of this chapter)