The Flash was completely taken aback by Batman's blunt rhetoric. The rest of the superheroes didn't show the slightest resentment toward Shin's actions. In fact, one could argue that Shin's willingness to give their enemies a chance to defend themselves was proof of his own commitment to a certain kind of justice, albeit one that was far from Barry's.
"Alright, I get it," Barry said with a helpless shrug. While he had always adhered to a strict no-killing policy as part of his personal superhero code, he knew it was his own principle and not one he had the right to impose on others.
If he tried, it would only split the Justice League right down the middle. Out of the seven core members, people like Wonder Woman and Aquaman weren't exactly staunch pacifists. Their standards were closer to those of Marvel heroes who believed killing was sometimes necessary. Batman and Barry had their stricter stance, but even they operated in very different moral spaces.
If it hadn't been for the sheer scale of Shin's outburst, Barry probably would have stayed silent and tried to avoid the argument entirely.
"It looks like you've regained your speed. Are you ready?" Shin asked, glancing at Barry before idly swinging a heavy hammer in his hand.
It wasn't just any weapon. These were pure Nth-metal tools he had seized from Hawkgirl herself. Nth-metal in its purest form was the stuff of legend, granting immortality, the gift of flight, accelerated healing, and incredible physical enhancement.
Hawkgirl had clearly never been much of a warmonger. She'd been caught in the chaos like so many others. Shin had healed her wounds, but he hadn't returned her weapons. The same went for the rest... Diana's Lasso of Truth, rare Atlantean gear, and even cutting-edge Amazonian tech. None of them dared to ask for their belongings back. These were priceless treasures, and Shin had taken them without the slightest moral hesitation. In the wake of this brutal war, he had amassed a vault's worth of power.
"…I'm ready," Barry said with a resigned sigh. "But you don't have to do all this. The world's going to return to normal soon."
"That's not certain," Shin replied, shaking his head. "Your world may go back to the way you remember it, but for these people, things may have already shifted into a parallel reality."
Barry frowned. "You mean… this world will branch out?"
"You could say that," Shin said. "The Speed Force isn't just a bridge through time. It can generate different parallel worlds. Different choices at key moments create entirely new timelines. Even if things 'reset,' the shadow of this world will still exist."
Barry didn't respond right away, the unease settling in his chest.
Shin turned toward Wanda, who had arrived with quiet confidence. "How was your meeting with Batman?"
Wanda's lips curved in a wry smile. "If walking into the Batcave and immediately getting cut down by heavy machine gun fire counts as a welcome, then sure, it went fine. And if stepping on a Claymore mine every few steps is his way of offering hospitality… then yes, it went perfectly."
Barry's shoulders slumped. Initially, he hadn't even wanted Wanda to tag along. Looking back, if she hadn't been there, the whole encounter might have ended with his body chalked on the Batcave floor.
The Batman of this world was no Bruce Wayne. This was Thomas Wayne, colder, sharper, and far more willing to kill. The so-called "no killing" rule didn't exist here. Without Scarlet Witch's intervention, Barry, still powerless at that time, wouldn't have survived the first two minutes.
"Yeah… I didn't expect this Batman to be his father," Barry admitted. "This world is too damn dark."
Shin's expression suddenly sharpened. His gaze drifted upward, his head tilting slightly. "This feeling… It's almost like Doomsday."
A low rumble rolled across the horizon. From the distance, a figure emerged, black-clad, with wild white hair that jutted in spines. He streaked through the sky like a missile, bellowing as he came.
"Destroy all the metahumans!"
Shin narrowed his eyes. "He feels like a twisted fusion of Superman and Doomsday. Another mad science project?"
"That's Subject Zero!" Cyborg shouted, recognition flashing across his cybernetic face. "The military used Doomsday's cells for experiments years ago. He was the only survivor... the only 'successful' result. They couldn't control him, so they locked him away in the Phantom Zone. Last I heard, he was buried under a classified base beneath Metropolis. How the hell did he get out?"
Shin already knew the answer. His earlier destruction of that very base had likely been the cause.
Judging by the way Subject Zero's gaze locked on him, the connection was obvious. Doomsday's cells were in him, and Kryptonian instinct was hard to suppress.
"But… his aura is weak," Shin muttered.
It was true. Pathetically weak. Compared to a true Doomsday or an unshackled Kryptonian, this was nothing. His strength was maybe a notch above a Superman trapped under a simulated red sun, but nothing more. Certainly not enough to justify the bluster.
If Shin had known that in the original timeline, this man had been defeated by a Kryptonian variant, he would have been even less impressed. The military might have stitched some of Doomsday's traits into him, but in the end, he wasn't even close to the real thing.
From above, Subject Zero let out an unhinged laugh. "If I kill you... if I kill all of you superhumans, Earth will finally have peace! I will be its savior!"
His gaze drilled into Shin. "Especially you. Your power… I know that power. Give it to me!"
Shin exhaled slowly, almost bored. "Great. Another lunatic. Is it really too much to ask for one day of normalcy in this world?"
Before the words even faded, Shin erupted into golden light. The air cracked like thunder as he launched himself forward, slamming into Subject Zero with a blow so powerful it sent the man rocketing out of the atmosphere. Bone cracked audibly.
Shin was there again in an instant, even faster this time. The weapon in his hand shimmered, silver light, Galaxy Glaze turned razor edge—and in a single stroke, Subject Zero was cleaved in two.
"You show up acting invincible, and this is all you've got? Brother, are you here to make me laugh?" Shin shook his head, turning away without another glance. He descended back to the battlefield like nothing had happened.
But as he landed, another streak of golden light tore across the air, this one aimed at Barry. The speed was blinding. In less than a heartbeat, Barry was locked in a whirlwind struggle, the two speedsters vanishing from sight entirely. The battlefield was left behind in the blink of an eye, their destination unknown.
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