"Permission? An interesting word." The Inverted Man muttered to himself, reaching out to grab Diana's forehead, where he felt the power was hidden.
But before he could touch it, Su Ming's Great Sword got there first, smacking him back into the doorway.
By the time he realized things were going south, Su Ming had already begun using X Metal, and Barry was using the Static Force to seal the rift.
"Don't be complacent! You're only delaying the destruction!"
Like any typical villain, the Inverted Man threw out a harsh word before disappearing with the spatial rift in front of everyone.
Su Ming plunged the Great Sword into the ground, took off his helmet, and breathed a sigh of relief. Barry had already stopped the Speed Force Storm, allowing everyone to rest a bit.
However, just like the Inverted Man said, this was only buying time; the Inverted Man couldn't be destroyed and wouldn't stop until he reclaimed his debts.
Naboo, that double-dealer, also went off who knows where. As soon as he regains some power, he's likely to open another rift.
Su Ming calculated in his heart, preparing for the future.
But first, this Mage Tower that exists in the 'nonexistent' needed to be looted.
Isn't the reason he got involved in this in the first place for some benefits that money can't buy? With Naboo's longstanding legacy, there must be plenty of good stuff here.
Even if I don't recognize them, no problem; there's still the Magic Floating Cloak. Let it pick out anything with powerful magic fluctuations and package it all up.
Doctor Fate has three famous Divine Artifacts: the Naboo Helmet, Anubis Talisman, and Silver Beetle Uniform.
These three items were taken with him, but he couldn't move the Mage Tower, so there must still be some magic props he left behind.
Don't underestimate magic props; maybe a small Flash Skill spell can turn the tide of battle at a critical moment. Among mages, those who can create magic props are one in a hundred.
At least there's not a single one in the Dark Justice League, not even Lady Shangdu has this skill.
The Swamp Monster can breed a kind of magic flower that allows communication across galaxies with him, but what's the use of chatting with the Swamp Monster?
"Whew..."
Diana panted, blocking those spells indeed took quite a lot of energy, but at least it was a temporary victory, and they had bought some time.
The next step is to quickly investigate the root of everything and unite any forces that can be united to completely resolve the issue.
Barry was also utterly exhausted, not to mention the Speed Force Storm, and using the not-so-familiar Static Force left him feeling suffocated, as if he was going to cough up blood from discomfort.
"What do we do next?"
Barry inquired of Su Ming. If he was done here, he wanted to seize the moment to go back and sleep a bit.
Right now, the Justice League's patrol duties all rested on his shoulders alone; even if he had more time, his stamina was still limited.
Diana also looked towards Su Ming, unsure whether to tell him about her nightmares.
Even though she had firmly claimed she wouldn't be afraid before, now recalling her childhood nightmares, fear followed her like a shadow.
She pondered; she didn't want to appear weak in front of Deathstroke.
And Su Ming right now, his mind was entirely occupied with looting the Great Mage.
"Hmm, Barry can go back first and get some good rest." Su Ming patted his shoulder, feeling a bit sorry seeing how exhausted he was. "Once things settle down, I'll treat you to a meal."
"Alright, but preferably not a buffet; the owner will cry." Barry smiled and nodded, leaving with the lightning.
Su Ming took off the Magic Floating Cloak, directing it to gather up all the magic props in this strange Magic Tower.
Diana hesitated for just a moment, and between embarrassment and the survival of the world, she chose the big picture.
While Deathstroke was waiting for his spoils, she recounted her childhood encounter with Hecate.
Su Ming, with his helmet tucked under his arm, lit a cigarette and listened to her story; he roughly understood.
Hecate is the light side of magic, or rather, she wants others to believe she is the light side.
She is a Three-Phase Goddess, which means if she had a personality, it would be at least a threefold split personality. She's the one who truly stole the Witchcraft Fire from beyond the Origin, and Prometheus and others stole the fire from her.
Those ancient sorcerers thought the wellhead they saw was the sky, believed that beyond their understanding was the Origin, but in reality, that was just Hecate's domain.
Hecate brought the fire from outside the Origin Wall into her world and trapped the Inverted Man outside the wall. Only a Magic Goddess with such immense power could do that.
Then the sorcerers stole a bit of that fire for themselves, resulting in the world being saturated everywhere with magic factors.
Now the Origin Wall is broken, the Inverted Man's seal is at its weakest, so he seized the opportunity to collect on his debts, while Naboo, for reasons unknown, gave him a convenient opening.
So the Inverted Man found the world filled with the fire he lost, and of course, he wants to reclaim it all.
This is a story about passing on fire... it all makes sense now.
"This fire... wasn't passed on well..."
"???"
Su Ming couldn't help but sigh, while Diana looked at him bewildered. What does passing on fire mean?
He continued thinking, not answering Diana's confusion.
Naboo must know more, but now he doesn't know where he's gone, that lead is cut off.
The owner, the Inverted Man, wasn't friendly, so there's no talking to him.
That leaves the suspect, the Magic Goddess Hecate, as the party involved, she must know more.
The question now is how to find her.
"Does Hecate live in Olympus?" Su Ming exhaled a puff of smoke, looking at Diana with his single eye.
"She's nominally an Olympian god, but in reality, like the Female Kitchen God, she doesn't reside in Olympus. I don't know where she is, but she's said to be omnipresent; that's the essence of magic."
Diana recalled for a moment, sharing the information she knew.
"Is that so... can Hera's Celestial Mirror find her?" Su Ming asked again.
The Female Hero shook her head, her black hair cascading over her shoulders. "I know now that the so-called divine arts of Olympus are actually a form of witchcraft; therefore, as the origin of witchcraft, Hecate can't be tracked by divine power tools."
Su Ming furrowed his brow, switching his thinking. "I heard she used to be Hades' fiancée, but was abandoned. How about we take a trip to the Netherworld? I happen to know someone who can definitely get Hades to tell us everything."
"Obtaining information about Hecate from a man she despises seems unlikely, plus the Queen of the Underworld doesn't like me..." Diana raised an eyebrow, expressing opposition to the idea; the possibility seemed too slim.
Su Ming watched as the Magic Floating Cloak flew towards them carrying a bunch of items. He stroked his beard, discarded the cigarette butt, and fastened his helmet.
"Then it seems we'll have to visit that old witch again. I need to buy some flowers first."