Regardless of why this big shot had jumped out, Thea wasn't overly afraid. The Spectre was God's wrath and the spirit of vengeance—his doctrine still followed the path of justice. What she'd done today was absolutely as just as it could be.
The giant taller than the mountain examined her. Thea likewise compared the gap between them. The result was somewhat pessimistic. This guy had exceeded her level of comprehension.
Like Highfather and the unseen Darkseid, Thea felt if she pursued relentlessly, she could catch up someday.
But facing the Spectre was like facing a higher-dimensional being. All the rules she mastered could be casually altered and arbitrarily modified in his eyes. She mastered rules; he made rules. Not even the same plane. As long as he wished, he could do anything. How the hell could she fight that?
This was a true big shot, a true "God"!
"Why did you bring me here? I was upholding justice." First, she stated her position clearly. She was just! Don't do something that hurts allies and helps enemies! Thea said nervously.
The giant's lips moved slightly. A voice entered Thea's mind.
"New Gods should not participate in that universe's war." The voice was dull and flat, like a machine.
Thea frowned in thought. This guy was quite cunning too—never mentioned justice or evil. Actually, his words had many loopholes, but she didn't dare engage in verbal sparring. Might makes right!
"What about Steppenwolf then? He's also a New God. Slaughtering intelligent life so wantonly—don't beings of your power care?" Thea wasn't acting—she was genuinely pissed at Steppenwolf. That bastard killed this world's Diana. Absolutely unforgivable!
Perhaps the Spectre was fooled by her seventy-percent-genuine, thirty-percent-fake performance. Or perhaps he simply didn't care.
He was silent for a long time. "Cannot attack mortals. Your New God war, I won't interfere."
His tone was rigid, no room for negotiation. After speaking, the Spectre took one step forward and vanished directly into the vast white mountains.
Not until he left did Thea release her breath. The pressure was truly too great. Can't fight mortals? Then she wouldn't. Who told him to be the real big shot?
She carefully examined her surroundings and discovered this wasn't Earth-Two at all, nor Earth-One. This big shot's whim had directly pulled her to another parallel universe.
He probably knew about their Boom Tube business too. He could pull her out but not send her back—he'd said his piece, now she had to get back herself!
Thea relocated Earth-Two's coordinates and flew back through an opened passage.
After all that hassle, she returned to Star City again. The acid cloud still shrouded the area, but the villains had all escaped.
She didn't know that when she was teleported away, Steppenwolf had been scared witless. The tracking beams had already terrified him, but the suddenly appearing giant hand and irresistible teleportation terrified him even more.
Steppenwolf's strength might be mediocre, but his vision was genuinely high. As Heggra's brother and Darkseid's uncle, he could proudly say he'd witnessed this universe's ultimate power.
From the mighty force that teleported Thea, he sensed power no less than his brother-in-law Yuga Khan. Why would this supreme-tier power appear here? What did it signify?
He knew none of the answers. He only knew he must immediately contact his main body and discuss the next plan.
And Zoom, saved at the instant of death, was also completely baffled. He didn't know who'd saved him. But without Thea's control, he finally found a safe route. His wound had deteriorated to life-threatening severity. He spent two more seconds rescuing evil Firestorm and Frost. Using their superpowers to temporarily seal the wound, all three fled Star City in utter disarray.
Thea caught up with Barry and Caitlin, asking curiously, "Where are you headed?"
Seeming to sense her determination to "defend" justice, old Robert finally found her more agreeable. He answered in a low voice, "Gotham."
...
The journey was wordless. Thea occasionally healed Barry. Powerful healing spells combined with his Speed Force cells meant his wounds healed quickly. Half a day should be enough to restore him to normal.
"Is Zoom dead?" Barry asked.
Speaking of this topic, Thea was also somewhat depressed. "One step short—he escaped. And..." She glanced at everyone's faces. "I can't attack Zoom anymore."
"You're injured?" Old Robert's expression showed some emotion. Faintly, Thea seemed to see a trace of concern.
Thea sighed. "A big shot won't let me continue dealing with mortals. I can handle Steppenwolf, but those ordinary villains—you'll have to deal with them."
Big shot? Everyone looked confused. The dense fog had shrouded Star City—they weren't blind. Thea, who'd created such a massive disturbance, had someone above her? Their hearts grew somewhat heavy with the feeling that no matter how hard they struggled, everything was within others' expectations.
"Leave Zoom to me then." Barry spoke heavily. Whether Reverse-Flash's hatred or Zoom targeting his Speed Force, both showed they were irreconcilable enemies.
"But Zoom's speed is too fast. I can't catch him at all." Barry added, and everyone fell silent again.
Mentioning this, Thea had noticed early on—Zoom could run twice as fast as him. Barry had no chance in a direct comparison.
Her acceleration spell couldn't affect speedsters. She didn't dare use loopholes to mess with Zoom either. After thinking it over, she had no good method to help Barry speed up.
The group continued wordlessly, riding old Robert's truck toward Gotham. Barry needed further recovery. Thea also needed to slightly restore her divine power and mental energy consumption. Legendary spells placed no small burden on her either.
"This is Gotham?" Cisco pointed at the sewage-covered area that looked more like a giant garbage dump than a city.
Old Robert's expression darkened. He pressed a switch on his combat suit. Before long, a dark shadow flew from the distance.
The familiar Batplane, but the man who jumped out was no longer that vigorous middle-aged figure.
He was very old, very weary. To fulfill his son's dying wish, disregarding his aging, frail body, he'd donned this suit and walked to the front lines of resistance.
The suit's style matched Batman's completely. The only difference—Bruce's bat was black, while his was blood-red.
"You shouldn't have brought so many people to my place." The other ignored Thea's group, looking at old Robert with a low voice.
Old Robert was also helpless. He'd wanted to go back! But the city had been corroded into wasteland—not even one tree left. Nowhere to hide!
Glancing at Thea, who seemed lost in thought, old Robert didn't know how much truth was in her earlier statement about no longer attacking Zoom. Pointing at Barry, he said to old Batman with a grim expression, "See that kid in red? He's a speedster from another world. He's injured. We need his power to fight Zoom, and we need your medical and experimental equipment."