Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 436 - Ch.436 Assassination

While Su Ming tackled a magical crisis and Batman juggled global coordination, Lex Luthor wasn't twiddling his thumbs either.

His scheme was in full swing.

From A.R.G.U.S. Island, he'd dispatched Cheetah and Black Manta. Their mission: take out Poseidon.

Normally, a god's unkillable—they just reincarnate.

But Lex's squad had snagged a drop of the Tear of Extinction from an undersea ruin. That changed the game.

Per Lex's intel, it was a piece of "death" itself in the DC universe—not a magic potion, but a liquefied cosmic concept.

Sure, it tied to the Endless's "Death"—it was her, but she wasn't it.

Sounded like a tongue-twister, but Lex didn't care. All he needed was its god-slaying juice.

Coat a weapon with it, and any god hit gets tagged by death. Kill them after, and they're erased—wiped from the multiverse, scrubbed from existence conceptually.

Lex had seen Imp's eraser wipe folks out of reality. The Tear of Extinction? Like correction fluid.

Similar vibe, but easier to wield.

One drop wasn't enough for the grand plan, though. Lex had tracked more—stashed in the Tomb of the Gods, key held by Poseidon.

Cheetah and Black Manta's gig was to nab that key and grab a few goodies from the tomb.

Step three of the "Doomsday Plan."

After "Let there be light" and "Let there be stars," God's third day was: "Let the seas and land divide."

Lex's goal? Undo that—merge sea and land back into one.

Canada, Newfoundland.

A tiny fishing village hugged the coast—one street, a row of wooden houses, and a lighthouse.

Backed by mountains and forest, it was sparse, peaceful, quiet.

Not a key shipping route—just a pit stop for fishing crews. Strangers were rare year-round.

Moonlight spilled softly over the sea. Gulls skimmed the calm surface, waiting for night-fishing boats to return so they could swipe some catch.

Dockworkers waited too.

Fishing, processing, selling in town—that was their livelihood.

They eyed the silvery waves, waiting for the radio to crackle with boats docking.

But in the dark, they only saw a white streak—like an arrow slicing the water, barreling toward shore.

Too fast. No loaded fishing boat—or even the zippiest speedboat they knew—could match it.

"You trust him?" Cheetah crouched at the bow of the black craft, now surfaced, skipping across the waves at insane speed.

Black Manta, steering, didn't answer. He knew "him" meant Lex.

Manta didn't care about Lex's promises. His beef was with Atlanteans—joining the Legion of Doom just meant extra hands.

"Three seconds to shore," he said instead.

"Damn it, you didn't answer me."

The submersible slammed into the wooden dock, smashing it to splinters. Black Manta and Cheetah leapt off the sides, lunging at the dockworkers.

Red beams shot from Manta's helmet visor, turning a fleeing worker to ash. He leveled his harpoon gun at the survivors.

"There's a captain called Proteus. Tell us where he is. First one to talk lives—rest don't."

Seawater dripped from his black suit. The workers were already freaked by the ash pile.

"Over there! The lighthouse—that's his place!" One guy, flat on the ground, pointed it out, face twisted in terror but eyes flickering with hope. "I spoke first—I live, right?"

Manta glanced at the red-and-white lighthouse jutting from the reef pile, its beam still spinning.

"Thanks," he said.

"So I can go?" the worker asked.

Manta's visor flared, and a sweep of energy later, every worker was dead.

Their ashes—or whatever it was—scattered fast in the coastal night breeze.

Manta cracked his neck, tossing Cheetah a casual, "Trusting people's dumb. There's your answer."

Cheetah's tail flicked, then relaxed. She slinked alongside Manta toward the lighthouse.

She'd bought Wonder Woman's spiel once, got humiliated hard by the warrior princess. Now she was in the Legion of Doom because she was done trusting anyone.

Manta drew his blade, coated—like Cheetah's claws—with that drop of Tear of Extinction, the black liquid shimmering faintly.

"Lex promised I'd kill every Atlantean myself, and I need to see it happen," Manta said. "That's my wish, Cheetah. But before the end, I want to top their godly power as a mortal."

"Ha," Cheetah snorted. Manta's goal was a mess.

Kill all Atlanteans and outdo their strength?

Chasing transcendence? Wrong team for that, buddy.

Manta didn't care what she thought. They were partners in action, not pals.

"We've sent the signal. Legend says a mystery beast'll rise, bringing what we want. Perfect shot at that power," he said, striding toward the lighthouse, leaving wet prints. "If I get it, I'm set. If not, I'll ditch Lex and go solo."

Cheetah ignored him. Her feline eyes caught movement in the dark—a figure bolting in panic across the boardwalk to the reef-bound lighthouse.

"That's him!"

Cheetah took off, leaving Manta in the dust in under a tenth of a second.

Cheetah— dubbed "the speedster who isn't"—didn't need the Speed Force. Pure physical burst got her to jaw-dropping velocity.

"No, impossible," the figure glanced back, clearly shocked by her pace.

He sped up, like he was racing to grab something from the lighthouse.

"Don't run, old man," Cheetah cackled, pouncing from behind and pinning him. "You're not slipping Cheetah's claws."

She raised a paw and slashed his neck hard.

It was an old guy—white hair, long beard—staring up in horror. His crushed windpipe and throat only wheezed.

"Wondering why your godly tricks ain't working?" Cheetah flashed her claws in his face, the black liquid glowing blue. "My nails are laced with the Tear of Extinction. No more healing, no illusions, no gods!"

She let Poseidon bleed out, laughing wildly. He was just the start of Olympus's fall. She'd off these fake gods one by one—see how Wonder Woman liked it.

Diana didn't vibe with gods—any of them. Respectful but distant, especially with the Olympians. Sometimes she didn't even hide it.

So Cheetah was curious: Now that she'd helped Diana's dream by killing an Olympian headliner, what face would the little queen make?

Joy? Rage?

"Hear the Tomb of the Gods calling? It's in these waves. Come on, Poseidon—let your broken carcass lead us. This world's gonna sink!"