"This sword is for Earth!"
Supported by Barry, Mera wielded her weapon, charging toward the Flood Demon that kept spewing purple seawater at the battlefield's edge.
The enormous monster had already burst through the tomb's ceiling, and only parts of its body could be seen below.
The water it spat out cascaded down like a purple waterfall from the heavens, accompanied by a thunderous roar, rapidly raising the water level in the tomb.
But when the Hard Water Sword, tainted with the Tear of Extinction, slashed through its body, it was like stirring a wave with an oar.
The monster collapsed with a crash.
Like ordinary liquid, it could no longer maintain its form. The Flood Demon, like a lizard shedding its tail, constantly cut off the poisoned parts of itself.
The Tear of Extinction spread rapidly within it, and the massive wave rolled and tore itself apart in front of everyone.
Though the slash didn't take the Flood Demon's life, now it could only howl in pain, unable to spew more seawater. It also had to shrink its size to seek more space to dodge.
"It's working!" Barry shouted joyfully.
They didn't know what that black liquid was, but with just a light slash, it smoothly resolved an issue even Superman couldn't handle before.
The water stopped pouring.
Yet the Queen of the sea would not rest; she didn't pursue the shrinking Flood Demon but instead, while the Divine Speed still coursed through her, plunged a sword directly into Zhen Hai's belly.
Zhen Hai's armor had been shattered by Su Ming before, and now he somehow obtained another similar set.
But its defensive effect was almost nil. Underwater races mostly went bare-chested or wore light armor; even the Alien Sea God's armor was more decorative.
Zhen Hai's face showed agony and panic as the concept of annihilation rampaged within him along with the water.
"No!"
He reached out to grasp the Treasure Sword, pulling it from his body, using all his might to mobilize Divine Power. By this time, the Divine Speed had already faded from Mera, and Zhen Hai's jet stream hit her accurately, blasting her away.
Barry caught Mera, preventing her from falling into enemy ranks.
Zhen Hai did not continue to attack. Not only was he seriously injured by that sword, but more importantly, he was filled with fear of the Tear of Extinction.
"Retreat! We're retreating!"
After blasting Mera away, Zhen Hai clutched his wounded belly and staggered as he continuously backed away: "They now have a weapon to counter us; we can't confront them head-on."
When Earthlings obtained the Tear of Extinction, Zhen Hai had no means to deal with it, plus they also faced Kryptonians and Speedsters; that sinful liquid was the greatest weapon.
"What? In another one or two minutes, The Flash will turn into a Fish-Man, and I have a way to handle the Kryptonians. We don't need to retreat!" Black Manta looked at Zhen Hai in disbelief, staring at this weathered Alien Sea God.
He couldn't understand why the other was so timid.
The Flood Demon wasn't dead; although it couldn't drown Superman directly with seawater, it could still set up a barrier to protect Zhen Hai and Black Manta.
And Superman, who was currently under siege, wouldn't last much longer.
But unfortunately, Black Manta's words didn't carry weight. The Fish Tooth Necklace controlling the Flood Demon was still on Zhen Hai's neck; with just a raise of his hand, the purple-green Sea Monster opened a teleportation gate in its mouth.
"This matter is not up for discussion; Black Manta, remember your place."
Zhen Hai showed loyalty; while retreating, he grabbed Black Manta along too, though he gave him a lesson along the way.
They're gods, after all; whatever they say, you, Manta Ray, just listen. Why offer your opinion?
Even if Manta Ray really became the new Sea King, he'd still have to listen to the three gods.
"My place is right here, no! I—"
Before Black Manta could finish speaking, he couldn't resist Zhen Hai's power anymore, and though the Alien Sea God was severely injured, his Divine Power was not something mortals could match.
In that whirlpool of purple mixed with green and starred with starlike lights, the two disappeared in a flash, and the Sea Monster Flood Demon dissipated like mist.
They retreated, leaving behind a great group of Earth heroes transformed into Fish-Men guarding the rear.
When their former comrades formed a mountain-like pile, charging forward relentlessly, Barry and Superman couldn't bear to fight their way out with ruthlessness and could only watch the Sea God and Manta Ray escape.
Barry pulled Mera back, the three huddling within a Hard Water Barrier, figuring out how to break through the tomb.
But it was too difficult; Fish-Man Zatanna's powers had significantly increased, casting all kinds of magic from the sky, with Mera defending against them.
Mera held the Treasure Sword in one hand and still grasped the Divine Horn in the other, maintaining the Hard Water Barrier, enduring immense hardship.
The wisps of the Tear of Extinction remaining in Aryan's bones slowly rose like blue smoke, violating the laws of physics as they poured into the conch.
The conch quickly changed from blue to yellow, emitting a strong light, but more dense black fog emerged from it.
"I can feel a force of annihilation flowing through my hands, very dark and very dangerous... but for now, it's useful."
As she advanced under the protection of two men, she spoke somewhat fearfully to Barry.
This liquid seemed capable of affecting a person's mind, filling them with a desire for destruction. The unfamiliar sensation made Mera uncomfortable.
She hoped that Barry, as a scientist, could provide her with a reasonable explanation.
However, matters involving rules, gods, and magic were completely beyond Barry's knowledge.
In addition, previously having continually used Divine Speed, Barry's Fish-Man transformation had spread to half his body; his left hand had turned into a blue lobster claw, and his mind was filled with the sounds of ocean waves.
So Barry could only run around within the Hard Water Barrier, pushing away the Fish-Men surrounding them, but he couldn't answer Mera's questions at all.
"As long as it's useful."
Barry could only say this, then pushed away the Fish-Man version of Firestorm approaching them and beat back a Sharkman on the other side.
Superman was almost suppressed entirely by various forms of magic; his only means of counterattack now was Heat Sight: "Our friends have all turned into fish, Barry, we need to think of a solution."
"If I had a solution, it would be great," The Flash rolled his eyes; his lobster-transformed arm had stretched his costume to breaking point: "I'm resisting the transformation with all my might, but I can feel my mind being eroded by the enemy. They're about to control me."
"There is a solution, and that's to find those Alien Sea Gods and kill them!"
Mera gritted her teeth and said, now with the surrounding attacks being too dense and endless purple seawater all around, the three found it difficult not just to advance but even to stay in the main chamber.
The surrounding enemies increased in number, and the situation deteriorated further. It was as if the Fish-Men intended to burst the Hard Water Barrier by crowding against it.
Suddenly, a figure in a yellow-black uniform leaped onto the Hard Water Barrier off the surrounding Fish-Men, but before Barry could feel relieved, he realized it was a monster with a fish head and not his friend.
This was Deathstroke from the Main World, who at some point had also turned into a Fish-Man. Now, he was stabbing the Hard Water Barrier with his Promethium Metal Giant Sword.
The special high anti-magic weapon was extremely sharp, directly piercing the Hard Water Barrier. Superman had to use his bare hands to grab the blade.
But in doing so, they had even less power to resist enemies from other directions. The three were like insects in a blue bubble, and if it burst, they would be submerged by the water.
"It's the first time I wish for fewer friends." Barry looked at Deathstroke ahead, his heart racing.
Fortunately, this wasn't Deathstroke from the Otherworld, so his abilities were still limited.
But unfortunately, even so, a Martial Arts Master with a good weapon posed a significant threat to them under these circumstances.
Mera could no longer speak; she was supporting the barrier with all her strength but had no idea how long she could hold on. She was exhausted, and fatigue was threatening to make her faint at any moment.
But just when the three were silently gritting their teeth and holding on, Barry saw another figure leap onto the Hard Water Barrier.
This person... looked somewhat unfamiliar...
He wore a red, blue, and white uniform, holding a Pentagram Shield. He seemed just short of wearing the American flag.
This was also a Fish-Man with a clearly corrupted hero's head.
However, Barry was certain he had never seen this person in the Main Universe. Wearing the national flag on oneself so ostentatiously would surely be famous.
And as Barry was fumbling, the 'flag-clad' Fish-Man patted the 'Deathstroke Fish,' who was cutting the barrier, on the shoulder like a good friend.
Seeming to say, 'Step aside, I'll take it from here.'
But the moment the native Deathstroke turned his head, that unfamiliar hero delivered a Shield Strike directly, sending the Deathstroke Fish flying backward.
Even underwater, he flew nearly a hundred meters, slamming into the wall of the tomb passage, leaving a human-shaped hollow, and then being buried under falling stones and brickwork.
The new Fish-Man's shoulders shook a few times as if he were laughing, and then he initiated a swift attack on those around him.
Indeed, Barry could only describe it as swift. Not to mention each punch and kick sent people flying meters away, but even the act of hardening against magic and striking with the shield was incredibly fierce.
If anyone could still charge at nearly a hundred Fish-Man heroes, Barry couldn't recall anyone other than this figure.
Was it a Kryptonian? Or was Darkseid preparing to do good deeds?
The opponent's hand-to-hand skills appeared very simple, with the entire fighting style revolving around the shield. For some reason, just seeing this fighting style made it feel like a return to the World War II battlefield.
Despite such obvious Fish-Man traits, it seemed he had come to help the three of them. Was his will that firm?
But as the battle continued, the opponent's armor inevitably sustained damage.
Expecting to see blood or wounds and feeling some concern, Barry saw underneath that armor was a layer of flawless yellow-black metal.
Barry: "..."
As expected, Deathstroke from the Otherworld had come again. He always liked to do bizarre things, and this Fish-Man transformation was probably just a disguise.
Su Ming saw Barry's look of utter hopelessness and knew he'd been exposed. He had no choice but to let Strangulation remove the Captain America-style disguise and continued fighting these heroes in his true form.
He had wanted to save them in a magnanimous and righteous guise, to see if wearing the Star-Spangled Banner would add bonus points in terms of goodwill.
But Barry had seen through him, so he couldn't play along any longer. These Fish-Man-transformed guys really could land hit on him; they had some skills.