Outside, the night rain continued to fall relentlessly.
Accompanied by crashing thunder.
The light from the Kent family's porch illuminated the uninvited guest's yellow uniform, making it painfully bright.
He stood there.
Negative Speed Force lightning flowed within his scarlet eyes.
A distorted smile, like a glitching mosaic, hung at the corner of his mouth.
"This is Aquaman, this is the Sea Queen... Surprised, kid?" This person's wicked smile was not as fiendish as Lucifer's, but rather a condescending arrogance tinged with a sarcastic tone.
Ian blinked.
He watched as the uninvited guest raised each hand in turn, showing him the two unconscious heroes—Arthur and Mera. They had clearly been attacked.
Wounds were still bleeding.
The blood dripped continuously onto the porch floor.
"A little surprised, but the adults aren't home, so I'm afraid I can't afford these two mermaids." Ian was only briefly stunned. He had now recognized who the person in front of him was.
Reverse-Flash.
The Flash's arch-nemesis, Barry Allen's greatest nightmare, and one of the most dangerous existence among speedsters, especially known for his complicated relationship with the Flash.
There were several Reverse-Flashes.
However, the most famous Reverse-Flash was Eobard Thawne. He was initially an obsessed Flash fan, but over time, his admiration for Barry Allen turned into jealousy and hatred. While attempting to imitate and surpass his idol, Thawne accidentally gained speed abilities similar to the Flash's.
These powers came from a distorted use of the Speed Force.
It was called the Negative Speed Force.
When Reverse-Flash runs, the Negative Speed Force is generated. As long as a speedster touches it, the Negative Speed Force will aggressively devour the Speed Force users like a cancer.
In addition, the Negative Speed Force can also sever a speedster's connection to the Speed Force. This is precisely why the owner of the Negative Speed Force is naturally the Flash's greatest foe.
"Do you want to exchange Aquaman and the Sea Queen for the Flash?" Ian didn't know why Reverse-Flash dared to come to Metropolis, but he knew the other party was certainly not here for Superman or himself.
"I think that's acceptable."
Reverse-Flash smiled sinisterly.
However, the Flash inside the house seemed completely unaware of what was happening.
"Who is it? Did Arthur bring you fish? Don't believe him, they don't eat fish. All the gifts they bring are soy products," Barry Allen's voice came from inside the house.
His words carried a sense of having been fooled before.
"It's your old enemy. He's turned over a new leaf and is now delivering takeout—the American economy really must be in a slump." Ian's loud response to the inside of the house made Reverse-Flash's smile instantly freeze.
The frequency of his facial shimmer slightly stuttered.
Seizing the opportunity, Ian suddenly struck—Black Tiger Steals the Groin, the movement was as fast as lightning! This ambush was truly swift and decisive, but unfortunately, he could never seem to match an evenly matched opponent.
Ian's speed, dozens of times faster than an ordinary person, might be effective against regular metahumans.
But against a speedster, it was still insufficient.
Even with the element of surprise, Reverse-Flash still transformed into a red blur at the critical moment. Ian didn't even have time to clearly see the other party's movements before hearing two heavy thuds behind him.
Reverse-Flash had not only entered the house himself, he had also thrown the two merpeople onto the floor.
And now he was standing behind Ian.
At this moment, the residual blur of the figure disappearing in front of Ian was still on his retina.
"Distracting me and then launching a sneak attack, not a bad scheme..." Reverse-Flash's voice was right next to Ian, dripping with mockery, "Too bad your speed is far too slow."
"Son of Superman? Nothing more than that." This was a truly effective taunt. Ian felt his strength increasing, the kind of boost that Perfect Divinity provides when encountering mockery.
[Perfect Divinity: When you are subjected to any form of mockery, you gain a 30% increase in all attributes, but your moral compass will continuously decline.]
This was a talent skill of [Savage Tyrant]. Ian was subjected to sharp mockery, and his combat strength instantly increased, yet he didn't feel the side effects arriving.
It must be because of the system's intense attempt to curry favor.
What other reason could there be?
"Knowing this is Superman's house, and a rat like you still dares to show up?" When Ian turned around, Reverse-Flash's face was almost pressed against his own.
"BOOM~"
A searing heat vision burst from Ian's eyes without warning.
Its speed was immense.
However, from Reverse-Flash's perspective, he could clearly see two golden lines of light extending from Ian's eyes. Feeling the danger, he immediately retreated several hundred steps.
"CRASH~"
Ian's attack missed again.
This wave blasted a hole straight through his living room ceiling.
"Ian! What are you doing!"
Jonathan, who had been asleep, was startled awake. He was fully armed with various god statues and poked his head out into the second-floor hallway, seeing Ian and a yellow-clad man facing each other beneath the burning ceiling.
"I'm going to call Dad!"
First startled, Jonathan, who was just a normal human, made the best decision. Instead of running downstairs to offer his life, shouting about bonds and family like in most movies, he immediately turned and rushed back into his room.
He also furiously banged on Jordan's door, calling for his other metahuman brother to come down and provide backup.
However, there was no response from Jordan's room.
"Superman? Heh, he won't be able to save you. He'll be too busy tonight." Reverse-Flash had deliberately timed his arrival, confident that he wouldn't be caught by Superman.
This was the broken ability of being a time traveler.
Not to mention he was also a man from the future. Before his voice fell, a red lightning bolt flashed again—Reverse-Flash had already appeared in front of the machine containing Barry.
"Which means no one can stop me from killing the Flash." Clearly, after scaring Ian, Reverse-Flash's goal this time was not Superman's child.
"Damn it! It's you again!"
Because he was inside Batman's machine, Barry Allen couldn't smash open the Wayne-made glass.
Wayne products were premium quality. Even the ability to resonate with the Speed Force couldn't take effect—the reason was simple: the true purpose of this machine was not just to analyze the Flash's body data.
The outside of the glass had the words [Speedster Cage] written on it.
Batman hadn't even bothered to paint over or edit the writing. His clear initial intention for creating this machine was to imprison speedsters, with analyzing their body data being just one of the machine's functions.
"You can't get out, can you? How pathetic... The teammate you screwed over has now screwed you over in return." Reverse-Flash's figure continued to shimmer violently. He stared at the Flash in the machine and began to mock him again.
Reverse-Flash was just that kind of person.
The Flash liked to give people pep talks, so his nemesis naturally enjoyed mocking and demoralizing him. Faced with the old foe's ridicule, a flash of annoyance crossed Barry Allen's face inside the machine.
Quickly, the annoyance was replaced by calm.
"I know. You've humiliated me time and time again over the years, and you must really enjoy mocking me." Barry Allen looked at the yellow-clad figure outside.
He suddenly had a brainstorm and spoke with a sincere tone.
"I can accept this fate. I can surrender to you... I can provide you with any emotional value you desire, you just need to do one thing for me."
Had the Flash lost his suit and his resilient spirit?
Barry Allen at this moment didn't seem like the never-say-die Flash.
This left Reverse-Flash slightly bewildered.
Ian, who was busy rescuing Aquaman and the Sea Queen, also instantly paused his movements.
The young boy widened his eyes in disbelief.
Someone was stealing his lines!
And sure enough!
"Los Angeles, there's a place called Lux bar. You just have to smash it for me..." Barry continued, even mimicking Ian's tone and that sharp, eunuch-like pitch perfectly.
Ian's expression was priceless.
The account thief was being robbed of his account?
Who would have thought!
The Flash ignored the boy's astonishment.
"How about it? Is it a deal?"
He stared intently at Reverse-Flash, speaking with a serious voice. Barry Allen might not have known what was in the Lux bar, but he knew that Reverse-Flash's speed couldn't match Savitar's.
If Savitar could enjoy a comfortable retirement there, Reverse-Flash certainly could too!
The Flash's heart was filled with anticipation!
However, some tricks simply didn't work for everyone, nor could they be used on everyone.
"I didn't expect you, Flash, to have the mind for conspiracies and tricks! Too bad I'm from the future!" Reverse-Flash suddenly laughed loudly, showing no sign of falling for the trick.
"There will be no more games between us. Today, I just need you to die." He abruptly pressed the machine's switch. The moment the glass popped open, the red lightning arcs on his body instantly flared up.
Reverse-Flash's speed truly was faster than the Flash's!
He was going to obliterate the Flash.
But at that very moment,
"Eobard Thawne!"
Ian's loud shout made Reverse-Flash momentarily pause. Reverse-Flash had already seized Barry's neck, and the lack of oxygen was causing the Speed Force manifesting on Barry's body to gradually dissipate.
"You can't kill him."
Ian, who knew his speed couldn't possibly keep up with the other party, had just washed his hands and emerged.
While the two were talking, he had managed to place Aquaman and the Sea Queen into the family fish tank, hoping they would "revive" sooner in the oxygenated water.
Mmm.
Ian had also poured a bottle of Amoxicillin into the fish tank, since Aquaman and the Sea Queen both had penetrating injuries.
"Kid, what do you know?"
Reverse-Flash turned back to look at Ian with a hideous glare.
Ian had called out his name.
This shouldn't have been information the Superman family knew.
Nor should the Flash have known.
"I know who you are, so you shouldn't kill the Flash, because the moment you kill him, you will also die." Ian returned to his original spot.
He spoke with a firm tone.
He began trying to integrate into the talk-show atmosphere of the Flash's drama.
He had no choice.
After quickly checking his skill bar and finding no immediate countermeasures, Ian could only activate his super-intelligence. He also finally understood why speedsters gave most heroes such a headache.
All superpowers under heaven were truly vulnerable to being only fast.
"What nonsense are you spewing?" Confused lightning arcs flickered in Reverse-Flash's scarlet eyes. He was greatly bewildered by Ian's statement but didn't assume Ian needed medication.
As a member of the speedsters, Reverse-Flash, like the Flash, had a shared flaw—they preferred talking over fighting. Thus, he didn't continue his attack on the Flash but instead stared intently at Ian with his scarlet eyes.
This arrogance was the common failing of speedsters.
They always felt they had enough time to do whatever they wanted.
"Eobard Thawne." Ian tried to make his tone as serious as possible to increase the credibility of his statement. He also used psychological techniques to stare into Reverse-Flash's eyes.
"Don't ask me how I know who you are. Just know that I'm also from the future, and an even more distant future than you." Ian believed that by speaking the truth, he would sound like he was speaking the truth.
This good habit finally paid off handsomely at this moment.
"Huh?"
Reverse-Flash was visibly stunned.
His expression was filled with doubt and alarm.
"In this timeline, Superman shouldn't have a third child." This was the reason for Reverse-Flash's hesitation. Due to the information gap, his face was filled with confusion and vigilance.
This was how time travelers were.
Without an information gap, they were even easier to fool than ordinary people.
Seeing this, Ian immediately pressed his advantage, "You only know you are Eobard Thawne, but that's just a name. I can be Eobard Thawne, and he can be Eobard Thawne."
With that, Ian pointed to the dying Flash.
"Names are just symbols. Where we truly originate from—that's the question we need to explore. I suggest you check the American DNA testing database."
"How many children are going by names that shouldn't belong to them?"
"That's the way the country is. Superheroes are people too, so you only know Barry Allen's wife is Iris, but you're not aware that he, as a superhero, has a secret lover."
"And that's your mother!"
"Yes, you are not Eddie Thawne's child. You are actually the Flash's... Barry Allen's child! This file is sealed in a museum in the 68th century!"
Ian spoke vividly, his eyes unwavering, as if he had truly visited that museum. "The reason your mother married Eddie Thawne is also very simple."
"It's just because the Flash couldn't give her a title. After all, the Flash is a superhero, and your mother didn't want to see her beloved suffer a loss of reputation."
"What is that called? That's love!" Ian used his world-shattering talent. Having failed in his attempt to physically challenge the speedster, he could only try his best to stall for time to prevent the Flash from being killed.
The Flash did not object.
This proved that even the choked-out Flash agreed that Ian's words might not be entirely untrue.
The man simply didn't have the chance to argue.
"????????????"
Accompanied by a thunderclap outside, Reverse-Flash stiffened on the spot.
His emotions were violently fluctuating.
His hand gripping the Flash's neck was trembling slightly.
Clearly, today, Ian had finally met the person who could truly appreciate his talent.
"Let him go. Let the Flash go."
Ian continued to counsel him, using a gentle tone, "This is also letting go of your biological father. Eobard Thawne, remember, family is more important than anything else."
His tone was like a priest.
Compassionate, merciful.
Ian felt he was completely immersed in the speedster conversation atmosphere.
However, the next moment, he heard Reverse-Flash's heavy breathing.
"I don't need to care about your Flash." Reverse-Flash appeared in front of Ian, completely scarlet, his emotions clearly extremely turbulent.
Ian tried to use his Instant Transmission to appear behind Reverse-Flash, but the moment he confirmed the Instant Transmission landing point and materialized in the air, Reverse-Flash had already switched his position.
The reaction ability of a speedster far surpassed the imagination of a normal person.
"Sharp-tongued brat, I'll rip your mouth off!" Amidst the roar, Reverse-Flash's speed visibly increased due to his intense emotion. His hand shot straight through the chest of Ian, who made no attempt to dodge.
[Berserker EXP +13]
Well.
Ian hadn't planned to dodge at all. He knew that if he didn't defend, then he didn't need to defend, and that, in its own way, was the most powerful defense in the world.
The high-vibration hand penetrated Ian's chest.
And grabbed Ian's heart.
[Berserker EXP +18]
"Have you ever seen a heart that can hit back? If you haven't—" Ian was about to ask politely when his broken chest suddenly erupted in a blinding white light.
"RUMBLE~!"
Reverse-Flash was directly blasted back by the overflowing white light. It seemed he was unable to dodge for the first time. He went into a spinning flight, crashed through a wall, and tumbled into the kitchen.
A pile of pots, pans, and the shattered stove buried Reverse-Flash.
Dust filled the air.
"Damn it! I have too much Magic Power!" Ian clutched his glowing chest, stopping the Magic Power from causing further damage. His tone carried a hint of annoyance and disappointment. He had originally planned to test his strange idea of using his heartbeat to attach the [Blood of Wrath] for a counterattack!
Dreadful Evil God Magic Power!
It was even turning against its own master?
With the activation of [Healing Frenzy], Ian's wound healed rapidly. By the time Reverse-Flash, with half his body charred, crawled out of the rubble, Ian was already back in a completely intact state.
"Um, can you try to squeeze it one more time? This time I promise my body won't leak light..." Ian probed, but his only response was Reverse-Flash's furious roar.
"How are you not dead!" Reverse-Flash remembered crushing the other party's heart at the last second, so why was this boy still standing there running his mouth!
"If you can't, forget it."
Ian felt that Reverse-Flash probably wouldn't try the same trick again.
He was very wistful, feeling like his brilliant idea had been wasted.
"You should be dead! Kryptonians don't have two hearts!" Reverse-Flash's voice was as sharp as metal scraping glass, and the red arcs on his body flickered like a broken neon sign.
Blood seeped from the cracks in his charred suit, indicating a serious injury.
"Is it because of the Paternity Paradox? You can't kill me because at that absolute moment in time, on the day your mother got pregnant, the magical room had more than just my Uncle Barry in it."
Ian was actually thinking of the night the Flash's mother died, but his thought process was clearly too much of a generalization. He couldn't believe he was capable of such filthy language.
Sure enough, the side effect of [Perfect Divinity] was finally taking effect. This was actually part of Ian's plan: to save the Flash, he had to become the unit with the 'mockery' attribute.
The furious Reverse-Flash successfully took the bait.
The mockery effect was instantaneous.
The sound of teeth grinding could be heard beneath Reverse-Flash's mask.
"I'm going to kill you!"
A red lightning bolt cracked the wall bricks.
This time, his speed was visibly reduced due to his injuries.
Of course, Reverse-Flash's speed was still far greater than Ian's current maximum super-speed. However, since Ian had triggered the near-death passive after his Berserker Heart was crushed, Ian, who had received a second 30% boost, finally had a little reaction time. He immediately flew up toward the sky through the hole he had blasted in the ceiling.
He cut a vapor trail in the rain.
Absolute aerial flight speed was actually much faster than running.
However, even so, by the time Ian floated above the roof, Reverse-Flash had run several circles on the ground. Then, with an acceleration, he shot straight into the sky toward Ian.
He jumped ridiculously high.
Speedsters were just that unreasonable.
"Meaningless escape! It won't change your fate! Stalling for time is useless! Superman can't save anyone anymore!" Reverse-Flash was enveloped in red arcs as he ascended into the sky.
Reverse-Flash's voice was distorted in the rain.
He shot upwards, intending to twist Ian's neck directly.
"I'm not Ian the Runner."
Faced with Reverse-Flash's attack, Ian chose not to dodge but to use his neck as bait. As the other party grabbed him, preparing to twist his neck, Ian activated [Mimicry].
"Actually, the moment you touch me, it also means I have touched you—that's relativity." Rain slid down Ian's forehead, his expression still somewhat calm.
"SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!"
The Mimicry Spider Hands that extended from his back directly penetrated the opponent's body, which had no ground to run on.
High in the sky was the speedster's weakness.
"ARGHHHH!"
The excruciating pain caused Reverse-Flash to let out an inhuman howl, but the strength in his hand did not diminish. After exerting all his force to twist Ian's neck, he also quickly used a high-speed hand blade to sever Ian's Mimicry Spider Hands.
[Berserker EXP +19]
Ian, of course, was not dead. He remained suspended in the air, using his hands to fix the position of his head. Conversely, the exhausted Reverse-Flash was plummeting toward the ground with an expression of disbelief.
"This was also part of the plan, Reverse-Flash. Nothing more than that." Ian used the opponent's own words against him. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the rapidly descending Reverse-Flash.
The stellar energy within his eyes was ready to fire.
Ian knew that if Reverse-Flash landed, the speedster cockroach would immediately flee, or take the Flash with him. He wouldn't get a second chance to save Uncle Barry, who owed him over thirty thousand favors.
Therefore,
"Thank goodness for the shared brain, which has pushed my intelligence and calculation power to a new level." Ian thought to himself. He seized the timing and let out a super-shout.
"JORDAN! DAD'S HOME TO CATCH YOU!"
His roar shook the house, the sound wave shattering the remaining window glass. And so, the roof directly beneath where Reverse-Flash was falling suddenly exploded without warning.
It was blasted open by an impact.
"BANG~"
The sound of a violent explosion was incessant.
The spot directly below Ian's carefully chosen hovering point—the other side of the roof that had been partially destroyed by his heat vision—was now completely breached by something else.
It was a pink object that was flowering for the second time.
Faster and fiercer than a bullet.
Reverse-Flash turned his head, his face terrified. Even though red Negative Speed Force was still surging from his body, Ian's heat vision blocked the only two positions he could have maneuvered to. He ultimately couldn't avoid the fate of having his abdomen completely perforated.
The intestines bloomed inside Reverse-Flash's belly.
The contents exploded a second time inside Reverse-Flash's body like shrapnel.
"Hiss~"
Ian, who had managed to dodge in time, hadn't anticipated this sight. He drew a cold breath. Not daring to acknowledge Reverse-Flash as his parents' brother-in-law, he could only let out a sincere sigh after a moment of silence.
"Sure enough, the strongest second-generation hero in our family is still Jordan." The heavy rain continued to fall. Lightning arcs occasionally flashed across the sky. Rainwater dripped from Ian's chin.
He hovered beneath the deep and oppressive sky.
He watched as Reverse-Flash hit the ground, splashing up a huge spray of water. But as mentioned just now, the physical resilience of a speedster truly was a mystery.
After landing, even though his entire abdomen was empty, the dying Reverse-Flash's body convulsed for a moment, and then a faint red arc of electricity resurfaced on his skin.
Seeing this, Ian immediately swooped down.
His vision confirmed that Reverse-Flash still wasn't completely dead after hitting the ground.
Jordan was truly a superhero.
Perhaps his descendants, who hadn't even been born yet, were already adhering to the non-lethal principle of the superhero family?
"Damn it!"
Ian realized his speed wasn't fast enough, because the grounded Reverse-Flash seemed to be experiencing a last surge of life. The Negative Speed Force on his body was violently erupting.
It was the desperate resolve of facing certain death.
"I can die! But the Flash must die too! This is... for my world!"
The dying Reverse-Flash suddenly unleashed a final burst of Negative Speed Force.
Oak trees turned to charcoal in the red arc. Rain instantly vaporized in the high temperature, forming a cloud of white mist. He dragged his crippled body toward the living room, his speed a final, desperate swan song.
Ian plunged at full speed.
Rain lashed against his face.
Where his sight landed, he Instant Transmitted into the living room, but that position was still a little distance away from the location of the machine.
The next Instant Transmission required a visual lock, but Reverse-Flash had already reached the unconscious Flash.
It all happened too fast.
"The Justice League will lose all hope from now on! No one can save you! And no one can save the Flash!" Reverse-Flash's vocal cords were already damaged.
His scream sounded like rusty gears grinding, especially haunting mixed with the sound of the rain.
"Die!"
The instant Ian appeared in the living room, Reverse-Flash had already grabbed Barry Allen's head.
And just as he was about to twist Barry Allen's neck, with the Flash seemingly about to perish.
"Who says no one?"
A hand wearing a yellow glove suddenly emerged from Reverse-Flash's back, piercing through his chest.
Reverse-Flash's movements instantly froze.
"Wh-why..." On Reverse-Flash's stunned face, his gradually fading eyes were filled with disbelief. He painstakingly lowered his head and looked at the vibrating hand in front of his chest.
The red Negative Speed Force on his body dissipated like a receding tide.
"Because I had enough time to think about what would be most beneficial to myself." The yellow-clad man, whose voice sounded like electronic music, stood vibrating behind Reverse-Flash.
He was—another Reverse-Flash!
"It seems the truth I discovered was not wrong."
The second Reverse-Flash slowly withdrew his hand, letting the corpse slump into the rain-flooded living room. He slowly looked up, rainwater running down the cracks in his yellow mask.
Scarlet lightning arcs leaped wildly in the rainy night.
"What an astonishing change in the timeline... Too bad, tonight, I don't really want to investigate the reason for your appearance." As he spoke, the Negative Speed Force on this Reverse-Flash seemed to increase at an incredible rate. The Negative Speed Force around his body doubled, surging and swelling like boiling plasma.
"..."
Ian could feel that the other party's speed and strength had terrifyingly increased after the death of the previous Reverse-Flash.
He didn't know why.
He was just about to probe when,
"RUMBLE~"
A terrifying web of thunder crisscrossed the sky outside the house.
Inside the living room, the air began to twist, and a fierce wind erupted. A terrifying Speed Force vortex was slowly forming. Broken roof tiles were sucked into the vortex and instantly pulverized into dust.
The newly appeared Reverse-Flash seemed to be facing a great enemy.
Following his gaze into the vortex, black lightning intertwined, vaguely outlining countless hideous contours.
***
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