We have to go back to when Thomas Wayne tried to use the Lazarus Pit to revive the Flash.
Unlike Bruce Wayne, who plans everything meticulously, old Thomas often acts purely on instinct.
Just like now—he found a pool of liquid capable of healing wounds and reviving the dead, assumed it was the legendary Lazarus Pit, and without hesitation decided to test it with the Flash's corpse.
But this pool was actually the source of all Lazarus Pits—the origin of the Joker's undying nature in the main universe, and one of the five crucial metals in the DC Universe: the Dionesium.
A true Lazarus Pit is nothing more than water infused with a trace amount of Dionesium. How could it possibly compare to the substance hidden beneath Gotham?
In another, normal timeline, Batman destroyed this extremely dangerous substance—capable of triggering an apocalyptic crisis—during a final confrontation with the Joker.
But in this universe, Batman clearly lacked that level of resolve. The Dionesium remained intact and was immediately used by old Thomas to revive the Flash.
When Thomas Wayne stood beside the pool, its surface shimmering with an eerie metallic glow, and carefully lowered the charred remains of the Flash into it—
Something unexpected happened.
Like dropping a massive chunk of sodium into water, the moment the corpse touched the Dionesium, a violent explosion erupted.
After a storm of golden lightning subsided, the old Batman was shocked to find that both the pool and the Flash's body had completely vanished.
In their place stood a horrifying shadow creature.
A massive bat-like monstrosity.
Its wingspan was so enormous that its tattered, blood-red wings couldn't fully spread within the cavern. Its vaguely visible torso and limbs were covered in wounds—like they had been hacked apart by blades and axes—exposing bone beneath torn flesh.
The creature hung upside down from the cavern ceiling. Its entire face was concealed beneath a bat-shaped hood, yet Thomas could clearly feel its dark gaze fixed upon him.
For the first time, the man who had always instilled fear in Gotham's criminals with guns and blades felt it himself—
The primal terror of prey facing an apex predator.
It was as if the nightmare that haunted Thomas's sleep in Wayne Manor had manifested into reality.
At that very moment, on the other side of the planet, Joey abandoned Starfire in less than 0.4 seconds and rushed back from East Africa to Gotham City.
Breaking through layers of rock headfirst, he entered the cavern—and saw the same nightmare.
The creator of Dionesium at its source.
The great dragon. The Bat God—Barbatos.
Joey had only half-seriously thought about slapping old Thomas earlier as a way to vent stress.
But now?
Seeing this thing—
He genuinely wanted to follow through.
So the first thing he did upon arrival was attack without even finishing his sentence:
"You old bat, I swear I'm gonna—!"
But before he could finish, Barbatos, hanging from the cavern ceiling, reached out with one claw.
As if space itself folded, Joey was instantly seized in its talon-like grip.
Feeling the crushing pressure around him, Joey struggled with all his strength—barely managing to avoid being squeezed into a red-and-blue pulp.
Seeing things go wrong, Thomas immediately reacted. He pulled from his belt and hurled seven or eight explosive Batarangs at Barbatos's head, then drew his pistol and emptied the entire 9mm magazine.
Watching this, Joey felt a wave of despair.
Seriously—is something wrong with this universe's matchmaking system?
Forget what he might have to face in the future—right now, he was fighting a multiversal-level entity, the Bat God Barbatos.
And his teammate?
An old man whose firepower was worse than a Middle Eastern mercenary—armed with a handgun and some explosives.
Worse still, with this level of exertion, the guy probably had at least a 5% chance per minute of dying from a heart attack.
And this whole disaster?
He caused it.
Just as Joey struggled in Barbatos's grip, a beam of black energy swept through the cavern, the massive impact knocking the creature's wings askew.
A giant black raven emerged from the shadows, drew Barbatos's attention—and vanished back into darkness.
Seizing the opportunity, Joey forced one arm free and slammed his fist into Barbatos's wrist joint.
The sheer impact finally forced the creature to release him.
Joey made a decision.
If he survived this—
Not only would he slap Thomas twice, he would also monitor him 24/7—eating, sleeping, even in the bathroom.
Even if it damaged his mental health, it was still better than what was currently happening to his physical health.
The idea of running flashed through Joey's mind for less than a microsecond before being crushed.
Against a being like Barbatos, distance meant nothing.
So he chose to charge forward and fight.
With everything he had, he threw a punch straight at that massive, looming head.
Barbatos watched with amusement as this fallen-universe Superman rushed toward it.
This universe had already exceeded its natural lifespan. Something must have gone wrong with this Superman's fate.
Superman is the core of every universe.
This one should have lost its Superman from the very beginning—and thus should have collapsed long ago.
But somehow, the universe had regained its Superman.
And because Superman had not died, the universe had yet to decay into nothingness.
Originally, Barbatos had only sensed that the Speed Force—something not belonging to this dark dimension—was interacting with its creation, prompting it to appear and observe.
It hadn't expected to find something this interesting.
These beings trapped in a nightmare—struggling for even a sliver of hope—
Only for fate to ultimately deliver despair.
That, after all, was the most fascinating aspect of the countless dark multiverses.
In a normal universe, Batman using Dionesium to revive the Flash wouldn't be a problem in itself.
The problem is that the universe Thomas is in… is not normal.
All material worlds that make up the multiverse are divided into three major categories: the positive matter universe, the antimatter universe, and the deeper dark matter realm.
The positive and antimatter universes are stable, orderly systems.
But the Dark Multiverse, formed from dark matter, is different.
It can be seen as the lower reflection of the positive and antimatter universes—their shadows cast upon the void.
Every dark universe is forged from the hopes and despair of living beings in other universes.
And more often than not, there is more despair than hope.
Every nightmare in an orderly universe can give birth to a dark universe with no future.
Every wrong decision can lead to its destruction.
Countless universes—almost destined to collapse—begin self-destruction before they can stabilize, only to be reborn again and again.
Like bubbles blown by a creator.
And just as bubbles rarely reach the sky, almost none of these dark universes ever stabilize.
As for one stabilizing long enough to ascend into the cosmic framework and join the ranks of the positive or antimatter universes—becoming a truly enduring universe?
The one who oversees these broken worlds—who constantly gathers their remains and throws them back into the forge of worlds for remaking—Barbatos has never seen such a case since his creation.
As for Superman's attack?
Barbatos didn't care.
Within the Dark Multiverse, nothing can truly kill him.
Rather than worrying about this insignificant insect, he was more interested in finding the entity from earlier—the one that could actually harm him.
From that fleeting black raven, Barbatos sensed a familiar presence—
A sulfurous scent from the hell dimension.
That brute who only takes and never creates—the parasite of the multiverse:
Trigon.
To be honest, Joey agreed with Barbatos on one thing—purely physical force is not enough to deal with a being like him.
But he couldn't just sit there and wait his death.
So he still threw his strongest punch.
But soon, both Barbatos and Joey realized how wrong they were.
Joey's fist struck directly against the horn hidden beneath Barbatos's bat-shaped cowl.
With overwhelming force, a crack appeared on something that should have been indestructible.
Barbatos roared in pain.
With a single thought, he attempted to erase this universe's Superman—
But encountered unexpected resistance.
Joey's existence collided with Barbatos's will.
Massive waves of energy erupted outward from Joey's body.
Barbatos possessed supreme authority granted by his creator—he should have been able to erase any being in the Dark Multiverse with a mere thought.
But this time—
He failed.
Into this cold, ruthless Dark Multiverse had been cast a stone—its exterior cold, but its core burning with heat.
Something beyond Barbatos's authority.
When light and dark matter collided, it was like the collision of positive and antimatter universes—
Triggering a violent chain reaction like a catalyst, resulting in a massive explosion of matter and information.
Wracked by the torrent, Barbatos howled:
"What are you?!"
Joey couldn't answer.
Because he was in no better shape.
The violent energy tore his skin apart inch by inch, blood spraying from his capillaries. The pain in his skull made him feel as if that punch had struck his own head.
At the same time, as waves of information rebounded from Barbatos's body, fragments of this universe's memories flooded into Joey's mind.
He saw how a Kryptonian ship had escaped this universe during a failed jump, becoming lost in the endless void beyond.
And how this universe, through spacetime fluctuations between worlds, had re-identified its core—
Then forcibly pulled it back, sealing off any path of return.
Barbatos realized that a repulsive reaction had formed between his existence and this Superman.
He should not—and could no longer—maintain a material presence in this universe.
The space around him began to fracture like glass, centered on his existence, rapidly spreading toward Joey.
Enduring the pain, Barbatos reached out, attempting to seize Joey—who was still writhing in agony midair—and drag him into exile beyond the material universe.
At that moment, the black raven from the shadows struck again.
It clamped Joey's cape in its beak and pulled him out of the collapsing space.
"This isn't over! I will return! Superman—and you, Trigon's little bas—!"
Before Barbatos could finish, a sharp, glass-like shatter rang out.
He—and all the matter around him—were exiled beyond the universe.
But before leaving, he left behind a 'gift.'
Opening his mouth, he spat out a fragment of a dying universe he had collected along the way.
The fragment gleamed like a broken shard of a mirror, faintly reflecting scenes from its original world.
Due to the spatial instability caused by Barbatos's exile, it became wildly unstable—
Triggering an even more violent shockwave.
And so, beneath the already disaster-stricken Gotham City—
An unprecedented explosion erupted.