What bad thoughts can Batman have?

Chapter 974 Go all out, Void Hand, don't hesitate!
Papetua was somewhat surprised.

No way, she herself never thought things would develop to this point. There's no possibility of reconciliation between them, and of course, no chance of cooperation. The conflict between her and Batman Dragon is a complete mess, but now that things have come to this, what kind of trouble is the other party going to cause?
"It is necessary to pause our civil war for now."

Papetua heard Batman Dragon say.

The Mother of the Multiverse paused her movements for a moment.

She gestured for Batman Dragon to continue.

"The Void Hand and its minions, the Bats Laughing, have invaded this multiverse while we are at war. Regardless of who wins, the Void Hand remains our most formidable enemy. Even though we both wish for the destruction of the other, I believe we can reach an agreement on this issue of the Void Hand, can't we?"

Harpetua had only intended to listen to what Batman Dragon had to say, but what the other man said silenced him.

Indeed, Outer Gods like the Void Hand are enemies of the multiverse. Unlike the Origin Hand, they do not consider creating universes and then sacrificing themselves to benefit the entire multiverse as their purpose.

Perpetua transformed the DC multiverse he created into a bio-weapon, but he also paid a price. The DC multiverse was inherently weak, which is why it was coveted by Outer Gods like the Void Hand.

Look, an interesting situation has arisen.

Despite their bitter rivalry, Papetuba and Batman's Dragon have managed to reach an agreement on the issue of the Void Hand. It's fascinating how these opposing forces can find common ground on a single issue.

“If I were you, I would never want us to fight to the death, only to have the Void Hand take advantage of the situation and kill both of us at the same time.”

"The only one who will die is you, Batman Dragon."

“You understand what I mean. There’s no point in arguing,” Chen Tao replied to the Mother of the Multiverse. “No matter how we fight, the DC Multiverse is always the foundation of our existence. If this foundation is destroyed, our struggle will lose its meaning.”

Indeed, for Perpetua, losing the DC multiverse meant losing all leverage to fight against the Origin Hands. Given the crimes she committed, if the Eagle Judge finds her, it will be the end for Perpetua. But if the DC multiverse still exists, there is still room for negotiation.

"Perhaps I must also tell you some bad news," Chen Tao said. "The Batman Who Laughs has obtained the essence of Superman N, provided he offers it to the Hand of the Void..."

"What?! Damn it!"

Papetua was taken aback upon hearing this.

The Void Hand with its essence and the Void Hand without its essence are two completely different concepts. The Void Hand originally belonged to an outsider. Even if it could wreak havoc with its power, given time, Papetua would eventually be able to drive the Void Hand away.

An Outer God can never truly usurp another's place; in the framework of the DC multiverse, there is no place for the Void Hand.

So, while Papetúa originally valued the Hand of the Void, this value was the same as valuing a jackal at your doorstep.

This jackal could burst in at any moment, but you know that jackals only want meat, so your conflict will be limited to meat. Even if he drives you away, he can't live in a human house and will eventually leave.

Therefore, it is correct that you are wary of this jackal.

But now, once the Void Hand has the essence of Superman N, he has transformed from a jackal into a human. He can come in, drive you away, live in your house, take over everything, and completely replace you. You can never go back to this house because it has a new owner. How could Papetua possibly accept that?
"Damn it, where did a nobody like the Batman Who Laughs get the essence of N Superman? To allow the Void Hand to obtain the essence of N Superman, this is simply..."

"It was I who gave the essence to the Bat of Laughter," Chen Tao replied immediately.

Papetua: "..."

"After all, we are enemies. If it can cause you some trouble, I will definitely try my best to do so," Chen Tao told the Mother of the Multiverse sincerely.

He has always been an honest and good boy.

Papetua took a deep breath.

They are indeed enemies, and their logic seems to make no mistake, but then what?
"But I am ultimately a being of the DC multiverse, and I can never allow the Void Hand to invade this multiverse."

You don't allow the Void Hand to invade, yet you give its essence to the other party? Is this a battle between the left and right hemispheres of your brain?
“So, I’ve prepared a groundbreaking plan,” Papetua heard Batman Dragon say.

Papetua now feels like a hundred broken gongs are ringing in her head whenever she hears the plan, and she just gets a headache.

"Speak." She immediately stopped hurling insults.

“We need to set a trap to lure the Void Hand in all at once, and then execute him.”

Chen Tao made a slashing motion with his sword.

"To eliminate the Void Hand once and for all, at the very least, we must prevent him from having the spare capacity to interfere with the multiverse during our upcoming battles."

Chen Tao said, "Before the two tigers have their final showdown, they often join forces to kill the wolves that might interfere with the outcome of their final battle. I think this should be a consensus."

Papetua remained noncommittal; she intended to first hear what Batman Dragon's plan was. She'd listen, after all.

The other party's plan was just one Batman wearing a bra after another, and Papetoa himself had already had enough of the other party's unpredictable and bizarre tactics.

If the opponent intends to use this method against the Void Hand, Papetua could certainly help them.

“I need you to cut off a small piece of your own finger. Only a part of your own flesh is the best bait for the Void Hand.”

The Mother of the Multiverse's expression darkened.

"You intend to take a small piece of my finger from me with mere words? Do you think I'd agree?" "Of course you wouldn't agree, Perpetua, but the Void Hand will join the DC Multiverse as a core part of it. I don't care if the two sides clash into a three-way battle. You see, I know very well that although the Ultimate Watcher has temporarily suppressed you, it won't last long. You still hold the possibility of final victory. If my final outcome is that I've exhausted all my options and am defeated by you again, then why can't I bring in an Outer God as reinforcements to delay the point at which the entire multiverse falls completely under your control?"

Papetua retorted, "And what about you? What did you pay for all of this? I'm the only one who has paid the price, while you've reaped the benefits?"

“Yes, I can’t give anything in return, but this was an operation designed to weaken you, Papetua. You have a choice, of course you have a choice: either cut off a finger and join me in executing the Void Hand, or I let the Void Hand in and then fight you in the ring. For you, there are only worst and worse options, and I am now mercifully willing to help you resolve the worst that is unacceptable. You should be grateful for that.”

"You can't control the Void Hand either. You'll play with fire and get burned. Haven't you ever considered this?"

"How could I possibly control you? To let you manipulate the entire DC multiverse, turning everyone into your slaves and soldiers. How is that any better than letting the Void Hand devour our universe? I can take the risk; things can't get any worse, but what about you? Caught in a tug-of-war with the Void Hand, will you have time to retrieve the Unified Body? If you can't retrieve it quickly enough, will you even have a chance to start training your army? Without the help of the DC multiverse and your powerful army, are you really confident in facing the impending arrival of the Origin Hands? I don't need to worry about these things, because I'm not a traitor among the Origin Hands!"

"Dr. Manhattan will stop it..."

"I know Manhattan better than you do!"

Batman Dragon shouted at Perpetua, "As long as I step forward and prove that the Void Hand is an Outer God I summoned, that I nurtured him into the core of the DC multiverse to fight against you, Perpetua, the destroyer of the DC multiverse—a superhero versus a supervillain—the basic narrative structure of a supervillain can be completed. In Doctor Manhattan's view, this is still an internal affair of the DC multiverse, because I represent the Void Hand! You think I wouldn't make preparations? You think that by daring to let the Void Hand in, I didn't consider how to use it to counterbalance you? You had no choice, Perpetua, you had no choice!"

"enough!"

Papetua said.

She closed her eyes, but finally asked:
"What exactly is your plan, including cutting off my finger as bait?"

……

……

……

When the Bat of Laughter reconnected with the Void Hand, he humbly presented his gift to its master.

"You'd better explain why you lost contact for a while," the Void Hand said with a laugh. "Although I can read your memories directly, I prefer to hear it from you yourself."

"Great Void Hand, I have obtained for you the greatest treasure in this multiverse." The Batman Who Laughs spoke with fervent fervor, his eyes lowered. "A treasure that can help you completely conquer the entire DC multiverse. For this, I infiltrated the Batman Dragon's body, which is why I lost contact with you."

At this moment, the Bat of Laughter was clearly in an abnormal state, completely lacking the shrewdness and wickedness he displayed in front of Chen Tao. He worshipped the Hand of the Void like an ordinary evil noble convert, as if the Bat of Laughter had split himself in two, specifically to mix a fanatical personality into a part of his body to deceive the Hand of the Void.

He maintained the purity of his thought system in a way that no one else knew, which allowed him to succeed repeatedly, first with Barbatos, then with the Watcher, and then with everyone else.

The Void Hand fell silent for a moment. After listening to the Batman Who Laughs' explanation, he read the Batman Who Laughs' memories across the vast barrier of the multiverse.

Then he learned the entire process by which the Batman Who Laughs obtained the essence, which seemed exactly the same as what the Batman Who Laughs had said, with no difference whatsoever.

"Take the item out," the Void Hand commanded.

The Bat of Laughter obediently pulled its essence from its body and placed it before the Evil Noble, so that the Hand of the Void could observe this powerful force—enough to secure a place for him in the DC Multiverse—through the Evil Noble.

"With this, the DC multiverse will be ours for the taking," the maniac laughed in a low voice, "and no one can stop us anymore."

The Void Hand did not reply, and the Laughing Bat quickly continued speaking while the Void Hand hesitated.

"What Batman Dragon least wants is for Perpetual to rule the entire DC multiverse. Our entry will be his lifeline. It's obvious to everyone that although the Ultimate Monitor he created can temporarily suppress Perpetual, it will eventually be slaughtered by Perpetual. He desperately needs an ally like us. No matter what we do to the DC multiverse in the future, he only wants to get through this crisis first."

At this moment, the Bat of Laughter was genuinely thinking of the Void Hand's best interests. Even if the Void Hand were to read the other's memories, it would only arrive at this conclusion. The Void Hand didn't even bother to read his memories. He trusted the evil noble he had transformed too much. Even if someone had been able to resist its transformation in the past, they would ultimately only fall completely into its clutches.

The Hand of the Void pondered silently.

"How much do you know about Dr. Manhattan?"

He spoke.

"He is definitely not stronger than Papetua, and Dr. Manhattan is just an observer. He never interferes in matters of the DC multiverse. You can look through the entire history of the DC multiverse, and he has never interfered in the battle between good and evil, not even once."

There seems to be no reason to stop the Hand of the Void from entering the fray.

The Hand of the Void was deep in thought.

He knew of Dr. Manhattan's existence and that he was extremely dangerous, but he wasn't sure exactly how dangerous he was.

The real world isn't an online game. Dr. Manhattan won't have a level that's obviously higher than yours, making it easy for you to tell how dangerous he is.

Given that everyone seemed to be on the same level, Dr. Manhattan, who had never made a move or directly confronted anyone, had never really shown his strength.

This is an opportunity, but it could also leave him with nothing.

Should he... take a gamble?

Well, there's a classic saying about gambling.

When you start considering whether or not to gamble, you've already prepared yourself for it; the rest of the time... is just about convincing yourself.

(End of this chapter)