Interstellar Laboratory

Much of the power and water had been cut. Operations had ceased. Silence filled the corridor. In the cold steel halls of Hessen, spiders had begun to spin webs in the corners.

Caitlin and Cisco had come by. They tried to persuade him, watched the broken version of Barry for a while, then left disappointed. Bardi's portrayal of Barry remained in a state of alcoholism—bearded, haggard. His hair had grown long, hiding what was once a handsome face.

Bardi lay slumped over the console. Empty fast food boxes and blue beer bottles littered the area. The pungent stench of alcohol mixed with the musty leftovers from the boxes assaulted his senses.

He picked up a bottle, lay across the console, curled a faint smile, and poured half the beer down his throat.

"Barry, open teleportation. Connect to the group and gather the Flashes."

A message flickered in the contact group interface. Bardi's eyes gleamed.

For some time now, he had remained in the group, acting broken and desperate, seeking a way to resurrect Iris. He befriended many Flashes, played the grieving man, gave glimpses of hope under the persuasion of others—and all the while, he quietly investigated who was behind it all.

Who dared to target him?

"Maybe a higher power can help resurrect your wife. Magic, cosmic spirits, dimensional structures… they could all bring her back."

"Don't give up, Flash."

"Thanks."

Bardi threw the beer bottle across the room. With a sharp crack, it shattered against the steel wall. Beer and shards scattered across the floor. His eyes grew cold. He stood upright and turned to face the Flash suit hanging nearby.

After all this time, the people behind the curtain had finally made their move.

"This time, the teleportation destination is the center of the multiverse, the Star of Heroes. I heard it's a mission to help a collapsing universe evacuate survivors."

"It's the first time I've seen so many versions of me."

"Hey! Reverse Flash is here too… and man, I really wanna punch him."

"Are you joining?"

"Flash Bruce with money? That guy is completely gold! Like, his whole suit looks like it's made of gold and diamonds! It's ridiculous!"

"Wow, so many Flashes…"

Excited chatter flooded the Flash contact group as members accepted the multiverse summons.

Bardi raised an eyebrow. He turned and, with a flash of yellow lightning, put on the Flash suit.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. Then, forming a high-frequency hand-blade from his Speed Force, he shaved cleanly. His messy hair remained, reflecting his "devastated" persona. Disheveled but fitting—a perfect image of a man mourning his wife.

Once ready, he clicked the newly issued request for help that had appeared in the group.

[Request approved. Thank you for your assistance in saving a dying universe.]

Bardi smiled faintly.

Suddenly, a spatial rift opened in front of him like a vertical slit, an eye splitting open on his forehead. The inside was pitch black, revealing nothing—no light, no sensation.

Without hesitation, Bardi stepped into the rift.

Countless layers of overlapping universes passed in an instant, and he arrived at the destination.

Suddenly, the scorching sun bathed the land in harsh light.

As his vision adjusted, Bardi realized something was wrong. He had lost connection with the Speed Force of his home universe. Back there, he was the God of Speed. But after passing through the dimensional crack, he could only manipulate the Speed Force within his own body. There was no source to draw from.

"Hm? This... doesn't look like a gathering of Flashes."

Bardi frowned, scanning the distance.

The land was desolate, winds sweeping sand across the barren terrain. The sun beamed like a torch in the sky, and the heat stabbed the exposed parts of his face like needles.

He narrowed his vision through the blinding glare and looked beneath him. A massive magical circle stretched across the ground, composed of various metals from across the universe. Judging from his understanding of cosmic magic, the circle was formed from more than a hundred spells—each designed to restrict soul-based consciousness.

"It's over, Barmulodi!"

A thunderous voice descended from the sky.

Four tall figures landed in unison at the four activation nodes of the magic circle.

Bardi let out a dry chuckle and looked toward the Spectre. Cloaked in thick gray and green mist, he was unmistakable. Bardi recognized him instantly.

Next, his gaze landed on Golden Superman. The yin-yang emblem on his golden chest and his radiant appearance were also easy to identify.

Then came the Phantom Stranger, dressed in a dark blue gentleman's suit and a domed hat—an old and familiar figure.

And finally, Mandrakk in his smooth blue-and-white armor, powered by Monitor technology.

In the contact group, Bardi had detected traces of magic, Monitor tech, multiversal structure, and spacetime manipulation. And now, here it all was—gathered in one place.

Bardi's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected to be discovered.

There should have been no way for anyone to track him down, not after becoming the Flash. But his rise in power had been too rapid, too unnatural, too conspicuous. On the level of a One God, that was enough to attract notice.

He looked at each of the four in turn, then said coldly, "So, I've been set up. I didn't expect you to find the one I possessed."

The Spectre activated the circle. Blue light flowed across the lines like electrical circuits, snaking out with willful intent. It moved like a living serpent, spiraling up Bardi's body.

"It's over, Barmulodi!"

The Spectre's misty form shimmered. Beneath the hood, his eyes burned like twin flames as they locked onto Bardi.

"Sleep now. Next, I will send your body to the Wall of Origin, the eternal prison of One Gods—your final destination."

Bardi nodded slowly. "So that's your plan."

To seal his consciousness, fuse his body to the Wall of Origin, and lock him away forever.

"I know this Flash body can't beat you. So, I won't resist."

Bardi suddenly smiled. He spread his arms like a saint, letting the magic enclose him without resistance.

A warning flickered in the Spectre's heart.

In just seconds, the Flash's body dissolved into particles of light, drifting away—completely vanishing.

The Spectre, Golden Superman, and Phantom Stranger's expressions all changed.

"He has no soul!"

"His consciousness was never in this body!"

"Quantum Batman was right. He's not like the other One Gods."

"We failed… and he knows."

"In that case, proceed with the next plan."

(To be continued.)