Chapter 166: The Speed Force's Gears Turn in Reverse Direction
"very good!"
Paradox Bat sees that his goal has been achieved, and Bruce has started talking nonsense.
What Zurrn? This meaningless babble is obviously the result of forgetting who he is.
He grabbed Bruce suddenly, black electric light kept flashing, lightning was turned on all the time, and everything around him slowed down.
We can't stay on this timeline for too long, in case something unexpected happens.
Just as Paradox Bat was about to leave, he suddenly saw a short figure in the distance, between the graves, looking like he was walking towards this side.
The figure was none other than Peter Pettigrew.
In his arms he held a swaddling baby, which was Voldemort who had not yet fully resurrected.
Paradox Bat frowned.
This was the moment of his death as destined. In just a few seconds, his future self would be killed by the Killing Curse.
Now he can easily change all this. He can throw out a bolt of lightning and kill Peter Pettigrew, and nothing will happen afterwards.
Really, just a little effort is all that's needed.
You can live in the future.
but--
"Is this your last resort?"
Paradox Bat sneered, "You want me to disrupt the timeline and attract the time ghosts? Bruce, I have been running in the timeline for ten years. Do you think I can't see through this little trick?"
Without any movement or hesitation, he took Bruce away.
"what is that?"
In the cemetery, Harry and Cedric kept watching the two of them.
They could see the red and black lightning clearly.
Cedric said nothing, just watched the lightning until it disappeared from his sight.
"I do not know."
He said, "But I saw the lightning just now, and I had a very familiar feeling, Harry, I don't know how to describe it to you..."
Cedric wanted to continue exploring what this feeling was.
But the current situation no longer allows this.
A figure was coming towards them from between the graves, and Cedric and Harry drew their wands.
The man stopped in front of a towering marble tombstone, only six feet away from them.
For a moment, Harry and Cedric locked eyes with the small figure.
Suddenly, Harry's scar hurt so badly.
He covered his face with his hands, then fell to the ground with his legs bent.
He heard someone far above his head say in a loud and cold voice: "Kill those who are in the way."
There was a whooshing sound and a piercing shout that tore through the night air.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A strong green light pierced Harry's eyelids. When the pain in the scar subsided, he slowly opened his stinging eyes in fear.
Then he saw Cedric's body appear behind a tombstone not far away.
The Avada Kedavra just now was blocked by the tombstone and did not hit Cedric.
Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief. Cedric reacted quickly and was able to make a judgment in such a short time and avoid a fatal disaster.
The fear on Cedric's face was no less than Harry's, and besides that, there was also deep confusion.
He didn't even know how he reacted.
The moment the green light flashed, his body almost subconsciously dodged to the side.
The figure in the distance obviously did not expect this result.
"Wormtail, you are more incompetent than I ever imagined."
The baby in the man's arms yelled, "If even the Avada can shoot off target, what's the point of having you!"
"Owner……"
Peter's voice was frustrated and fearful, "Give me one more chance!"
But there is no chance.
Cedric was in great shape now. He pounced and grabbed Harry directly.
"The trophy is flying!"
Cedric shouted, pointing his wand at the Triwizard Cup.
The trophy flew toward him.
Cedric seized the trophy by its handle—he heard the swaddled form cry out in fury and felt a tug just below his navel as the Portkey activated—and the two were swept away in a whirlwind of colour.
They went back.
……
Bruce and Paradox Bat returned to their original timeline.
They are still running and fighting.
"impossible!"
Paradox Bat looked at Bruce's lively appearance and fell into deep self-doubt.
Including this time they came back, they have traveled through time four times.
Just now, Bruce had clearly lost himself and forgot who he was.
But when he returned to the original timeline, he was actually awake.
Calling himself Bruce again.
Red and black, two flashes of lightning, continued to run, their speed kept increasing, and the battle became more brutal.
Now, the battle between these two people who both possess super speed has entered a bloody stage.
All means have been exhausted, and the only thing left is physical combat.
There was an unyielding lightning burning in the eyes of the two men, and the following contest would only be between fists and bodies.
Cedric's muscles were tense, and every blood vessel seemed to be clamoring for strength.
He swung a punch suddenly, Bruce dodged sideways and counterattacked with a straight punch, hitting the opponent's abdomen accurately.
Cedric groaned, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, but he did not retreat. He growled and punched the Hellbat Armor in the face.
Bruce was wearing extremely defensive armor, but Cedric's strength ignored all of that.
The force went straight through the suit and hit Bruce in the face.
This is the fighting style from the old gods!
Bruce took a breath, his face burning with pain, and along with this pain, his determination became more resolute.
The two men's fists and feet crossed in the air, and every collision made the air tremble.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment, and every breath and every heartbeat became the rhythm of the battle.
The fighting continued.
By the end, both of them had exhausted their physical strength.
Bruce and Cedric hugged each other. Without any fighting skills, they held on to their last bit of fighting will and punched each other in the face again and again.
"It's over, Cedric!"
Bruce let out a final growl, and at that moment, the cry of an owl rang out from his body.
Ripples appeared on his chest, and Katoom flew out suddenly, crashing into Cedric.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Katoom suddenly shouted, and a bright green light flashed.
Paradox Bat groaned and fell heavily.
Cedric lay sprawled on the ground, dead.
Did you win?
There was no sign of relief on Bruce's face.
"Congratulations, Bruce."
Katum landed on Hellbat's shoulder, "We successfully defeated Paradoxbat's first phase. Now, it's time to face his second phase."
Bruce had a wry smile on his face.
Is Cedric really dead?
If a speedster dies, his body will return to the Speed Force.
But now Cedric's body did not disappear, but lay quietly in front of him.
really--
In the next second, Cedric, who had been completely motionless, suddenly trembled.
Black lightning appeared around him, completely enveloping him. The time tunnel then opened and Cedric's body was sent into it.
Then, without any breathing space, a figure walked out from the time tunnel.
Black battle suit, bat logo, and black lightning flashing around him.
Paradox Bat, appears again!
"Bruce, I have to give you a few compliments."
At this moment, Cedric no longer looked exhausted as before.
On the contrary, he not only looked in excellent condition, but his temperament also seemed more calm and terrifying.
"Ten years ago, I was defeated by you, and I admit it wholeheartedly."
Paradox Bat looked at Bruce who was panting in front of him and said calmly, "But you still don't know me well enough. With the knowledge of the God of War, I have already transformed myself into an immortal body!"
Man cannot kill God.
Even Zeus could not completely kill Ares, so he could only leave behind the god-killing weapon before his death as the last resort for mankind.
Now, the secret of the gods' immortality has been obtained by Cedric.
“It’s not by sheer force.”
Paradox Bat said calmly, "Instead, I transformed my body into a divine body, Bruce. When we fought ten years ago, my transformation was not yet complete, but now, you can fully experience it."
The battle he mentioned ten years ago, to Bruce, was just a few seconds ago.
At this time, in addition to black, Cedric's lightning also had a hint of blue.
Apparently in the ten years since he started running again, he has accomplished his original goal and become one with Savitar.
He is finally the master of the Speed Force.
Katoom whispered in Bruce's ear.
“That’s the scary thing about the timeline.”
He said, “You can never really count how many paradox bats there are running around in time.”
Defeat one and another will come.
Cedric has immortality, and his future is endless.
Bruce couldn't win this battle.
"If I defeat you this time, you from 30 years later will appear next, right?"
Bruce was exhausted and sat down on the ground.
"Thirty years, forty years, fifty years...you will keep appearing until I am completely defeated and obliterated."
"Yes."
Paradox Bat confirmed Bruce's guess, "So, your ending is already determined."
There's no way to reverse the future!
Because all the future belongs to Cedric!
"Really……"
Bruce sighed and said, "That really makes me a little depressed. The future does not belong to me, but to Cedric."
"Only a little?" Paradox Bat sneered.
"Of course." Bruce supported himself on the ground with his hands and did not fall into complete despair as Paradox Bat had expected.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the doctrine."
Bruce looked up at the sky and whispered the words from the New Testament, "From now on, there is reserved for me a crown of righteousness."
"What are you talking about?" Cedric asked with a frown.
"Cedric, after I gained the Speed Force, I released Dumbledore and the others from the Speed Force space."
Bruce said, "I went into this battle determined to die."
"So, this is what you rely on?"
Cedric shook his head. "Even if Dumbledore and the four founders were together, they couldn't do anything to me now!"
He suddenly stretched out his hand, and several things appeared out of thin air.
Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, Invisibility Cloak.
"I have long been the master of the god of death. The immortal body of the god of wine is like a joke in my eyes!"
"That's not what I'm talking about."
Bruce sighed, "Don't you understand? I just admitted that the future belongs to Cedric.
“Only, not you, Cedric!
"Paradox Bat, do you think that I lured you to the timeline of your death just to watch the fun!?"
……
At the end of the Triwizard Tournament, Cedric returns from the graveyard with Harry.
He felt himself fall to the ground, his face buried in the grass, and his nose was full of the smell of grass.
Cedric felt terribly dizzy, and the ground beneath him felt like the deck of a ship.
Fear and fatigue made him lie prone on the ground, smelling the scent of grass.
The sound waves overwhelmed him, confused him, there were sounds everywhere, footsteps, shouting...
A pair of strong hands grabbed him and turned him over.
"Harry, Cedric!"
Cedric opened his eyes and saw the starry night sky in front of him, and Albus Dumbledore squatting in front of him.
There were crowds of people all around him, pressing toward him.
"It could be Voldemort."
Cedric grabbed Dumbledore's hand and said with his last bit of strength, "He almost killed me."
Dumbledore leaned over and, with unusual strength for a thin old man, helped Cedric to his feet.
"We'll talk about it later."
He said in Cedric's ear, "Now, don't act abnormal in front of others."
The Triwizard Tournament is over.
The winning school was Hogwarts, with Cedric and Harry sharing the honor.
Just as the school year was about to end, Cedric was called into Dumbledore's office.
When he went in, he found there was another old man in the office.
He looks very similar to Dumbledore. Cedric has seen him before. He is the owner of the Hog's Head Inn.
"Let me introduce you."
Dumbledore said, "This is Aberforth Dumbledore, my younger brother."
Aberforth nodded: "We have met before."
"Hello, Mr. Aberforth."
Cedric greeted, and Dumbledore motioned for him to sit down and not to worry about anything.
"We have already arranged for someone to investigate the cemetery, so there is nothing to worry about."
Dumbledore said, "I called you here for another matter, Cedric. You said before that you saw two lightning bolts in the graveyard?"
"Yes."
Cedric nodded and said, "I also heard Bruce's name, but didn't he..." last year?
already dead.
Before the third year began, Bruce was dead.
A trace of sadness flashed in Dumbledore's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and returned to the topic.
"Let's not talk about Bruce for now. Cedric, can you tell me more about those two lightning bolts?"
Dumbledore said, "And why were you able to evade the Avada Kedavra curse?"
Cedric did not hesitate and repeated what had happened in detail.
This time, he also described his psychological feelings at the time clearly.
"I didn't react at all, but my body moved on its own."
Cedric recalled, "It may also be that my reaction was too fast and exceeded my current thinking."
Dumbledore and Aberforth looked at each other.
Cedric's narration brought back their long-lost memories of someone.
"Are they?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"picture!"
Aberforth nodded and looked at Cedric with a nostalgic look.
"You have the qualifications, kid, you do."
Aberforth murmured, "Cedric, I have a gift for you."
After saying that, he turned around and took out a neatly folded red battle robe from behind him.
"This once belonged to my son. It is a relic he left behind."
Aberforth handed the tabard to Cedric, "Now, I entrust it to you."
Cedric was confused.
"Mr Aberforth."
He quickly refused, "I can't accept this! I, I don't even know why you gave me this gift!"
"Because you are the one chosen by the Speed Force."
Aberforth said softly, "This suit contains the remnants of my son's speed force, and it is his wish that I give it to you now.
"Many years ago, he once told me that there should be no such thing as the Speed Force in this world, and that everything is wrong.
"When he was dying, he repeatedly asked me to preserve this uniform well. It is the hope for the future."
hope……
Cedric murmured, "Are you going to let me inherit that speed force?"
"Inheritance? No!"
Aberforth said seriously, "I want you to research another kind of power from the Speed Force!
"A power that could completely eliminate the Speed Force and restore the world to normal.
"Cedric, I believe you have the intelligence and talent to do this!
"Now, take this battle suit!"
Cedric was confused and took the Flash's battle suit from Aberforth.
It's like some kind of inheritance, and also like some kind of mission.
The gears of fate, at this moment, turn in reverse.
……
Back to Bruce's timeline.
Paradox Bat has completely taken control of the battle, and Bruce has no chance of winning against him.
"I know you lured me to that timeline with bad intentions."
Paradox Bat sneered, "But I didn't do anything to disrupt the timeline. The variables you expected did not appear!"
"is it?"
Bruce didn't argue, just watched the Paradox Bat in silence.
He recalled a conversation he had once had with Katum.
"I'm a little confused."
Bruce was like, "Why does Cedric keep saying his future is dark?"
"I do not know."
Katum shook his head first, then whispered -
"Maybe they're worried about Warner rebooting it..."
Given Warner's operation, the fate of the new Batman is not bright.
At least as far as Katum knows, the movie "Batman 2" has been announced to be postponed for one year.
Owl wouldn't be surprised if it restarts again someday.
"Restart the world?" It was the first time Bruce heard of this concept.
"Don't be so surprised. This has happened to you before, but you just don't remember it."
Katum said, "But don't worry, you have escaped this fate since you and I left the DC world!
"I'm afraid what Cedric wants to do is to completely control his destiny in his own hands."
……
Time returns to the present.
"Take control of your destiny..."
Bruce sat on the ground and sighed. He had no awareness that he was in a battle. He looked up at the sky, as if he was simply chatting with Paradox Bat.
"Cedric, what I am showing you now is how to change your own destiny."
Paradox Bat frowned, not knowing what Bruce was talking about.
"Enough of the small talk," said Paradox Bat. "It's time for you to die."
After saying that, black lightning burst out around him, and at this moment, Paradox Bat displayed a speed that exceeded the extreme speed.
His hands were shaking violently, and his hand knife was about to pierce Bruce's chest at an extremely fast speed.
"Haven't you felt it yet?"
Bruce was not afraid at all, and said with a smile, "A new force has appeared between heaven and earth!"
This sentence made the Paradox Bat suddenly wake up.
boom--
Suddenly, a yellow figure appeared in the center of the battlefield.
With his explosive punch, he knocked Paradox Bat far away and saved Bruce who was almost killed by the speed knife.
"I am late."
The yellow figure took off the mask on his face.
A face exactly like Cedric's was revealed.
"Better late than never."
Bruce smiled, looking at Cedric in front of him.
No, maybe he shouldn't be called Cedric now.
But -
Reverse Flash!
(End of this chapter)