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Chapter 557: Six Months Ago
Barry Allen stood slowly on an extended, massive treadmill, his body crouched, ready for an all-out sprint.
"I must remind you, this is a very risky move that will trigger a host of unknown consequences. Your mission is to find Tony from six months ago. Don't do anything extra, remember! I'm sure you're aware of the horrors of the Butterfly Effect. Don't do anything extra!"
Dr. Harrison pushed up his glasses, his expression stern.
The Cosmic Treadmill was a machine that Harrison had recreated based on the one Barry Allen built in the original timeline, initially intended to help him travel back to his own era.
But now, he had no choice but to let Barry use it first, a truly terrible course of action.
"Don't worry, Doctor. You made it very clear when we built this treadmill together."
Barry nodded heavily and tightened the red cowl he always wore. He took a step, turned his head to look at the heroes watching him with anticipation, then slowly got into position. A strong yellow electrical arc flashed through his eyes.
Vvvmmmmm...
Barry started running with small steps, his speed increasing rapidly. He soon surpassed the speed of a normal person and continued to accelerate frantically.
"One hundred times the speed of sound."
"Two hundred..."
"Five hundred..."
"A thousand times! He's too fast! I can't even see him anymore!"
Cisco, operating the equipment, watched as Barry's speed stabilized at a thousand times the speed of sound.
On the Cosmic Treadmill, Barry ran wildly, his entire body erupting with terrifying yellow electrical arcs. These arcs flickered at an astonishing frequency, growing in number until they gradually enveloped his body.
The power of the Speed Force was unleashed by Barry, transforming into a massive amount of yellow electrical arcs. Amidst the immense thunder, he looked like the projection of a deity.
The terrifying and frenzied power forced the surrounding crowd to retreat continuously, and the entire ground began to tremble. Massive rifts cracked open from the ground beneath the treadmill, spreading out in all directions.
His rapidly increasing speed turned Barry's running motion into an afterimage. Afterimages overlapped with afterimages, making the running Barry a blurry figure.
"Now! Barry, open the portal! Lock onto your target, feel the guidance of the Speed Force, and pinpoint the exact moment six months ago! This was your choice, so see it through to the end!" Harrison roared!
Boom!
Barry's figure gradually blurred. In front of the treadmill, a huge vortex tunnel opened, glowing with an ominous blue light. The opening at its very center flickered with a deep, dark color, slowly coalescing.
With a final, deafening boom, accompanied by an explosion of massive red electrical arcs that sent numerous objects flying, Barry's figure vanished completely. The vortex, having lost the support of the Speed Force, rapidly closed.
A foul smell permeated the area around the Cosmic Treadmill—the stench of something burning, produced by the intense friction with the air.
"Did he succeed?" Tony asked in astonishment, staring at where the Red Racer had vanished.
Harrison took off his glasses and wiped them, saying calmly, "He will succeed."
Inwardly, Harrison sneered, "As if."
At the same time, in the ruins of Australia, Steppenwolf looked up in a certain direction, his expression cold and mocking.
"The Flash... traveling through the timeline? A clever but foolish fellow."
The moment Barry Allen entered the time-space tunnel, countless noises and images flooded his mind all at once. An immense corruption of information uncontrollably assaulted his brain.
Inside this strange tunnel, where it seemed one could easily touch the sides, top, and bottom, and where only 'forward' and 'backward' seemed to exist, all perception became erratic.
Countless scenes flashed before Barry's eyes, each one a real event that had happened. Barry saw himself as a child, nestled in his parents' arms; he saw his mother being killed and his father being sent to prison; he saw the day the particle accelerator exploded, when he was struck by a massive lightning bolt from the sky, forcing him into a nine-month slumber before he gained the Speed Force.
In this tunnel where space-time was jumbled and unstable, in this region that traversed billions of years of the universe's history and bore the engraved life and death of countless beings, finding what he was looking for was incredibly difficult.
The slightest misstep, and Barry would fall out, with no idea which era he had run into.
"Six months ago, Earth, New York..." Barry closed his eyes, chanting the words silently in his mind. He had to mercilessly sever his connection to the countless warm memories that captivated and beckoned him, searching for the specific point in time he needed.
"Found it!"
The Flash's eyes snapped open. His sprinting legs came to a sudden halt, and he quickly turned, ramming headfirst into the side wall. A large portal opened, a yellow electrical arc flashed, and The Flash's figure vanished from the time-space tunnel.
Graaah!
Just as the tunnel was about to close, an undead creature suddenly burst out. It was an undead creature with a mangled lower body, a withered upper body, and incomplete facial features. It reached out, tore at the closing gap, let out a cry, and squeezed through.
...
Six months ago, on Earth.
A massive ripple erupted in an uninhabited area on Earth. Arcs of flashing lightning and roaring thunder vibrated through the air, tearing apart the soft soil and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Where the yellow light streaked past, The Flash, clad in his red suit, came to a stop. However, the immense kinetic energy and inertia still sent him skidding for over a thousand meters across this uninhabited area as if he were skiing.
This was the result even after he had desperately tried to slow down.
"This should be the right point in time..."
The Flash scanned his surroundings warily, then began a slow "jog," moving at one hundred times the speed of sound to the nearest farm. Using the super-fast vibrational ability granted by the Speed Force, he easily phased through the wall without damaging the doors or windows.
"March... The time is right. 'Unknown Monster Expelled'? 'Impact of the Guardians' Resignation'? 'The Great Mutant Migration'?"
The Flash flipped through the latest newspaper and then put it down, his eyes bright with excitement.
He did it! He really did it! He traveled through the timeline!
As long as he could find Tony, he could ask him to stop Steppenwolf. Then, those superheroes and civilians who died would not have to die, and Australia would not be destroyed!
All the tragedies would be overwritten by a new reality!
"If... I went back to that night..."
The Flash suppressed his excitement, longing, and the trace of fear. Now was not the time to think about saving his mother, who was killed by a mysterious speedster in his childhood. He had to find Tony.
With a flash of his red figure, he rushed toward the center of New York City. There lay the possibility of changing the tragic future.
Just as he vanished, an undead creature, filled with deep disgust and murderous intent, gave chase. It fixed its gaze on Barry's retreating back and pursued him.
(end of chapter)
Barry Allen stood slowly on an extended, massive treadmill, his body crouched, ready for an all-out sprint.
"I must remind you, this is a very risky move that will trigger a host of unknown consequences. Your mission is to find Tony from six months ago. Don't do anything extra, remember! I'm sure you're aware of the horrors of the Butterfly Effect. Don't do anything extra!"
Dr. Harrison pushed up his glasses, his expression stern.
The Cosmic Treadmill was a machine that Harrison had recreated based on the one Barry Allen built in the original timeline, initially intended to help him travel back to his own era.
But now, he had no choice but to let Barry use it first, a truly terrible course of action.
"Don't worry, Doctor. You made it very clear when we built this treadmill together."
Barry nodded heavily and tightened the red cowl he always wore. He took a step, turned his head to look at the heroes watching him with anticipation, then slowly got into position. A strong yellow electrical arc flashed through his eyes.
Vvvmmmmm...
Barry started running with small steps, his speed increasing rapidly. He soon surpassed the speed of a normal person and continued to accelerate frantically.
"One hundred times the speed of sound."
"Two hundred..."
"Five hundred..."
"A thousand times! He's too fast! I can't even see him anymore!"
Cisco, operating the equipment, watched as Barry's speed stabilized at a thousand times the speed of sound.
On the Cosmic Treadmill, Barry ran wildly, his entire body erupting with terrifying yellow electrical arcs. These arcs flickered at an astonishing frequency, growing in number until they gradually enveloped his body.
The power of the Speed Force was unleashed by Barry, transforming into a massive amount of yellow electrical arcs. Amidst the immense thunder, he looked like the projection of a deity.
The terrifying and frenzied power forced the surrounding crowd to retreat continuously, and the entire ground began to tremble. Massive rifts cracked open from the ground beneath the treadmill, spreading out in all directions.
His rapidly increasing speed turned Barry's running motion into an afterimage. Afterimages overlapped with afterimages, making the running Barry a blurry figure.
"Now! Barry, open the portal! Lock onto your target, feel the guidance of the Speed Force, and pinpoint the exact moment six months ago! This was your choice, so see it through to the end!" Harrison roared!
Boom!
Barry's figure gradually blurred. In front of the treadmill, a huge vortex tunnel opened, glowing with an ominous blue light. The opening at its very center flickered with a deep, dark color, slowly coalescing.
With a final, deafening boom, accompanied by an explosion of massive red electrical arcs that sent numerous objects flying, Barry's figure vanished completely. The vortex, having lost the support of the Speed Force, rapidly closed.
A foul smell permeated the area around the Cosmic Treadmill—the stench of something burning, produced by the intense friction with the air.
"Did he succeed?" Tony asked in astonishment, staring at where the Red Racer had vanished.
Harrison took off his glasses and wiped them, saying calmly, "He will succeed."
Inwardly, Harrison sneered, "As if."
At the same time, in the ruins of Australia, Steppenwolf looked up in a certain direction, his expression cold and mocking.
"The Flash... traveling through the timeline? A clever but foolish fellow."
The moment Barry Allen entered the time-space tunnel, countless noises and images flooded his mind all at once. An immense corruption of information uncontrollably assaulted his brain.
Inside this strange tunnel, where it seemed one could easily touch the sides, top, and bottom, and where only 'forward' and 'backward' seemed to exist, all perception became erratic.
Countless scenes flashed before Barry's eyes, each one a real event that had happened. Barry saw himself as a child, nestled in his parents' arms; he saw his mother being killed and his father being sent to prison; he saw the day the particle accelerator exploded, when he was struck by a massive lightning bolt from the sky, forcing him into a nine-month slumber before he gained the Speed Force.
In this tunnel where space-time was jumbled and unstable, in this region that traversed billions of years of the universe's history and bore the engraved life and death of countless beings, finding what he was looking for was incredibly difficult.
The slightest misstep, and Barry would fall out, with no idea which era he had run into.
"Six months ago, Earth, New York..." Barry closed his eyes, chanting the words silently in his mind. He had to mercilessly sever his connection to the countless warm memories that captivated and beckoned him, searching for the specific point in time he needed.
"Found it!"
The Flash's eyes snapped open. His sprinting legs came to a sudden halt, and he quickly turned, ramming headfirst into the side wall. A large portal opened, a yellow electrical arc flashed, and The Flash's figure vanished from the time-space tunnel.
Graaah!
Just as the tunnel was about to close, an undead creature suddenly burst out. It was an undead creature with a mangled lower body, a withered upper body, and incomplete facial features. It reached out, tore at the closing gap, let out a cry, and squeezed through.
...
Six months ago, on Earth.
A massive ripple erupted in an uninhabited area on Earth. Arcs of flashing lightning and roaring thunder vibrated through the air, tearing apart the soft soil and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Where the yellow light streaked past, The Flash, clad in his red suit, came to a stop. However, the immense kinetic energy and inertia still sent him skidding for over a thousand meters across this uninhabited area as if he were skiing.
This was the result even after he had desperately tried to slow down.
"This should be the right point in time..."
The Flash scanned his surroundings warily, then began a slow "jog," moving at one hundred times the speed of sound to the nearest farm. Using the super-fast vibrational ability granted by the Speed Force, he easily phased through the wall without damaging the doors or windows.
"March... The time is right. 'Unknown Monster Expelled'? 'Impact of the Guardians' Resignation'? 'The Great Mutant Migration'?"
The Flash flipped through the latest newspaper and then put it down, his eyes bright with excitement.
He did it! He really did it! He traveled through the timeline!
As long as he could find Tony, he could ask him to stop Steppenwolf. Then, those superheroes and civilians who died would not have to die, and Australia would not be destroyed!
All the tragedies would be overwritten by a new reality!
"If... I went back to that night..."
The Flash suppressed his excitement, longing, and the trace of fear. Now was not the time to think about saving his mother, who was killed by a mysterious speedster in his childhood. He had to find Tony.
With a flash of his red figure, he rushed toward the center of New York City. There lay the possibility of changing the tragic future.
Just as he vanished, an undead creature, filled with deep disgust and murderous intent, gave chase. It fixed its gaze on Barry's retreating back and pursued him.
(end of chapter)
