General Icar's worry only deepened as time passed. The most troubling aspect was that he knew Batman, wearing Icar's mask, could perceive all his inner thoughts. Once Batman finished handling Gotham's affairs, he would undoubtedly come for him too. However, as anxiety gnawed at Icar, Batman still hadn't donned the mask again. Even when he was injured while dealing with the events in Gotham, he showed no intention of using it.
"Master Wayne, if you need, I can send some other equipment to assist you," Alfred said quietly as he looked at the wounded Batman in the Batcave.
"No need..." Batman shook his head, seemingly a bit dazed. He declined Alfred's offer but then added, "To be honest, ever since I got Icar's mask, I haven't used my own strength to fight enemies for quite a while. If I don't start using it again, my body's going to get rusty..."
"How could that be, Master Wayne? You've still been training at high intensity, but you're not as young as you used to be..." Alfred sighed softly, visibly concerned about Batman's injuries. "As long as you can control it without problems, it's a safe method. After all, how can a mere mortal handle every supernatural event?"
"I think even without using Icar's mask or the Shadow Legion, I should at least employ some special methods. You don't need to act personally all the time, Master Wayne. You could take a page from Tony Stark's book and occasionally stay behind the scenes, letting technology handle things," Alfred suggested.
"Technology can fail, and if it does, there might be no way to fix the mistake!" Batman's eyes gleamed slightly. "Like this recent darkness—the technology didn't work, and if I hadn't had Icar's mask, I wouldn't have been able to act. What if next time we face something that even Icar's mask can't counter?"
"That's a real concern. I'll make a note of it," Alfred nodded after a moment of silence, acknowledging the problem.
"Alright, leave me to rest for a bit." Batman dismissed Alfred with a wave, closing his eyes as he finished applying his medicine.
"Yes, Master Wayne," Alfred replied before turning and leaving.
Once Alfred had gone, General Icar's mask trembled slightly, a surge of fear rising within him. His mask's eyes shifted towards Batman, just as Batman opened his eyes, locking gazes with the trapped general.
"Something feels off about him..." General Icar shut his eyes in panic, sensing something strange in Batman's stare but unable to pinpoint what it was.
"Quite the unexpected find, though there's almost too much information..." Batman mused, narrowing his eyes as he studied Icar's mask. "This mask is tied to the recent darkness. The Avengers will probably come for it soon."
"The fact that they tolerated its existence before doesn't mean they will now, especially after the immense impact of the recent dark event on Earth..."
"I wonder who the Avengers will send this time. If it's Tony Stark, things could get interesting," Batman thought.
"Master Wayne, Johnny Storm has appeared in Gotham. He's drawn a bat symbol in the night sky with fire—he's likely looking for you," Alfred hurried in and reported.
"Oh?" Batman's expression shifted slightly beneath the mask. He glanced at General Icar again and shook his head. "You see, relying on external forces isn't always a good thing. Ever since I got the Shadow Legion, I've been neglecting my other gear. Now the Shadow Legion is about to be taken away..."
"Master Wayne, are you saying...?" Alfred hesitated, glancing at General Icar. "General Icar has been fairly obedient under your control, following orders and providing information. Are you really planning to hand him over to the Avengers?"
"First, they know my true identity," Batman said after a pause. "Second, the recent darkness is deeply connected to the Shadow Legion. Third, General Icar wasn't always so compliant. If not for my absolute control over the Shadow Legion, he would've escaped long ago. Fourth, we're not currently capable of going against the Avengers. Even if some of them show signs of losing control, we have no means to counter them for now..."
"If you've already made up your mind, I'll support you fully," Alfred nodded. Despite his exchanges with General Icar, Alfred's loyalty to Batman surpassed everything else, even his own life.
"I'm heading out. Keep an eye on things here. If necessary, use our special countermeasures." Batman donned a new suit of armor and grabbed the box containing General Icar's mask without asking whether the general was willing or not. Batman left the Batcave, taking the mask with him.
From the moment Batman obtained Icar's mask, General Icar had lost all autonomy. His every move was dictated by Batman. Now, as Batman prepared to hand him over to the Avengers, General Icar had no power to resist.
"Batman, it's an honor to finally meet you!" On the rooftop of a skyscraper, Johnny Storm greeted Batman with a smile. "Looks like you know why I'm here. Then again, it's not surprising since you control one of the Shadow masks. It's only natural you'd be aware of what's been going on."
"I don't know much. Could you tell me more?" Batman asked quietly, shaking his head.
"Wait, your voice..." Johnny Storm paused in surprise. Batman was known for using a low, intimidating voice to differentiate between his public persona as Bruce Wayne and his vigilante identity. Now, however, his voice sounded normal, prompting Johnny to eye him skeptically.
Though Johnny could sense a human presence inside the Bat-suit, he wondered if this Batman was an imposter, perhaps a stand-in for the real Bruce Wayne. After all, it wasn't uncommon for someone like Bruce to have doubles, especially when his armor wasn't as advanced as Tony Stark's Iron Man suit.
"You already know my identity, so what's the point of hiding it?" Batman replied calmly. "Besides, I've brought Icar's mask. Does it really matter who I am? Shouldn't we first discuss the dark event? Or are the Avengers planning to walk away with something for nothing?"
"I could tell you more..." Johnny thought for a moment, recalling Tony Stark's assessment of Batman, and nodded. Although Batman wasn't considered an ally of the Avengers, they respected his efforts to deal with extraordinary events in his own way, especially in handling Gotham's chaos.
Though they didn't see eye to eye on many things, Batman was still someone they could share certain information with. However, Johnny deliberately omitted anything related to the Reality Stone, knowing its allure was too dangerous. If even the students of Kamar-Taj couldn't resist the stone's temptation, Johnny doubted Batman could either, even with his iron will.
"Dark Elves? The leader of the Shadow Legion? The Dark Dimension's descent? Is Earth really this dangerous?" Batman's expression darkened beneath his mask as he processed Johnny's partial intel, his mind racing with thoughts.
"Batman? Bruce Wayne?" Johnny called out when he saw Batman spacing out.
"I understand now. It looks like I need to make more preparations if I want to protect Gotham—and maybe even Earth," Batman said resolutely. "Here's Icar's mask. Take it, but don't put it on unless you're sure you can handle it."
"If the opportunity arises, we might even team up to fight future enemies!" Johnny replied, taking the box with Icar's mask and smiling. "As for the mask, we've dealt with quite a few of them already. We've got plenty of experience. See you later!"
With a whoosh, flames erupted from Johnny's body as he took off into the sky, vanishing from Batman's sight.
"What a shame—it was just Johnny Storm," Batman thought regretfully, watching him disappear. Then his gaze hardened. "I need to accelerate my plans. Who knows what other crises Earth might face next?"
Meanwhile, the Avengers were unaware of Batman's so-called "plans." Gotham wasn't part of their jurisdiction. To both Superman and the Avengers, Gotham was Batman's territory, governed solely by him, whether in his public persona as Bruce Wayne or as the Dark Knight in the shadows.
Though Bruce had once invited Robert to Gotham for assistance, such instances were rare. Most of the time, Gotham's problems were handled internally, without outside help or interference.
At the same time, far away at the borders of South Asia, Clark arrived, still working tirelessly after the darkness had receded. As he flew over the region, he heard a voice.
"Hmm?" Clark looked up to see a man standing there, emanating an eerie glow, similar to what Clark had seen in the panther god Bast.
"Who are you?" Clark asked, frowning at the man.
"I am Tya, a high priest. This is not your territory, nor is it your concern. I will handle things here," Tya said coolly, gazing at Clark.
"There are so many people suffering over there..." Clark glanced toward his intended destination.
"That's their fate. I will save those who need saving. Even though you are a god among men, you cannot interfere in everything. You haven't come here often in the past, have you? There are no followers for you here," Tya replied, waving his hand. A violent storm erupted, lightning flashing across the sky. Many of the people nearby knelt in reverence, bowing toward Tya's direction.
As the ordinary people bowed, the aura around Tya grew stronger. Clark realized that this was the power of faith.
"Just make sure you don't cause any trouble, or I will step in," Clark warned
, sensing the faith-based power surrounding Tya. After one last glance, he turned and left.
"Heh, a god among men, but not much more than that," Tya scoffed, a smug look in his eyes as Clark flew away.
Clark had heard Tya's remark. If Tya hadn't been linked to the faith of those people, Clark would've dealt with him immediately. Tya's so-called powerful abilities wouldn't have stood a chance against a single punch from Clark, but the high priest remained confident.
"A new age, and yet there are still those walking the path of the old gods... and succeeding. I wonder how far he'll go? In a world increasingly filled with extraordinary events, they might just get their chance," Clark murmured to himself as he disappeared from sight, heading to the next location to rescue more of the afflicted.
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