Gotham City
A torrential downpour drenched the city.
At the edge of a tall building, two figures darted and leapt through the rain, locked in a fierce battle.
A figure wearing a red helmet moved nimbly, a cold gleam flashing from his hand as several shurikens shot toward his opponent like bolts of lightning.
Batman reacted swiftly. He raised his black cape, spreading it like enormous wings against the night sky, and precisely blocked the flying projectiles.
"Jason, stop! I'm here to help you!"
There were very few people Batman couldn't find in this world. After returning to Gotham, he hadn't slept a wink. It had only taken him three days to locate his adopted son.
The second Robin—Jason Todd.
The Red Hood paused in silence, then removed the mask from his face, revealing a young man beneath.
He threw the helmet to the ground. It rolled and stopped at Batman's feet.
"Help me? If you really wanted to help me, why did you replace me? Why didn't you kill the Joker? Why did you only find me after I died?!"
Red Hood's voice echoed through the storm, filled with endless pain and questioning.
A bolt of lightning split the sky, its harsh white light momentarily illuminating the entire scene.
Jason hesitated. He saw rain streaming from Batman's chin.
Was he… crying? Jason felt a flash of doubt, but immediately dismissed it. Impossible.
He was Batman—the Dark Knight who never faltered.
Batman was silent for a moment before speaking, "I'm sorry. But I tried everything I could to save you, Jason."
"Save me? You should try saving yourself first."
Red Hood sneered, pulling out a small device and pressing a button.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The helmet at Batman's feet began to beep.
Batman instantly kicked it away and dove to the ground.
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the air.
When Batman looked up again, he saw Red Hood disappearing into the distance.
He took off after him.
The two battled as they moved, eventually crashing into a dimly lit restroom.
In the cramped space, the sound of fists colliding echoed continuously, interwoven with the rain pouring in through broken windows. The atmosphere was intense.
BAM!
Batman landed a fierce flying kick, sending Red Hood flying.
Red Hood slammed through a wall and collapsed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
"Honestly, no matter which world you're in, your parenting skills suck."
A strange voice suddenly interrupted.
Batman and Red Hood realized someone else was in the room.
"Ma—Magician King? Why are you here?"
"Who are you?"
Both men frowned at the same time.
One was surprised the Magician King hadn't left this world yet.
The other was shocked that someone had found his safehouse.
"Before I leave, I remembered there's one last thing I need to do," Chino replied, opening a nearby door.
Inside, the Joker was tied to a chair.
"HAHAHAHA! Batman! Do you like this surprise? This kid crawled out of hell just to throw this party! Where's the camera? Someone get a photo of us! HAHAHA!"
The Joker's maniacal laughter filled the room.
Click! Click! Click!
A series of camera flashes blinded the Joker, making him squint.
"Why aren't you laughing anymore? You should be—it'll be a long time before you laugh this hard again," Chino said, looking at the camera's photos. No matter how he framed it, the Joker looked hideous. This world's Joker really was ugly.
"Who are you, a journalist? Oh no—Batman, your identity has been exposed! Kill him quickly!" the Joker mocked.
"Let's see what suits you best."
Four glowing orbs appeared in Chino's hand and shot into the Joker's body.
"AAAAAARGHHHH!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the room.
"Stop!"
Batman threw a Batarang to intervene.
"You're the one who needs to stop!"
Red Hood tackled Batman, and the two rolled on the floor in a scuffle.
Soon, Batman overpowered Red Hood again and rushed to check on the Joker.
Nothing?
Only superficial wounds.
And he was asleep.
"Relax. I won't kill the Joker. Never will," Chino smiled faintly.
"What did you do to him?"
Batman tried to wake the Joker, but no matter what he did, the clown wouldn't stir.
"Nothing much. I just embedded the souls of a sloth, a koala, a dormouse, and a brown bat into his soul. I don't know when he'll wake up, if ever."
Batman fell silent.
The souls of the four longest-sleeping animals? He'd probably never wake again.
"Hahahaha! Batman, are you going to hire a caretaker for him? Or take care of him yourself?"
Red Hood laughed loudly.
This was basically the same as being dead.
"Kid, here—this is a gift from your honorary uncle."
Chino tossed him a tablet and vanished.
Batman raised his hand to intercept it but stopped halfway.
Red Hood caught the tablet. On it was a video of Batman.
("Have you ever cried in your life?" "Twice. Once when I was ten, after my parents were killed by a mugger. The second time… was when my adopted son was murdered by the Joker.")
A surge of complex emotion rose in Red Hood's heart.
So this seemingly indestructible man… did cry for him.
"Tch. Lame," he muttered, but carefully tucked the tablet away before walking toward the exit.
"Come home on Sunday. Alfred misses you," Batman said as Red Hood passed him.
"…"
Red Hood said nothing, quickening his pace and vanishing into the darkness.
Poznanov
The invasion of this world had just begun.
A swarm of Parademons flooded in, charging toward the heroes.
"F**k! Batman, is this how you safeguard the Mother Boxes?!" Hal Jordan cursed.
He summoned a barrage of heavy machine guns, the green bullets shredding the airborne demons.
"Focus," Batman replied, driving the Batmobile while dodging attacks and glancing at the distant Steppenwolf, who had gathered all three Mother Boxes.
Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg tried desperately to prevent the Boxes from merging.
"Offer this world to Darkseid," Steppenwolf declared.
Before him, the three Mother Boxes had fused into a polyhedron, spinning irregularly and weaving together powerful energy, about to complete their union.
"Barry, now!" Batman pressed a button on his console.
"On it!"
A streak of yellow lightning shot in like a meteor.
The Flash, Barry Allen, poured all his stored lightning into the Mother Boxes, triggering a preloaded program.
Buzz!
The Boxes began to tremble.
Cracks started to spread across their surfaces.
"NO! What have you done?!"
Steppenwolf swung his axe, but Barry was long gone.
His job was already done.
"Everyone fall back!" Bruce commanded.
Seeing the Boxes behave erratically, the other heroes ran without hesitation.
Only Steppenwolf and the Parademons remained.
"No, no, no…"
Steppenwolf stared in panic as cracks spread. Terror filled his eyes.
At the final crack, a blinding white light erupted from the Mother Boxes.
A Boom Tube opened, emitting immense suction, consuming nearby Parademons and structures.
Hal, glancing at the collapsing buildings, asked in confusion, "What did you do?"
Batman calmly drove on.
"I just found the coordinates of Apokolips, swapped the destination, and left them a little gift. Simple, right?"
"Not even remotely. You're a maniac," Hal said, though inwardly, he now fully respected Batman.
Quote of the Chapter:"Even the strongest shadows are cast by those who once stood in the light."
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