Watching that black figure merge into deeper Shadow, Barbatos's massive bat wings twitched slightly in their restraints, causing the chains to emit a harsh metallic scraping sound.
He did not roar or curse like a loser; instead, he laughed softly.
The laughter echoed at the bottom of this silent darkness, becoming clearer and clearer.
"Heheheh... hahahahaha..."
As Bruce's figure was about to disappear around the corner of the distant twisted rock wall, Barbatos's low, echoing words caught up to him.
"Actually, You know The Batman Who Laughs's goal."
"He is your other side, your truest reflection."
"Let go of ridiculous morals, embrace chaos, and become a true god."
The black figure stopped.
Bruce Wayne slowly turned around.
There was no hesitation, no wavering, only an absolute negation that pierced the soul.
"No."
"The Batman Who Laughs is your creation, not my end.
Even in the deepest darkness, I will still choose hope."
"Because..."
Bruce Wayne turned again, and this time, his steps were faster and more resolute.
"I am Batman."
The twisted, expectant smile on Barbatos's face froze, then shattered and peeled away bit by bit.
"No!!!"
"Fear parasitizes darkness, and You parasitize me!"
"One day, You will return, You belong to me, Bruce Wayne."
And Barbatos's growl became the loser's final, impotent rage in this battle of wills, echoing fruitlessly at the bottom of this darkness.
Darkness was still that darkness. But Batman's silhouette was imprinted on it more clearly than any light—.
A dark lighthouse that no light could extinguish.
——
Arriving outside.
Bruce walked towards the Batmobile, still contemplating The Batman Who Laughs's purpose.
All Batman have a core philosophy.
That is, Batman always wins.
But The Batman Who Laughs's philosophy was somewhat twisted, incorporating Joker's thinking.
For example, he firmly believed that only by fully embracing dark methods could absolute victory be ensured.
And Batman's image transformed from a "symbol of fear" to an "incarnation of despair," proving that morality is a hero's greatest weakness.
Serving as Barbatos, the God of Darkness's strategist, was only to gain his power, and Barbatos's philosophy had some overlap.
But now that Barbatos had been abandoned, then...
Bruce, who had just taken the driver's seat, pressed a button, and all the seats except for the driver's ejected steel cables, firmly locking the occupants.
Without looking back, he threw an explosive Batarang behind him, and the driver's seat directly ejected.
Suddenly, Bruce's vision blurred, instantly switching from the whistling scenery outside the car window back to the cold glow of the dashboard inside the car.
The button had not yet been pressed, and his finger was frozen in mid-air.
The sensation of the instantaneous ejection, the Batarang leaving his hand, and the seat ejecting, all felt like an illusion.
Time had been reset.
"Don't be nervous, it's me."
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Bruce slowly let out a breath and continued driving the Batmobile.
"Didn't You say You wouldn't be coming for a long time? It's only been less than two months and You're here again."
Qinuo said.
"I originally planned not to come for several years, but something came up, and I had to come."
"What is it?"
"Something rather troublesome."
Qinuo did not answer directly and began to change the subject.
"But You're really amazing. How long has it been, and You've already dealt with Barbatos? I was planning to deal with him myself this time."
"After You left, the plan was already nearing its end, and this plan wasn't entirely successful; a very important guy was missed."
Qinuo also knew who it was.
The Batman Who Laughs.
In the original work, he was controlling the Dark Multiverse trilogy.
"That guy's target is You; he'll show up sooner or later. But how does it feel to successfully get revenge on Barbatos?"
Qinuo asked curiously.
The Batmobile passed through the gate between the Dark Multiverse and the Multiverse, arriving in Gotham.
A light rain began to fall in Gotham, pattering against the car windows.
"Revenge?"
Bruce's voice was low, with a hint of imperceptible weariness.
"That's too simple a word, Qinuo. What I did was end a threat. A nightmare that had to be locked away. But 'feeling'?"
He gently shook his head, his lips seemingly wanting to twitch, but ultimately settling into seriousness.
"There's no joy of victory, only a deeper weight pressing down."
Qinuo also fell silent for a moment; he felt the same way now. The lives of two Worlds were truly heavy.
For a time, the two were silent, immersed in their own Worlds.
After an unknown period, the Batmobile suddenly stopped.
Qinuo also came back to his senses, looking out the window with a slight surprise.
"Why did You come here?"
Bruce drove the car into the hidden garage nearby, began to take off his Bat-suit, and changed into casual clothes, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.
Only when he took off the suit was he Bruce Wayne, not Batman.
"I found the place where You first appeared and came to investigate, but I didn't find anything.
However, I saw the decor was good, so I bought the place to use as a safe house and private bar.
Don't just sit there in my car; come down and have a drink with me."
Saying that, Bruce walked towards the bar.
Qinuo followed him.
In the rain, the bar's sign read:
Lux Bar.
The rain wove a fine net in the Gotham night, hitting the frosted glass windows of Lux Bar, blurring the neon lights outside into soft patches of light.
The interior of the bar was completely different from the usual noisy pubs in Gotham, more like a quiet private library or wine cellar.
However, the people inside were not very quiet.
"Burp..."
Qinuo let out a loud burp, his cheeks flushed, and slapped the smooth surface of the bar counter.
"Bruce! Old Batman! I'm telling You! Are You raising fish?!"
He pointed at the almost untouched drink in front of Bruce.
"Drink! Keep drinking! A man can't... can't be a coward! Watch me!"
As Qinuo spoke, he abruptly grabbed the bottle in front of him and directly chugged it.
"Gulp, gulp... Ah—so good!"
Bruce's temple began to twitch uncontrollably.
Qinuo put down the empty glass, smacked his lips, and his eyes swept over the elegantly decorated, richly stocked bar, but he showed a disdainful expression.
"You say You... such a big bar!"
He waved his arm, almost knocking a nearby antique crystal ashtray to the ground, but Bruce quickly caught it with his sharp eyes.
"So... serious! Dark wooden, a bunch of bottles, it's boring! Too boring!" He swayed to his feet, trying to walk around the bar.
"Gulp, gulp..."
He made another motion of tilting his head back to drink, facing the air.
"You need to... hire people! Hire a... bartender girl! The kind who... can shake... can sway and wear flashy clothes! That's what a bar is! This place of Yours is like an old antique storage room!"
Bruce's face turned completely dark.
His meticulously arranged safe house, a symbol of his taste and secrecy, had become a boring old antique storage room in the mouth of this drunkard, and he even wanted flashy bartender girls?
He stared at Qinuo's head, which kept swaying with his drunken words, and reached for the Bat-gun beneath him, wondering if he should test his plan against Qinuo right here.
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