It wasn't that Batman hadn't analyzed and studied the Ebony Blade; unfortunately, current technological means were completely incapable of detecting what kind of curse it carried.
Batman didn't know any sorcerers or mages in this world either, so he couldn't just call Zatanna to help him solve it at a moment's notice like he used to back in Gotham.
He did know a god, but Batman wasn't about to pin his hopes of breaking the Ebony Blade's curse on Him.
After Garrett's death, Tony Stark and Batman had both held the hilt, but neither had been able to trigger the curse either.
In the end, everything returned to square one: Batman had to hand the Ebony Blade over to a member of the Whitman family to figure out what the specific curse was and how to deal with it.
Dane Whitman solemnly held up the Ebony Blade with both hands, closely examining the blade, which seemed almost like a living creature.
Having made up his mind, Dane Whitman no longer hesitated. His right hand moved slowly, gripping the hilt.
The next moment, the sword rang out with a sharp chime!
The surface of the Ebony Blade surged and fell sharply as if breathing. The entire pitch-black longsword gleamed with a chilling light so piercing that Dane Whitman couldn't help but close his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, the Ebony Blade was still in his hand, but a small line of text had appeared on the blade.
"Death is my gift?" Dane Whitman read the words aloud in a whisper.
"Black Knight, how do you feel?" Batman asked warily, one hand hidden behind his back, tightly gripping the stone fragment he had stolen from the Metropolis Museum.
If Dane Whitman showed any adverse signs, Batman would immediately press the stone fragment onto the Ebony Blade.
Batman didn't have many contingencies to counter the Ebony Blade's curse; he had only prepared four backup plans.
But judging by Dane Whitman's expression, he didn't seem to be affected at all.
Sure enough, Dane Whitman looked up at Batman and shook his head in slight confusion. "I don't notice anything wrong."
Batman also shook his head slowly. His question was merely a psychological probe; his actual analysis of whether the other man was affected didn't rely on subjective judgment at all, but on the scans from his Arkham Batsuit.
At least comparing Batman's current scan results, Dane Whitman's physical condition hadn't changed in the slightest before and after gripping the Ebony Blade.
If there was any change, it was merely instinctive physiological responses triggered by emotion.
It seems the curse doesn't have a physiological negative impact, though it can't be ruled out that it might take time to manifest, Batman thought to himself, while turning off the human body scan function of his suit's medical module.
The next second, Batman heard Dane Whitman speak. "No, wait."
Looking over at the sound, Batman watched as Dane Whitman slowly thrust the Ebony Blade into the empty air beside him.
The movement didn't look like a simple thrust through the air; rather, it was as if he were stabbing an invisible object. One could clearly sense that the extended Ebony Blade was meeting resistance.
Then a magical scene unfolded. As Dane Whitman exerted force again, the tip of the Ebony Blade vanished out of thin air, followed by the blade and the hilt, until the entire sword completely disappeared.
From beginning to end, Batman saw nothing in the air, and the Arkham Batsuit was unable to analyze the exact situation.
"Uh," Dane Whitman was also a bit dazed for a moment. "Where's my sword?"
He looked down at his empty palm in disbelief.
Dane Whitman had acted entirely on instinct when he thrust the Ebony Blade out just now; he hadn't expected the sword to vanish at all.
Batman fell silent for a few seconds. The scene just now was completely unexplainable by the laws of physics; only magic and metaphysics could account for it.
Coincidentally, though Batman could count the number of times he had used magic in his life on one hand, his innate magical talent was exceptionally high. He simply refrained from learning it out of fear that he would become dependent on it or even lose control.
Yet, when it came to the various principles of magic, Batman knew far more than Dane Whitman did.
"Think of the Ebony Blade in your mind, and try making the motion to draw it from the air again," Batman said.
Batman's reasoning was based on conclusions he had drawn from Doctor Fate's Helmet of Nabu and Wonder Woman Diana's magical bracelets.
Dane Whitman nodded. Extending his hand as Batman directed, he made a motion as if gripping an imaginary hilt to draw a sword.
Sure enough!
As his arm slowly pulled back, the Ebony Blade materialized from the air once more, drawn out inch by inch!
"Ha!"
Dane Whitman let out a startled cry, swung the Ebony Blade a couple of times, and then thrust it into the air once more.
This time he didn't stand still. Instead, he turned and ran all the way to the other side of the abandoned shipyard, putting a distance of over a hundred meters between himself and Batman.
Batman stood motionless on the spot, watching Dane Whitman make the sword-drawing motion again from a hundred meters away.
The Ebony Blade appeared in his hand once more.
"Incredible," Dane Whitman marveled.
He tried it repeatedly, discovering that the Ebony Blade could not only slash according to his will but could also be thrust directly into the air to vanish whenever needed.
Furthermore, he could summon the Ebony Blade from any position, anywhere, as long as he pictured it in his mind.
"Aside from summoning the blade at will, does it possess any other functions?" Batman asked again once Dane Whitman stopped experimenting and walked back over to him.
"No," Dane Whitman said, shaking his head.
Batman didn't press further, choosing instead to present him with his options again.
"You have two choices now. First, train with me until you develop into a truly qualified warrior."
"Second, you contact Peter Parker and have him provide you with enough funding to travel the world..."
Dane Whitman didn't hesitate for a second. "I choose the first option."
Batman frowned slightly. Based on his extensive analysis of Dane Whitman, the man should have chosen the second option.
The unusual behavior made Batman secretly on guard, and he waited in silence for Dane Whitman to elaborate.
However, Dane Whitman didn't have any ulterior motives; he merely gave an awkward smile. "I'm afraid of dying. I want to stay with you for at least a month, and only after confirming that this so-called curse doesn't exist will I choose the second option."
"Peter Parker... he's a businessman. I don't think he has any way to handle a potential curse. If something happens, I'd still have to contact you through him anyway."
Batman didn't say much, only giving a slight nod. "Starting tomorrow, meet me here every afternoon."
Batman didn't intend to take Dane Whitman straight back to Bat-Island. A lack of trust was one factor, but he also wanted to use this semblance of "freedom" to observe him from the shadows.
If Dane Whitman relied on his ability to summon the Ebony Blade to do anything that crossed Batman's line, Batman would not hesitate to take action.
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