As the final traces of sunset disappeared beyond the horizon, Green Goblin felt his heart sink.
One moment, he had been surrounded by the distant glow of New York's skyline.
The next, it felt as if he had stepped straight into hell.
Batman had neither chased him openly nor driven him away directly. Instead, step by step, pressure by pressure, he had been guided, herded like prey toward the western bank of Queens. Ten meters ahead lay the East River, its dark surface reflecting nothing. Beyond it stood Roosevelt Island, completely unlit, looming in the darkness like a sleeping monster.
Green Goblin tore his gaze away.
The area around him was open and isolated, ringed with low bushes, tangled weeds, and scattered trees. No people. No traffic. No noise from the city.
Batman was nowhere in sight.
And yet—
Green Goblin could feel him.
That cold, predatory gaze was fixed firmly on his back.
Rustle… rustle…
The evening breeze stirred the bushes, producing soft, overlapping sounds that set his nerves on edge.
"Come out!"
Green Goblin shouted, gripping the hilt of his green alloy long blade. His eyes locked onto the bushes ahead. For a split second, he thought he saw a pair of sharply pointed ears hidden among the leaves.
His breath quickened.
The battle suit's systems were dead—hacked clean by Batman—and the blade in his hands no longer carried electricity. Still, it remained lethally sharp.
He advanced cautiously.
Then lunged.
The blade sliced forward—
Nothing.
No resistance.
No body.
The "ears" were only two overlapping leaves.
Green Goblin exhaled sharply.
Then—
Splash.
The sound came from the East River.
Green Goblin spun instantly, blade raised, heart hammering. But the water had already gone still again, as if a fish—or something smaller—had merely broken the surface.
"Come out, Batman!" Green Goblin snarled.
His blade trembled slightly in his grip.
The trees.
The bushes.
The shadows.
Everything that had once been ordinary now looked monstrous.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine. His enhanced senses screamed danger, yet they could not locate it. Something unseen was interfering—an inaudible low-frequency vibration, disrupting his perception, feeding his fear.
The city lights in the distance glowed brightly, yet they felt impossibly far away.
"Stop hiding," Green Goblin shouted, his voice shaking. "I've found you!"
He didn't believe his own words.
He would rather face Batman directly—fight him to the death—than endure this suffocating pressure.
Then a voice spoke.
"Norman Osborn."
The sound came from everywhere and nowhere.
"You cooperated with General Ross," Batman said evenly, "and abducted fifty homeless people for human experimentation."
"Shut up!" Green Goblin screamed. "Fight me!"
"You halted nearly all research at Osborn Group to pursue the Super Soldier Serum," Batman continued. "Forcing Dr. Otto into desperation. Thirty-one police officers died in the Brooklyn sewer."
Green Goblin spun in place, slashing at shadows.
"Dr. Otto is consumed by guilt," Batman said. "And yet you, the architect, walked free."
"You killed eight researchers on the third basement level."
Green Goblin's swings grew wild, frantic.
"You murdered the Spencer family."
The words landed like knives.
"You could have been a respected entrepreneur," Batman said calmly. "A father your son admired."
"But instead, you became a criminal hunted by the police. A murderer condemned by the public."
"Your son, Harry Osborn, will live forever under the shadow of your crimes."
"STOP!"
The blade clattered to the ground.
Green Goblin tore off his helmet and screamed, clutching his hair with both hands.
"Don't tell Harry!" Norman Osborn cried. "Please… don't tell him!"
Whoosh—
The sound of wings filled the air.
From the darkness, countless bats poured down, circling him, their shadows twisting and overlapping. Cold, damp air rose from the river, wrapping around him like a shroud.
Norman Osborn collapsed to his knees.
His body shook violently.
The madness drained from his face, leaving only despair and regret.
"Take me away," Norman sobbed, tears streaming down his face. "Please… Batman."
Amid the storm of bats, Batman appeared.
He stood silently beside Norman, looking down at him.
In that instant—
Norman moved.
With a sudden snarl, he snatched up the fallen blade and thrust upward.
A feigned surrender.
A final betrayal.
The blade struck.
Rip!
It sliced through Batman's cape—the inferior, hastily made material tearing apart under the alloy edge.
Green Goblin's lips curled.
But the next second—
The cape moved.
It spread like living darkness, swallowing his vision as Batman twisted his body. Before Green Goblin could turn the strike into a stab, Batman seized his wrist.
The grip was absolute.
Then—
Norman Osborn was lifted, spun, and slammed into the ground with bone-crushing force.
Batman planted his boot on Norman's chest.
It felt like a mountain pressing down.
"You are weak," Batman said coldly.
"Your madness. Your strength. Your schemes."
"All meaningless."
Norman struggled, but could not move.
Then came the final blow.
"You are not even as good as Joker."
The words shattered what remained of his will.
Norman's vision went black as Batman struck him unconscious.
---
Several hours later, Norman Osborn lay imprisoned inside the new police station under George Stacy's jurisdiction. The reinforced iron cage—originally designed for Squid Man—now held a far more dangerous captive.
George Stacy stared at the bat-shaped Batarang embedded in Osborn's suit.
"What kind of monster is he…" he murmured.
---
Elsewhere in Queens, in Forest Hills—
Batman wore a plaid shirt.
In his hands was a bouquet of flowers.
He knocked gently on the door of a townhouse.
Creak.
The door opened almost immediately.
Peter Parker smiled softly at the elderly woman before him.
"Aunt May."
--------------------------------------------------
110+ chapters available in patreon🔥🔥🔥🔥
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
----------------------------------------------------- .