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Chapter 370 I Will Make a Move
This was a lesson Batman would likely never forget for his entire career.
The thing that had ambushed him, the creature known in legends as a "Talon," was a monster. They were something akin to the living dead, like walking corpses. This was also why even Batman hadn't detected its approach.
Batman was the only ordinary human in the Justice League. He was exceptional, but he didn't have the luxury of making mistakes like the others. His god-like teammates all possessed divine abilities, and a small slip-up in daily affairs could easily be covered by their powers. But his mistakes were often accompanied by a terrible price.
Take this time, for instance. He had wandered sleeplessly for days and nights in a labyrinth deep beneath Gotham.
That was something no normal human could have endured. No food, no water, no rest, constantly circling in a seemingly endless labyrinth.
During this time, he was constantly fed horrifying images. He saw an entire room full of coffins and the faces of those executed by The Court plastered across an entire wall. He saw miniature handicrafts of Gotham, as if someone was flaunting their control over the city.
And there were the attacks from the Talons. The Talons possessed formidable regeneration, superhuman physical prowess, and were ambushing him on their home turf. With his stamina nearly depleted, Batman could hardly fend them off.
Of course, the classic scene of the alley, the pearls, and the Waynes was inevitably replayed.
This dual torment of body and spirit pushed even the Dark Knight to his limit. However, just as The Court thought he was finished, believing his willpower and stamina were depleted and he was no longer a threat, that it was time to end his life, he launched an unexpected counterattack.
Batman squeezed out the last of his strength to beat back the surrounding Talons. Using potassium chlorate he had stolen from a camera in the labyrinth meant to intimidate him, he blew open a breach. He leaped through the opening into the icy water, drifting with the current, floating up, and up...
His consciousness began to fade, the images he feared echoing before his eyes. A sky full of bats, a dark alley, the sound of a gunshot, scattered pearls dancing and bouncing on the ground...
The water's surface was within reach, and light seemed to be shining through. He struggled to reach for the light, but his hand met a hard, cold barrier.
It was a layer of ice.
The heavy snow after Christmas had frozen the water's surface. The ice had become a barrier separating him from the light, and he no longer had any strength or means to break through.
It was over. This was to be the Dark Knight's destiny. Ultimately unable to reach the light that was just a wall away, to be buried in darkness for all eternity...
"..."
*CRACK!*
The ice shattered. The unconscious Batman was lifted up by a fair, slender, yet powerful arm, pulled from the water with a splash.
Kara flew him to the shore, set him down, and tilted her head to observe him.
"He looks alive... but he also looks like he's been through the wringer, all battered and filthy."
Behind her was Orin Vale, who was passing by. At the moment, Orin Vale was carrying shopping bags stuffed to the brim; they had just returned from the supermarket.
"Indeed. He looks terrible," Orin Vale remarked, also taking a look.
He figured this was the work of the Court of Owls. He had some recollection of this story. In the comic where the Court of Owls first appeared, an underestimated and careless Batman was trapped in their labyrinth, getting lost for nine days and nights before managing to escape. In the end, he was saved by a kind-hearted Gotham citizen who happened to pass by and take him home.
The timeline had changed. It seemed the role of the "kind-hearted Gotham citizen" was now being played by Kara.
"Oh my god, his whole body is covered in fractures, there's massive internal bleeding, and his heart is stopping," Kara exclaimed. "Is he going to die?"
"Don't worry. He's too stubborn to just obediently go and die."
Orin Vale shrugged and casually tossed out a healing ray powered by Blue Lantern energy. Although he was still unconscious, Batman's vital signs quickly stabilized.
But of course, The Court wouldn't let him go so easily.
From the shadows behind them, a dark figure slowly approached.
A Talon.
Footsteps lighter than a cat's, no breath or heartbeat, as if it had become one with the darkness. A long blade was slowly drawn from its back, its edge reflecting a cold, silver light.
Gotham is the city of the Owls; it has been since its very foundation. Anyone who defies The Court will be eliminated. No matter how far they run, escape is impossible.
Even Batman.
The Talon's blade was drawn without a sound. It looked at the backs of the two people before it and sneered inwardly.
To appear in this place at this time, one could only say that these two were unlucky. But all obstacles to The Court would be removed.
It raised the long blade high. The blade fell, whistling through the air as it slashed straight down at the blonde girl's head.
*CLANG!*
The Talon froze.
There was no gory scene of a body being split in two as it had expected, not even the sizzle of a blade slicing into flesh. Instead, there was a sound like the clash of metal on metal.
Half of the broken blade spun through the air, sent flying far away by that pretty little head.
Talon: "???"
What was going on? Did I bring a fake knife out today?
Then it saw the man and woman in front of it turn to look, completely unfazed.
"This thing is one of those... Talons?" Kara looked at Orin Vale and asked, puzzled. "It doesn't seem as scary as they sound in the nursery rhyme. It looks pretty weak."
"Don't judge it by your standards," Orin Vale said. "Normally, this thing is strong and hard to kill. That's already pretty terrifying."
Kara's eyes turned red as her Heat Vision swept over it. The Talon stood stunned, unable to react before its head was sliced clean off at the neck.
A living dead creature with no signs of life naturally doesn't fall into the category of a "person." Even Batman killed them without hesitation. Naturally, Kara didn't need to show any mercy either.
The head rolled to one side. The headless body knelt on the ground, then listed to the side and collapsed, black smoke rising from the stump of its neck.
The red glow in Kara's eyes faded. She looked innocently at Orin Vale. "See? It's dead."
Orin Vale: "..."
Office of Gotham's new mayoral candidate.
The lights went out. The man, a mayoral candidate, leaned back in his chair as the figure of a Talon emerged from the shadows behind him.
"Batman has escaped, Lincoln."
The Talon in the shadows said coldly.
"Hmph. Useless."
The man called Lincoln spoke indifferently, without turning his head.
"Don't forget your place, Lincoln. What The Court gives, The Court can take away," the Talon said. "Now, it's time for you to prove yourself."
Lincoln picked up his glass and took an unhurried sip. He swiveled around in his chair and looked calmly at the Talon behind him.
"Go back and tell them that Batman is no longer a threat."
Lincoln narrowed his eyes, his sinister face reflected on the long blade displayed on his desk.
"Because I will make a move."
I was going to push for a third chapter, but I couldn't quite finish it. So, I'm just releasing two for today. There should be four tomorrow...
(end of chapter)
This was a lesson Batman would likely never forget for his entire career.
The thing that had ambushed him, the creature known in legends as a "Talon," was a monster. They were something akin to the living dead, like walking corpses. This was also why even Batman hadn't detected its approach.
Batman was the only ordinary human in the Justice League. He was exceptional, but he didn't have the luxury of making mistakes like the others. His god-like teammates all possessed divine abilities, and a small slip-up in daily affairs could easily be covered by their powers. But his mistakes were often accompanied by a terrible price.
Take this time, for instance. He had wandered sleeplessly for days and nights in a labyrinth deep beneath Gotham.
That was something no normal human could have endured. No food, no water, no rest, constantly circling in a seemingly endless labyrinth.
During this time, he was constantly fed horrifying images. He saw an entire room full of coffins and the faces of those executed by The Court plastered across an entire wall. He saw miniature handicrafts of Gotham, as if someone was flaunting their control over the city.
And there were the attacks from the Talons. The Talons possessed formidable regeneration, superhuman physical prowess, and were ambushing him on their home turf. With his stamina nearly depleted, Batman could hardly fend them off.
Of course, the classic scene of the alley, the pearls, and the Waynes was inevitably replayed.
This dual torment of body and spirit pushed even the Dark Knight to his limit. However, just as The Court thought he was finished, believing his willpower and stamina were depleted and he was no longer a threat, that it was time to end his life, he launched an unexpected counterattack.
Batman squeezed out the last of his strength to beat back the surrounding Talons. Using potassium chlorate he had stolen from a camera in the labyrinth meant to intimidate him, he blew open a breach. He leaped through the opening into the icy water, drifting with the current, floating up, and up...
His consciousness began to fade, the images he feared echoing before his eyes. A sky full of bats, a dark alley, the sound of a gunshot, scattered pearls dancing and bouncing on the ground...
The water's surface was within reach, and light seemed to be shining through. He struggled to reach for the light, but his hand met a hard, cold barrier.
It was a layer of ice.
The heavy snow after Christmas had frozen the water's surface. The ice had become a barrier separating him from the light, and he no longer had any strength or means to break through.
It was over. This was to be the Dark Knight's destiny. Ultimately unable to reach the light that was just a wall away, to be buried in darkness for all eternity...
"..."
*CRACK!*
The ice shattered. The unconscious Batman was lifted up by a fair, slender, yet powerful arm, pulled from the water with a splash.
Kara flew him to the shore, set him down, and tilted her head to observe him.
"He looks alive... but he also looks like he's been through the wringer, all battered and filthy."
Behind her was Orin Vale, who was passing by. At the moment, Orin Vale was carrying shopping bags stuffed to the brim; they had just returned from the supermarket.
"Indeed. He looks terrible," Orin Vale remarked, also taking a look.
He figured this was the work of the Court of Owls. He had some recollection of this story. In the comic where the Court of Owls first appeared, an underestimated and careless Batman was trapped in their labyrinth, getting lost for nine days and nights before managing to escape. In the end, he was saved by a kind-hearted Gotham citizen who happened to pass by and take him home.
The timeline had changed. It seemed the role of the "kind-hearted Gotham citizen" was now being played by Kara.
"Oh my god, his whole body is covered in fractures, there's massive internal bleeding, and his heart is stopping," Kara exclaimed. "Is he going to die?"
"Don't worry. He's too stubborn to just obediently go and die."
Orin Vale shrugged and casually tossed out a healing ray powered by Blue Lantern energy. Although he was still unconscious, Batman's vital signs quickly stabilized.
But of course, The Court wouldn't let him go so easily.
From the shadows behind them, a dark figure slowly approached.
A Talon.
Footsteps lighter than a cat's, no breath or heartbeat, as if it had become one with the darkness. A long blade was slowly drawn from its back, its edge reflecting a cold, silver light.
Gotham is the city of the Owls; it has been since its very foundation. Anyone who defies The Court will be eliminated. No matter how far they run, escape is impossible.
Even Batman.
The Talon's blade was drawn without a sound. It looked at the backs of the two people before it and sneered inwardly.
To appear in this place at this time, one could only say that these two were unlucky. But all obstacles to The Court would be removed.
It raised the long blade high. The blade fell, whistling through the air as it slashed straight down at the blonde girl's head.
*CLANG!*
The Talon froze.
There was no gory scene of a body being split in two as it had expected, not even the sizzle of a blade slicing into flesh. Instead, there was a sound like the clash of metal on metal.
Half of the broken blade spun through the air, sent flying far away by that pretty little head.
Talon: "???"
What was going on? Did I bring a fake knife out today?
Then it saw the man and woman in front of it turn to look, completely unfazed.
"This thing is one of those... Talons?" Kara looked at Orin Vale and asked, puzzled. "It doesn't seem as scary as they sound in the nursery rhyme. It looks pretty weak."
"Don't judge it by your standards," Orin Vale said. "Normally, this thing is strong and hard to kill. That's already pretty terrifying."
Kara's eyes turned red as her Heat Vision swept over it. The Talon stood stunned, unable to react before its head was sliced clean off at the neck.
A living dead creature with no signs of life naturally doesn't fall into the category of a "person." Even Batman killed them without hesitation. Naturally, Kara didn't need to show any mercy either.
The head rolled to one side. The headless body knelt on the ground, then listed to the side and collapsed, black smoke rising from the stump of its neck.
The red glow in Kara's eyes faded. She looked innocently at Orin Vale. "See? It's dead."
Orin Vale: "..."
Office of Gotham's new mayoral candidate.
The lights went out. The man, a mayoral candidate, leaned back in his chair as the figure of a Talon emerged from the shadows behind him.
"Batman has escaped, Lincoln."
The Talon in the shadows said coldly.
"Hmph. Useless."
The man called Lincoln spoke indifferently, without turning his head.
"Don't forget your place, Lincoln. What The Court gives, The Court can take away," the Talon said. "Now, it's time for you to prove yourself."
Lincoln picked up his glass and took an unhurried sip. He swiveled around in his chair and looked calmly at the Talon behind him.
"Go back and tell them that Batman is no longer a threat."
Lincoln narrowed his eyes, his sinister face reflected on the long blade displayed on his desk.
"Because I will make a move."
I was going to push for a third chapter, but I couldn't quite finish it. So, I'm just releasing two for today. There should be four tomorrow...
(end of chapter)
