Tuber

Drip.

Bane's mask fell to the ground.

The black and white cowl, though tattered, had previously been firmly on Bane's head—

At this moment, it came loose.

And Bane's self... sank into darkness along with it.

[Warning! Warning! Anchored item detected:]

[Bane's Mask]

[Description: This is the mask that fell from Bane's cheek after he endured the siege of twenty thousand soldiers, Venom infection, and the erosion of The Black. Along with this mask, soiled in the mud, fell Bane's pure, proud self. You may be able to use it to summon a Batman from a parallel universe.]

Chen Tao had almost forgotten about the Alfred Protocol.

[But, will an existence summoned by a soiled object possess any pure and flawless identity?]

["No! Damn it, this is... is this the Laughing Gas controlled by that clown, Joker? Hahahahaha, I'm dying of laughter, how is this possible?

I, Bane, will never be poisoned by such a low-level toxin... Ah-hahahaha! I am the Super Warrior, Bane! OOOOOOH--"]

[Warning! Warning! Batman No. 52 is too far from the anchored item. Please find a way to hold it immediately!]

Chen Tao's gaze focused on the mask at Bane's feet. He let out a breath, then turned and whispered a few words into Robin's ear.

The power of The Black spread through the forest. Trees creased and rotted; a tree next to Harley Quinn turned into a pile of foul-smelling rotten wood right before her eyes.

Squirrels and several other unknown small animals on the tree fled in panic. Their small heads could not comprehend why they had suddenly met such a misfortune.

Just as Harley Quinn was about to reach out to save these small animals, Deathshot unhesitatingly shot one of them, blowing it up.

"Hey—you—"

"Take a good look—"

Harley turned her head and saw the squirrel, which had been so cute and innocent, let out a hissing scream. The animal raised its head, and maggots crawled all over its riddled face. Insect limbs, one by one, were pulled out of its body, followed by their unfolding. It looked like a giant spider, and then this little monster suddenly leaped up and lunged at Harley Quinn—

Bang!

Deathshot fired another shot, then took a few steps forward and pulled out a flamethrower from behind, setting it ablaze.

Seeing the squirrel screaming, howling, and rolling on the ground in the fire, he took two steps back and said, "I've never seen anything so bizarre in my life."

Poison Ivy said nothing. With a raise of her hand, vines shot out from the ground and climbed onto Harley Quinn's body, forming a vine armor on her.

"Harley, be careful," Poison Ivy gritted her teeth.

"Don't let these things touch you. The vines on you possess the power of The Green, which can protect you temporarily."

Deathshot said from the side, "Why don't you make one for me too?"

Poison Ivy ignored him.

"Wuwuwu, Little Red, thank you!"

Harley Quinn hugged Poison Ivy. "You're the best!"

"So why can't you make one for me? I'm pretty scared of dying too."

"Get lost."

The two women told him in unison.

Vibrant green life rapidly withered under the power of The Black. The great zombie Solomon Grundy looked at the blackness spreading to his feet. His ugly, grayish-white face wrinkled, revealing a disgusted expression:

"Grundy hates this!"

Chen Tao said softly to Poison Ivy, "How much more of The Green's power can you muster?"

Poison Ivy glanced at Plant Master.

Plant Master, who had been lying on the ground earlier, had only had his body, corroded by herbicide solution, rotted to the point where he temporarily lost his ability to resist, and still needed her, another agent of The Green, to bind him with vines.

And now, his face looked like decaying wood, like an old man over a hundred years old, whose time was near and whose candle was about to be extinguished. His once-muscular body and the thick green leaves on his cheeks had turned a withered gray-black.

This was precisely Batman's doing. Chen Tao felt a bit awkward, but he immediately cast such emotions aside.

Poison Ivy released the vines that had been blocking Plant Master Jason Wood's mouth. "Jason, we need your help!"

Chen Tao interjected, "Where are the tubers on Swamp Thing?"

"I... I can feel the power..."

Zombie Bane grinned. Even while being eroded by The Black, the Joker's gas was still taking effect: "Ha! Ha! Ha... Ho ho..."

"What's going on?"

Another voice sounded from within Zombie Bane: "We are the Three Hunters, how could mere mortal toxins..."

"Enough, don't embarrass yourself. The corrupted natural force hasn't completely mastered this body. A part of him is still alive, protected by The Red—no time for explanations, prepare to face the enemy!"

Bang!

The gray-white zombie's fist hit Zombie Bane's face heavily, causing his head to snap back. But Zombie Bane showed no sign of pain. He let out a joyful laugh and then gave Solomon Grundy a hug.

"Idiot, prepare to face the power of the Rot Kingdom…"

"???"

"Solomon Grundy is a zombie, neither alive nor dead. The Rot Kingdom's power won't affect him," Chen Tao whispered to Poison Ivy. "But we can't count on that mindless brute to help us defeat the enemy."

"I know, I know! I'm already looking, stop rushing me!"

At that moment, Plant Master was laid flat on the ground. Poison Ivy used the power of The Green to cut open his plant-like body, while Killer Croc helped, frantically searching inside Plant Master's belly.

Of course, they found nothing.

Poison Ivy grew anxious. She stood up, walked in front of Plant Master, and grabbed his face.

"Damn it, Jason! Do you know how serious this situation has become? The Black is already upon us, and you're still fighting amongst ourselves?"

"Is this it?" Killer Croc suddenly yelled. He extended his hand, holding a lump of somewhat hard green substance covered in a sticky green layer.

Poison Ivy turned around. "That's just residue after Jason absorbed all the nutrients from the food he ate."

She turned back to Plant Master. "Think carefully. No matter how much we fight, we are all part of The Green!"

"That's emotional blackmail," Plant Master grunted in a low voice. "Traitor!"

"Ugh!" Killer Croc froze for a moment, then nearly threw up.

He suppressed his disgust and didn't throw Plant Master's offering aside. Instead, he stuffed it back into Plant Master's body.

I won't stand for this!

"Jason! We're friends, we…"

"Enough, look!" Chen Tao interrupted Poison Ivy.

He forcefully turned Plant Master's head towards the battlefield where Solomon Grundy and the Zombie Bane were trading blows. Deathshot and Cheshire Cat were firing furiously at Zombie Bane. "If The Black wins, we'll all die!"

"And before I die, I'll definitely throw you to that monster first!"

Plant Master was silent for a moment…

Then he vomited up two tubers.