The Dark Lighthouse That Light Cannot Extinguish

As the black figure disappeared into the deeper shadows, Barbatos's massive bat wings twitched slightly within its restraints, causing the chains to creak with a harsh metallic scraping sound.

Instead of roaring or cursing like a loser, he chuckled softly.

Laughter echoed in the deathly darkness, growing clearer and clearer.

"Hehehe... Hahahaha..."

Just as Bruce's figure was about to disappear around the twisted corner of the distant rock wall, Barbatos's deep, echoing voice caught up with him.

"Actually, you know the Joker Batman's purpose..."

He is your other side, your truest reflection.

"Abandon ridiculous morality, embrace chaos, and become a true god."

The black figure stopped.

Bruce Wayne slowly turned around.

There was no hesitation, no wavering, only a soul-piercing, absolute negation.

"No."

"The Batman Who Laughs is your creation, not my fate."

Even in the deepest darkness, I will still choose hope.

"Because..."

Bruce Wayne turned around again, this time with faster and more determined steps.

"I am Batman."

The twisted, expectant smile on Barbatos's face froze, then crumbled and peeled away little by little.

"No!!!"

"Fear lives in darkness, and you live in me!"

"One day, you will come back. You belong to me, Bruce Wayne."

Barbatos's growl became the final, powerless rage of the loser in this battle of wills, echoing futilely in the depths of darkness.

The darkness remained, but Batman's silhouette was etched upon it more clearly than any light.

Dark Lighthouse That Light Cannot Extinguish.

They came to the outside world.

Bruce walked toward the Batmobile, still pondering the Joker Batman's purpose.

All Batman share a core philosophy.

That means Batman will always win.

However, the Joker Batman's ideology is somewhat distorted, incorporating the Joker's mindset.

For example, he firmly believed that only by completely embracing dark methods could absolute victory be guaranteed.

And the transformation of Batman's image from a "symbol of fear" to an "embodiment of despair" proves that morality is the hero's greatest weakness.

Serving as the strategist for Barbatos, the God of Darkness, was merely to gain his power and to have some overlap with Barbatos's ideals.

But now that Barbatos has been abandoned, then...

Bruce had just sat in the driver's seat when he pressed a button, and all the seats except the driver's seat popped out and locked the occupants securely with steel locks.

Without turning his head, he threw an explosive Bat-dart behind him, ejecting the driver's seat.

Suddenly, Bruce's vision blurred, his eyes instantly switching from the rushing scenery outside the car window back to the cold glow of the dashboard inside the car.

The button hadn't been pressed yet; the finger was frozen in mid-air.

The sensation of being ejected in a flash, the explosive dart flying out of my hand, and the chair being thrown out felt like an illusion.

Time has been reset.

"Don't be nervous, it's me."

A familiar voice came from behind.

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief and continued driving the Batmobile.

"Didn't they say they wouldn't be coming for a long time? It's only been less than two months and they're back again."

"Kino said."

"I originally planned not to go for several years, but something came up and I had to come."

"What's up?"

"It's a rather troublesome matter."

Kino didn't give a direct answer and started changing the subject.

"You're really something, though. You took care of Barbatos in such a short time. I'm planning to deal with him myself this time."

"The plan was nearing its end after you left, and it wasn't entirely successful; we missed a very important person."

Kino knew who it was.

The Joker Batman.

He was the one who controlled the original Dark Trilogy.

"That guy's target is you. He'll show up sooner or later. But what does it feel like to successfully take revenge on Barbatos?"

Kino asked curiously.

The Batmobile passed through the Dark Multiverse and the gates of the Multiverse, arriving in Gotham.

A light drizzle began to fall in Gotham, pattering against the car windows.

"Revenge?"

Bruce's voice was deep, carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.

"That's too simplistic a word, Kino. What I did was end a threat. A nightmare that had to be locked up. But 'feeling'?"

He shook his head slightly, his lips seeming to twitch, but ultimately his expression turned serious.

"There was no joy of victory, only a deeper weight pressing down on me."

Kino was silent for a moment, feeling the same way now; the lives of two different worlds were truly heavy.

For a moment, the two were silent, each lost in their own world.

After an unknown amount of time, the Batmobile suddenly stopped.

Kino also came to her senses and looked out the window, slightly taken aback.

How did you get here?

Bruce drove the car into a secluded garage next door, began to take off his Batsuit, changed into casual clothes, and put on a relaxed smile.

Only when he takes off his suit is he Bruce Wayne, not Batman.

"I came to investigate the place where you first appeared, but I didn't find anything."

However, I thought the renovation was nice, so I bought the place to use as a safe house and a private pub.

Don't just stand there in my car, get out and have a drink with me.

Bruce then walked toward the tavern.

Kino followed.

In the rain, the tavern's sign reads:

Lux Bar.

Raindrops wove a fine net in the Gotham night, pattering against the frosted glass windows of the Lux Bar, blurring the neon lights outside.

The bar's interior is quite different from the noisy pubs typical of Gotham; it's more like a quiet private library or wine cellar.

However, the people inside weren't very quiet.

"Hiccup..."

Kino let out a loud burp, his cheeks flushed, and slapped the smooth surface of the bar.

"Bruce! Old Bat! I'm talking to you! You're raising fish, aren't you?!"

He pointed to the almost untouched glass of wine in front of Bruce.

"Drink! Keep drinking! A man can't... can't back down! Watch me!"

Kino spoke, he suddenly grabbed the bottle in front of him and started chugging it.

"Glug glug... Ah--So refreshing!"

Bruce's temples began to throb uncontrollably.

Kino put down his empty glass, smacked his lips, and glanced at the elegant tavern with its rich collection, but a look of disdain appeared on his face.

"You mean... such a big tavern!"

He swung his arm, nearly knocking an antique Crystal ashtray to the ground, but Bruce caught it with lightning speed.

"Why all this... seriousness! Dark wood, a bunch of bottles, so boring! So boring!" He stood up unsteadily, trying to walk around the bar.

"Gulp, gulp..."

He then made a gesture of tilting his head back and chugging the wine into the air.

"You need to... hire someone! Hire a... bartender! The kind who... sways... and wears sparkly clothes! That's what a bar should be like! This... this looks like an old-fashioned storage room!"

Bruce's face turned completely dark.

His meticulously arranged safe house, a symbol of his taste and secrecy, becomes a meaningless, antiquated storage room in this drunkard's mouth, complete with a glittering bartender?

He stared at Kino's head, which was swaying with his drunken ramblings, and pulled out the Bat-gun from beneath him. He wondered if he could test his plan against Kino right there.