The Judge

Matt had never imagined that one day, he would be left speechless by a lunatic he had known for barely twenty hours—if they could even be called acquainted.

So angry, so shaken, so cold! When would superheroes finally be able to stand tall?

That not-so-bright Labulaka—or Labrador—was right. If his real identity were ever discovered by an enemy, someone like Kingpin would never spare the friends and partners around him.

Not to mention murderers like Bullseye, who took pleasure in torturing people to death.

And besides...

Matt raised a hand and brushed over his leather mask. This was the combat suit he had made himself. It had changed from its original yellow-and-black design into its current dark red, perhaps symbolizing how deeply he had sunk into a bloody mire, unable to pull himself free.

Could he really give up this suit?

Just as Labulaka had said, the answer was obviously no.

Then...

"Mr. Labulaka."

Matt's voice grew even deeper and raspier, like cracked deadwood. He had to admit that this was a question he had always known about but never dared to face.

Today, this stranger had simply torn away that thin layer of paper covering the window.

"You're that kind of person too, aren't you?"

A moment ago, Leon had seemed like a philosopher, his words carrying something of a godfather's bearing. Sadly, he could not keep it up. Three seconds later, he broke character and turned back into a goofy young man.

"Huh?"

Just listen to that voice full of wisdom.

"You've heard my story?"

Matt's failure to understand the reference disappointed Leon greatly.

He shook his head slightly. "No."

Matt thought it had just been a normal conversation.

"Aren't you afraid that one day, you'll lose yourself and become what you once hated most?"

That was also why Matt had always restrained himself.

Power without checks or limits would eventually destroy its wielder.

Leon actually understood this principle too. If someone possessed the strength to sweep aside everything and trample order, yet lacked self-restraint, there was more than a fifty percent chance they would head down the path of destruction.

Take Ancient One, for instance. She had learned from the enemy to defeat the enemy, borrowed dark power for over a thousand years, used Dormammu to fight Dormammu, and guarded one of the six Infinity Stones. She could have done whatever she wanted, yet every day she still had to endure Dormammu's endless nagging from another dimension, constantly listening to that guy trying to persuade her to build a grand enterprise with him.

For quite a long time, Ancient One had been nearly the strongest person on Earth. No one could restrain her. She had the power, the conditions, the reasons, countless opportunities, and all the time in the world to turn evil—yet she had not turned evil at all! A person like that could truly be called a saint.

For the record, Leon had turned evil in his second year of middle school! Dog-head emoji manually added.

But the realm of saints was ultimately beyond ordinary people. If Leon had been in Ancient One's position, when that foolish disciple of hers betrayed her, Leon would have long since rewarded him with an oversized dark slap and turned him into ashes.

That was why the more powerful a good person was, the more layers of shackles they placed upon themselves.

Like the neighboring Superman Leon found most impressive.

Honestly, this guy could have done whatever he wanted. He had both the power and the reason.

But Superman was too upright. He had kept enduring the bullying of Earthlings, terrified that one careless move might wipe them all out.

Nothing to be done about it. He had been raised well.

His adoptive parents had truly had proper values. They had somehow raised Kal-El, the number one muscle man in the universe, into Clark Kent, a bespectacled reporter who reasoned with people.

You really had to respect that level of skill.

Superman was too upright. As the saying went, a gentleman could be manipulated through righteousness. That was exactly what it meant.

Bad guys could be shameless, break their promises, and take hostages, because they were bad guys.

But he could not. If Superman really did those things, ordinary people who cowered before villains would turn around and strike at him with all their might.

The same could not be said for that other neighbor—the old man whose throat got inflamed whenever he put on the Batsuit.

He had put shackles on himself too.

No killing.

But he only said he would not kill you. He never said he would let you live well! That revealed a fact.

He was only a gentleman when he needed to be one.

When he did not want to be a gentleman...

Stealing weapons from his own home, locking up Killer Croc, crippling the guy carrying a refrigerator on his back, dunking the masked one in water...

He was fully capable of all that.

That was why Joker had always known that Batman and he were the same kind of person: lunatics beneath extreme calmness.

The moment he truly broke his own rule was the moment he went mad.

As for Leon, of course he had considered such questions.

Then he realized that there was no point in thinking about them at all!

Other people only lost themselves in power after believing themselves invincible, imagining that they were gods among men. Then they began to disregard the rules, morals, and lives of the human world.

But he was different!

Leon knew his own limits far too well!

You were powerful, sure, but how powerful could you really be?

A god among men?!

There were actual gods in this world. Don't be fooled by Thor carrying a hammer around every day and shouting things like forty or eighty. He was a legitimate god!

Usually, he lived in Asgard!

But so what? Didn't he still get beaten whenever people beat him?

There were at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, dead gods.

Thor himself had killed quite a few of them!

And when your power surpassed that of gods, you would discover an even broader world!

In that world, there was a Purple Potato carrying a giant blade. He was the director of the universe's family planning office.

Was Purple Potato the pinnacle of power?

Of course not!

There were Dimension Lords, Elder Gods, the Five Great Gods of Creation, the Living Tribunal, the Beyonder, the Beyonder Race...

And those few people at the end of time who had activated cheats.

So, becoming arrogant because of power?

Arrogant my ass!

You people did well in the senior class of kindergarten and thought you were invincible, but Leon knew just how terrifying the second grade of elementary school was!

Besides, just because middle schoolers and high schoolers usually could not be bothered with you did not mean you would not get slapped if you spat on them.

Arrogance?

Not happening.

Therefore, faced with Matt's question, Leon raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky... the corner of the wall, and said blandly, "I used to hate rich people the most."

Matt: ...?

??

??????

I'm opening my heart and talking seriously with you here! Why did you suddenly turn into a lunatic again?!

How exactly does this thing's cycle work?!

Do you have a switch on you or something?!

Maybe you should try another hospital!

You need to get treated somehow, right?!

Hehe...

Leon switched back into normal-person mode again. "Matt, you're right. I really am that kind of person."

"Whatever kind of bad guy someone chooses to be, that is how I will appear before them."

"If the law worked, why would you put on this suit?"

Matt still seemed somewhat hesitant to speak. "But..."

"There are no buts." Leon interrupted his hesitation.

"Believe me. If one day you need to be judged, there are plenty of people in this world who can play the role of judge."

Taking another step forward, Leon stood before Matt, looking down at his blind eyes.

"For example, me."

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