In a cemetery on the outskirts of Gotham, a coffin buried beneath a shallow layer of earth was suddenly thrown open.
A dazed Faust crawled out of the coffin.
The mask on his face had shattered, revealing a bloodless complexion. He looked like a vampire crawling out of a coffin.
Though that was not far from the truth, Faust, proficient in black magic, was far harder to kill than the vampires of legend.
Still, even Faust had been severely wounded after Malebolgia, the Hell Demon King, crushed his body.
He hated accidents, especially the kind that ended in failure.
A pale light rose on the eastern horizon. Dawn had come.
Faust had barely steadied himself against the coffin when a shovel smashed into the back of his head. With a clang, the sharp pain and blood pouring from the back of his skull sent him crashing to the ground.
"Happy Christmas. Though it looks like it's already passed."
Joker wore a tailored purple pinstriped suit and spotless Italian handmade leather shoes. Holding a pointed shovel, he looked down at the dark magician with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"You're still... alive?" Faust raised his head and stared at Joker, finding it almost unbelievable.
"Tsk... you know, a stage needs a few special roles. Like... the protagonist!" Joker swung the shovel, and with a whoosh, slammed it into Faust's head.
"You know? I prepared a wonderful Christmas gift for you, but Santa Claus never came. That's really annoying, don't you think?"
Joker asked with a grin as he swung the shovel again and heavily struck Faust's head. Thick blood flowed from the split wound and dripped into the black earth.
The crows nesting in the nearby trees were jolted awake by the repeated thuds. They poked their heads