Absolute silence shrouded this realm of "nothingness."
Everyone in the United Fleet held their breath, watching the figure standing at the fleet's forefront and the black singularity that heralded the end of the universe.
An ultimate confrontation that no one could intervene in, and no one could comprehend, was about to begin.
Link slowly turned around and looked one last time at the fleet behind him, made up of his former enemies, subjects, and friends, carrying civilization's last hope.
His gaze did not linger on any of the faces filled with reverence, sorrow, or resolve.
He merely opened a private communications channel to the bridge of the Justice. At the other end was Gotham's Dark Knight, the man who always hid in the shadows.
"Bruce." For the first time, Link's voice carried a barely perceptible trace of exhaustion.
Batman fell silent for a moment before answering, "I'm here."
"You were right," Link said. "A paradise forced upon people, with no choice, is itself a deeper kind of hell. It took me far too long to understand that."
"..." Batman did not reply. He simply listened in silence.
"If... I don't come back," Link paused, as though saying his final goodbye, "if I succeed, but the price is my disappearance... tell this universe there was once a madman named Link. He tried to make everything better, even though... he made a mess of it all."
"I will." Batman's voice was low and hoarse. "The world will remember you, Link. Not as a tyrant, but as a guardian."
"Heh..." Link gave a soft chuckle, filled with both relief and self-mockery.
He cut the connection.
He looked one last time in the direction he had come from. The blue planet that had given him life and nurtured Harley, that he had conquered and