studiobondurri Chapter 95: Ch.94 Nightmare Batcave
Chapter 95: Ch.94 Nightmare Batcave
Chapter 95: Ch.94 Nightmare Batcave
After bidding farewell to Hephaestus, a thoroughly overheated Barry sped across the ocean with Su Ming in tow. This volcanic island seemed like a place only gods and their followers could endure.
Day in and day out, it was all about forging, eating, and sleeping, all in the scorching heat. Without strong faith, it would be impossible to persevere.
The island was located off the coast of Italy, and it was another mission involving crossing the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Barry was already well-practiced at this.
"We're going to deal with the Merciless. Do you have a plan?" Barry asked as they sprinted across the vast ocean.
Su Ming looked at the endless sea, rubbing his chest where his injury had almost healed, though it still itched a bit. "He's the Batman from Earth -12. At his core, he's still human. His power source is the Helm of Ares on his head. It burned his mind, turning him into a War God obsessed with slaughter and battle."
In that world, Batman and Wonder Woman were a couple, but after he lost his mind, Wonder Woman died at his hands.
"So... should I just run up and take off the helmet?" Barry tilted his head, testing the waters with his suggestion.
Su Ming shook his head. "That won't work. It's a divine artifact. Unless he willingly removes it, it's impossible to take off."
"Then what should we do?"
"My strength is no match for his, but martial skill isn't just about brute force. Even though he's Bruce and trained by his world's Wonder Woman, I believe I can hold him off for a while. With Diana's help, we can defeat him... Here, take this."
Su Ming handed Barry the divine metal grenade that Barry had stealthily given him earlier. It was still warm from being hidden in his hand.
"No, I can't kill anyone."
"You won't need to kill. The Merciless has another trump card—a giant coin." Su Ming pushed the grenade back into Barry's hand.
"A coin?"
"Yes. How much do you know about Greek mythology?"
"Uh... a little bit."
But unlike a typical exhibition hall, all the exhibits were arranged along the walls, leaving a vast open space in the center, covered with luxurious carpeting like an indoor ballroom.
A towering figure clad in medieval armor stood there, facing a much smaller woman.
The heavy armor was blue, not forged from divine metal, but taken from the Ares of his world.
On his chest was a white, winged bat symbol. However, unlike the Batman symbol of the primary world, this one was overlaid with Wonder Woman's emblem, the double-W resembling a soaring eagle.
The War God's helmet had a massive skull-like faceplate, with batwing-like earrings extending from both sides. His eyes glowed red.
"Diana, do you like the Batcave I've remade for you?" His muffled voice echoed from beneath the helmet, like the roar of the dead from the depths of Hell. "In my universe, I once hoped we could have a home together."
Wonder Woman stood across from him, maintaining her distance. After leaving the Oblivion Bar, the Justice League had gone their separate ways for their respective missions. But Barbatos' immense dark energy soon located them. Mysterious dark magic created portals, sweeping them up and scattering them across the world into various Nightmare Batcaves.
Each Nightmare Batman awaited them inside.
Diana knew this was a tactic to divide the Justice League, a signature Batman move. The Nightmare Batmen had clearly inherited this trait.
"That just means the me from your world had terrible taste, in every way." Diana sneered, showing disdain and fearlessness as she raised her sword and shield defensively.
"It must have been our most intimate time." The Merciless turned around and selected a weapon radiating golden light from a nearby rack, then pointed it at Diana in challenge. "These are all the weapons of the gods I've slain. Come, my dear, choose one. No god can dictate our fate anymore."
Diana's gaze sharpened. She recognized the weapon, a blade that was both a sword and a dagger—the God Killer. Hephaestus had forged a similar one in the primary world. He had used it to lure Deathstroke into working for him, hoping Deathstroke would use it to kill the Titan Lapetus imprisoned beneath Themyscira.
The Titans were enemies of Olympus, and Zeus wanted him dead. Hephaestus was merely the errand boy.
But things never go smoothly. Deathstroke had caused a huge mess on Themyscira with that dangerous weapon, and the God Killer had been reclaimed by Hephaestus.
The sword connected to the wielder's mind, incredibly powerful, capable of changing into any weapon at will. But that was all in the past. The current problem was the most pressing. In this entire room, there was no weapon capable of standing against the God Killer.
Diana thought for a moment, then threw down her Sword of Ares and Amazonian shield. The two divine metal weapons hit the carpet with a dull thud.