"I... I don't know."
Zatanna lacked confidence in the backward-spoken spell she had cast.
She knew Adrian had been blessed by the Trinity Goddess, meaning ordinary magic should not have affected him. Her original goal had only been to restrain him long enough for everyone else to escape.
She never expected him to actually freeze in place.
Although part of her wanted to believe her spell had somehow worked, Zatanna shook her head.
"This wasn't caused by my magic."
Her gaze lingered on Adrian, surprise flashing across her face as she sensed the terrifying aura radiating from him.
Something about it felt disturbingly familiar.
Zatanna frowned.
For some reason, the presence surrounding Adrian felt eerily similar to the Joker's.
"We need to leave, now, while Homelander is like this. If he snaps out of it, we're done."
Commissioner Gordon gritted his teeth as pain surged through his broken arm. Sweat dripped down his forehead, but he forced himself to stay focused.
"I agree."
Although Adrian had sent Nightwing crashing into a wall earlier, he had clearly held back. Compared to everyone else, Nightwing had escaped with the least severe injuries.
Even so, sharp pain shot through his shoulder every time he moved.
He could already tell the impact had left serious damage.
Suppressing the pain, Nightwing turned toward Batman and Gordon.
"I don't know what the hell is going on with this bastard, but if we're retreating, now's our best chance."
A part of him wanted revenge.
After everything Adrian had done, Nightwing desperately wanted to strike back.
But reason won out.
Someone with Adrian's strength and nearly indestructible body was far beyond his ability to handle.
Commissioner Gordon and Black Canary began preparing to evacuate the chemical plant.
Batman, however, remained perfectly still.
His attention never left Adrian.
The blood-red tint in Adrian's eyes deepened, and a faint, unnatural smile slowly spread across his lips.
An aura of chaos and violence wrapped around him.
Madness.
Slaughter.
A cold, unsettling unpredictability.
This Adrian felt nothing like the one Batman knew.
For a brief moment, Batman almost wondered if this was not Adrian at all.
But someone else.
Someone wearing Adrian's face.
The Joker.
If the Joker had not already died, Batman might have believed it outright.
"No. You all leave first."
Batman's voice remained low and firm.
"I'm staying."
Nightwing immediately stepped in front of him.
"No."
His expression darkened.
"If you stay here, you'll die."
The veins in his forehead tightened as frustration surged through him.
"Homelander won't spare you. You barely recovered, and you're nowhere near your best condition. If he wants to kill you, he can do it effortlessly."
Batman said nothing.
Nightwing clenched his fists.
"You're always like this."
His voice sharpened.
"Always trying to take on the impossible. Always throwing yourself into situations that should kill you. You never stop to think about what the people around you feel."
His breathing grew heavier.
"You do this to everyone."
Nightwing's jaw tightened.
"You stood up Lois Lane because Gotham needed saving."
He paused.
"Jason waited for you in the park, and instead of you showing up, he got the Joker."
The words struck hard.
Jason.
One of Batman's deepest regrets.
Batman's expression darkened.
"I'm sorry, Nightwing."
The apology came quietly.
"Sometimes... I fail to consider how my decisions affect the people around me."
His voice carried unusual heaviness.
"But there are moments when I have to choose. Even when the choice isn't the right one."
Nightwing let out a bitter laugh.
"Yeah."
"You're stubborn as hell."
He pressed a hand against his injured shoulder.
"You're cold, distant, impossible to argue with, and somehow always ten steps ahead of everyone else."
His voice trembled slightly.
"You prepare for every nightmare before anyone else even sees it coming."
"You're the guy everyone hates having against them."
Nightwing looked directly into Batman's eyes.
"But when everything falls apart..."
"You're the person everyone wants beside them."
The chemical plant grew strangely quiet.
"Not because you always have a plan."
Nightwing exhaled slowly.
"But because when you're standing with us, we know we're still on the right side."
"You don't compromise."
"You don't break."
"You never cross the line."
His eyes burned with emotion.
"You're not just Gotham's hero."
"You're this world's last line of defense."
"We can lose anyone."
"Me."
"Cyborg."
"Black Canary."
"But we can't lose you."
Batman froze.
For years, Dick Grayson had stood beside him.
Reliable.
Steady.
Strong enough to carry his own burdens without complaint.
Batman had never expected him to speak so openly.
Yet hearing those words shook something loose inside him.
Something he rarely let himself acknowledge.
"I..."
Batman hesitated.
In the end, only one sentence came out.
"I'm sorry, Dick."
Weak words.
Insufficient words.
But genuine.
Nightwing shook his head.
"So after everything I just said, you're still staying?"
Even if Homelander kills you?"
He sighed.
"Actually, forget it. I already know your answer."
Batman turned his gaze back toward Adrian.
His expression hardened.
"I'm worried about something worse."
"If it happens, the entire world could suffer for it."
Nightwing frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Batman's voice lowered.
"I think Adrian has been infected by the Joker virus."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Commissioner Gordon, Zatanna, Black Canary, and Nightwing all stared at him in shock.
One Adrian had nearly destroyed them.
If Adrian lost his sanity?
The consequences would be unimaginable.
The Joker's madness had been contained to Gotham.
But Adrian?
Someone with power beyond human limits?
If he snapped, the whole world could burn.
No one could predict what someone like him might do.
A man powerful enough to start global destruction without hesitation.
Nightwing swallowed hard.
"How is that even possible...?"
His eyes drifted toward Adrian.
The resemblance to the Joker's unsettling presence was becoming harder to ignore.
A bitter feeling settled in his chest.
Had all their efforts truly changed nothing?
Were they destined to remain trapped beneath Adrian's shadow forever?
"Nightwing."
Batman's voice snapped him back.
"Get Gordon to a hospital."
"He needs treatment."
Nightwing let out a long breath.
"I know I can't stop you."
He paused.
"Just remember this."
"You're still this world's safety net."
Commissioner Gordon looked at his old friend.
A complicated expression crossed his face.
"Let's hope this isn't goodbye."
Batman gave a slight nod.
"It won't be."
After the others finally left, Harley Quinn departing with Black Canary, the chemical plant fell silent.
Batman's attention returned to Adrian.
If Adrian truly carried the Joker virus, Batman needed blood samples.
He needed a cure.
But there was one obvious problem.
Nothing could pierce Adrian's skin.
"Kryptonite..."
Batman frowned.
It was the only material capable of injuring Adrian.
Unfortunately, he did not have any.
Not after just returning.
Not without preparation.
"Or maybe... a counter-serum."
His mind raced.
The Joker Gang.
Past cases.
Mutations.
Possible antidotes.
Then suddenly, a voice cut through the darkness.
"Hello there, little Batman."
Batman's body instantly tensed.
He looked up.
Adrian stood there.
His eyes glowed crimson.
A smile stretched across his face.
One far too similar to the Joker's.
"Adrian."
Batman steadied himself.
"You're sick."
"You need help."
"I can cure this."
"Sick?"
Adrian looked amused.
"I feel fantastic."
"Better than ever."
Batman remained calm.
"I've considered killing the Joker many times."
"But I believe there's a toxin hidden in his heart. Whoever kills him becomes the next Joker."
His expression hardened.
"And now, I think it infected you."
"I can stop this."
"You always stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
Adrian's smile widened.
"In many cultures, the heart represents joy."
He slowly walked forward.
"But science says emotions affect blood flow."
"Happiness."
"Fear."
"Survival."
"The heart keeps everything moving."
His gaze sharpened.
"And according to you..."
"I'm now its slave?"
Before Batman could respond, Adrian grabbed him.
"Do I need to laugh like a lunatic before you believe it?"
Bang!
Batman crashed across the floor.
Dust exploded through the air.
The entire plant shook.
"You have to fight it!"
Batman forced himself up.
"You can't give in."
"If you lose yourself to darkness, there's no coming back!"
He spoke not only to Adrian.
But to himself.
The Lazarus Pit still churned with rage inside him.
Violence.
Instinct.
Bloodlust.
A constant pressure he had to suppress.
And now, he hoped Adrian could do the same.
Adrian sighed.
"You should worry more about surviving."
He looked down at Batman.
"I could kill you whenever I want."
Batman remained steady.
"I've already come back from death."
He once wanted Adrian stopped.
Wanted him gone.
After everything Adrian had done, it would have made sense.
But now?
Batman needed him alive.
Because if Adrian truly carried the Joker virus, killing him might spread it further.
Imagine someone even stronger inheriting it.
That possibility terrified him.
"You're still naive."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Why assume this virus can control me?"
Bang!
A brutal kick sent Batman sliding across the floor.
He smashed into storage crates, debris flying everywhere.
Batman gasped for breath.
Pain surged through his arm.
Dislocated.
Even reinforced armor could not withstand Adrian's strength.
And Adrian was still holding back.
"You underestimate me."
Adrian descended in front of him.
The crimson glow in his eyes had begun fading.
"You have no idea how strong my will is."
"This virus means nothing to me."
His tone darkened.
"But Bruce?"
"You should worry about yourself."
"If someone like you became infected..."
"You'd become the monster you fear most."
Batman's chest tightened.
The madness in Adrian seemed restrained.
Controlled.
Hidden.
Which somehow felt worse.
Not insanity.
Something colder.
Sharper.
Madness mixed with reason.
A monster fully aware of itself.
Batman felt genuine fear.
What kind of creature would Adrian become if the Joker's malice merged with his power?
Coughing, Batman looked up.
"And what monster would that be?"
Adrian's expression turned cold.
"The embodiment of every fear you've ever had."
"You and Joker are more alike than you want to admit."
His voice echoed through the ruined plant.
"One day, Joker kills everyone close to Batman."
"Selina Kyle."
"Commissioner Gordon."
"Families across Gotham."
"Children turned into monsters."
"Parents murdered in front of them."
"You break."
"You kill Joker."
"And his final toxin turns you into something worse."
Batman's breathing slowed.
Adrian continued.
"You hunt Nightwing."
"Red Hood."
"Barbara."
"You destroy your own family."
"You wipe out the Justice League."
"You even kill Superman."
His voice dropped lower.
"And eventually?"
"You destroy the entire world."
Adrian stared directly into Batman's eyes.
"This."
"This is the future you fear most."
===
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