If General Icar felt the power of the dark dimension before the Shadow Legion generals perished, he would never have told Batman. He would have expected his companions to come to his rescue. However, as one general after another died, General Icar began to think that staying with Batman wasn't such a bad idea. At least he wouldn't have to worry about someone suddenly coming to kill him.
Having spent so much time with Batman, General Icar realized that although Batman looked fierce, with a cold and low voice that made people shiver, he was, in fact, a lawful good character aligned with justice.
"More than one dark dimension power?" Batman became instantly alert after receiving General Icar's message.
When he first acquired the mask's power, Batman didn't regard other dark dimension powers as a threat. He knew that his control over the dark dimension power through General Icar's mask was the mask's limit. No one could be stronger than him using the mask's power.
However, after experiencing the Shadow Soldier incident with the Devourer Mask, Batman knew he could never underestimate any mask's power. The strength of the power wasn't absolute. When an ability reached an unsolvable level, even strong power couldn't completely resolve it. Batman's power was strong compared to other mask powers, but it wasn't absolute.
So, upon learning that more than one dark dimension power had appeared, Batman immediately instructed General Icar and Alfred to find the two sources of power. Batman also began to suspect the Joker, who had been quietly staying in Arkham Asylum, and quickly contacted the asylum's director.
The director was initially confident that the Joker had not left Arkham Asylum, boasting that the asylum was more secure than a prison. But under Batman's strict orders, he sent someone to check the Joker's cell, only to find everything in place except the Joker himself.
"You're fired!" Batman's cold voice transmitted through the phone, causing the director to collapse in regret and resentment towards both the Joker and Bruce Wayne.
"How did the Joker get a new mask while in Arkham Asylum? Did someone deliver it to him?" Hanging up the phone, Alfred and General Icar had already marked the coordinates of the dark dimension powers, which were heading towards Gotham's main city.
"Let's go!" Batman couldn't dwell on how the Joker got the mask. He donned the Icar Mask, emitting powerful dark energy, and disappeared.
"Hmm?"
"Hmm?"
The Joker and Ra's Al Ghul, who were fighting, simultaneously stopped and looked towards the dark Gotham, sensing Batman's dark dimension power.
The Joker's face lit up with excitement, eager to clash with Batman again. He wouldn't admit that the recent operations were his doing before being locked up in Arkham. Ra's Al Ghul, however, was annoyed. He had intended to use the Joker to distract Batman, but now that Batman had arrived, he doubted the Joker would cooperate against Batman.
Ra's Al Ghul didn't notice the Joker eyeing him with an even brighter smile.
"Joker?" Batman appeared, observing the Joker and Ra's Al Ghul from a distance. He didn't recognize Ra's Al Ghul immediately and focused on the Joker. However, seeing the Joker without a mask but with black markings on his face made Batman frown.
As the owner of the Icar Mask, Batman was familiar with the dark dimension's power. He knew that without the mask, he couldn't use the dark dimension's power. But the Joker was using the dark dimension power without a mask, which baffled Batman and heightened his vigilance.
"One is the Joker, but who is the other?" Batman soon shifted his gaze from the Joker to Ra's Al Ghul. Seeing Ra's Al Ghul cloaked and hooded, Batman suspected he was wearing a Shadow Legion mask.
As Batman stared at Ra's Al Ghul, he felt a familiar sensation, as if he knew him. This made Batman tense up, his power surging as he accelerated towards them, ready to act.
Ra's Al Ghul, noticing Batman's growing proximity, said, "How many years has it been, Bruce?" This startled Batman.
Batman felt things spiraling out of control, not just because he recognized Ra's Al Ghul's voice and identity, but also due to the Joker's presence. The Joker had always been troublesome without knowing Batman's identity. Now, knowing who he was, the Joker might expose his identity or target Wayne Enterprises.
"No way!" Joker's mocking voice snapped Batman back to reality.
"Never thought you'd be so unsettled by hearing your name," the Joker teased. "Had I known, I would've found out your identity earlier!"
"No worries, I've known your identity from him," the Joker continued. "It surprised me, but it doesn't matter. I'll just have more targets in the future."
"You should have recognized your mentor. We two are from Gotham, so our fight is a Gotham affair. This guy here is an outsider. Let's deal with him first."
"You!" Ra's Al Ghul angrily distanced himself from the Joker. "You peeked into my memories?!"
"Peeking into memories? Since when could the Joker do that? Or is it a dark dimension ability?" Batman hesitated, watching the Joker and Ra's Al Ghul. The three were in a bizarre triangular standoff.
"It's not my fault your memories are so easy to peek into," the Joker grinned. "Bruce... or should I say, little bat, Bruce sounds too much like that annoying playboy!"
"So among the three of us, it seems I'm the most straightforward, showing my face while you two hide under cloaks and masks like shady characters. Just like a master and his disciple!"
"By the way, little bat, this guy came to Gotham to snatch Icar. He even wanted to team up with me, but who would want to work with such an old weakling? If I were him, I'd be dead by now!"
"Damn it!" Ra's Al Ghul, furious at the Joker's antics, began to unleash his dark energy. But before he could act, the Joker launched an attack at both Ra's Al Ghul and Batman.
"Let's have some fun with a three-way battle!" the Joker laughed maniacally.
Boom!
Faced with the Joker's frenzied attacks, neither Batman nor Ra's Al Ghul could ignore it. Despite using the same dark energy, they had no immunity to it and had to counterattack. However, while fighting back, both kept an eye on each other, ready for any sudden moves.
Soon, Gotham's sky was filled with dark energy, exploding and merging with the city. In any other city, such dark energy would be noticeable, but Gotham's dark nature made it seem normal.
However, normalcy didn't mean no damage. As the dark energy explosions grew, they began targeting Wayne Enterprises' properties. The Joker seemed to be steering the battle towards these areas, wanting to see how Batman would react to the destruction of Wayne Enterprises' assets.
Batman noticed the Joker's malicious intent and tried to shift the battlefield, but Ra's Al Ghul, realizing the Joker's plan, decided to cooperate, further damaging Wayne Enterprises' properties.
This time, the Joker wanted to see how wealthy Wayne Enterprises truly was. He planned to destroy their properties in Gotham, forcing Batman to deal with the aftermath and question if he could continue being the Dark Knight or if he would have to fix Wayne Enterprises' massive losses as Bruce Wayne.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]