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"Right now, our Sorcerer Supreme has already started handling this matter. All we can do is pray, pray that he can win," Constantine said.
"So, can he win?"
"Difficult. Very difficult. Extremely difficult." Constantine tossed away the cigarette in his hand, then took out a second one, lighting it right in front of Bruce and blowing out a smoke ring. "Let me put it this way, the current Tony has the power to destroy Earth, the qualifications to rival an interstellar civilization. But even a hundred, a thousand of him facing that guy would be instantly killed."
Bruce was silent for a moment before slowly lowering his arm. The various mechanisms, which had been on the verge of activation, temporarily stood down. But if Bruce had made a move, Constantine would have been blown to bits.
Even if Constantine claimed he would be fine, Bruce was willing to verify that claim with practical means. He firmly believed that even people with supernatural abilities like Sorcerers were no different from Mutants—they could all be killed by bullets.
This time, Bruce was truly at a loss for words. Right now, he was just the Dark Knight of Gotham City, a far cry from the future Justice League hero, Batman.
He might become very powerful in the future, but right now, he was still just an ordinary human.
Facing Trigon, he was truly powerless, and there was simply too little time.
"Why are you here?" Bruce asked coldly.
"Why am I here? I don't know myself. I happened to sense you had a secret base and just dropped in. I'm pretty surprised, though. Batman and Bruce are the same person... What, thinking of making a comeback?" Constantine squinted, slouched ungracefully in the chair with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Bruce stared at Constantine with an emotionless gaze, as if sizing up prey. The list of people who knew he was Batman had just grown by one.
"Watch your mouth, Constantine, or I'll make you pay. Sorcerers aren't omnipotent." Bruce took a breath and continued, "Tell me the name of this enemy you mentioned and any information you have."
"Tell you? You want to figure out a way to deal with a universe-destroying being? Don't tell me you think Trigon and Dormammu are on the same level!" Constantine said sarcastically, raising his voice.
"So the enemy's name is Trigon." Bruce showed no trace of anger, his composure unshaken.
"Listen to me, mate. That guy is for Tony to handle; only Tony can figure out a way to deal with him. You and I, after all, are still in the realm of mortals." Constantine leaned back in the chair again, somehow managing to contort himself into a comfortable position on the narrow seat.
"Tony isn't a God either. I know him well. Even with his rapidly growing power, even as he's become this planet's Guardian, he is still a mortal and will always be one of us. He feels anger and sorrow, and he'll fight Trigon to protect his family."
Bruce turned back to his computer and typed in the name "Trigon." Instantly, the powerful computer and its rudimentary Artificial Intelligence began to rapidly collect all available information about Trigon on the web.
But ninety-nine percent of it was a pile of incomprehensible symbols, along with the ravings of some madman from a forgotten year, dredged up from junk data.
To Earthlings, aliens were the stuff of legends, let alone a monster from the Outer Universe. Only a handful of Sorcerers possessed even the slightest bit of information.
Bruce's next task was to decipher these symbols. They had been scraped from numerous fragmented ancient texts, compiled by the computer, and were now displayed before his eyes.
The complex task continued. The analysis was proving to be incredibly difficult, perhaps even impossible.
Constantine glanced at Bruce, who was now completely absorbed in his work. He sighed, looking bored. After leaving behind a few words like "Hell" and "Demon," he used magic to depart from the heavily fortified Batcave.
The high-tech security measures, like the electronic gates, were completely useless against him. However, if Bruce had attacked him with everything he had, it would have been a real problem. It was possible he could have been killed by the sheer volume of weaponry before he had time to react.
Bruce's weapon systems had been upgraded. After analyzing the energy weapons of the Chitauri, their lethality had become even more terrifying.
The Batcave fell silent once more. Only a single figure remained, sitting before the computer with a frown, contemplating his next move.
Upgrading the Batcave again was an urgent priority. His meticulous security had revealed too many flaws when faced with a mysterious group like the Sorcerers.
"And this Trigon..." Batman's brow furrowed deeply. If what Constantine said was true, then this being was simply beyond his scope of understanding. It was difficult to even begin to imagine the extent of Trigon's power.
The data he could find was far too scarce—just a few keywords, which was practically the same as having nothing at all.
Placing his hope in others had never been Bruce's style, not even if that person was Tony, the Guardian of Earth.
The chaos in Gotham City was already beginning to surface. The Joker and the League of Shadows would be his mortal enemies, yet the power he could wield was far too limited.
"Looks like I'll have to find some help."
Bruce pondered for a moment and made up his mind.
He couldn't intervene in the situation with Trigon due to his lack of information; he needed more time. But Gotham City was everyone's home. He couldn't face the growing number of enemies alone. He needed help—allies who shared his ideals.
He decided to name the team that would be built around him: the "Bat-Family."
For a rare moment, Bruce hesitated. Then, he took out his phone and dialed the number of a fine young man he knew.
"Robin, are you free to meet? I'm considering an investment to help the Gotham City Police Department upgrade its weapons and equipment..."
"Oh, Mr. Wayne, that would be wonderful! But it's not a good time for me to talk right now. I'll call you back..."
Robin, who was a police officer, was in the middle of a fierce street battle with a dark-clad figure, shouting, "Deadpool, drop your weapons and surrender!"
But to the despair of him and all the other officers, no matter how many times they shot Deadpool, the bastard would always jump back up as if nothing had happened.
"This damned Mutant! He's impossible to kill!"
Through the phone, Bruce clearly heard the sounds of gunfire and the curses of Robin's colleagues. He decisively hung up, stood, and walked towards the Bat-suit once more, ready to armor up and join the fight.
That night, Batman mobilized once more.
Before leaving, he tried calling Rachel, but it didn't go through. He figured she was probably out on a mission as well.
Gotham City had suddenly descended into chaos, forcing many police officers to be temporarily reassigned to arrest criminals.
At a time like this, the Dark Knight was needed. It was the perfect time for him to emerge.
Batman would appear in Gotham City once more, ready to capture anyone who dared to threaten the city's peace and throw them into prison.
(end of chapter)
"So, can he win?"
"Difficult. Very difficult. Extremely difficult." Constantine tossed away the cigarette in his hand, then took out a second one, lighting it right in front of Bruce and blowing out a smoke ring. "Let me put it this way, the current Tony has the power to destroy Earth, the qualifications to rival an interstellar civilization. But even a hundred, a thousand of him facing that guy would be instantly killed."
Bruce was silent for a moment before slowly lowering his arm. The various mechanisms, which had been on the verge of activation, temporarily stood down. But if Bruce had made a move, Constantine would have been blown to bits.
Even if Constantine claimed he would be fine, Bruce was willing to verify that claim with practical means. He firmly believed that even people with supernatural abilities like Sorcerers were no different from Mutants—they could all be killed by bullets.
This time, Bruce was truly at a loss for words. Right now, he was just the Dark Knight of Gotham City, a far cry from the future Justice League hero, Batman.
He might become very powerful in the future, but right now, he was still just an ordinary human.
Facing Trigon, he was truly powerless, and there was simply too little time.
"Why are you here?" Bruce asked coldly.
"Why am I here? I don't know myself. I happened to sense you had a secret base and just dropped in. I'm pretty surprised, though. Batman and Bruce are the same person... What, thinking of making a comeback?" Constantine squinted, slouched ungracefully in the chair with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Bruce stared at Constantine with an emotionless gaze, as if sizing up prey. The list of people who knew he was Batman had just grown by one.
"Watch your mouth, Constantine, or I'll make you pay. Sorcerers aren't omnipotent." Bruce took a breath and continued, "Tell me the name of this enemy you mentioned and any information you have."
"Tell you? You want to figure out a way to deal with a universe-destroying being? Don't tell me you think Trigon and Dormammu are on the same level!" Constantine said sarcastically, raising his voice.
"So the enemy's name is Trigon." Bruce showed no trace of anger, his composure unshaken.
"Listen to me, mate. That guy is for Tony to handle; only Tony can figure out a way to deal with him. You and I, after all, are still in the realm of mortals." Constantine leaned back in the chair again, somehow managing to contort himself into a comfortable position on the narrow seat.
"Tony isn't a God either. I know him well. Even with his rapidly growing power, even as he's become this planet's Guardian, he is still a mortal and will always be one of us. He feels anger and sorrow, and he'll fight Trigon to protect his family."
Bruce turned back to his computer and typed in the name "Trigon." Instantly, the powerful computer and its rudimentary Artificial Intelligence began to rapidly collect all available information about Trigon on the web.
But ninety-nine percent of it was a pile of incomprehensible symbols, along with the ravings of some madman from a forgotten year, dredged up from junk data.
To Earthlings, aliens were the stuff of legends, let alone a monster from the Outer Universe. Only a handful of Sorcerers possessed even the slightest bit of information.
Bruce's next task was to decipher these symbols. They had been scraped from numerous fragmented ancient texts, compiled by the computer, and were now displayed before his eyes.
The complex task continued. The analysis was proving to be incredibly difficult, perhaps even impossible.
Constantine glanced at Bruce, who was now completely absorbed in his work. He sighed, looking bored. After leaving behind a few words like "Hell" and "Demon," he used magic to depart from the heavily fortified Batcave.
The high-tech security measures, like the electronic gates, were completely useless against him. However, if Bruce had attacked him with everything he had, it would have been a real problem. It was possible he could have been killed by the sheer volume of weaponry before he had time to react.
Bruce's weapon systems had been upgraded. After analyzing the energy weapons of the Chitauri, their lethality had become even more terrifying.
The Batcave fell silent once more. Only a single figure remained, sitting before the computer with a frown, contemplating his next move.
Upgrading the Batcave again was an urgent priority. His meticulous security had revealed too many flaws when faced with a mysterious group like the Sorcerers.
"And this Trigon..." Batman's brow furrowed deeply. If what Constantine said was true, then this being was simply beyond his scope of understanding. It was difficult to even begin to imagine the extent of Trigon's power.
The data he could find was far too scarce—just a few keywords, which was practically the same as having nothing at all.
Placing his hope in others had never been Bruce's style, not even if that person was Tony, the Guardian of Earth.
The chaos in Gotham City was already beginning to surface. The Joker and the League of Shadows would be his mortal enemies, yet the power he could wield was far too limited.
"Looks like I'll have to find some help."
Bruce pondered for a moment and made up his mind.
He couldn't intervene in the situation with Trigon due to his lack of information; he needed more time. But Gotham City was everyone's home. He couldn't face the growing number of enemies alone. He needed help—allies who shared his ideals.
He decided to name the team that would be built around him: the "Bat-Family."
For a rare moment, Bruce hesitated. Then, he took out his phone and dialed the number of a fine young man he knew.
"Robin, are you free to meet? I'm considering an investment to help the Gotham City Police Department upgrade its weapons and equipment..."
"Oh, Mr. Wayne, that would be wonderful! But it's not a good time for me to talk right now. I'll call you back..."
Robin, who was a police officer, was in the middle of a fierce street battle with a dark-clad figure, shouting, "Deadpool, drop your weapons and surrender!"
But to the despair of him and all the other officers, no matter how many times they shot Deadpool, the bastard would always jump back up as if nothing had happened.
"This damned Mutant! He's impossible to kill!"
Through the phone, Bruce clearly heard the sounds of gunfire and the curses of Robin's colleagues. He decisively hung up, stood, and walked towards the Bat-suit once more, ready to armor up and join the fight.
That night, Batman mobilized once more.
Before leaving, he tried calling Rachel, but it didn't go through. He figured she was probably out on a mission as well.
Gotham City had suddenly descended into chaos, forcing many police officers to be temporarily reassigned to arrest criminals.
At a time like this, the Dark Knight was needed. It was the perfect time for him to emerge.
Batman would appear in Gotham City once more, ready to capture anyone who dared to threaten the city's peace and throw them into prison.
(end of chapter)
