Ch.139 Teaming Up

"Hehehe, have you figured it out yet? This can only mean one thing: you're not me, you're not Batman, you're no one!" 

The Joker, who had been smiling as he spoke to the Batman Who Laughs, suddenly switched to a cold, venomous tone, spitting with anger.

He kept spitting until his mouth went dry, then bent over, coughing harshly.

Not everyone who dons a black suit can become Batman, and not everyone who paints a smile on their face can become the Joker.

The Batman Who Laughs is just a copycat, trying not only to mimic both the Joker and Batman but to replace them.

Unforgivable.

He must be killed before Bruce returns; otherwise, he'll lose all face!

His smile is different from mine. Gotham only needs one smile.

The Joker's chaotic mind was flooded with various thoughts and even hallucinations. He imagined Batman and the Batman Who Laughs fighting, while he, the Joker, was left cowering in a corner, biting on a handkerchief.

Batman: "You can go. Dealing with the Batman Who Laughs has taken too much of my time; I can't bother with you anymore."

The Batman Who Laughs: "Hahaha, you've lost. I'm Batman's true nemesis now; it's time for you to retire."

Nightwing: "I'm going to help Batman. We're all tired of your antics; the Batman Who Laughs is the real threat to the multiverse."

Damian: "You're washed up, Uncle J. Go retire in a circus somewhere."

Barbara: "You're not scary at all. The citizens now love the dark theories of the Batman Who Laughs. Your chaos is outdated."

Catwoman: "Just leave. You can come to our wedding, Bruce and I, since you're no longer a threat."

All the familiar heroes emerged, each one dismissing him.

In the past, they would beat him senseless, feed him his favorite slaps. But now, they treated him like he didn't exist.

They rushed toward the Batman Who Laughs, lifting him up in celebration, laughing in the night, leaving the Joker alone in a corner under the dim streetlight.

The hallucination was too real, sending shivers through the Joker's body. He'd rather die than let it come true!

Batman's Joker must be him, and only him. Only he could truly play with the Bat.

This impostor, who appeared out of nowhere…

Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die!

The Joker's thoughts were often easy to read, his face expressive enough for Su Ming to practically see the words written on it.

For some reason, the Joker seemed dead set on killing the Batman Who Laughs, which was just fine.

The Joker's combat skills were average, but his assortment of bizarre gadgets always managed to give Batman a hard time. Plus, with his Dionysian factor allowing him to regenerate, the more you hit him, the happier he gets, and his nonsensical ramblings could be quite distracting.

Seeing an opportunity, Su Ming immediately pressed the attack, swinging his large sword repeatedly at the Batman Who Laughs.

The Godslayer sword couldn't hurt him—both of them knew that—so Su Ming made it seem like he was trying to retrieve the Twilight Sword, forcing the Batman Who Laughs to focus more on their weapons.

The Batman Who Laughs, having breached the fourth wall, had seen the Joker and Batman teaming up to defeat him.

But he thought the world had changed, that such a scene wouldn't happen again. Now, however, the Joker + Deathstroke combo was proving even tougher than Joker + Batman.

It seems the future changes weren't all good…

He had assumed that capturing the Joker and ensuring he'd stay unconscious for a long time would keep things under control, but this madman always finds a way to surprise.

Who knocks themselves out and then sneaks into the enemy's hands, only to pretend to be unconscious as a tactic?

The Joker would.

But it wasn't some premeditated strategy; the Joker did it simply for fun.

Under Su Ming's relentless attacks, the Batman Who Laughs was forced to retreat step by step, trying his best to avoid losing his weapon.

Meanwhile, the Joker, who had been fumbling through his suit in the background, continued to search his pockets and even peeked down his collar.

"Strange, where did I put it? Hehehe, Mr. Spoon is going to be so mad."

"Joker, what are you doing?" 

Su Ming reminded him, attacking while trying to keep the Joker focused on the battle at hand.

"Have you seen my colored pencils? I can't be without them!" 

As he spoke, he scratched his green hair, teary-eyed and looking helplessly at Su Ming.

Madmen's words are hard to understand, but fortunately, Su Ming was the one hearing them.

The Joker wasn't looking for a pencil or a fork to go with Mr. Spoon; he was looking for a weapon.

He liked to stab people with pens—fountain pens, pencils, ballpoint pens, anything would do. When he needed a weapon, the first thing he thought of was a pen.

Guns weren't as fun. They killed too quickly, without the delightful screams. He generally avoided using them.

But he had secretly observed that the Batman Who Laughs was different. Normal weapons couldn't hurt him, so he needed a "colored pencil."

In his chaotic mind, colored pencils were bright and colorful, and bright, colorful things were more powerful. A more powerful weapon could hurt the Batman Who Laughs.

What he really meant was that he needed a deadly weapon.

This realization flashed through Su Ming's mind, and he immediately tossed the dagger strapped to his back to the Joker.

This was a Promethium dagger that Cindy had taken from a Zero Talon of Earth-11. Su Ming had kept one of the pair as a spare.

Su Ming rarely used short weapons, but now it seemed perfect for the Joker.

The Joker's usual arsenal included a switchblade, a chest-mounted acid flower, an electric shock glove, and sometimes even Batarangs, given how often Batman had beaten him.

The Joker caught the dagger and unsheathed it, breaking into a wide grin.

"Hehe, there's a bird on it! Its eyes are so big, it's watching me. Mwah mwah mwah, hahaha!"

He held the dagger delicately between his fingers, laughing as he planted a bloody kiss on the owl engraving on the hilt.

Tilting his head, he began to stagger toward the Batman Who Laughs, giggling as he went, holding the dagger at a distance as if deciding where to strike.

"Hehe… hehehe…"

This dagger was dangerous—the Batman Who Laughs could feel it. He could sense the Joker's gaze piercing him like needles.

The Joker kept licking his lips, as if he was about to devour him.

The Batman Who Laughs was considering his escape, but Su Ming wasn't going to give him the chance.

A thought flashed in his mind, and the Godslayer sword in his hand instantly transformed into two scimitars. Wielding one in each hand, Su Ming launched a ferocious assault on the Batman Who Laughs.

He completely ignored the Batman Who Laughs' attacks, adopting a strategy of trading blow for blow. After all, his bones were reinforced with X-metal; the Twilight Sword wouldn't be able to cut through them.

Using his soul power, Su Ming fused all his ribs into a single protective layer, as if wearing an inner armor of X-metal. He now had an overwhelming advantage against the Batman Who Laughs.

The Joker, like a shadow, also approached. Whenever the Batman Who Laughs was busy dodging Su Ming's strikes, the Joker would sneak in a sudden stab, all while spouting his usual nonsensical chatter.

This worked out perfectly. Su Ming could now focus solely on attacking, leaving the trash-talking duties to the Joker.