Signal

A few minutes ago…

"This is an urgent report from Riverton Daily. Chaos continues to reign in the central square, where a large number of unknown creatures have gathered. Secret Service Nine is maintaining order, but the situation remains unstable. There are unconfirmed reports of a vigilante, possibly Batman, seen flying over the area..."

The broadcast footage cut to an aerial view from a helicopter. Despite the distance, the camera's zoom provided a chillingly clear picture of the destruction. The once-bustling central square had been reduced to a nightmarish landscape of collapsing buildings, gaping fissures, and spreading devastation. It was as if the very earth itself was trying to swallow the city whole.

Thick, twisted black tendrils, like the roots of some malevolent tree, protruded from the ground, curling and writhing through the smoke and dust. At first, they seemed like some sort of cylindrical structure, but as the dust settled, the true nature of the horror emerged. The thing that had crawled up from the depths was enormous—a grotesque mass of muscle and darkness, vaguely tree-like in structure, yet clearly a living entity.

Its towering form was crowned by six grotesque, muscular arms, each one thick as an ancient oak and riddled with knots and bulges. At its center, a single massive eye opened. The eye was no ordinary orb, but a warped and curved mirror, reflecting the chaotic world around it. The image in the eye—crumbling buildings, debris, and the desperate people fleeing in terror—was eerily distorted, the reflections made all the more horrifying by the cold, indifferent gaze of the monster.

The reporter's voice trembled over the live feed. "My God, I've never seen anything like this..."

She tried to regain her composure, but the terror was clear in her voice. The sight of the thing before her was beyond comprehension. It wasn't just its size, or even the grotesque nature of its form—it was the visceral sense of dread that emanated from it. Looking at it felt like staring into the embodiment of fear itself, like gazing into a void that threatened to consume everything.

People watching from the safety of their homes couldn't escape the fear either. The television screen couldn't fully capture the sheer, overwhelming presence of the creature, but even through the glass, it was enough to send chills down their spines.

"I… I don't know how to describe this," the reporter stammered, desperately trying to regain her professionalism. "All we can do is pray for the heroes who are fighting on the front lines..."

Inside the Riverton Daily office, Winston Higs, the editor-in-chief, stood silently, staring at the live footage streaming from the square. His face was ashen, his mind racing as he watched the scene unfold.

Suddenly, he snapped into action. Grabbing his phone, he dialed quickly, the tension clear in his voice.

"Yes, it's me... Remember the event we planned for next week? Are the preparations ready?" He paused, his hand trembling slightly as he held the phone. "Good. We're moving it up. No, I'm not insane."

For a moment, he was silent, listening to the person on the other end of the line.

"My nephew was on that runaway train, and Spider-Man saved him. If there's something we can do to help... now is the time."

---

Present time…

The colossal structure of a nearby building groaned under the pressure before crumbling entirely, collapsing in a cloud of dust and debris. Beneath the wreckage, Wolverine was momentarily pinned. His enhanced healing factor had kept him from suffering any fatal injuries, but the weight of the debris pinned him in an awkward position. He could, of course, dig his way out with his adamantium claws, but Charlie didn't have the time to wait for that.

With a quick switch of focus, Charlie activated the Allen Mode of Batman's suit. In a blur of movement, Batman phased through the rubble, his body passing through solid concrete like a specter. Wolverine had done his part, but this wasn't his kind of fight anymore. A towering creature of this magnitude required a different kind of strategy—and a different kind of hero.

As more ghouls clawed their way out of the earth, their numbers grew exponentially. The pressure was increasing on Ivan team as they fought to hold the line. Reinforcements were en route, but they were still several minutes away—minutes that felt like an eternity amidst the chaos.

The first help to arrive was a fighter jet from the Ninth Division. From the distance, it fired two high-precision missiles at the massive, twisted figure of Laitos. The missiles struck the beast's hide with a resounding explosion, the flames licking up its enormous body. Moments later, the jet dove lower, spraying a barrage of machine gun fire that sparked and ricocheted off the creature's obsidian skin.

Charlie, piloting Batman, watched the scene unfold from the ground. The attack had barely scratched Laitos.

And then it happened—Laitos moved with terrifying speed, especially for something its size. One of its gigantic arms stretched toward the sky, and from the center of its massive palm, a whip-like tentacle lashed out. The tentacle sliced cleanly through the fighter jet's wing, sending it spiraling downwards, thick smoke billowing from its ruined engines. The pilot ejected just in time, his parachute deploying as the jet careened into the ground, erupting into a fiery explosion.

Charlie clenched his jaw. "This thing is not going to go down easy."

As Batman swooped and dodged in the air, his detective mode was fully engaged. Data streamed into the Batcomputer, where Friday processed it in real time.

"Its body composition is similar to the 'Tis Shield' used by Commander Ross," Friday reported. "However, its purity is lower. It's mixed with other substances that should weaken its defensive integrity."

"Impurities?" Charlie's mind raced.

"Yes, but make no mistake, even with these impurities, it's incredibly durable."

Charlie frowned. Commander Ross had been so confident, so sure of the invincibility of his Tis Shield. He probably had no idea that the shield he had trusted in so much wasn't pure enough to grant him the indestructibility he had boasted about.

Still, Laitos was on another level. Impurities or not, this creature was something far beyond what they had faced before.

Batman angled himself toward the monster, hurling a Batbomb at its massive form. The explosion lit up the dark sky, sending a plume of fire cascading over Laitos's immense body. But when the smoke cleared, the result was the same: minimal damage, if any at all.

This time, however, the attack had drawn Laitos's attention. The creature's massive, one-eyed gaze turned to Batman. In a movement far too quick for its size, one of Laitos's arms shot out like a missile, aiming to crush the Dark Knight.

Charlie reacted in an instant. Batman retracted his wings, folding them into his cape and diving straight downward, using the force of gravity to evade the massive hand. The giant limb passed overhead, missing him by inches. Just before hitting the ground, Batman extended his wings again, catching the air and swooping back upward in a seamless arc.

But even as Batman attempted to evade, Charlie knew that standard attacks wouldn't be enough.

"Adamantium could pierce it," Friday reminded.

"Yeah, but Wolverine's claws aren't enough for something this big," Charlie muttered. "We're going to need something heavier. I'm calling in the Batwing—"

Before he could finish the thought, the ground beneath them shook violently. A deafening boom echoed through the city as Laitos slammed one of its massive fists into the earth. The resulting impact was like a bomb going off, sending shockwaves rippling through the streets.

The blast shattered the square, sending chunks of asphalt flying into the air. Pipes beneath the ground ruptured, geysers of water shooting into the sky. The shockwave hit everyone in the square—ghouls, agents from the Ninth Division, and even Batman himself.

Caught in the blast, Batman was thrown through the air like a ragdoll. Sparks flew as he collided with a lamppost, the metal groaning under the force of the impact. With a grunt, Batman tumbled to the ground, rolling through the debris. Quickly, he shot a grapple hook, pulling himself out of harm's way as more debris rained down around him.

The square had become a battlefield, a cratered warzone where the ghouls continued to pour in, seemingly without end. Every time one was slain, another crawled out of the ground to take its place. It was as if the city itself was bleeding, and the ghouls were its blood, spilling out endlessly.

Above it all, Laitos stood like a god, towering over the ruins with an almost regal indifference. Its single, enormous eye surveyed the chaos below, the destruction it had wrought. To the creature, the humans were nothing more than insects, scurrying helplessly beneath its feet.

But then, something changed.

For a moment, Laitos hesitated, its massive eye narrowing in confusion. Slowly, the creature tilted its gaze upward, as if sensing something new.

Far above the city, a faint golden light pierced the night sky. The light grew brighter, forming a distinct circle in the heavens. At the center of that circle was a symbol—a bat-shaped shadow.

Charlie blinked in surprise. The Bat-Signal?

But how? He hadn't activated it. His Bat-Signal was still safely stored away in his gear.

Then, another light appeared. A second Bat-Signal, casting its bat-shaped mark into the sky.

Then a third. A fourth.

Within moments, the entire city of Riverton was alight with Bat-Signals, their golden beams cutting through the darkness.