Chapter 296: Lingering Presence

Understanding Batman well, the Joker immediately grasped Batman's meaning upon hearing him speak. If Batman were truly troubled in spirit, the Eye of Judgment could indeed harm or even kill Batman. Unfortunately for the Joker, since he himself had unleashed the Eye of Judgment, its activation proved he hadn't died. And when faced with a mentally untroubled Batman, the Eye could no longer inflict any damage.

"Perhaps, forcing Batman to accidentally kill someone else would give me the opportunity to truly judge him!" The thought flashed through Joker's mind as he looked towards the Arkham Asylum.

Naturally, Arkham Asylum wasn't just housing Dr. Elsie; several other doctors and patients were inside. If the Joker continued to battle Batman there, luring Batman into using more destructive powers, the inadvertent destruction of Arkham could result in the death of everyone inside!

At that point, Batman's mental state would surely be affected, making the Eye of Judgment truly harmful to him!

Thinking this, Joker's eyes lit up, and his previous displeasure dissipated. He couldn't give up just because the Eye of Judgment failed once. After all, it wasn't the first time he had lost to Batman...

Having already bested Batman in a recent car chase and considering Batman failed to save Elsie from him, Joker felt some advantage on his side. Thus, he quickly adjusted his mindset.

With a huff, Joker attacked, knowing he couldn't overpower Batman in strength. So, he opted to continue using hellfire against him.

Batman frowned, realizing the battle had seemingly reset to how it started upon arriving at Arkham. Though he had countered Joker's Eye of Judgment, continued attacks from Joker wouldn't yield any advantage...

Yet, Batman couldn't just watch Joker bombard Arkham with hellfire, especially after someone had already died. He absolutely wouldn't allow more deaths on his watch!

So, despite knowing his dark energy couldn't match the hellfire, Batman still resisted, though the power disparity wasn't easily overcome.

As the hellfire continued to ravage Arkham, Joker lost interest in moving into the "newly renovated" asylum. He decided to experience it some other time...

As for the current Arkham and its inhabitants, they'd have to wait for Joker in hell if he ever decided to visit!

But Joker's plans were good in theory only. Batman wasn't fighting alone!

Though General Ikah's consciousness had been heavily damaged, it didn't affect Batman's use of dark dimensional powers or his control over the Shadow Corps.

Facing Joker, the Shadow Warriors, like moths to flame, couldn't impact him. However, they could evacuate the patients and doctors from Arkham! If everyone was moved, the complete destruction of Arkham wouldn't matter. Rebuilding it was a matter of minutes for Batman, not a significant time expenditure.

As Arkham's destruction continued, Joker noticed this and grew frustrated, but lacked a solution. His hellfire, powerful as it was, couldn't exert absolute pressure on Batman from a distance. It could only cause destruction around, failing to disturb Batman's mental state.

"Good job, little bat. You've protected this place. Let's see if you can do the same in Gotham's city center next time!" After completely demolishing Arkham, Joker didn't plan to stay longer. Since he couldn't threaten Batman here, he'd simply change locations and plan for the next encounter. This retreat wasn't his first; he'd already killed Elsie in front of Batman and destroyed Arkham. This battle, at least, didn't leave Joker at a disadvantage, especially considering he had largely dominated the fight.

Batman's previous strategy of bombarding Joker seemed to be a one-off, possibly a secret weapon not lightly used. Otherwise, Batman would have found an opportunity to strike at Joker again.

"Goodbye, little bat!" Joker leaped towards his Joker car. Deciding to abandon the battle, he ignited a terrifying flame in his car and sped away from Arkham, leaving Batman alone.

"Little bat, this was just a welcome-back gift. Next time won't end so easily!" Joker's voice echoed in the darkness as Batman watched him leave, unable to pursue.

Joker had destroyed Batman's Batmobile upon entering Arkham. Even if it hadn't been destroyed, the Joker car's demonstrated power meant the Batmobile couldn't easily catch up.

"Strengthen surveillance over Gotham. Notify me immediately if Joker appears!" Batman instructed, taking a deep breath and looking towards Joker's departure direction.

"Of course, sir," Alfred replied, raising Gotham's security level even further.

The city's enhanced security level was justified. The previously non-superpowered Joker had already caused Batman enough trouble in Gotham, taking considerable effort to incarcerate him in Arkham...

Now, with Joker freed and wielding supernatural powers, his threat to Gotham had magnified!

This encounter with Joker, now a skeletal figure wielding supernatural powers, differed from their previous Arkham

 battles. Then, Joker had mainly caused chaos with the Shadow Warriors, but his destructive power had not been as severe.

Now, however, Joker had completely become a supernatural entity, with a destructive power far surpassing his previous abilities. Most importantly, Batman, knowing his old foe well, acutely sensed an instability in Joker's mentality!

Joker had always been mentally unstable, his thinking wildly imaginative. Batman felt he could still barely keep up with Joker's thought processes, though Joker had some consistency, like his reluctance to leave Arkham unless part of a bigger plan.

But now, Batman struggled to follow Joker's thoughts, indicating either Joker had outpaced Batman's cognitive style or he was beginning to lose control!

Knowing Joker well, Batman understood how terrifying a completely unhinged Joker could be—he could potentially plunge Gotham, or even the entire world, into darkness!

"Let's keep the Shadow Warriors hidden, closely monitoring the surroundings!" Batman thought, as countless Shadow Warriors dispersed.

Batman knew Joker was familiar with the Shadow Warriors. They might not be effective, but sending them out was better than not. They could detect any signs of Joker's plots!

After dispatching the Shadow Warriors, Batman looked at the Ikah mask. He could sense General Ikah still trembling. The impact of the Eye of Judgment on General Ikah hadn't faded, affecting him both physically and psychologically...

Batman had experienced the Eye of Judgment and knew its power. However, he believed that given General Ikah's strength, he shouldn't be so fearful of it.

But what Batman didn't know was that the power of the Eye of Judgment scaled with the severity of one's sins. Even though many innocent souls were counted against Batman, his actual sins were far less than those of General Ikah!

General Ikah, having lived for many years and despite setbacks at the hands of Joker and Batman, was still one of the dark dimension's demons. As a long-lived demon mingling on Earth, how could his sins be few?

If it were just about having many sins, General Ikah wouldn't have ended up so miserable. Enough sins and powerful enough hellfire could have instantly incinerated his soul, sparing him much suffering.

However, General Ikah's soul wasn't easily incinerated. His backing from the dark dimensional powers continuously fortified his soul, causing him to endure a cycle of destruction and restoration. What should have been a single instance of pain was magnified tenfold, hundredfold, with no means for him to resist.

"What power is Joker using?" Batman asked, looking at the still trembling General Ikah.

General Ikah's consciousness was blurry, the power of the hellfire gradually fading. Recovery wasn't easy, and facing Batman's question, General Ikah lacked the capacity to respond.

As Arkham's vicinity fell silent, a Batplane appeared overhead. The Batmobile was destroyed, and the area around Arkham was a desolate plain, making it impossible for Batman to use his grappling hook to return to Gotham's city center. Additionally, Batman was more accustomed to technological rather than supernatural powers, so Alfred thoughtfully sent the Batplane...

Batman quickly returned to Gotham to prepare, as Joker had promised retaliation, likely causing chaos throughout the city...

Gotham felt the looming storm, but Joker was already gone. As he drove the Joker car away from Arkham, he encountered a familiar figure halfway—the very Mephisto who had forced him into a contract!

"My knight, not bad. Although your car is beyond my expectations and not to my aesthetic, you've at least continued the title of knight," Mephisto commented as he watched Joker, nodding and speaking softly. However, the Joker car didn't stop, but directly charged towards Mephisto's body.

With a whoosh, like an illusion, the Joker car passed through Mephisto's body without hitting anything.

"Hmm?" Joker frowned, not stopping to investigate. He could sense that this Mephisto was different from before. When they had signed the contract, Mephisto had been more tangible, more terrifying. But now, Mephisto seemed like a ghost, existing in form only, unable to affect reality.

Joker wasn't wrong in his sensing. The Mephisto who had contracted with him before was a consciousness condensed from a drop of blood. Even just a drop, it was still the blood of a lord of hell, naturally powerful.

Now, Mephisto had no intention of finding a human host, as it would be a waste of time and effort for a hell lord of his stature. Whether it was Earth's dimensions or the supreme sorcerers, he needed closer monitoring. Mephisto simply descended as a powerless consciousness, less likely to attract attention.

Even if Joker realized this Mephisto posed less of a threat, he had no intention of stopping. But Mephisto, having set his sights on Joker, wouldn't let him escape so easily.

On the road, Mephist

o's figure continuously appeared in front of the Joker car, passed through again and again, never stopping...

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