Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [73] [DDD!]

December Double Drop!

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This was a trial.

Would Bruce truly be without doubt, unwavering? That would be revealed in this moment.

With the world's will backing him, Bruce reached the Devourer's weapon without any further obstacles.

Gripping Mjolnir with both hands, he swung with a force that sought to sever the threads of destiny.

The end of the world was fated, unchangeable?

Then Bruce would stake everything, proving that notion wrong!

Boom!

With a blow that shook the universe, he struck the Devourer's weapon.

Unable to maintain its stability, the weapon lurched, pushed upward toward the atmosphere by the impact's force.

Bruce, suspended in midair, opened his palm, and a vast portal to the multiverse appeared on the weapon's trajectory.

The Devourer's weapon entered the portal, vanishing from this world.

And just then, the countdown to destruction hit its final second.

The Devourer's power erupted within the multiverse tunnel but quickly faded into silence.

While powerful enough to destroy a world, within the vastness of the multiverse, this force was minuscule.

Bruce's plan had succeeded. He had cast the world's destruction beyond its bounds.

A crisis that fate decreed unchangeable—he had changed it!

Peace returned as the lightning storm subsided and the heroes' spirits began to fade away.

Bruce's resolve assured them that they could finally embrace rest.

Professor X smiled, casting one last glance at the young Bat, leaving with no remaining worries.

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The dark clouds parted, revealing the clear night sky.

Bruce descended to the ground, the power of Thor stripping away from him as the hammer in his hand shattered into fragments, scattering across the ground.

"It's all mine! Every piece!"

From within Bruce's chest, a ripple surged as the owl burst out in a hurry.

Kathoom flitted around, collecting each fragment into his feathers, piece by piece.

The fusion ended, and Bruce was overcome with exhaustion.

He collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily.

"I did it…" he murmured weakly. "I really did it…"

To him, this victory was monumental.

If the apocalypse could be altered, then changing Gotham was no longer a mere dream.

It was possible!

Tears rolled down Bruce's cheeks. Choosing to journey through the multiverse had truly been the right choice.

Kathoom, too busy collecting hammer fragments, paid little mind to Bruce's musings.

By the time he'd finished, Bruce had steadied his emotions.

"Why are you crying?"

Kathoom asked curiously as he flitted to the other side, picking up the Captain America shield Red Skull had dropped.

"Nothing."

Bruce continued lying on the ground. Though his emotions were now under control, his body was still spent, and he couldn't get up just yet.

At that moment, a thought struck him.

"Kathoom, did you lie to me earlier?"

Bruce asked, "You said my body could only handle ten times the power, but the power those heroes gave me just now far exceeded that."

"So what if I did?"

Kathoom replied casually. "I do enjoy a little fibbing, but that's beside the point. The point is, we prevented the world's destruction!"

Fine, whatever you say.

Bruce didn't want to argue anymore. All he wanted now was a good rest.

Kathoom continued flying around, scavenging his spoils until he suddenly let out a screech.

"Hey!"

Bruce, now curious, looked over. "What happened?"

"Deathstroke is gone!"

Kathoom pointed in a direction. Where Deathstroke had once lain, there was now an empty space.

Only fragments of his armor remained.

"He probably returned." Bruce wasn't too surprised. When Jason had left, he'd also vanished on the spot. The real issue was that Kathoom didn't care much about Deathstroke himself—he cared that Deathstroke had taken the Sword in the Stone.

And now it had vanished along with him.

What a loss.

"Well, if he's really gone, it's not a problem."

Kathoom recalled the sword's power to break through the multiverse's barriers, albeit only in the Marvel universe.

If Deathstroke hadn't returned to DC but instead used the sword to escape into another Marvel universe, well, things could get interesting.

But whatever the case, the Sword in the Stone was now out of reach.

Kathoom consoled himself that at least he'd still gotten his hands on some promethium alloy.

He flew over to the armor fragments and picked up a piece.

Then—suddenly—a change occurred.

The piece of promethium in Kathoom's wing began to tremble uncontrollably, resonating with the Dionesus Factor within him.

A flash of light shot out from the promethium, striking the sky above.

In that instant, the once-calm night sky was shrouded in dark clouds once again, an ominous, foreboding presence hanging heavy, almost tangible.

"What's going on?"

Kathoom turned to see a giant eye open on the horizon.

A towering figure in a massive black cloak appeared, shrouding the entire sky, the twisted, terrifying form beneath the cloak staring down at Bruce.

The sudden, oppressive atmosphere made Bruce shoot up from the ground.

"Barbatos!" he called out the name.

It was undeniable—the figure in the sky was the Bat God, Barbatos!

He'd come for him!?

Kathoom frowned, quickly making sense of it. He shouted, "Don't worry, it's only a projection!"

It was indeed just a projection, not Barbatos himself.

Kathoom glanced at the promethium in his claw; it seemed that both metals sent to Bruce hadn't arrived by mere chance.

It was all Barbatos's doing.

"Bruce…"

The projection of Barbatos called his name, voice filled with unfathomable malice and hunger.

Barbatos opened his hand, and a black flower bloomed in his palm.

On each petal stood a figure, every one of them glaring intently at Bruce.

"You cannot escape…" Barbatos declared in a twisted voice.

"You cannot escape!"

The figures on the petals echoed the words.

Kathoom squinted, counting seven figures in total.

This was Barbatos's Dark Knights, seven Batmen from the Dark Multiverse!

Each dark Batman represented a member of the Justice League—

The Devastator, possessing Doomsday's strength and Superman's powers,

The Merciless, wielding the power of the God of War, corresponding to Wonder Woman,

The Red Death, tapping into the Speed Force, representing the Flash,

The Dawnbreaker, executing the "Extinguishment" Plan, taking Green Lantern's place,

The Drowned, who drowned the world, paralleling Aquaman,

The Murder Machine, who saw the world as a virus, embodying Cyborg,

And finally, the heaviest hitter—the Batman Who Laughs, a hybrid of the Joker and Batman!

They appeared now in unison to deliver one message to Bruce Wayne—

There was no escape!

They would take him back!

Bruce looked up, silent. He had heard Kathoom's stories about the Dark Knights, but he hadn't expected to see them so soon.

These were versions of himself from parallel worlds?

But how had they ended up like this?

As Bruce pondered this question, Kathoom flew to his side.

"What're you hesitating for? Barbatos is taunting us to our faces!"

The owl squawked. "If you don't attack them, I might just attack you!"

"Not another word!"

Bruce shook off his thoughts. So what if they were parallel versions of himself?

They were his enemies now!

To appear here so brazenly, did they really think he would take it lying down?

Bruce glared at Barbatos and his seven Batmen in the sky, his gaze unyielding.

He raised his hand, extending his middle finger proudly!

"My fate is mine alone to control!"

He addressed the sky coldly, "None of you can dictate my future!"

Seven dark Batmen?

Just a bunch of orphans!

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Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!

Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!

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