Chapter 1287: Greed Catching the Cicada (Bottom) _2

"I am the staunchest supporter of your no-kill principle, Batman, please believe me. The wisdom of those vibrant lives is beyond the comprehension of death, only you can understand them."

"Love them with your greed, understand them, fulfill their hearts that are burning for you, just like what you see."

"I made this group of foolhardy heroes who are always caught up in personal grievances strive for this goal, even fostering a greed stronger than my own. They even compared their greed with others."

"See what they have achieved, see how greatly I have made them succeed..."

"I don't want you to emulate me, nor to let you unleash me so that I would control you. Instead, you should control me. You should use your greed to astound all spectators."

"Let them be surprised and shamed to blame your no-kill principle, you must do this, this is the only way you can save Gotham."

"But Arrogant tells me that he has pushed the Bruce from his world onto another path. On that path, I see light and hope." Batman replied.

"But you know well that you've already passed that crossroad. You've long lost the chance to walk on that path of light, Batman, no longer harbor such childish fantasies. If you hadn't encountered me ten years ago, you wouldn't have changed because of me in the ten years that followed." Greed sighed.

"You are no longer the young Bruce, you've chosen your own path and steadfastly followed it. This is inevitably a path of darkness, just like the one I've walked once. You no longer have the chance to choose again."

"But don't tell me you're like a coward, hoping time can be reversed, just like rebooting your universe. Don't tell me you're hoping that an angel named Lucifer can reset your timeline back to your youth. Such a coward doesn't deserve to be my friend."

"Did I shake your will? Did I make you regret? Do you feel like you took the wrong path because you didn't take the path of light ten years ago?"

"But don't think like that." Greed, with tearful eyes, looked at Batman, his eyes full of Shiller's greed, and Batman's greed.

He said, "That means you only loveArrogant, not me. But you should love your greed."

"You've already embarked on this path and there's no turning back, Batman. Face the truth, you are an isolated island of darkness, no longer able to connect with any land, including even your dearest birds. Now the only one who can understand you is me."

"Only the greed hidden deep in your heart can understand you, the greed that wants to control the star, wants to control the cosmos, wants to control all universes..."

"If those angels knew, you told me these things, knew you wanted me to, wanted the Prime Universe to make such changes, they would probably kill you." Batman said, "They hope the Prime Universe remains unchanged and continues in the planned path."

"But you know well, the result of such a path is like a true Joker, performing a drama for those idiots who can never understand you, allowing them with their barely remaining intelligence to judge you. They are certainly not qualified to judge you."

"How terrible, Batman! All those who doubt you, are Jokers even more embarrassing and speechless than the Joker himself. You abide by the no-kill principle preserved by your instinct, and to them, they see this as a display of your cowardice."

"They even think that this is something the cosmic will has granted you. They believe a higher being is controlling you to make you do this. None of them understand you like Arrogant and I do, none understand the extraordinary intuition your precious talent gives you, none understand that your principle of not killing them is the only solution to saving Gotham."

"Unlock the cage quickly, Batman! Don't let those Jokers control you with their barren and ridiculous concepts. Don't let their mockery get to you. Have you lost even your basic self-esteem?!"

"Without Arrogant, how could you become a friend of Arrogant? Quickly pick up your pride, regain your self-esteem, show those spectators, prove that your choice is the right one!"

Greed looked at Batman with bright eyes and said, "I've already proved to you that this is by no means a dead end!"

"Now, let go of your worries and apprehensions, abandon all your pessimism, and unlock that lock. See me as your dear friend, your relative. The love you've never had since your parents died will certainly come from me. Release it, Batman!"

"You're not the Joker." Batman repeated this fact once more.

But at the same time, he felt a coldness gathering in his eyes. He hadn't cried when his parents died, yet the inexplicable sadness and despair when Greed pleaded with him, that misunderstanding sorrow filled his eyes with tears.

"Joker is never as crazy as you are, or let me change the word, madness isn't as greedy, madness doesn't like you make me release the human nature, madness doesn't make me have such a terrible desire for the sun."

"I've never blamed the distant sun hanging in the sky, for refusing to shine on this dark city, but once you ignite this kind of fire, I will harbor resentment. I only admit this to you."

"I resent the sun, resent it for not shining for me, not for Gotham, resent it for not being mine, resent it for not shining when I want it to shine."

"Sun, you are more selfish than me. You shine on everyone, but you refuse to shine on everything I want you to shine on. Why do you willingly degrade yourself, become tainted with the criminals, and bring deeper darkness to Gotham?"

Batman's tone was like singing a song, also like reading a poem, he just burst deeper darkness from the dark, chanted deeper madness from madness.

"Who commanded you?" Batman questioned the sun, "Who commanded you to give sunshine to everyone, except Gotham?"

"If fate chooses so, then I must resist." Batman said, "Because I've seen your cowardly side, you, under the control of humans in another world, offered your energy like a coward, energy enough to supply the whole Earth."

"But you are not willing to even give me a bit of light without heat." Batman shook his head, "It is your selfishness that provided me with the excuse for greed, you must give back what I didn't get, what Gotham didn't get, give it back to me now, immediately…"

"I don't want to talk about freedom with you, I just want to talk about desire. This is the power that human nature gives me. It is the truth that my friend Arrogance warns me about, sun, sun, sun..."

Batman kept repeating the name of this star, as if he were lamenting, but also like crying at the climax of a lament.

He has been missing this star for a long time, even a hint of light shining on him will make him cry, but at the same time, he feels ashamed for this easily satisfied humility.

Batman would even be touched to receive sunlight. He neither has arrogance nor greed, as tame as a lamb.

But has it always been like this?

"Sun, answer me, if you are so selfish, why can't I be arrogant and greedy enough?... Can I?"

In such a questioning full of doubt, the thick black fog dispersed. The darkness yielded for Batman, opening up a path for him, leading to a cell Batman has never been before.

He has been confused about this path since his parents died.

He wondered why he couldn't ask for more? Why couldn't he have wisdom while having both parents? Why couldn't the world have a fortunate genius like him?

In this world, everyone thinks fate is unfair, regardless of whether they are already lucky enough. This is the greatest form of greed.

Today, Batman is back on this path, to unlock the doors of Greed, to show those who have no right to question him, how he is going to change the world.

Some people don't want the world to change. Unquestionably, those angels do not want Batman to do this.

But if Batman wants to do this, no one can stop him - because, he is Batman.