Chapter 127: Bat Meets Olympians

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"Everything is possible, even the impossible."

- Mary Poppins, (Mary Poppins Returns)

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<(Omniscient POV)> 

"What in the name of the cursed pits of Tartarus... is happening here?" Iapetus muttered to himself in disbelief as he looked at the bulky figure trying its best to destroy a huge metal door, its large muscular frame eerily similar to the figure he had just fought a few moments ago in the real physical world, except for the fact that its armor was severely damaged at various spots by some highly corrosive acid that seemed to have originated from the dead bodies of those weird creatures lying around it.

Indeed, the armored figure was so severely damaged and battered that it appeared scarcely able to move, let alone swing its massive battleaxe to attempt to break through the large, thick door before it. However, its resolve to do precisely that stood in sharp contrast to the reality of the situation and its condition.

"So, you were strong enough to enter here uninvited?" A stoic, refined voice cut through Iapetus' thoughts as he felt a sharp, thick object impale his back like a blunt blade before he could react. "Well, well, Mr. Iapetus, it seems my luck has turned. Just when I thought we were at a disadvantage, you presented yourself up like a spare battery... Thank you for your generous contribution. My creator will undoubtedly be pleased to hear of this later," the voice menaced, as the blade sank deeper and deeper into the Titan's back. 

As the blade sank deeper, Iapetus couldn't help but cry out in agony. A searing liquid began to slowly seep into his body through the gash on his back, the wetness permeating his psychic essence almost as if a malevolent force was insidiously slithering its way into him.

"Don't worry, the pain shouldn't last too long. Soon, you will be one of us. We required psionic energy to resist this parasite invading this mindscape and the... divine psychic energy that you are composed of, should be just enough to fortify this place and make sure that we are powerful enough to not just completely evict this unwanted bug out of here but also be what we are truly meant to be... Agents meant to protect this place and eradicate anyone threatening our creator's mind." The voice explained with pure confidence and disgust audible in his voice, his disgust directed at not just the psychic remnant of Ares but even the Titan itself.

"... I-I w-won't..." Iapetus tried to retort the assailant's words, but he could only mumble a few incomprehensible words before a black glue-like liquid substance completely covered him from head to toe, not even leaving a single inch of his bare skin. A few seconds later, the black liquid slowly contracted back to where it came from which was the freshly made cut in the back of the Titan. 

Once the black liquid completely retracted, it could be seen that the huge form of Iapetus had shrunk to what was a "normal" human wearing a dark green suit and a pair of dark spectacles, looking exactly the same as the person standing behind him. Of course, if Bruce had been here, he could have easily recognized the two "humans" at a glance as copies of Mr. Smith from The Matrix.

"Mr. Smith." One of them nodded with a confident smirk.

"Mr. Smith." The other one nodded back with a smile that seemed to reflect the first one.

"Quite an... upgrade, I have to say. This new addition will be quite useful... Now, to the more important matters." The former of the Agent Smiths muttered thoughtfully while sizing the other with a grin. "It is time to evict this parasite from here and destroy the corruption before this "disease" spreads any further." He stated with a determined expression as he focused his attention on the bulky figure of Ares trying to strike down the door.

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<(Bruce Wayne POV)> 

"Huh, where am I?" I mumbled while surveying my surroundings which surprisingly wasn't much. In fact, there was nothing at all around me except heavy mist and... silvery-white clouds that expertly blocked my vision. 'Wait, don't tell me that I am in HEAVEN... Does that mean I am dead? Did the plan fail?' I mentally muttered to myself in confusion while wondering just how quickly I could make something that would enable me to escape from the afterlife back into the land of the living.

"Hello, Bruce. We have been waiting for you." An extremely enchanting voice suddenly announced from behind me, making me turn around in a hurry to see where the voice had exactly come from.

However, the scene that welcomed me was quite unexpected. There were three extremely beautiful women of different ages calmly staring at me with amusement. "A trio of angels?" I wondered aloud with a startled face. 

"We are not angels... sorry if that disappoints you, mortal. I am Hera, the goddess of women, marriage, and family as well as the Queen of the Olympians. To my left is Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare while to my right is Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon." The slightly older woman who identified herself as Hera elegantly introduced themselves.

"... The Olympians?... Oh fuck." I couldn't help but curse out loud as I felt a headache coming my way. "Is it because I killed Ares, Hercules, and Iapetus?" I asked while raising one of my eyebrows in curiosity.

I was not the least bit sorry for what I did. After all, why should I be sorry? God, demigod, or titan, all three of them were just useless pieces of shit, sinners that I had to kill to make sure everyone else could live in peace and I wasn't about to be even the least bit apologetic or regretful because of it. 

"You misunderstand, mortal. We didn't summon you here because you killed two immortals of our pantheon. We were the ones who put you up to that task in the first place. If we didn't allow it, you wouldn't have been able to succeed in it so easily. What you did was a big help for us. We wanted to thank you for your service." She patiently explained. 

"Wait, are you saying that the three of you caused my plane to crash on Themyscira? You three are responsible for the Amazons arresting me, for the lightning strike ruining all my machines and tools, and for the sudden attack caused by Ares and Iapetus?" I asked, furrowing my brows in barely contained anger.

"It isn't as you think, Bruce. Yes, we did cause that lightning storm and force you to crash on the Paradise Islands, but it was only so that we could somehow fulfill the prophecy written by the Fates to kill Ares and Hercules before they could harm the Amazons and destroy the world. Whatever we did, we did for the greater good of not just the Amazons but also the mankind that you want to protect." Artemis was the one to speak up this time as her teenage form tried to explain the motive behind their action.

"Ah, I see. I am glad that I could somehow be of use to you and your plans." I said, struggling to keep the smile on my face. "Can you send me back now? I still have a lot of work to do."

"... He is going to hold a grudge," Athena's young adult form muttered with a sigh from the side.

"One hundred percent." Artemis confirmed Athena's mumblings with a nod.

"Look Bruce, Ares was my own son while Hercules was once my champion, their deaths were unfortunate yet... essential. It needed to happen for the gears of this world to continue turning without any interruptions. So even though we are sorry for what happened, we would gladly do it again if need be. That is how this universe works." Hera explained, her voice slightly cracking as she talked about Ares.

"No, I do understand. I can't complain about being used by someone when I don't even have the power needed to resist being used. Even humans tend to manipulate each other, so of course, gods doing it shouldn't come off too much as a surprise." I weakly shrugged at their words.

Even though I was upset about the whole thing, of course, I wasn't going to rant about being manipulated by a bunch of goddesses. I was weak, and that was why I got manipulated by them into doing their dirty work, it was as simple as that. However, I wasn't just going to forget this. Instead, I was going to take this as a challenge and make sure that this doesn't happen again.

'I have been focusing too much on small-time criminals. I need to prepare against every possible scenario if I want to be truly invincible including gods, demons, and everything in between. I need to grow so strong that no god or goddess ever dares to make use of me in any way, no matter how noble of a purpose it is.' I thought to myself with determination.

But before that, "I have a question though, where the hell am I?" I asked.

"This is an astral realm. We summoned your astral spirit here to talk after we recently felt it weakening. We have been tracking you from the moment you landed on Themyscira, trying to communicate with you. But we couldn't manifest ourselves in the mortal world due to the rules and your mental barriers and spirit were too strong for us to establish a direct connection to.

It was only after you put on Ares' cursed helmet that the mental shields around your mind began to weaken, and we got the chance to summon your spirit here. Originally, we wanted to help you get rid of Ares' possession and take off his helmet as compensation for your service, but it seems that you have already taken care of it to some extent." Athena disclosed, her gaze meticulously capturing every subtle shift in my expressions.

"But we still owe you for your help in eliminating the threats of Ares, Hercules, and Iapetus while saving our daughters, the Amazons. If those three were successful in what they wanted to accomplish, then not just the Amazons but the entire world would have been at risk especially with Zeus still missing. Therefore, if there is anything you want, you can ask us. We will try our best to help you..." Hera offered.

However, Artemis quickly interjected, "as long as it doesn't involve making you a true immortal, transforming you into a god, or starting a battle with another pantheon. We cannot do those without all 12 Olympians agreeing to it." 

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