Chapter 190 : The Batman Who Laughs!!

["Time holds no sway over Bryce, for she is untethered from its grasp!

[There's no call to battle evil, nor any obligation to rescue the helpless!"

"On this fateful day, Bryce followed her intuition and surfaced from the depths of the sea!"

"This, the former site of Gotham, with only the peak of the tallest Wayne Building protruding above the waves!"

"She stood there silently, lost in the memories of days gone by."

"In a world devoid of life but her own, this woman finds herself confronting her sorrow for the first time."

Off-screen, Bruce's brow furrowed deeply.

In his estimation, this rendition of Bryce doesn't descend into darkness at all!

Though the outcome may be tragic, the adversary throughout fought for the betterment of mankind!

Yet this is a tale of descent into darkness, not a narrative of world annihilation due to misdeeds!

Such an outcome hardly befits the title bestowed upon it!

And then, suddenly!

On the screen, where only one living soul should linger in the seabed's depths, another shadow emerged!

Simultaneously, the sinister laughter resurfaced!

"Hee hee ha ha! Hee hee!

"Yet another wretched soul of Gotham, haha!"

Bruce's heart pounded fiercely!

That laughter!

At the video's onset, it sent shivers down his spine, uncontrollable in its terror-inducing grip!

Even Superman's normally impassive countenance betrayed a twitch of unease!

[Confronted with this abrupt laughter, Bryce sensed a primal fear grip her soul!

[Yet, without hesitation, she faced the inky silhouette seemingly emerging from the abyss, brandishing the trident in her grasp!

["Who are you!?"

[On the rooftop of the Wayne Building, a shadow gradually rose to its feet.

"Who am I?" he pondered aloud, a smirk playing on his lips. "That's a good question, dear."

As he turned around, revealing a face adorned with a menacing metal crown and lips painted in clown-like makeup, he burst into laughter, as if struck by a sudden epiphany.

["Bruce Wayne, naturally! I am your hope!"

Hope!? No, this is an absolute nightmare!

Bruce's emotions surged uncontrollably as he beheld the figure before him, screaming silently within!

Superman, standing nearby, was equally stunned, his gaze shifting between the Joker and Batman.

"So, the Joker has become Batman?" Superman muttered incredulously.

"Heh heh, you've got it all backwards, Clark," the Joker chimed in gleefully. "It's not that the Joker has become Batman; rather, Batman has become the Joker!"

"Cough cough, what a dashing attire! I've made my decision; this shall be my ensemble henceforth."

With a mischievous wink at the visibly perturbed Bruce, the clown continued, "Are you alright, old chum?"

"Hahahaha! This is splendid!" 

Bruce's eyes burned with fury.

He could endure being Dark Green Lantern, Dark Aquaman, even Dark Flash!

But this clownish bat before him? Unacceptable!

All he could do was pray fervently that this was merely a figment born of Bruce's solitude!

"You're no illusion! So, who are you?" Bryce's voice, devoid of confusion, cut through the air.

"As Bryce Wayne, you should have deduced it upon seeing me again," Batman, now dressed as the Joker, replied calmly. "Yes, your world isn't the only one; there exist other realms steeped in despair, much like yours!" 

"So, you're here for a jest?" Bryce's tone turned icy.

The man chuckled softly. "Of course not! I've traversed across myriad universes to convey that there exists a utopia out there! The light there is blinding, the beauty akin to a dream!"

In that moment, Bryce, who had never placed trust in another, found herself believing the words of her alternate self. The voice was familiar, comforting even!

Then, abruptly, the figure raised his hands, and in the sky above, more scenes of despair from other realms unfolded, casting a pall of negativity over the surroundings.]

[Bryce beheld those akin to her, losing all, adrift and wailing in the shadowy abyss!] 

(Before the dawn, the realms, akin to the scarlet death fiend and other worlds, are fated for ruin, hurtling towards the cataclysmic end!"

[Simultaneously, she glimpsed the utopian realm!]

[A realm aglow with fortune and light!]

[In that instant, Bryce comprehends their fated anguish!)

Darkness

[The multiverse is the Dream Demon, embodiment of the Evil!!]

[No matter their toil, no matter their strife, hope remains elusive!

[In the end, they shall perish, ensnared in despair!)

"You see, that's precisely why I opted against becoming a Green Lantern; is the DC universe truly shrouded in darkness!

Deadpool tapped his chest, still finding Big Sister Death more alluring!

Strange remained silent for the first time!

While he couldn't grasp the initial sentiment, he wholeheartedly concurred with Deadpool's final remark!

None of the DC realms are ordinary!

Gloom and despondency reign supreme!

Within the DCEU realm!

Bruce at last discerned the source of his disquiet!

This clownish alter ego perpetrates nefarious deeds!

he,

No!

It's they, seeking to infiltrate the mundane world!

Whether through annihilation or subjugation, catastrophe is inevitable!

And just as the revelation dawned upon him…

[Bryce accedes to the other party's entreaty!]

[She yearns to journey to that luminous realm alongside him!)

[She aspires to be the catalyst for others' downfall!]

["By the way, what shall I address you as?"

["It would feel somewhat peculiar to be hailed as Bruce!)

[The ensnared spirit suddenly inquired!]

["Ah. Bruce has been a dormant moniker for quite some time!"

[With a scarlet grin stretching across the man's lips:

"Now, I much prefer to be referred to as…)

["The Batman Who Laughs!!!"]

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