Chapter 91

It was rather enjoyable to get some payback on Jason.

Bruce loved his son, he truly did… but Jason had an infuriating talent for getting under his skin, and the boy absolutely knew it. 

A bit of karmic justice was only fair.

Still, those were Bruce Wayne's thoughts. Batman couldn't afford to dwell on such things, especially when he'd missed something like this.

Flipping through the dossier Diana had passed along, Bruce couldn't help but frown. Villains cooperating was nothing particularly new, but megalomania, personal vendettas, and simple greed usually killed any larger attempts at cooperation before they could get off the ground.

There had been the occasional success, such as the Injustice League or the Legion of Doom, but even those had lasted a few months at best. And they had been anything but subtle.

A group of villains cooperating for what appeared to be years was an unacceptable oversight.

It had been foolish of him to assume that no group of villains could operate with any degree of subtlety. Between this and the Court of Owls, there were far too many things he'd missed. He needed to overhaul his investigative methods and reconsider—

"I know that look, Bruce." Diana placed a hand on his shoulder. "You cannot possibly blame yourself for this."

"My failsafes and surveillance programs should've at least caught wind of something," Bruce growled. "It was a mistake on my part not to connect the dots sooner."

"You have had your hands full with Gotham for years." Diana met his gaze. "And you are not the only member of the Justice League. We have countless members, and yet none of us discovered this. The Light operated across the globe in secret for years. If someone must be blamed, then the responsibility falls on the League as a whole."

Bruce had several rebuttals ready, but a glance at Diana's expression told him just how determined she was. Continuing this conversation wouldn't accomplish anything.

He simply grunted in acknowledgment.

Diana's lips quirked into a smile as she moved to sit on the edge of the desk beside the Batcomputer.

"You really have changed quite a bit, haven't you?" She chuckled. "Just a year ago, you would've fought me tooth and nail over something like this. Truly, Jean Valjean is a miracle worker if he's managed to get you to listen to someone else."

"I listen to others."

Diana simply leaned forward, resting her chin on her fist as she raised an eyebrow at him.

Bruce met her gaze without flinching. "It's not my fault that most people are incapable of accounting for the full picture when making their decisions."

"Sure." Diana giggled.

Bruce didn't deign to respond, instead turning his attention back to the files.

"We need to hold a meeting and coordinate a strike. If we act quickly, we can cripple some of their operations before they have a chance to respond."

Diana nodded. "The Brain's laboratories and Vandal Savage's trafficking rings, then?"

"Those will be the simplest targets." Bruce turned toward the Batcomputer and began typing. "The others will require a more subtle approach."

Luthor, as always, made himself a nuisance by hiding behind the law. Queen Bee and Ocean Master were both outside the League's usual mandate, shielded by politics and the sovereignty of their respective nations. Aquaman might be amenable, but he knew he had his own internal issues.

As for Ra's al Ghul, the threat of retaliation from the League of Shadows had always kept their strongest options limited.

A large part of the reason Clark or Diana didn't simply storm Infinity Island was the unspoken threat of dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of assassins being unleashed upon governments across the world.

Even after all his years battling Ra's, Bruce had never fully unearthed just how many operatives the League of Shadows controlled. Any direct assault risked provoking a retaliation they couldn't entirely contain.

But with this new information…

Well, from the looks of things, his old enemy wasn’t doing so well in recent days.

He'd have to thank Jean Valjean for taking his old enemy down a peg.

"And what about the Court of Owls?" Diana asked. "Have you made any progress with them? I could lend a hand if you need it."

"Not much you can help with at the moment." Bruce shook his head. "It's less a matter of combat and more of an investigation."

Irritatingly, the Court of Owls had spent centuries entrenching itself within Gotham's foundations. Generations of carefully constructed paper trails, shell companies, and legal protections made tracing its members a frustratingly difficult task. 

Fortunately, several recent incidents had provided him with some promising leads. He'd already sent a few of the kids to investigate, and he had a pretty good idea who to thank for the sudden string of misfortunes plaguing the Court's members. 

"Well, perhaps I could help in another way." Diana smiled.

Bruce glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"I had a most wonderful experience with Jean's luck, as you might recall." Her smile widened. "And I was thinking… if Jean were to introduce the two of us, perhaps our luck would work even better?"

Bruce shot Diana a look. "There's no evidence to suggest that would work."

"Ah, but there's no evidence to suggest it wouldn't, either." Diana leaned forward with a wide grin.

Bruce rubbed his temple and sighed. "I'd rather we didn't get any more involved with Jean Valjean than necessary."

While he understood that the man wasn't necessarily malicious, that didn't make his very existence any less unsettling. Jean was a threat he couldn't properly prepare for, not when there was a very real possibility that any precautions he took would somehow end up being turned against him.

He hadn't sent Diana to deal with Jean just because the man annoyed him.

Well… that hadn't been the entire reason, at least.

Although, considering how things were turning out, Bruce couldn't help but wonder if this was Jean Valjean's luck ruining his plans yet again.

"Well… it's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Diana snorted. "We might as well see where this takes us. Besides, aren't you curious how our luck might interact? Perhaps Bruce Wayne's luck would mesh rather nicely with mine if Jean considered us both dear friends."

She paused, her grin growing wider.

"And isn't that a favorite saying of yours? Anything for the mission?"

Bruce rubbed his eyes. 

Damn it all.

—

I couldn't help but hum cheerfully as I knocked on the door.

Red Hood answered a few moments later, though instead of his usual red helmet, he was wearing a simple domino mask.

"...What is it this time?" Red Hood asked tiredly.

"I come bearing gifts!" I spread my arms with a wide smile as the man reluctantly let me into his apartment. "Grundy ended up joining the Goonion, so I figured I'd personally stop by and thank you for your help."

Red Hood immediately perked up. "Potions?"

"Well… if you want some, sure." I scratched my head hesitantly.

Ah, what the hell. Red Hood had treated me pretty well so far. It was only fair that I returned the favor.

I pulled a Silver Gacha Ticket from my inventory and handed it to him. "But I was thinking of something a little more unique."

Red Hood glanced down at the silver ticket, turning it over in his hands with a puzzled expression.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Rip it." I made a tearing motion with my hands.

He stared at me for a moment before sighing.

"Ah, fuck it."

He tore the ticket in half.

[Rolling Silver Gacha Ticket]

Oh, I could still see the roll? That was good to know.

[Ruin]

|Rare Familiar|

Darksiders — Ruin is the Phantom Horse of the Horseman of War, for what follows War but Ruin? Ruin is a large and immensely powerful horse, possessing the resilience to withstand punishment from angels and demons alike while continuing to gallop at speeds capable of outpacing a car. Its hooves can shatter steel, and its perpetually burning body allows it to breathe fire and unleash explosive bursts of flame with every stomp. Truly, the dream mount of any warrior.

A burst of crimson flames erupted in the middle of the apartment, revealing an enormous black horse with blazing hooves, a fiery mane, and glowing red eyes.

Red Hood simply stared, his expression caught somewhere between shock and outright wonder.

"Surprise!" I cheered, spreading my arms.

"...You know, I have so many fucking questions." Red Hood slowly approached the horse, looking it up and down. "But honestly? I don't even care right now."

He cautiously reached out a hand to pet its neck.

Ruin gave a low neigh before leaning forward and nudging its massive head against Red Hood's hand.

I couldn't help but grin at the sight. “You wanna take him out for a spin?”

Red Hood just shot him a wide grin.

—

Jim Gordon couldn’t help but feel a little extra pep in his step as he left the cake shop.

And why shouldn’t he? His daughter could walk again!

Carrying a cake for his daughter’s impromptu celebration, Jim made his way toward his car parked along the street.

Sure, the circumstances surrounding Barbara’s recovery were a little dubious, but Jim wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“WOOOOOO!”

A flaming horse came barreling down the street, Red Hood and Jean Valjean riding atop it as a gust of hot wind swept past Jim.

…

Jim calmly unlocked his car.

"Don't look at the horse, Jim." 

***

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