American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1100 Batman's "Confession"

Loki is playing a riddle game with the Riddler inside the maze.

The tranquility of Padrick Farm is nowhere to be found at this moment.

A tense atmosphere filled the living room. Peter sat on the sofa, looking at Azu with a serious expression.

"So, Azu, you and Bruce separated after you left that... Anti-Doomsday Squad base—Black Hawk Island?"

Azu toned down his arrogance in front of Peter and nodded. "Yes, Dad. Bruce said he has some clues he needs to verify on his own, about the metal... and the signs of the Dark Multiverse. We agreed to stay in touch."

"But then that damn mountain appeared in Gotham, communications were completely cut off, and I never got in touch with him again."

Azu briefly described what he saw on Shadow Isle—Kendra Sanders, and the "Anti-Doomsday Squad" dedicated to fighting a doomsday threat.

Peter listened quietly, his eyes deep.

He certainly knew about the Dark Multiverse, even earlier and more deeply than most beings in that universe.

He had previously glimpsed a dark dimension filled with failure and despair when he sat on the "golden toilet," as well as the terrifying sight of it trying to erode the main universe like a tide.

Bruce's disappearance and Gotham's illogical crater maze all confirmed his deepest fears—the invasion had begun.

Based on his fragmented memories from his past life, Bruce Wayne appears to be the key figure at the heart of this Dark Multiverse invasion.

Finding him and finding out what happened to him is the top priority right now.

As he pondered, Peter's gaze swept over the other people in the living room.

Since Loki, Clark, and Mark had already gone to Gotham, almost all the remaining farm members were present.

Ciri was wiping her silver sword, her eyes sharp.

Artoria Pendragon stood solemnly to one side, her hands resting on the invisible holy sword.

Jane Foster, seeing Peter cast her gaze at her, smiled slightly at him, giving him an encouraging look.

Peter glanced around at everyone, took a deep breath, and stood up from the sofa.

"The situation is worse than we anticipated."

Peter's voice echoed in the living room, "The invasion of the Dark Multiverse has begun, and Bruce is the key. We must find him."

Peter's gaze swept over the group. "Split up and keep communications open. If you find anything, notify the others immediately. Ciri, your teleportation ability is key. Be ready to support any group at any time."

Without objection, everyone quickly split into several groups and used Ciri's teleportation, Raven's and Tom's Hogwarts teleportation magic to launch attacks on Gotham and its surrounding areas.

Outside Gotham City, there is a dense and eerie forest that appears particularly dark and gloomy under the unusual weather conditions.

The branches and leaves of the towering ancient trees cast menacing shadows under the dark red light of the sky.

The air was filled with the earthy smell of soil.

Raven hovered a few feet above the ground, her brow furrowed beneath her hood.

Her keen sense of emotions and negative energy, like radar, detected a familiar aura in the chaotic energy field—the aura of Bruce Wayne.

"I sensed him."

Raven relayed a message to the others via communicator: "In the dense forest northwest of Gotham, the energy signature is chaotic. He's moving and trying to hide himself."

Having finished giving the message, Raven didn't hesitate any longer. Deep purple magical energy enveloped her, and like a shooting star, she streaked through the shadows of the forest, rapidly chasing after the direction she sensed.

Raven's figure darted nimbly among the thick tree trunks, moving so fast that she left only a blurry trail behind her.

Meanwhile, other groups also encountered "Batman".

In an abandoned industrial area in Gotham, Boom and Vi discover a mysterious bat-like figure.

However, after a rather uneventful but chaotic encounter, the two discovered that it was actually Oracle Barbara Gordon in disguise.

Meanwhile, Horus and Star-Lord intercepted a "Batman" attempting to infiltrate a facility on the city's outskirts, only to discover that he was also a Batman in disguise.

The real focus remains on the direction Raven is pursuing.

Deep in the dense forest, a black figure moved swiftly among the thick trees.

The shadowy figure moved nimbly and swiftly, carrying a heavy-looking, specially made sealed backpack on its back, and moved forward quickly.

"Oh!"

Raven appeared like lightning in the open space in front of the shadowy figure, blocking his path.

As she landed slowly, Raven's eyes, hidden beneath her hood, calmly gazed at the figure before her, a figure she knew all too well.

"Bruce."

Raven said calmly, "Stop."

Seeing Raven standing in front of him, Batman stopped and looked at her calmly through his mask.

Raven could sense the fear emanating from the other person's heartbeat.

“We’ve been friends for many years, Bruce.”

Raven continued, "I've always considered you my brother. I can hear the fear in your heart right now, a fear that's almost consuming you. You're running away from us, running away from Father."

She took a small step forward, trying to close the distance: "No matter what happens, we're family, Bruce. You can ask Dad and me to help you. We've faced so many crises together, and this one will be no exception."

Batman listened to Raven's words and shook his head, his voice coming through the processor: "No, Raven, no, at least not now. You don't understand... getting close to me will only bring danger."

Judging from Bruce's posture, he seemed ready to force his way through at any moment.

A resolute glint flashed in Raven's eyes; she couldn't let the other party escape now.

Raven raised her hand and instantly released deep purple magical energy, which, like living tentacles, transformed into strong ropes that bound Bruce tightly.

"We are a family."

Raven's tone hardened. "I won't let you go until you tell me what happened. This isn't a request, Bruce."

Faced with Raven's heartfelt words, Bruce's struggling figure seemed to stiffen for a moment, then he sighed softly.

He finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse:

“I am the only one who can stop this disaster from happening, Raven, or rather, I am the key that is destined to cause the disaster.”

He said with difficulty, “Barbatos…the God of Darkness, he has been watching us in secret for a long time. From the moment we went to the Injustice universe, he noticed us, noticed our special team, and the different universes it connects to.”

Raven frowned slightly: "Who? Barbatos?"

"The Judah tribe... all of this has already been arranged."

Bruce's voice carried a hint of weariness. "It's five metals... just as Kendra said."

"Five metals?"

Raven was even more confused. "What are you talking about?"

Bruce explained to her, “The first metal is ‘amber gold.’ Back when I was in the Court of Owls, I drank water from the pools there that contained amber gold, and it changed some of the fundamentals of my body.”

"The second metal is Dionysus. During the Dr. Manhattan incident, when I was fighting the Joker, this metal with its peculiar regenerative abilities seeped into my body."

"The third metal is polonium. In order to study the Brainiac technology data brought back from the Injustice League universe and to create the 'Sky Eye' device for global monitoring and defense, I have been in contact with this highly radioactive metal with special energy conductivity for a long time."

"The fourth metal is N metal. I found samples and data of this metal at the underwater research base. Later... I found a secret tunnel left by my father deep in the Bat Cave. There was N metal inside. That's when I realized that someone, or some kind of power, had been using me and the Wayne family for a long time."

"The fifth one... I don't know what it is yet, but it must exist. Barbatos needs these five metals. Once he collects them all, or completes some kind of ritual, he will truly descend and drag our universe into the abyss of the dark multiverse."

He took a deep breath, as if revealing these secrets was consuming a great deal of his energy.

“I have been investigating this matter on my own ever since the clues about N metal were discovered at the underwater base.”

"It wasn't until I discovered the metal in the Batcave that I truly understood. After returning to Gotham from Black Hawk Island, Mr. Excellence gave me the information he had gathered about the Dark Multiverse and Barbatos. Only then did I realize that Batman and Barbatos from the Dark Multiverse would enter our universe, and I might very well enter the Dark Multiverse..."

Raven listened to this unbelievable account with utter shock. She had heard her father mention the Dark Multiverse and the name Barbatos before.

After all, the previous vampire incidents were vaguely related to them.

Her father had told her about the meteorite that infected Nightwing, which contained the corrupting power of chaos and darkness.

Raven quickly calmed herself down and tried to soothe the other person.

“Bruce, listen, there must be a solution. Father has superhuman strength. If we all work together, we can find a way out. You can’t bear it all alone.”

"There is no way."

Bruce shook his head, his voice filled with certainty. "We can't reverse this process. Tell the Godfather that I have always regarded him as my father, my mentor in life. I have always respected and regarded him as my true father. Raven, say goodbye to the Godfather for me."

"Shh!"

As soon as Bruce finished speaking, a figure burst through the shadows of the forest like a golden lightning bolt and landed steadily beside the two of them.

Diana arrived just in time.

"Bruce Wayne."

Diana wasn't as polite to Bruce as Raven was.

"Stop this pointless escapism and riddles, come with me to Peter."

Bruce shook his head at Diana. "No, I won't."

"Very well, then don't blame me for taking action."

Diana flicked her wrist, and the Lasso of Truth seemed to come alive, wrapping around the bound Bruce.

However, just before the lasso was about to touch the other person's body, a sudden change occurred!
A fierce glint suddenly flashed across Raven's usually calm face.

The next second, she raised her right hand without warning.

His right hand, enveloped in dense, soul-tearing dark energy, pierced Bruce's chest with lightning speed.

"Pfft——!"

A sickeningly loud sound rang out.

However, it wasn't the sound of flesh tearing apart, but rather the sound of mud being stirred.

Diana was astonished to see that Raven's arm passed right through Batman's suit and body, emerging from his back.

Bruce didn't bleed; his body began to twist and deform like a melting wax figure, and the bat mask on his face fell off, revealing a face made of mud.

“A clay figure?!” Diana exclaimed.

She never expected that the Batman in front of her was also a fake!
The clay figure, dressed as the fake Bruce, quickly restored his original chest, glanced smugly at the two men, and said in a mocking and sarcastic tone, mimicking Bruce's deep voice:

"How about it, Miss Raven? I imitated his tone... didn't it look good? I even mimicked Batman's melancholy and fear perfectly, right? Hehe..."

Raven slowly withdrew her arm, mud dripping from between her fingers.

She didn't speak, but frowned as she looked at the clay figure that "Bruce" had turned into. "Did Batman teach you to say all these things?"

"of course."

The clay figure said proudly, "I also added some of my own improvisation."

Raven: "."

She suddenly had a strong urge to punch the other person's muddy head.

That bastard dared to play me for fools!
On the other side, Diana put away the Lasso of Truth and walked to Raven's side, her face full of confusion and seriousness: "Raven...you found out a long time ago?"

Raven shook her head, her brows furrowed tightly beneath her hood, her eyes filled with an unprecedented seriousness.

"No, I just found out too."

In a low voice, she said to Diana, "The heartbeat of fear I heard was simulated by the recording equipment, but... that heartbeat belongs to Bruce. The fear emanating from the recording, the fear deep in his soul, is real."

Raven looked up into the even darker depths of the forest, as if she could see through space and see Batman facing his fate alone.

"What...what happened that would make Bruce go to such lengths? To use the mudman to lure us away? What is he trying to do?"

Raven fell into deep thought, a heavy unease quietly creeping into her heart.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the world, in Antarctica.

In the endless ice fields and howling winds, deep within a mountain range covered by millennia-old ice and snow, believed to be an extinct volcano, lies a massive crater leading to geothermal energy at the Earth's core.

This place is not a natural creation, but a modified secret base.

The "Organization of Immortals" is holding a summit here.

Kendra Sanders, draped in a heavy cloak to keep warm, descended step by step along the spiral staircase carved into the inner wall of the crater, warmed by geothermal heat.

The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, a stark contrast to the biting cold outside.

The inner walls of the crater are not rough rock layers, but are inlaid with murals that emit a soft white light, depicting scenes of prehistoric humans living together with various totem beasts, the most eye-catching of which are the totems of wolves, bears, and eagles.

Upon reaching the bottom, a breathtaking view unfolded before us: a circular hall resembling the Pantheon in ancient Rome.

In the center of the hall is a geothermal spring, providing light and warmth.

A ring of stone seats is placed around the spring.

At this moment, several figures were already seated on the stone seat.

Kendra removed his hood and nodded to the beings present.

These individuals are beings who have lived for an unknown amount of time.

One of them is an old man with white hair and beard, wearing ancient robes, whose eyes contain both thunder and wisdom—Shazam the Wizard, the guardian of the Rock of Eternity, and the living embodiment of magic.

In addition, there was a giant with a body as imposing as a mountain, draped in animal skins, as if he had walked out of the Ice Age—Vandal Savage, the immortal Neanderthal, who witnessed the rise and fall of human civilization.

Sitting on the far left edge is a woman dressed in a dark long dress, her face mostly obscured by the shadow of her hood, exuding a mysterious aura—Pandora, the immortal being cursed for opening the box.

These immortals had previously thwarted one of Barbatos's invasions.

As for the origins of the immortals, according to Sandra, in ancient times, there were three main tribes in the world: the wolf tribe, which revered pack life and hunting; the bear tribe, which believed in strength and resilience; and the eagle tribe, which sought vision and the sky.

They coexisted with nature and possessed primal, mysterious powers.

However, the three tribes later declined due to the rise of the Bat Tribe.

The immortals are all descendants of these three tribes: the wolf, the bear, and the eagle tribes.

“Kendra,” the Shazam wizard’s voice echoed, “your arrival brings with it the scent of an outer storm.”

"Yes."

Kendra responded, her voice echoing clearly in the hall, “The storm has come, faster and more violently than we anticipated.”

Her sharp gaze swept over every immortal present. "I have a feeling, a strong feeling, that Batman is trying to solve all this on his own."

Kendra also received news of Batman's disappearance and guessed that the other party might want to handle it himself.

"He inherited the power of the bat totem, as well as that deep-seated obsession with bearing everything alone."

Vandal Savage said in a low voice, "This is the curse of the bat bloodline, and also the source of its power."

"But that won't work."

Kendra said firmly, “This is not an enemy he can face alone.”

Her eyes flashed with the sharpness of an eagle. "I believe that to truly resolve this crisis, we must return to where it all began—to the original 'place of eternal rest'."

(End of this chapter)