Inside the Batcave.
The cold glow of hundreds of screens flickered in the darkness, while the mechanical hum of the cave's systems echoed off the rocky walls. The sudden thunder that had appeared out of nowhere in the underground base had genuinely startled Bruce.
The words burning with holy fire reflected in Bruce's violently shifting pupils. But after a few seconds of instinctive tension, once his body had fully entered a combat-ready state and then calmed back down, he steadied himself.
Click. Click.
The armor covering his body disengaged at Bruce's command and fell to the floor in scattered pieces. He adjusted his collar, rolled up his sleeves, and walked toward another sealed chamber.
With the system unlocking after confirming his identity, the chamber slowly opened.
Inside was another vial of dazzling golden Speed Force.
Batman was never a man who gave up easily. He had just opened his backup supply.
He did not possess super speed, but his body was still at the peak of human capability. Even so, the moment he shielded the Speed Force with his body and rushed toward a certain machine in the Batcave—
Boom!
It was clear that his actions had still drawn the attention of something beyond him.
Thunder appeared from thin air once again.
In that instant, the Batcave's defensive systems went to maximum output.
Visible blue ripples spread through the air as energy barriers formed, and even the atmosphere itself warped under the strain of static electricity. But the thunder still tore through every single defense Bruce had activated and struck him directly.
Every protective measure was shredded like paper.
The shockwave hurled Bruce backward.
Bang.
His back slammed hard against the control console. The container in his hands naturally exploded into dust as well, and the Speed Force inside once again escaped completely, scattering into countless golden fragments in the air.
"Ugh…"
The white lightning did not just hit Bruce's body. It struck straight at his soul. The pain was far beyond anything physical, enough to make even a man with his tolerance let out a muffled groan.
He flexed his fingers, which had gone numb from the blast, then looked toward the floor with a hoarse but steady gaze.
"This only makes me more curious."
The familiar words appeared again.
[Second Warning]
The letters still burned on the floor with traces of holy fire, the edges glowing with a strange white radiance that felt sacred and impossible to ignore.
Bruce did not even seem surprised anymore.
He simply stood up, checked his body, which hurt terribly but remained completely unharmed, then set a portable case down on the table.
From inside, he took out a crystal ball that shimmered with magical light and placed it into a peculiar machine.
[Verification complete. Core computation source detected.]
A mechanical female voice echoed through the cave.
"Begin simulation."
Bruce had clearly changed tactics.
Using his vast knowledge and exceptional intelligence, he now intended to simulate a day from Clark's life at that critical moment, relying on one of his stranger magical artifacts and a highly specialized computer.
His fingers flew across the keyboard, feeding in strings of complex commands, his face lit blue by the screen, focused and severe.
Bang.
The computer suddenly lost power and exploded, exactly as Bruce had anticipated.
Then—
Flap.
Bruce heard the sound of wings beating close by.
In the Batcave's silence, the sound was especially abrupt and especially clear.
As if he had expected it, he turned his head and saw a figure slowly emerging from the darkness.
"Bruce Wayne, are you illiterate? Is this really endless with you? If there's something wrong with your brain, I sincerely suggest locking yourself inside your precious Arkham."
The newcomer had dark skin and a broad, imposing build. He wore a black robe that moved like dark fire whenever it stirred, its movement matching the vast black wings spread across his back.
Though those wings were pitch black, they still gave off a terrifying, sacred pressure, the kind that made it hard to look directly at him.
"God's firstborn. Amenadiel. Looks like I was heading in the right direction."
Bruce called out the angel's name without the slightest hesitation, as if he had prepared for this encounter long before it happened.
"Think you're clever, do you? Bruce Wayne, do you really believe you can outsmart us?" Amenadiel jabbed a finger hard against his own temple.
His voice carried both fury and exasperation.
"Bruce Wayne, you should not be prying into things that were never meant for you. That won't be good for you, and it won't be good for this world."
Amenadiel walked forward several steps until he stood in the center of the Batcave. Every footstep he took left behind a burning mark, and his golden eyes shone with severe warning.
Bruce's gaze drifted across the black wings behind him.
"I cannot ignore an unknown threat. If there is something I should know, then I will know it."
Bruce looked straight at the highest order of being currently standing in front of him.
Without fear.
"So that's your problem, isn't it?" Amenadiel replied. "That persecution complex. You think the world cannot function without you. That it would fall apart."
"If you were really as smart as you imagine, then you would already understand why I'm stopping you."
"To keep investigating means helping destroy this world."
Amenadiel's voice was stern, and his wings spread wide, kicking up a fierce gust that snuffed out the remaining holy flames on the floor and the damaged machines.
"So if it matters that much, why not kill me and be done with it?" Bruce asked calmly.
At the same time, hidden far away in another location, a concealed device activated.
[Data scan in progress. Classification established: Angel.]
[New information being recorded…]
[No reaction detected to the scan. Preliminary conclusion: once angels leave Heaven, they no longer retain omniscient-like awareness.]
The hidden machine continued running silently.
Bruce, meanwhile, looked as though nothing had happened.
"Do not ask questions you already know the answer to."
Amenadiel fixed his gaze on the man before him.
"If you were not still important to us, believe me, your provocation would already have cost you dearly."
His tone carried a heavy note of helplessness.
"Do you really believe you can control everything? You're only mortal. There are powers you can neither understand nor wield."
"And there are truths you must never know. Do you think this is only about Superman and his child? Any attempt to observe that day will tear at the very fabric of our reality."
Bruce's brows drew together.
"So what exactly happened that day? And what does any of it have to do with Ian's origins?"
He was clearly analyzing Amenadiel even as they spoke.
"You damned bat."
Amenadiel clenched his teeth, clearly frustrated, but equally unable to do anything about Bruce's stubbornness.
"I cannot tell you anything. And don't even think of pressing Superman for answers. There is no one in this world who can answer that question for you."
"You only need to remember this. If you wish to avoid an outcome neither of us wants to see, then bury your curiosity."
With that, Amenadiel turned to leave.
"Wait."
Bruce stopped him.
He had not gone through all of this, destroyed so much equipment, and burned through so many hidden resources just to confirm a few suspicions.
"Let's make a deal. Answer one question, and I'll stop pursuing the truth."
Bruce's voice dropped low, carrying an unusual tension.
Amenadiel did not turn around.
"I already know what you want to ask, and you already know the answer I'll give."
"Bruce. Heaven cannot hold the king of Gotham. You've always known where he would go."
He still did not slow his steps.
"I see."
Bruce's expression did not reveal anything.
But in truth, the answer was not the worst one he could have received.
Because the angel had answered with singular wording.
Bruce had asked about two people.
Amenadiel had only answered for one.
"Remember this. Truly stop digging."
Amenadiel halted at the cave's main exit. He knew Bruce was not the kind of man who would change his mind easily, so he genuinely wanted Bruce to understand the gravity of all this.
If Bruce continued, the consequences would be unthinkable.
After a brief silence, Amenadiel made up his mind to share one final piece of information.
"Bruce, there are truths even our Lord has chosen to forget."
He spoke so quietly that only Bruce could hear him, then turned and looked at Bruce one last time.
A second later—
Flap.
The sound of wings beat once more.
Though the main doors had never opened, Amenadiel vanished from the human world in the blink of an eye.
The Batcave fell silent again, save for the low hum of the remaining machines.
Bruce glanced at the devices that had regained power, his fingers hovering over the keyboard for a long time.
In the end, he pressed delete on the file labeled [Ian Kent].
One screen after another shut down.
The cave became deathly still.
The air was thick with ozone and scorched metal. Broken shards from the containers that had once held the Speed Force crackled under Bruce's boots.
"Alfred."
He called softly.
His voice echoed faintly through the empty cavern.
"I'm here, sir."
The old butler's voice came through the comms at once.
"I need to ask. Damian's plane…"
Bruce's gaze remained fixed on the dead screens, his expression unreadable.
"When does it arrive?"
His tone sounded normal.
"It has already been arranged. It will land in Gotham in thirty minutes."
There was a short pause.
"I need some time alone to think, so I'll handle the pickup myself."
Bruce made the decision, and after a moment's hesitation, he added another order.
"During that time, begin pulling every observer and recorder we placed at the boys' school."
Alfred sounded surprised.
"You're reducing surveillance on the Kent family?"
"No."
Bruce began changing clothes.
"If anything, the opposite."
He sprayed cologne over the fresh suit he had just put on.
"I need to increase how closely they're watched. But from now on, the only participant and the only recorder…"
"…will be me."
He had already thought this through.
The information Amenadiel had let slip was far too shocking.
To be safe, Bruce had decided to put more strain on his own mind instead of letting anyone else near this.
(End of Chapter)
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