Chapter 60: Batman’s Little Brother

“Hahahahahahahahaha!”

“Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!”

Their laughter echoed in the room for a few moments.

After a while, Lucas’ voice quieted down.

“Haha...I gotta say...I was worried there for a second.”

“...Huh?”

The Batman who laughed stopped laughing.

Lucas sighed and shook his head.

“I mean, I don’t even know why I was worried. I guess I kinda included Joker as a Big Bad that’s on the same level as Darkseid or the Anti-monitor in my head...but in the end, he’s just a guy with toxins in his body.”

In his past life, if you think of a DC villain, one would definitely think of Joker. Maybe not all people think of him at first, but he is definitely one the most iconic villains in the DC Comics.

In fact, if you mention the likes of Darkseid, Anti-Monitor, Barbatos...not a lot of people will recognize them. Only those who are well informed and had read the comics would know.

As for others, they would only think of the animated series, movies, or TV series.

Joker was the most...remembered villain when one thinks of Batman. He’s the Big Bad of Batman so to speak. So to Lucas, he had unconsciously thought of him as ‘equal’ to the other Big Bads like Darkseid.

Although Lucas had defeated Joker with much ease, this thought still remained in his mind.

So when he heard that Joker had a toxin in his system that would basically ‘turn’ someone into him, Lucas thought this is one of the ‘absolute’ facts in the comics.

The same ‘absolute’ facts like Darkseid having Omega energy...or Barry Allen having the Speed Force...these kinds of ‘absolute’ facts that one would read in the comics.

But in the end, toxins are just toxins. Actually, it would’ve been even more confusing if it had worked on Lucas who was already considered a God.

Be it the Omega Energy, the Star Energy, the Speed Force, God power, Dark Magic, Fate Magic...all these inside Lucas’ body are more than enough to get rid of such poison.

Back then, he could feel something unknown had indeed tried to seep into his body but...well, Lucas had already eliminated it.

Eliminating a virus like this was simply...as easy as breathing.

At the beginning, Lucas was worried that he would really go insane. But looking at it now, his worries were not needed.

The thought of it made Lucas laugh out loud at his own worries.

Having had enough of this farce, Lucas lightly tugged on his restraints and broke free.

“Wh-!?”

Lucas patted the dust on his pants and shoulders as he started to crack the bones on his neck.

Grinning, he turned towards the fake Batman.

“Now then. I’ve let you have your fun. It’s my turn.”

…

“Lucas!”

The doors swung open and revealed a couple of figures. Batman and the rest had arrived.

As they appeared in the room, they saw Lucas standing in the middle, unscathe.

On the ground laid a few bodies.

Joker, the other Batman, and the Robins.

“This…”

Lucas didn’t look at them yet as he stood before the fake Batman.

“Haha...ha…”

Even until this moment, that Batman was still grinning...laughing.

He coughed out blood as he spoke.

“You...you aren’t supposed to exist...but no matter...I may have failed...but ‘he’ will still send more.”

“Who’s he?”

Lucas asked.

The Batman who laughed uttered in his last breath.

“Bar...ba...tos…”

“...”

Lucas sighed.

Anti-monitor hasn’t even appeared yet. And there seems to be another one coming on its way?

Batman fell silent for a moment before asking.

“...You killed them?”

“Hm? Ah, it was this guy who killed Joker over there. It seems he did it to unleash the toxins in his body and turn me into the next Joker...as for them, they’re still alive. He’s just being overly dramatic.”

“Hah?”

Lucas lightly kicked the other Batman in annoyance.

Why does this guy have to be so dramatic? He even coughed up blood! I didn’t hit him that hard!

Lucas shook his head.

With his powers, although it is indeed easy to kill someone, it’s also easy to simply defeat them unconscious.

Lucas doesn’t feel like killing this guy so simply. After all, they needed to learn more.

Where did he come from? How did he get here? Who’s Barbatos?

Actually, Lucas wasn’t that much of a comic book reader in his past life. He doesn’t know all the details.

All he knew about Barbatos was that he’s some kind of Bat God.

When he heard about it, Lucas didn’t really think much about it.

Seriously, what the heck is a Bat God!? He’s like...the God of all Bats? What’s the big deal!?

But then again, seeing as how this supposed Bat God had sent this guy here, Lucas knew there should be something else.

Nightwing walked over to the unconscious Robins and frowned.

“They’re indeed alive, but...what the heck are these supposed to be?”

“Oh, I think that one is you in another world.”

“Ugh…you gotta be shitting me...”

“I mean, the collars have name tags so…”

“...”

Batgirl looked around and sighed.

“Phew, there’s no version of me…”

“...”

Batman sighed.

“Alright. Take them all into custody...we’re going to have to question these guys.”

“What about Joker?”

Robin asked.

“...I’ll deal with it.”

“...Alright.”

Lucas nodded and turned to the rest.

“Come on, let’s go.”

The Bat family looked at each other as they sighed and left the room, leaving Batman alone with Joker’s corpse.

Batman didn’t say anything as he stood there, unmoving. Only quietly staring at Joker’s body.

Outside, Lucas and the rest had moved the prisoners to the underground prison in Mount Justice.

By the time they settled the new inmates, Batman had already arrived there as well.

Lucas looked at him and asked.

“All good?”

“I’m fine. How’s the prisoners?”

“Still sleeping like a baby.”

“I see…”

“Right, that guy said that many more will come here...I guess I should prepare.”

“Hm?”

Lucas smiled and walked out as he flew in the air above Mount Justice.

He closed his eyes and started to chant in an unknown language.

This was something that he had been working on for the past couple of years as he consulted other magicians in the multiverse.

The spell itself is more or less complete. It just needs testing.

Now was the time to do so.

Behind Lucas, a white transparent symbol of Fate appeared while surrounded by a magic circle. Then, an Omega symbol formed as it overlapped the Fate symbol.

Finally, a lantern symbol appeared and overlapped the two symbols as well.

Slowly, Lucas opened his eyes. As he did, white light spilled out of it, making it appear as if his eyes were made of light.

Lucas waved his hand.

The next moment, the symbol exploded and sent a gentle shockwave throughout the universe.

As soon as the shockwave finished, Lucas’ eyes closed again as he fell down to the Earth.

Raven quickly flew and caught him.

The two of them landed on the ground slowly and the others quickly rushed towards them.

“What was that? What did Lucas do?”

Batman hurriedly asked when he saw Lucas fall unconscious.

Raven smiled wryly and caressed Lucas’ hair gently.

“It's magic...to protect our world from others. A barrier to prevent any being from the multiverse to invade our world…”

Hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Although they don’t know much about magic...just hearing about what Lucas did, they knew it was still quite a shocking feat!

It was one thing to create a barrier around a room...or maybe a building...or an island...but a barrier...to protect the whole universe!?

Suddenly, a golden Fate symbol appeared before them and a woman wearing a golden helmet appeared.

Everyone looked at it but wasn’t wary since they had seen this often in the past few years. The Dr. Fate from the world Lucas visited in the past would often visit their world to look for Lucas.

“It isn’t just your world that Lucas protected.”

Dr. Fate said as she removed her helmet.

“Morgana?”

Raven was surprised. From what she knew, their world should’ve been closed off now. How was it that Morgana could still appear here?

Morgana looked at Lucas and smiled.

“This guy...Lucas didn’t just cast the barrier in your universe...but extended it to cover the worlds allied with yours across the multiverse…”

“What!? But if he did that…”

“Yes...I’m afraid so…”

Morgana sighed and nodded.

Batman and the rest looked at Raven and Morgana, still confused what their conversation meant.

Batgirl asked.

“Raven, what do you mean? What’s going to happen!?”

Raven looked at her and hesitated for a bit before sighing.

“To do what Lucas did...required an enormous amount of power. It should be taxing already to cast the barrier to one world, but if it's Lucas, he should be fine after a few night’s rest…”

“...H-hold on...so Lucas extended the barrier to a couple more worlds...so what? He just needs to rest for a few weeks, right?”

Morgana and Raven exchanged looks.

Batman had a bad feeling…

Raven sighed again and answered.

“It won’t be just a few weeks...or months...actually, we don’t know how many years it will take for Lucas to wake up...even if he’s now a God, creating a barrier that stretches across the multiverse and protects hundreds of worlds...it will take time.”

“...”

Everyone fell silent.

An hour later, the other members of the Justice League had arrived. They all came as soon as they heard what happened.

At this moment, Alfred arrived as well and handed a flashdrive to Bruce.

“What is this?”

“...It’s something Young master Lucas gave me...to give you once he had decided to use that magic. He said it contains his message...to you and the others.”

“...”

Bruce looked at the flashdrive and silently took it.

He connected it to the computer and played it on the huge monitor inside Mount Justice.

The screen lit up and revealed Lucas’ figure.

From the background, it should be his room in the Wayne Manor.

Lucas smiled.

“If you’re wondering why I had to do this recording...well, it’s because I will probably not consult you guys again and do something reckless. I know I shouldn’t, but I know you guys will stop me again anyway so I would probably still do it.”

“So I’m leaving my…‘last’ words, as you will, in this video. Ah! I’m not dead though. I’m just in a really long sleep. I’d probably wake up one day. I just don’t know when.”

As everyone watched the video in silence, a groan rang out from the side.

The noise immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

“Mm…Huh? Why’s everyone in my room?”

Lucas looked around in confusion for a few moments before it finally sinked into him what’s happening.

He saw the video playing on the screen and his face turned red.

Immediately, an Omega Beam shot out from his eyes and destroyed the screen, along with the flashdrive!

Lucas covered his face in embarrassment.

“Ahhh! I thought I wouldn't wake up for like….decades! I even made a video message because of that! This is so embarrassing!”

At this moment, Lucas felt like a guy who had confessed to his crush on the day of the graduation because he thought he wouldn’t see her again the next day, only to run into her again in the afterschool party…

It was so embarrassing he wished he could die!

The only good thing here was that the video seemed to have only started so they shouldn't have heard much yet…

“L-Lucas! You're awake!?”

Morgana asked in surprise.

Immediately, Diana and the other girls charged at him in a group hug as they laughed and cried.

“Lucas!”

“Lucas! You’re back!”

“Huhu! I thought I won’t get to speak with you again!”

Lucas smiled and comforted them.

“I’m awake...although I’m not sure why.”

Lucas felt his powers within him.

Normally, he should’ve passed out and been unable to wake for decades, maybe even centuries.

However, he was already awake.

Not to mention...my power...seemed to be even stronger than before?

Lucas was confused.

Closing his eyes, he tried to feel his power.

He could see...specks of light. All around him. Not just the area around him, it extended further...and even further…

Lucas had felt this power before.

Is this...the power of faith?

As a God, Lucas had been able to see the faith of those connected to him. And this had provided a small boost in his power in the past.

But he didn’t recall it being this many before?

Then how come...wait.

Was it the barrier? Because the barrier had covered hundreds of worlds...they are all considered ‘connected’ to me?

Eh? Then isn’t this...quite broken!?

Aren’t I too OP now!?

Why the heck worried by some pleb Anti-Monitor or noobie Barbatos!?

Lucas chuckled and sighed.

“Lucas?”

Barbara called out to him.

“It’s nothing. I just thought there’s nothing to worry about now.”

Lucas smiled and separated from the girls.

He wrapped his arm around Bruce’ shoulder and raised his hand.

“Since we’re all here anyway, let’s party instead!”

“...”

Everyone was still confused with what’s happening.

At first, they thought that they had lost Lucas all over again.

Then Lucas ended up waking immediately.

Now he...wants to party?

Everyone broke into smiles.

Flash and Green Lantern were the first to agree.

“Party!”

“Let’s celebrate!”

That day, the heroes partied like there’s no tomorrow.

Time passed.

Villains appeared, and Heroes rose.

When Anti-Monitor and Barbatos appeared after somehow bypassing the barrier protecting hundreds of worlds, one man appeared and stopped them.

To some, he’s known as Batman’s Little Brother.

To most people, he’s known as Prime.