GOTHAM -
Even after everything the city had endured, even after the Monarch Gate had nearly reduced entire districts into ruins, Gotham continued moving forward with the sa stubbornness that defined its people.
Far below Wayne Tower, construction lights illuminated the damaged streets in waves of orange and white. Cranes moved slowly through shattered sections of the city while workers continued rebuilding long past midnight. Ergency vehicles still moved through so districts, though far fewer now than before. Gotham was healing.
Arthur sat at the very edge of the Wayne tower, legs hanging over the abyss hundreds of ters above the city streets. The cold wind moved through his ashen white hair while his black coat shifted lightly behind him.
From this height, Gotham looked peaceful, his glowing violet eyes drifted across the skyline silently, taking in the scars left behind by the battle. So buildings still stood half-collapsed. Entire blocks remained dark. Even now, days later, traces of mana still lingered faintly in the atmosphere.
The Monarch Gate had changed the city forever.
Arthur exhaled quietly.
Then a familiar voice ca from behind him.
"Enjoying the view?"
Arthur didn’t turn imdiately and a small smile touched his face instead.
"I guess."
Batman stood several feet behind him, cape moving softly in the wind, the lights of Gotham reflecting faintly against the armored edges of his suit.
Arthur glanced back briefly.
"Sorry for trespassing," he said casually. "Your tower just happens to be the tallest one in the city."
Batman walked forward until he stood near the edge beside him.
"Strange thing to say," Bruce replied dryly, "coming from soone who can fly."
Arthur huffed a quiet laugh.
"I enjoy sitting more. Flying gets boring after a while."
Bruce actually looked mildly amused by that.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
They simply watched Gotham together.
It was a strange sight.
The Dark Knight of Gotham standing beside the Shadow Monarch high above the city they had both protected.
Then Bruce finally spoke again.
"How was it?"
Arthur tilted his head slightly.
"The dungeons?" he asked. "Or are you asking about sothing else?"
"The red gate."
Batman’s tone remained calm as always.
"Robin already gave his report. I want to hear your side of the story."
Arthur leaned back slightly against the edge behind him.
For the first ti since Bruce arrived, his expression lost so of its ease.
"It was dangerous," he admitted. "Far worse than what the current hunter system is prepared for."
His eyes narrowed faintly as he rembered it.
"That dungeon wasn’t ant for normal S-Ranks. Honestly, it probably wasn’t ant for awakened humans at all... The S-ranks can only do so much after all..."
Bruce listened silently.
Arthur continued.
"The scale alone made it lethal. Massive dinsion-type environnt. Endless giant armies. Wyverns. Siege weapons. Mana density so high it was affecting the environnt itself.. And that was only part of the Giant Monarch’s army."
He shook his head slightly.
"If ordinary hunters entered that place without overwhelming firepower, they would’ve died long before reaching the boss himself, which was a pretty strong Giant."
Batman crossed his arms.
"And yet you cleared it."
Arthur gave him a sidelong glance.
"With help."
Bruce didn’t respond to that.
They both knew Arthur had carried most of the raid himself.
Arthur looked back toward the city.
"If gates like that continue appearing..." he said quietly, "I’ll start sending my generals or marshals to secretly deal with them alongside the hunter guilds."
Bruce nodded once.
"That’s probably for the best."
Then his eyes shifted slightly toward Arthur.
"I know you didn’t join the Titans just to help with the raids."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Of course you do."
"You were looking for answers."
"I found so."
Bruce waited.
Arthur’s gaze drifted upward toward the clouds above Gotham.
"I confird the Giant Monarch is still alive," he said. "Weak. Short on manpower. Allied with the Dragon Monarch."
"And the rulers?" Bruce asked.
Arthur was silent for a mont, then he sighed quietly.
"They’re exactly what I expected."
Batman raised an eyebrow slightly beneath the cowl.
"aning?"
Arthur’s glowing eyes dimd faintly as he answered.
"They are not our allies."
His voice remained calm.
"But they’re not exactly our enemies either."
Bruce stayed silent, allowing him to continue.
Arthur leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees.
"The problem is that beings like them always think in terms of necessity. Greater good. Cosmic balance. Sacrifice."
A faint bitterness entered his voice.
"I hate people who think like that."
Bruce understood imdiately.
Arthur glanced toward him.
"They chose this world as a battlefield because it benefits them. Because I exist here and it helps them. And gates strengthen humanity, yes. Hunters exist because of them. But all of that is preparation for war."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"My world beca a staging ground for their ancient conflict."
"And you don’t trust them."
Arthur let out a quiet laugh. "Not even a little."
Batman nodded once.
"That’s wise."
Arthur shook his head slightly.
"It seems I’m becoming paranoid like you."
That actually earned a small response from Bruce.
"You’d do well to think ten steps ahead when dealing with beings like this."
Arthur snorted softly.
"See? That right there. That’s exactly the kind of thing a paranoid person says."
"And yet you agree with it."
"...Unfortunately."
The wind moved between them again, then Bruce spoke again, calr this ti.
"We’ll gather the ruler vessels soon."
Arthur glanced toward him.
"All seven?"
Bruce nodded.
"J’onn located the remaining two. We’ll bring them to the Watchtower and explain everything properly."
Arthur actually laughed quietly at that.
"Professionally?"
Bruce looked at him.
"Yes."
Arthur shook his head in amusent.
"Good luck with that."
Then his expression softened slightly.
"I already got what I wanted from one of them anyway."
"The Japanese hunter."
"Yeah."
Batman’s voice beca slightly drier.
"He’s been saying so unpleasant things about you publicly."
Arthur smiled.
"Oh, that idiot."
Bruce folded his arms again.
"In so parts of the world, people already think you’re so sort of demon."
Arthur stared down at Gotham for a few seconds before answering.
"People fear what they don’t understand."
Then he shrugged lightly.
"Doesn’t matter to ."
His voice remained calm.
"Actions define people in the end. I’ve fought for this planet alongside all of you more tis than I can count now. Eventually even the stupid ones will start putting things together."
Bruce studied him carefully for a mont, then he nodded once.
"Fair enough."
Arthur smirked slightly.
"You agreeing with feels weird sohow, this is not in character."
"I’ll try not to make a habit of it."
That earned an actual laugh from Arthur this ti.
Their conversation had slowed into a rare comfortable silence.
Then Arthur suddenly froze, the glow in his eyes intensified instantly and his irises ignited with deep violet light strong enough to illuminate part of his face.
Bruce noticed imdiately.
Arthur rose from the ledge, his expression sharpening as though he had heard sothing far away.
Or soone.
Batman’s voice remained calm.
"What’s wrong?"
Arthur looked upward toward the night sky itself.
"Nyx.. I’m being called by my Shadow Lanterns."
Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Nyx... your Shadow Lantern ho world."
Arthur nodded once.
"Sothing happened."
For a brief mont the wind howled between them, cape and coat shifting violently in the night air.
Bruce did not hesitate.
"I’ll accompany you."
Arthur glanced back at him for a second, almost amused by how naturally Bruce inserted himself into situations involving cosmic armies, ancient monarchs, and interdinsional wars.
Then he gave a small nod.
"Why not."
The shadows behind him twisted violently before tearing open into a massive portal of black-violet energy.
Arthur stepped toward it first.
"This way."
Bruce followed without question.
The mont they crossed through the portal, Gotham vanished completely.
.
.
And Nyx greeted them with an entirely different sky.
Bruce stopped walking for a second, even for him, the sight was impressive.
The city stretched endlessly beneath towering black structures carved from obsidian-like stone and tallic crystal. Rivers of violet light flowed between the streets like glowing veins, illuminating enormous bridges suspended impossibly high above the ground. Alien ships moved across the skies in organized formations while countless Shadow Lanterns flew overhead, their rings leaving trails of dark violet energy through the atmosphere.
And at the center of it all was The Central Shadow Lantern Battery.
Massive beyond comprehension.
A colossal construct of black crystal and violet fla in the middle of the city like a divine monunt, making the entire planet feel alive.
Bruce stared at it silently.
Even after years beside Superman and the Justice League... this was a sight to behold.
"Oa has serious competition," Bruce admitted.
Arthur walked beside him calmly.
"We’re far more efficient than the Green Lantern Corps."
Bruce almost smirked at how casually he said that.
Then suddenly, several figures descended from the sky.
Booms of pressure echoed across the platform as armored beings landed before Arthur.
Shadow Lanterns.
Alien warriors from different species and worlds.
At their center stood a Shadow figure crackling with violet lightning across his body naturally.
Marshal Zeus.
The mont he saw Arthur, the towering marshal lowered his head respectfully alongside the others.
"My Monarch."
While the shadow lanterns greeted him as "Supre Commander."
Bruce quietly observed that title.
Arthur stepped forward slightly.
"What happened?"
The surrounding Lanterns exchanged grim looks.
One of them, a reptilian alien spoke first.
"We received distress signals from Sector 2700."
Another Lantern continued imdiately after.
"A world under invasion by the forces of Apokolips."
Bruce’s expression darkened.
"Darkseid."
Marshal Zeus nodded slowly.
"Our Lanterns intervened to defend the planet. The battle escalated beyond expectation."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed faintly.
"How many casualties?"
Zeus answered.
"We lost six Shadow Lanterns."
Arthur did not move, but Bruce noticed the subtle shift in him imdiately.
The shadows around Arthur’s boots had begun spreading outward across the ground without his control.
The Lantern beside Zeus clenched his fist tightly before speaking again.
"The enemy commander was identified during the battle... six of our finest lanterns died to him, Golber sent us the necessary information before his death."
Arthur finally looked directly at him.
"Who did it?"
The Lantern hesitated, then answered carefully.
"One of the New Gods of Apokolips, Steppenwolf."
Another Lantern stepped forward.
"He slaughtered the squad personally."
Arthur said nothing.
Bruce folded his arms.
Arthur finally spoke again. "Did Steppenwolf say anything else?"
The Lantern looked disturbed rembering it.
"The ring recorded what he said, and his words were... ’we were fools for ddling with ’the great one.’"
/-\
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