Chapter 3829: The Nameless Bat (Part 10)

The Amazon River, one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. It is as magnificent and spectacular as it is violent and fierce. It has forged the largest rainforest system on the planet, home to trillions of miraculous living things, yet it remains uniquely devoid of human presence.

The Amazon basin does not possess the conditions for human survival, but that does not mean it is entirely without traces of human activity. On the fringes of the Amazon rainforest, in areas closer to civilization, there are scattered tribes that together form a nation—the Amazon Tribal Federation.

Entering the Amazon is no simple task. First, one must fly to the nearest national airport, then transfer to a ferry, then to a small seaplane, and then to another ferry before finally reaching the Amazon's only pier.

And if one arrives by unconventional means—the way Batman chose—one must cross from the other side of the Amazon rainforest. Because the natural conditions are so harsh, the Amazon does not fortify its borders, which provided an opportunity for someone like Batman.

Schiller and Batman walked through the dense thickets, following a stream downward until they leaped from a cliff roughly 20 meters high. In a crevice beneath the cliff, Schiller saw that incredibly exaggerated Batmobile.

It was the one built at the School of Magic, using the same materials as Stark's armor—vibranium and molten steel alloy—along with some nanomaterials to reduce the vehicle's weight. More distinctively, it possessed an engine driven by magical power.

Arkham Batman handed Schiller a brand-new, uncharged magic core and said, "Fill it."

Schiller looked at him, he looked at Schiller, and the two stared at each other. After a long while, Schiller spoke: "Do you need me to get you a calculator?"

"I know it wasn't you who got beaten up at the school infirmary that day," Arkham Batman said.

Schiller let out a cold snort in his heart. He had known that most Batmen could tell the difference between him and Mephisto, and Arkham Batman was naturally no exception. He just hadn't called him out back then, intending to use it as leverage for bargaining now.

"Two hundred more points," Schiller said. Before Arkham Batman could haggle, he added, "I guarantee the fuel I add will be better than Tony's."

Arkham Batman weighed the options and nodded. "Deal."

Schiller couldn't help but curse inwardly: "These damn rich bastards, why do they have so much money?!"

Schiller filled the magic core with moonlight energy, and Arkham Batman slotted it into the engine. The two climbed into the car together.

"Themyscira possesses special protective magic; we cannot enter using conventional methods."

"And your unconventional method is to just ram it with the car?" Schiller couldn't help but turn to look at Arkham Batman. "This might make it completely impossible for you to handle your relationship with Wonder Woman moving forward."

"Do you think there's any room left for reconciliation between us?"

"You make it sound far too easy." Schiller sighed. "You were teammates for a while, after all, and you know she likes you."

"I would prefer it if she liked the magical defense network."

Schiller didn't intend to persuade him further; he simply looked out the window at the lush rainforest and said, "This is one of the reasons I don't like dealing with Batman—not a shred of the romanticism of an idealist."

The Batmobile soon took flight, racing over the Amazon rainforest until it spotted a very peculiar light amidst the dense canopy. Where the light touched the ground, a small, inconspicuous island appeared in view.

The Batmobile stopped a few hundred meters from the island, the roar of the engine growing louder until Arkham Batman slammed his foot on the accelerator. With a "Boom," the Batmobile slammed into an invisible barrier.

"Bang!"

Visible cracks appeared. The Batmobile backed up, but Arkham Batman did not step on the gas again. Schiller heard shouting from below. Soon, a woman in purple robes, with a face one-third similar to Wonder Woman's, appeared on the ground.

Arkham Batman stepped out of the Batmobile, stood before the barrier, and said to her, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Arkham Batman and Schiller were invited in, though the gesture was far from friendly. But considering what Arkham Batman had just done, this Queen could be considered magnanimous.

Entering the Queen's palace on Themyscira, the lady finally could no longer maintain her composure. She stared fixedly at Arkham Batman's face and said, "Where is Diana?"

"I assure you, she is fine," Arkham Batman said. "She cares deeply for her sisters and her mother; she loves her homeland. She does not wish for any conflict or bloodshed to occur here. Your Majesty, do you think she will get her wish?"

This naked threat made even Schiller feel uncomfortable. He felt he should have adapted to Arkham Batman's style of not wasting a single word sooner.

The Queen gripped her scepter tightly and said, "The Amazons have never opposed you. We only wish to live in peace and stability. Why must you drag us into those filthy political struggles?"

"You are mistaken, Your Majesty. I am not dragging you into any political struggle. You aren't worth it."

Schiller tilted his head slightly. Batman was truly adept at turning a request for help into a robbery. One had to admit, America had welcomed the President most suited to it.

The Queen frowned deeply, looking at Arkham Batman with those eyes so similar to Wonder Woman's. Arkham Batman said, "I am going to Mount Olympus."

The Queen lowered her eyes and shook her head slightly. "I cannot help you. Otherwise, Diana will blame me."

"Is she very fond of Mount Olympus?"

"She is very fond of you," the Queen stepped forward, looking earnestly into Batman's eyes. "She does not wish for you to be harmed. So, whatever it is you intend to do to the gods, abandon those naive thoughts."

"The naive one is you, Your Majesty. You have lived in peace and stability here for too long; this island and those chaotic gods are your entire world. But Diana is not like that. She has participated in wars and become a member of the Justice League. Your daughter is more capable than you, with a broader vision. Most importantly, her eye for men is far better than yours."

Schiller almost wanted to hit Arkham Batman with his staff. That remark—bringing up something best left unsaid, and once brought up, extinguishing any remaining embers of civility. Truly, that is you, Batman.

The Queen was clearly rendered speechless. If they were to discuss this topic seriously, it would inevitably lead to Zeus's character. But once that was brought up, she had no reason not to let Batman go to Mount Olympus to cause trouble. She was afraid she might even follow Batman to cause trouble herself.

"In any case, I cannot give you the key," the Queen shook her head. "And don't even think about using force. Even if you sink this entire island, the key will not appear."

"I thought I came here based on my friendship with Diana, hoping you would understand me and then give me the key? But no, Your Majesty. That is not what I am relying on."

"Then what is it?" The Queen seemed to have made up her mind, sitting back down on her throne.

"Naturally, it is the fact that the fifty states of the Federation are now united, the shadow government is a mere formality, and from me onward, there is no more separation of powers. When the most powerful American President in history is assassinated in the Amazon, what will you and your sisters do?"

The Queen stood up with a "Whoosh," glaring at him. "Despicable!"

"That is what a dirty political struggle is, Queen. Give me the key." Arkham Batman issued his ultimatum.

The Queen gripped her scepter tightly, and after a long while, she sat down on the throne, somewhat dejectedly. "You cannot treat the Amazons this way. We have never betrayed our partners..."

"America is not your partner. It wasn't before me, and it won't be after me. The fact that I could come here personally and hold you hostage with my safety is the gentlest measure I have taken out of respect for Diana. Otherwise, what you would be seeing right now would be the leader of the Amazon National Independence Insurgent Army."

The Queen appeared quite desperate. Compared to the inescapable dead end Arkham Batman had provided, she seemed more despairing that her daughter could like such a person. Diana's eye for men was good—a little too good.

"Tell me what you intend to do." The Queen said.

"I don't know what gave the gods the confidence to believe they could hold onto precious power that doesn't belong to them, remaining completely detached from Earth, acting as they pleased like in the ancient era. I just want to tell them that the romantic mythological age recorded in human books is over. It is time to pay the price for the wasted years of their youth." Arkham Batman said.

This speech was very presidential, but the Queen understood his meaning. She stared fixedly into Arkham Batman's eyes. "Do you know what you are saying?"

"Of course I do. Your Majesty, are you truly satisfied?"

"What?"

"On Earth, Themyscira is special enough. You possess the special power bestowed by the King of Gods, capable of protecting your sisters from worldly disturbances. But compared to the powerful Hera, is this really enough?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"If Mount Olympus gave you more than just the scraps from the gods' fingers, as a true Queen, why would you let an outsider like me run wild here? How could the Amazons be threatened by me? How could you suffer such humiliation?"

The Queen bit her lip tightly. "You think I haven't tried? But they are gods. Do you know what a god is?"

Arkham Batman shook his head. The Queen was about to explain the power of the gods to him when she heard Arkham Batman say:

"They are gods only because I have yet to decide to be one."

"Absurd!" The Queen stood up again. She walked quickly to face Arkham Batman, her robes fluttering, her long hair dancing.

"You arrogant human!" she said. "Every human who has attempted to challenge the gods has died. Do you truly believe you can ascend Mount Olympus under the siege of the gods?!"

"Then why not let me prove it to you, Your Majesty?" Arkham Batman appeared very calm. "If I am going to my death, you should be happy about it."

"It seems you are determined to do this." The Queen sighed. "The key is in my hand. If you want it, come and take it."

"Pardon me, my lady," Schiller spoke up. "Is the key really in your hand?"

"Of course. It is in the scepter I am holding." The Queen turned to look at the scepter in her hand, only to suddenly discover that the scepter she was holding was no longer the original one, but had transformed into a silver staff topped with a crescent moon.

The one in Schiller's hand was her original scepter.

Arkham Batman never spoke nonsense; Schiller was very clear on that. So when he began his long-winded speech to the Queen, Schiller knew exactly what he had to do.

Arkham Batman never speaks nonsense, Schiller is very clear about this. So when he started talking at length with the Queen, Schiller knew what he had to do.