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At the headquarters of the Mage Hunters in the Bay of Clarinets, three hooded and masked figures observed the base from the trees, blending into the environment.
"What's the plan?" Katarina asked Mark while checking her daggers, and Riven also examined her gear. "Let's see," Mark murmured as he studied the base.
The headquarters seemed to have been built atop a Petricite tree, and from what he remembered, its underground interior was vast. Finding the prisoners and navigating the traps would undoubtedly take time.
His eyes swept over the sentries and then to the entrance, where he got a bold idea.
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Meanwhile, inside the base...
Hesbeth, the vile alchemist of the Mage Hunters, was conducting experiments in his lab. Since the current story takes place long before the mage rebellion, he hadn't yet made significant advances in his research.
His laboratory was filled with tools, magical chemical compounds, and the corpse of a mage on a bench—probably an unlucky soul Hesbeth had decided to experiment on.
At that moment, Hesbeth felt light tremors in the room, making him frown. "What was that?" he muttered, putting down his tools as he headed out of the room.
He didn't allow guards on the same floor where he conducted experiments to avoid interference with his research, but now this decision proved inconvenient as he had to climb the stairs to find the guards.
**Thump!**
The tremors became more frequent and stronger, causing Hesbeth to frown and quicken his pace. He swiftly climbed the stairs and entered the floor where the prisoners were held.
Peeking his head through the door, he saw two hooded figures standing in the hallway, whom he assumed to be mage hunters and decided to call out to them.
"Hey, you two, tell me what the hell is going—" Hesbeth began, but the words stuck in his throat as he climbed the last step and looked at the floor around the two figures, who slowly turned to face him.
On the ground lay a dozen mage hunter guards and mages, their throats slit or chests pierced, filling the air with the strong scent of blood. Hesbeth gulped as he saw the two female figures wearing fox masks staring at him.
"Are you Hesbeth, the alchemist?" the woman with white hair asked him. Not daring to respond, Hesbeth turned to flee, but before he could take two steps, a sharp wind whistled through the air, followed by a searing pain in his left leg.
"Argh!" Hesbeth groaned in pain, collapsing to the floor and bleeding. A dagger had lodged deeply in his thigh, thrown by the red-haired woman.
The two figures quickly approached him and grabbed him. "You're coming with us, but first, help us free the mages here," Katarina demanded, grabbing Hesbeth by his clothes and dragging him down the hallway as he screamed in pain.
His relentless cries woke the numerous prisoners in the dozens of cells lining the corridors, and one by one, the mages approached the cell doors.
Riven, holding a key ring she had taken from a dead guard, began to open the cells one by one. The prisoners, however, dared not leave and only peeked out curiously as all the cells were unlocked.
Inside were children, women, adults, and elders of all kinds and ages—ordinary people who had experienced magical awakenings and been captured by the Mage Hunters.
The fire of life had already been extinguished in their eyes, leaving only despair and loss reflected in their gaze. If Mark were there, he would have said a prayer to Janna before tending to them one by one.
After freeing all the cells, the prisoners began to step out, following the two women who had released them. At that moment, Riven turned to face them, causing them to stop in their tracks.
"I know you have many questions, and they'll be answered in due time, but right now, our companion is fighting on the surface against countless Mage Hunters. Follow us, and you'll gain freedom. Stay, and only death awaits you," she said sternly. Just then, the prison trembled again, and dust fell from the ceiling.
The people murmured, unsure of what to do, but then a small girl, about five years old, stepped forward. "If we follow you, will we truly be free again? Will the Mage Hunters stop chasing us?" she asked, approaching the two women.
To Riven's surprise, Katarina let go of Hesbeth, who groaned in pain, and stepped forward before kneeling before the little girl. "I think I'm beginning to understand how Mark feels when he sees these people," she thought, her heart tightening at the sight of the child's small eyes, full of hope and fear.
It was a new feeling for her, but she thought about what Mark would do and placed her hand on the girl's head. "Everything will be okay, little one. I'll protect you so no Mage Hunter will ever dare to come after you," she said. The little girl extended her pinky to her.
"Do you pinky swear?" she asked. Katarina hesitated for a moment before linking her pinky with the girl's. "I swear," she said, standing up and approaching Riven.
"Change of plans. You take the alchemist and retrieve that black feather Mark mentioned. I'll help them escape," Katarina said. Riven nodded, grabbing the injured alchemist and dragging him down the stairs.
With a determined gaze hidden beneath her mask, Katarina began to run toward the stairs, and the crowd followed her upward.
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On the surface...
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**BOOM!**
A fiery explosion erupted, sending dust and screams into the air.
"Damn it, there are too many of them!" Mark shouted as he performed acrobatic maneuvers to dodge numerous stone projectiles conjured by opposing mages.
His shirt was already torn, with small cuts and marks spread across his body as he faced the horde of Mage Hunters before him.
"You damn mage, just die already!" one of the hunters yelled, attempting to conjure a wind blade in mid-air. But with a wave of Mark's left hand, the spell destabilized, resulting in a wind explosion that hurled several Mage Hunters into the air, injuring them.
"This guy's a monster," murmured Killan, Sylas' former mentor in the Mage Hunters. He had been nearby when several magical distress calls reached his squad, prompting them to rush to the scene.
But what they encountered was pure chaos: charred and bloodied bodies of paladins and Mage Hunters littered the area. Strange red flames engulfed the scene, burning only the corpses while leaving the forest untouched. In the midst of it all, a lone man wearing a sheep mask—like a god of death—dominated the battlefield with wind and fire magic, overwhelming both the defenses and reinforcements that arrived.
At first, Mark had simply been launching fireballs and wind blades, pummeling any paladin who dared get close with flaming fists, leaving his enemies no room to counterattack.
However, as reinforcements poured in, Mark began to feel the pressure. Spells of water, stone, and other elements came at him relentlessly, forcing him to erect barriers for defense.
Soon, it was he who was on the defensive, passively fending off attacks. Sensing the enemy's growing confidence, Mark became irritated, thinking quickly of a way to turn the tide.
It wasn't exactly a solution but rather a new method of attack. Recalling the bending techniques from *Avatar*, he had a sudden revelation: the greatest challenge for mages when casting spells was their reliance on focus. With few exceptions, spells required channeling energy through the body and controlling it mentally.
But Mark, inspired by the *Avatar* universe, devised a simple idea: **"I just need to guide the energy with my body, not my mind."**
Coming to this conclusion, he dropped his wind and fire barriers, allowing numerous spells to rain down on him.
"We got him!" a Mage Hunter exclaimed, only for his eyes to widen in disbelief in the next instant.
**Swoosh!**
Using wind magic to propel himself into the air, Mark spun his body, accumulating fire in his hands before releasing a stream of flames toward the mages. They scrambled desperately to defend themselves.
He began to move fluidly across the battlefield, performing acrobatics to optimize his spellcasting. At first, his movements were clumsy, allowing some spells to hit him. But thanks to his divine lineage and the *Sharingan*, what started as a rough concept of magical martial arts quickly became a reality before everyone's eyes.
This led to the current situation.
"He's evolving while fighting us!" Killan realized in horror. He immediately wanted to warn his comrades to end the battle quickly, but at that moment, the man stopped moving and raised his hand, signaling a pause in the fight.
No one knew why, but all the Mage Hunters stopped casting spells and stared at him in silence, afraid that any noise might provoke him into attacking again.
Mark glanced at them, dusting himself off with a look of satisfaction.
"I haven't introduced myself to you yet. My name is Mark!" he declared, pausing to glance at the headquarters' entrance.
At that moment, Katarina and the freed mages emerged. Freezing for a moment at the sight of the battlefield, they hesitated, but Katarina urged them on, forcing them to run.
One by one, they passed Mark, heading into the forest. The Mage Hunters watched in silence, knowing that if they dared pursue, the battle would turn into an all-out massacre, with their bodies inevitably joining the charred remains on the ground.
When the last mage disappeared into the forest, a Mage Hunter captain stepped forward.
"Surrender, Mage Mark! If you surrender now, we'll spare your life, and perhaps you might even join our ranks. But if you resist, all that awaits you is pursuit and death!" he declared confidently.
Mark remained silent for a moment.
"Maybe I should put on a little show?" he thought playfully, recalling several charismatic antiheroes and villains. Deciding to have some fun, he slowly hunched over, clutching his stomach.
"Haha... MUHAHAHAHA!" He chuckled softly before breaking into a booming, maniacal laugh, straightening up as he glared at the Mage Hunters.
"YOU! TAKE MY MESSAGE!" he shouted, pointing at them while slowly arching backward. *(Note: JoJo pose.)*
"I WILL DESTROY THE MAGE HUNTERS! I WILL BURN THE HYPOCRITICAL DEMACIA TO THE GROUND AND FROM ITS ASHES BUILD A JUST KINGDOM FOR MAGES!" he proclaimed, his voice thundering like a storm, searing itself into the minds of the Mage Hunters, who unconsciously took a step back.
At that moment, Mark opened his arms, and a wall of fire erupted in front of him, separating him from the mages.
"REMEMBER ME, FOR I AM VENGEANCE! I AM JUSTICE! I AM... BATMAN!" he shouted. The walls of fire burst upward before slowly dissipating, revealing that Mark had vanished.
The remaining Mage Hunters stood drenched in sweat, their eyes filled with fear.
"Contact Lord Eldred—no, contact the King. He needs to know about Batman!"
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**Hello, everyone. For those who didn't understand in the last chapter, Mark didn't present himself as Batman as a name, but rather as if it were a title or a profession.**
**Remember to rate the story and leave your Power Stones.**
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**Later that day.**
Mark, Katarina, and Riven regrouped in the forest along with the fugitives, with Riven bringing a glass container holding a gleaming black feather. Hesbeth had escaped her through an entrance, and she was unable to pursue him.
Mark wasn't too concerned about Hesbeth's escape. He could capture him again later; the alchemist, despite his twisted mind, could prove to be of great help in the future.
Thus, the group slowly ventured deeper into the forest, searching for a camp. During the journey, Katarina couldn't help but question Mark as she walked beside him.
"Hey, Mark, tell me, how do you just *know* things?" she asked curiously. Mark looked at her for a moment before continuing to walk.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me, but you can trust me," he said, smiling under his mask. Katarina frowned at his response but refrained from pressing further. She felt that Mark was always hiding something, and at some point, it began to bother her.
Unaware of his companion's concerns, Mark continued to walk through the forest, guided by Janna's winds. This was, in fact, a divine ability for people with poor direction sense.
All he had to do was think about where he wanted to go, and the winds would guide him.
"Thank you, Goddess Janna. I'll make an offering later," Mark whispered a small prayer and heard the sound of a bird chirping near his ear.
As they walked through the forest, the group arrived near a camp filled with people who were startled by their arrival.
"Who are you?!" a middle-aged mage stepped forward from the camp and confronted them.
Tara was the mage guardian of this camp. Seeing a group of various people suddenly arrive at her camp, she quickly led a team to confront them.
Looking at the figure at the front—shirtless, wearing a mask, with fresh wounds visible on his body—she narrowed her eyes slightly and waited for a response.
"Well, hello. I'm Mark, a mage, and I've come to liberate Demacia's mages," Mark spoke casually, stunning the crowd momentarily as they struggled to comprehend what he was saying.
"By the way, all these people are mages I rescued," he added and walked into the camp.
Soon, the small crowd was welcomed, and Mark, along with his companions, followed Tara to the main tent, where they engaged in casual conversation.
After being treated by Katarina—who insisted on tending to his wounds—Mark found new clothes and a hooded cloak.
"I don't know why, but if I had a hidden blade right now, I could call myself an Assassin," he thought as he examined the mage's cloak he received from Tara.
Thus, the trio conversed with the camp leader. Mark explained that he planned to liberate all mages from Demacia and then eliminate the mage hunters. Tara listened intently but incredulously.
"And just how do you plan to do that?" she asked. Mark pointed to the container holding the black feather.
"Do you know the Veiled Lady? My initial plan is to find her. What I do next depends on what I can achieve with her," Mark declared. Under Tara's incredulous gaze, he prepared to leave.
"You two stay at the camp. Morgana isn't exactly a sociable woman. Besides, if you hear explosions or see flames rising somewhere in the forest, don't worry," he said to Riven and Katarina, leaving them at the camp with the refugees.
"He seems to know this Morgana very well," Katarina muttered to Riven after Mark left. Riven listened intently.
"Also, why does he have to meet her alone? Aren't we strong enough to go with him?" she added, as Riven began maintaining her equipment.
"I believe Master Mark has his reasons for going alone. Besides, I think what you're feeling isn't a lack of trust, Miss Katarina, but rather jealousy," Riven replied bluntly. Katarina looked at her as if she had said something outrageous.
"Jealous? Of him?" she exclaimed. Seeing Riven nod in affirmation, Katarina reluctantly gave up trying to convince her otherwise.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked, and once again was answered with a nod, making her sigh.
"You know, this is the first time I've felt something like this. Do you think he's noticed?" she asked with a melancholic tone. Riven paused sharpening her blade at that moment. Having guarded together for some time, the two had unconsciously become good friends, thanks largely to Mark, who constantly paired them on missions.
"I believe Master Mark has noticed, but it seems he's purposely pretending not to so he doesn't have to confront you," Riven said directly, and the two fell silent for a moment.
"Do you think he doesn't…" Katarina didn't dare finish the sentence, feeling a pang in her heart. The idea of rejection seemed quite distressing and would drive most people—whether men or women—to flee from such a possibility.
But Katarina was different. When faced with a problem, she sought to solve it. Soon, the melancholy left her face, replaced by a determined look, and she stood up.
"I'll go after him. I want to resolve this as quickly as possible," she declared. Without waiting for Riven's response, she leapt into a tree and set off after Mark.
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Unaware of the problems that would soon confront him, Mark ventured into the forest, wandering aimlessly for a time before stopping.
"I know you're watching me. I'd like to meet her, please," he called out loudly. At that moment, a purple glow appeared on the ground before him, forming a long path.
Mark took a deep breath and removed his mask before starting to walk through the forest. He knew Morgana's story, which made him feel a certain pressure about meeting her.
Who knew how many millennia ago Morgana had lost her father in a fight with her sister, Kayle, due to ideological disagreements? Mark couldn't even imagine the pain she must have felt when her sister abandoned her and her father died in her arms.
Afterward, she wandered the earth, feeling the pain of mortals and offering refuge and redemption to those who sought it for many years. She had seen it all, yet she still had faith in mortals.
Mark knew he couldn't do the same. At the first sight of a heinous act, the criminal would be lucky to survive in his hands.
Even now, he knew that if he entered one of the mage hunters' prisons and saw something that violated his moral standards, he wouldn't stop until the last mage hunter was burned alive.
"I still have a long way to go," he thought to himself. Acknowledging his own shortcomings was the first step to becoming stronger.
Step by step, he crossed the forest, arriving at the Sacred Grove. Apart from a few magical creatures he had to face along the way, the journey posed little difficulty.
In Mark's opinion, the forest was beautiful. Running his hand along the trees and plants, he could feel the rich flow of magic coursing through every part of the land as if it were alive.
Strangely, he felt no urgency and walked step by step, following the flow of dark magic that guided him, occasionally making small detours to observe his surroundings.
For the first time in months, Mark felt relaxed, at peace. Since arriving in this world, he had always been rushing from one problem to the next, worrying about the end of the world.
But today, he felt a bit of serenity. Despite the somewhat wild environment, Mark could sense the calm before the storm.
At a distance, Katarina observed him from the top of a tree, beyond his perception. She noticed all these changes in Mark. For the first time, she realized that he was carrying a heavy burden alone, yet he insisted on taking on more weight himself.
At that moment, she felt a moral conflict once again. "Have I been living the wrong way?" she asked herself as she watched Mark peacefully walking, analyzing him.
"He doesn't seem to be chasing honor and glory. Any wealth he has, he immediately uses for the benefit of others. What's the point of a life like that?" she wondered. Then, putting herself in his shoes, something inside her cracked.
"That's not the question. The question is why I value merit and glory so much. Glory doesn't feed me or do me any good, but I'm constantly chasing it. Why?" she asked herself.
At that moment, it was as if chains had been broken within Katarina. She questioned everything she had never dared to before in her heart. Why was giving her life for Noxus considered noble? Why was living as an assassin under her father's orders her destiny? Did she really want all this, or had she simply been forced into these ideals?
All these questions sent Katarina into deep contemplation. For a moment, she decided to stop following Mark and return to the camp. Without needing someone to give her the answer, she understood why Mark was keeping her at a distance.
Unaware of everything his brief moment of relaxation had caused, Mark soon traversed a winding path and found himself approaching some sort of refuge.
Ahead of him now was a large cave illuminated by purple crystals and adorned with symbols carved into the stones and walls. Walking a bit further, he finally found the one he was looking for.
"So, you have come, Aspect." Morgana's voice resonated in the air, carrying a hint of hostility. Mark immediately grew alarmed at her words.
"Wait, wait! I'm not an Aspect! I'm just an ordinary person with above-average abilities," he hurriedly explained. At that moment, he caught sight of her.
In his view was a beautiful woman with black hair, clothes, and wings, standing as she rose from the ground to face him. Her eyes gleamed like black diamonds, exuding power, and chains bound her wings, adding a symbolic weight to her presence.
"You claim not to be an Aspect, yet I see the divine power emanating from you. I also cannot discern your sins or crimes," she said as her hands began to radiate a dark, magical glow, alarming Mark.
"Please, calm down! Look at this!" he quickly tried to explain and showed her his left arm, marked with Janna's tattoo.
"I am an oracle of Janna. That's why there's divine power," he said, and Morgana's eyes narrowed for a moment. Her voice resounded again.
"You truly do not know, or are you merely pretending not to? Well, it doesn't matter. I will judge you myself!" she declared.
Mark noticed her hostility decrease slightly, but at that moment, abundant dark energy radiated from Morgana, filling the entire place.
"Come and face me!" she ordered. Mark could only give a weak smile as he ignited his fists and prepared himself.
"Well, it's not like I wasn't expecting this," he thought, and without hesitation, he charged forward.
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