Chapitre 293: Chapter 293: The Joker and Batman's New Contest
"Generally, cosmic powers have their own star charts, and of course, civilizations that have just acquired interstellar capabilities find it difficult to obtain these maps, but Krypton should have one; otherwise, those ships wouldn't be able to travel to Earth..." Carol explained, extending her hand and projecting a holographic star map from her gauntlet, filled with numerous light points.
"This is my star map. Navigating the cosmos without an intelligent system is indeed very challenging. Whether using a spaceship or traveling alone, one cannot do without the help of a star chart!"
"I see..." Clark nodded, understanding that even beings as powerful as himself are merely small entities in the cosmos, akin to a ship drifting on the ocean without even a compass, blindly making their way through the boundless sea.
Soon, Clark and Carol returned to the wilderness island, and neither mentioned the earlier battle. Along with Robert and others, they resumed their previous way of life.
"Strange, where did that Mephisto, who even Constantine feared, go? Why is there no movement?" Robert, resuming his training, couldn't help but wonder why such a notorious creature had suddenly disappeared.
Constantine shared this curiosity. Why had Mephisto, an ancient being of great power, vanished without a trace? Was he brewing an even greater conspiracy? The thought alone was frightening for Constantine, who occasionally reassured himself by checking his own trump cards, though he felt they were inadequate against a being like Mephisto, until he finally received some intelligence.
"What? Someone's soul was burnt to ashes, but their body shows no signs of injury? Suspected to be Hellfire?" Constantine, who had many sources, learned this from the lineage of shadow hunters, causing him to frown deeply.
Hellfire might sound ordinary—just another flame from Hell, seemingly within the reach of any demon with fire abilities. However, Hellfire is a formidable type of inferno capable of targeting the soul and is intricately linked to the hellish dimensions' primal forces.
A demon possessing Hellfire is no ordinary foe. Coupled with Mephisto's prior appearance, Constantine believed he was on the right track to finding him. But tracing Hellfire to find Mephisto wasn't going to be easy. Until he could be sure of Mephisto's whereabouts, Constantine planned not to alert Robert—fearing Robert might come after him instead if the lead turned cold.
Meanwhile, the Joker, having gained the powers of the Ghost Rider, headed toward Gotham. Recalling Mephisto's words, he specifically drove his Joker Mobile, which, under the influence of Hellfire, transformed into a fearsome new war machine, completing the Joker's transition into a fiery specter.
However, Joker didn't rush back to Gotham. Along the way, he worked on expanding his new venture, as his old circus clown act was no longer viable.
But even the Joker can't read everyone's heart, especially when not using the Eyes of Judgment to discern past crimes.
Thus, occasionally, he intended only to drive some seemingly disagreeable individuals insane, turning them into mental cases. Yet, unexpectedly, some truly vile hearts emerged—criminals whose deeds would make them small tyrants in Gotham, so it wasn't surprising that a few bodies charred by Hellfire were left behind.
"Boring, Batman is more fun. I should head back to Gotham!" After several misjudgments about people's nature, Joker grew frustrated and decided Gotham's residents were easier to handle. As he caressed his Joker Mobile, his eyes sparkled with anticipation, "Ever since I created the Joker Mobile, it has never beaten the Batmobile, but this time, it's the Batmobile's turn to crash."
The Joker Mobile was a parody of Batman's Batmobile, and although there were several models of each, none of the Joker Mobiles had ever won against the Batmobile. In terms of technology and materials, Batman always had the upper hand.
But this time, Joker believed his Ghost Rider-infused Joker Mobile would not lose.
Thus, Joker drove day and night towards Gotham, using Hellfire's power by night and gasoline by day, finally returning to the familiar streets of Gotham City.
"Huh? Arkham rebuilt so quickly? Did Batman do this, hoping I'd come home sooner? He really makes me want to cry..." Joker arrived near the Arkham Asylum, smiling broadly when he saw the recently restored surroundings due to Batman's efforts, "No way! Batman put so much effort into this; I'm truly touched. I must give him a good thrashing!"
Joker seemed to forget that while restoring the surroundings required significant effort from ordinary people, for Batman, who possessed the resources and the Mask of Ikai, it was merely a matter of speaking a few words.
With the Shadow Warriors tirelessly working and Batman's financial backing, the area had been restored much faster than Batman initially anticipated
, and Arkham Asylum was already housing new inmates...
"Hehe, Batman, here I come!" Under the cover of night, an excited Joker drove his flaming Joker Mobile toward Gotham's city center, quickly detected by Alfred.
"Master Wayne, the Joker has returned, but his car seems to be on fire?" Alfred, unfamiliar with Hellfire, spoke with hesitation, "I'm not sure what material the Joker Mobile is made of, but it seems quite fire-resistant..."
"Joker Mobile? He's brought out that knockoff junk again?" Batman, slightly irritated by the Joker's imitation tactics, especially the unsightly Joker Mobile, had always despised it, particularly as it lost every encounter with the Batmobile.
Hearing that the Joker was back and seemingly powered up, Batman immediately set out in his Batmobile to confront him.
"Roar, roar, roar!" The roaring engines filled the Gotham night as the Batmobile, almost invisible in the dark, chased a flaming vehicle speeding ahead.
"Huh? Batman, you finally showed up?" The Joker Mobile slowed down as it noticed the Batmobile, the flames gradually extinguishing as it waited for Batman to pull up alongside. Once the Batmobile's Gatling guns rose, Joker cheerfully said.
"Interested in a race? Let's see who can get to Arkham Asylum first. If you win, I'll let myself be caught and locked up in Arkham—I've seen it, it's nicely rebuilt, and I need to reclaim my luxury single room..."
"Of course, if you lose, I'm sorry to say, but tonight, someone in Gotham will go insane, although, compared to our madness, they might be a little less so!"
"Da-da-da-da-da!" As Joker finished speaking, the Batmobile's Gatling guns fired, not aiming to kill him—if they had, Joker would have been too pleased.
In the barrage, the Joker Mobile's tires were blown out, and its doors were riddled with holes, bullets carefully avoiding vital areas like the fuel tank and driver's seat.
Batman, uninterested in meaningless contests, preferred to capture Joker and lock him up in Arkham Asylum—after all, what would Arkham be without its most notorious inmate?
"Hehe, Batman, scared? But too bad, no matter if you shoot my Joker Mobile like this, even if you blew up the fuel tank, it wouldn't affect me a bit!" Joker chuckled as Hellfire flared up again, and he mockingly counted down, "I'll count to three, and after three, we'll go. If you're later than me, sorry, but I'll drive someone insane as a gift to Arkham Asylum! Of course, you could also try to destroy me and the car together..."
"Three! Two! One!"
"Roar, roar, roar!"
As Joker counted down, both vehicles shot out like arrows released from a bow, not so much speeding as flying too low.
The Batmobile, a high-priced combat vehicle modified by Batman himself, was naturally fast—comparing it to regular vehicles was an insult. Its speed surpassed even some of Iron Man's armors!
Yet even so, against the Ghost Rider-infused Joker Mobile, the Batmobile was at a clear disadvantage. The flaming Joker Mobile easily outpaced the Batmobile, taking turns so sharply that Batman eventually lost sight of its tail lights, seeing only scorched tracks on the ground.
Frowning, Batman switched the Batmobile's power system to flight mode, which noticeably increased its speed. Yet even then, he couldn't catch up to the Joker Mobile.
Determined, Batman disregarded the roads, locked onto Arkham Asylum's location in mid-air, and took a direct line to try and overtake the Joker Mobile, not wanting anyone to go mad because of his defeat tonight...
"Batman, you're cheating! How can a car fly? Why don't you just fly a plane?" Joker quickly noticed the Batmobile catching up in a straight line and complained.
But Batman ignored Joker, even preparing for potential tricks by resting his hand on his utility belt—he knew Joker could be deceitful.
"Not talking, huh?" Seeing that Batman ignored him and was even likely to reach Arkham Asylum first, Joker shook his head and fired flaming darts at the Batmobile.
"Hmm?" Facing the flaming darts, Batman frowned and dodged, unclear on the power of the flames but unwilling to risk his Batmobile losing mobility.
The time spent dodging didn't worry Batman, as he could counterattack the Joker Mobile to buy time.
"Da-da-da-da-da!" The Batmobile's Gatling gun fired again, but the Joker Mobile didn't dodge; bullets hit it, turning into molten metal that flowed onto the ground.
"Whizz!" Batman, eyes narrowing, then targeted the Joker Mobile with missiles, believing it couldn't ignore both bullets and shells.
"Boom!" An explosion rocked the ground; the Joker Mobile was indeed sent flying, but
when it landed, its flames surged even more fiercely. The Joker Mobile sped toward Arkham Asylum and, with the boost from the roaring flames, reached it first—Joker won the race!
"Batman! I won! Now, it's time for you to pay the price!" Joker's triumphant voice rang out as he stepped out of the Joker Mobile, looking at the nearby Batmobile with a smile, "I know you've hired new doctors, but what good is a doctor in Arkham Asylum if they're not mad themselves? Right?"
The contest between Batman and Joker, with its high stakes and dramatic conclusions, highlighted not only their eternal rivalry but also the unique dynamics of their conflict—where even a seemingly playful race could have serious implications for Gotham City.
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