Bab 67: Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [67]
They watched Hawkeye's retreating figure, understanding he was heading down a path of no return.
Bruce turned to Kathoom and asked, "Is this the fate of heroes?"
A deep sadness welled up in his heart, as if he was staring at his own future.
But before the feeling could fully settle, chaos erupted.
A black sedan appeared at the street corner. Its doors opened, and men wielding machine guns stepped out.
Hawkeye sensed the danger immediately, diving and rolling into the nearby bushes.
At the same moment, Logan shielded Bruce within his arms.
RATATATATATATA!
Bullets rained down, hitting Logan's back in rapid succession. He let out a low grunt, his back quickly stained with blood.
"Logan!!!" Bruce shouted in horror.
"Don't worry…" Logan gritted his teeth. "A few bullets won't kill me."
Despite his words, the pain etched across his face was unmistakable.
Then, several arrows shot out from the bushes, striking the gunmen with deadly precision. They had no time to react before they fell, lifeless.
The driver of the black sedan slammed on the gas, fleeing without a second glance.
Hawkeye remained hidden in the bushes, still on high alert for any other attackers.
Logan stood up shakily, forcing each bullet out of his back with an angry growl.
"We've been targeted."
Experienced in battle wounds, Logan assessed the situation immediately. "We need to get out of here. It's not safe."
"No… we don't have time…" Bruce shook his head, spotting more black sedans speeding their way.
The convoy stopped at the intersection, and from the lead car, Red Skull stepped out.
Logan's brows furrowed deeply at the sight of him.
From the nearby bushes, Hawkeye tensed, his emotions visibly stirred.
The target of his mission dared to show up in person!
And standing right within Hawkeye's range!
But just then—
A burning projectile shot from an impossible angle, striking Kathoom mid-flight.
"Caw!"
Kathoom let out a squawk as he plummeted from the sky.
His entire body ignited in flames, each feather catching fire, as if the blaze wouldn't stop until he was entirely consumed.
"Kathoom!!!"
Bruce's eyes widened in horror.
Logan's earlier warning echoed in his mind—that if he chose to be a hero, he would have to be ready to lose those close to him.
Bruce hadn't expected that to happen so soon.
"Kathoom, hang on! I can save you!"
Bruce tried to summon a water spell to douse the flames on Kathoom.
But the next moment, he heard Kathoom's voice, loud and clear in his mind: "Bruce, I'm fine"
The owl's voice was robust and oddly calm, nowhere near the panic Bruce expected.
He even continued telepathically instructing Bruce. "Don't cast a wandless spell—take out the Elder Wand!"
Why?
Bruce didn't understand why Kathoom was insisting on this, but he obeyed, pulling out the wand.
The instant he did, a shot rang out from another angle.
The bullet zipped through the air, striking Bruce's wand with deadly accuracy, shattering the legendary Elder Wand in two.
At that moment, Bruce realized Kathoom's plan.
The enemy was aiming for his wand!
Bruce looked towards the source of the gunshot and spotted a figure on a rooftop, his single eye beneath a yellow and black helmet fixed coldly on him.
Bruce had no doubt this was one of Barbatos's hunters. Kathoom's weary voice came through again, "Ugh, it really is Deathstroke. Why can't I ever guess wrong?"
The flaming owl flew back to Bruce's side, causing Deathstroke to raise an eyebrow.
What was this owl made of that even fire couldn't kill it?
Fine, at least destroying Bruce's wand was a decent outcome.
---
In the bushes, Hawkeye had already drawn his bow.
He had his arrow aimed right at Red Skull's head, ready to strike at any moment.
Red Skull knew Hawkeye was watching from the bushes but made no attempt to hide.
Instead, he laughed.
"Hawkeye! You must be aiming right at me!"
With that, Red Skull tore open his uniform, revealing his bare chest—
Where a sophisticated device was strapped, emitting steady, rhythmic beeps.
In the distance, a heavy rumbling sounded, and a massive shadow began to rise into the sky.
It was a gigantic head, towering four or five stories high. As it ascended, it drew every eye to it.
The head was skeletal, shining with a modified metallic sheen. In its empty eye sockets, dense flames of energy blazed.
The Galactus Weapon!
Even though Hawkeye couldn't see it clearly, the sound alone told him that something massive had risen into the sky.
Red Skull sneered, "Hawkeye, I know you can't see, so allow me to explain!
"The Galactus Weapon is now airborne and charging up.
"With a single command, it will activate at full power—and the force of the Galactus Weapon could easily obliterate the entire planet!
"As for the activation mechanism, it's now synced to my heartbeat!"
With that, Red Skull burst into laughter.
He had been genuinely worried that Hawkeye might shoot before he could explain all of this.
That would have been… troublesome.
To ensure Hawkeye held back, he'd even added a loud beeping sound to the device on his chest.
Now, everything was in place.
"Hawkeye, I know you've wanted to kill me and destroy the Galactus Weapon.
"Well, here I am! If you've got the guts, take your shot!
"But I'll tell you this—if my heart stops beating, the Galactus Weapon will activate at full power, and the entire planet will go down with me!"
This was the plan Deathstroke had devised for Red Skull.
When dealing with heroes, exploit their morality and sense of duty.
Now that Red Skull's life was bound to the Galactus Weapon, the whole world was his hostage. Who would dare make a move on him now?
In fact, everyone would have to pray for his safety, hoping nothing bad happened to him!
Hawkeye's hands trembled as he gripped his bow, stunned by the enemy's cruel ingenuity.
No wonder Red Skull was so fearless, even daring to face him head-on.
Red Skull, you're despicable!
"Hawkeye! Didn't you want to kill me? Go ahead, I'm right here!"
Red Skull taunted as he strode toward Hawkeye's hiding place, arms wide open.
Predictably, Hawkeye didn't release his arrow.
"And that's why you heroes always lose."
Red Skull chuckled to himself. "Always bound by morality, always holding back, unlike me—I charge forward without hesitation!"
Tensing his muscles, he unleashed a sudden burst of speed and strength, lunging at Hawkeye, grabbing him by the throat, and dragging him out of the bushes.
Instinctively, Hawkeye reached for an arrow, aiming for Red Skull's throat.
But he stopped just short.
He couldn't kill Red Skull.
"Coward!"
Red Skull felt a rush of triumph. Deathstroke's plan had worked perfectly; now, no one would dare challenge him.
The fate he'd once seen in visions had been completely overturned!
Now, he could mock the entire world—
"Now, who dares to kill me? Who dares to kill me?! WHO DARES TO KILL ME?!"
---
T/N: Whaaaat he had the elder wand? When I don't remember anythingggg (heh its just kathooms branch kathoom named it the elder wand)
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone