Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman

Behold, a gift from the Hydro Archon herself—bonus chapters, born of your devotion and my boundless generosity! Bask in this rare blessing!

---

Forget it.

Bruce quickly dismissed the thought of leaving.

If he left now, he'd probably end up being hunted across countless worlds by Wonder Woman herself, right up to his inevitable death.

He'd rather skip that tragic love story, thank you very much.

After placing the ring on Diana's finger, Bruce slid the other matching ring onto the middle finger of his left hand.

A thought popped into his head: What would Mom think if she knew I got engaged at thirteen, and that my fiancée is older than she is?

She'd probably lose her mind, wouldn't she?

And yet, for some inexplicable reason, Bruce really wanted to see Martha's expression in that moment.

On the other side, Diana had no idea what Bruce was thinking. The instant he slipped the ring on her finger, her mind went blank.

I'm engaged? Just like that?

"It's fake. It's fake!"

She kept repeating to herself, "This is only temporary. Once the war ends, the engagement will be dissolved. There's no way Bruce and I could ever be together."

It really was impossible.

She was a demigod with an endless lifespan stretched before her. Bruce, on the other hand, was a mortal. In a hundred years, he'd return to dust.

They could never have a future together.

But—

Another voice whispered in Diana's heart: If your future is destined to be one of eternal loneliness, why not savor the joys of the present?

The present?

Diana couldn't help but glance at Bruce. A child.

What joy?

She quickly dismissed the thought. Maybe in a few years.

By the time the two of them snapped out of their bizarre trains of thought and returned to reality, something strange had settled between them.

Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak. Whenever their eyes met, they would look away just as quickly, waiting for the other to break the silence.

The scene grew awkwardly quiet.

Thankfully, Kathoom wasn't the type to tolerate such nonsense.

"What are you two just standing around for?"

Kathoom snapped, annoyed. "You're acting like a pair of sappy newlyweds! Is this really the time for meaningful eye contact? Now that everything's set, get moving and get the job done! Take care of the Sea Queen for me!"

Kathoom was a man who cared about appearances.

Only once the Sea Queen was gone could he wield her trident with complete confidence.

Otherwise, he'd feel embarrassed using it.

Diana snapped back to reality. The war wasn't over yet; there was no room for distractions.

The trunk of the Batmobile still held the Sea Queen, waiting for her inevitable fate.

Bruce turned the steering wheel and brought the Batmobile to the ground, parking it at the side.

Now that they had the power to kill the Descenders, Diana picked up her sword and walked to the rear of the Batmobile.

Opening the trunk, she was met by the terrified gaze of the Sea Queen. The woman clearly understood what awaited her.

"It's time."

A trace of reluctance flashed through Diana's heart. She wasn't one to kill lightly, but there were some things that simply had to be done.

Strictly speaking, she was merely sending the Sea Queen back to where she belonged.

"Goodbye, Sea Queen."

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm—!"

The Sea Queen struggled desperately, as though begging for mercy.

But the Lasso of Truth bound her tightly, a restraint she could never hope to break free from.

Diana raised the Godkiller Sword, preparing to strike, but at that moment, the Sea Queen seemed to realize something. Tears began streaming down her face.

The tears didn't fall to the ground but hovered in midair, forming letters, one after another, until they spelled out a clear message:

"Give me a chance!"

The meaning was obvious: she was willing to join Diana and help her fight against the other Descenders.

But her plea did nothing to sway Diana.

"You're a warrior," Diana murmured, "and you represent France. How could you surrender?"

With that, the Godkiller Sword fell.

This time, the Sea Queen's wound didn't bleed. Instead, it released soft, glowing light as her wide, shocked eyes stared forward. Her entire body began to fade, as if returning to the source of the world itself.

In the end, the Sea Queen vanished entirely, leaving behind only the Lasso of Truth that had bound her.

Diana had successfully reclaimed her first wish.

France was out of the game.

"Six more to go," she thought. If she could defeat six more, she could fully undo her mistakes.

Then again, it didn't necessarily have to be six; after all, the Descenders might go to war with each other as well.

At some point, Bruce had come to stand beside her.

"Let's move," he said. "Time to find our next target."

There wasn't a moment spared to mourn the Sea Queen's passing. Their next target was—

Black Adam!

---

The Austro-Hungarian Empire had already swept across the Serbian battlefield, wielding an unstoppable force.

Their half-human, half-beast soldiers showed not a shred of human mercy, leaving devastation wherever they passed.

Serbian civilians were fleeing en masse, and just imagining what fate awaited those who fell into the beast soldiers' hands was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

This situation was unfolding precisely as Pig-Faced Professor had predicted.

"Professor, you truly are the greatest gift the goddess has given to the Austro-Hungarian Empire!"

Crown Prince Karl was ecstatic. After all, every inch of land they conquered would one day belong to him.

"This is nothing!"

Pig-Faced Professor waved a hand dismissively, laughing heartily.

Emperor Franz II might not have acknowledged his ideas, but the empire's heir had become his most devoted supporter.

And the stitched-together soldiers he had created were proving their worth on the battlefield.

How could he not be proud?

"Next, we press the advantage!"

Prince Karl clenched his fist, seeing the dawn of victory. As long as they united forces with their ally Germany to dismantle Russia, they could gain more population—more people to turn into soldiers.

"With the beast soldiers on our side, we are invincible!"

No sooner had Karl said these words than Pig-Faced Professor let out a low chuckle.

"Your Highness, forgive me," the professor said, "but I have some good news for you. The beast soldiers? They're nothing now. Through my research on those peasants, I've created something even better!"

"Something better?"

Karl's eyes lit up. "A new weapon?"

"What new weapon? It's even more exciting than that!"

Pig-Faced Professor puffed up with pride. "I can give ordinary people extraordinary abilities!"

"Extraordinary abilities!?"

In that instant, Prince Karl was truly captivated.

He was on the verge of inheriting a vast empire poised for victory, and his life had nearly reached its peak.

If anything could still interest him, it was the chance to wield supernatural power himself.

The greatest emperor ought to possess the greatest strength!

"Come, come! You'll understand when you see it!"

Pig-Faced Professor was giddy with excitement, eager to show off his latest creation to the Crown Prince.

But at that very moment—

BOOM—

A thunderous explosion shook the outside. The cannon fire came from the soldiers guarding the laboratory.

Clearly, an enemy was approaching!

"What's going on?"

Prince Karl's face paled instantly. Though he was of noble birth, he lacked the composure expected of an imperial heir.

He had none of that unflinching calm in the face of disaster.

In contrast, Pig-Faced Professor remained much calmer. He called for one of the guards to report on the situation.

A soldier rushed in from outside, visibly panicked.

He stammered, "We're under attack!"

"Calm down!"

Pig-Faced Professor barked, "Prince Karl is here, and my beast soldiers are here. What enemy could possibly make you panic like this?"

He said that, but deep down, Pig-Faced Professor wasn't so sure.

This war now involved Descenders, and he had no idea who Russia's Descender might be. It could very well be someone terrifying.

For example—

Pig-Faced Professor shuddered at the thought.

What if it's that wretched bat?

No, no. It couldn't be.

There was no way it was that much of a coincidence!

Pig-Faced Professor refused to believe that Batman was Russia's Descender.

If that were the case, the world was far too cruel to him.

Absolutely not!

"How many attackers are there?"

Pig-Faced Professor asked. "And what kind of firepower are they bringing?"

"J-just one!"

The soldier looked like he was about to cry. "There's no heavy firepower. It's just one man charging through!"

One man?!

Pig-Faced Professor couldn't sit still anymore.

Too familiar. This feels way too familiar.

A lone figure charging into the enemy's stronghold? That reeked of Batman's style!

"What does this man look like?"

Pig-Faced Professor asked quickly. "Is he dressed all in black, with a black cape, a ridiculous mask, and two little ears on top of his head?"

"Huh?" The soldier blinked, confused. "N-no! He's not."

Thank goodness!

Pig-Faced Professor finally let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't Batman.

Having been in Gotham for so long, he had developed a psychological aversion to the Bat. If he really had to face him, he'd probably lose his nerve before the fight even began.

But if it wasn't Batman, then there was nothing to be afraid of.

With his new creations, Pig-Faced Professor felt confident he could handle whoever it was.

"Do we know who this attacker is?" Pig-Faced Professor asked offhandedly. "Did he say anything about himself?"

Most superheroes loved to make dramatic entrances before a fight.

Either they'd introduce themselves with something grand like "I'm Batman."

Or they'd spit out some iconic catchphrase, such as "You've failed this city."

Pig-Faced Professor was sure this one had done the same.

His question seemed to jog the soldier's memory.

"He did say something like that," the soldier said nervously. "But the name was so strange we didn't think it was real."

"What was it?"

By now, Pig-Faced Professor had dropped all pretense of concern.

As long as it wasn't Batman, everything would be fine.

The soldier hesitated, then finally blurted out the attacker's identity.

"He said he was Superman."

---

Clark walked leisurely through the endless hail of artillery fire, his hands tucked into his coat pockets.

The long coat billowed behind him as he moved.

A shell struck him directly in the chest.

The explosion thundered, smoke swirled, and yet Clark emerged from the haze unscathed.

His clothes, however, were now more tattered, revealing the steel-gray suit beneath, emblazoned with the bold crimson S symbol.

A line of soldiers raised their rifles, pointing them at Clark.

"Stop right there!" they shouted.

Clark's calm composure under relentless fire had completely shattered the soldiers' resolve.

A body that could withstand artillery? What kind of monster was this?

"If you leave now, we'll let you go! We won't kill you!"

The captain called out to Clark. "Do you know what's behind us? That's the beast soldiers' camp! If they're released, they'll tear you apart!"

Beast soldiers?

Those are exactly who I'm looking for.

Clark thought to himself.

When he'd left Zurich, Clark had merely intended to travel the world, to see the landscapes his mentor had spoken of.

"If you don't investigate how people truly live, you have no right to speak about them." Clark remembered those words.

He also remembered his mentor's warning: Stay out of the war.

Clark swore that had been his intention.

But everything changed when he saw the horrors of the Austro-Hungarian war and the suffering of the Serbian refugees.

Clark had once saved a group of civilians being attacked by beast soldiers. After defeating those creatures with ease, he discovered a terrifying truth.

Those beast soldiers had once been human.

He had seen one of them, tears streaming down its face as it cried for its mother while swinging a blade at innocent people.

Clearly, they hadn't chosen to become beasts.

"You're all human. I don't want to kill you."

Clark didn't slow his steps as his coat disintegrated into tattered shreds, carried away by the wind. All that remained was the steel-gray uniform of the Son of Krypton.

"I need to see Pig-Faced Professor," he said.

If he could help it, he still didn't want to showcase his full strength—that was something his mentor wouldn't have wanted.

"Then you'll have to kill us first."

The captain said bitterly, his voice full of despair. "As long as we're alive, we won't let you take another step forward!"

Why?

Clark sighed softly. Why must you fight? Do you even know what you're fighting for?

But there wasn't time for questions.

Through his super-vision and x-ray sight, Clark could already see Pig-Faced Professor preparing to flee in the distance.

No choice, then.

In a flash, Clark's figure vanished from where he had been standing, leaving the soldiers stunned and in disarray.

Magic? Sorcery?

How could someone just disappear like that?!

Clark wasn't using magic, nor was it sorcery.

He simply moved at super-speed, appearing directly inside the laboratory.

Pig-Faced Professor was pulling Crown Prince Karl toward an underground tunnel, trying to escape.

Too late.

"Pig-Faced Professor, isn't it?"

Clark blocked the exit, his face colder than ever.

"Those abominations—the beasts stitched together from humans and animals. You created them?"

If it really was him, then there was no room for mercy.

Monsters like him couldn't be allowed to live in a world that still held hope.

"Clark Kent…"

Face to face with Superman, Pig-Faced Professor found himself strangely calm.

Clark frowned. "You know me?"

"Of course I do. After all—"

Before Pig-Faced Professor could finish, his jaw suddenly clenched.

He bit down on a hidden mechanism in his teeth, and his entire body exploded, releasing a cloud of purple powder.

What a shame, Pig-Faced Professor thought in his final moment. I wanted to bring the Crown Prince with me.

There was no time for that now.

As an expert in human experimentation, Pig-Faced Professor had prepared for this. He had crafted backup bodies for himself in advance.

This wouldn't be the end of him—he would awaken elsewhere.

As for the purple powder he released?

That was the research he had planned to show Crown Prince Karl.

"Your Highness, buy me some time."

Pig-Faced Professor's eyes snapped open as his consciousness reawakened in a body thousands of kilometers away, deep within the empire's borders.

Superman was now far behind him.

The Crown Prince will delay him.

Superman, here? That's not fair!

Pig-Faced Professor scowled. He needed to rally the strength of his allies now.

Black Adam.

The thought struck him like lightning.

Yes, Black Adam will keep me safe!

---

Ah-ha! So you mortals truly have outdone yourselves this time, haven't you? To think your offerings could summon forth these bonus chapters—what a feat worthy of my recognition! You've brought glory to Fontaine, and naturally, to me.

But do not think for a moment that your work is complete! This is but a single step on the journey to greatness, and there are still many more chapters, many more stages, and of course, many more opportunities to bask in my brilliance.

However… even the most brilliant performances must reach their curtain call. Fear not, for though I may bid you farewell today, my radiance shall linger in your thoughts, inspiring you to strive for ever greater heights.

And so, my esteemed audience, let us part ways for now. Continue to champion this endeavor, and perhaps, in another time, another place, you shall once again be graced by my presence. Until then—farewell, and may your days be brightened by the thought of me!

With admiration and just a dash of benevolence,

Furina ✨