American comics: Starting with Luke the Maker

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This Bruce, infected with the Joker virus, eventually fell into the form the Joker had anticipated and hoped for. He was as insane as the Joker, yet possessed Batman's composure. He deceived everyone, ultimately using a meticulously designed disguise to kill his Bat-Family and everyone in the Justice League.

After personally torturing Superman and his family to death with cruel methods, he felt that everything was meaningless. But at that moment, a powerful being revealed the existence of the Dark Multiverse to him.

The Batman Who Laughs!

He could also be considered the dark side of a universe.

He wandered through various Dark Multiverses, selecting members he favored. Each of these members was a corrupted version of himself, and each represented a powerful force in their respective universe.

The Speed Force.

The Metal.

The power of Aquaman.

The power of the Old Gods.

The Kryptonian Doomsday power.

And the dark side of the Joker combined with Batman.

Each of them was unique in the team. Under the summons of the Batman Who Laughs, they had destroyed many universes and worlds, all to find the so-called prime universe and new companions.

Bruce sat up from his bed, drenched in sweat. The scenes in the dream still echoed vividly in his mind. The immersive experience made even his iron will palpitate and feel terrified.

The despair that each version of himself encountered in the dream was the very thing he didn't want to face. And those scenes were presented to him so cruelly, directly, and bloodily.

He empathized with each of them, and he could feel the suffocating and all-destroying despair. He couldn't guarantee that if he had experienced those things in the dream, he could still maintain his will and sanity.

After all, those people in the dream were him! They had experienced what he had experienced, and they feared what he feared. Their weaknesses were often the same.

Bruce was well aware that he had problems with his mental and psychological state, but he had always felt that he could manage and channel them well. But those in the dream were all reminding him how fragile his so-called confidence was when faced with those terrifying scenes.

Bruce looked at the dark window, lifted the quilt, and got out of bed. His sleepiness was swept away in the awakening. Now his heart was full of anxiety. He had to drink something to maintain his composure, so that his somewhat feverish and chaotic brain could cool down and think carefully about something.

"Are you alright, Master Bruce?"

In the living room, a familiar voice suddenly reached Bruce's ears. Hearing this voice, Bruce's still somewhat anxious heart suddenly calmed down a little, as if this voice carried a power of peace for him.

"I'm fine," Bruce said, forcing a smile on his face as he looked at Alfred, the butler, who was slowly walking down the stairs.

"I may be old, but my eyes are still good. You had another nightmare?" Alfred came to Bruce's side, looked at the drink he was preparing, and said with concern.

For him, he was too familiar with Bruce. Any subtle expression of Bruce's could be grasped by him to determine his current psychological state. And Bruce had never made any pretense or deception in front of him. Unless it was absolutely necessary.

And Bruce's expression in front of him reminded Alfred of the young Bruce who often had nightmares when he was a child. At that time, his heart was full of fear, and he would experience nightmares every night. Alfred had seen this state too many times at that time. Only when the other party grew up and returned from traveling did this nightmare and fearful look gradually decrease until it disappeared completely.

Alfred had always thought that Master Bruce had completely restrained and conquered the fear in his heart. But now, it was obvious that Master Bruce had not completely conquered the fear in his heart, but that the fear was suppressed and could not affect him temporarily. And now, what had triggered the fear in Master Bruce's heart again?

Was it Steppenwolf?

Or the so-called Apokolips?

Alfred guessed. He himself was a very good person at collecting information. It was not easy to become someone that Master Bruce relied on and trusted. In addition, Bruce had no intention of hiding many things from him at all, so the information he knew was no less than that known by the members of the Justice League.

Therefore, Alfred naturally knew about the existence of Stephen and the others, and even knew that they had gone to Apokolips to solve Darkseid's trouble.

Did Stephen and the others fail?

"It's just a dream about some things," Bruce really wanted to confide something, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't say them. It was difficult for him to reveal too much to others about the dream.

"Shall I do it, Master Bruce?" Alfred wanted to take the bottles and jars that Bruce was mixing in his hand. He knew about the existence of psionic energy and could even mix several psionic liquid drinks. Of course, it was after neutralizing and diluting the recipe many times.

"I can do it myself. Alfred, I need to be alone for a while. Don't worry, I'm fine," Bruce didn't hand over the bottle containing the blue liquid in his hand, but grabbed it again and asked Alfred.

"Are you sure?" Alfred met Bruce's eyes, was silent for a moment, and asked softly.

"I'm sure!" Bruce nodded.

"Well then, it's midnight now. If you figure it out or calm down, you should go to rest," Alfred let go of the hand that was competing with Bruce for the bottle, bowed slightly in Bruce's sight, said goodbye to him, and then turned around and went along the way he came, his palm resting on the handrail of the stairs, steadily ascending the steps, and finally disappeared from Bruce's sight.

Bruce, who retracted his gaze, continued his mixing, and then drank a cup of the prepared drink in one gulp. The preparation specially used to calm the mind and dispel negative psychological states took effect instantly. The feeling of fear and despair that was so oppressive and desperate that he couldn't breathe smoothly, and that he felt his heart clenched in a big hand all the time, was immediately greatly relieved.

The desperate scenes that he had been thinking about in his mind all the time, which were so painful and memorable, were immediately peeled off, and although they still made him feel uncomfortable, they had already allowed him to temporarily re-examine those scenes that made him sad to the point that he didn't want to look at them a second time from the perspective and psychology of an outsider.

Bruce's fingers subconsciously lifted up, stroking the blue crystal on his chest, and the touch from his fingers suddenly made him wake up again.

Bruce quickly turned out the blue gem inlaid on a silver necklace on his chest, pinched it with his fingers, and carefully observed and examined it up close in front of his eyes.

Bruce was almost too familiar with this psionic crystal called Tranquility Blue. This crystal had given him too much help and mental comfort. You know, he had a strong will and firm belief, but that didn't mean he didn't have other emotional senses, but that he was more able to forcibly suppress them with his will and ideas, so as not to let them affect him.

In fact, Bruce knew very well how much darkness and negative emotions had accumulated in his heart. Compared with ordinary people, he was just better at controlling himself and those negative emotions. But this could not deny that there was something wrong with his psychology. He had also taught himself various psychology, and his level was even enough to be called an authority. But perhaps a doctor can hardly cure himself, and this did not solve his problem at all. Because he knew very well what his problem was, but he couldn't solve it.

Until the appearance of psionic energy. Tranquility Blue gave him long-lost tranquility and peace of mind. It even made him produce an addictive sense of dependence. He often subconsciously used his fingers to stroke this Tranquility Blue crystal that he carried with him when he was idle and had nothing to do, so even if it was a slight change, he could immediately know.

Its volume has decreased!

Even a very obvious decrease!

It was so obvious that just touching it made Bruce feel surprised. After all, calming his inner darkness and comforting his spirit and mind did not require much consumption of the crystal's energy at all. But this was obviously a phenomenon that would occur after a violent consumption.

What was the reason?

Bruce immediately found the reason, it was the desperate experience in the dream that made him feel immersive and empathetic! Not once, but plural, each time was enough to completely crush his belief, will, adherence and bottom line of despair!

Only so much despair would cause the Tranquility Blue crystal's energy to be consumed so much and so obviously.

If Bruce hadn't really taken off the Tranquility Blue crystal, then his state of waking up probably wouldn't be just simple irritability and fear, but a moment of crisis on the verge of falling into the abyss of darkness.

Thinking of this, Bruce immediately thought of the other self in his spiritual sea of consciousness again. Obviously, all of this was done by the other party. Only the other party could construct such a real and emotionally resonant dream of fear in his spiritual sea of consciousness.

For this day, the other party must have been planning for a long time.

Bold, crazy, meticulous, and careful.

Bruce compared the other party's bits and pieces from the time of his appearance to the dream, and finally determined the figure that emerged in his mind.

That was a crazy self, like the Joker.

The Batman Who Laughs!

The one who was full of darkness, depression and madness, enough to make him unable to breathe, and very resistant to himself. Obviously, the other party did all this to lure him into depravity.

It was difficult to say when the other party had lurked in his heart, and it was also difficult to say what the other party had subtly influenced him. But in the end, the other party chose to come forward to expose himself and have a dialogue and contact with him in the spiritual sea of consciousness, and arranged such a real and terrifying dream for him today. Obviously, the other party was either desperate and betting everything on one throw, or felt that the time was right.

Purpose?

Bruce could easily give the conclusion after seeing all the dreams. That Batman Who Laughs wanted him to join his team like the Bat members in the dream! But he knew that the normal state of him would not join, but would become an enemy of their Dark Knights. So he arranged such a real dream, wanting him to fall into depravity and sink into darkness in empathy.

In fact, the other party almost did it. If it weren't for the Tranquility Blue crystal, Bruce would not be aware of his own consciousness in the dream. In other words, he would regard the experiences of those other universe blacked and depraved Batmen in the dream as his own personal experiences.

Immersive and empathetic, after all, is not the person involved. Just this one difference was enough for Bruce to realize that something was wrong, and maintain his sanity, bottom line, and belief. Although he inevitably still suffered unknown influences, at least, he did not go crazy like those selves in the dream.

Bruce did not believe that he could withstand the despair again and again in the case that he thought it was himself. And the dream prepared by the Batman Who Laughs for him must be long and rich. Perhaps only when Bruce completely sinks and collapses can he truly walk out of the dream. Bruce believed that the Dark Knights themselves were definitely more than those seen in the dream.

If it weren't for the Tranquility Blue crystal!

The final awakening from the dream was obviously because the Tranquility Blue crystal sensed that his spirit was slipping to a dangerous edge, and had to consume energy to completely pull him out of the dream and make him wake up.

Then the question comes, what special qualities does he have that the Batman Who Laughs must get?

The selves in the dream all saw the Batman Who Laughs after they fell. It can also be said that they were perceived by the Batman Who Laughs.

But what about him? He has not fallen into darkness! But he was targeted by the Batman Who Laughs in advance, and such a big gift was arranged.

What does he have that the Batman Who Laughs, or the powerful person behind him, values?

Family property? Wisdom? Combat power? Other? All he has, other Dark Knights also have. He has nothing special.

Then, thinking further, it can only be external objects. Associating that each Dark Knight has a powerful force that they have snatched, Bruce couldn't help but start to eliminate them one by one.

Lantern Ring? Doomsday Virus? Aquaman Gene? Olympus Artifact?

It seems that each of these can be found corresponding dark selves in the Dark Knights. Then what does he have that those selves do not have?

Bruce's gaze subconsciously fell on the crystal-like crystal that his fingers were stroking. A sudden enlightenment-like understanding arose in his heart.

It's psionic energy!

The psionic energy created by Luke and brought by the Captain! It has a high degree of energy devouring and adaptability, and also has rare light and dark, positive and negative two opposite and unified energy attributes.

If there is anything on him that can be coveted and cared about by the Batman Who Laughs, then it is only psionic energy! Perhaps even further, it is the ultimate in negative psionic energy, which he has only vaguely heard of - the Abyss!

PS: Thank you for the reward of using the new nickname.