The Batmobile began to ascend.
Bruce pressed a button on the control panel, and the surface of the Batmobile was instantly coated with an optical layer, rendering it invisible.
It was as though it had vanished from the face of the Earth.
“This reminds me of Wonder Woman’s invisible jet,” Kathoom remarked. “Seems like both Diana and Hephaestus—and really, all the Olympians—have an obsession with invisible vehicles.”
The obsession likely stemmed from Zeus, who used his divine power to hide the entirety of Themyscira. Other gods, mimicking him, also enjoyed making things disappear.
Bruce remained silent. Both he and Diana had fallen into an odd quietness.
From above, the city below was an apocalyptic wasteland—vast stretches of ruins and devastation.
Most of the destruction had been caused by Black Adam, but Bruce and Clark’s battle had only worsened it.
“Not even an hour,” Bruce murmured. “Less than an hour ago, this was a thriving city, showcasing the pinnacle of human civilization.”
Even London during World War II, under relentless bombing by the German forces, had not been so thoroughly decimated.
“Destruction is always a matter of moments,” Kathoom sighed, then fell silent once more.
Bruce and Diana would need time to process the sight of the ruined city below.
…
After leaving Berlin, the aftermath of the war began to sink in.
Witnessing a city wiped out in an instant, and knowing that even stepping up to fight Superman hadn’t truly resolved anything, left Bruce in low spirits.
Sitting beside him, Diana seemed preoccupied as well, staring out the window in quiet contemplation.
The ride was spent in silence.
Later, Bruce found a small inn in a rural village where he and Diana could stay for the night.
That evening, after a shower, Bruce went up to the rooftop of the inn.
The cool night wind tousled his damp hair as he gazed up at the star-filled sky. For the first time in a while, Bruce felt utterly insignificant.
“How many beings as powerful as Superman are out there in the universe?”
Bruce wasn’t sure if he was asking Kathoom or talking to himself.
“What level must I reach to defeat them all?”
“You’re pressuring yourself again,” Kathoom said, grooming his feathers with his beak. “Don’t tell me that one fight with Superman has shattered your will?”
“Hard to say.”
Bruce shook his head lightly. The events in Berlin had already spread across the world through newspapers.
The official explanation was an airship bombing, but that didn’t convince everyone.
For one, modern aerial bombardments couldn’t cause such extensive damage.
For another, Germany also had Zeppelin airships; they wouldn’t have been passive about an attack of this scale. Yet their lack of retaliation only made the official story seem less believable.
The catastrophic consequences of superhuman battles were once again being covered up with a flimsy excuse. How many times had this happened throughout history?
Bruce sat on the rooftop, wordless.
Returning to the DC universe for the first time, he’d already felt like the enemies were endless. And now, after his fight with Superman, there was Merciless to contend with as well.
Was Black Adam’s body truly taken by Merciless, along with the Pig-Faced Professor?
As he pondered this, he heard a noise behind him. Turning, he saw Diana stepping onto the rooftop.
She looked a little startled when she spotted Bruce.
“You couldn’t sleep either?” she asked.
“There’s something I can’t figure out,” Bruce replied softly.
“Same here.”
Diana naturally sat down beside him, her gaze following his to the same starry sky.
“When I was a child, whenever my mother scolded me, I’d sneak to the mountaintop at night to stargaze,” Diana said. “Sometimes I’d stay there until dawn. By morning, all my worries would be gone.”
“And what’s troubling you this time?” Bruce asked.
“When will war finally stop?”
Diana sighed, her brows furrowing. Ever since leaving Themyscira, she’d felt increasingly powerless.
Watching a city destroyed before her eyes, unable to stop it, had been devastating.
She could only stand by as civilization crumbled into ruins—a memory she might never erase.
“Right now, I wish I could make a wish for myself,” Diana said with a bitter smile. “To end all wars and let everyone live in peace. If I could do that with just one wish, I’d pay any price.”
Bruce understood that feeling all too well.
“I’ve had wishes like that too,” he admitted. “But the more I’ve experienced, the harder I realize it is to make them come true.”
True peace wasn’t something one or two people could decide.
Though their frustrations were similar, Bruce and Diana’s reasons differed.
Diana’s pain stemmed from witnessing human suffering, while Bruce’s frustration was rooted in his inability to stop it.
Yet, under the starry sky, the two shared a rare sense of mutual understanding.
Diana studied Bruce’s troubled expression and suddenly felt they were more alike than she’d thought.
And—
She didn’t want to see him so distressed.
“Enough!”
Diana suddenly pulled Bruce into a side hug, her arm draping around his shoulders. “Stop brooding. Stay with me and look at the stars. By morning, all these feelings will be gone!”
Bruce, caught off guard, found himself leaning into Diana’s embrace.
But there was nothing romantic about it. Instead, he found the position awkward.
Isn’t the guy supposed to hold the girl while stargazing?
Why was it reversed for him?
Maybe because Diana’s taller… or because she has a rougher aura…
And her embrace wasn’t even comfortable—it was hard, like something was pressing against him.
Bruce froze, not daring to move.
Unbeknownst to him, Diana was even more nervous than he was.
This feels strange, Diana thought. It’s just stargazing with someone else. I’ve done this with Antiope before, and it never felt special.
But sitting with Bruce now, especially with him in her arms, left her feeling oddly weak and flustered.
This isn’t right. Diana thought. I should be the one being held like this, not the other way around.
“Bruce…”
She had just opened her mouth, considering asking to switch positions, when a sarcastic voice interrupted—
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
The sudden voice startled both Bruce and Diana like startled birds, causing them to spring apart instantly.
Turning toward the source, they saw a figure clad in blue armor adorned with a bat symbol, sitting cross-legged in the distance with his chin propped on one hand, watching them with amusement.
Bruce had never seen this man before, but he instantly recognized his identity.
Merciless!
Before Bruce could say anything, Diana spoke first, her tone sharp.
“Who are you?!”
She glared at the intruder, her fury barely contained.
Bruce didn’t understand why she was so enraged. Could she sense the aura of Ares on Merciless?
“Your straightforwardness truly is innate,” Merciless said, ignoring Diana’s question. Instead, he spoke wistfully, as though reminiscing about someone long gone.
Diana bristled at his attitude. Even through his helmet, she felt as though his eyes were fixed on her, refusing to look away.
“Enough!”
Unable to bear the discomfort, Diana reached to her chest and drew Hephaestus’ sword.
Bruce shuddered.
So that’s what was poking me earlier?
If he’d done anything remotely inappropriate, Diana probably would’ve beheaded him on the spot.
“Don’t be so hasty, Diana,” Merciless said, flicking a finger.
A metallic clang echoed as sparks flew from the blade, forcing Diana to take several steps back to regain her balance.
“A stone…”
The Bat clearly saw what had happened—Merciless had done nothing extraordinary. He had simply flicked a small stone, yet it forced Diana to retreat several steps.
“You’re not yet worthy of being called a demigod,” Merciless said. “Your power only seems to surface under certain conditions; it isn’t something you can maintain constantly.”
It was no surprise that the lover of Wonder Woman from another world understood her so well. He knew exactly what level of strength qualified someone as a demigod.
“Who are you?”
Diana demanded again. The brief exchange earlier had allowed her to sense a divine aura emanating from Merciless.
Another Olympian god?
But why had she never heard of him before?
Merciless chuckled softly, then removed his helmet, revealing a face riddled with scars.
Diana’s eyes widened, her pupils contracting.
She looked at Merciless, then at Bruce, her expression filled with disbelief.
After a moment of frantic thought, the ever-perceptive Diana came to a startling conclusion.
“He’s your father?!”
She turned to Bruce in shock. “Otherwise, how do you explain how alike you two look?”
“My father is dead,” Bruce replied flatly.
“But…”
Diana found it hard to believe. She was projecting her own experience onto him.
She had once believed she had no father, only to later discover that Zeus was her father, though they had never truly acknowledged each other.
Maybe Bruce was in a similar situation—believing his father was dead when, in reality, he was alive and had now come looking for him.
“Stop overthinking, Diana.”
Bruce’s voice was steady but firm. “This man isn’t as simple as you think. He’s Merciless!”
Diana had heard the name before. Ares had mentioned him while discussing the Descendants from various lands.
However, since Ares hadn’t gone into detail, Diana’s understanding of Merciless was limited to just his name.
Now, she was learning much more.
“Merciless is your father?”
Diana’s disbelief grew. “How could you not have told me something so important sooner?”
“I…”
Bruce felt helpless. Diana seemed so lost in her own world of conclusions that no explanation would get through to her.
Even Merciless found her peculiar train of thought amusing.
“Perhaps I should introduce myself,” he said, surprisingly patient when addressing Diana.
However, this patience and composure weren’t rooted in any kind of affection. On the contrary, Merciless was the epitome of a sigma male. He had loved Wonder Woman, but the moment their paths diverged, he had turned on her faster than anyone else.
Now, despite having killed Wonder Woman with his own hands, he still couldn’t help but reminisce about her whenever he had the chance—as if there was nothing wrong with that.
“I come from another world,” Merciless began. “In that world, you and I were lovers.”
Diana froze.
“Wait—”
She raised her hand to stop him from continuing, her mind already spiraling into a chaotic mess.
“Lovers from a parallel world…”
She murmured, piecing things together.
“If Merciless is Bruce’s father, then that would mean… Bruce is my son?!”
Diana’s worldview was crumbling.
She couldn’t accept such a reality. Was everything predestined? Was the unique emotion she felt toward Bruce… motherly love?
“Merciless is not my father!”
Bruce finally snapped. Wasn’t Diana supposed to be intelligent? How could she go off on such a bizarre tangent?
Starting from a ridiculous premise would inevitably lead to even more absurd conclusions.
“Merciless is me—from another world!”
Diana finally understood. For some reason, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
But then, an even stranger thought crossed her mind.
“So, in another world, Bruce and I are lovers?”
Diana glanced at the young Bruce, her expression now one of admiration.
How bold of another version of me to actually go for it with someone this young.
Still, she could understand it.
After all, Diana had thought before: Give him a few years. Once he grows up, everything will fall into place.
“Is us being lovers unique to that world, or does it happen in every world?”
Diana pondered silently.
Bruce, however, quickly brought her back to the present. “Stop overthinking things. The situation is dangerous right now!”
Merciless wasn’t here for a casual conversation.
Whatever he intended, it would undoubtedly be more terrifying than they could imagine.
“Exactly,” Merciless said with a smile, responding to Bruce’s comment about the danger.
As expected of another version of me, he thought. Bruce understood all too well what he was planning.
Diana, realizing her earlier lapse in focus, tightened her grip on Hephaestus’ sword and shifted into a battle-ready stance.
“State your purpose, Merciless!”
She barked, her tone laced with Amazonian authority.
“My purpose?”
Merciless pretended to ponder the question for a moment.
“I don’t have any grand plans,” he said casually.
“I’m simply here to kill you.”
—
This is a fan translation of 蝙蝠侠的猫头鹰教父 by 巴巴罗萨光年. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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