Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [48]

At Kathoom’s words, Jason’s gaze sharpened immediately.

“Dionesium?”

His voice grew hard. “So all that stuff you just told me—you were lying, weren’t you? You only wanted the Dionesium.”

Even Bruce felt a pang of worry.

“Kathoom, you might have been a little too blunt.”

But Kathoom remained unruffled, looking at Jason with a hint of exasperation.

“Fool!”

With that, he raised his right hand.

“Engorgio!”

This time he spoke the spell aloud, and his right arm swelled instantly to the size of a giant’s.

Jason stared, dumbfounded, his entire form cast in the shadow of Kathoom’s massive fist.

“Do you see this?” Kathoom shook his colossal arm, making the ground tremble. “I could have used this to against you.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “But I didn’t. Do you know why?”

Jason shook his head, speechless.

“Because I never saw you as an enemy.”

Kathoom silently cast a spell, shrinking his arm back to normal size. “Jason, you’re family. And family doesn’t resort to such extremes.”

Family…

The word made Jason’s head spin.

Every word from Kathoom today had been like a punch, hitting the most vulnerable parts of his heart.

He wasn’t some stray, hated orphan. He had family.

Having Batman recognize him as family—it made the Dionesium in his hand seem trivial.

At last, he handed over the vial to Kathoom, who took it without hesitation, tucking it away.

Jason’s gesture of surrender showed his heart had finally found some peace.

Just then, a dark glow enveloped Jason, and he instantly understood what was happening.

“So, my time’s up.”

Jason’s voice was bittersweet. “My contract with Barbatos was to bring you back. Now that I’ve abandoned that mission, the contract is void, and I have to return to my world.”

Kathoom noticed Jason watching him with a lingering expression, as though he had something more to say.

Sigh…

Understanding, Kathoom leaned down and embraced Jason, patting him on the back.

“There’s nothing left to regret. Go back to your world and start fresh. Don’t let the past hold you down.”

When he released him, Jason was finally smiling—a grin that showed two missing teeth.

Kathoom added with a smirk, “And get those teeth fixed when you get back. Send the bill to Wayne Enterprises.”

“Thank you, Bruce.”

Jason’s smile faded as he remembered one last request. “I made a friend here, a man named Lupin. I told him I’d help him change his life, but it looks like I can’t fulfill that promise now.”

He hesitated, then added, “Bruce, will you look after him?”

“Of course,” Kathoom replied without hesitation. “I, Bruce Wayne, give you my word.”

Jason let out a sigh of relief, his voice softening as he prepared to leave his past behind.

“Today was the best day of my life.”

With that, Jason’s body shimmered and vanished from the world in a stream of light.

“That’s one problem taken care of.”

Kathoom stood, walking over to retrieve the red metal helmet Jason had left behind.

“We don’t have much time. We’ll need to hurry, or we’ll be too late.”

“Too late for what?”

Bruce had been silent, seeing so much of himself in Jason. But Kathoom’s words jolted him back to reality.

Could something even worse be about to happen?

“Nothing major,” Kathoom said offhandedly. “Only that if we don’t move quickly, Quirrell might end up dead.”

—

As Kathoom exited the castle, a scene of chaos met his eyes.

In the Great Lake, the basilisk and giant squid were locked in a deadly embrace, stirring waves as high as the castle walls.

Dragons swirled overhead, spewing fire that targeted a massive, spectral badger—only for the flames to be dispelled each time.

On the bridge, massive golems created through alchemy clashed against each other, making the stone structure shudder, on the verge of collapse.

Thanks to the regenerative power of the Dionesium, the three founders were almost unkillable.

Hogwarts itself was on the brink of destruction.

As for Quirrell?

Dumbledore had already bound him tightly with golden ropes, his eyes closed, his condition unknown.

Quirrell’s bald head gleamed in the sunlight, and it was clear that Voldemort had quietly slipped away.

“Looks like we missed it.”

Kathoom sounded disappointed as he spoke to Bruce. “Quirrell’s already dealt with. I’d hoped to help you settle the score with him and give him a taste of justice.”

“Oh well, we can save that for Voldemort next time. Now let’s end this chaos.”

With a leap, he landed atop the castle’s main gate.

“Silence!”

His voice boomed, amplified a thousand times, covering all of Hogwarts. Every head turned toward the dark figure perched above.

Nobody recognized him; nobody knew who he was.

Batman raised the red helmet high in one hand, his cape billowing like a flag.

The sight of the helmet stilled the crowd.

Could Jason be dead?

The thought spread among them all, even more intriguing than the mystery of Batman’s identity.

If Jason truly were dead, the ramifications would be monumental.

With the founders resurrected through the Soul-Binding Ritual, they’d been bound to Jason’s service. If he were gone, they’d be freed.

Salazar’s ghostly flames flickered as he searched for Jason’s presence—and found nothing.

“Useless idiot, gone just like that?”

After a few muttered curses, Salazar’s mood shifted. Jason’s death was a blessing for him.

He made his decision instantly: “Godric, looks like you’ve lucked out today. We’ll continue our fight another time!”

Freed from his bond, Salazar’s priority was to regain his full strength.

Gryffindor’s eyes narrowed as he realized Salazar intended to flee.

He tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Salazar vanished from the basilisk’s head, laughing, and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff followed suit.

As the three founders disappeared, the alchemical giants crumbled into dust, and the badger apparition dissolved in place.

“We can’t let them escape!”

Dumbledore understood the severity of the situation immediately.

If the founders were allowed to slip away now, it would lead to untold disaster.

Gryffindor’s face darkened, and he apparated, vanishing in pursuit.

In the end, it was Salazar who escaped, defiant and triumphant, while Gryffindor was left to give chase in vain.

Bruce’s anxiety flared. “Kathoom, you’re just going to let them go?”

“What else can I do? If we keep fighting, Hogwarts will be lost.”

Kathoom replied, “With the Dionesium still in their bodies, the best option is a truce until we find a solution.”

Bruce struggled to understand. “But if we can’t handle them now, won’t it only get harder later?”

Kathoom’s voice held a hint of mystery as he replied, “Then we may have to leave it to Death himself.”

—

T/N: If you guys aren’t happy with how ‘Batman’ speaks then I get it, however this isn’t THE Batman this is Kathoom masquerading as batman so its only natural there’s problems with it. (I’ll also make it so that in the future the dialogue for ‘Batman’ is better…maybe)