Chapter 80· Chapter 80

All the sounds rushed into Messiah's ears. He covered his temples in pain, and a golden light suddenly shone in his golden eyes.

Batman's expression changed drastically: "Messiah!"

The Messiah didn't want to hear or see.

As long as he brainwashes everyone, then these voices that upset him will disappear, Bruce and Dick will stay by his side forever like Jason and Damian, and he can bring Alfred to the Garden of Eden as well.

As long as he brainwashes everyone, everything will return to normal.

He... they could still be together forever, he wouldn't lose it again, nor would he object anymore.

As long as he takes action immediately, now!

The gold in Messiah's eyes became brighter and brighter, almost to the point of being blinding. The code in the sky also began to operate rapidly, and the golden lines that penetrated everyone's sunrays also emitted a faint light.

Everything is ready. The Messiah only needs to think about it to brainwash everyone immediately.

However, Messiah's actions stopped. He should have acted immediately, but an inexplicable emotion spread in his heart, preventing him from making a decision.

Why? Why hesitate? Why hesitate?

So what if you treat humans as pets? This is a world destined to be destroyed. If you didn't exist, this world would have been destroyed long ago. Even if you are treated as a pet, at least humans are still alive, and the world still exists.

But why don't you do it?

At this moment, Messiah's ears were surrounded by sounds that disgusted and annoyed him to the extreme, but he could make them disappear with just a flick of his finger.

You have even destroyed the world, you are just brainwashing everyone, why do you stop, why don't you take action?

Messiah questioned himself, questioned the emotion that made him stop inexplicably, questioned the unknown feeling that blocked his steps.

Didn't you say you wouldn't hold back on this world? Why didn't you do it?

Why!

What was affecting him? Was someone using magic on him? Or was someone deliberately manipulating his mind?

Messiah tried to find some external factor, but found nothing.

From the moment he reunited with Batman, all of Messiah's actions were completely controlled by his emotions. He was no longer the cold and arrogant white tyrant, but instead like a helpless child.

A fifteen-year-old kid who truly lives up to his appearance.

Batman looked at the Messiah who was covering his head in confusion and struggling. Now was an important moment for the resistance to overthrow the Messiah's rule. He should lead the resistance to seize the opportunity to control the Messiah.

But now, the strongest thought flowing in Batman's mind was to hug the Messiah.

Too irrational, too emotional, and... too un-Bat.

A voice in Batman's mind argued that "The Messiah is too uncontrollable, and we cannot confirm the Messiah's next move. This is to avoid angering the Messiah", but Batman suppressed it with his willpower.

Jason stared blankly at the golden code in the sky, his eyes moving back and forth between Messiah and the code.

"K-Mi...?"

Jason suddenly held Messiah's hand and said stumblingly, "Don't cry, it doesn't hurt."

Nightwing tightened his grip on the Kari Staff.

Batman stared at them silently, the dark bat mask obscuring his expression and trapping all his emotions.

The rebels surrounding Messiah looked at Messiah and the bats in confusion as they suddenly stopped, unable to comprehend the current situation.

Weren't they here to stop the Messiah? Why did they suddenly stop?

The rebels looked at Messiah's face which showed an expression of pain. They did not understand why Messiah was in pain, but they also knew that this was Messiah's weakest moment and they should take advantage of his unpreparedness to defeat Messiah immediately.

Although more rebels are still waiting for Batman's orders, some can't wait any longer.

In the silent atmosphere, the sudden sound of gunfire seemed particularly harsh.

"Bang——"

Batman and Nightwing's expressions changed instantly. The chaotic thoughts in Messiah's mind cleared up and his eyes were as cold as solid ice.

The Messiah did not hide, and the bullets could not hurt him.

The sudden attack by the rebels made Messiah forget all his confusion and pain. He looked at the rebels coldly, golden energy already surging out of his palms.

However, the crisp sound of the bullet hitting the sword interrupted Messiah's next move.

Jason's expression became serious and he moved quickly. His body instinctively made him draw the long sword he had prepared for sparring with Damian and chop at the bullet. The huge force prevented the bullet from moving any further.

The bullet hit the blade of the long sword, and the huge force cracked the palm of Jason's sword-holding hand. The bright red blood dripped down the back of his hand and then dripped onto the ground.

After blocking the bullet, Jason put away his sword and returned to his quiet and silent puppet state.

As always, the insane Jason protected his brother as he promised, even though the attacks could not harm Messiah.

Messiah lowered his head slowly. The blood flowing from Jason's palm seemed particularly glaring at this moment. He gently lifted Jason's injured hand with a gentle and indifferent expression.

Two completely opposite emotions appeared on his face at the same time, which looked particularly strange.

Batman perked up his mind. He was sure that the Messiah had been enraged, and all his previous attempts to persuade the Messiah to wake up were in vain.

"Does it hurt?" A piece of gauze appeared out of thin air in Messiah's hand, and he gently wrapped it around Jason's wound.

Jason stood there blankly with no reaction, as if his previous performance was just an illusion of the Messiah.

Messiah gently bandaged Jason's wound, and when he looked up again, his expression had become cold to the point of being terrifying.

"I want you dead."

A huge golden hand suddenly appeared among the rebels and forcibly lifted the neck of the rebel who fired the gun. Messiah's right hand, which was raised slightly, was about to close.

Batman and Nightwing rushed up quickly, but faster than them was Jason who was closer to Messiah.

Jason grasped Messiah's raised right hand and pressed it down firmly: "No."

Messiah suddenly stopped and looked at Jason in surprise. Today, Jason did many things that he could not do before, from stopping him from killing Zatanna, to mediating the fight between him and Bruce, and now stopping him from killing again.

He almost thought Jason had regained consciousness, but those dull blue eyes told him it was just an illusion.

Jason held Messiah in his hand, shook his head firmly, and repeated, "No."

The light of surprise in Messiah's eyes gradually faded, and his expression returned to indifference, but he stopped as Jason said.

Batman stopped throwing the batarang. He looked at the golden hand that disappeared in the air, and suddenly froze in place as if he had been hit by a thunderbolt.

At this moment, Batman realized his mistake.

——The Messiah never changes.

The Messiah is still the same Messiah as before, he will be moved by emotions and family, and love will stop him from taking action.

Batman looked at his strange yet familiar child. The Messiah's tender face had turned into that of a teenager, but there was still some childishness and baby fat on it.

After shedding his prejudice against the white tyrant, the Messiah was just a child under fifteen years old.

Batman looked at Messiah's face and suddenly remembered the judgment he made about Messiah when he first met him.

"The Messiah's body may be indestructible, but his heart can be broken by love."

Batman suddenly remembered that the Messiah first ruled the world after Jason's death and after witnessing him being injured during the Arkham riot, and decided to judge all the criminals in the world.

The Messiah rules the world to protect and not lose, and he remembered what the Messiah said to him - "I don't want to lose again."

Batman clenched his fists. He forgot that the Messiah ruled the world in order to protect them, and that the Messiah's starting point was not control and dictatorship, but "love."

He was wrong, always wrong.

Batman suddenly moved, stepping closer under the Messiah's cold gaze.

He put down the batarang and took off Batman's mask, revealing the face of Bruce Wayne.

Messiah's indifferent expression gradually shattered and was replaced by astonishment.

At this tense moment, Batman was distracted. He was thinking about the last time he took off his mask in front of the Messiah. It seemed that it was when the Messiah was not yet ready to rule the world and they had not yet broken up.

Later, he faced the Messiah as Batman, rather than as his father, Bruce Wayne.

Perhaps if he had not taken off his mask in front of the Justice League and begged them to stop the Messiah, but instead taken off his mask when the Messiah was going down the wrong path and comforted and guided the Messiah as a father, things might have turned out differently.

Bruce Wayne looked at his child and whispered his child's name: "Messiah, look at me."

Time has left traces on Bruce's temples and forehead. White hair has appeared on his temples, and a vertical wrinkle has appeared between his eyebrows due to years of frowning. His face looks haggard and tired.

Messiah, who remained unmoved despite being surrounded by thousands of rebels, suddenly took a step back.

Messiah looked at Bruce's weathered face and realized more than ever the impact of his career as a rebel on Bruce and the impact of his world rule on Bruce.

"Messiah, can we go home?"

Bruce's blue eyes looked at Messiah tenderly. "I know you only want to protect everyone, but you are too impatient and too quick to act. That's why you resort to ruling to change the world in a way that you believe will hurt others."

Messiah took another step back, his bright golden eyes meeting Bruce's gentle gaze. He pursed his lips, finally controlling the urge to flee.

Even after all these years, when faced with Bruce's gentle offensive, Messiah would be so helpless that he would want to run away.

Bruce's eyes were filled with smiles, but his heart was filled with the opposite sadness.

Realizing that the Messiah has never changed is a good thing for Bruce now, but it also makes him realize the existence of tragedy.

"It's my fault for not teaching you the right way to change the world." Bruce expressed his true thoughts, "But it's not too late to stop now."

From the beginning, Bruce felt that it was his fault that Messiah went down the wrong path, but he just kept his mouth shut and never told Messiah what he was thinking.

Bruce extended his hand to Messiah. "Messiah, come home with me, Jason, okay? Together we can learn how to protect this world without forcing it, and then change it."

Messiah's eyes moved from Bruce's haggard and tired face to Bruce's outstretched hand.

The rebels held their breath. Is there really a way to defeat the white tyrant without sacrifice?

Messiah looked at Bruce's outstretched hand, many complicated and confusing thoughts flashed through his mind, and a strange feeling enveloped his heart.

He remained silent and motionless for a long time.

Suddenly, the rebels on the periphery shouted, "Hey! Who are you? You can't get close here!"

"We want to see the Messiah!!"

The sound of hurried and messy footsteps was heard, but Messiah did not pay attention to the outside world. His attention was focused on Bruce's outstretched hand.

The wrong way of treating humans like pets, the hostility of the resistance army, the disgust of the people, the resistance of the Justice League...

And Bruce's outstretched hand.

A mess of thoughts flashed in Messiah's mind and disappeared, and Messiah didn't know what he was thinking.

He just stared at Bruce's outstretched hand for a long time. He did not extinguish the code that was lit in the sky, but he also did not let the golden thread extending from the code take the next step.

But he didn't shake Bruce's hand either.

【Author’s words】

Some call back

I originally thought that this chapter would end this world, but it turned out that I missed the mark, so it’s time for the next chapter [spreading hands]

I hate finals week. My favorite artist doesn't accept orders during finals week, so I still don't have a cover for the third week. It feels like the third week will have to use the cover of the second week for a long time [burst into tears] But I may only be able to write the third week for a month at most.

Hatred [burst into tears]