Metropolis Lostbelt (Part 3): Batman's Execution Countdown...

Fujimaru Ritsuka waved her hand forcefully. A young man with a slightly pale face but good spirits walked over, a tuft of white hair on his forehead making him look particularly unruly.

"Long time no see." Jason patted Ritsuka on the shoulder, his bright eyes filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

"By the way, where are your servants, and Mr. Holmes?" He looked around, hoping to find the detective whose eyes were full of wisdom.

Suddenly, before Ritsuka could speak, he paused, sniffed, and looked up suspiciously... The scent of flowers? How could there be a scent of flowers in the sea?

With one hand, he pulled Fujimaru Ritsuka and Jason apart, then casually drew her into his arms. "Oh dear, Ritsuka, aren't you going to introduce me, your big brother, to them?"

"I'm so sad." The elegant young man gently lifted Ritsuka's hair and stroked it, speaking in a flirtatious voice with feigned grievance.

Those clear, purple eyes were smiling at Jason, but Jason instinctively became highly alert, gripping his weapon tightly. This man… something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but something just felt off.

"Sigh, Merlin." Fujimaru Ritsuka habitually and helplessly slapped Merlin's hand away from her hair. "As our trump card, I still hope you can hide it for a little longer."

"Hmm... but I couldn't help but chime in when I saw Ritsuka chatting happily with others," Merlin said innocently, looking quite pitiful. If Ritsuka hadn't come to Chaldea, he would definitely have been fooled by him.

But she wasn't buying it now. She broke free from Merlin's embrace, pushed him forward, and introduced him to the wary and suspicious Jason: "This is my servant who is traveling with me this time, the Flower Magician Merlin... Yes, the Merlin you're imagining."

Jason stared in disbelief: "..."

This flamboyant, unconventional, and somewhat incongruous person is the legendary court magician of King Arthur.

This doesn't make sense, does it?

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded heavily. "Although he seems unreliable, and in some ways quite despicable, I could actually entrust my life to him."

The seemingly casual words revealed an incredible truth.

Jason watched as Merlin instantly revived, fawning over Ritsuka like a vixen. He lingered on her for a complicated moment before looking away.

What to do? I miss Mr. Holmes even more now.

“Mr. Holmes is on the Chaldea main ship; we're kind of the advance team,” Fujimaru Ritsuka explained. “But Jason, what are you doing here? Is this world…?”

"No, to be precise, this is a parallel world, and I was probably dragged into it innocently."

Let's rewind to a few days ago.

For Bruce Wayne, it was just another ordinary day in his life of spending money.

He expertly signed a large check for the Justice League's battle losses, casually toying with his pen as if he hadn't just signed a check for nearly a hundred million dollars.

When a well-built female reporter raised her microphone high, attempting to reach the playboy over the towering security detail to ask for his opinion on the Justice League.

“Oh, miss,” Bruce Wayne said, raising his head slightly, his tone sweet and flippant, his blue eyes, which seemed to gaze affectionately at a dog, fixed on the reporter.

"If you've ever experienced the sense of security that the Justice League provides, you'll understand that this amount of money is insignificant."

That's a joke.

"Superman!" Batman exclaimed, exasperated.

Inside the Watchtower, during a regular Justice League meeting, Batman pulled his cape tighter and slowly walked up to Superman. In a voice deeper and hoarser than usual, he spoke, word by word:

"I've told you countless times, watch your surroundings and lure the enemy to less populated areas. Much of this loss could have been avoided!"

Wonder Woman coughed, deliberately ignoring her old friend's pleading gaze. Green Lantern and Flash huddled in a corner, whispering amongst themselves. Cyborg, focused on his computer, remained oblivious to the world around him.

Aquaman, on the other hand, seemed to think, "Better to sacrifice my friend than myself," glancing around intently at the view from the watchtower.

Yes, it looks really good.

So, Superman, facing Batman directly, looked even more hunched over. He tried to observe Batman's expression out of the corner of his eye... not a pleasant sight.

“Um, B, I think I can explain.”

"snort?"

"Um, that..."

With a bang, the conference room door was suddenly pulled open, and two young men, both dressed in tight-fitting clothes and wearing masks, strode in one after the other.

"Oh, I told you Red Hood, B is definitely here." The young man who came in first shrugged, his tone relaxed and casual.

"Heh, damn God, Nightwing, don't get too cocky!" The man who came later clicked his tongue, his eyes filled with resentment.

Justice League: "...?"

The men who had picked up their weapons silently put them down again.

Aren't these B's two kids? What are they doing at the watchtower all of a sudden? How did they get in? Oh, that's not the point. Why are they here? Has something happened in Gotham?!

But what else could happen in Gotham now?

Since a year ago, when someone in Gotham made a request to an alien civilization to eliminate human atrocities, the Trisolaran act, though stopped in time, has had consequences that are hard to define as good or bad.

People died, but they were all heinous criminals.

After that day, when the rest of the Justice League arrived in Gotham and saw Arkham almost completely destroyed and Jason alive again, their expressions were priceless.

But the truth behind it all—the story of the Singularity, Chaldea, and the Chaldea Master, Fujimaru Ritsuka—is only remembered by a handful of those who experienced it firsthand after the Singularity was repaired.

Thanks to them, Gotham was quiet for quite a while, as if everyone was afraid that a second madman would attract aliens.

Although everyone knows that as long as Gotham remains the cannibalistic Gotham, and America remains the inhuman America, then sooner or later there will be a second Joker, and countless other villains.

But at least for now, the bat family can take a short break, resolve their minor squabbles each night, and ease the tension in their family relationships.

Jason also occasionally goes to the place where he first met Holmes and Fujimaru Ritsuka, as if he is expecting a surprise someday, or perhaps he is just reminiscing about a memory.

Batman has also shifted his focus to the Justice League, spending more time outdoors.

So what could possibly happen in Gotham that would send two Bat-family kids straight to the Watchtower?

Clearly, while everyone else was baffled, Batman had also considered these things, perhaps even more profoundly than the others. "Nightwing, Red Hood," he said calmly and seriously, "report the situation!"

The previously relaxed meeting suddenly became tense. Batman stopped worrying about battle damage compensation, Superman stopped slumping, and the others no longer had to pretend they couldn't see Superman.

All eyes were immediately drawn to Nightwing and Red Hood.

But accidents always happen at this time.

Before the two could even begin to explain, a sudden burst of eerie blue lightning struck, instantly engulfing everyone present, including the Flash.

The light distorted for a second and then vanished abruptly as if interrupted.

Superman looked at the half-empty watchtower and the remaining superheroes, and took a deep breath.

It can be passed on to anyone, just don't pass it on to B!

Back to the present, Jason finished recounting his experiences: "Nightwing and I were handed over directly to Gotham. The Rebel Alliance found us and sent us to Atlantis without saying a word."

He gritted his teeth, unwilling to accept that he wasn't even considered a fighting force in the eyes of the resistance.

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked around and found only Jason as a familiar face. As if sensing what she was looking for, Jason added, "Nightwing can't stay idle, he went to the ground to help the resistance."

"There are others whose whereabouts are unknown, but Wonder Woman later sought out Atlantis."

Speak of the devil, and he appears! Leonardo da Vinci and Wonder Woman walk over side by side, seemingly having just enjoyed their conversation. "Ritsuka! This is Wonder Woman, daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta, the Amazonian queen."

"Hello, Master of Chaldea. I've heard Debit mention you before." Wonder Woman looked pleased and winked at Ritsuka. "Red Hood also speaks highly of you."

"I have to say that after meeting him in person, those praises weren't an exaggeration."

“Hey!” Jason shouted through gritted teeth.

"Nice to meet you, Wonder Woman. I look forward to working with you from now on!" After Fujimaru Ritsuka subconsciously greeted her, she replayed Leonardo da Vinci's explanation in her mind. Wait a minute, Zeus and Hippolyta?

Greek mythology...the Age of Gods?!

“Yes, the gods of this world haven’t completely faded away.” Leonardo da Vinci blinked, his eyes gleaming with intense curiosity. “Although they are largely the same, the details are quite different from our world. It’s really interesting.”

"Oh dear, but that king certainly wouldn't be happy to see a world like this."

"That Lostbelt King—could it still be Zeus?" Fujimaru Ritsuka closed her eyes and then opened them again, hoping it was all an illusion.

“No, that’s not it.” Debit, who had just finished exchanging information with Aquaman, walked over. “The king here is named Karl El, and he comes from another planet. The Imaginary Tree that your Chaldea is going to cut down is in his ‘palace’.”

Seemingly sensing Fujimaru Ritsuka's growing interest, Debit emphasized that he did not recommend going to Chaldea now.

It's not that we think they're weak, but it's best to investigate the enemy before going to war and be prepared. After all, it's really strange that Wodim is here.

Chaldea has already fought against Vordeum and knows him well enough, so the best way to understand Karl El is through his former comrades.

—The Justice League he was in when he was still Superman.

“And I just received news,” Wonder Woman continued, “that Batman, both ours and this world’s, will be executed in Gotham in three days.”

"If your enemy is also Kal-El, I hope you can help us rescue Batman. He is the person who knows the past Superman and the present Kal-El the most in the world."