"Those who dared to resist were killed," Harvey Dent corrected him. "The others who didn't resist were gathered by this world's Batman to form the Fear League, spreading fear across the world. The more fear there is, the faster this world descends into darkness, and the stronger they become. Firefly and Killer Croc's transformations are a result of this."
Barry fell silent. He hoped to save this world and didn't want his own world to end up like this.
"Let's keep going and find Batman." Qingshui watched Killer Croc walk away, his footsteps echoing in the distance, and took charge.
"He's in Arkham, and Robin and my other self are there too."
The three of them moved again. In Qingshui's and his companions' world, Arkham was on an island outside Gotham Harbor, but here, Arkham Asylum was unexpectedly located in the city center.
The closer they got to the city center, the more frequently Qingshui looked down at the ground.
"What's wrong?" Barry asked.
"The ground... it feels like it's throbbing, like a heartbeat."
The main gate of Arkham Asylum had been blown open, leaving a gaping hole. Harvey Dent walked up to it and picked up two Batarangs. The two Batarangs were basically identical in design, but one was matte black, while the other was rusty, antique bronze.
Qingshui led Barry through the opening, looking at the familiar yet strange surroundings. It felt like coming home.
The tremor beneath their feet became more pronounced, and suddenly, there was a loud bang. Two-Face froze for a moment.
"We need to speed up."
The three of them quickly moved past cell after cell. Inside, many villains like Poison Ivy, Joker, and Bane had died in their cells. Many of the bodies had already decomposed, even turning into skeletons, their identities only discernible by their clothing.
On the lowest level of Arkham Asylum, where the most dangerous criminals should have been held, it had been transformed into a massive square, or rather, an altar.
Batman was using a grappling gun with one hand, dodging and weaving through countless thick, black tentacles. Many of the tentacles opened their grotesque mouths, tearing at him frantically, some even spraying venom and dark lasers. If not for the Promethium Alloy coating on his suit, which gave him incredibly strong defense, and his other preparations being complete, he might have truly been in trouble.
But for now, his objective hadn't been achieved.
In the distance, a door identical to the one Qingshui and his companions had come through lay silently on the ground, in the very center of the altar. Upon closer inspection, the altar was shaped like a bat. Slightly different tentacles extended from the door, reaching into the void and the earth, constantly rising and falling, like a maw continuously drawing sustenance from this world.
Cthulhu Batman stood above that door, a tentacle connected to the back of his neck, and tentacles also protruded from various parts of his armor. These tentacles were the main force fighting Bruce Wayne. As for Jason and Jevonni, they were also connected by a tentacle at the back of their necks, hanging unconscious in mid-air. Cthulhu Batman intended to transform them into his Robins.
Outside the doorway in the dome above, Qingshui and his two companions also saw this world's Harvey Dent and Ventriloquist. Ventriloquist was tied to the wall, his mouth gagged. The dummy Scarface on the ground had only half a head left, its two eyeballs constantly darting around, but without a mouth, it couldn't speak. This Two-Face had the lower half of his face disfigured, looking far more unsettling than the one accompanying Qingshui.
"You finally made it, brother," the alternate Harvey said to his counterpart.
"Where's Batman?"
"Two Batmen are fighting down there, but yours is weaker. Once his suit runs out of power, he'll end up just like those two Robins." The alternate Harvey pulled open the door, gesturing to the battle unfolding below. "I can't interfere in a battle of this caliber, especially since I have this."
The alternate Harvey pointed to a faintly visible black tentacle on the back of his neck. The tentacle seemed to extend from the void, almost imperceptible.
"The closer you get to this place, the more visible it becomes. That dark entity has almost completely devoured this world. All the fear and other negative emotions generated by every person are collected by it and turned into nourishment. As its chosen agent, Batman has the ability to control some of the power it collects in this world. If I went down there, I might be immediately controlled and become just like him, completely corrupted by the darkness. In fact, the entire world is almost there, but individuals like me with dual personalities can alternate in enduring the corruption of darkness."
At this, the alternate Harvey sighed again, looking at Qingshui and Barry.
"Unfortunately, I'm also reaching my limit... If possible, I hope you can free Bruce. He shouldn't be like this. But first, you'll need to retrieve something from him – a Batarang made of an unknown metal."
"You two were close?" Harvey Dent asked his counterpart.
"Before he died in that alley, he and I were the best of friends when we were young. And before Old Thomas sacrificed his life for Bruce's, it was I, as Gotham's district attorney, who helped Old Thomas eradicate those criminals... Yes, before I became Two-Face, I was Old Thomas's Robin."
This time, it was Harvey Dent's turn to fall silent.
His counterpart from another world actually became Batman's Robin?
Even if it was an old Batman.
"Who's Bruce? It can't be that rich guy... He's Batman!" Barry whispered into Qingshui's ear, eyes wide, as if he'd discovered some earth-shattering secret.
"Ah, yes, everyone thinks this not-so-secret secret is a big secret, but it really is a secret. To avoid offending that petty bat, you'd best not leak it." Qingshui said to Barry, almost in a tongue-twister.
"Got it!" Barry nodded excitedly.
His identity as The Flash was also outwardly separate from Barry Allen's.
"Batman's about to collapse," Harvey Dent suddenly said.
In the square, Batman finally had nowhere left to hide. He was about to be caught by a group of tentacles and could only rely on his agile movements to stall for as much time as possible.
Qingshui and Barry exchanged a knowing glance.
The lightning, representing the Speed Force, quickly spread over both of them.
*Swish!*
The air exploded with a deafening roar, and the two vanished in the blink of an eye before the two Harveys.
At the same time, Batman was doing a clumsy roll, trying to dodge an oncoming dark tentacle.
The next instant, a red streak of lightning flashed past
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