Chapter 70: Not Acquainted
In the pitch-black room, Kara and Raven faced each other in complete silence.
Three minutes ago, Chris said he wanted to go to the bathroom. His Henchman number one immediately stood up and said he had to go too. Henchman number two initially said he didn't want to go, but after a glare from Chris, he quickly jumped up, saying he just remembered he also needed to go.
And so, the three boys left with their arms slung over each other's shoulders.
Kara realized she had to find a way to break the silence, because Raven definitely didn't look like she would.
"By the way, I just noticed your hair is really pretty," Kara said, trying to find a topic of conversation.
"Thank you," Raven said.
"I've noticed you don't usually talk to people much."
"Mm."
Kara: "..."
She realized this wasn't working. She had to ask questions, otherwise, she would be talking to herself forever.
"By the way, is your family here?" Kara asked. "Are you a Gotham native?"
"I don't have a family." Raven shook her head. "They're all dead."
"Huh? So you're an orphan? What a coincidence, me too."
The next second, however, she realized that might not have been the most appropriate thing to say.
"Oh, I don't mean that it's a good thing, I was just happy to find we have something in common—no, I'm not happy about it. I mean, I'm sorry, but I think I can understand you. I mean... it's not a misery contest, but my family died in an accident, and at the very end, they gave me the only chance to survive..."
Raven remained expressionless.
"My father tricked my mother into giving birth to me, then killed her, and now he wants to use me. That's why I'm hiding from him everywhere."
Kara: "?"
She held back for a good while before saying, "Well, it sounds like you should probably call the police."
Raven shook her head. "You don't understand. My situation is special. No one can help me. Only..."
As the two girls were talking, they suddenly heard a blood-curdling scream from the next room.
Startled, the two of them burst out the door and immediately rushed into the room next door.
There, they saw the three boys who were supposed to have gone to the bathroom. Two of them were paralyzed with terror on the floor—one still half-dressed in a strange outfit. Meanwhile, Chris was being held by an evil fiend, lifted like a helpless chick, his face pale with suffering, as if his neck could be snapped at any moment.
There really are monsters!
Kara's first instinct was to rush forward and save them, but she didn't manage to get the kill.
Because the moment they burst through the door, Raven had already made her move.
A purplish-black orb of dark energy, like a kind of flame yet also like a sphere of churning gas, shot out from Raven's palm. The unsuspecting evil fiend was struck, sent spinning and tumbling away.
Raven was relentless. With a small lift of her hand, the evil fiend was instantly enveloped by magical energy and hoisted into the air. Then, following her hand gestures, it was repeatedly and violently slammed into the floor—boom, boom, boom—and beaten into a daze, until the wall and ceiling collapsed, burying it completely beneath the rubble.
The onlookers were all stunned into silence.
Especially Henchman number one, who was still half-stuck in the one-piece outfit. He trembled all over when he met Raven's placid, ripple-less gaze and frantically pulled himself free of the outfit, stammering, "Th-th-this is just a costume! Big Bro told me to wear it! I'm not with that thing..."
Kara looked at Raven, shocked and uncertain. "Raven, you're..."
"My brother is behind this," Raven said calmly. "I've long suspected he was connected to the recent disappearances in Gotham. I've been tracking his scent, which is why I came here today... But don't worry, you won't have any nightmares. You'll wake up in your own homes tomorrow morning and won't remember anything about tonight..."
Before she could finish, a loud bang erupted. The pile of rubble was blasted apart, and countless fragments scattered in all directions, carried by the shockwave. The figure of the evil fiend burst out from under the rubble, letting out a soft, cold snort.
"To think there's a little Wizard here... Interesting," the evil fiend snorted. "Then let's see how you deal with these."
From the surrounding darkness, phantom-like shadows rose one after another, encircling them.
They had twisted, grotesque bodies and a chilling aura. Their skin was a burnt crimson, their eyes were deep and bottomless, and their faces were covered in vicious scars and pits. When they opened their mouths, they revealed rows of sharp tusks, as if in a mocking sneer.
The three boys were already scared out of their wits, huddled together in a corner and trembling like sieves. Kara also clenched her fists nervously and turned to ask Raven, "And what are these now?"
"Evil spirits. Demonic creatures from another world."
Raven glanced around; the number of evil spirits was considerable. They had clearly come prepared, surrounding the group completely and blocking all escape routes.
"I've never tasted a Wizard's blood before." The evil fiend's face lit up with excitement. "Seize them for me..."
But it didn't even get to finish speaking.
The derelict wall collapsed with a roar as a blinding blue light burst in from outside, like a peerless sword of light tearing through the night. The evil spirits that touched the edge of the blade vaporized on the spot, not even having a chance to scream.
Finally, the brilliant azure beam of light surged mightily toward the evil fiend's face.
The evil fiend's eyes went wide, the azure stream of light clearly reflected within them. It felt as if its very soul was locked in place, its trembling body refusing to move.
In immense terror, the evil fiend was also annihilated by the beam of light, turning to ash.
In a single move, the entire area was reduced to ash.
Even Raven, still in her pre-casting stance, was momentarily stunned as she stared at the area that had been swept clean in the blink of an eye.
Only Kara's eyes lit up with delighted surprise upon seeing this attack.
She turned her head and, sure enough, saw the red-and-silver armor slowly flying in through the hole blasted in the wall. She was so overjoyed she almost called out in recognition, but immediately remembered her cover as an ordinary middle school girl. She quickly snapped her mouth shut, clapping both hands tightly over it.
"Rachel Roth." Orin Vale landed in front of Raven.
Raven relaxed her combat stance but still watched him with a hint of vigilance. "You know me?"
"Not really, but I've been looking for you—uh, wait a moment."
Orin Vale raised his head. The built-in display in his armor's helmet quickly scanned and marked another humanoid form within the building.
"I'll be right back."
After he spoke, propulsion flames erupted from his feet. Orin Vale's figure shot straight up through the ceiling, then burst through a wall, flying to hover in front of Laurie, who was hiding there.
"Sorry, pal, but the evil cult meta is over."
Orin Vale aimed his palm cannon at Laurie.
But the latter slowly turned his head. Not only was there no fear on his face, but there was even a trace of... anticipation?
"You're too late," he said with a cold sneer. "The moment you entered this building, I already used my ultimate trump card."
It was a gift from the Supreme Evil God he worshipped, a being from another dimension. It was a single "airdrop"—a reward he had finally earned by toiling tirelessly day and night.
Not some evil fiend, and certainly not some low-level evil spirit from another world, but the great god he worshipped, descending in person!
As a resident of Gotham, Laurie had of course heard the stories about this "Ultraman." Although he sometimes inwardly complained about who would choose such an over-the-top name as "Ultimate Man," he had also heard rumors of this great god's abilities.
That was why the moment he sensed his opponent's arrival, he was certain this was not someone evil fiends and evil spirits could fight.
He had to immediately summon the evil god's true body!
The magic formation was already active, and a pitch-black tornado swirled within the room! Using his own blood—the blood of a being from this dimension—as a medium, the surging magical energy seemed to punch open a channel between reality and the otherworld, revealing the glaring eyes of a demon!
"Do not be alarmed, my Believer."
"I have heard your prayer, and I shall answer."
"My name is Belial, and any being who dares to obstruct me shall... shall..."
The demon manifesting within the magic formation saw a somewhat familiar red-and-silver figure. Their eyes met, and they recognized one another. The demon's chant came to an abrupt halt.
Belial glanced at the red-and-silver armor before him, then at the fanatical Believer by his side...
Then, he clasped his hands behind his back and stated with an air of breezy nonchalance.
"I am not acquainted with him."
Laurie: "???"
(end of chapter)