Chapter 109: Is There No End to This?
Seeing the mural, Orin Vale quickly guessed the identity of this group.
Blood Cultists, an organization composed of Trigon's believers. So in a sense, it could be considered a vast organization with a presence spanning the Multiverse, although the branches from different universes had never met.
Their ultimate goal was also pure and simple: to summon Trigon's arrival.
The Blood Cultists themselves weren't that terrifying, but their appearance was truly noteworthy because of the one they represented from behind the scenes: Trigon. The appearance of this organization in this world meant that the current universe was already being targeted by Trigon.
It was inevitable that the Blood Cultists would notice and start targeting Raven. After all, the Blood Cultists were Trigon's most direct and powerful subordinates in domains beyond his direct reach. And although Trigon couldn't descend personally, he could bestow the power of demons upon the Blood Cultists.
This group was worth being wary of.
The moment they accepted Trigon's corruption, the Blood Cultists had essentially abandoned their human souls, so there was no reason to show them mercy.
After quickly and easily taking out this hideout on his way, Orin Vale returned a little late. He then brought the Old Wizard down to the underground to briefly interrogate the newly imprisoned Indigo, confirming that Astra's husband, Non, was indeed plotting against Earth.
Fort Rozz was currently in motion, so its specific coordinates were still hard to confirm. However, from Indigo, Orin Vale was able to obtain more specific parameters about Fort Rozz's combat power deployment and the "Great Purge" system. This way, he could prepare countermeasures in advance, just in case.
Although the Seven Deadly Sins had been sealed away, their attack served as another wake-up call for the Old Wizard. After Orin Vale returned, he mentioned his encounter with the Blood Cultists on the way back, which made the Old Wizard's brows furrow even more with worry.
He increasingly felt that a challenging era was approaching, and the world would once again need the divine power of Shazam. But his old bones couldn't take it anymore. His body could no longer bear the Six Gods' Power, and his next transformation might very well be his last.
It seemed he needed to put more effort into finding a successor.
However, this wasn't something that could be done in a day or two. The Old Wizard had already spent thousands of years searching for this candidate, always feeling that every candidate was either lacking in some area or had some flaw. And the longer he searched, the less willing he was to compromise. He always felt that if, after spending so much time, he ended up with someone subpar, wouldn't the past few millennia become a joke?
But now, he felt the world was fraught with peril. It was time to step up his efforts.
Thus, for the next few days, the Old Wizard practically lived in the Rock of Eternity. He ran the Person-Seeking Spell at full power, expanded to its maximum range. Moreover, he relaxed the criteria compared to before, pulling in anyone who seemed to have any sort of affinity with him for testing.
This time, he also added a Hypnosis Spell. All candidates pulled into the Rock of Eternity would be in a sleepwalking-like state, their consciousness not fully awake. This made it easier for the Old Wizard to discern their true nature.
As a result, after a few days, not only had he not found a candidate, but the Old Wizard was hopping mad.
For instance, a certain fat man among the first day's test subjects.
"Name," the Old Wizard asked.
"Ai-Aisen Pamir."
"Aisen, tell me about yourself. Tell me the three most evil things you have done in your life."
"Peeking at my older sister bathing, peeking at my older sister bathing, and peeking at my older sister bathing."
The Old Wizard's face darkened. "I said three things."
"It is three things," the fat man said honestly. "I started peeking at my older sister bathing when I was nine. I did it three times a week and kept it up for eight years."
"Heh, you're quite persistent, then." The Old Wizard waved his sleeve. "Get out."
With a wave of his sleeve, the scene rewound as if on tape, and the fat man was kicked out of the Rock of Eternity on the spot.
Then came another oddball.
"Name."
"Giorgio Salinas."
"Tell me the three most evil things you have done in your life."
"My nephews are actually my sons, and also..."
"That's enough. You can get out."
That night, the Old Wizard reflected on it and felt that even though he had relaxed the criteria, perhaps he had relaxed them a bit too much. So he modified the spell overnight, and after recalibrating the range the next day, he cast it again.
To his utter surprise, a real heavyweight contestant showed up that day.
The dark, heavy uniform, the pointed-eared helmet, the flowing cape, and that iconic bat...
Even the Old Wizard, sitting on the throne in the Rock of Eternity, was startled.
Batman.
Being a resident of Gotham, the Old Wizard had naturally heard of this figure long ago. In fact, they had met once—back when Kara had picked him up from some debris. The Old Wizard's first impression of him was quite good. Although it was only a brief glance at the time, he felt the other party was a decent person.
Although this person seemed a bit gloomy and strange on the inside, if he relaxed his criteria a little, perhaps he could meet the requirements?
The Old Wizard felt a little more anticipation for this candidate and asked, "Name?"
"Batman," the dark silhouette in the shadows said ominously.
"No, I mean your name, your real name, not your alias," the Old Wizard explained.
"I am Batman."
The Old Wizard: "?"
After being stunned for a moment, he immediately understood. The candidates who came to the Sanctuary were all consciousnesses in a hypnotized state, answering by instinct. This meant that the man truly believed from the bottom of his heart that his identity was Batman, and the so-called real name beneath the mask was the disguise.
Truly an eccentric.
Thinking of this, the Old Wizard stopped asking questions and floated down gently in front of Batman.
"Let me see into your heart. Let me see if you are a match... Huh?"
The Old Wizard showed a look of surprise.
"Your spirit... is resisting me? But that's impossible. This is the Rock of Eternity, no one can... how did you do it?"
The gloomy voice sounded again: "Because I'm Batman."
"Alright, alright, I already know that, no need to emphasize it."
Sensing that the other's consciousness was breaking free from his spell, the Old Wizard sped up the process.
A spell to peer into his heart, allowing him to try and understand the reason this man wore the cape, the target he fought for, and the power that drove him forward.
That would determine if he was worthy of Shazam's divine power.
However, the Old Wizard didn't even have time to see the answers he was looking for.
He only saw... darkness.
A boundless darkness, vaster than that of the most evil person he had seen in his nine thousand years, a darkness that seemed poised to swallow the entire world.
"Impossible!"
The Old Wizard was stunned again.
How could a person's heart contain such immense darkness? What kind of mind could withstand such darkness without being driven mad?
What was even stranger was, how could a heart that nurtured such vast darkness still allow him to act so normally?
And even devote his wealth, energy, life, and everything to fighting crime and eliminating darkness?
Shouldn't this person be psychologically twisted, becoming a supervillain who takes revenge on society and destroys the world?
Very rarely, the Old Wizard felt that this human's situation had touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge.
"This is impossible," he frowned, finding it inexplicable. "With such darkness, how could you... why would you... how can you still remain sane, and even be a superhero?"
Then, that gloomy voice appeared again.
"...Because I'm Batman."
The Old Wizard: "..."
No, seriously. Is there no end to this?
(end of chapter)