On the roof of an abandoned skyscraper, the Joker stood with his arms spread wide as the cold wind whipped his purple coat.
Below him, Gotham had descended into complete anarchy.
Smoke rose from burning buildings, cars crashed as infected civilians chased anyone they could find, gunfire echoed through the streets while terrified screams blended with manic laughter.
The Clown Prince of Crime slowly turned in a circle, taking in every second of it.
Then he laughed. "Hahahahaha!"
"Oh, Bats..." He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Would you look at that? They're finally smiling?"
His gaze swept over the city with unmistakable satisfaction. "This is art. Not paintings, not sculptures." He gestured toward the burning streets below. "This is the greatest punchline Gotham has ever seen."
Hundreds had already become thousands. Soon thousands would become tens of thousands.
Every infected citizen would spread the Joker Virus to another victim until the entire city shared the same twisted smile.
The Joker leaned against the edge of the rooftop, resting his chin in one hand. "I wonder how long it'll take before little Bats realizes he can't save everyone." His grin widened.
"That's the funny thing about viruses. You don't beat them by punching them in the face."
Another burst of laughter. "Hahahahaha! Oh, I do hope you hurry, Bats. Because the clock is ticking... and every second, the joke gets funnier."
Then something unusual caught his eye.
"...Hmm?"
Several figures were slowly drifting across the sky. One was waving his arms frantically. Another was still laughing while spinning helplessly through the air.
The Joker blinked. He reached into his coat, pulled out a pair of binoculars, and looked closer.
A man kicking wildly, unable to control his movement as he drifted farther above Gotham.
The Joker slowly lowered the binoculars. "...Well. I definitely didn't plan that."
He scanned the streets below. A flash of black caught his attention.
Far below, Daniel was skating through the middle of the chaos as infected civilians rushed toward him from every direction.
With nothing more than a casual wave of his hand, another group left the ground, shooting into the air at different angles and joining the growing crowd of floating infected above the city.
The Joker stared for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Oh, that's new!" He raised the binoculars again, watching Daniel effortlessly turn every attacker into a human balloon.
"I don't know who you are... but I have to admit, that's hilarious." He watched another dozen infected soar into the sky. "You're not killing them. You're not curing them. You're just... putting them away."
The Joker laughed even harder. "Batman always locks people in Arkham..." He pointed toward the sky. "...and you built an asylum in the clouds!"
He clapped his hands together, genuinely impressed. "I like you already."
Then recognition flashed across his face. "Oh..." His grin widened. "You're the one from the news." The man the media couldn't stop talking about.
"Ahahahahaha! So a god has decided to grace Gotham with his presence." He rested his chin on the binoculars, green eyes gleaming with excitement. "How wonderful. What an audience."
His smile slowly twisted into something darker.
"They call you a god... but I wonder, does a god have a breaking point? Can even a god lose his mind?" His fingers tightened around the binoculars. "Everyone breaks eventually. Heroes, monsters, kings — they all crack when you push them hard enough."
His eyes remained fixed on Daniel skating through the ruined streets. "So tell me... how many innocent people will you save before you realize you can't save them all? How many corpses, how many impossible choices... before that divine smile finally disappears?"
He licked his lips. "I've broken judges. I've broken doctors. I've broken police officers. I've spent years trying to break Batman." A manic laugh escaped him. "Ahahahahaha! So why not a god?"
He spread his arms toward the burning city below. "What kind of joke would finally make a god laugh?"
The Joker slowly lowered the binoculars and turned away from the edge, his laughter echoing through the empty building as he began walking. "Hehehe... hahahahaha!" He twirled his cane as he strolled.
"For years I've been playing with Bats. Always entertaining... but even the funniest joke gets old."
He stopped and looked back toward the distant figure of Daniel moving through Gotham. "But now... a god has walked onto my stage." His smile became almost childlike.
"What a wonderful surprise."
Someone the entire world believed to be untouchable. A new toy. And a challenge that, unlike Batman, hadn't grown predictable yet.
"I wonder how long it'll take before that calm expression disappears. How much suffering, how much despair, how many impossible choices... before even a god finally breaks."
His laughter echoed across Gotham's burning skyline.
"If I can make a god lose his mind..." He spread his arms theatrically. "That... will be the greatest joke I've ever told."
*****
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