Chapter 378 - 378: Green Arrow

"For a long time before this, Batman never appeared."

Karl stared directly at him.

"No matter how serious Gotham City's crises became, no matter how long the Bat-Signal shone above the police station, you never showed up!"

"Everyone thought you were either dead or had gotten scared of the danger and finally given up on your Robin Hood routine!"

"Since even you stopped caring about what the name 'Batman' represents, why shouldn't I use it to make a television show?"

"Letting it go to waste would be such a shame."

"At least this way, people in the future will know there was once a glorious man who loved running around the world in a cape, only to get beaten half to death and never dare show his face again…"

Karl grinned.

"Tell me, wouldn't that make a fantastic comedy?"

Batman had never expected to hear something like that from Karl.

For a moment, he was genuinely stunned.

Admittedly, after hearing about the downfall of Loeb and Falcone, Bruce had seriously considered retiring.

He was already covered in injuries.

Most of the villains who had once tormented Gotham's citizens had been eliminated or captured.

Even Bane—the man who had defeated him—had been locked away in Arkham because of Karl.

For a while, Gotham City had genuinely seemed to be getting better.

Perhaps it really was time for Batman to retire.

But Karl clearly didn't see things that way.

"When Gotham was drowning in trouble, you didn't appear."

Karl's voice grew louder.

"But the moment you heard somebody planned to turn Batman into a television series, suddenly you came running back!"

"Maybe, in your eyes, Gotham City's safety isn't nearly as important as your reputation!"

"After all, I'm not the one who ruined the meaning of the Batman name."

"You did!"

"You were the one who gave the people at the bottom of Gotham society hope that someone was watching over them."

"And then you disappeared and cruelly destroyed that hope!"

"For many of those people…"

"Gotham City cannot exist without Batman!"

Karl practically roared the final words.

At the same time, he took full advantage of the opportunity to continue beating Bruce Wayne.

He certainly wasn't going to waste a rare chance to openly mock Batman.

Almost every strike carried considerable force, and Karl specifically targeted the places the damaged armor couldn't properly protect.

Batman was repeatedly driven backward.

Yet he didn't counterattack.

He simply allowed Karl's blows to rain down on him.

But when he heard the embarrassingly sentimental words, Gotham City cannot exist without Batman, his temper finally flared.

His remaining functional hand shot through the air and caught Karl's incoming fist.

"I…"

Batman clenched his teeth.

"I won't let you get away with this!"

There was far more meaning behind those few words than their length suggested.

Karl, however, wasn't interested in stopping.

This was the best opportunity he had to overwhelm Batman.

He immediately followed up and knocked Bruce backward several steps.

"With your current strength, you don't have the right to say something that impressive!"

Karl answered coldly.

"If what you mean is that you intend to stop me from turning your glorious image into a farce, then get stronger."

"Recover to your peak condition and come stop me personally!"

"Otherwise, with nothing but those toys and that defeated mindset of yours—the one that already had you thinking about retirement—you're no match for me!"

Even the Joker, still tied up nearby, thought Karl was being excessively harsh.

He couldn't resist speaking up for Batman.

"Hey! Aren't you going a little too far?"

"Little Bat is obviously seriously injured!"

"Even if he wanted to come play with me, he probably couldn't manage it right now. How can you immediately assume he wants to retire?"

The Joker paused.

"Although…"

"A Batman comedy does sound wonderful!"

"Even better if you make an episode that completely jumps the shark!"

It was the sort of self-aware joke associated with Batman: The Brave and the Bold, whose finale, Mitefall!, deliberately pushed the show into increasingly absurd territory as part of a plot to get it canceled.

Unlike the Joker, Karl knew exactly what was going on.

After his battle with Bane, Batman really had fallen into a deeply discouraged state.

Otherwise, Bruce Wayne would never have publicly announced that he was stepping away.

And throughout Batman's long history, even when the man could no longer properly move his limbs, he would still desperately search for some way to continue protecting Gotham.

There was no way the real Batman would simply remain silent for so long and never appear.

A similar idea had even appeared in Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode Night of the Batmen!, where others were forced to take up Batman's role while he was injured.

Batman, who had been knocked back by Karl, didn't rise and attack again.

His condition was terrible.

Only one mechanical arm remained functional.

The rest of the armor had suffered severe damage, making continued combat extremely difficult.

And Karl had clearly become far stronger after his battle with Bane.

The fact that he had unexpectedly subdued the Joker so easily was proof enough.

"I'll remember everything you said today."

Batman slowly straightened himself.

"Next time, I'll come find you again."

"And I'll use every means available to stop your television show from ever airing."

"Anytime!"

Karl responded without hesitation.

"But the truth is simple."

"If Batman remains as righteous and law-abiding as he used to be, then no matter what kind of nonsense people invent to smear you, nobody will believe it!"

The moment Karl finished speaking, Batman threw a smoke bomb onto the floor.

Bang!

Thick smoke instantly filled the room.

By the time it dispersed, Batman had already vanished.

He had apparently left the television and radio station entirely.

Only Karl and the Joker remained in front of the cameras.

"Hmm…"

Karl rubbed his chin.

"Hopefully what I said today was enough to get him fired up."

"Otherwise, if he really retires, that would be incredibly awkward…"

Then he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right."

"Time to call the police and have them send the Joker back to Arkham Asylum."

The Joker, still tied up on the floor, immediately became furious.

"Wait a second!"

"Why am I the only one who gets dragged off to Arkham Asylum while Little Bat gets to walk away completely free?!"

"That's not fair!"

"I'm going to stop your filming too!"

"Especially when the great JACK's image is at stake!"

"There's absolutely no way I'm going to let you get away with this!"

"Just you wait!"

"This time, Little Bat and I are on the same side!"

Unfortunately, nobody seemed interested in listening to him.

With Norton handling the escort, the Joker was sent straight back to Arkham Asylum.

How long he would remain locked up this time was anyone's guess.

Perhaps only a few days would pass before the Clown Prince of Crime appeared again.

…

The next day, Gotham City was buzzing.

The news that the Joker had been captured yet again and returned to Arkham Asylum certainly drew plenty of attention.

But another event caused an even bigger explosion throughout the media world.

After announcing his planned television adaptation of Batman, Karl released an extraordinarily realistic segment titled:

Batman vs. Joker.

The entire video consisted of footage taken from surveillance cameras.

The cameras seemed to have simply been there all along, allowing viewers to watch the confrontation between Gotham City's greatest archrivals from an almost omniscient perspective.

The footage had barely been edited or altered at all.

That made everything feel even more authentic.

After all, in a sense, the people of Gotham had almost never actually seen Batman apprehending criminals firsthand.

Television crews had little chance of capturing footage that valuable.

And the police certainly weren't going to release recordings from their internal surveillance systems just so the public could watch them like popcorn entertainment.

(End of Chapter)

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