Under Jason’s piercing glare, which practically screamed “I’ll cut you”, Vivi abandoned the idea of binding him with the Lasso of Truth.

But truthfully, she hadn’t been serious; it was just her way of expressing excitement at finally reuniting with their fourth teammate. Now, they only needed to regroup with Steve, and they’d be ready to face the final boss.

In the soft, warm darkness surrounding them, the group of ten huddled close, walking together as though they were navigating a jungle of black fur. Among them, several recognized Vivi—after all, Night Watch was a Gotham-based vigilante. Vivi greeted each of them in turn, some even asking Wonder Woman for autographs. Vivi turned her head and caught sight of Bruce, who struck her as oddly familiar.

It must have been because her other persona had recently seen Damian, making the resemblance more noticeable.

She said nothing and instead joined in as the group shared information.

Jason’s group had originally come from the candy-themed maze, but thanks to the undulating ground, some had been separated while others joined. Those who had made it out of the second maze were all equipped with tools from the Gargoyle: Vivi’s flashlight, Jason’s goggles, and others with lanterns and crystal balls.

Each tool had its quirks: lanterns illuminated a 3-meter radius, flashlights could shine a 5-meter beam, goggles offered blurry visibility up to 10 meters, while the crystal balls… seemed completely useless so far. The two people carrying them explained that their maze had been underwater, and the Gargoyle had claimed the balls would provide a “premonition of danger.”

Conveniently, the ten players couldn’t quite form complete four-person teams; most were in pairs or trios at best.

“Are we walking on the back of a giant bat?” someone speculated.

“No,” Jason replied decisively. “The density of the fur is wrong. It feels like we’re on a synthetic rug.”

He crouched to part the fuzzy ground and double-checked, speaking with a patience that would’ve surprised anyone who knew him—as long as he didn’t have to look at “Thomas.”

They held hands as they moved forward, gradually adapting to the peculiar gravity. Jason muttered, “I hope we can get out of here soon.”

Vivi tilted her head. “?”

Jason, deadpan: “…Because I can’t wait to buy Gargoyle merchandise.”

Wow. For real? Vivi was genuinely impressed.

As the minutes ticked by, reports of eliminations kept pouring in. The total number of players on the map dwindled to fewer than 20, most of whom were likely in this area.

After two more rounds of ground tremors, during which players risked separation unless they held on to one another, Vivi began to suspect that these quakes were random teleports in disguise. Just then, their Gargoyle guide flew ahead, circling back with a proclamation:

“I’ve found teammates from one of your three-player groups ahead. Shall we head there?”

Everyone perked up at the news. A three-person group meant the possibility of forming a four-person team—and initiating the boss fight.

Under the Gargoyle’s guidance, their group finally reunited with one another. This batch included Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and the boy with Bruce’s team, accompanied by his mini-Batman.

With Steve rejoining, Jason, Steve, Diana, and Vivi completed their four-person team. On the other side, Natasha’s return allowed her barefoot teammate—the one eager to buy the Gargoyle toy—to form a complete squad too.

Then, to everyone’s shock, Jason’s mini-Batman and the other team’s mini-Batman fused into one.

Jason: “…”

The boy who had brought his mini-Batman back asked cautiously, “So… is this your mini-Batman now, or mine?”

The green-eyed boy looked at him silently, then theatrically examined the now-chubbier two-headed mini-Batman. Finally, he declared, “It’s mine. Mine was fatter.”

Above them, the Gargoyle suddenly warned: “Be careful!”

Out of the darkness came something moving with incredible speed. Everyone instinctively knew—it had to be Batman.

The group huddled together. Those with goggles peered into the shadows, tracking the air current’s direction. Jason even heard someone mutter, “Fuck Batman!”

…Why did that make him want to laugh?

“Form a square,” Jason instructed ^[1]T/N: he basically means to form a phalanx i.e. a military formation . “Those without weapons, stay in the centre.”

Unfortunately, they’d discovered earlier that the Gargoyle’s tools couldn’t be traded between players.

Through his goggles, Jason caught faint glimpses of a silhouetted Batman clashing with the Gargoyle in midair. Meanwhile, Diana nudged “Thomas,” raising a questioning brow.

Among the gathered children, the real Batman sighed and shot her an exasperated look.

Then, his attention shifted to the boy giving commands.

Jason didn’t quite resemble the scrappy, defiant kid Bruce had first encountered. Back then, Jason was scrawnier, with the look of a stubborn little fox.

A loud bang snapped Bruce’s focus back. The Gargoyle was flung aside by the monstrous Batman. The group erupted in nervous chatter as Vivi raised her flashlight.

A massive, shadowy Batman swooped down at breakneck speed. He nearly snagged a player, but Bruce launched himself forward, tackling the child out of harm’s way.

The next second, their bodies bounced up as Batman narrowly missed Bruce, soaring past his back.

Bruce: “…”

In the midst of the chaos, the two players holding crystal balls exclaimed in excitement.

“My crystal ball is glowing!”

“Mine too, though it’s slower by a second—this must mean…”

Natasha glanced at them, then up at the darkened ceiling.

“If the crystal ball is meant for warnings—”

The others quickly pieced it together:

“Then it must light up in the direction Batman is coming from. Whichever ball lights up first tells us his approach.”

Vivi raised her hand.

“When my flashlight beam hit Batman’s cape earlier, I saw him flinch slightly.”

“Our opponent is the ‘evil’ part of Batman,” Bruce began, his tone serious as he analyzed himself. “This is the deepest part of the maze, the maze of his mind. Here, shrouded in darkness, it’s clear—he fears the light.”

Perhaps because Jason had taken charge earlier, the group naturally deferred to him now. Jason frowned, then said, “Those with flashlights, raise them. Earlier, the ones carrying lanterns weren’t attacked, and I noticed Batman avoided them. Lanterns should form a triangle, crystal ball carriers in the center, one in the front, and one in the back. If your crystal ball lights up, call out ‘front’ or ‘back.’ Goggles…” He glanced at his own pair. “We’ll be on lookout at the rear.”

Following Jason’s directions, they barely managed to form up before Batman’s second attack hit.

Child-sized bodies were weak compared to an adult’s strength, especially under the maze’s shifting gravity. While they managed to fend off Batman, they couldn’t harm him.

Diana frowned. If she were in her original form, even in this child’s body, she could’ve easily dealt with Batman’s predictable attack pattern.

Vivi raised her hand again. “We have seven flashlights, right?”

Jason: “That’s correct.”

“I think we need more light concentrated directly on Batman to hurt him, but our beams only reach five meters.” She pushed through the group to stand in the center of the triangle. “Turn off the other flashlights. I’ll find him, and when I do, everyone focus your beams on my target.”

It was a risky strategy. Holding a flashlight meant you couldn’t be grabbed, but turning them off made everyone a potential target.

But they knew Vivi was right—the question was whether to trust her.

Jason took the lead, directing the others to tighten their formation. Lantern carriers lit up the group as the flashlights were switched off one by one.

Suddenly, the small Batman avatar perched on Vivi’s shoulder, declaring, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you, brave warrior!”

Jason: “…” Aren’t you my little Batman?

The third attack came.

“Front!” Vivi shouted, and the flashlights snapped on in unison. Seven beams converged into one, striking Batman squarely. His shadowy form stumbled as if part of his “wings” had been scorched. His next flight was visibly uneven.

The fourth attack:

“Back!” Vivi commanded again. The focused light struck Batman’s wings, destroying another section. He retreated into the darkness, only to dramatically declare:

“I am vengeance—”

“I am the night—”

“I am Batman—”

Bruce Wayne: “…”

He heard muffled laughter around him. Closing his eyes, he decided to pretend it wasn’t happening.

The fifth attack came fast. Batman dove into the center of the group but was caught in their combined light. His form began to melt, transforming from a towering figure into a small, black cat-like creature, still with demon-like wings.

But this “cat” retained its menacing air, its shape seemingly immune to changes in mass.

Someone hissed in surprise. “Batman is a cat?”

After a beat of silence, Bruce offered a smile. “I think so.”

Even Jason turned to him, confusion clear on his face.

Bruce lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Batman is a Gotham urban legend. No one’s ever seen his face. Maybe at night, he fights crime, but by day… he turns into a black cat. That’s why no one can ever find him.”

What could a bat cat have to do with Bruce Wayne? Absolutely nothing, obviously.

“That makes sense,” someone said. “Yeah, totally makes sense!”

Others chimed in, agreeing with the absurd theory.

Vivi’s expression twisted slightly. After seven days of this event, the rumor that “Batman is secretly a cat” would probably spread across Gotham. But… she checked the in-game currency shop. If Batman’s new “cat identity” went public, the merch possibilities were endless.

In gaming terms, Batman’s transformation was clearly a “phase change,” signaling they’d depleted one of his health bars. His attack patterns were bound to shift.

The sixth attack revealed his new form—a black cat with stark white fur on its lower face, wearing a mask that obscured its upper half. The cat still looked disturbingly serious.

One of the lantern carriers suddenly screamed as their light wavered. “It’s biting my arm!”

Before anyone could react, the lantern tumbled to the ground, rolling into the darkness. The immediate loss of light plunged the area into deeper shadows.

Vivi acted quickly. “Martin, take their spot and turn on your flashlight. No need to wait for my commands.”

Martin saluted with exaggerated seriousness. “Understood! I’ll live and die with my flashlight!”

Well, that was… a bit much.

The black cat didn’t grab people but used its soft, fluffy paws to attack their limbs, disrupting their tools and causing problems. It was incredibly fast and agile. Fortunately, not everyone in the group was an ordinary person; there were vigilantes and superheroes among them. The formation shifted again: Steve and Diana moved to protect the two lantern carriers, while Bruce and Jason took on lookout duty.

After a tense and thrilling few minutes of “combat,” the black cat lost its ability to fly. With a sharp “meow-wow,” it shrank into a palm-sized little bat.

Someone mused aloud, “Do you think Batman makes this noise during the day too?”

Jason: “Pfft.“

As they debated how to handle the tiny bat, the chibi-sized Batman avatar flew up. Gradually, faint light began to rise from the horizon, resembling Gotham City’s sunrise.

Though Gotham’s sunrises were always fleeting—its layers of clouds quickly obscuring the sunlight—everyone had seen the golden glow of sunlight outlining the clouds’ edges.

The chibi Batman spread its wings, blocking the little bat’s attempts to attack it.

Before their eyes, a vision unfolded:

A massive, fallen Batman lay before them, his towering form draped in a billowing cape that they all stood upon. As the bat merged with the chibi Batman, the true Batman seemed to regain clarity. Rising shakily, he braced himself against a wall, distant flames illuminating his path as he charged into another battle.

The vision faded, and they found themselves standing before a large door.

The surroundings resembled the enclosed space they had waited in upon entering the maze. However, this time, the door bore a white goat’s head—unlike the black goat’s head they had seen when they entered.

Jason scanned the area, a faint sense of loss crossing his face. The gargoyle was gone.

The white goat opened its mouth and spoke:

“Two teams may proceed to claim their rewards.”

It was Natasha’s team and Vivi’s team of eight. The others couldn’t claim rewards, as their teams weren’t complete.

^[2]T/N: Not me trying to find the chibi version of Batman

Source: Amarillo.

Source: MasterJed1JR