Time always passed quickly in Gotham. Amid secret schemes and hidden plans, half a month slipped by in a flash.
When Riptide and Jason delivered the news of Raven's death to Magneto, they immediately felt the heat of his fury. But alongside the grief, they brought something else—information that shifted the course of everything.
It was a guess: Gotham might hold the means to bring the dead back to life.
The moment Magneto heard it, the sorrow over Raven's loss vanished from his mind. If mutants could get their hands on something like that, there would be no reason to wait anymore. They could take control of Gotham by force, then launch an all-out war against humanity.
Magneto wasted no time. He shared the information with Charles. After a brief discussion, both leaders came to a clear agreement.
First, they had to confirm if the news was true. If it was, Magneto would personally move in and seize control of Gotham. Charles would then begin his own preparations, ready to strike the human world when the time was right.
But everything depended on that one possibility: the information had to be real.
Relieved to have avoided Magneto's wrath, Riptide and Jason began their investigation immediately.
Their attention naturally turned to the Court of Owls, the mysterious organization rumored to rule Gotham from the shadows. They already knew the truth—that Alfred was, in fact, the Joker. And if they knew that, it wasn't far-fetched to think they could uncover even deeper secrets.
The two mutants confronted the Court directly. When asked about the power to resurrect the dead, the response was exactly what they expected.
"We have no idea. It's likely just a made-up legend."
Of course, they had no intention of revealing the truth about Dionesium. That was the core of the Court's power, and they would never share it.
But this time, they weren't dealing with the ordinary citizens of Gotham. They were facing mutants, people with powers far beyond normal comprehension.
Jason, the Great Illusionist, couldn't read minds like Charles. But detecting lies? That was well within his reach.
It didn't take long. After taking control of a few low-ranking members of the Court, they uncovered the truth.
Dionesium.
A strange liquid metal hidden deep beneath Gotham. It could heal wounds in moments, even bring someone back from the dead.
Having confirmed its existence, Jason and Riptide didn't make any rash moves. Instead, they relayed the information to Magneto, who was residing on a remote island in the Pacific.
And when Magneto verified that the Dionesium was real, that it truly could bring back the dead, it didn't take long for him to make his move.
Within days, he arrived in Gotham with every mutant under his command. These were the ones openly aligned with the radical faction. Under the cover of Charles' telepathic powers, they slipped into the city undetected.
The next time the Court of Owls met with their supposed mutant allies, they didn't see just Riptide or Jason. They saw Magneto, Erik Lehnsherr, standing tall, looking down on them like a god among insects.
"You... what are you trying to do?" one of the Court leaders stammered, voice trembling.
They were terrified, and for good reason.
Their final line of defense—the Talons, long sustained and enhanced by Dionesium—were completely useless in front of Magneto. On the surface, they had already been pressured by the combined forces of the Wayne family. And now, in the shadows, they were no match for the mutants. Without even realizing it, the Court of Owls had reached a dead end.
At Magneto's side stood a group of powerful mutants, including Azazel, Riptide, and Jason. Outside the base, Sabretooth and Toad had already led their units to secure the perimeter, cutting off all escape routes.
"What I want to do?" Magneto said calmly. "My people already explained that to you. You refused to cooperate. So now, I've come to handle things myself."
None of the Court members responded. Just as mutants truly believed they were superior to humans, the Court looked down on anyone outside of Gotham. Even when faced with death, they refused to give up the location of the Dionesium. More than that, they understood the moment they revealed it, they would become useless in the eyes of these mutants, who clearly had no regard for humans.
Now, their only hope was that the mystery surrounding Dionesium would make Magneto hesitate. They needed to buy time, as much as possible.
But the mutant leader saw right through them. He shook his head and stepped forward, no longer interested in talking.
"Charles. Where is it?"
One of the Court member's eyes went blank. A moment later, he spoke in a dull voice. "Erik, it's under this base. The entrance is through that man's office."
"Got it." Magneto smiled slightly.
A coin floated from his pocket. It hovered for a moment, then shot forward like a bullet, piercing the man's skull.
...
"Bruce, something's happened to the Court of Owls!"
Kate rushed into the Batcave, voice sharp with urgency. Though she hadn't been able to gather any useful intel through the Kane family's ties to the Court, she realized something serious had happened. The Kane family members linked to the Court had all lost contact.
Clearly, the Court was in trouble.
"I understand." 'Batman' closed his eyes and shared the information in the psychic network, especially with Joker, who was currently making preparations.
Then he turned to Kate.
"I've also confirmed the exact location of the Court's headquarters. This next mission won't be easy. If possible, Kate, you should stay here in the Batcave. Use the Batcomputer to provide support remotely—"
"Bruce," Kate interrupted, her voice firm. "I told you from the start, I can fight too. I'm Batwoman."
She had barely finished her sentence when 'Batman' cut her off.
"This was supposed to be Alfred's job. But as you know..."
At the mention of Alfred's name, Kate fell silent. A moment later, she nodded quietly.
"Alright."
Seeing her agree, 'Batman' nodded too. Their upcoming operation would show an unusually deep understanding of mutants. There were many things they couldn't logically explain—like how he planned to deal with Magneto. These weren't methods that could be prepared in a short time.
To avoid raising suspicion, it was safer for Kate to stay in the Batcave.
"Then let's move, Deathstroke."
...
At the same time, in the waters near Gotham, two kings of the sea were locked in a deadly clash.
Namor, ruler of the Talokan Kingdom, and Arthur, the recently risen and fiercely aggressive King of Atlantis.
Both wielding tridents, the two fought as they always had, battling for dominance over their clashing realms.
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