Chapter 17
"The line between justice and vengeance is thinner than you think."
The Batcave was quiet.
Not the usual quiet that came from computers humming or the distant echoes of water dripping through stone. This silence was heavier. Tense.
Batman stood in front of the massive monitor, arms crossed, face unreadable beneath the cowl beside him damian shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. His eyes darted between his mentor and the other figure in the room.
Superman.
The Man of Steel stood like a monolith in red and blue, arms behind his back, posture rigid.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"This young man—Matthew Vale—he needs to be stopped." His voice was calm, but underneath was a storm of conflict. "If you don't stop him, Bruce… I will."
Batman didn't move at first. Then he turned slightly, just enough to meet Superman's eyes.
"You think I can't stop him?" His voice was low, almost a growl. "You think I can't throw him into Arkham like the rest?"
Superman sighed.
"I know you can." He took a step forward. "But he's not just scaring criminals or puting them away, Bruce. He's killing them. One after another. No mercy. No hesitation."
Robin looked at the floor. Even he wasn't sure how to feel.
Batman didn't speak. His silence wasn't agreement. It was uncertainty.
Superman continued.
"Yes, he's human. No powers. He's not Darkseid. He's not Joker or Luthor. But I'm calling the Justice League. This isn't just a Gotham issue anymore. It's becoming something bigger. Because if you don't stop him now he will be a bigger problem for all of us one day"
Without waiting for a response, Superman raised his hand and tapped a small communicator on his wrist. A soft chime echoed through the Batcave as the monitor behind them lit up.
Multiple faces appeared.
The Flash.
Wonder Woman.
Martian Manhunter.
Aquaman.
The core members of the League.
They looked up at the screen with various expressions—curious, mildly concerned, but mostly unaware.
Superman spoke first.
"Gotham has a problem."
The Flash leaned forward on the screen, a smirk tugging at his mouth.
"Well, that's Tuesday for Gotham City."
No one laughed.
Wonder Woman tilted her head slightly, expression serious.
"What kind of problem?"
Superman answered.
"A human."
Aquaman blinked.
"And? Is he a threat to humanity or just another psychopath in Gotham's never-ending parade?"
Batman remained silent, his eyes locked on the screen, his jaw tight. Robin watched him, waiting.
Superman explained, his tone even and restrained.
"In the last month alone, this man has killed over one hundred criminals. Not in battle. Not in self-defense. Executions. From rooftops. From alley shadows. He hunts them. Tracks them. Makes them beg before ending them."
A silence passed over the League.
The Flash leaned back, his smirk gone.
"A hundred?"
Superman nodded.
"His name is Matthew Vale. The underworld calls him the Raven of Death."
Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow.
"Vale… He's the one I heard rumors about. Some said he took down a human trafficking ring in a single night. Others claimed he left the corpses of arms dealers hanging upside down from bridges."
Superman nodded again.
"They're not rumors."
The Flash spoke up.
"I've heard his name in Central City too. They say he's a kid."
Superman turned to face them all.
"He is. Twenty-five years old."
That earned a collective moment of pause. They weren't expecting that.
Martian Manhunter finally spoke, his voice deep and thoughtful.
"So what are you asking us, Superman? It's not like you or Batman can't stop a human. Even a dangerous one."
Superman's hands clasped behind his back.
"We can. But I wanted your voices. Your judgment. I didn't want this to become something the world sees as Superman executing a mortal or Batman hiding another secret. We need to decide what justice means… together."
Batman turned slightly toward the camera, but didn't speak.
Robin, finally, broke the silence.
"He's not like the others."
They looked at him.
"He doesn't kill for pleasure. Doesn't make speeches or leave calling cards. He listens. He learns. He waits. And then… he ends it. Quietly. Permanently. And he's different. Different then others he made Superman himself shiver under his gaze"
Wonder Woman looked directly at Batman.
"And what do you think, Bruce?"
Batman's voice was low, but powerful.
"I think… I don't know yet."
That alone said everything.
The man who had made decisions on gods, monsters, and world-ending scenarios… didn't know.
The Flash rubbed his chin.
"We've all killed before. In war. In battles. Even Diana."
Wonder Woman nodded without shame.
"Yes. But I know what I am. A warrior raised for combat. But even I see something… different in this Raven."
Aquaman folded his arms.
"A mortal, no powers, and you're telling me he made the Man of Steel afraid?"
Superman's face darkened.
"For a second… yes." He didn't hide it. "Not of what he is. But what he represents."
Martian Manhunter tilted his head.
"Explain."
Superman looked at them all, and for a moment, he looked more human than ever.
"He's not a monster. Not a god. Not something the world can dismiss as alien. He's just… a man. A man who saw the world's evil and decided that none of us were doing enough. And he acted. With no rules. No league. No code."
Robin whispered:
"And he's not wrong."
The cave fell silent.
Superman's fists clenched.
"But he's not right either. If we allow him to do this, we send a message: that justice has failed. That death is the answer. That any man with enough willpower can decide who lives and dies."
Batman finally spoke again.
"That message has already been sent. Every time Arkham's gates turn into a revolving door. Every time a child's body is found and the killer's locked up just long enough to escape again. That's why Vale exists. That's why people fear him… and follow him."
The Flash looked around at the others.
"So what now?"
Superman exhaled.
"We have three options. One—we capture him, bring him in, and try to rehabilitate him, if possible."
Martian Manhunter added, "That seems unlikely."
"Two," Superman continued, "we treat him as a rogue. A killer. And we stop him. Permanently, if needed."
Aquaman didn't seem opposed.
"And the third?" Wonder Woman asked.
Superman turned to Batman.
Batman said it:
"We do nothing. We watch. We learn. And we wait until the day he crosses a line none of us can ignore."
The League sat in silence. No one was ready to vote.
Superman closed his eyes.
Then He looked to Batman.
"If he kills again, Bruce…"
Batman turned away.
"Then I'll be the one who stops him."
---
Far above the Batcave, the city pulsed in red lights and shadows.
The underworld was already whispering his name again.
Because while the Justice League debated…
The Raven of Death was hunting.
---
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