"Listen up, you fake! The one who's going to kill you… is Oswald Cobblepot!"
A thick yellow fog began spreading through the VIP room.
This wasn't ordinary smoke—it was a batch of fear toxin Penguin had bought from Scarecrow.
Even a tiny inhale was enough to force a person to see their deepest, most primal fear.
Scarecrow had even warned him:
Even the real Batman would get hit by this stuff.
"Time to move! Get in there—now!"
As the toxin rolled outward, Penguin yanked out a walkie-talkie and barked orders to the hitters he'd planted in advance.
The plan was simple:
His men would rush out from the adjacent room, and they'd riddle the fake Batman with bullets the moment they had an angle.
But—
The fear gas kept spreading, even leaking through the shattered door into the hallway…
…and Penguin's men still didn't show.
Instead, from the walkie-talkie came the voice of a young guy.
"Huh? The fight started? When did it kick off?"
In the neighboring suite, Ben—who'd been lounging on a sofa—shot to his feet.
He finally understood:
The goons he'd knocked out earlier were Penguin's ambush team, waiting for Penguin's signal to storm the meeting room.
And Ben's Omnitrix cooldown still hadn't ended.
He'd been listening to Robin's live commentary the whole time, stuck half a beat behind the action, itching to get in.
Penguin's mind immediately short-circuited.
"Where are my men—? Wait… I know that voice—WHY IS IT YOU?!"
He'd pulled every capable hitter in his crew for this.
After fully arming them, they were strong enough to attack the GCPD if he wanted.
So where the hell did they go?
And why was the comm link meant for his men now in the hands of a kid?
The "Bat" Moves In
"Oswald… the more schemes you build, the easier you fail when something unexpected happens."
Through the poison haze, Thomas Wayne advanced—calm, prepared.
He wore a gas mask, step by step closing the distance.
He'd scouted the entire Iceberg Lounge before coming in.
He'd expected dealing with Penguin's hidden manpower would take time…
…but someone else had already handled it.
Passing the room where the hitters were supposed to be, Thomas had heard fighting—
and from the noise, it sounded like someone fast was cleaning house.
Thomas understood Penguin.
In his world, Penguin had even replaced Alfred—becoming a loyal butler.
But that world was gone.
And the Penguin in front of him wasn't a servant.
He was ambition and greed wrapped in a suit.
Thomas grabbed Penguin and hauled him off the floor, then tore off Penguin's gas mask in one savage motion.
"AH—!"
Penguin tried to hold his breath.
If he didn't inhale the toxin, he still had a chance.
But Thomas slammed him down hard.
The pain forced a cry out of Penguin's throat—
and the moment his mouth opened, it was over.
The fear toxin flooded his system.
Reality collapsed into darkness.
The bat-shaped figure looming over him looked like a demon crawling out of the abyss, eyes like a predator mid-hunt.
"What… what kind of monster are you?!"
And Penguin wasn't the only one hit.
The other gang bosses had gotten zero warning—Penguin had released the gas without caring who else it caught.
Now, as the toxin took hold, the bat-suited silhouette in the black mist twisted into something nightmarish, devilish and cruel.
Fear swallowed the room.
Guns clattered to the floor.
Men crawled, shrank into corners, wailing like children.
"Don't come closer!!"
Robin's Angle
In the ventilation shaft, Dick saw the situation on the hacked camera feed and instantly identified the gas.
He put on a gas mask immediately.
The brawl was basically over.
That unknown bat-suited imposter looked unstoppable.
Dick's mouth curled into a smile.
Let them tear each other apart.
Then Robin would sweep in and catch every criminal in one net.
He'd defeat this fake, prove himself to Batman, prove he was mature enough—
prove he deserved to join the Justice League.
Thomas Wayne's Declaration
Watching Penguin and the other bosses trembling under the toxin, Thomas restated his purpose:
"Let me say it again. From today onward, Gotham's gangs answer to me."
Penguin collapsed to his knees at Thomas's feet, mind eaten alive by terror, barely able to form words.
"Please… spare me… we'll do anything!"
The other bosses echoed the plea.
Under the fear toxin, their terror had reached a level they'd never known.
Thomas laid down the rules:
"Starting today, as long as you stay away from hallucinogens, you can keep doing business—for now.
After I kill everyone who ignored the invitation, I'll redesign your territories and your operations."
No one dared object.
Trembling, they asked the only question that mattered now:
"What… what do we call you?"
"I am Batman."
That low voice hit like a verdict.
Thomas Wayne declared, again, that he was Gotham's one and only Batman going forward.
Robin Drops In
At that exact moment, Robin cut an opening and climbed down from the vent into the meeting room.
Cape spread wide, he dropped cleanly and landed with practiced precision.
Facing the tall, broad-shouldered man in bat-gear, Dick's stance was absolute:
He would never accept anyone pretending to be Batman.
"No. He's not Batman!"
Ben Finally Joins the Party
Next door, Ben's cooldown finally ended.
He flipped the dial—based on what Robin had described (fear toxin everywhere), he chose Diamondhead.
"Hero time!"
He stepped out of the room where Penguin's hitters had been stored, and walked straight into the adjacent room still belching fear gas.
Through the haze, he saw the bat-suited figure clearly.
"Oh, man… someone who shouldn't exist in this timeline."
The silhouette matched his suspicion perfectly.
Ben waved at Robin—who was already squared up and ready to fight—and yelled with full confidence:
"Hey, Robin! Hurry up and call him Grandpa!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
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