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SM/DC Chapter 45 : The Shadow Jester
🕑 Added 2025-03-01 20:17:57 +0000 UTCArthur stood there, unmoving, the orange glow of the fires flickering against his face.
Joker was still grinning, his breaths ragged and wet, his body broken. Yet somehow, even at the edge of death, he still laughed.
Arthur’s jaw clenched.
Because this had happened before.
“He said the same thing…”
The words barely left his lips, a whisper only for himself.
The Joker from the Tower.
The one he fought before. The one who bled just like this. The one who laughed just like this.
A memory burned into his mind.
And then his grip tightened.
𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙉𝙆.
His promethium sword materialized, the dark blade gleaming in the glow of the fires. One clean strike. One final cut.
But then… he stopped.
'he is dead.'
The words rang in his mind.
Not for Joker.
For himself.
The sword faded away, dissolving back into his inventory.
Joker’s final laugh still echoed in his mind.
Before the Explosion – Underground Area
The battlefield was chaos.
Green Lantern struggled against Doom, his ring creating barriers, hammers, and chains all did very little to deter this monstrosity. Doom was relentless, his form an immovable force, every strike heavier than the last.
On the other side, Batman and Robin fought against Arthur’s shadow demons, the wraiths moving unnaturally, warping around attacks, their cold, empty eyes piercing through the Dark Knight’s defenses.
But Batman was nothing if not adaptable.
He sidestepped a clawed swipe, countered with a shock batarang that sent one of the demons stumbling. And then he saw it. A pattern. A slight delay in its movement. His mind worked fast, calculating.
Then he struck.
A perfectly executed attack, precise and brutal, sending the shadow creature reeling. It let out a distorted screech.
Batman narrowed his eyes. “No matter what you are… you can be beaten.”
Robin, panting, still fighting his own wraith, grinned. “Yeah, sure, let me know when you’ve got the cheat code for mine.”
Hal gritted his teeth, wiping blood from his lip. Doom had sent him crashing through a concrete wall, the impact shaking the ground. His chest ached. His ring flickered. But he wasn’t down.
He pushed himself up, ring glowing brighter.
“In brightest day…”
Doom tilted his head slightly, mocking.
“In blackest night…”
Doom crossed his arms, just standing there, waiting.
“No evil shall escape my sight…”
A low, amused rumble came from Doom’s chest.
“Let those who worship evil’s might..”
Hal’s ring flared like a sun, illuminating the battlefield.
“BEWARE MY POWER—GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!”
And then an explosion.
A thunderous boom tore through the night, shaking the entire place. A fiery inferno burst from above them, consuming everything in its path. The shockwave hit like a tidal wave, sending Batman skidding back, Robin barely catching himself.
Doom and Hal both turned.
Debris began to rain down, massive chunks of stone and steel collapsing toward them.
Arthur’s shadows suddenly withdrew, dissolving into the ground, retreating.
Hal’s ring pulsed as he threw up a massive shield, protecting himself and the others from the falling wreckage. Sweat dripped down his temple, his heart pounding.
He exhaled. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…”
Batman gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing behind the cowl as the explosion roared, sending shockwaves through the underground area. His cape whipped violently from the force, embers scattering across the place like fireflies.
He barely reacted to the debris his mind was already working.
Joker.
It had to be.
Batman’s fists clenched. “Damn it.” His voice was low, grim, the growl of a man who’d seen this kind of madness before.
Hal’s shield flickered, absorbing the last of the falling wreckage. The Green Lantern exhaled sharply, lowering his hand as the green glow dimmed slightly.
"Those shadows are gone.” Hal looked at Batman, brow furrowed. "You think that boy’s dead?"
Batman’s jaw tightened. He didn’t answer right away. His mind ran through every possible outcome. Arthur wasn’t the type to go down easily but Joker? That psychotic bastard would rather take the whole city down than let someone walk away with a win.
Finally, Batman turned, his cape billowing as he started toward the wreckage. “Let’s hurry back up.”
Robin fell in step next to him. “You really think Joker just… blew everything up?”
Batman’s eyes stayed locked ahead. "If he did… that means whatever happened up there is worse than we thought."
Hal cracked his neck, sighing. “Fan-freaking-tastic. Love a surprise bombing.”
****
Arthur stood still, his glowing eyes locked onto Joker’s lifeless body sprawled among the wreckage. Blood pooled beneath him, soaking into the cracked concrete, the grotesque grin frozen on his pale, battered face.
For a long moment, Arthur just stared. His fingers flexed, Promethium blade still shimmering faintly in his grip.
Then, he raised his hand. “You’re not even worthy being a shadow soldier.” His voice was cold, final.
And yet… he tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Although…” Arthur exhaled, his glowing gaze narrowing. “… I do think you might be a fine addition. Just my guess.”
He spread his fingers. Dark energy coiled at his fingertips. The air grew thick, the ground rumbled faintly as tendrils of black mist slithered out from Joker’s corpse.
Arthur’s voice dropped into a whisper yet it carried like a command of a Monarch.
“Arise.”
The shadows exploded outward, swirling violently before condensing into a single figure rising from the ground like a nightmare given form.
And then, there he was.
A new Joker.
His body was jet-black, his features carved from darkness itself, yet his smile remained, stretched wide with the same unhinged glee. His glowing purple eyes locked onto Arthur, unwavering.
Then, the shadowed Joker knelt.
A low chuckle rumbled from his throat, a sound that wasn’t quite human anymore. It was deeper, more guttural, yet undeniably Joker.
Arthur didn’t even acknowledge him further. He simply turned away, his cape fluttering behind him, stepping forward.
The shadow melted into the ground, slipping into the darkness beneath Arthur’s feet.
****
The sound of crumbling debris filled the air as Batman, Green Lantern, and Robin rushed onto the scene, their boots skidding slightly against the ash-covered ground. Smoke still curled from the wreckage, embers flickering in the night. The entire building had been reduced to nothing but remains, and at the center of it all…
Arthur stood there.
A massive shadow demon loomed beside him, its eerie, inky form carrying a small child in its arms, a little girl, seemingly unfazed, giggling as she poked at the creature’s horned head. The monster, despite its terrifying presence, tilted its head curiously, like some obedient hound indulging a playful master.
Hal was the first to react. He blinked. Hard.
“…Okay. What the actual hell am I looking at?”
Arthur didn’t answer. His glowing eyes flicked to Batman, who was scanning the scene. The detective’s sharp gaze darted across the rubble, searching, piecing together everything at a glance. He didn’t need to ask.
He was looking for Joker.
Arthur raised his hand and silently gestured toward a darker corner of the ruined site. No words. Just a simple motion.
Batman was already moving. His long cape swept behind him as he advanced, crouching when he reached the spot. And there, sprawled in the dust and blood, lay the lifeless corpse of the Joker.
His grin was still there, that awful, frozen smirk,but his body? Broken. Bloodied and Empty.
Batman said nothing. Just a slow exhale through the nose, a small tightening of his jaw. He stood, shadows swallowing his expression.
Meanwhile, Arthur turned to the shadow demon, giving it a small nod.
The creature walked forward, its massive form shockingly gentle as it lowered the girl into Hal’s arms.
Hal, who had faced , galactic tyrants, and entities beyond human comprehension, was… speechless.
He stared at the kid in his arms. Then at the nightmare of a shadow creature that had just handed her to him.
Then back at Arthur.
The little girl beamed at her savior and the creature, clutching onto Hal’s uniform.
“Thank you, mister!” she chirped, then turned to the shadow demon. “And you too, big guy!” She gave it a tiny wave.
The shadow demon a creature of pure darkness, forged from death itself bowed its head slightly, as if acknowledging the gratitude.
Arthur actually smiled. A real, genuine smile. Not his usual smirk.
Then he turned to Hal, his voice carrying an edge of amused disdain.
“At least take that kid back to her home.” His glowing eyes narrowed slightly. “This should be something you guys can do without messing up.”
For once, Hal Jordan had nothing to say.
