Chapter 27: The Baffled Riddler
Splitting the Eight-Split Light Wheel combined with telekinetic tracking was a specialized technique, even among the newly graduated Ultraman warriors from the Land of Light's academy. In an entire graduating class, very few could pull off such a flashy maneuver.
Orin Vale was delighted to find he still had it; the Ultraman Cutter technique he had painstakingly practiced hadn't been forgotten after his transmigration.
Splitting a Light Wheel into five was quite difficult, not to mention simultaneously using telekinesis to have them pursue five targets in different directions. Furthermore, in a normal battle, an Ultraman warrior's targets are usually massive monsters. This time, the five Demonic Spirits were all roughly humanoid in size, which demanded a much higher degree of tracking precision.
Even Orin Vale couldn't help but inwardly give himself a score of ninety out of a hundred.
After the one-hit kill, he casually scanned the area. His Ultra Vision was much stronger in his transformed state than in his Human Host form. A quick glance was all it took to lock onto a long-abandoned Haunted House in the Amusement Mile, his sight penetrating the walls to discover several human figures inside.
They were a few children.
Locked in a cage deep within the Haunted House, the oldest was no more than eight or nine. They were all covered in grime, looking pitiful, with tear stains still on some of their faces.
These Demonic Spirits actually captured children?
Orin Vale quickly recalled that the bat-like Demonic Spirit which had possessed Maroni had a similar history, so this kind of despicable behavior wasn't surprising. It only proved that these monsters from the Demon Realm truly deserved to die.
With one punch, the force from his Ultraman form blasted straight through the layers of obstacles and into the place where the children were held captive. The kids in the cage looked up, staring through the hole he'd created at the giant outside. One by one, their mouths fell open, their young minds deeply shaken.
Outside the Amusement Mile, in a nearby building.
An eccentric in a green suit and a green derby hat sat arrogantly in a chair with his back to the window, his legs crossed. A green eye mask covered his cheekbones, and he held a strange cane in his hand, its tip marked with a peculiar question mark.
Edward Nigma, codename Riddler. A highly intelligent supervillain obsessed with riddles, he had been locked in a battle of wits with the novice Batman for the past week. He was also the first madman the rookie Old Master had encountered.
"'I move forward every moment, yet am caught swinging back and forth. Return me to my place, and I will create greater chaos.'" The Riddler smiled, twirling his cane. "'What am I?'"
"We don't have time to play guessing games with you, Nygma."
The speaker was Sal Maroni, an Underworld tycoon and one of the de facto rulers of this city. Several of his henchmen followed him, fanned out around the Riddler.
The Riddler glanced at them and smiled.
"Batman, isn't it? You want Batman. That's why you're here."
"You're asking the obvious," Maroni said coldly. "That lunatic in the bat suit has caused me great losses over the past month. He's captured my men, taken down my strongholds, and intercepted my shipments. If he thinks he can walk away after all that, then he clearly doesn't understand what kind of place Gotham is."
"Yes, yes, and that's why we're in the same boat. Because we both hate Batman," the Riddler said.
Maroni was expressionless. "You said you could take care of Batman tonight. But from what I see, you've just been sitting here showing off your boring riddles."
"That's because you're too slow to keep up. My operation is already in motion. Why else do you think I told you to meet me here?"
The Riddler laughed.
"That last riddle... that was the hint."
Maroni frowned, clearly not understanding what that meant. He looked at the henchmen beside him, but it was obvious the brawny men weren't likely to guess the answer either.
"The answer is electric current, geniuses." The Riddler chuckled. "The Haunted House at the Amusement Mile. I've locked all the children I captured in there, and I left a clue for the Dark Knight—of course he'll be able to decipher the riddle and find his way here. He's smart, almost as smart as me."
"But I've studied his patterns of operation. I've wired every possible point of entry—skylights, vents, doors—with an electric current. It's definitely enough high voltage to give him a nasty shock."
Maroni mulled it over for a moment.
"My men say he's very tough to deal with," Maroni said. "I'm not sure high voltage will be enough to take him down."
"That's just the appetizer. I've prepared more surprises for him inside. If he wants to save the children, he'll have to pass through all the death traps I've set—and that's a course no human has any chance of surviving. Not even Batman. He doesn't stand a chance—"
However, with his back to the window, the Riddler didn't see it. Just as he made his excited declaration, a flash of incandescent brilliance lit up the darkness outside. The dark Amusement Mile was instantly illuminated. A sacred pillar of light shot into the night sky, and a red and silver giant soared upwards.
Maroni and his henchmen were stunned, their mouths hanging open, their minds filled with question marks.
But the Riddler remained oblivious, still immersed in his brilliant plan. "Today is the day the Dark Knight falls. I will admit, he was barely a worthy opponent. I'll miss him. But this Haunted House will be his tomb…"
One of the henchmen, still in a daze, couldn't help but point out the window. "You don't mean... that Haunted House, do you?"
"Huh? Isn't that obvious? What other one could there be—WTF!?"
Following the direction of his finger, the Riddler turned his head and instantly shot up from his chair.
He watched, dumbfounded, as the red and silver giant's fist smashed through the Haunted House's ceiling, completely ignoring all the traps he had meticulously set. As easily as scooping up a chick, it grabbed the few child hostages and pulled them out.
He suspected the giant might not have even felt the existence of the so-called "lethal" high-voltage current.
For the first time in his life, the Riddler was baffled.
What was that?
Was he being punished by God for his many evil deeds?
Even as the giant was enveloped in white radiance, its form dissolving into specks of light, the Riddler remained lost, profoundly questioning his reality.
Who am I? Where am I? Who am I supposed to be fighting?
Is this thing really the opponent I'm supposed to face?
"It's definitely a trap, Young Man."
Alfred's voice came through the Batmobile's communication system.
"It's not a trap if you know it's a trap. It's a direct confrontation," Batman said coldly, flooring the accelerator.
"Have you forgotten our earlier conversation? You don't have to go alone. You could leave a message for the GCPD, or if you don't trust them, you could at least contact Commissioner Gordon! The Riddler has undoubtedly laid an inescapable trap for you. Going to that Amusement Mile alone is tantamount to suicide—"
"I'm here."
Batman paid him no mind, stopping the car and speaking as if to himself. The Batmobile's sliding door opened, and he vaulted out.
He strode fearlessly toward the darkened Amusement Mile, his black cape billowing in the wind like a knight marching unflinchingly toward his doom.
A minute later, Batman stopped in front of the half-collapsed, empty Haunted House, a hole punched through its roof.
He double-checked the deciphered clue, confirming he was in the right place.
Then, a trace of bewilderment appeared in his eyes.
Where is everyone?
(end of chapter)