Chapter 1017: Joker's Misfortune (Part 2) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

"Wait! Wait!" Joker shouted frantically. "Do you know what you're doing?! You'll blow us all up!!!"

"This is also part of my plan," came Batman's icy voice. "Do you think I've truly forgiven you damn criminals? You should ask the head doctor at the Asylum for more medication... Do you really think Batman would forgive criminals?!"

Joker was stunned into silence, but Batman continued, "Thank you for the two criminal bosses killing each other... Missile silo is prepped, launch safety disengaged, ready to ignite!"

Joker turned his head to look out the window and saw a dark spot hurtling towards Gotham Cathedral at an alarming speed. Batman wasn't joking; he meant business!

Joker frantically released Schiller from the ropes and attempted to drag him away from Gotham Cathedral.

But then, from behind Gotham Cathedral, gunfire erupted suddenly, accompanied by Russian curses. Joker didn't react in time. A group of heavily armed strangers burst in through the church's back door, spraying bullets across the floor.

Joker realized these people were not locals of Gotham. Their weaponry and tactics were entirely different from what was usual here. Joker, without heavy weapons, was completely outmatched. He could only take cover, but the suppressive fire kept him pinned down.

Though Joker had extraordinary regenerative abilities, he wasn't impervious to harm. Even if he were, the heavy weapon bullets had a significant impact force. He couldn't even push through under the barrage.

Under the cover of fire, several figures dashed out from the corner of the back door, lifted Schiller, who was still on the ground, and disappeared into the church at lightning speed.

Joker roared in fury, "Batman!!!"

In fact, Batman had exploited the mindset of high-intelligence criminals like Joker. In the formula he had learned from Schiller on dealing with natural-born killers, there was a crucial point: these lunatics always believed they were the most formidable, each one an unparalleled narcissist.

When Batman said he would save Joker, Joker never believed it in the first place. But his disbelief stemmed from the notion that, within the same timeframe, Schiller's influence on Batman couldn't possibly outweigh his own influence. He didn't believe Batman would completely abandon revenge because of Schiller, as he himself hadn't achieved that.

So, when Batman stated that it was all part of his plan without changing anything, Joker not only believed him but also felt a kind of gratitude, a sense of accomplishment that he had foreseen.

Under these circumstances, Joker would immediately rush to save Schiller. Because only with Schiller alive could Joker have the opportunity to mock him and, at the same time, expose the fact that Schiller had been fooled by Batman. It would satisfy Joker's vanity of being stronger than a natural-born killer like Schiller.

Inside the church, just as Joker was about to flee, a buzzing sound filled his ears. Initially, Batman had already redirected the missile. After all, he couldn't actually blow up Schiller. The bat missile had the capability to turn around, but since Schiller had already been taken away, there was nothing more to be said.

The next moment, the missile landed, and a mushroom cloud rose from the location of Gotham Cathedral. Joker flailed his arms as he was blasted into the sky.

However, Batman in front of the monitoring screen frowned. The people who took Schiller weren't sent by him.

Meanwhile, in Schiller's mental high tower within the cathedral, DC Schiller had just sat up from the bed. He rubbed his eyes wearily and said, "It does hurt a bit, but fortunately, the fusion process went smoothly..."

He got off the bed but, feeling somewhat weak, had to lean against the bedhead, panting. At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Superego entered.

"Are you alright? The final stage of fusion should be completed by now, right?" Superego supported DC Schiller and headed towards the door.

DC Schiller nodded and said, "Batman provoked Joker, Lucifer Morningstar provoked me. After the activation of both our souls increased, the fusion process accelerated. In other words, the plan went relatively smoothly."

"But honestly, in the end, the performances of Constantine, Batman, and Lucifer Morningstar probably weren't part of your plan, right?" Superego looked at DC Schiller.

DC Schiller pursed his lips and said, "So what? My goal was still achieved. Even if there were some minor setbacks, they were within the normal range."

Superego chuckled but didn't press DC Schiller further. The two walked to the railing of the courtyard. DC Schiller spoke up:

"Ever since I desired to complete the fusion, a plan gradually formed in my mind. But the key was that Joker and I had to be injured simultaneously."

"We are inherently similar, fearing the same things. Originally, my plan relied on seasickness to weaken us both. However, since Constantine provided a better opportunity, I naturally had to make good use of it."

"Although I successfully weakened myself and got injured more than once, there was still a problem. If we fused in such a weakened state, the resulting personality would remain weak and difficult to recover. In simple terms, it would damage the core and be incurable."

"I needed the wounds and weakness for fusion, yet I couldn't let the soul activity drop too low. Both sides had to always be in an excited state; otherwise, even after fusion, the strength wouldn't increase."

"To raise soul activity, both of us had to be in an excited state. So, I used guilt to involve Batman, keeping him constantly stimulating Joker to maintain his soul activity."

"And you, what were your original plans? How were you planning to stimulate your own soul activity and ensure you remained dominant throughout the fusion?" Superego asked Schiller.

"I didn't plan to do anything," surprisingly, DC Schiller shook his head. "After all, you wouldn't let Joker dominate. During the fusion, if his strength surpassed mine, you would definitely save me. That's your ticket to watch the show."

Superego covered his forehead and said, "I should have closed the door the moment you barged in, so you'd trip and fall flat on your face. That would've made the situation even more awkward at the time. This is the price of using me."

"You are the rule, and I'm just reasonably exploiting the rule itself. If Joker's personality were to dominate and rise to the surface, against the interests of all personalities, that's why I dared to initiate fusion. Regardless, you wouldn't let me lose." DC Schiller smiled faintly.

"I think your friends are right," Superego leaned on the railing, looking at DC Schiller. "You're always good at devising a series of plans, using your friends, and then arranging rewards for them without their consent."

"You're mistaken," DC Schiller shook his head. "Because I haven't prepared any rewards for you."

Superego took a deep breath, staring into DC Schiller's eyes. "I know you're deliberately provoking me because I can lock you up. If I do that, you won't have to face them outside. But let me tell you, you're dreaming."

"I see you're almost back to normal. Get up and get to work! Didn't you hear the explosion just now? There was a massive blast around you, and you're now powerless, not knowing where you've been taken..." Superego turned to leave.

But at that moment, Arrogant Schiller looked up at the high tower and asked, "What was the mysterious power you used when you split us apart?"

Superego paused for a moment, then said, "So, this was your ultimate goal."

"I see, why were you in such a rush to start the fusion, and the whole plan was so clumsy and not smooth? It seems you're playing a game of chess with me."

"When you initiated the fusion, you involved Batman, constantly stimulating Joker's soul activity, putting yourself at a disadvantage. You knew I wouldn't sit idly by. In the end, you knew I would use that power to save you, and then you'd know its truth."

"All these series of plans you've devised aren't aimed at Batman, not at Constantine, not even at the other half contaminated by the Joker virus. Your ultimate goal is to deceive me into action."

As Superego turned around, DC Schiller turned as well, and sparks flew as their eyes met.

"Don't forget, you're the collective will of all the personalities, including me. You shouldn't hide anything from me. And the reason I haven't asked for so long..."

DC Schiller stepped forward, tilting his head, staring into Superego's eyes. "It's because if I knew, Joker, who shares our origins, would know too. He's not one of us; he only cares about Batman. To keep our secret, I had to restrain my curiosity."

"Although those fools stimulated me in the end, making my soul activity too high, putting me on par with Joker, and making the fusion process too smooth, not deceiving you into action, you should still reveal the truth, shouldn't you?"

After speaking, DC Schiller looked up at the high tower again. "Do you think I've forgotten? When we first arrived here, the high tower didn't look like this."

"Initially, our complete personalities fell from a height, completely shattered. And this high tower was pieced together from the fragments. All along, our mental high tower has been filled with scars. A porcelain pieced together from fragments can never be the same as the original."

"When we first arrived here and regained consciousness, I was the first to wake up. At that moment, I saw cracks still covering the ceiling, but those familiar cracks disappeared quickly."

"I am one of the Original Sin personalities, and before being split in half, I was the most powerful Original Sin personality. No other personality could have woken up before me."

"And if someone woke up before me and repaired the high tower, it could only have been the collective will of the personalities, that is, you, Superego."

DC Schiller looked into Superego's eyes. "I guess the mysterious power you used to repair the entire high tower is the same as the power you used when you split me in half. Now, answer me, what is it?"

Superego, standing still, remained silent for a moment. However, before him, DC Schiller was no longer the fragmented personality that he could completely control as before. Just as he said, the complete Arrogance was the most powerful fragment without a doubt.

During a personality breakdown, there are always things that cannot be forgotten. Even if the mind is completely shattered, there will still be certain traits rooted deep within the soul, impervious to damage.

For humans, greed is an unshakeable nature, deeply ingrained in the soul from infancy.

For Schiller, the arrogance brought about by his innate intelligence and powerful abilities is an indelible trait, the foundation of his personality.

And compared to the special nature of greed that rises early without benefits, the complete arrogance is undoubtedly the strongest in the entire high tower.

Just half of the arrogance has almost cured Batman, and it took only a few years. This is considered a miracle in both psychiatry and psychology.

And now, arrogance is about to be reunited. If he refuses to rise to the surface consciousness and greed prevents him from doing so, no other personality can match them both. Then Schiller's body will remain in a coma forever, which is not what Superego wants to see.

So, Superego sighed and turned to the elevator, saying as he walked, "Well then, I'll show you."

The two silently boarded the elevator. Then, the elevator descended and stopped on one of the floors. DC Schiller looked up and saw a plaque that read "Asylum."

"Although that little guy is fierce, he's actually a pretty good guard. Even if you wanted to break in, you might make some noise." Superego pointed at Moonlight Schiller. DC Schiller naturally understood. So, the power Superego referred to should be deep within the Asylum.

Sure enough, Superego led DC Schiller to the depths of the Asylum. Moonlight Schiller just poked his head out of the hospital room, saw Superego's figure, didn't interfere, and then retracted his head.

In the deepest part of the Asylum, there was a door hung with a massive chain. In the center of the door was a peculiar lock. Superego took out something and pressed it against the lock. Arrogant Schiller didn't see it clearly, but he could tell it wasn't an ordinary key; it was a thin iron piece.

The chain was removed, the door opened, and the scene inside the room shocked DC Schiller.

The room was small, with only a bed, a table, and a chair. The bed faced the door, and lying on the bed was another him.

What shocked DC Schiller speechless and sent a chill down his spine was that the him lying on the bed had been opened up, his chest cavity exposed, his abdomen cut open, missing an entire arm and half a leg, with one eye missing. He looked like a victim lying on an autopsy table.

Just as DC Schiller instinctively walked into the room, the door behind him slammed shut. Standing beside the table, Superego revealed a cold smile.

DC Schiller narrowed his eyes, focusing intently on him. But soon, Superego smiled brightly and said, "Looks like my acting scared you, didn't it?"

With that, he turned around, gesturing to the chair behind the table. "Sit down. Now we can talk. You wanted the truth, didn't you?"

Arrogant Schiller's muscles tensed, his fingertips still trembling. He stared at the broken Schiller corpse on the bed and asked, "Who is he?"

Superego smiled again, pulling out a tray and cutlery from under the table, placing them on the desktop. Then he said, "You should be very familiar with him because you were the first to know him."

"You can call him 'Schiller.' Of course, we are all Schiller, but before, he had another name..."

Superego paused for a moment, and DC Schiller stared at him intently. Superego smiled and said, "We call him—System."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 1018: Schiller in 1991 (Part 1)