American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

If we were to rank the heroes Rune admires most, Rorschach from Watchmen and Batman from the DC universe would certainly be strong contenders for the top spot. They both experience loneliness, have an almost obsessive pursuit of justice, and are never afraid to sacrifice themselves—even if that sacrifice is themselves.

He and Bruce chatted amiably. Bruce even pulled out a gun and explained his plans. He wanted to kill that bastard himself; he'd found out that Joe Jill was just an ordinary thug, powerless and currently in jail. And, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he'd never get out.

However, life is always full of surprises. After being tortured by many people in prison, Joe Jill decides to reveal dirt on a certain mob boss in order to get out of prison, while Bruce plans to kill him when he leaves after revealing the dirt.

Ironically, Joe Gill was tortured precisely because he had murdered the Waynes. The prisoners in the jail had all received favors from the Waynes, the most well-known example being the massive loop light rail system. A ride, whether to the last stop or the very last, cost only 5 cents. Considering its cost, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the largest charity event in the United States.

Even the most eccentric Gothamites knew who was truly looking out for them. It's said that many mob bosses showed up uninvited at the Wayne couple's funeral. They didn't disturb the sorrowful proceedings, but simply watched from afar.

"He's going to die anyway," Rune said, looking at the grieving Bruce. "There's no need to throw your life away for it."

"I don't care." Bruce gripped his knife and fork tighter. "Runn, what would you do if your parents were killed?"

"An eye for an eye," Rune said, offering no further advice. Alfred had surely tried countless times before him, and he had no right to try to persuade Bruce. If such a thing were to happen, he might do something far more ruthless than Bruce. After all, shapeshifting was considered one of the most extreme forms of torture in some dark magic books.

That evening, Rune was kept behind by Bruce, and Alfred led him to the guest room. This so-called guest room was even larger than the house he had rented.

"Your wardrobe is already stocked with pajamas and casual clothes in your size. Please feel free to take what you need." Afu walked to a button. "You can press this button, and a maid will come to meet your needs immediately. Have a pleasant stay."

After Afu left in a few steps, Rune opened the wardrobe and was once again shocked by Bruce's "money power." The pajamas inside felt so smooth they seemed to have been oiled, and the so-called casual clothes were also very nice, including nineteen different styles, with the tops and bottoms thoughtfully placed together. Compared to these clothes, the clothes he was currently wearing looked almost like roadside stall goods.

"Inhumanly extravagant, isn't that right?" Rune took out his wand. Even when resting at someone else's house, he couldn't give up his magical training.

Rune didn't envy Bruce. Magic could easily acquire Franklin, but Franklin couldn't necessarily buy magic.

Perhaps I could go to the Flashpoint universe or somewhere else and use Bruce's expired parent exchange voucher to get a new parent? As for the reward, Rune doesn't want much, just that Batman doesn't hit my face when he hits me.

In another guest room.

Bruce hasn't slept in the master bedroom since his parents passed away. It's filled with memories, but after losing his parents, he no longer allows himself to be weak.

"Run Dark was an orphan in the monastery, adopted by five different families, but these five families..." Alfred paused, carefully reviewing the report in his hand, before summarizing in a roundabout way, "Well, two of these families would choose the smallest caliber bullet even if they were to be shot; the other three are pure Gothamites, young master."

"Looks like our sorcerer isn't having much luck," Bruce remarked, somewhat surprised, watching Rune's retreating figure practicing magic on the monitor. Zatanna would, of course, cast spells in front of him, but her magic wasn't as flashy as Rune's. On the surface, Rune's spells—capable of bringing inanimate objects to life and creating flickering flames—perfected the general public's understanding of magic.

Most importantly, Rune was able to practice magic in both worlds, and he was incredibly diligent. Although he only attended Hogwarts for a little over two years, his actual study time was roughly equivalent to that of some sixth or seventh-year students. The professors of Transfiguration and Charms even stated that Rune's level was already high enough to easily pass the NEWT exam.

Professor McGonagall also frequently used runes to motivate her students.

"Yes, young master." Afu nodded. "Because he was sent back to the monastery multiple times, Rune was soon expelled. On the very day he left, Rune killed two drug dealers who threatened him, and he also carried out several sting operations, resulting in multiple injuries and deaths."

"Like he said to me, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," Bruce nodded. At this point, he hadn't yet become Batman, and he didn't have any so-called no-killing principle. He said viciously, "They deserved it."

Afu nodded.

"Gotham is indeed a strange city. If I'm not mistaken, he also killed a creature with six eyes and red scales that night; that must have been a demon. Although I've heard similar rumors before, a real demon..." He handed several photos to Bruce.

The photos depict Rune battling a demon. In the top photo, Rune, with blood streaming from his nose, points angrily at the demon, while several wolves charge alongside him, led by a massive tiger.

"Have you found out who his teacher is?" Bruce asked.

Afu shook his head regretfully: "I investigated secretly for a long time. There were no monks in the monastery who knew magic, and there were no related magic books in Rune's room. Those monks didn't even know that Rune was a sorcerer, otherwise they wouldn't have let him leave."

Bruce sighed.

“Therefore, I suspect he is the reincarnation of a sorcerer,” Afu said, pulling out another piece of paper. It was covered in dense writing, all records about reincarnation, including information on Buddhist reincarnations and the Taoist Eight Immortals’ reincarnations. “He’s very clever; he never revealed himself in the monastery until Miss Zatanna exposed his identity. And the secrets he spoke of are truly terrifying; his past life might have been that of a powerful sorcerer…”

Bruce gave the boy in the surveillance footage a long look.

Perhaps I can trust him for now, but he must be under my surveillance... At the very least, I need to know just how powerful his magic is, and I can also use his power to understand the entire magical world...

Bruce thought to himself. He told Alfred to go to sleep first, while he watched the monitor all night.