American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 516 The Sanctuary is Completed

“Yeah, yeah,” Rune muttered, “who would believe a man who’s just come of age? He doesn’t have his own Batcave, he doesn’t wear his underwear on the outside, and he has absolutely no connection to the Greek gods.”

Barbara didn't believe in herself, or rather, she was skeptical. That's understandable, isn't it?

"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want to believe you, but—" Barbara frowned, "but this is really wishful thinking."

Just as Barbara wanted to discuss the necessity of killing more deeply with Rune, Clark came into the corridor, but he was too lazy to do anything but peek out.

"Rune, someone's looking for you! Looks like a mage—"

This interrupted Barbara and Rune's conversation. Anyone Clark could recognize as a sorcerer was most likely a Kamar-Taj sorcerer from the Marvel Universe; they had a distinctive uniform that made them easily identifiable.

Rune immediately walked out of the workshop, followed by Barbara. The girl was still trying to reason with the mage. Of course, she didn't object to Rune killing people, but at least she should make sure that the people he killed weren't good people.

Barbara talked the whole way, and Rune neither refuted nor agreed; he simply wanted to know why the mage had sought him out. Perhaps it was the thing he had been waiting for had finally happened?

As expected, when Rune left the workshop, he met the druid mage of Kamar-Taj. He did not accept Clark's invitation, but stood at the doorway and bowed respectfully to Rune when he appeared.

"Master Rune, how have you been lately?"

Barbara finally stopped speaking and instead curiously observed the mage. He didn't look young; he seemed to be over forty. He had a goatee and appeared to be a respectable person.

However, it is difficult to describe this mage as either righteous or evil. If we were to ask Rune to describe him, he would say that the druid has a sense of justice but prefers power.

He joined a monster hunter team, became a member of the Avengers, and even became the chairman of the alliance through political maneuvering, but the Druid's screen time was pitifully small.

However, this sorcerer is actually the prototype for Doctor Strange.

In response to the druid's greeting, Rune smiled and nodded. "Everything is fine. I wonder if you're settling in well here?"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two finally got down to business.

"Thanks to you, all three sanctuaries have been completed, and the magic arrays have been successfully deployed. The protective barrier can now cover the entire globe at any time," the druid said with a proud smile, clearly delighted. "Thank you for your support of this project. May I invite you to witness this magnificent spectacle with me?"

Oh my god, finally some good news!

Rune smiled with satisfaction. "Of course, I'd love to participate in this event."

The druid had other things to do, so he didn't accept Rune's invitation to enjoy the meal together. Instead, he used his slingshot to open a portal and left without even drinking a bottle of water.

Rune was not surprised by this—in fact, this haste had been going on for some time, not only because of the construction of the sanctuary, but also because of the thirst for new knowledge after arriving in a new dimension.

As far as Rune knows, the new Sorcerer Supreme, the King, and other sorcerers are attempting to simulate some of the spells in the DC Universe using Kamar-Taj magic, a process destined to be long, difficult, but exciting.

The monk's departure also opened up a floodgate of conversation for Clark.

"What was that protective barrier the sorcerer mentioned?" Clark asked his cousin, tilting his head back. "It sounds like Earth might be safer in the future?"

Barbara, standing to the side, also looked at Rune. In her universe, there was no place called a Sanctuary, nor was there any protective barrier large enough to cover the entire Earth.

"Yes, it will be safer." Rune nodded, agreeing with Clark's conjecture, but he immediately added, "However, normal people basically won't feel it; at most, they'll feel like they've had fewer nightmares or something."

The raven then added, "Its main function is to prevent demons and other creatures from freely entering Earth; you can also simply understand it as—a kind of spiritual protection."

"Oh, then I think Constantine's business might get much worse," Clark said sympathetically, but Barbara just snorted.

"He deserved it!"

Logically speaking, the two of them should never have gotten together, but Batman and Zatanna have a good relationship. Anyway, whenever there's a problem with magic in Gotham, Bruce always thinks of Zatanna first.

Zatanna and Barbara were best friends, and Zatanna often complained to her about Constantine, that womanizing and filthy man. What Barbara didn't know was that, in order to prevent the poor girl from vomiting, Zatanna not only didn't exaggerate Constantine's many misdeeds, but also omitted some disgusting details.

This comment made Rune raise his eyebrows.

Did that scumbag make a move on Barbara? Is Constantine in the main universe really that ruthless?

"Oh, okay—" Clark blinked, looking a little confused, but then he patted Rune on the shoulder. "It's the druid's loss that he didn't stay for dinner."

"I couldn't agree more." Barbara nodded, licking her lips.

Rune hummed in agreement; he didn't really need that level of comfort.

"Bruce, phew—" The Flash appeared behind Bruce almost instantly. He was exhausted, so he was now bent over with his legs spread wide and his hands on his knees. "The nuclear issue has been resolved, but—"

Batman turned his head to look at Barry, but the Flash was startled. Bruce turned his head so wide that he looked like an owl.

"But what?"

The voice seemed to come from hell, hoarse and deep.

Barry quickly regained his composure. "When I dealt with the nuclear bomb, I also captured a woman. I tied her up, but she—she said she wanted to see her son—"

"She won't get a chance!" Before Batman could speak, Catwoman standing beside him suddenly shouted, "That damn bitch—"

"Do you know who she is?"

Catwoman snorted. Of course she knew who it was, and even though she already knew that Bruce and Talia's ill-fated relationship had started earlier than her own, the thief lady was still very unhappy about it.

Especially after she discovered that Talia had given birth to Bruce's child and her figure hadn't changed at all! Maybe she should shave her face to see how she could still be entangled with Bruce!

Batman paused for a moment, then said, "Send her to Blackgate Prison—and tell her that I'll be bringing Damian to see her in a while."

"What a bossy guy—" The Flash muttered under his breath, just as he was about to run away, when Batman's words reached his ears.

"I heard it."

19

Swish!

Barry vanished in a flash, disappearing above the skyscrapers. But Batman wasn't actually angry. He looked at the burning city and reflected on his decision to hand Barbara over to Rune.

He didn't know if this was the right thing to do, but it might be better than letting Barbara stay under his thumb and suffer.

Tomorrow, it'll be tomorrow, Bruce decided.

He's going to visit Superman and ask him some questions—about family, companionship, and the like.