[Integrated/Crossover DC/Marvel] Why Did the World End Again? - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Cause of Todd’s Death

Alice raised the wooden board, but before she could strike, her arm was firmly caught.

“What are you doing?”

Lycoris Wayne looked at the girl before her with curiosity. Putting aside the bizarre outfit for a moment, could someone tell her what this girl was trying to do?

A double-tap?

Lycoris Wayne had traveled from Gotham to this place under the guise of developing “tourism.” The locals didn’t truly care about the details; after all, no one was surprised when a wealthy socialite from the Wayne family did something eccentric. It would likely just be another joke for the Gotham Gazette.

And Lycoris herself didn’t care about reputation. The Waynes had no use for such hollow things.

“He can’t die yet. He’s important for now.”

Hearing Lycoris’s words, Alice nodded and tossed the board aside. She was, understandably, very obedient. Regardless of whether she had transmigrated or entered a game, she was currently in an unfamiliar land. The “Billionaire Sister” was the only familiar face she had; she was going to cling to this lifeline for dear life.

Lycoris glanced at the unconscious man on the ground, then grabbed him by the leg with one hand and dragged him down. Alice watched as the man, hands tied behind his back, had his face scraped against the ground until blood smeared the earth. Alice let out a small “eek” but said nothing. The other liberated girls silently followed behind Lycoris.

Once the man was dragged outside the tower, Lycoris injected something into him. Moments later, his eyes snapped open.

“You—”

The man clearly wanted to curse, but before the words could leave his mouth, Lycoris silenced him with a swift, direct kick. The pain forced him to shut up.

“Where is the altar?”

“Altar?” Alice’s mind filled with question marks. The vision she saw earlier suggested the man was a killer and the Billionaire Sister had killed him as an act of revenge. Now, Lycoris was mentioning some strange altar?

“Don’t play dumb. You held a ritual at the altar last year, and it’s time again this year. Didn’t you want a Wayne? Well, I’m here. Where is the altar?”

Lycoris stared intently at the man. She exerted every ounce of willpower to control the manic impulse to kill him on the spot. At the thought of the deceased Jay and that “damned madwoman,” Lycoris’s teeth itched with hatred.

The man remained silent. From a distance, Jason observed everything—or rather, he was watching Lycoris. He could never forget those eyes. Her features might differ slightly, but he was certain those eyes were identical to Bruce’s. This meant the girl surnamed Wayne was definitely the old man’s offspring.

The thought made Jason irritable. He still had some degree of trust in Bruce—so where did this woman come from? The League of Assassins?

As Jason pondered, Lycoris suddenly drew a knife and plunged it into the man’s thigh, eliciting a sharp howl of agony.

“The south! To the south! It’s almost midnight!”

The man screamed, clutching his head. Lycoris frowned. Before she could press further, the man scrambled to his feet, clutching his wounded leg, and began to stumble away. To Alice, the scene looked almost comical—the man was like a snail, desperately crawling into the distance.

Lycoris didn’t rush to catch him, even though she could have done so in two steps. Instead, she reached into her shirt, pulled out an old pocket watch, and quietly counted the seconds.

“Time’s up…”

Hearing this, Alice felt a chill in her heart. Time’s up for what? Hunting season?

Lycoris followed the man’s blood trail at a leisurely pace. Seeing the trail lead north, she smiled.

“People always slip up when they’re paralyzed by terror.”

From Alice’s perspective, Lycoris appeared exceptionally cold. Her beautiful face now carried a horrific quality, like a machine devoid of emotion. In her eyes, that man seemed no different from a slab of meat.

Lycoris soon caught up to him. Alice watched the scene unfold with a sense of déjà vu: the long, narrow path, the blood dripping from the man’s forehead. She knew what was coming next.

“Why are you following me?”

Lycoris looked at the strange girl beside her. Perhaps she had been away from the world too long, but she couldn’t understand why anyone would wear floral shorts and a green tank top. The other girls hadn’t followed. Alice looked back and saw them whispering before heading north.

“I’m a little scared…”

“And you aren’t scared following me?”

Lycoris found it somewhat amusing. Combining that with Alice’s bizarre clothing, she tentatively categorized her as mentally unstable. She watched the path quietly, her eyes searching for something until, finally, she found it.

Beside the path stood a small wooden shack. She walked over and picked up an axe leaning against its side.

“This feels more natural…”

Lycoris shouldered the axe and leaned down. “I’ll give you a chance. You can run now. If you can make it out, I’ll spare your life. If you can’t, I’ll turn you into this year’s sacrifice.”

With that, she untied the ropes on the man’s hands. The man scrambled up and fled in a panic, while Lycoris followed his steps like a cat playing with a mouse.

“She’s treating this like a game.”

Alice could clearly feel the playfulness; Lycoris was truly treating this as a sport. But everyone knows that cat-and-mouse is a cliché game, and the conclusion was reached quickly.

The man collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat. At this moment, Alice felt like lighting a candle for him; from the very beginning, Lycoris had never intended to let him go.

Jason, following closely, knit his brows. He could tell the girl’s mental state was wrong…

“I’m sorry, Lord, please forgive me. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to do it. Please spare me, I beg of you!”

The man begged for mercy, even kowtowing. Everything went silent. Alice looked at Lycoris. The woman’s expression had turned dead serious. Alice didn’t dare breathe. Then, she saw the corners of Lycoris’s mouth slowly curve upward into an ever-widening arc.

“Hahahahahahahahaha! Spare you? You killed so many innocent people, you killed my brother—and you think I’ll let you go?”

“Demon! You’re a demon! All you Waynes are demons! You deserve it, you all—”

Thwack!

Something splashed onto Alice’s face. she touched her cheek and looked down. It was blood. The man’s head had been sent flying by a single swing of Lycoris’s axe.

“Demon? Then I’ll see you in hell.”

In that moment, both Alice and Jason’s hearts skipped a beat. When the warm blood touched her skin and the metallic scent filled her nose, Alice could no longer deceive herself. Was she really just in a game? Game characters can restart after death, but what happens if she dies here?

Would she ever be able to go back?

In the shadows, Jason felt the situation growing increasingly complex. The girl’s mannerisms and habits were terrifyingly reminiscent of one person: The Joker.

This definitely has something to do with Arkham. Old man, you’ve got trouble again…

“My revenge program is over. Next, it’s someone else’s turn. I wish you a pleasant life.”

After saying this, Lycoris turned and walked away, tossing the axe aside. Alice swallowed hard. She suddenly missed her “sunny and cheerful” Billionaire Sister. Billionaire Sister, I’ll never laugh at your pink scooter again. I hope you ride it for all eternity!

Gritting her teeth, Alice hurried to catch up. Lycoris sighed as the figure followed her. Definitely a mental patient.

“We’re going to the altar.”

“Oh…”

“Aren’t you curious?”

Alice looked up but didn’t dare meet her eyes. She had a premonition that if she said she was curious, there would be a price to pay. Lycoris smiled at her cautious behavior.

“You’re smart. In this world, the more you know, the faster you die. You know the Waynes, right?”

Alice nodded. Everyone knew the famous Gotham billionaire, Bruce Wayne—the old-money playboy who loved extreme sports.

“Do you know why this altar exists? Because right here, they sacrificed a Wayne. They called forth endless seawater and… Outer Gods.”

Alice didn’t dare speak or agree. She felt like she was hearing things that would get her silenced permanently.

“The one who died was my brother. His name was Jason Todd. People are so strange. When my brother first came to this town, he was covered in wounds. The residents took him in, adopted him, and looked after him with great care. But when his wounds healed and his memory returned, he went out for a while, and when he came back, they killed him… do you know why?”

Alice shook her head violently. She had no idea what was happening. She just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and uninstall this cursed game. Jason, hidden in the dark, listened silently.

“Greed. The stagnant water brought everything. Animals are the most sensitive; they flee to the shore in a frenzy. But people are ignorant; they didn’t realize it was a sign of death, only thinking it was a blessing from the gods. So they began the destruction. Jay’s flesh and blood opened the gate. She is about to enter.”

As she spoke, Lycoris’s expression was calm, but Alice could feel the madness simmering beneath the surface. To put it another way: she had likely been insane for a long time.

“They thought it was a god. They wanted a so-called god, so I came. I brought the wealth they desired, and they gave me ‘prestige’ in return. But that madwoman wanted another Wayne, so they kidnapped me. But they were wrong. I didn’t come to bring wealth. I came for revenge.”

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