In Arcadia Council Citadel – Level Zero.
The war table glowed with hundreds of red dots—each one a live signature.
Each one, a weapon.
The Elder of Execution raised a single hand.
The entire chamber fell silent.
“You’ve seen the feed. You’ve seen the Warden fall.”
She tapped a crystal panel.
A single name pulsed in glowing crimson:
BATMAN
Status: Systembreaker
Css: Null Anchor
Directive: Terminate on Sight
“Effective immediately,” she said.
“He is kill-on-sight for all Arcadia-aligned forces.”
---
At the Underground Killnet, even in the shadows, word spread fast.
Killnet contracts updated.
The bounty wasn’t just money.
It was favor.
Access.
Status.
To kill Batman meant to rewrite your rank in every dark corner of the world.
Syndicates whispered it.
Fallen guilds cwed at it.
Assassins sharpened their bdes.
“He’s just one guy, right?”
“But he killed a Warden.”
“I want that mark on my soul.”
---
Meanwhile, at the Arcadia Infirmary.
Deku sat by Batman’s bed, nervously tapping his knees.
“Okay. So, not to be a buzzkill, but... you’re literally the most wanted guy in the system now.”
Batman opened his eyes slowly.
Still exhausted, but aware.
“And?”
“And?! Dude—every bounty hunter from here to the outer realms is gonna want your spine as a souvenir!”
Batman sat up, unbothered.
“Good.”
Jessa leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
“You don’t get it. This isn’t a duel. This is a deathmatch.”
“They’re not coming to test you. They’re coming to erase you.”
He looked at both of them.
“Then we erase them first.”
As his conversation with Deku and Jessa wrapped up, Batman gnced ahead — the system message was already beginning to form.
[Title Perk Activated: Systembreaker]
(All targeted kill quests against you become visible in your interface.)
(All bounties pced against you are converted into tactical data.)
New Quests Tracked: 348
Top Threats Identified: 7
Batman’s eyes narrowed at the interface.
“Show me the list.”
Top 7 Killers Assigned to Batman.
(Codename: Bcklist 7)
1. “Silent Rook” – Former Arcadia Instructor. Teleportation-based swordmaster.
2. “Mirage” – Illusion assassin. Has killed 12 kings. Never seen.
3. “Brother Eon” – Ex-priest. Warlock. Known to manipute time in short bursts.
4. “Lerna” – Half-human hydra. Can clone herself.
5. “G-72” – Biological superweapon. Leaks venom from her breath.
6. “Nooseman” – Kills with curses. Said to hang people with their own shadows.
7. “Solis” – …?
Batman paused.
“Wait. Solis?”
Jessa stepped forward.
“Didn’t you say he was on our side?”
The screen glitched briefly—
Then the tag shifted.
[Status: Unknown]
[Allegiance: Variable]
Batman exhaled slowly.
“Of course.”
---
Solis stood before a burning outpost, the city around him shrouded in smoke.
Bodies behind him.
He whispered into the wind.
“You can’t change a world without breaking it first, partner.” ---
