Faced with a force that now controlled nearly every aspect of Gotham, the city's smaller crime factions were utterly powerless.
The Falcone family. The Maroni family. Names that once carried weight now meant nothing in the face of overwhelming power. All they could do was kneel before the Wayne family.
The other three major families also made their moves, but the results were less than ideal.
Among the four families, the Kane family sided with the Waynes after just one meeting. The current head of the family, Kate Kane—'Bruce Wayne's' cousin—had already become Batwoman, often operating alongside Gotham's masked vigilante.
With that alliance sealed, the Cobblepot and Elliot families found themselves cornered. They now faced not just the combined might of the Waynes and the Kanes, but also the political muscle of LexCorp and the economic empire of the Stark Industries from New York.
In terms of open power, they were completely outmatched.
They were up against Tony Stark, now the richest man in America. Lex Luthor, the sitting mayor of New York. And 'Bruce Wayne,' who was already on his way to becoming the mayor of Gotham.
For the Cobblepot and Elliot families, the crisis had never felt so real.
Oswald Cobblepot, now known as the Penguin, didn't even have time to react. During a riot triggered by the Joker Gang, he was captured alive by Batwoman and 'Batman' himself.
The Joker, of course, had slipped away. He had caused the chaos—and somehow avoided capture yet again.
If Penguin ever found out that Joker was actually Alfred in disguise, who knew how he'd react.
Gotham had become a massive stage, and these so-called criminals were completely in the dark.
At least Penguin had put up some kind of fight. The Elliot family was crushed without even putting up resistance.
Thomas Elliot, who would one day become Hush and star in his own tragic story, never even figured out 'Batman's' true identity. He was taken down by the combined forces before he could make a move.
Their industries were stripped away. The legacy of the four families had become meaningless.
These characters might be charming in the comics, but that was fiction. They survived thanks to plot twists and dramatic convenience. But in reality—under Reid's full control and determination to take over Gotham—neither Penguin's resources nor Hush's intellect stood a chance.
They didn't even manage to protect their public influence.
The so-called Four Major Families—once high and mighty—had been completely surpassed in just seven years.
Now, only one opposing force remained in Gotham: the Court of Owls.
"So what's even the point of me being here?" Deathstroke muttered to himself as he drove toward Wayne Manor. "Aside from some control over the Dionesium pool, the Court of Owls shouldn't have any real influence on the current Batman."
In the comics, the Court was portrayed as an ancient, hidden power manipulating Gotham from the shadows. But under Reid's control, their impact had been greatly reduced.
If this really were the DC Universe, then maybe the Court of Owls would still be hiding some trump card Reid didn't know about. But unfortunately, the system had only transplanted Gotham into this world. At best, the Court merely controlled a small pool of Dionesium.
They were made up of ordinary people. If Reid wanted to, he could wipe them out anytime using Martian Manhunter's powers.
Even without acting personally, Reid had already used telepathy to pinpoint the Court's exact location. He was just waiting for them to make their move so he could crush them completely and gain full control over Gotham.
That was exactly why Deathstroke felt like Gotham didn't really need his help.
But just as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly noticed a massive shadow fall over his convertible.
"Are the streetlights broken?" he muttered, glancing up. The next second, his eyes widened, something enormous was falling from the sky right above him.
"Is that… a huge butt?!"
Startled, Deathstroke launched himself out of the driver's seat with lightning speed, hitting the ground and rolling clear just as the object crashed down.
He was safe—but the car wasn't. It lay flattened, a steaming, twisted pile of scrap.
"My brand-new car!"
Deathstroke was furious. Sure, he was a being created by the system, but he had his own consciousness. After working three years for LexCorp, he had just picked up that car. Now, some oversized freak had come falling out of nowhere and smashed it with its giant ass. Who wouldn't be mad?
"You bastard! Let go of me!"
A voice roared from the dust cloud. As it started to settle, Deathstroke saw someone he recognized.
"Killer Croc?"
The thing that had come crashing down and totaled his car was none other than Killer Croc. And fighting him was a massive ball of flesh, nearly 2.2 meters tall and covered in layers of fat.
"A monster? No... a mutant."
Deathstroke quickly realized what was going on. The one battling Killer Croc was definitely a mutant.
He was just about to pull out his weapon and give Croc a hand when a burst of manic laughter echoed through the air.
From the other side of the road came the Joker, speeding wildly in his car, laughing like a lunatic. Sitting behind him was Harley Quinn, both of them grinning like they were having the time of their lives.
Especially Harley. She was firing rockets nonstop from her launcher, aiming at a red blur darting through the streets behind them.
"Hey, sweetie! I think we need to upgrade the firepower on our rockets! I want one that'll take out the whole damn block!"
The one chasing them—also a mutant—was someone Deathstroke had heard of through Reid's intel.
"Azazel, huh?"
As the Joker's car came barreling toward him, Deathstroke narrowed his eyes. At the last second, he jumped lightly, placed a hand on the car's hood, flipped up, and landed smoothly in the passenger seat beside the Joker.
"Oh? Look who finally made it to Gotham!" Joker beamed. "Welcome to our beautiful little city!"
Deathstroke had no intention of chatting with the Joker. As soon as he steadied himself in the seat, he drew his weapon and aimed it at the red figure chasing behind them.
"Word of advice, friend. You probably won't hit him," Joker said with a grin. "That mutant's got a sharp sense for incoming attacks, especially now that he's seen you draw your gun."
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