"The Dragon was brought to Gotham by Axel? No big deal."
Bruce replied without hesitation and immediately rushed to the equipment room.
Right in front of Lex, he stripped off his lab coat and put on an older version of the Batsuit.
Watching Bruce transform into Batman in the blink of an eye, Lex casually spun his phone in his hand.
"Bruce, even a magical creature like a Dragon showing up in Gotham is 'no big deal' to you?
Looks like your surveillance picked up something much worse."
As he spoke, Lex stepped into the monitoring area and instantly saw the blood-soaked scene on the screens.
The footage showed a deranged woman wielding a twisted steel pipe as she smashed her way through Arkham Asylum.
Severed limbs littered the floor. Blood and fragments of undead brains stained the walls and ceilings. The horrific sight made Lex swallow hard.
"This is definitely serious.
Who is that woman? The asylum director you and Axel mentioned earlier?
Because she looks more like the most dangerous patient in the building."
"Something must have happened!"
Bruce answered quickly as he pulled the cowl over his head.
He then stepped in front of Lex and firmly patted his shoulder.
"Handle the media. Contact Fox and have Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp work together to suppress the Dragon's impact.
Most importantly, Axel's ability to travel between worlds cannot be exposed."
"Got it. We'll say our companies collaborated on a project involving prehistoric DNA or something similar.
As for why a Dragon suddenly appeared, we can claim it was hidden using experimental cloaking technology.
That should buy us enough time."
Lex nodded before glancing back at the violent woman on the monitor.
"By the way, are you sure you're fine going to Arkham alone?
If you ask me, you should bring some Iron Man armor components. Too bad the suit still isn't repaired, otherwise this would be much easier."
"No problem. I think I can handle it. If not, I'll call Axel."
With that, Bruce rushed out of the laboratory, entered the Batmobile, and sped toward Arkham through the underground tunnels.
In another timeline, Bruce was never someone who enjoyed asking others for help, or even working alongside them in battle.
The current Bruce was different.
From the very beginning of his career, he had been tied to an extraordinary team.
Whether it was Lex's intellect, Clark's strength, or Zatanna's magic, every member brought something exceptional to the table.
They were not always reliable, but they were undeniably extraordinary. No matter how naturally solitary Bruce was, their influence inevitably shaped the way he approached problems.
After Bruce left, Lex shook his head and continued watching the monitor while contacting his subordinates.
As he coordinated multiple tasks at once, he glanced at the news feed on his phone and sighed.
Axel, you really know how to create problems for me.
But what choice do I have?
Of course I'll help you.
After all, you're humanity's future.
At the same time, elsewhere in Gotham City.
Axel sat atop Silver Winged Star as they hovered above the Gotham Museum district.
The Dragon looked down at the dense cityscape below before turning its head toward Axel in confusion.
It had long sensed that the tiny being controlling it was unusual.
More importantly, the surrounding environment had changed twice since it met him.
The air in this world was especially unpleasant.
"Cough... cough... roar!"
Silver Winged Star let out an irritated growl before shutting its mouth.
It no longer wanted to breathe through its throat. Instead, it relied on the intake membranes located on its chest.
As an amphibious Dragon capable of hunting in deep oceans, Silver Winged Star possessed specialized membranes that could extract oxygen from both air and water.
The moment it switched to that method, it felt significantly better.
Its nose no longer burned from the city's pollution.
Satisfied, it swished its tail and searched for a suitable place to rest.
The green gardens below looked appealing.
But a moment later, it abandoned that idea and flew toward a distant football stadium.
The gardens were nice.
The enormous bowl-shaped football field simply looked like a perfect nest.
Moments later, the massive Dragon descended over the stadium.
Everyone froze.
"What is that?!"
"Holy crap, it's a Dragon!"
"Is this some kind of movie set?"
"Why is there a Dragon here?!"
"Mommy!"
"Run!"
Panic erupted across the stadium.
Spectators shoved past one another while sprinting for the exits.
The players reacted no differently.
As the Dragon descended from the sky, the athletes scattered in every direction.
Several players collided in their panic, creating an even bigger mess.
Seeing teammates fall during the stampede, Victor Stone gritted his teeth and ran back toward them.
He pulled up both teammates and opposing players before shouting at them.
"Run, damn it!"
"Y-Yeah! Thanks!"
"Forget thanking me and move!"
"Let's go!"
Because he stopped to help others, Victor ended up far behind the first wave of fleeing people.
Before he could even reach the edge of the field, Silver Winged Star landed.
Thump!
Its claws dug into the turf as it settled comfortably onto the ground.
The sound behind him made every hair on Victor's body stand on end.
He ran faster than ever.
Then a familiar voice suddenly echoed across the stadium.
"Hey, hey, hey, why's everyone running?
Can't you tell this is a trained Dragon?
Relax, Silver Winged Star won't hurt anyone.
I'm Wraith, and I guarantee it with my reputation!"
Victor nearly laughed.
Wraith's reputation?
That wasn't reassuring at all.
Then his expression froze.
Wraith?!
The terror from moments earlier had completely wiped the thought from his mind.
The same realization spread through the spectators.
Axel's amplified voice reached everyone with perfect clarity.
Some of the braver people stopped and turned around.
The crowd immediately split into two groups.
One group kept running.
A Dragon was dangerous.
Wraith was dangerous.
The smartest option was still to leave.
The second group stayed and began shouting excitedly.
"So it's Wraith's Dragon!"
"Wait, Wraith owns a Dragon?!"
"That thing looks like a monster from a game!"
"It's Wraith!"
"Holy crap!"
"Pay-to-win players are getting ridiculous!"
"Boss Wraith, can I trade my Bugatti Veyron for your Dragon?"
"Haha! Victor, we don't need to run anymore. That's Boss Wraith's Dragon!"
One of Victor's teammates shouted excitedly beside him.
Victor immediately recognized him.
The guy had become a devoted supporter of Wraith recently and constantly preached about Wraith's philosophy to the rest of the team.
Victor personally considered Wraith an incredibly dangerous individual.
Even so, he stopped running.
On one hand, Wraith's personality might be questionable, but his strength was undeniably reliable.
On the other hand, if the Dragon really wanted to chase him, running would be pointless.
Victor took a deep breath and turned around.
He silently watched the enormous Dragon resting on the field.
Meanwhile, Axel casually walked along Silver Winged Star's spine until he reached the top of its head.
He waved toward the crowd.
"Haha, buddies, I wasn't lying, was I?
Trust me. With me here, this little guy won't go wild.
I can control him.
As for why I brought a Dragon here?
Come on.
When you buy a new car, don't you show it off to your coworkers?
When you get a sports car, don't you take it out for a drive?
I just got a new mount.
Of course I had to bring my prized mount out and show everyone!"
Axel raised his right hand.
"So, buddies, isn't my Dragon awesome?!"
"Awesome!"
"That's incredible!"
"Boss Wraith!"
"I finally saw Wraith in person!"
"I want to join the Dead Souls Gang!"
"Boss, if I join the Dead Souls Gang, can I get a Dragon too?!"
The stadium erupted with excitement.
Watching Axel stand proudly atop the Dragon's head, Victor couldn't help feeling a trace of envy.
Whether the Dragon itself was cool was debatable.
Axel certainly was.
Half the city cheered for him.
He possessed overwhelming power, the authority to decide life and death, and now even rode a mythical Dragon.
For a brief moment, Victor felt as though he were looking at a legendary hero.
Just then, his coach ran onto the field.
Approaching cautiously, he handed Victor a phone.
"Victor, your dad's calling.
A Dragon interrupted today's game, and we were about to win!"
Victor stared at him.
At a moment like this, the coach was still worried about the score.
Some people were truly born to coach.
Shaking his head, Victor accepted the phone.
The caller ID showed his father.
He immediately answered.
"Hey, Victor! Is that you?!"
Silas Stone's anxious voice came through the speaker.
"Dad, it's me.
As for how I'm doing, I think the answer is pretty obvious."
"Right, right.
I was watching your game, and now I'm watching the live news coverage.
Wraith actually landed a Dragon in the middle of your match!
Are you hurt?
I'm coming to get you immediately.
Wait, I can see you on the broadcast!
You're okay?
Thank God. Thank God!"
As Silas spoke, the reporters who had originally been covering the football game rushed toward Axel with cameras and microphones.
As they passed Victor, they naturally captured him on camera, finally easing Silas's concerns.
Meanwhile, near the Dragon.
Seeing reporters approach, Axel lightly tapped Silver Winged Star's head with his foot.
After spending time with Axel, the Dragon had learned several simple commands.
It obediently lowered its head.
The massive dragon head came to rest directly in front of the reporters.
Cameras flashed continuously.
Silver Winged Star wasn't bothered at all.
If anything, it seemed pleased.
It didn't understand photography.
It only knew that shiny flashes were appearing in front of it.
Like many Dragons, it had a fondness for sparkling things.
Curious, it rubbed its head against the grass and edged closer.
One reporter instinctively stepped back.
He immediately received several disapproving looks from his colleagues.
What kind of field reporter got scared that easily?
At the same time, Axel jumped from the Dragon's head and landed smoothly on the field.
Patting Silver Winged Star affectionately, he looked toward the reporters.
"So, buddies, is my Dragon cool?"
"Unbelievably cool, but not as cool as you, Boss Wraith!"
The nearest reporter answered instantly.
Axel grinned and took the young man's microphone.
The newly promoted field reporter nearly exploded with excitement.
Stepping forward, he eagerly asked:
"Boss Axel, I'm a huge fan and an unofficial member of the Dead Souls Gang.
It's an honor to interview you.
Could you tell our viewers where your Dragon came from?
Everyone is curious."
"Haha, no problem.
This Dragon is called Silver Winged Star.
Many people who've played Monster Hunter probably recognize it.
I captured it from the Monster Hunter world..."