Wait, There’s Another Wayne?

Chapter 39 – Between the Knight and the Ghost



His cape flutters with the cold wind, and appearance melt with the night.
Clad in darkness, he scours upon the filthy corners of society, covering them under his own shadow, all in his attempt to protect them from the chaos that breeds from within the wombs villainy and injustice.
He never compromise. Even against a being with a threat even bigger than the entire world, he would never quit. Never gave up.
He’s incorruptible; his body maybe mortal, but his existence is a symbol, undying.

He’s someone Matthias knew well; his brother: Bruce Wayne of Earth, aka Batman.
And now… he faces his own brother, hoping he doesn’t yet to realize that he is the persona of a ghostly Wraith.

‘Dammit… didn’t he returned to Gotham several days after that last visit?’ Matthias thought, as he stood tall.

When Bruce was visiting Matthias in Metropolis, he had told him that he would be in the new Wayne building in the city. After that, Bruce had called him again to tell him that he will return to Gotham. That was a week ago.

“Cease your attack.” Commanded Batman as he strides forward.

Matthias prepped himself to act in his full persona as the Wraith, and then spoke in his disguised deep voice.
“I am not your enemy, Batman.”

“Your actions prove otherwise.”

“My mission is only to clean the streets of Metropolis off of these organized syndicate group-.”

“-In a murder spree…”

“I don’t kill every criminal I see. Small time thugs, I only incapacitate them. To criminals like these, I need to kill them, lest they return with twice the grudge.”

“That action only proves you’re acting judge. A lawless judge.”

Knowing that this conversation is meaningless and will never persuade Batman, Matthias approached the batarang that disarmed him that which was embedded in the nearby pavement.
“I can’t seem to persuade you to let me go.”

“I let you loose back in Gotham. This time, I’m not taking any chances on a dangerous individual like you.”

“... You can’t catch a Wraith, Batman.”

“Wraith or not, I’m taking you in.”
Batman assumed his fighting stance with one of his hands closer to his utility belt.

Matthias did the same, and prepared himself for a clash.
‘At least he did not recognize me.’ He thought as he stood nearby the embedded batarang.
Matthias bent down to pull and pick the batarang up.

“I wanted to say this before we fight…”
Matthias- no, it’s Wraith now, spoke in his most sincerest. He remembered his past life, being someone who once imagined to not only meet someone like Batman, but also fight against him like one of those fighting games involving DC Superheroes.
And so, he ended this useless banter, not as Batman’s younger brother, but as his past self disguised in his own self made persona- -
- - “… It is truly the GREATEST honor to be able to fight against you.”

And Wraith threw the batarang back to him.

Batman did the same, and as the two batarangs clashed with a hard Twang!, Wraith ran towards his blade he dropped nearby, and Batman shoots his grappler.

The claw of the grappler nearly got Wraith’s arm, but the latter dodged and rolled towards his blade, and with a style, quickly stood back up and assumed his stance with his sword facing Batman.

Then the two clashed.

Batman threw several punches which Wraith blocked with his sword and hands.
Wraith retaliates by pushing his sword forward, and then he attacked by giving a quick slashes towards Batman, which the latter blocks by using his arm bracers.

Several clangs and pangs resounded in the night.
Batman blocked Wraith’s sword attack, and kept trying to lock the blade by using his arm bracer’s fins to try and clamp it in between the slits.

*Twang!*
*Pang!*
*Clang!*
The noises of metal hitting metal are filling the empty street as the two figure in black fought.

Wraith tried to break the stalemate by giving a kick, but Batman simply dodged to the side, and he somersaults to kick Wraith by the chest.
Wraith let his body fall backwards, and used the motion to roll back up, then jumped forward to initiate a charging attack.

Having boosted his strength for this attack, Wraith positioned himself in a stance similar to sumo, and body-slammed Batman who was unaware of the amount of strength it has.

Batman falls backwards, but he also did a roll, and then he threw several batarangs towards Wraith who simply swats the incoming projectiles with his sword.

“F-fuck this shit!”
The one henchman who was watching the scene of two figures clad in black fighting against each other until now had enough of it. He was about to go into the car he crashed nearby with all his incapacitated allies, but then two sharp things went in front of his face and into the car’s door; one was the knife that the Wraith used to blow up his people’s hideout, and the other was the batarang.
He looked back towards the two, who somehow had their sight locked on him.

“Stay down or get hurt.” Batman stated, his deep voice sounding so chilling to hear.

The henchman lightly nodded as he sat down on the side pavement looking like a child afraid of receiving his parent’s retaliations.

Batman then threw his pellets towards Wraith.
The pellets hit the ground near Wraith’s feet, and they all exploded while spreading thick gray smokes all around him.

“It’s useless to use smokescreens.” Said Wraith as he pours his own smoke he produced from his body. He made the smoke to dissipate quickly, and then he covered his body from the incoming batarangs hitting him.

Batman threw another batarang that Wraith swats to the side, but for some reason, this one breaks in half rather easy.

“How about a flash.” Said Batman.

Then *FLASH!* - *BANG!*
The special batarang that splits in two exploded as flashbangs, and in blinds and disorients Wraith, making him susceptible to a barrage of attacks by Batman.

Wraith breaks the barrage, and then charged forward to pull a lunge attack with his sword, which Batman intercepts by locking the sword between his arm bracer’s fins.

“I hope I don’t pose too much of a challenge.” Taunted Wraith.

“So far I’ve held back.” Replied Batman in a-matter-of-fact way.

Wraith then tried to break away from the lock by pulling it, which Batman let, but the latter then threw several pellets right on the face.

Wraith moved his head to the side, prompting Batman to try and hit him with a hard fist to the head. But Wraith had anticipated this move, and he boosted his agility and moved his head to barely evading the fist, and then hit him by the abdomen using his sword’s hilt.

“Urk!”
Batman felt the hard impact of the hilt against his stomach. He dashed backwards and assumed a straight posture.

“Let’s end this fight, Batman. I can let you deal with these remaining syndicate members as I go. We shouldn’t be enemies.”
Wraith had both of his hand raised in front of him to signify that he’s wants to stop the fight.

Batman stared hard at Wraith, and he lightly moved his hands,
“If you think I’m letting you go, you are strictly mistaken.”
He pulled out something from his belt; a switch, with black chassis and a crimson button.
“I’ve been planning for this.”
Then he pressed the switch.

“Uaaaaaaackk!”
From the Wraith’s back was a small sticky device that beeps in blue light. It generates a certain voltage of shock, enough to incapacitate an adult elephant.

‘D-dammit!’
Wraith tried to move, but all he can do was spasming on the ground. He tried to boost his strength and endurance to the max, but he still can’t reach the back of his shoulder even if he forced himself.
Since the shocks are keeping his muscle tense, he can’t reach his back shoulder.

“You’d be wise to give up.” Said Batman as he approached closer.

Batman was about to pull his handcuffs to cuff the Wraith, but the latter somehow pulled a knife which he activated and threw near the back of his shoulder, and with difficulty, pressed the trigger from his own utility belt.

“Dammit!” yelled Batman.

The explosion of that single knife was small, but strong enough to break a small lock. Given how close Wraith position himself near the knife, the explosion is enough to break the shock device as well as damaging him.

But still, this means that Wraith had escaped.

Batman was covering himself from the explosion, and he sees that the Wraith had quickly dashed away from that spot.

Wraith then threw an explosive knife towards the one henchman who was sitting by the pavement nearby.

“Better take him somewhere safe before I blew him up, Batman!” said Wraith as he pressed the switch.

Batman grunts as he quickly dashed towards the sitting henchman, who was funnily sitting like your usual civilized person.

Batman quickly arrived near the henchman, and he pulled the knife embedded beside him and threw it far away.

Then, the knife exploded.
*Psssh…*
But the explosion is not at all fiery, but instead, smokey.
Wraith had just threw a smoke bomb in the knife, and he had just escaped.

“… Wraith…” Batman muttered the name under his breath. He approached the henchman who was still all confused and utterly scared, and then he cuffed him before he tried to do anything else.
“… who are you, under that mask…”


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.