DC: I am Bruce Wayne

Chapter 56: A Pivotal Decision: Immortality or Blades?

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"I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am the truth. Ally to good! Nightmare to you!"

- YMIR, (ATTACK ON TITAN)

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<Bruce Wayne POV>

"So may I ask where we are going and why I am not training with Nyssa like usual today?" I asked as I followed after Ducra deeper into the cave wondering where exactly we were going. 

"She needs more time to master her powers and her chi. But you don't have the same privilege that she has. For you, it's either do or die. And that's why I am 'upping the ante' in your training so to speak. The speed at which you are improving won't be enough. You need to be able to do more than just jump high and punch hard. That's why we are going into the real Chamber of All." She revealed with a chuckle as I couldn't help but groan.

I had recently learned as much about chi and mystical martial arts as possible from the few of the All-caste monks who were still alive and even though I haven't yet made a breakthrough in unlocking something like nen or hamon, I have however learned how to augment and manipulate my chi to an absurd level, a level where even the invisible energy of life becomes so concentrated that it actually gains visibility in the form of a slightly shining colored aura. 

But the reason why Ducra was poking fun at me was that despite having practiced so much and even being labeled as a 'fucking genius' by Essence, I still instead of learning every mystical martial art move in their libraries, had only concentrated on perfecting two. One was the mystical punch which by the way needed a better name. The move was really similar to Iron Fist's dragon chi-empowered punch and was mainly useful to knock people's teeth out even if the ones in question are intangible spirits or untouchable demons. 

My second move however was a little more unique than the first one. The second move was basically me using enough of my qi in a specific manner to jump up in mid-air using the chi's energy as a boost and by constructing a mini platform made purely and entirely of chi making it possible for me to jump around in thin air like some sort of video game character. 

"Maybe, if you had tried to train me better and showed me all the techniques you know, then we wouldn't have been facing this situation right now, would we? Perhaps, you are not the wise and amazing mystic art teacher that you think you are." I grumbled at the short Ancient One copycat, annoyed by her savage comments. 

"Maybe. But again, as I have said before, everyone has their own part to play in the grand scheme of life. You do too and regrettably, it's not being an expert martial arts monk. So, it doesn't matter how much of this you learn because, at the end of the day, this is going to be only a small part of your actual destiny." She replied calmly, not showing any anger towards my comments at all. 

After this, we didn't talk much as we both descended deeper and deeper into the cave in comfortable silence until we came across a huge door with inscribed runes all over it deep into the ancient cave. 

"Welcome Bruce, to the true Chamber of all, where good meets evil, where life meets death, and where creation unites with destruction," Ducra announced in a voice filled with wonder like an expert professional tour guide giving a tour of the main attraction of the place.

"... was that supposed to wow me or something?"

"Maybe. Anyway, you are supposed to enter the chamber alone now that is if you aren't afraid of course. Inside you will find everything you would need in this war against the Untitled as well as everything you need to know. All you have to do is just keep your heart and mind clear and embrace the truth." She advised.

"Fine. I'll enter the chamber just like you want me to but I have a very important question before I do that." I said as I examined the huge door.

"Yes?" 

"How the hell do I open the door?" I asked, laughing nervously as I looked at the huge pair of doors which looked like they were the heaviest and most unmovable things in the world. Also, they looked like forcing open the doors might bring this whole place down.

"Don't worry about damaging the entrance. People much stronger than you have used their full strength on them and yet have failed to move them even a single inch. Moving them depends on how strong your will is not your muscles." 

'So, it measures the power of will. Interestingly, I always wondered how strong my willpower is. I mean I don't intend to ever wear a normal green lantern ring since I don't want to work for some intergalactic army or any weird short know-it-all group of ancient aliens but this should give me a rough idea of how strong my willpower is in reality...'

I didn't spend any more time in useless monologuing and just pushed the door with both of my hands. But what happened after the very next moment shocked me to my core.

"This... this isn't possible," I mumbled aloud to myself.

"Huh, What?" Even Ducra appeared somewhat surprised being affected by my own astonishment and shock.

"The door opened with the slightest push, there was no resistance at all. Does it mean that I have infinite willpower of the highest quality or maybe am I the very incarnation of the entity of will?" I asked as I looked at my own hands in wonder.

"..." Ducra didn't say anything and instead just continued staring at me with a straight face waiting for me to go inside.

"Okay, okay, don't guilt trip me, old woman. I am going inside." I said as I walked into the room.

"Oh and try not to insult him. He is as childish and dangerous as he is playful. He can be really moody and grudgeful at times." Ducra cryptically warned just before the door closed on its own behind me with a heavy *bam* sound.

"Great another cryptic advice." I thought aloud with a sigh.

The room didn't look anything special at all. It was large no doubt but it didn't look magical or anything. However, one thing unique inside was the small pool of water in the middle of the chamber which was an ominous dark green in color. I wanted to get close to the pool but the water was continuously releasing small amounts sort of green mist which felt toxic as soon as it came in contact with my enhanced super skin, so I made sure to keep my distance from it.

The entire room looked like some sort of treasure room with gold, silver, and diamonds lying on the floor like useless trash. Books were scattered like cheap magazines. There were even a few high-tech futuristic-looking blasters and guns lying around proving the fact that this place was weirder than I thought it was.

"So you are the chosen one huh? Hmm, you don't look that special to me. I wonder what's so special about you. Your sense of style maybe?" A childish voice surprised me prompting my eyes to quickly begin to search for where the voice came from.

After looking around more carefully, I finally saw what had been evading my senses. It was a boy in his mid-teens who was the same age as me sitting on a giant golden throne like he owned the place.

"... Gilgamesh?"

"What? Don't compare me to that arrogant little punk. I never did like him. *Huff* He stole too many of the treasures I liked and wanted for myself. I am the Great Amazing Supreme All-powerful Hugely popular and Handsome Lord S'aru, however, I allow my friends to just call me S'aru," The boy whined like the little kid he was.

The 'young boy' was well-built with traces of muscles spread all around his well-defined body. He wasn't wearing any clothes on his upper body and also had a cleanly shaven head giving him a spiritual look.

"Sorry, I thought you were him. Your handsome face and the huge collection of treasures you have accumulated also confused me. I am sorry if I offended you Lord S'aru. Ducra actually sent me here to you to find a way to defeat the Untitled. Can you help me out with that your holiness? It would be a huge help." I tried to get on his good side hoping that he would be as gullible as a real kid. Even if he isn't and understands that I am just playing around, it still wouldn't incriminate me since I am also a kid. In fact, I am more of a kid than he is since going by how he talks, he should be as old or even older than Gilgamesh of Babylon.

"Yeah yeah, I know who you are, that's why I called you the chosen one. I guess that old wench just dumped your ass onto me, talk of being irresponsible. I am a god for god's sake, not some babysitter. She should treat me with the appropriate respect and dignity someone like me deserves. *Sigh* Everyone takes advantage of the little guy." He said while wiping away a mock tear from his face.

"..." It was awkward because I now understood why Ducra hadn't followed me inside. This little kid who was supposedly a god was bat-shit crazy. He had a very short span of attention and talked like he was in a sugar rush. Dealing with him was going to be incredibly difficult.

"Why are you still here? I thought you would have left by now. Do you want something? By the way, I am not fighting you if that's what you are here for. I don't do mock practice fights after my last Thor and Odin debacle. Believe me, those damn overprotective sky fathers are a bunch of arrogant fatsos, tch. You shouldn't let your children fight someone if you are gonna be bitching about it later if he gets defeated. That's not called team spirit. It's called being a wussy." He mocked.

"Worry not O' great Lord S'aru, I am not here to fight you. Ducra told me that you might have some answers for me as well as a way for me to defeat the Untitled. Also, it would be great to know why you are calling me the chosen one." I questioned.

"Good questions but unfortunately I won't answer them. So you may leave." 

"What? Why not? Is it supposed to be some sort of a great secret or something that could affect my future?" 

"Well, I was actually going to say that I just wasn't in the mood, but yeah sure, that too if it makes you feel better." S'aru shrugged like he didn't care at all.

'I wonder if I have any chances of successfully killing a god because that's the only thing I want to do at this point, strangling this little godling until I feel the last breath of his annoying life leaving him.' I thought while keeping a straight and stoic face.

"Hey, hey, what is with that death glare? That would have made even me nervous if I had met you a couple of millennia ago. Chicks might dig it but that doesn't give you the right to start scaring little vulnerable children like me..." He suddenly stopped as he looked at the corner of the chamber with frowned brows, his previous visage of playfulness and humor completely disappearing like it was never there and being replaced by pure sobriety. "Another attack by the Untitled, and this time it seems that they brought the entire cavalry. A final effort to wipe the entire All-caste together it seems." He muttered.

"You know what, on second thought I will provide you with some much-needed aid. In fact, I will even let you choose what type of aid you need. What do you say, I am generous, aren't I?" He giggled like he was really pleased with himself.

"And what are my choices?" I asked hoping that this won't be a prank or something.

"Let's see, I can give you that but that is junk. Maybe that would be better but again compared to that, that's nothing. So the best would be that and that, yeah I think that's brilliant." He nodded to himself as he began to study all his treasures like he was wondering which one he had to throw away while floating all around the room, still in the same sitting position he was in before.

"Yep, I have decided, your choices are either to have a truly immortal and indestructible body by drinking this super amazing green drink that is absolutely not suspicious in any way or to have a pair of swords that can cut apart anything that's magic or mystical. Or you may also take the third option and ask me a single question which I swear I will answer as truthfully as I can. Cool right? So, what do you choose?" He asked as a shining golden goblet filled with the same dark green water that the pool in the middle of the room was filled with appeared in his left hand while a pair of flaming swords that seemed to burn the very air around them while raising the surrounding temperature floated above his right.

"Come on, you should quickly make up your mind Bruce Wayne unless you don't care that everyone outside is gonna get killed and turned into zombies soon, in which case, you may take as much time as you want. Living is overrated anyway." He said with pure childish excitement in his voice like he was genuinely curious about what I would do.

'Yep, that does it. I don't think that I am ever going to have children of my own, at least not in the next few centuries.' 

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