The moment Batman finished speaking, Kingpin realized he had been played.
Batman hadn't actually done anything to harm Kingpin's wife and son. However, until he spoke those words and provided the photographic evidence to prove it, Batman's every action had deliberately misled Kingpin into believing they had already been murdered.
But now, with Reed tossed aside and only the two of them remaining on the rooftop, Batman told him that his family was safe—they had simply moved.
Batman looked at Kingpin and said, "Tell me the details of your negotiations with the government."
"Unless you can give me a reason not to drag you back to prison."
"Regardless of your current status—whether you're collaborating with the U.S. government or you're a superhuman with an Adamantium skeleton—I will not stand by and watch you remain active in New York."
Kingpin clenched his fists. He took a step forward, closing the distance until he was within arm's reach of Batman.
"A reason?"
"I can..."
Before Kingpin could finish, several laser beams suddenly streaked through the air from the direction of the Empire State Building.
Batman dropped low and rolled away instantly. The lasers struck the spot where he had been standing, leaving several finger-width holes in the concrete.
"Hiss!"
The neigh of a horse echoed from the distant sky. A dark speck rapidly grew larger as a knight clad in black, riding a winged stallion, soared toward the Baxter Building at incredible speed. It was the Black Knight, wielding a glowing scepter.
Zip! Zip!
As the Black Knight flew, the tip of his scepter fired successive bursts of laser fire.
Aside from the very first shot that had grazed Kingpin's head, almost every subsequent beam was aimed directly at Batman, forcing the Dark Knight into a series of rapid evasions.
"Who goes there?!" Kingpin roared. He shot a glance at the approaching Black Knight before striding quickly toward Batman.
He was on the verge of reaching an agreement with Batman—obtaining information about his wife and son that even he didn't possess—only to have the moment shattered by this sudden intrusion. Kingpin's suppressed rage flared up once again.
Zip!
Another laser streaked toward Batman, but this time, Kingpin stepped in to intercept it.
The laser, capable of blasting deep craters into a reinforced concrete rooftop, struck Kingpin square in the forehead. Aside from leaving a charred, blackened wound on the skin, it failed to penetrate his skull.
"Tell me about Vanessa and Richard, Batman," Kingpin growled, gritting his teeth as he touched the wound on his forehead. He continued to use his massive frame to shield Batman.
After leaving Ryker's Island, Kingpin had flown directly to Yokohama, Japan. There, through the Dark Wind Corporation and the assistance of Kenji Oyama, the bones Batman had shattered were replaced entirely with Adamantium.
Conventional bullets and even lasers could pierce Kingpin's skin and muscle, but they could not damage the internal organs protected by his Adamantium skeleton.
Batman looked impassively at the Black Knight descending on his winged steed and relayed the information regarding Kingpin's wife and son.
"I hope for your sake you aren't lying to me," Kingpin whispered. "As for my negotiations with the government... all you need to know is that if I am imprisoned or lose contact with the outside world, New York will face a crisis far greater than today's dinosaurs."
"Batman!" Just as Kingpin finished, the Black Knight hovered over the Baxter Building, his scepter leveled at the Caped Crusader. "I have been commissioned by the NYPD to place you under arrest!"
As he spoke, the Black Knight gave a slight nod to Kingpin, whose forehead was still scorched.
"My apologies, Mr. Fisk. I didn't mean to hit you earlier, but it seems you're none the worse for wear."
Kingpin scowled at the knight on the pegasus. "You'd better hope it was an accident."
"Of course," the Black Knight smiled. "My target is Batman."
"Oh? You have a grudge against him too?" Kingpin eyed the scepter. He once owned a similar device capable of firing lasers, crafted by his chief engineer, Herman Schultz.
But following his stint in Ryker's, that scepter had long since vanished.
"No," the Black Knight replied. "Did you not hear what I just said?"
Kingpin remained silent as the Black Knight continued, "I am here at the behest of the NYPD to apprehend this criminal."
Throughout the exchange, Batman had been studying his new opponent.
The Black Knight wore a full suit of armor that completely obscured his body and face. It was impossible to discern his identity.
However, Batman wasn't looking at his face. He was observing the patterns on the saddle, the longsword strapped to the knight's waist, and the intricate engravings on the armor itself.
Batman was certain he was meeting this Black Knight for the first time, yet he had seen these specific patterns somewhere before.
Since arriving in this world, Batman had encountered very few things involving such specific heraldry. It didn't take much effort to recall the mysterious black stone tablet that had nearly been stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A member of the Whitman family? The thought flashed through Batman's mind.
He didn't engage the Black Knight directly. Instead, while the knight was occupied talking to Kingpin, Batman reached for his utility belt.
Clink!
With a crisp metallic sound, Batman hurled a smoke pellet that detonated with a sharp bang.
"Hiss!"
The winged horse neighed, flapping its wings to create a gust of wind that slowly dispersed the smoke.
The Black Knight fired several laser bursts from his scepter into the area where Batman had been standing, but he was too late.
When the smoke cleared, Kingpin stood alone on the rooftop with a few more superficial burns. Batman had vanished without a trace.
"The Black Knight appears to be a member of the Whitman family. The patterns on his armor share over a ninety percent similarity with those on the stone fragments."
"The Metropolitan Museum theft is linked to the Whitman family, which in turn is connected to the Dark Wind Corporation in Yokohama."
"Kingpin underwent his augmentation at the Dark Wind Corporation as well, having his skeleton replaced with Adamantium—forged from Vibranium and other rare metals."
"It seems Kingpin's backing also comes from the Dark Wind Corporation... Besides Adamantium and employing the Whitman family, what else is hidden there?"
On Bat-Island, Batman stood over a massive, prone red Tyrannosaurus Rex, lost in thought.
Every lead now pointed toward the Dark Wind Corporation. He would have to wait for the Ronin, Clint Barton, to finish his investigation before he could take the next step toward the truth.
He had chosen to retreat rather than continue the conflict with Kingpin and the Black Knight, prioritizing the larger mystery.
Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps approached from the direction of the East River. The Lizard emerged, dragging the carcass of the giant Tyrannosaurus he had slain, step by step onto Bat-Island.
"Hmm? This one isn't dead yet?" The Lizard noted the breathing red T-Rex as he approached.
"No," Batman said, glancing at the fallen giant before turning his gaze back to the red dinosaur. "I intend to save it."
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