The Greedy Frog
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DC: The Enchater Chapter 76
🕑 Added 2023-10-07 21:23:02 +0000 UTCChapter 76: The Public's Verdict
Loads of things have played a part in how my views and personality have evolved.
Even as the leader of an underworld organization, I wasn't overly driven by greed or thirst for power.
I was just a regular businessman at first, but the way people acted, well, it kinda pushed me into getting my hands dirty.
Gaining power without taking some risks wasn't a walk in the park, and when everyone you cared about was on the line, the lines between right and wrong blurred.
But here, in this world, it was a bit unique.
"Let him go, Jasper!"
I didn't pursue money or fame out of sheer greed.
No, it began as a means to protect myself, a means to offer a source of entertainment for the one who brought me into this world.
And before I knew it, I found myself running a business to secure financial stability and peace of mind.
This, in turn, helped a few of my acquaintances find their livelihoods and passions. And now, it's a tool to expose the hypocrisy of those cocky superheroes.
"There has already been too much damage, there is no need to add onto it!"
On paper, or when you glance at it, it might seem excessive or unnecessary.
It's only when you experience it firsthand and see the actual harm and suffering that innocent people endure that you understand it wasn't excessive at all.
Rather, it was not enough.
"Is that correct?" I finally replied to Batman, "Is that honestly what you think?"
Arrow was practically finished. He was like a rag doll, especially with me gripping him by the hair, suspended in mid-air.
Needless to say, the moment I grabbed the falling Arrow by his hair –quite a lot of the said hair ripped off as well as a little bit of his skin.
But that won't be killing him.
Batman gritted his teeth, a noticeable scowl on his face even through the mask.
"You have already achieved what you wanted." He voiced out, "Anything beyond that is simply your display of sadism."
He was well aware that people were listening to our conversation, so he did his best to steer things in his favor.
"Oh, trust me, Batman." I smiled, "For what he has done, I have been extremely lenient."
He tried to counter, but I did not let him.
"This was inevitable, Batman," I went on, "Maybe not by my hand, but by someone else's. There are countless individuals in this world like us, perhaps even stronger, and they would have taken the same path."
Arrow was still hanging by his hair.
"Maybe it wouldn't have been individuals with superpowers," I emphasized as targeting the right audience was crucial. "It could've been people without power, those in authority... even the government."
His frown deepened to a ridiculous degree, as quite certainly he was aware of what I was doing.
"But no," I altered my expression to one of reassurance, "This time, someone else will make the call."
"No one," Batman asserted, "No one except the law has the right to decide that."
"In this instance," I gazed directly at him, "It will be those for whom the law was created."
This was the climax.
This was the very moment everything was set up for.
"The ones that suffered the most because of your foolishness."
Batman's eyes went wide, finally realizing the scope of this incident.
"The ones that have continued to suffer time and time again."
He felt like the ground had been pulled out from under his feet.
"It's only fair that I let them determine Arrow's fate."
"No…" Batman muttered, but it was already too late.
"So tell me," I announced, "THE CIVILIANS THAT HAVE SUFFERED ALL THIS TIME!"
My words were the catalyst for the destruction.
"WHAT SHALL BE THE FATE OF GREEN ARROW!"
…
…
This was unheard of.
This was something that the people had never seen before.
"Does he really want us to be the judges?" a middle-aged man muttered. He was one of the unfortunate individuals who had their entire businesses destroyed as a consequence of the heroes' battle.
Something that he was never repaid for.
"I-I think so." Another man said.
This man's story was even more tragic; he not only lost his business but also his family. His loved ones were brutally murdered by villains whom the heroes, for some reason, had refused to put down.
"YOU HAVE SUFFERED FOR TOO LONG!"
They heard Jasper's voice echoing throughout, and none of them understood how a man's voice could be so potent and profound, traveling for miles without causing discomfort to the listeners' ears.
"IT IS TIME YOU DECIDE YOUR OWN FATES!"
They felt drawn to his voice, to his words.
"IT IS TIME YOU JUDGE THE CRIMES YOURSELF!"
They felt connected to him, they felt like the man understood their pain.
"IT IS TIME THAT YOU STAND UP FOR YOURSELF!"
He, Jasper Hughes, had become the voice of the crowd.
A voice that resonated with everyone.
"H-He is right!" An old lady sitting behind her television yelled, "I will stand against the crime that my daughter suffered!"
She wasn't the only one.
Countless people shared the same feeling.
Whether it was someone listening through the radio, watching the event on television, or a person witnessing it live.
Every single one of them shared the same sentiment.
The same belief.
"Kill him!"
Finally, a person broke.
He could not handle the pain of the injustice, the pain that he had been carrying for ages.
"Kill that monster!"
But it wasn't just any random old man.
It was a man that Jasper knew very well.
"Please…" His voice broke, pain prominent in his voice, "J-Just kill him."
It was the voice of old man Hiroshi, the very man that sold traditional Japanese sweets in Serenora.
A man who had discovered a new sense of hope in Serenora, a means to provide for himself and his grandson.
But now, because of a 'hero', that very livelihood was taken away from him.
"Yes!" Another voice followed, "Burn that demon!"
"This was what you wanted…" Batman sighed, realizing the entire truth. "You never even wanted to fight any of us seriously."
Now, this was where he was wrong.
"Oh, no," Jasper said in a voice too elusive for any recording device to catch. His enhanced scouting had already confirmed the absence of audio devices, not even on Batman.
"I want to punch all your faces," he replied candidly, "But this is a more effective approach, even if it's not exactly what I want to do."
Batman stared at him, aware that Jasper had the power to kill them.
And this made Jasper wonder.
If Batman was going against him now, did he have a contingency plan? Did he come prepared with one? And if he did, does it truly work against him?
And, in the end, did Batman even know the truth about his ability?
'Guess I will find out later.' Jasper mused, 'Dragging another fight is beyond stupid here.'
"Constantine," he called out to the man protecting the girl who had recorded the entire scene. Jasper had yet to learn her name, but he knew she was one of the girls brought over by the kidnappers. "What about the other heroes?"
"They're alive, just a bit roughed up right now," he quipped. "But once they wake up, they'll be in for an even more unpleasant situation."
That was indeed true.
After all…
It had already started.
"Go back Batman!"
A small stone came flying toward Batman, and surprisingly, the hero didn't even bother dodging.
The stone struck his mask, undoubtedly made of a bulletproof alloy, so the pebble did no damage. However, it wasn't the physical pain that mattered; it was the sentiment.
"We don't need the likes of you here!" another woman shouted.
"Go back! Never come back again!"
"We don't need you people in our neighborhood!"
Batman could hardly believe what he was witnessing.
The very people for whom he had sacrificed his days and nights were now in open revolt against him.
"Kill him!"
The chants continued.
"No." Jasper said, silencing the crowd. "I will not kill him."
As he said that, the whole crowd became confused.
"Why?"
They asked.
No, they demanded an answer.
The guy who crushed their hopes and dreams and wrecked Jasper's place had them all scratching their heads. They just couldn't figure out why a man who'd been through as much, if not more, wasn't willing to kill Arrow.
But there was a certain reason.
A reason that they all agreed to.
"Someone that made us suffer so much does not deserve an easy way out!" Jasper yelled.
"Death is an easy way! He must suffer for what he did!"
Those words resonated with every soul that was present there.
And even those that watched and heard him through the media.
"Make him feel the pain!" he went on. "My friends who've suffered just like me, I urge you all to deliver justice! Don't kill him. Make him taste the misery, the shame, and let him feel his downfall!"
This.
This was the true end of Green Arrow.
An end, which marked the beginning of the heroes' downfall.
