Welcome back to Elemental Crisis Book II. Last time, Joker explained her origin to Batwoman and Cynder, purely as a means to taunt Batwoman, since Ryan Wilder also held that identity in Joker's world. But before that, Renee Montoya pulled a move that was barely noticeable, in when she was struggling to escape Virgil Getty and Mad Hatter, she managed to kick on the heat in the room subtly enough that Batwoman has seemingly started to defrost. But will it be enough to stop Joker? And will the rest of the team make it in time to save the day? Read on to discover...

(Our scene picks up exactly where it left off, with Joker having pulled out the gag spear gun and pointed it straight at Cynder's head)

Cynder: (Realizes the speargun is pointed right at her head, then trying to stall for time) If you hate Batwoman so much, why don't you just off her now? Your master would likely want me alive.

Joker: Oh, my dear Cynder, I'm surprised you don't know. This is psychological warfare. Yes, given the Bat's a popsicle, it would be easy to just kill her. And I do despise her, which is exactly why I'm offing you first. Let Ryan Wilder know just how much she's failed...

(At this point, everything seems hopeless. Cynder's got a spear pointed at her head, Joker appears to have won, and Batwoman is still frozen, unable to do anything. Though in this moment, we focus in on her thought process...)

Batwoman: (In her own mind) She's right... As much as I hate to admit it, Joker's 100% right. I've failed. I couldn't keep the city safe from these creeps, I couldn't tell Montoya was working against me, I couldn't save that poor kid afflicted by Killer Croc's tooth, and now I can't save Cynder. And now seeing that's exactly what happened to this Kate, too...

(At this point, the moisture rolling down Batwoman's frozen cheeks is very much confirmed to be her tears. But after a moment, the Shadow element pulses across her frozen form, and a look of determination appears in her eyes)

Batwoman: (In her own mind) No. I refuse to let this worst case scenario dictate my life. I won't fall into the same mindset as Bruce Wayne. I might not have succeeded in those other worlds, but this situation is different. I have to make it different!

(The Shadow element grows stronger within Batwoman's icy prison, and eventually forms a small crack near her right ankle)

Batwoman: Everybody is counting on me to get us out of here. To save the Multiverse, just like Kate before me. I can't give up now. I won't.

(The Shadow element pulses again as Batwoman realizes this fear of failing Kate's legacy is what was holding her back from controlling this Element the whole time.)

Batwoman: I won't!

(In this moment, the element of Shadow glows in Batwoman's eyes, now steeled with determination beyond anything we've seen yet.)

Batwoman: I WON'T!

(And in that moment, a feeling of control surges through Batwoman, much like with Flash back in Central City. A feeling unfamiliar, yet completely natural. An in that moment, a shadow creeps out of the crack in the ice near Batwoman's right ankle. And while Batwoman appears to still be frozen solid, Joker tenses on the trigger of her gag spear gun)

Joker: So, before I send you to that great Temple in the sky, Cynder. One question remains. You ever dance with the devil in the...

(But before Joker can invoke the pale moonlight, a punch comes of nowhere, knocking Joker to the ground and forcing the spear gun to slide across the floor. As Joker recovers, we see exactly who delivered that punch. Batwoman, having freed herself from her icy prison, in complete control of the Element of Shadow within her. Cynder sees this immediately and can't help but beam with pride while Joker looks actually surprised)

Batwoman: You want to dance in the pale moonlight, clown? (Throws up her fists, pulsing with Shadow Fire, ready for a fight) Then let's dance.

Joker: (Regaining her evil smile) Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting...

(And now the eternal battle begins anew, Bat of Gotham vs the Jester of Genocide. But just as the first punch is thrown, our tale ends for today)

And that looks like a good spot to wrap up for today. Only three chapters remain before this story's conclusion. So, in this moment, we finally see what was holding Batwoman back from mastering the Element of Shadow, her fear of failing Kate Kane's legacy. For a moment she looked broken after Joker told her her origin story, but Ryan Wilder here refuses to back down, even in the face of insurmountable odds. And now, the battle is on. So, how does this conflict come to an end, tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!