Snow covered the slope with an almost artificial silence. Clark moved ahead, his steps light despite the uneven terrain. Diana walked close behind, her shield reflecting fragments of pale light that slipped through the low clouds.
The thin air didn't affect either of them. Only the constant sensation that the mountain was not empty.
Clark stopped. His gaze pierced beyond the icy walls ahead.
His vision cut through stone, snow, and layers of shadow. The darkness inside revealed corridors carved by human hands, ancient and precise. Vast halls upheld by stone pillars. The heart of a fortress.
At the center, he saw him.
Bruce Wayne.
His body firm, his posture unbreakable, his presence as cold as the walls around him. He wasn't alone.
Behind him, dozens. No, hundreds.
The League of Shadows.
Men stood immobile in perfect rows. Dark garb, short blades, controlled breathing. Each one an extension of the other. An army in absolute discipline.
Clark drew his eyes back slowly, absorbing the sight in silence. His body didn't move. Only the weight of recognition stretched the seconds.
'League of Shadows. That's unexpected. But nothing to be done. Good thing I brought Diana.'
He exhaled slowly and turned to her. The wind cut against their skin, but it didn't dim the steady glow in the Amazon's eyes. The shield strapped to her back caught the gray light, and her posture didn't waver before the warning.
"Bruce isn't alone. There's an army with him, trained to die in silence. The League of Shadows."
Diana's gaze didn't falter. Her expression remained calm, almost defiant.
"Then it's simple. They are many. But we are enough."
Clark looked at her for a moment longer. There was no fear in her eyes. Only the courage that always walked with those born for war.
The silence was broken by the dry crunch of snow beneath his boots. Clark stepped closer to her, raising his arm firmly.
"We won't walk. We'll fly straight to them."
Diana nodded. No hesitation. Only the brief movement of someone accepting the plan as natural.
Clark gripped her waist. The hold was steady, and her body adjusted as if she had expected it.
The thin air was swallowed by sudden displacement.
ZZZZMMM
The world blurred into white streaks. Snow whirled in a storm, kicked up by the force of their takeoff. In seconds, the slopes were behind them. The mountain, once impenetrable, was now a direct target.
Diana's eyes stayed fixed forward, her body upright in his arms. Her trust in the flight was absolute, her shield reflecting the snow's brightness like a golden signal advancing through the sky.
The wind became a constant roar.
WHOOOOOSH
Clark cut through the air until reaching the crest, adjusting their descent straight into the hidden entrance of the sanctuary. The impact of the landing was absorbed in a calculated motion, his feet steady on the ice without faltering.
Inside, at the fortress's heart, Bruce lifted his head.
No vision pierced stone, but instinct and the bond with his master were more than enough. He knew they had been discovered.
His eyes narrowed, and the League's silence grew heavier.
He turned slightly, his voice low, steady.
"The base has been compromised."
Ra's al Ghul shifted only his gaze. The torch flames shimmered across his still features, and a faint smile formed, unhurried.
"No one has ever entered here alive. And today will be no exception."
The confidence in his tone cut sharper than the warriors' blades. The ninjas remained unmoving, shadows awaiting command.
Bruce gave no reply. His body was already in motion, calculated, precise. His eyes didn't turn to Ra's or to the army. Only to what mattered.
The Water Crystal.
Kept in a reinforced urn, hidden beneath layers of runes and metal. He didn't need to speak. Every step betrayed that his priority wasn't defending the fortress, but preserving the artifact.
He moved along the hall's edge without hesitation, his cowl shadowing his face. His silence was refusal to waste time.
Ra's watched with calm. No order to stop him. No reproach. Only the cold curiosity of someone waiting for the next chapter to unfold.
"The herald protects the stone, but who dares to challenge the shadows… that, I want to see."
The flames wavered with the draft that swept the corridors as Bruce vanished through a hidden passage. The army didn't move.
Outside, Clark fixed his gaze on the stone layers. His x-ray vision swept each corridor. He tracked Bruce slipping through the walls toward an isolated sector, far from the main hall.
Recognition came instantly.
He could follow. He could intercept the crystal before it disappeared into the wrong hands. But he didn't.
His eyes returned to Diana, who steadied herself at the entrance. Her shield strapped to her back, her sword in its sheath, her stance reflected absolute readiness.
Clark knew leaving her alone wasn't an option.
'The ninjas come first. Bruce can wait.'
He shattered the quiet with a simple order.
"We attack now."
Diana drew her sword, the blade reflecting the snow's white glow. A brief smile curved her lips, marked with anticipation.
"Finally, some excitement. I was growing bored without battle."
Her body stood like a bronze statue. Not just ready, but savoring the imminence of war.
Clark inhaled deeply. Heat burned in his eyes, glowing a fierce red. His vision cut through stone and snow into the fortress's heart. His focus locked on Ra's al Ghul, standing tall in the center of the hall.
The glow intensified.
FWOOSH
The heat ray sliced ice and stone like butter. The upper structure cracked in sharp snaps, fragments collapsing.
KRRRAAACK
Inside, Ra's raised his face. The blaze descended like a thunder of fire, aimed directly at him.
The reaction was instant. He stepped back swiftly, his tunic whipping as he narrowly dodged the strike.
BOOOOM
The explosion swallowed half the hall. Stone pillars shattered, shards and dust scattering through the League's ranks. The warriors held formation, even as the heat seared the air.
Ra's clenched his teeth, fury in his eyes.
"Damned…"
The roof was now a gash open to the sky. And through the gap, a shadow dropped.
Clark landed firmly, his boots crushing stone beneath. Diana was in his arms, shield raised, sword ready. The impact echoed like thunder through the hall.
THUMP
The League of Shadows reacted as one.
SHHHK
Blades were drawn in perfect unison. Hundreds of steps shifted together, forming lines that enclosed the intruders with relentless discipline. The sound of their measured breathing replaced the silence.
Clark released Diana in the hall's center. Her shield was already up, sword poised for the first strike. The Amazon's eyes gleamed with the thrill of battle.
The weight of the scene didn't break Clark's calm. His stance was firm, his eyes sweeping the army encircling them.
He broke the silence.
"Sorry to interrupt your meeting, but it's time to die."
The echo of his words spread through the hall like a sentence. Ra's narrowed his eyes, studying every detail of the two invaders. The warriors didn't hesitate. They stepped forward as one, blades ready, the stone floor trembling under the preparation of collective assault.
DOOM DOOM DOOM
The ninjas' boots struck in unison, a drum of war pounding the hall. Violence breathed in the air, moments from release.
Diana twirled her blade, the metallic hiss cutting through the tension, and braced her shield before her. Clark flexed his shoulders, energy flaring in his eyes like molten fire.
The battle was about to begin.
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