"Now!"
"Now!"
Both shouted at the same time.
Batman flicked his wrist, throwing batarangs as he engaged Ra's al Ghul. Around them, hundreds of League of Assassins members emerged, pouncing fiercely on the group.
Facing the rain of arrows, Thea raised the Power Armor's energy shield, protecting everyone inside. Her attitude was nonchalant; she was prepared to observe this rare battle between the Detective and the Demon.
If Lex Luthor could research energy shields from scratch, then for Thea—who had so much alien tech to "borrow"—creating this thing was too simple.
It was practically cheating against these ordinary assassins.
Powered by a White Dwarf star, the shield was massive and dense. The few assassins charging at the front were startled, but their training taught them to despise technological weapons. They raised their steel blades and slashed at the energy dome.
There was no sound of metal clashing, no scene of blades breaking. It felt like slashing through air, yet no matter how hard they pushed, their blades couldn't cut through.
A few skeptics slashed wildly, only to stand there dumbfounded without exception.
"Morons!" Thea shot them a cold glance. Ignorance is terrifying.
This energy source could power a city of a million people for a year. Trying to deplete it with a hundred men and steel swords? A conservative estimate would take them ten years of hacking without sleep.
The people inside the shield were surprised at first, but quickly accepted it. Nightwing had seen plenty of black tech following Batman for years. Shado and Batgirl had known Thea for a long time; nothing she built was surprising anymore.
Seeing the League assassins helpless against the shield, Talia relaxed and focused on watching her father fight Batman.
Fists flew and legs kicked. Ra's al Ghul's moves were eerie and deadly, while Batman utilized his tactical mind, integrating martial arts from all over the world.
Why are they fighting so conservatively?
Thea's combat skills were not inferior to either of them. After watching for a while, she quickly realized something was wrong.
Both Batman and Ra's were holding back. For the first ten moves, prioritizing defense was understandable. But now, after forty or fifty moves, they were still defending more than attacking. This was suspicious.
By the eightieth move, Thea figured it out.
Ra's al Ghul truly liked this son-in-law. He wished Batman would take over his mantle immediately. Ra's wasn't using even a tenth of his true intensity. He was just looking to lose by a move or two so he could complete the handover.
Batman, being smart, obviously saw through the plan. He wouldn't take over the League of Assassins even if it killed him, so he defended desperately, with absolutely no intention of attacking.
Watching the two men exchange stalling blows, Thea understood. The actors were just going through the motions. Her interest in watching the show faded.
Just then, Batman gave her a look.
Thea understood his meaning—or perhaps, this was also Ra's al Ghul's meaning.
"I can't move the shield while it's active. Gear up, we're rushing in. Talia, guide us! We save Jason and the others at top speed." Thea turned and ordered.
"3, 2, 1, move!"
They were still outside the main sanctum. Not knowing the strength of Nanda Parbat's barrier, Thea didn't use her bow. She dropped the shield, raised her hands, and fired two blasts of cryogenic gas, clearing a path through the encirclement.
"Go! Go!"
Thea urged them on. Batgirl's skills had improved significantly over the past year, and her combat awareness was sharp. With Talia leading the way and Nightwing and Shado carrying the wounded, the task of covering the rear fell to Barbara.
Smoke bombs and batarangs were constantly thrown behind and to the sides. Amidst the chaos and fire, they rushed into the inner sanctum of Nanda Parbat.
The interior was ancient. Bluestone paved the ground, torches lit the path, and faint screams echoed from the distance. It felt like stepping from civilized society directly into an ancient tomb—solemn and full of killing intent.
Only Thea carelessly observed the decor. Barbara felt the pressure increasing. Shado handed her father to Nightwing, taking out her bow and using various high-tech arrows to block the pursuers.
Talia led them through twists and turns. Any minion jumping out was frozen in place by Thea.
"Here!"
They arrived at a stone wall. Talia pulled a mechanism on the side. A massive stone rose, revealing a pool of green water.
"How does it look?" Barbara wiped sweat from her forehead, asking Thea, who was studying the water.
Thea shook her head. "My abilities are sealed; I can't tell if there's an issue with the water. But the sensors in my armor detect massive energy inside. Don't hesitate. Throw them... throw them both in at the same time."
She remembered that because of the Demon's corruption, the energy in the water could repair the soul but also induce madness. The original Thea had suffered a lot because of it. Would sharing this madness between two people dilute the effect?
Nightwing took out a prepared rope, tied it around the waists of the two men, and slowly lowered them in.
Pursuers were still arriving endlessly. Thea dared not seal the door with ice, because once sealed, they wouldn't be able to get out later. She picked up a long sword from a fallen minion and blocked the door with the others.
Nightwing, the only male present (besides the unconscious ones), fought valiantly. Although he and Barbara had broken up, their feelings were still there, lingering. His twin escrima sticks flew up and down. He already possessed seventy to eighty percent of Batman's combat level, beating the League minions until they were wailing in agony.
"How long will this take?" Barbara leaped into the air, kicking an enemy down and whipping another away, before asking Thea.
Thea looked back at the pool. Bubbles were gurgling, like something was boiling.
"Should be soon," Thea answered vaguely. She honestly didn't know.
She couldn't see magical fluctuations, couldn't see energy trajectories, couldn't even see enemies hiding in the dark. Accustomed to the Eye of Horus, being sealed like this was extremely uncomfortable.
"Hmm?"
Just as Thea thought of the Eye of Horus, she suddenly realized her vision had returned. Her body shuddered as her connection to magic was restored.
The anti-magic barrier of Nanda Parbat had suddenly vanished.
Yao Fei and Jason Todd burst out of the water. Their eyes were crimson red, their throats making guttural growls.
They looked completely feral.