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Chapter 363: Bruce, the Game Has Just Begun
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
"Dangerous or not, it's always relative. At the very least, we're quite confident when facing a traitor to the League."
Lady Shiva, Sandra, drew a blade from a sheath on her well-toned and slender thigh. She pointed it at her old friend, her eyes glinting with a sharp killing intent.
Gotham City is filled with danger—that much is easy to understand. The Guardian, tony, the Sorcerer Supreme whose power is known throughout the Universe, would absolutely not want Gotham City to become a chaotic battlefield.
This was because the city once had the good fortune of being transformed by that certain individual, and it was a resounding success, changing it from a city of sin into a "Utopia" with an extremely low crime rate.
But what did that have to do with them? They were here this time for revenge against Batman, to kill this damned traitor.
As for the plan to destroy Gotham City... it had long been abandoned by Ra's al Ghul. The other core members also tacitly avoided mentioning it, as if the matter of destroying Gotham City had never happened.
In truth, the League of Shadows was feeling quite frustrated. If they were to act recklessly and provoke tony into coming to their doorstep, they would be finished. They would surely die.
So for now, their main objective was to test the waters, starting with Batman.
No order was needed. The moment Lady Shiva finished speaking, the dozen or so League assassins surrounding them moved as one. They were as precise as finely-tuned machines, each slash perfectly honed, their movements coordinated as they aimed for Batman's vital points.
Without a word, Batman instantly dove into a forward slide. After gliding for several meters, he suddenly shot up. His hands struck out to his left and right with the lethal precision of scalpels, hitting two assassins on the neck. He then followed up with a sweeping kick to their ankles, sending them both plummeting from the skyscraper.
Simultaneously, in a flash, he drew Batarangs from his belt and threw them at the two men's feet. The attached wires wrapped around them, pinning them upside down to the side of the skyscraper.
"Pointless mercy... If Ra's al Ghul were to see you now, I'm afraid he would be even more disappointed," Lady Shiva sneered.
"Ra's al Ghul is dead," Batman grunted. Saving the men had cost him a precious few seconds, resulting in a slash across his back. But the all-new advanced composite material provided his armor with powerful protection.
Not even an explosion had harmed him in the slightest, yet being hit by these blades made him let out a grunt.
The power behind these assassins' strikes was terrifying.
"You've undergone augmentation?" Batman asked, his face grim. He re-engaged the assassins, moving with greater caution.
But it was inevitable that he would still get hit. Five years of peace, of living with a lame leg, had caused his mastery over his own body to deteriorate significantly. His physical conditioning, his reflexes, and his muscle memory were a far cry from the man he was five years ago—the one who put his life on the line every night.
All these deficiencies combined made it quite troublesome to face the League of Shadows assassins, who were masters of anatomy and coordinated assault.
And what's more, Batman still refused to kill.
"Everything was for the sake of killing you, Bruce." Lady Shiva twirled the hilt of her blade, its edge glinting coldly in the night.
Batman's heart sank. He knocked over an assassin with one punch, then immediately did a backflip. A Batarang was already flying from his hand, aimed straight at the slowly approaching Lady Shiva.
With a crisp clang, Lady Shiva casually deflected the Batarang with her blade, her beautiful face a mask of indifference.
Seizing the opening, Batman drew a grappling gun and fired a line straight at Lady Shiva's face, while simultaneously kicking away an advancing assassin to clear the space between them.
Lady Shiva's eyes flickered. She ducked to avoid the projectile, then viciously slashed her blade at the line, catching it. The recoiling line, with its sharp tip, swung around her blade in a wide, whistling arc, lunging back towards her.
Batman charged forward. He had already thrown several Batarangs and now lunged with the force of an avalanche.
If Lady Shiva did nothing, she would be at a great disadvantage, perhaps even be defeated outright. Even though she was a Top Assassin, the chances of her losing in a one-on-one fight with Batman were very high.
Bruce Wayne was, after all, the strongest assassin to come out of the League of Shadows in the last several decades.
Even two successive Ra's al Ghuls had fallen at his hands.
Lady Shiva's expression was cold, without a hint of surprise. She released her fingers, dropping her weapon, and drew a second blade with her left hand. She suddenly dropped low, the tip of her blade pointing upwards. It sliced precisely through the gaps between the several Batarangs, stabbing towards Batman's exposed chin.
Batman dodged the attack and threw a punch at Lady Shiva's face, but she blocked it. Behind his cowl, Batman's eyes were just as cold as an iceberg, observing his enemy's every move in the darkness.
"You can't kill me, Sandra. Your entire League of Shadows can't kill me," Batman said in a low voice. "Your very existence is a great malignancy upon this world. I uprooted you once, and I will not spare you this time. Since you've returned to Gotham City, you might as well stay. Forever."
"Finally changed your mind? Made your decision? Ra's al Ghul would be very pleased," Lady Shiva said with a light chuckle.
Batman's brow furrowed slightly. "Ra's al Ghul isn't really dead? I saw him explode with the train myself."
"Of course. After all, you were the one who caused that train to explode." Lady Shiva's reply was noncommittal; she didn't answer directly. Instead, she slashed out with her blade. "You're struggling immensely just to deal with me now. What makes you think you can take on the entire League?"
"I'll do it my way. I will keep watching you, watching your every move," Batman said in a low, hoarse voice.
After forcing Lady Shiva back with a move and knocking down another pursuing assassin, Batman took a running leap and jumped off the skyscraper.
His massive cape unfurled, allowing Batman to glide through the night sky, casting a giant, Bat-shaped shadow on the ground below.
The wind began to pick up, making Batman's cape flap loudly—a jarring sound in the silence of the night sky.
Batman had his own plan and had made up his mind: he would assemble his own team to protect Gotham City in his own way.
Lady Shiva stood at the edge of the skyscraper, a strange expression flashing across her face for an instant. She parted her alluring red lips and ordered her subordinates, "Bring those men up. Prepare for the next operation."
Several assassins immediately went into action, pulling up the ones who had been knocked down from the edge. After a quick inspection, one reported, "Their legs are injured because of the ropes, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little time."
Lady Shiva nodded indifferently. She wasn't too concerned about such minor tricks.
"Bruce, the game has just begun. This city is about to get much more interesting..."
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
"Dangerous or not, it's always relative. At the very least, we're quite confident when facing a traitor to the League."
Lady Shiva, Sandra, drew a blade from a sheath on her well-toned and slender thigh. She pointed it at her old friend, her eyes glinting with a sharp killing intent.
Gotham City is filled with danger—that much is easy to understand. The Guardian, tony, the Sorcerer Supreme whose power is known throughout the Universe, would absolutely not want Gotham City to become a chaotic battlefield.
This was because the city once had the good fortune of being transformed by that certain individual, and it was a resounding success, changing it from a city of sin into a "Utopia" with an extremely low crime rate.
But what did that have to do with them? They were here this time for revenge against Batman, to kill this damned traitor.
As for the plan to destroy Gotham City... it had long been abandoned by Ra's al Ghul. The other core members also tacitly avoided mentioning it, as if the matter of destroying Gotham City had never happened.
In truth, the League of Shadows was feeling quite frustrated. If they were to act recklessly and provoke tony into coming to their doorstep, they would be finished. They would surely die.
So for now, their main objective was to test the waters, starting with Batman.
No order was needed. The moment Lady Shiva finished speaking, the dozen or so League assassins surrounding them moved as one. They were as precise as finely-tuned machines, each slash perfectly honed, their movements coordinated as they aimed for Batman's vital points.
Without a word, Batman instantly dove into a forward slide. After gliding for several meters, he suddenly shot up. His hands struck out to his left and right with the lethal precision of scalpels, hitting two assassins on the neck. He then followed up with a sweeping kick to their ankles, sending them both plummeting from the skyscraper.
Simultaneously, in a flash, he drew Batarangs from his belt and threw them at the two men's feet. The attached wires wrapped around them, pinning them upside down to the side of the skyscraper.
"Pointless mercy... If Ra's al Ghul were to see you now, I'm afraid he would be even more disappointed," Lady Shiva sneered.
"Ra's al Ghul is dead," Batman grunted. Saving the men had cost him a precious few seconds, resulting in a slash across his back. But the all-new advanced composite material provided his armor with powerful protection.
Not even an explosion had harmed him in the slightest, yet being hit by these blades made him let out a grunt.
The power behind these assassins' strikes was terrifying.
"You've undergone augmentation?" Batman asked, his face grim. He re-engaged the assassins, moving with greater caution.
But it was inevitable that he would still get hit. Five years of peace, of living with a lame leg, had caused his mastery over his own body to deteriorate significantly. His physical conditioning, his reflexes, and his muscle memory were a far cry from the man he was five years ago—the one who put his life on the line every night.
All these deficiencies combined made it quite troublesome to face the League of Shadows assassins, who were masters of anatomy and coordinated assault.
And what's more, Batman still refused to kill.
"Everything was for the sake of killing you, Bruce." Lady Shiva twirled the hilt of her blade, its edge glinting coldly in the night.
Batman's heart sank. He knocked over an assassin with one punch, then immediately did a backflip. A Batarang was already flying from his hand, aimed straight at the slowly approaching Lady Shiva.
With a crisp clang, Lady Shiva casually deflected the Batarang with her blade, her beautiful face a mask of indifference.
Seizing the opening, Batman drew a grappling gun and fired a line straight at Lady Shiva's face, while simultaneously kicking away an advancing assassin to clear the space between them.
Lady Shiva's eyes flickered. She ducked to avoid the projectile, then viciously slashed her blade at the line, catching it. The recoiling line, with its sharp tip, swung around her blade in a wide, whistling arc, lunging back towards her.
Batman charged forward. He had already thrown several Batarangs and now lunged with the force of an avalanche.
If Lady Shiva did nothing, she would be at a great disadvantage, perhaps even be defeated outright. Even though she was a Top Assassin, the chances of her losing in a one-on-one fight with Batman were very high.
Bruce Wayne was, after all, the strongest assassin to come out of the League of Shadows in the last several decades.
Even two successive Ra's al Ghuls had fallen at his hands.
Lady Shiva's expression was cold, without a hint of surprise. She released her fingers, dropping her weapon, and drew a second blade with her left hand. She suddenly dropped low, the tip of her blade pointing upwards. It sliced precisely through the gaps between the several Batarangs, stabbing towards Batman's exposed chin.
Batman dodged the attack and threw a punch at Lady Shiva's face, but she blocked it. Behind his cowl, Batman's eyes were just as cold as an iceberg, observing his enemy's every move in the darkness.
"You can't kill me, Sandra. Your entire League of Shadows can't kill me," Batman said in a low voice. "Your very existence is a great malignancy upon this world. I uprooted you once, and I will not spare you this time. Since you've returned to Gotham City, you might as well stay. Forever."
"Finally changed your mind? Made your decision? Ra's al Ghul would be very pleased," Lady Shiva said with a light chuckle.
Batman's brow furrowed slightly. "Ra's al Ghul isn't really dead? I saw him explode with the train myself."
"Of course. After all, you were the one who caused that train to explode." Lady Shiva's reply was noncommittal; she didn't answer directly. Instead, she slashed out with her blade. "You're struggling immensely just to deal with me now. What makes you think you can take on the entire League?"
"I'll do it my way. I will keep watching you, watching your every move," Batman said in a low, hoarse voice.
After forcing Lady Shiva back with a move and knocking down another pursuing assassin, Batman took a running leap and jumped off the skyscraper.
His massive cape unfurled, allowing Batman to glide through the night sky, casting a giant, Bat-shaped shadow on the ground below.
The wind began to pick up, making Batman's cape flap loudly—a jarring sound in the silence of the night sky.
Batman had his own plan and had made up his mind: he would assemble his own team to protect Gotham City in his own way.
Lady Shiva stood at the edge of the skyscraper, a strange expression flashing across her face for an instant. She parted her alluring red lips and ordered her subordinates, "Bring those men up. Prepare for the next operation."
Several assassins immediately went into action, pulling up the ones who had been knocked down from the edge. After a quick inspection, one reported, "Their legs are injured because of the ropes, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little time."
Lady Shiva nodded indifferently. She wasn't too concerned about such minor tricks.
"Bruce, the game has just begun. This city is about to get much more interesting..."
(end of chapter)
