Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 46: Ch.45 Battle

Ra's al Ghul remained on guard. Moving in the darkness was something ninjas excelled at, and the technique of making sound appear to come from a different direction was a typical skill.

This was meant to confuse enemies, making it impossible for them to discern where the attack would come from.

But such tricks didn't work on him. As a martial arts master skilled in swordsmanship, once you master one technique, you can understand them all. He could sense even the faintest breath or heartbeat. He could fight just as well with his eyes closed, and he liked the darkness.

The Bruce of this world had not been a student of the League of Assassins. All her abilities came from her own training.

Ra's al Ghul sensed that Batwoman was right in front of him, not far away. She hadn't moved. The voice coming from behind him was just a trick; he wouldn't fall for it.

"Hmph, childish! Is this all you women can do? Why not face me in a fair fight and prove who truly deserves honor?"

"Don't bother with provocation; honor means nothing to me."

Bryce's voice came from another direction, but Ra's al Ghul could feel that she still hadn't moved.

An opportunity!

Since she refused to engage in an honorable duel, he didn't need to abide by any code of honor either. He swung his weapon toward the darkness. The speed of his sword swing was beyond what the human eye could track. The special black blade neither reflected light nor made any sound.

Where the mind goes, the sword follows. This was the ultimate sword strike, a move that concentrated all his energy and spirit, the most powerful initial attack.

The sword guided his body, and in an instant, he appeared where Bryce had originally stood. But the blade only cut through the air. There wasn't even a thread of Batwoman's suit.

"How is this possible?"

Ra's al Ghul couldn't understand. He had sensed her presence. His senses had never been wrong.

"Maybe you should ask your daughter. She could tell you that heartbeats and breathing sounds can be simulated by computer programs and played through micro-speakers."

Bryce's voice echoed from all directions simultaneously. She had filled the hall with miniature speakers.

No one knew how long she had been here or how she managed to install these devices.

Ra's al Ghul exhaled a deep breath and turned to look behind him. While he was attacking, Bryce had appeared behind him and had already knocked out Talia.

"I couldn't sense your heartbeat or breathing. You're like a corpse."

"Lady Shiva taught me a way to counter martial artists like you. It's called the Turtle Breathing Technique, a yoga practice from South Asia. Very useful." Bryce's expression was blank, her blue eyes glinting with a light he couldn't understand beneath her mask. "Now, am I terrifying enough? Will this make you give up your plans for Gotham?"

"In your dreams! Foolish Bat, you think you can take on our entire castle alone? It's you who should give up!"

Ra's al Ghul flipped his hand, throwing a small metal bead out the window. The tiny object exploded into a terrifying blaze, blooming in the sky like a firework.

The buildings on the cliff and the vast snowfields beyond were all bathed in a blinding light, as bright as day.

All the assassins, no matter where they were in the mountains, could see the firework blazing in the sky. This was the League of Assassins' signal, and they would all converge on the hall immediately.

But what puzzled him was that Batwoman didn't seem to care. She didn't even take out her Batarangs to intercept the signal; she just turned her head slightly to glance at it.

Ra's al Ghul had planned to fire a second signal if the first was intercepted, but Batwoman's dismissive reaction left him feeling a surge of frustration, his face turning pale with rage.

"Arrogant! You think you can take on three thousand assassins? This will be your grave today! I'll hang your head at the castle gate, forever!"

"Ra's al Ghul, the arrogant one is you. I never told you I came alone." Bryce shook her head and adjusted her gloves, taking a fighting stance. "Come on. No one will interrupt us."

Ra's al Ghul snorted coldly. By now, the nearest assassins should have arrived, but no one had shown up.

He didn't know what had happened to his assassins, but a direct confrontation was just what he wanted.

However, just as he faced Bryce and adopted his sword stance, he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head. His vision blurred, and he felt as though he'd been hit by a car, unable to stand anymore.

Before he lost consciousness, the last thought in his mind was just two words: a trap.

At that moment, a figure wearing a black hooded cloak, wrapped up tightly, appeared where Ra's al Ghul had fallen, as if emerging from thin air, not having been there before.

"Uh, did I hit him too hard? He's like, 800 years old, right?" The figure scratched the back of his head and hunched his shoulders. "I didn't kill him, did I? Someone call a medic?"

Bryce pulled Talia up from the ground. She had been pretending to be unconscious, unable to face either her father or Batwoman. She could only play dead.

"You can't kill him. If what you told me is true, he won't die. The Lazarus Pit will heal his wounds and even speed up his recovery. We don't have much time."

"Okay, that's good. Whew... You scared me there." The hooded figure laughed in relief, even giving Ra's al Ghul a gentle pat on the back, as if comforting him. Then he stood up and addressed Talia, "Sorry, Talia. First time meeting your father and I end up hitting him. You look younger... Uh, I guess we don't know each other. Your dad probably doesn't either."

Talia: "???"

Bryce shook her head, cutting off their awkward conversation. "First, you've never met this world's Talia, so you can't say she looks younger. Second, if the Lazarus Pit can grant immortality, then your world's Talia should be the same. So if you said that to your Talia, she'd immediately know you're lying."

Talia: "???"

She had never really understood Bryce, who now seemed almost deranged. What did she mean by 'your Talia,' 'our Talia'? Was there another version of herself out there?

The cloaked figure seemed to have an epiphany. "I see. No wonder your Talia talks to Superman and ignores me. So, it's really a lifespan issue?"

"It's not about lifespan, it's about mood." Bryce quipped, then turned to Talia, placing her forehead against Talia's, ignoring the blush on her face, and said, "Listen, Talia. I'll keep this brief. To save our world, I need the water from the Lazarus Pit. Hand it over, or we'll take it ourselves."

Talia bit her lip. No small talk, just straight to demanding the League of Assassins' treasure. How...

So she obediently led Bryce and the mysterious figure to the back of the mountain and opened the secret passage.

She couldn't help it. She just liked the Bat.

This was a hidden chamber built into the hollowed-out mountain behind the castle. Inside, there was a small pool, no bigger than a bathtub. As soon as they entered, they saw the red liquid bubbling in the pool, emitting a faint mist.

"This is the Lazarus Pit?" Bryce asked the hooded figure beside her.

"Uh, probably? Sorry, I've never seen it before." The cloaked figure shrugged.

"You told me about it, said the pool had special properties, but you've never seen it?" Bryce raised an eyebrow, teasing.

Talia hurried to explain, not wanting Bryce to think she was lying. "This is indeed the Lazarus Pit, but to resurrect someone, the whole body must be submerged. If you're just taking the water, drinking it will only grant regenerative abilities."

Bryce nodded, her bat-shaped medallion swinging with the motion. "That's enough."

With that, she took a large metal canister from behind her cloak, filled it with the bubbling red water, and watched as the silver metal slowly sank into the crimson pool. She observed the water, cold yet bubbling like boiling water, filling the container before stowing it away.

"You're not going to use it yourself? My father won't know. You could use it."

Talia made a quiet suggestion to Bryce. If both of them were immortal, they could spend more time together.

Without looking back, Bryce returned to the secret passage. The wind from her movement billowed her cloak, making it look like a bat spreading its wings in the dark.

"No, I won't. This water won't be used on me. I suggest you go back to the hall and lie down where you were. All of you were knocked out. We're leaving now."

"But Bane..." Talia tried to mention that Ra's al Ghul had contacted Bane.

"Bane has been dealt with. I also confiscated his nuke. Once everything blows over, you can come to Gotham and find me. If there's any Lazarus water left, I'll return it to you."

Bryce didn't give her a chance to finish. She hurried back the way they had come, and the group returned to the hall. Bryce watched the cloaked figure beside her, lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing

.

"Hmm? That's it? Oh... Got it. Well, goodbye then, Talia!" The cloaked figure glanced between Bryce and Talia, as if finally realizing it was time to go.

"What do you mean... blows over?"

Talia still wanted to ask, but with a flash of golden light, both Batwoman and the figure were gone, leaving behind an empty hall. Ra's al Ghul lay on the floor, snowflakes blown in by the wind settling on his face.

He seemed to twitch slightly.

Talia, without hesitation, struck herself on the neck. Only by truly knocking herself out could she fool Ra's al Ghul.

As she slipped into unconsciousness, feeling the pain radiating from the back of her head, she thought of the "date" Bryce had promised and allowed herself a faint smile.