Allan again

For Aslan Khalifa, taking a beating wasn't anything new. From a young age, he'd been punched, kicked, even shot at. Pain was an old friend. But tonight was different. The sense of shock he felt went deeper than any punch. He'd awakened a new power, something he thought was a gift—no, a blessing—from the devil himself. Just hours before his execution, he'd found himself able to phase through solid matter. Walls and doors no longer held him back; they might as well have been air. It was this ability that had allowed him to stroll right out of his cell like he was taking a casual walk.

In truth, he hadn't even needed the warden's fingerprint to open the cell door. He'd done that only as a cover, a ploy to make people think he'd escaped through more traditional means. He'd wanted them to underestimate him, to keep his power hidden and give himself the upper hand.

But here he was, face-to-face with a man in a bat suit, and his "invincible" power was suddenly useless.

No, that couldn't be right. This had to be a fluke. Maybe he hadn't activated his ability properly. Maybe he was still too new to this power to fully control it. Yes, that must be it.

But before he could think it over, Batman was on him again, moving with unnerving speed and precision. Reflexively, Aslan lashed out with a quick one-two punch, but Batman intercepted his wrist mid-swing, twisted it sharply, and followed up with a swift grab that immobilized Aslan in an instant.

The way Batman moved defied reason. It was as if he could see every attack coming before Aslan even threw it. No matter what opening Aslan tried to exploit, Batman was already there, blocking, countering, shutting him down with a cold efficiency that felt inhuman.

Aslan had never faced an opponent like this. Desperation took hold, and he activated his phasing ability again, hoping to slip through Batman's grip and land a blow of his own. But Batman paid no attention, ignoring the phasing as he delivered a crushing punch straight to Aslan's jaw.

The impact was brutal. Blood and spit sprayed from Aslan's mouth as two teeth went flying. His jaw felt like it had been smashed to pieces. But even as pain pulsed through his face, the shock overpowered everything else. Because this time, he was sure his ability had activated.

He'd been in his intangible form—he knew he had—and yet Batman's punch had landed squarely.

How was this possible?

A sick feeling gnawed at his gut as he looked up at Batman. Fear flickered in his eyes.

Could this bat… also be some kind of phantom?

No, he realized. Batman wasn't some ghostly figure. But this wasn't an ordinary suit he was wearing. Batman had the resources to tap into advanced tech and, more importantly, the expertise to borrow powers from some very powerful allies.

The heart of this particular Batsuit was the Allen System—a high-tech module designed to replicate The Flash's famous phase-shifting ability. Although it couldn't match the true power of The Flash, it allowed Batman to manipulate atomic vibrations, neutralizing phase-based abilities like Aslan's with ruthless efficiency.

The Allen System had another trick up its sleeve: it could detect and analyze Aslan's unique energy signature, then adjust its frequency to match it. Batman had set it up so that, after the initial scan, it would automatically "lock onto" Aslan's phasing frequency, effectively making his intangibility useless.

Aslan stumbled back, his mind reeling. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his phantom, Destruction, pinned against the wall by Iron Spider-Man's webbing and relentless attacks. The phantom was a battered mess, struggling to break free but getting nowhere. 

Panic seized him. He'd been beaten before, but never like this. Never with his life so clearly in the balance.

No, he couldn't keep fighting like this.

This wasn't just a man he was facing. Batman was something beyond that—a relentless force, a dark presence that seemed more like a spirit of vengeance than a mere mortal.

"Stay away from me!" Aslan screamed, stumbling back as he reached into his coat and dropped a concussion bomb at his feet. The device detonated with a blinding flash, filling the air with thick smoke and tear gas.

He had Naoya Iwanaga to thank for the bomb. Without that man's resources, Aslan wouldn't have had a chance of obtaining such advanced equipment.

The smoke might only give him a few seconds, but it was all he needed. He triggered his phasing ability again, intending to sink through the floor and escape to the level below.

But the moment he tried to phase downward, an intense shock tore through his body, like a thousand volts of electricity firing through every nerve. The pain was blinding, nearly knocking him out on the spot.

Aslan gritted his teeth, barely staying conscious as his heart pounded in terror. What had just happened?

Unknown to him, Batman had prepared for this exact scenario. Four stealth drones, hidden around the building, had activated a containment field in the basement. The field was specifically calibrated to counter phasing abilities, creating a barrier that prevented anyone from using atomic oscillation or similar powers to escape.

Batman had experience dealing with heroes like The Flash and Martian Manhunter, both of whom had similar phase-shifting abilities. His countermeasures were tailor-made for such powers. If you wanted to take on the Bat, you'd better hope your powers didn't resemble those of his Justice League allies.

[TL Note - what ever happened to trust]

Aslan's heart hammered as he fought through the pain, his mind racing for an escape. He'd mocked Iwanaga's escape plan, thought it was unnecessary, but now it was his only chance.

The ventilation duct. If he could just reach it, he might still make it out. According to Iwanaga, a getaway vehicle was waiting for him at the end of the duct. All he had to do was get there.

Desperation surged through him as he stumbled toward the duct, but as he reached out to climb inside, he jerked his hand back with a strangled scream.

His right hand had been severed at the wrist, the wound charred black as if sliced by a blade heated to a thousand degrees.

High-intensity lasers crisscrossed the inside of the duct, invisible but perfectly positioned to slice through anything that touched them. Another trap. Batman had turned his only escape route into a deadly maze.

Clutching his mangled arm, Aslan's gaze snapped back to the smoke-filled room, where Batman emerged, his dark figure silhouetted against the haze.

The sight of him—his mask, the piercing glare that seemed to look right through Aslan, the cold determination in his every step—made Aslan's blood run cold. He wasn't looking at a man. He was looking at death itself.

At that moment, Aslan understood the terrible truth. Batman had known everything. His powers, his plan, every escape route… Batman had anticipated it all.

Aslan's mouth went dry, his voice a bare whisper.

"You…"

But Batman's fist silenced him. The punch landed squarely, and Aslan crumpled to the ground, his vision fading to black as he lost consciousness.

In the last flicker of thought before darkness overtook him, one thought lingered.

I never had a chance.

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Read to ch 406 on p@treon.com/onesword