Second Assault on Arkham (Part Three)

In fact, when the so-called truth was revealed, not only did Thea feel bewildered, but even the heroes' camp was shaken.

Bruce, known as the human with one of the highest IQ, was remotely monitoring the situation. Initially, he was prepared to see his two women fighting each other, but the situation took an unexpected turn.

"Thea, is it really you?" Bruce had spent quite some time in Nanda Parbat, but he had never met Nyssa in person. He only knew of her existence. However, he was very familiar with the various rules of the League, so he could understand Talia's suspicions.

Of course, Thea wouldn't admit it. After all, there was no relation between her and the infamous leader of the League of Assassins.

"We have no relation. Trust me," Thea said, her tone conveying sincerity, which slightly eased Bruce's doubts.

In fact, if Thea were to remove her hood now, Talia would immediately realize her mistake by looking at her face. Ra's al Ghul had distinctly Middle Eastern features, whereas Thea's ancestry was predominantly Caucasian. As long as one wasn't face-blind, the differences would be apparent.

However, revealing her face would go against her principle of maintaining a low profile. She couldn't risk drawing the attention of Gotham's lunatics. Since she had misunderstood, she decided to continue with the misunderstanding.

Ignoring the strange looks around her, Thea stepped out of the crowd. Talia assumed she was ready to fight and approached as well.

When they were ten steps apart, they both stopped. "Let's settle this according to the League's rules. If I lose, I'll leave with my people, and if you lose, the same goes for you," Talia proposed, gesturing to the black-clad archers who appeared around her.

Thea wondered if they were the elite troops Talia had taken with her when she left the League or if they had been trained recently. She estimated there were about a hundred of them. If each had the strength of Yao Fei, they could certainly tip the balance on the battlefield.

"This method is acceptable. Thea, agree to it." Bruce, who was monitoring the battlefield remotely, couldn't wait for this woman to leave as soon as possible, never to cause trouble again in his lifetime.

"Alright." Thea had the same intention. Both women simultaneously removed their bows and arrows, gently placing them on the ground. They locked eyes with each other, drew their weapons, and performed various mysterious movements. According to League rules, this was paying homage to the ancient gods.

Despite the current notorious reputation of the League of Assassins, its leader remained a traditionalist who adhered to rules. He taught his disciples these rituals, and Malcolm, who had once served as his deputy for a period, was naturally familiar with them. For some unknown reason, Malcolm had unthinkingly taught them all to Thea.

However, this led to a misunderstanding. Within the League of Assassins, there was a strict hierarchy, and each rank had subtly different challenge rituals. However, since Malcolm had been a deputy, the gestures he taught were also those of a deputy, which coincidentally matched Talia's. Talia, having been the master's deputy before her defection, was also familiar with these movements. In fact, Malcolm could be considered her successor.

As a result, both women performed the exact same gesture. Those watching the scene could only see their graceful movements, tinged with a sense of antiquity.

But as they watched Thea's adept movements, Bruce, one of the few who understood these movements, couldn't help himself. Through his earpiece, he asked, "Thea, are you a member of the League?"

Although she wanted to deny it, Thea's full attention was on watching Talia's movements, leaving her no room to explain. She replied in a low voice, "No."

However, her response still revealed a slight flaw. Talia swung her wolf-toothed longsword towards Thea's neck.

How could Thea be caught by such a simple attack? She deftly parried the attack and countered with a swift kick aimed at Talia's stomach.

Talia, as the one who trained Yao Fei and would train Green Arrow in the future, had exceptionally rich combat experience. Anticipating the move, she sidestepped and shifted to a slicing motion, aiming to cut Thea's fingers along the blade of her sword.

Reacting swiftly, Thea executed a fencing technique known as the stoccata, aiming straight for Talia's midsection.

"Your close combat skills are impressive, at least better than your archery." Talia immediately changed her stance, using her longsword to block Thea's strike.

"My archery is the weakest aspect. You underestimate me!" Thea continued with a series of thrusts, cuts, and slashes, trying to gain the upper hand.

"Not bad, really not bad." Talia indeed underestimated Thea a bit. She had initially felt she had the upper hand in their previous archery contest, and facing her much younger "sister" now, she had been somewhat complacent. But whether as the eldest daughter or as an adversary, she couldn't afford to lose. She fought fiercely to gain the upper hand as quickly as possible.

Bruce, watching from afar, regretted his sudden interruption, which disrupted Thea's rhythm. But seeing her gradually equalize the disadvantage, he felt some relief.

He didn't want to see casualties in this fight between the two women. He deeply resented his own powerlessness. 

He had half a mind to wear his Batman suit and go to the scene to help, but seeing himself still hobbling with a cane, he thought better of it. It would be embarrassing if he were knocked down by a mere foot soldier in the chaos of battle.

He wanted to offer some remote guidance, but both women were moving so fast, almost like sparring between fellow disciples. each other's moves so well that verbal instructions were entirely unnecessary, and there was no time for them anyway.

Feeling anxious, he wondered who could act as a backup. His two apprentices were too focused on watching the fight, and both women surpassed their abilities. His apprentices were still a step behind, so he couldn't count on them. Ah, the closest in strength on the ground was Selina.

"Selina, keep an eye on their fight. If things get dangerous, intervene." Bruce knew that once he said this, Selina would understand his intentions. Asking one lover to protect another, he truly felt helpless.

As expected, Selina immediately grasped his intention. With a hint of jealousy, she snorted and nodded, indicating that she heard him, but said nothing more.

In the arena, the battle between the two women had reached a fever pitch. Thea had been slashed on her left shoulder by Talia, while Talia had taken a punch to her face from Thea, blood trickling down from the corner of her mouth.

The two women entered a stalemate once again, stepping back three paces from each other to catch their breath. They circled around the center of the arena, constantly moving, trying to find openings in each other's defenses.