Storming Arkham (Part Four)

Despite Azrael's thunderous shouts, his moves were nothing extraordinary. His so-called "Judgment," which was merely a straightforward vertical chop, and his "Crusader's Strike" was nothing more than a horizontal slash followed by a diagonal cut.

There were no dazzling lights or halo beneath his feet, only a series of questionable actions that led Thea to conclude he was somewhat deranged.

Was this guy's behavior a remnant of his clone origins, or was he just naturally this edgy? Thea pondered, though she had no time to dwell on it as she needed to focus on the fight.

Regardless of his mental state, Azrael's attacks were relentless. While lacking in finesse, his sword strikes came from all directions, making it challenging for Thea to keep up.

Because he didn't bother to defend himself, Thea had managed to land two hits with her katana in the three minutes they had been fighting. Combined with the earlier Batarang wound, blood poured from his body, yet he showed no signs of fatigue and continued to attack relentlessly.

"Fuck!" The usually composed and polite Thea couldn't help but curse. If this guy were normal, she would have taken him down already. But his brain wasn't functioning properly. He occasionally spaced out, leading to openings in his attacks. However, his sheer determination compensated for these flaws.

The mastermind behind the clone likely recognized his mental instability and artificially dampened his pain receptors, allowing him to compensate for his erratic behavior with relentless aggression. It was quite remarkable. If she didn't mind getting injured herself, she could have taken him down. But it wasn't worth it!

After landing another strike on his side, Azrael, weakened by blood loss, began to feel disoriented. His attacks grew weaker, and even the volume of his shouts decreased.

Thankfully, he wasn't as deafeningly loud anymore, thought Thea with a sense of relief. His incessant shouting had been getting on her nerves, making her feel like she was bullying a mentally challenged person. It was a mistake to engage him in the first place. Next time, she'd leave this job to Robin and the others. Dealing with him was too aggravating.

Thinking of Robin, Thea wondered how they were faring. After driving Azrael back with a few moves, she glanced around the battlefield.

Overall, their side still held the advantage. Their side maintained a six-to-four advantage over the enemy, with the criminals steadily retreating under the combined assault of the police and veterans. Victory seemed imminent.

However, the battles between heroes and villains weren't as straightforward. Without Batman as their backbone, their team seemed somewhat weakened, and with Thea being tangled up by this lunatic, their situation wasn't as promising as expected.

Selina was engaged in a stalemate with Penguin and a burly man wearing a pig-faced mask, neither side gaining the upper hand. They fought fiercely, with Barbara wielding her whip while occasionally throwing her Batarang. Although they had the upper hand, the battle was taking a toll on their stamina.

The anticipated confrontation between Lady Firefly and Mr. Freeze hadn't materialized, which was probably for the best. Both of them posed a significant threat to ordinary individuals.

And where was Robin? Thea scanned the area, but he was nowhere to be found. Refusing to give up, she looked around once more and finally spotted Robin on a distant platform, surrounded by two adversaries.

Both were clad in black suits with owl masks—one wielding dual batons and the other brandishing a katana. Their skills were exceptional, and their coordination was flawless. They were probably no weaker than Robin individually, and now they had him on the defensive, leaving him unable to retaliate. This... was the Talons of the Court of Owls!

Thea was momentarily stunned. These were Gotham's hidden bosses. This wasn't just one or two people; it was a group representing the city's oldest families, silently observing the city for two hundred years. How did they provoke these guys?

Thea couldn't help but feel that their intel was lacking. If the Court of Owls was truly behind this, everything would make sense—the covert infiltration, human experimentation, cloning. They had enough influence to gather these unruly villains together.

A sense of foreboding crept over Thea. This mission was likely to fail. The enemy had assembled so many criminals for a reason—there must be more to their plan.

She silently pondered what methods the opposition might have used to turn the tables. Regardless, their side held the advantage at that moment. Even if the heroes were outmatched, as long as they could hold off the formidable foes, the villains would have been helpless against the overwhelming firepower of the majority.

Lost in her thoughts, Thea unconsciously eased up on her attacks. The crazed Azrael took advantage of the opportunity and charged at her once more.

Faced with this relentless nuisance, Thea was utterly fed up. However, she couldn't afford to ignore him. With a sigh, she refocused on the game of dodging ten times to land one hit.

As she parried another powerful strike from Azrael, Thea noticed that her trusty katana was reaching its limit. It had sustained severe damage from repeated strikes and was on the verge of breaking. She optimistically estimated it could withstand just two more strikes before bidding farewell. This weapon, crafted from a special alloy, had been her companion for over a year, and now it was time to say goodbye.

Damn it! Playing hero takes a toll on the equipment! Can Gotham at least compensate for this? She wondered if she could get insurance. 

As she considered whether to take a police baton from a nearby officer as a replacement weapon, Thea observed a thug from Penguin's crew. Misinterpreting her continuous retreat as a sign of weakness, he rushed towards her with a dagger, believing she was on the verge of defeat.

Huh? What's this guy up to? Thea was momentarily puzzled. Did he think she was on the verge of collapse? Seeing his malicious grin, she felt a mixture of irritation and amusement. Did he really think she was an easy target? Furthermore, did he think that all the blood on that lunatic over there was hers?

In reality, she misjudged him. Considering he was a core member of the gang and still had his wits about him. Mainly, it was because, in the chaos of battle, it wasn't apparent whether she was injured or not. Given Azrael's fierce attacks, it was natural to assume she was at a disadvantage.

With a slight sidestep to avoid the dagger thrusting towards her, Thea seized the thug's wrist and forcefully pulled him towards herself while deftly tripping him.

Normally, she would have released his hand, allowing him to make intimate contact with the ground. But Thea didn't do that. Instead, she grabbed his arm and swiftly spun him around, leveraging the powerful inertia to fling him towards the charging Azrael.

Azrael saw a figure charging at him and instinctively thrust his blade toward the person's chest.