Chapter 7

He had dragged his friends on this mission, to sate his curiosity and prove to Batman that creating the new team and placing his trust in them...in him was worth it. But this opponent was well trained to a degree that reminded him of Batman. Nothing he did worked no strike made it past his defense. 

KF was still healing from the blade he suspected was coated in something. The reason being KF should have healed by now. Although his abilities as a speedster pale in comparison to his mentor The Flash, he's still a speedster, and a cut that small should have healed by now, yet the speedster's wound still showed signs of bleeding.

Robin backflipped and dodged a barrage of kunai. Aqualad charged in with his water-bearers his signature weapons. They allow him to create hard-water constructs out of any fluid. Before Aqualad could attach his water-bearers now in the shape of twin blades, he was forced to cross his arms and guard a sidekick. But it didn't end there, not only was the kick far stronger than he expected, and took him off his feet. Before he could fly backward from the impact of the kick, his opponent jumped up and came down with an axe kick that hit the Atlantean with so much force he could have sworn his which by his king. 

Robin watched as Aquald was sent through the floor by a kick so strong the impact reminded him of the sound of a shotgun. Oni landed near the new hole in the floor and leaned forward to look down.

"Hmm...it's always testy dealing with opponents who possess superhuman durability, although fighting them harder usually works, put a bit of finesse in there and I'm golden."

He moved away from the hole and started walking towards Robin, slowly with the gait of a predator...(Pause)...his amber pupils shinning with a malevolent amusement, as they glowed in the shadow under his hood.

Oni charged at him with such speed it seemed like he left an afterimage of him still standing in his previous position. Robin barely blocked the first few blows, trying to get a rhythm. Not only was Oni faster than him, but his blows were so strong that he felt his bones rattle every time he blocked. 

Suddenly Oni sped up showing that he wasn't and most likely still wasn't trying his hardest, a blow landed on the boy Wonder's stomach with such force it left him temporarily ellivated. Before he could process the pain of the blow, he was grabbed by the face and tossed through a wall into the washroom. He barely manages to stumble to his feet. But Oni was on him within mere moments. 

"The bat tough you well. But you lack true conviction. Your blows lack cruelty."

Gut blow, again and again. "You aim to subdue, while I seek to devastate, to break...to demolish" The boy's wonder was rattled. Oni grabbed his head and smashed it through a toilet bowl dazing him, before grabbing him by his cape spinning him overhead once, and throwing him through another wall. "You not ready boy, perhaps in a few years once you've marinated and come into your own...maybe then you might be a worthy opponent." Robin was beaten and broken. His body refused to obey. He knew he had broken bones and a concussion among other injuries. Oni glanced down at his broken form before walking away. 

KF was not having a good day, whatever was in his system was not allowing him to heal and was making it hard for him to move. He had instructed Miss Gonzales to run ahead after the ninja put Rob through a frickin wall. "Hopefull she made it out by now," he thought as he tried to focus on removing the poison from his system. Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching. He looked in the direction of the approaching sound. 

His eyes widened as he saw through playful amber eyes lock onto him. "Hmmm..and then there was one," he said and Kid Flashes eyes widened as the young sidekick of the scarlet speedster tried to up. He gritted his teeth and ignored his pain as he forced himself to stand on trembling legs.

Before he could stand up fully, a firm hand grabbed him by his neck and pressed him against the elevator doors behind him a few feet in the air. Out of panic, Kid Flash grabbed the hand with both of his and tried and failed to pry it off. He felt his breath hitch, and the grip on his neck tightened. He looked at the cold, yet amused amber eyes that stared at him as it got harder and harder to breathe. 

"Look at you... so desperate to be the hero, to save everyone. But here's the truth, Kid Flash... you can't. You run faster than almost anyone, yet you're always too slow where it matters, aren't you?"

Kid Flash struggles, his face reddening. hands clawing at Desmond's grip but to no avail.

"Every time you race off to save one life, another slip through your fingers. Some unknown that didn't matter. That's the problem with you heroes'- you think you're different, but you're just as fragile as the rest. Maybe you forgot that when your powers developed. You can't outrun the inevitable."

Kid Flash's movement grows weaker as Desmond's grip tightens further, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.

"All that speed, all that power... and still, you can't save everyone. So, tell me... what good are you?"

Kid Flash's vision blurs, his body going limp as consciousness fades, Oni smirking as he watches the light dim in his eyes.

"Go ahead. Run in your dreams. But remember, Kid, no matter how fast you are... you'll never outrun death."

He releases his grip, letting Kid Flash's limp body fall to the ground, unconscious. He glanced at the limp body and then raised his head and sniffed the air. A cruel smile bloomed under his mask.

"There you are."

~Small Time-Skip~

Selena Gonzales's heart races as her heels (would have been better off barefoot...oh well) clicked frantically across the polished floors. Every corner she turned seemed to stretch out longer, every empty hallway feeling like a suffocating labyrinth. Behind her, she could hear the soft, rhythmic sounds of something much worse, silent footsteps. The kind that didn't belong to someone in a rush but someone who knew exactly where their prey was heading. 

Kid Flash had bought her time. But she knew it wouldn't be enough. She glanced over her shoulder (rookie mistake), eyes wide in panic, searching for any sign of him. The assassin. Oni. Her lungs burned, but she forced herself forward, darting into a side corridor leading to the emergency stairs. She could feel the walls closing around her, her vision narrowing. Every step felt heavier, every breath ragged. She threw open the stairwell door, the metallic clang echoing too loud in her ears.

She took two stairs at a time (her ankle hasn't broken yet...impressive), heart pounding against the ribs. Her mind raced through the image of email, meeting, the men in suits who promised her this would never happen. That justice would be swift and she'd be safe.

But she knew better now. People like the ones she aligned herself with don't face justice and aren't punished by the law. The stairwell felt endless. She could hear him again, The steady, haunting steps. She hadn't even heard him open the down behind her, but he was there. Closer now.

'I can make it. Just keep going. keep moving. Maybe there's security on the ground floor. Or someone. Anyone.'

Her muscles screamed as she forced herself to keep descending faster, harder, ignoring the pain stabbing at her legs.

And then, suddenly... silence.

She froze, gripping the railing, her breath coming in harsh gasps. He was gone. 'Maybe I lost him. Maybe I-'

In an instant, her world spun. Something-no, someone yanked her by the arm with brutal force, slamming her against the concrete wall. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. Stars exploded in her vision.

She looked up into the masked face of Oni, his presence an overwhelming shadow. A red oni mask covering the lower half of his face, making his eyes all the more terrifying. 

"Run as fast as you want, but you can't escape your choices, Selena"

She struggled, pushed against his chest, trying to break free. But his grip was like iron, She wanted to defend herself, scrambling for words, something-anything to explain.

"I didn't know... I didn't know they'd... I just wanted to expose the corruption. People are dying because of them. I couldn't stay silent!"

Oni tilted his head slightly as if studying her-like she was a puzzle he already knew how to solve. "And what did you think would happen hmmm? That you'd walk away clean? That you could play with serpents and not get bitten?"

He leaned in closer, his breath cold against her cheek. His words were shaper than the blades hidden on his person, cutting into her resolve. " You've already chosen your side, Selena. Now, you're trying to run. nut no one... gets away without consequences."`

Her breath hitched, panic rising in her throat. She tried to muster her strength to speak, to plead. " I'm trying to fix things! I'm not like them!"

Oni's eyes darkened behind his mask, and he shook his head slowly. " No one is 'like them' until they are. You made your bed when you got involved. You thought you could turn on them and still leave free and clear. That's not how this works."

He reached up with his free hand, grabbing her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. " They are no saints in this game, Selena. Only those who live... and those who die"

Her chest heaved as she fought back the fear welling up inside. She knew this was it. Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad... none of them would make it in time. There was no one left to save her now. "Please," she said weakly.

The last thing she felt was her had let her go, the last thing she saw was him rotating in a fluid and graceful motion and a flash of silver... the last thing she heard was the clicking of his blade sliding back in its sheath.

~Small Time-Skip~

"DAMN, IT" shouted Kid Flash as he stair at the dead body of Selena on the floor. Her neck was slashed open and her eyes wide in fear. If only he'd been fast... he failed.

Aqualad a had solemn gaze on his face. He went back through the encounter in his head over and over again. And came to a haunting conclusion...his opponent held back. He never came at them with the intent to kill... to hunt yes, but never kill. The combat experience this person...this Oni held was frightening, hot he adjusted in battle, how he managed to put him an Atlantan down for so long was...Aqulad sighed...they had failed.

Robin's eyes never left the corpse, but his eyes said he was not present. He had faced all of Batman's rogues and the only adversary that had bested him in combat so thoroughly besides Bruce himself was Deathstroke and even then he'd at least gotten a few hits in. But Oni, sure he heard about him from Batman, who said that Ra himself said he'd never train an assassin more deadly in his long life. And now that he's faced him...Bruce needs to hear about this. 

Desmond sat on the edge of a roof top with a phone in his hand.

"Report"

"It's done"

A chuckle was heard on the other end.

"Well done...or should I say as expected since you handled it personally."

Desmond smirked.

"The latter of course"

"Of course, and your help"

"Tch, useless as expected. Seasoned assassin bested by children." 

"At ease my student, I shall have sensei up their training tenfold, provided you didn't leave them apprehended."

Oh how Desmond would have loved to leave them tight up in the boy wonder ropes, but as much as he disliked them, they were part of the league.

"Yes, they should be on their way back."

"Good, you've served the league well once again my student, I shall have more work for you in the future."

"Hopefully more challenging next time"

Ra's chuckled again. Always amused by his students' thrill of the hunt. 

"I'll see what I can do," he said before hanging up.

"Hmm, what a truly unfulfilling hunt. Although those three do have potential. Perhaps they'll be worth hunting in the future." 

Demond then lept off the building an faded into the night.