Chapter 78: Strategic Contempt, Tactical Respect!

The familiar voice reverberated alongside the shrill alarm, echoing in his ears.

The owner of this voice was someone the Lizard would never forget.

"Batman!"

With a sudden turn, the Lizard saw the man he could recognize even if turned to ash—a figure clad in black armor, cape billowing, and jaw exposed.

Though his suit had changed, the core features were unmistakable, and the voice hadn't changed one bit.

"It you!"

The Lizard let out a sinister grin. "Perfect. I've been looking for you for a long time! I never thought you'd deliver yourself to me!"

"You seem overly confident, Connors."

Anton looked at the Lizard in front of him, his tone dripping with disdain, exuding an air of calmness. There was no reason to fear someone who had once been defeated by him.

Of course, he adhered to the principle: strategically belittle the enemy, tactically take them seriously.

Anton wasn't underestimating the Lizard.

After all, subduing this creature without killing him would likely require tearing off all his limbs once again.

Perhaps the next time they met, the Lizard would be reduced to operating lab equipment via voice commands or typing with a chopstick in his mouth—a severely disabled supervillain.

"Batman, I am no longer the same as before!"

The Lizard, filled with confidence, roared furiously as he lunged at Anton.

Anton remained expressionless. Matching the Lizard strength head-on, he felt the power granted by the Arkham Knight Armor and smirked. Grabbing the Lizard joint, he gave it a sudden yank.

The Lizard eyes widened as he vividly recalled that night when Anton tore off his limbs.

Crack, crack!

The crisp sound of dislocated bones echoed.

His body stiffened, and the arm he had swung felt as though it no longer belonged to him.

Though Connors had transformed into the Lizard, his anatomy hadn't completely deviated from a humanoid structure, making him susceptible to joint manipulation.

Bang!

Without giving him a moment to recover, Anton smoothly executed an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the Lizard heavily onto the ground.

The laboratory floor caved in, cracks spreading out like a spider web.

"Batman!"

The Lizard let out a pained howl, his bloodshot eyes filled with venomous hatred, as though he wanted to bite off Anton head.

"To think I gave you the chance to speak—it seems I wasn't thorough enough in handling you!"

Anton sneered in reply.

From the forearm of his armor, a sharp grappling claw shot out.

It stabbed into the Lizard left arm, piercing through the humerus, followed by a punch that completely shattered the shoulder joint.

Shhh!

Blood spurted as the Lizard face contorted in agony.

This level of pain was something he had experienced before.

The razor-sharp tip of the grappling claw felt like a cruel form of torture as it penetrated him.

The Lizard swung his tail in retaliation, his left arm dangling uselessly as he struggled.

Anton grabbed the limp arm tightly, dodging the incoming tail, and once again ripped off the Lizard limb. He then picked up a massive chair from nearby and smashed it into the Lizard, tossing a Batarang grenade afterward and retreating just in time to avoid the explosion.

Boom!

The grenade detonated with the roar of a meteor impact.

Simultaneously, blinding flames and a shockwave engulfed the Lizard face.

The air was filled with a storm of debris.

Batman cape billowed wildly in the wind, the sound sharp and fierce.

When the dust settled, the Lizard lay sprawled on the ground, his face utterly disfigured. One arm was missing, his body was charred black, and burn marks were scattered across his flesh. The white lab coat meant for researchers was now reduced to tattered scraps.

Having been mercilessly pummeled by Anton, the Lizard had lost most of his combat capability.

However, with his regenerative ability—capable of growing back limbs within minutes—it wouldn't take more than half an hour for him to return to peak condition.

Anton, of course, wouldn't give him the chance.

In the Lizard pained and terrified gaze, Anton extended the short blade embedded in the wrist of his suit and severed the Lizard other arm. Without hesitation, he also sliced off both of the Lizard legs and his tail.

The Lizard was now nothing more than a "lizard stick."

Blood splattered across the laboratory floor.

At that moment, the Osborn Manor security team finally arrived, albeit belatedly.

Armed with advanced energy weapons, they froze at the sight of the wrecked laboratory and the Lizard utterly mutilated state.

"Batman!"

Someone shouted in astonishment.

The next moment:

Boom!

A flashbang exploded, forcing everyone to shut their eyes. By the time they blinked through the burning redness and unbearable stinging, Batman was gone.

And so was the "stickified" Lizard.

The security team exchanged uneasy glances, swallowing nervously.

They thought about their increasingly volatile boss, Norman Osborn, and for a moment, none of them knew what to do.

Osborn Manor, Outer Forest.

Thick foliage blocked the pale moonlight. Beneath the shadows, Anton carried the crippled Lizard to a secluded spot.

He tossed the mutilated creature onto the ground and questioned him, "Where the Green Goblin? What he up to?"

The fight with the Lizard had drawn only the security team, not the Green Goblin.

Something was off.

The commotion should've been impossible for the Goblin to miss.

"Heh…"

The Lizard, pale and weak, offered Anton no cooperation, sneering coldly. "I won't say a thing…"

Shhh!

Anton, unbothered by the defiance, extended his wrist blade and mercilessly gouged out the newly regrown tissue on the Lizard severed limbs.

The pain made the Lizard break out in cold sweat.

The sheer fury in his eyes seemed to raise the temperature of the surrounding air.

"Batman!"

"We're not done yet!"

The Lizard spat each word with venom, but Anton paid him no mind.

"When I'm done with you, I'll send you to Purgatory to keep Kingpin company. With your new 'stick' form, I'm sure Kingpin will take excellent care of you."

Anton glanced at him with a faint smirk, then summoned the Batmobile.

He strapped the Lizard to the rear of the vehicle, climbed into the cockpit, and initiated the lift-off sequence. Slamming on the throttle, the Batmobile roared into the sky.

The Osborn Manor security team finally caught sight of the car streaking into the heavens like a meteor.

"This…"

Their heads spun.

It was over—the Lizard had been taken by Batman!

Meanwhile.

Eddie and April had scoured the New York sewers, following various peculiar incidents. After much searching, they finally traced the whereabouts of the four talking, ninja-trained turtles Anton had mentioned.

"They're in there," said Venom voice in Eddie mind.

Though they had narrowed down the turtles' main area of activity through various clues, it was Venom senses that pinpointed the specific sewer passage with unusual activity.

"Are you sure about this? Are they really down there?"

April sounded skeptical.

Unaware of Venom existence, she found it hard to believe that Eddie had so easily located the four talking turtles.

"Trust my professional instincts."

Eddie kept a straight face, showing no hint of doubt, as he lifted the manhole cover and descended into the sewer.

"Alright, then!"

April threw up her hands in reluctant agreement and followed him down.