Storming Arkham (Part Five)

Thea had noticed this issue earlier—why did this idiot called the Azrael jump into the fray without saying a word?

Most probably, this guy had some cognitive impairment affecting his behavior, or, simply put, he couldn't recognize people. Many Huskies raised for a short time also had this problem. Release their leash, and they'd vanish in the blink of an eye. To a Husky, everyone looked the same.

This guy she'd been tangling with for a while had the same issue. Whoever was behind the scenes, probably the mastermind behind the clones, likely cut corners and only copied brain memories without instilling much logical analysis ability.

From a distance, he looked formidable, but in reality, he couldn't do much.

Give him five minutes, and he'd likely go berserk and attack his employer.

Set him on a target, and within half an hour, he'd probably get lost.

The mastermind had probably tried many methods before resorting to using him as a disposable asset.

And now the problem was evident. The thug couldn't stop his advance and pounced on Azrael due to inertia. 

Without a second thought, the instinct-driven Azrael plunged his sword into the chest of the thug charging at him. He didn't even realize that the approaching figure was an ally. Perhaps he didn't even understand the concept of friendly fire. He cleanly impaled the thug on his sword.

As he attempted to withdraw his sword, Thea had already maneuvered to his side. This was an opportunity too good to miss. With his sharp sword, he couldn't be allowed to regain his grip.

Thea retracted her dagger and gripped her katana with both hands and using the Iaido technique, she forcefully slashed down at his forearm from above.

Though Azrael lacked some cognitive functions, his basic combat instincts remained intact. Faced with this swift strike, continuing to draw his sword would result in his arm being severed. Even if he tried to draw his sword quickly, it would be too late.

The human body wasn't paper; it had resistance. Although his sword could cut through iron like mud, resistance still existed. Realizing that he couldn't draw his sword in time, Azrael had no choice but to quickly release his grip and retreat, dodging Thea's powerful strike.

With Azrael disarmed, Thea had no intention of playing fair. She wasn't about to adopt the ridiculous notion of throwing away her weapon just because the opponent lost theirs. She was focused on efficiently and safely taking down her opponent.

With his sword gone, Azrael was like a toothless tiger. Thea's previous concerns were gone. Although he had decent martial arts skills, it was all relative. Compared to Commissioner Gordon, he was impressive, but in Thea's eyes, he was weak.

The two engaged in a rapid exchange of blows, and Thea quickly identified three weaknesses in his footwork, exploiting them to land two cuts on him.

As blood continued to flow from his wounds, his speed visibly slowed, and his incessant chatter turned into gasps for breath. After all, he was a clone, not a robot; he had blood and flesh. Despite losing so much blood in just a few minutes, he hadn't passed out yet, showcasing the remarkable cloning technology.

Thea knew victory was within reach. With a feint from her left-hand dagger, she aimed a direct stab at Azrael's chest as he raised his arm to defend himself.

His excessive blood loss accelerated his fatigue. His reaction time had significantly slowed. Blurry-eyed, he saw Thea's thrust and desperately shifted his body sideways, attempting to evade the fatal blow.

With a vicious stab, Thea's sword plunged deeply into his right rib cage. In his confused state, all he knew was that he couldn't let the enemy continue their attack. Without waiting for her to retract the dagger, he grabbed her sword with one hand, glaring fiercely at Thea.

Ah, trying to play the hero, huh? Isn't grabbing the enemy's weapon and turning it against them something only protagonists do? His creators were probably worried he'd have nothing to do all day, so they gave him cartoons to watch, huh?

She couldn't believe it. After fighting for so long, he doesn't even know how many weapons she has. Thea ignored his wide-eyed stare. In his astonished expression, she deftly slid her dagger across his throat.

The fierce gaze gradually gave way to confusion as Azrael clutched his throat, deep crimson blood spraying out continuously. Incoherent sounds escaped his mouth, and his tall figure slowly collapsed.

Well, did he deserve an honorable kill? Are clones without a sense of self solely driven by instinct considered humans? Had she violated the no-kill principle? If she encountered Superman, she'd have to discuss this.

Thea threw away half of the katana that had been her companion for over a year, with the other half still embedded in Azrael's body. As expected, the katana broke during the final struggle.

Bending down to pick up Azrael's sword, Thea assured herself and God that she wasn't coveting this sharp equipment. She was only interested in analyzing the composition of this sword for scientific research.

She also took a look at the ornate sword scabbard around the corpse's waist. This scabbard seemed to have historical value. Considering the chaos at the scene, none of the gang members would understand the importance of cultural heritage preservation and maintenance. It seemed like this task would fall on her shoulders as well. Reluctantly, she decided to take it for further analysis.

Cutting the rope around the corpse's waist, Thea held the sword scabbard in her hand. Its color matched her deep red combat suit quite well. With the chaos at the scene, leaving it to anyone else wouldn't be appropriate. She casually placed it into her quiver, which had previously been emptied of arrows. It was a perfect place to store this item.

After observing the situation in the arena, Barbara was vigorously whipping several gang members, seemingly having some kind of power surge. She was just a shout away from yelling something like, "Bow down before your queen!"

Robin was still in the same situation, being tossed around by two skilled Talons like a bag of rice. He could barely resist, and although the situation was dire, it wasn't dangerous. Plus, he was a bit far from the battlefield, so Thea couldn't reach him to provide support.

This was fine, though. Thea could now free up Selina. The victory was within reach.

Thea pulled out an arrow from her second quiver, aiming at the Penguin, who was gleefully fighting against Selina while holding a broken umbrella. This guy was a notable figure, and his underlings were the most numerous. If he died, their morale would plummet, tipping the scales in her favor.