A CHALLENGE

A group of assassins were guarding the entrance while the rest were busy killing each other. 

"Talia call back your people. There's been enough death. It's time to stop this useless bloodshed. I'll fight Ra's one on one. The winner takes it all," Batman declared as he glanced sideways toward Diana, who nodded back at him.

Talia ordered the assassins to stand down and announced a duel with Ra's al Ghul. The ones with her immediately stopped fighting and regrouped behind her. However, some stubborn ones still refused to listen to her. They charged towards Batman. Their swords glinted dangerously as they attacked simultaneously.

A wave of electricity burst out of his suit, shocking these assassins instantly, and rendering them unconscious. "Stupid asses..." Batman scoffed at the fallen bodies of these fools.

The rest ceased their battle. They gathered behind Ra's as he stepped outside the mansion along with his personal guard of fifty elite assassins.

Ra's al Ghul looked coldly around the courtyard. His eyes fell on Nyssa, who lay unconscious nearby. He sneered at her, "Pathetic girl..." Then he looked toward Talia, Diana, and Bruce, "Batman. I never guessed that we would meet under these circumstances. I thought we shared the same vision. Maintain the balance of this world. But considering how a brief meeting with you changed Talia's mind, I guess you are more of a danger than I had imagined."

"Old man, you have no idea," Batman replied mockingly. "Why don't we go for one vs one fight? You aren't scared, are you?"

Ra's narrowed his eyes and glared at Batman, "Insolent brat! This is my home. My domain. You dare challenge me here? Very well. If it's a fight you want then so be it. I shall grant you the honor of dying by my hands!" He drew out his sword and pointed it towards Batman, "Prepare yourself, Batman! We will battle right here at dawn tomorrow morning. Only the two of us! No tricks. No gadgets. No helpers. Just pure combat skills. I hope that's acceptable to you."

"Says the man who boosted his power with the Lazarus pit. Here's a counteroffer. We'll use everything we have in our arsenal. No limits. And I mean everything! Your hundreds of years of experience and weapons versus mine. I wonder, who is superior? But if you are afraid of that, I'll take up on your offer." Batman countered.

Ra's grinned, "Hahahaha..." He laughed loudly as if he heard the funniest joke ever, "Interesting proposal indeed, Batman! I was giving you a courtesy because you've managed to reach here. But if that's your wish, so be it. We'll use everything available to us and see who wins. Tomorrow at dawn! Let history record the events that transpire here today."

"Agreed," Batman nodded. 

"Till then, stay here as our guest. And I give my words. No one will harm you and your allies during this time," Ra's promised before turning around to enter the mansion along with his followers.

..

[Temporary residence]

Diana, Batman, and Talia were sitting around a table. Nyssa has already recovered, but she was caged inside the nano armor, preventing her from throwing another reckless fit.

"Aren't you taking this too lightly? That's Ra's al Ghul we are talking about. He's not someone you can easily beat," Talia expressed her concern. She knew what kind of monster her father was. And Batman just challenged him to a life-and-death duel. "I know you trust your suit too much, but even it has its limitations. Father isn't someone to be trifled with."

"Yeah, he knows some weird shit magic, rituals, potions, and various hidden weapons, capable of melting my armor instantly," Batman nodded.

Diana chimed in, "And I am guessing you came prepared for that, right? I mean, I know that you..." Before she could reveal his secret, Bruce gestured at her to stop. Diana realized her slip of tongue and apologized silently through eye contact.

Talia, however, was curious about what Diana wanted to say. But Batman didn't look like he wanted to talk about it, so she decided to change the topic, "Why don't I arrange for some food? I'm pretty sure you guys are hungry."

"I'm starving," Diana exclaimed. "Can you bring something spicy? I really love spicy food. Ohh... and some fruits too. I also love fruits." She requested Talia excitedly.

Bruce sighed and shook his head helplessly, "Yeah, let's eat. Oh, order something poison-free, yeah?" He joked sarcastically.

"Of course," Talia rolled her eyes and left to make arrangements for dinner.

..

After eating dinner, Batman gave Diana his music player to keep her busy and followed Talia into her room. Nyssa was also there caged inside the armor. She tried struggling earlier but gave up soon after realizing the futility of her actions.

"So? What do you think?" Batman asked Talia after closing the door behind him.

"One duel, one winner, and as usual, the winner takes the all. If you somehow manage to kill father, you can take control of the League of Assassins," Talia said while removing her usual black assassin dress and changing into something comfortable. She didn't even hide her body from Batman.

"Oh, the winner takes it all, huh?" Batman leaned on the wall as his eyes wandered Talia's naked body shamelessly.

Talia noticed his lustful gaze but pretended to ignore it. She put on a simple black night robe and walked up to Batman, "That's the rule. Kill him and you will become the next Demon head of the League of Assassins." She stood right in front of him with her untied robe showing off most of her cleavage.

Batman smirked as he properly closed her robe and tied the belt around her waist, "Then I shall take my rewards after winning this battle."

"Winning a battle with weapons is different from winning a battle with bodies and lust, Mr. Batman," Talia teased seductively while leaning forward and whispering into his ears. "I have high expectations from a man of your caliber." Her lips brushed Batman's cheeks as she continued, "For someone who bested me, don't disappoint me later..."

Batman wrapped his hands around Talia's waist and pulled her closer, "Don't worry. I'll show you the time of your lifetime."

"Only time will tell," She pulled away and winked at him seductively before walking away to sit near her bed. "By the way, how long will you keep her in that armor?" She pointed towards the trapped Nyssa. 

"That depends on her. As long as she doesn't act stupid again, I won't hurt her. But if she tries anything funny, I won't hold back," Batman replied coldly.

Nyssa gritted her teeth furiously, "Let me out! Release me this instant! Or else..."

"Or else what? You have already lost once and you want to fight again? You hit your head or something? Or are you really this naive?" Batman taunted Nyssa ruthlessly. "You better shut your mouth or else I'll smack your butt."

Nyssa clenched her fist tightly. She wanted to strangle Batman so badly. But right now, she was completely defenseless against this guy.

Talia chuckled amusingly at Nyssa's situation, "That's an interesting proposal. Maybe I should have spanked her butt when she was a kid instead of giving her a cold shoulder and ignoring her mistakes."

Nyssa blushed madly hearing Talia's remarks. She yelled angrily, "What the hell? Why are you both treating me like a kid?"

Batman shrugged indifferently, "Well, you acted like one earlier. You call yourself a pro, yet you fell for Ra's drugs and went on a rampage. Heck, you almost got yourself killed and now, you are behaving like an envious brat. The time you spent hating your sister, you should have trained harder instead. You were babbling about pride this, pride that, father's acknowledgment, blah, blah, blah... Why the fuck do you need his approval? Just train hard and surpass him instead. Idiot..." He mocked Nyssa mercilessly.

Talia agreed with Batman, "He's right. You always complained about father being biased toward me, but did you for a moment think clearly? Or maybe, calm your anger down and focus on improving your own skills instead of trying to copy my techniques? Haaa... Anyway, it will be over tomorrow. The future of the League will change for better or worse depending on Batman's victory."

"Why are you acting so confident? Father is undefeatable. You can't win against him," Nyssa refuted.

Batman scoffed at Nysa, "Undefeatable? Undefeatable my ass! I can kick Ra's al Ghul's ass any day of the week."

As they continued their banter...

..

[Ra's mansion]

Ra's kneeled before the Suit of Sorrows. He managed to understand some aspects of this ancient armor and even somewhat tamed the possessed spirit residing within. He can utilize the immense power of this armor, but it drains him of his life force. The longer he wears this suit, the shorter his lifespan becomes.

Ra's understood this armor's curse and accepted it willingly. He had already lived for many centuries. And right now, for the first time in his life, he felt scared of death. When he was standing before Batman earlier, he sensed immense danger from him. A suffocating feeling pressed his heart. It felt like Batman was looking down upon him. It irked Ra's to no end. For someone who's hailed as an Immortal Demon head to feel fear from a mere mortal! Ridiculous!

Ra's clenched his fist tightly as he cursed Batman. He made up his mind to kill that brat tomorrow and get rid of this fear forever. But, before that, he needs to soak in the Lazarus Pit. The armor had drained too much of his life energy when he was testing it before. And to fight Batman, he knows he needs every ounce of his strength.

Meanwhile, Ra's loyal follower Ubu entered his room carrying a huge box filled with weapons. These are the weapons Ra's mastered over centuries which he will use against Batman tomorrow. Ubu placed the box near Ra's and waited patiently for orders.

"Open the pit," Ra's ordered Ubu. 

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Next, Ch: 141: Ra's vs Bruce- Revelation

Ch: 142: Velocity 9

Ch: 143: Perfect Plan & a Ring?!

Ch: 144: Bruce's prediction

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