Coercion

Gotham City, Ace Chemical Factory.

Thud, thud, thud...

Several muffled impacts rang out as clumps of mud punched bullet-like holes through the steel plating. Clayface turned one arm into a massive hammer and shrieked as he pounded at the plants wrapped around him.

"Little girl, I'll smash you into meat paste!"

Unfortunately, no matter how tough Clayface talked, he could not withstand the plants that invaded through every opening. Countless roots and stems wrapped around his legs, burrowing into his body and breaking down his torso.

Having gone through her first kill, Ivy was now able to face death calmly. Pointing at Clayface's mouth, she said, "Children, make this lump of mud shut up."

The plants that received the command instantly went wild and burrowed into Clayface's mouth. They soon burst his muddy head apart, followed by his torso and limbs. Moments later, nothing but a puddle of sludge remained on the ground.

"Didn't your teacher teach you? Soil is nourishment for plants."

After Clayface was defeated, the fox-headed Mad Hatter was also sent flying by a kick from Batgirl, smashing heavily into the wall.

Stephanie took off her anti-hypnosis glasses and smiled at Ivy. "A new product. It works pretty well."

Professor Pyg howled as he swung his cleaver at Damian. But at his core, he was a scientist who had never received systematic combat training. Even though his physique and strength surpassed Damian's, his actual fighting ability was far inferior.

After tangling with him for a while, Damian seized an opening and drove his blade into the bend of Professor Pyg's knee. Then he twisted the katana, instantly severing his tendons and bones.

"Ah..."

Professor Pyg screamed in pain and viciously chopped at Damian's head with his cleaver.

Clang!

The two blades collided, and Damian was knocked back several steps by the recoil. Yet he smiled instead.

"Your left leg is numb already, isn't it? Lie down obediently, and I can spare you any more pain."

Mocked by a child, Professor Pyg's eyes turned bloodshot with rage. He suddenly pulled out a syringe and stabbed it into his body.

"Batman's little bird, don't forget that I'm an outstanding chemist."

After injecting the drug, Professor Pyg began breathing heavily, his heartbeat accelerating as a bloodthirsty gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Hm? What did you inject? Stimulants or adrenaline? But let me give you some advice: don't waste your effort, because you're destined to fail."

Unlike Ivy, Stephanie, and Damian, whose fights were progressing smoothly, Firefly, Nightwing, and Red Hood were under far greater pressure.

Scarecrow's fear toxin was practically Bridget's natural counter, forcing her to constantly relive the inhuman experiments she had suffered in the depths of Arkham.

As terror spread through her, Firefly howled and sprayed flames wildly, her mind on the verge of collapse.

Nightwing was still locked in combat with Two-Face. The difference between Two-Face and Professor Pyg showed just how vastly the results could vary depending on what animal one fused with. The latter was no match for Damian at all, while the former was faintly suppressing Nightwing.

Red Hood had it even worse. Shredder was completely dominating him. The two were not on the same level at all; Red Hood was merely hanging on.

Bang!

A heavy punch struck him squarely in the chest, sending Red Hood flying. He smashed a dent into the wall, then dropped to the floor on one knee, blood spraying from his mouth.

Shredder sneered and stopped paying attention to him. Batman was his target.

"Don't move!"

Several vines tore through the air like sharp swords, striking straight at Shredder's back.

"Overestimating yourselves!"

Shredder spun around and slashed twice with his claws, cutting the vines apart. He looked disdainfully at the two girls and Damian. "I don't have time to play with you. Get lost!"

Woooo...

At that moment, a sound like a ship's horn suddenly came from outside. Through the window, they saw a large airship pass overhead and fly toward the depths of the chemical factory.

Shredder's eyes lit up. He understood what the signal meant. The plan was finally beginning.

The two girls and Damian also sensed that something was wrong. After exchanging glances, they charged at Shredder together.

"I said, get lost!"

Shredder roared, bringing his hands together in a spherical hand seal before thrusting them forward. A visible ring of energy shockwaves instantly blasted all three of them away.

"Huff... huff..."

After unleashing his ultimate move, even Shredder could not help panting heavily. Such a technique placed quite a burden on him, and he needed time to recover afterward, but it was worth it.

Ignoring whether they lived or died, Shredder hurried toward the interior of the factory.

Outside the room where the spray device was stored, Batman and Ra's al Ghul were engaged in a fierce clash. Both were masters of hand-to-hand combat, and a pure brawl could not produce a victor in a short time.

Bruce had already realized the gravity of the situation. Even his long-held vow against killing had begun to waver. Killing one person could save the tens of millions of people in Gotham. Wasn't that worth it?

Once that thought emerged, his attacks became ruthless. His fists and kicks grew sharper than ever, every strike aimed at his father-in-law's vital points.

As the Demon's Head, a master of psychological warfare, Ra's al Ghul keenly detected the change in his son-in-law. Rather than being alarmed, he was delighted.

If Bruce was willing to end this riot by killing him, it would mean breaking the creed he had upheld for so long. Once that creed was broken, the floodgates could never contain the torrent again. With Talia and Damian pushing him as well, the chances of Bruce taking over the League would rise dramatically.

"That's it, Bruce. If you cannot resolve yourself to kill me, you will never save Gotham. This city will be completely reduced to hell!"

Ra's al Ghul launched fierce counterattacks as he continued to provoke and tempt him with his words.

Their strength had always been evenly matched. The more ruthless Ra's al Ghul became, the more ruthless Bruce became instinctively. He absolutely could not allow Gotham to be destroyed.

Nearby, Jude leaped several meters into the room. His Freeze Gun fired continuously, quickly freezing more than half of the protective shield.

Stockman Fly shouted urgently, "Stop him! Block those Freezing Rays!"

Rocksteady and Bebop, who had been guarding the spray device all this time, roared together and activated their transformations, turning into a Boar-man and a Rhino.

Bebop charged first, spreading his huge hands as he lunged at Jude. But before he had even covered half the distance, the Laser Gun had already pierced his palm. Another Freezing Ray followed, turning him into an ice sculpture. Before temperatures approaching absolute zero, such a minor mutation could hardly resist.

"Idiot, don't confront his weapons head-on. Use flanking tactics!" Dr. Baxter Stockman shouted.

Seeing what had happened to his good brother Bebop, Rocksteady no longer dared to rush in recklessly. He pulled out the large modified nail gun from his back and began exchanging fire with Jude.

Twenty-centimeter-long nails shot straight through the walls. Jude looked down at his small frame and wisely chose to avoid the attack for now.

He crouched low, held his breath, and quietly moved toward Rocksteady.

Rocksteady was not Ra's al Ghul and did not possess the ability to locate someone by sound. Seeing Jude stop attacking, he immediately began firing wildly, trying to force him out. Unfortunately, his shots were completely off target, and not a single one hit.

Only when he felt a chill behind him did Rocksteady react. He immediately kicked backward, intending to whip his tail like a dragon.

But Jude pulled the trigger far faster than he could move. The moment Rocksteady raised his foot, his body had already frozen solid. Dr. Baxter Stockman swallowed.

"Now it's your turn."

The Dragon Boat Festival was about to end.