"Look, can a monster like you suffocate too?"
The Joker had a rope wrapped around his hands and yanked hard, tightening it around Batman's neck until the lower half of Batman's face beneath the mask turned red.
More importantly, with his back against the windowsill, Batman could not exert any strength. Blood seeped from the stab wound in his abdomen, dripping onto the floor.
"Ah!" Batman struggled, sliding a little farther out the window as he gripped the jagged glass and forced himself upright.
The desperate situation reminded Batman of when he had learned Ultimate Escape at the Zatara Circus.
Taking a deep breath, Batman threw himself backward. His entire body fell out the window, but as he dropped, his foot hooked beneath the Joker's armpit.
With a thud, the Joker was dragged into the windowsill. Batman hung in midair with his foot hooked around the Joker, then raised a hand and used the blade on his gauntlet to cut the rope.
Batman abruptly curled up and sat upright, smashing a fist into the Joker's face. The blow sent the Joker falling backward, and he happened to drag Batman back through the window with him.
The two crashed to the floor again. Batman lay there and pressed a hand against the wound at his waist. Maybe next time, he could have Lucius improve the equipment's stab resistance.
The Joker licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and struggled to rise, only to suddenly spot Kate hiding beneath a chair, unable to escape.
The moment the Joker set his sights on her, Kate's face went pale. The Joker, however, smiled. He got up, grabbed a submachine gun that had been tossed aside, and kicked away the chair.
Batman climbed to his feet as well. His stamina was somewhat depleted,