Invitation from the Demon's Head

The name "Ra's al Ghul" cut through the ambiguous, romantic atmosphere on the rooftop like a bolt of black lightning.

Bruce and Selina separated almost simultaneously, moving with absolute coordination to press back-to-back, instantly shifting into combat readiness. The tender mood from a moment before vanished entirely, replaced by a murderous intent that chilled like frost.

The moment he heard that name, Bruce's gaze turned bitterly cold.

The League of Assassins... "Demon's Head" Ra's al Ghul. His brain raced at top speed. They've finally tracked me down. Is it because of my ruthless methods in purging Gotham, or because of... something else?

Selina also sensed the gravity of the situation. She lowered her body, assuming a coiled, cheetah-like stance as ten shimmering alloy claws capable of tearing through steel popped instantly from the fingertips of her gloves.

"Darling, it seems our date has drawn quite a few uninvited guests." Though her voice still carried a trace of banter, the languid tone was gone, replaced by extreme vigilance.

At that tense moment, a long-absent mechanical synthesized voice that only Bruce could hear rang out clearly in his mind.

[Ding! Detected key plot character "Ra's al Ghul" and his affiliated organization, the "League of Assassins", appearing!]

[Main Quest Issued: Demon's Legacy]

[Quest Brief: The eternal leader of the League of Assassins, the "Demon's Head" Ra's al Ghul, has observed you for a long time through his global intelligence network. The iron-fisted new order you established with thunderous methods in Gotham City, along with the formidable strength, ruthless execution, and extraordinary wisdom you displayed in battle, have convinced him that you are the most perfect successor he has sought for hundreds of years. This time, he dispatched his most elite warriors not to make an enemy of you, but to issue an invitation you cannot refuse.]

[Quest Requirements: Defeat the invading League of Assassins elite ninja, and demonstrate your peerless value to the "Demon's Head" with absolute strength. Then, accept his invitation and set off for the thousand-year sanctuary of the League of Assassins—Nanda Parbat, deep in the Himalayas.]

[Quest Notes: The system detects that the conflict between Lex Luthor and Superman belongs to a "routine conflict" of the DC Universe, behind which there is no core "major event" capable of fundamentally influencing the trajectory of the worldline. Therefore, the system will not designate it as a main quest that must be resolved personally by the host. The main quests of this system will prioritize enemies or major crises directly and deeply bound by fate to the identity of "Batman".]

[Quest Rewards: ??? (Quest Hint: Successfully completing this main quest will give you the opportunity to obtain the extraordinary ability template of a dark Batman renowned across myriad parallel universes for his "ultimate intellect" and "infinite resources".)]

A flurry of system notifications exploded in Bruce's mind like a peal of thunder!

This information-dense passage made him instantly understand the current situation and answered a profound doubt he had harbored in his heart all along.

So that's how it is... The system's main quests are tightly bound to the core identity of "Batman". He experienced an instant epiphany. Powerful though Luthor may be and as Superman's lifelong enemy, in the system's judgment, he ultimately belongs to the villains of the "Superman storyline". No matter how intense my conflicts with him get, they can only count as "side plots" or "crossover events". Whereas Ra's al Ghul—that old monster who, whether in past-life comics, animations, or films, shares an unbreakable fateful entwinement with Batman and could even be called Batman's "father-in-law"—is the true core main line belonging to the "Batman storyline"!

Once he figured this out, Bruce's mood instantly surged with heat. The mysterious reward hinted at by the system in particular made his heart race!

A dark Batman renowned for ultimate intellect and infinite resources... Several names flashed rapidly through his mind. Who could it be? Is it the "Oracle" who calculated the Anti-Life Equation using mathematical formulas and schemed against the entire multiverse? Or is it "The Dawnbreaker", who merged with the super-mind of the Batman Who Laughs and controls the resources of an entire Earth? Or... some even more terrifying entity?

Whichever the answer proved to be, it brimmed with endless temptation!

At the same time, another thought he had buried deep in his mind resurfaced.

Jason... If I remember correctly, in the previous life's plot, the second Robin, Jason Todd, who was killed by the Joker, was resurrected in secret by Talia, the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, using the Lazarus Pit. When I crossed over, I went to check Jason's grave at the first opportunity, and sure enough, the body inside was gone. So there is a very high probability that Jason is in Nanda Parbat right now! That old fox Ra's al Ghul, apart from wanting me as a successor, could he also want to use the resurrected Jason as a card to disgust me or to manipulate me?

A fierce sense of anticipation, mixed with a hint of excitement for unknown challenges, caused Bruce's blood to begin to boil!

He drew a deep breath, suppressing the turbulence in his heart, turned his head, and asked Selina softly beside him in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Can you handle this, little cat?"

Selina felt the instantly surging, near-tangible battle intent radiating from Bruce. Far from being afraid, she instead licked the tip of her sharp claw, her emerald eyes flashing with an equal, excited gleam.

"Heh... Don't underestimate me, big bat." She smiled seductively, lowering her body further like a panther about to pounce on its prey. "Just right, tonight's workout volume is still far from enough!"

"Then... let's begin!"

The moment Bruce's voice fell, the black-clad ninja outside the encirclement moved! Like receiving a silent command, they launched a tide-like attack from all directions!

A bloody waltz of blade-light and razor-sharp claws atop a skyscraper erupted instantly!

Bruce and Selina stood back-to-back, becoming the absolute center of the storm!

At this moment, Bruce completely unleashed his strength! Holding nothing back, he pushed the combat techniques of the Peak Arkham Knight—which fused countless martial arts disciplines and were filled with a violent aesthetic of brutality—to their absolute limit!

His movements were broad and sweeping, brimming with an unmatched sense of power and oppression! Facing a ninja charging straight at him with a blade, he neither dodged nor evaded, instead unleashing a fierce and peerless direct punch!

Crack!

His fist slammed heavily against the flat of the samurai sword! That weapon, forged from fine steel, was actually shattered right down the middle by his punch! The broken blade fragments spun away as Bruce's fist continued with unabated momentum, stamping heavily into the terrified ninja's chest!

Bang!

A dull sound of cracking bones rang out, and the ninja flew backward, spewing blood as if struck squarely by a battering ram, knocking down two of his comrades behind him!

Selina, meanwhile, displayed a combat style completely different from Bruce's. She was like an elegant, agile, yet utterly lethal black cat! Her figure was erratic, always dodging the ninjas' tricky slashing angles from the most unimaginable directions. Utilizing her supreme flexibility, she shuttled at high speed through the ninjas' encirclement, every evasion accompanied by a lethal counterattack!

Her razor-sharp alloy claws traced deadly silver arcs in the moonlight! At times slicing open a ninja's throat, at times plunging into their hearts, at times tearing the tendon of a blade-wielding hand! Every strike she made landed precisely on the opponent's most vulnerable vital point—one blow, instant death, without a shred of drag.

One was fierce and peerless, like a heavy knight on a battlefield, charging headlong and smashing through everything.

The other was agile and lethal, like a top-tier assassin in the shadows, dancing gracefully with every strike drawing blood.

Their cooperation could be called seamless! The dozens of incoming warriors claimed to be the elite of the League of Assassins proved as fragile and worthless as stray dogs before the two of them!

In the span of just a few minutes, the rooftop was already littered with groaning ninjas; not a single one was able to stand again.

The ninja captain leading them was the sole person remaining conscious. His arm had already been snapped clean by Bruce, and he now knelt on one knee, struggling to raise his head. The eyes hidden behind his mask were filled with incomparable shock and a sort of... near-fanatical adoration.

"You... you are even... even stronger... than the master anticipated..."

Using his intact hand, he tremblingly drew an ancient badge forged from an unknown metal, carved with a fierce demon head, out from his chest and respectfully offered it to Bruce.

"The master... awaits your... gracious arrival... at Nanda Parbat..."

Having spoken these words, just like all the other fallen ninjas, he let black blood spill from the corners of his mouth as his gaze rapidly unfocused. He had unflinchingly ingested the lethal poison concealed within his teeth, committing collective suicide!

Silence returned to the rooftop, broken only by the howling night wind and an unshakeably thick scent of blood.

Bruce stepped forward and picked up the demon badge, which still retained the ninja's body heat. The badge felt ice-cold in his hand, and the ferocious demon head carved upon it seemed to mock him in silent mirth.

He gazed at the badge, his eyes growing profound.

Ra's al Ghul... Nanda Parbat...

I'm coming.