Battle

Ra's al Ghul remained on guard. Operating in darkness was what ninjas did best, and making sounds seem to come from elsewhere was one of their tricks as well.

Such methods could thoroughly confuse an enemy, making it impossible for them to determine where an attack would come from.

But they were useless against him. As a martial arts Master proficient in swordsmanship, mastery of one principle led to mastery of all. He could detect even the faintest breath or heartbeat. Closing his eyes would not affect his combat ability, let alone the fact that he liked the dark as well.

The Bliss of this world had never been a trainee of the League of Assassins. Everything she knew came from her own training.

Ra's al Ghul sensed Batwoman not far ahead of him. She had not moved at all. The sound from behind him was merely a petty trick, and he would not fall for it.

"Hmph, childish! Is that all you women know? Why not fight me openly and honorably, and prove who glory belongs to?"

"Stop trying to provoke me. Glory has nothing to do with me."

Bliss's voice came from another direction again, while Ra's al Ghul could still sense that she had not moved.

An opening!

Since she had refused an honorable duel, he no longer needed to abide by the rules of honor. He swung his weapon into the darkness. His sword moved so quickly that no one could see it, and the special black blade gave off neither reflection nor sound.

Where the heart went, the sword followed. This was the strike of a swordsmanship Master who had concentrated his essence, energy, and spirit—the most powerful opening slash.

His sword pulled his body along, and in the next instant, he appeared where Bliss had been standing. Yet his blade struck only air. Not only had he missed Batwoman, he had not even touched a single thread on her clothing.

"How is that possible?"

Ra's al Ghul could not understand it. He had clearly sensed her. His senses had never been wrong.

"Perhaps you should ask your daughter. She could tell you that heartbeats and breathing can also be simulated by computer programs and played through miniature speakers."

Bliss's voice came from every direction at once. She had actually filled the hall with tiny speakers.

No one knew how long she had been here, or how she had installed all these things.

Ra's al Ghul exhaled heavily and turned around. While he had been attacking, Bliss had appeared behind him. Talia had also been knocked unconscious on the floor.

"I couldn't sense your heartbeat or breathing. You're like a corpse."

"Lady Shiva taught me how to deal with martial artists. It's a South Asian yoga technique called the Turtle Breathing Technique. It's quite useful." Bliss remained expressionless, with only her blue eyes gleaming beneath her mask with a light he could not understand. "So am I frightening enough now? Is it enough to make you abandon your plans against Gotham?"

"In your dreams! Foolish Batman, you came into our castle alone. You're the one who should give up!"

Ra's al Ghul flicked his wrist, throwing a small object like a steel ball out the window. That tiny thing erupted into terrifying flames, blossoming in the sky like fireworks.

The buildings atop the cliff and the vast snowy plains in the distance were illuminated in stark white, as bright as day.

Every assassin, no matter where they were in the mountains, could see the flames blooming in the sky. This was the signal of the League of Assassins. They would immediately gather in the hall.

Yet what puzzled him was that Batwoman showed no intention of stopping him. She had not even drawn a batarang, merely turning her head slightly to glance at it.

Ra's al Ghul had originally planned to fire a second one if the first was intercepted in midair. But Batman's seemingly dismissive reaction left his breath stuck in his chest, and his face turned livid.

"Arrogant! Do you think you can take on three thousand assassins? This will be your burial ground today. I'll hang your head before the castle gates forever!"

"Ra's al Ghul, you are the arrogant one. I never told you I came alone." Bliss shook her head, tugged at her glove, and assumed a fighting stance. "Come on. No one will interrupt us now."

Ra's al Ghul snorted. By all rights, the nearest assassins should have arrived already, yet there was no one.

He did not know what had happened to his assassins, but a direct confrontation suited him perfectly.

However, just as he faced Bliss and assumed an opening sword stance, he felt a heavy blow strike the back of his head. His vision swam, as though he had been hit by a car, and he could no longer remain standing.

Before losing consciousness, the last word that surfaced in his mind was: Trap.

At that moment, a person dressed in a black hooded cloak, wrapped up from head to toe, appeared where he fell. It was as though he had emerged from thin air; he had not been there before.

"Uh, did I hit him too hard? He's eight hundred years old, right?" The figure scratched the back of his head and shrank his neck. "I didn't kill him, did I? Can someone call an ambulance?"

Bliss pulled Talia up from the floor. She had been pretending to be unconscious. Unable to face either her father or Batwoman, she could only pretend that she had been knocked out.

"You can't kill him. If what you told me is true, then he can't die. The Lazarus Pit will heal his injuries and may even speed up his recovery. We have limited time."

"Okay, that's good. Whew, you scared me." The Cloaked Figure relaxed and laughed, then gently patted Ra's al Ghul on the back twice as if comforting him. Then he stood and said to Talia, "Sorry, Talia. The first thing I did when we met again was hit your father. You look younger, uh... we don't seem to know each other, and your father shouldn't either—"

Talia: "???"

Bliss shook her head, interrupting their awkward conversation. "First, you have never met the Talia from this world, so you cannot conclude that she looks younger when you have no basis for comparison. Second, if the Lazarus Pit can grant immortality, then your Talia must be the same. If you said that to your Talia, she would immediately realize you were lying."

Talia: "???"

She seemed never to have understood any of it. Bliss sounded mentally unstable. What did she mean by your Talia and our Talia? Could there be another version of herself in the world?

The Cloaked Figure, however, seemed to have an epiphany. "I see. No wonder Talia would rather talk to Superman than pay attention to me. So it really was a lifespan issue?"

"It has nothing to do with lifespan. It's just about her mood." Bliss made a snide remark, then turned to Talia and pressed her forehead against Talia's, ignoring the blush across her face. "Listen, Talia. I'll keep this brief. To save our world, I need water from the Lazarus Pit. Hand it over, or we'll find it ourselves."

Talia bit her lip. They did not even reminisce first. They had come straight here to demand the League of Assassins' treasure. Honestly...

So she obediently led Bliss and the mysterious person to the rear mountain and opened the secret passage.

What could she do? She just liked Batman.

This was a secret chamber built behind the castle, hollowed out from within the mountain. Inside was a small pool, not much larger than a bathtub. The moment they entered, they could see red liquid churning in the pool and giving off a faint mist.

"This is the Lazarus Pit?" Bliss asked the mysterious person beside her.

"Uh, probably? Sorry, I've never seen it before." The Cloaked Figure shrugged.

"You were the one who told me such a thing existed and that its water had special effects, but you've never seen it?" Bliss raised an eyebrow and asked teasingly.

Talia hurried to explain. She did not want Bliss to think she had deceived her. "This is the Lazarus Pit. But to resurrect someone, their whole body must be immersed in it. If you merely take some water, drinking it will only grant a Healing Factor."

Bliss nodded, and the Bat-Metal medallion around her neck swayed with the motion. "That's enough."

As she spoke, she took a large metal canister from beneath the back of her cloak and filled it with water. The silvery-white metal gradually sank into the pale red pool water. She watched the spring water, cold yet bubbling like boiling water, fill the canister before putting it away.

"You don't intend to use it yourself? My father doesn't know, but you can use it."

Talia quietly offered Bliss the suggestion. If they could both live forever, they would have more opportunities to spend time together in the future.

Without looking back, Bliss returned to the secret passage. The wind raised by her steps puffed out the cloak behind her, like a bat spreading its wings in the darkness.

"No. This canister of spring water will not be used on me either. I suggest you return to the hall immediately and lie back where you were. Everyone was knocked unconscious. We'll be leaving first."

"But Bane..." Talia intended to tell her about Ra's al Ghul contacting Bane.

"Bane has already been dealt with, and I confiscated his nuclear bomb. Once everything is over, you can come find me in Gotham. If there is any spring water left over, I'll return it to you."

Bliss did not give her a chance to finish. She hurried back the way they had come. When they returned to the hall, Bliss stared at the Cloaked Figure beside her, her lips pressed tightly together without saying a word.

"Hm? That's it? Oh. I get it. Then goodbye, Talia!" The Cloaked Figure looked at Bliss, then at Talia, as though he had only just realized that they had to leave.

"What... do you mean, once it's over?"

Talia had wanted to ask more, but a flash of Golden Light passed through the room, and Batman and that person vanished, leaving behind an empty hall. Ra's al Ghul still lay on the floor, while snow blown in through the window landed on his face.

He seemed to twitch slightly.

Talia immediately hardened her heart and struck herself on the neck. Only truly passing out could deceive Ra's al Ghul.

Before losing consciousness, she felt the pain at the back of her head and thought of the "date" Bliss had promised her, a trace of joy appearing on her face.