The golden portal suddenly contracted and then exploded open, turning the field of vision into pure white.
Diana felt as if she had been thrown into a rapidly spinning kaleidoscope, her concepts of space and time completely shattered.
When the blinding light finally faded and she felt a solid touch beneath her feet, the ancient and sacred aura of the Rock of Eternity that she had anticipated did not appear.
Instead, a chilly atmosphere filled with the smell of rust, dust, and a faint stench of blood filled the air.
This is not the Rock of Eternity.
Diana's expression tensed instantly, and she gripped the Sword of Hephaestus and the Shield of God in a defensive stance.
She looked around and found herself in a huge, circular space, like an underground arena.
The dome was so high that its top was invisible, and only a cold, eerie blue light shone down from some unknown corner, barely illuminating this desolate place.
Kendra and Doctor Fate were both gone, and only a chilling static filled the communication channel.
She was teleported alone; it was a carefully prepared trap for her.
Her gaze swept across the surrounding walls, and her heart sank. The towering rock faces weren't adorned with ordinary decorations, but rather with rows of shocking "trophies."
Zeus's thunderbolt, which should have shone on Mount Olympus, Hermes' winged sandals, the shattered remains of Poseidon's trident... even Gungnir of the Northern Europe gods, and Mjolnir, the Mjolnir, are like carelessly discarded trash, having lost all their divine brilliance and left only with a cold metallic texture.
This is... the graveyard of the gods.
A deep, heavy sound, with a metallic, abrasive quality, echoed in the empty space, as if it came from a bottomless ancient well.
"Dear Diana, it's been so long since we last met."
Diana whirled around, the blade of Sword of Hephaestus pointing directly at the source of the sound.
An unusually tall figure emerged from the shadows.
He was completely encased in a menacing suit of black metal armor covered in spikes, the style of which was...
Diana's pupils contracted slightly; it was the helmet of Ares of war, but stained a deeper black than midnight.
The Merciless, a member of the Dark Knight Order.
Bruce Wayne from the Dark Multiverse.
"I don't know you at all," Diana said coldly.
The monster ignored her hostility and took a few steps forward on its own.
Through the narrow slits in the helmet, Diana could see a pair of eyes burning with a complex emotion—not pure madness, but something twisted, almost something that could be called "nostalgia."
" Diana, in my world, you were the one who taught me what a warrior is, what honor is, and what principles are."
His voice carried a somber echo, "You told me that pity is the shackles of heroes, and war is the only truth."
Diana gripped the Lasso of Truth at her waist, a golden light flashing briefly in the dim light.
She could tell the other person wasn't lying, but that only made her more terrified.
A Bruce corrupted by this kind of thinking... what a monster that would be.
"I teach you to fight, to protect, not to Carnage," she retorted, each word firm and resolute. "A true warrior always carries compassion in their heart."
"Compassion?" The Merciless uttered a low, mocking snort. "The moment I donned Helmet of Ares, all tenderness burned away."
He raised a greatsword in his hand that was very similar to the Sword of Hephaestus, but was wrapped in black lightning.
"I personally slain you from my world, flattened Themyscira, and even Ares, fell by my sword."
He pointed the tip of his sword at the divine artifacts on the wall, "I'll give you fairness. Choose any one of these items and fight me to the death in a fair fight."
This is a condescending act of charity, an arrogance stemming from absolute self-confidence.
He viewed the battle as a sacrifice to the past, and Diana was the sacrifice.
Diana looked at him, at the armor that was completely distorted by the power of the God of War, and at the dusty artifacts on the wall.
She suddenly loosened her grip on the weapon.
"Clang!"
She threw the divine shield on the ground.
"Clang!"
She also abandoned the Sword of Hephaestus.
She stepped forward, bare-handed, and stood straight in front of the Dark Knight.
"I don't need your handouts of weapons, nor will I abide by your twisted rules of war." Her voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly throughout the underground space.
" The Amazons ' strength comes from within, not from swords."
The Merciless remained silent for a moment, his eyes beneath the helmet seeming to flicker.
"You're still as charming as ever, Diana," he said in a low voice. "I respect your choice."
As soon as he finished speaking, he released his grip, and the greatsword, crackling with dark lightning, crashed to the ground with a thud, shaking the earth. He too assumed a bare-handed stance, facing Diana from a distance.
The silence was shattered in the next instant!
The two figures almost simultaneously vanished into afterimages, colliding violently in the empty field of earthquake!
The clash of fists produced a dull, thunderous roar, and the resulting shockwave rippled the dust on the ground into visible circles.
From the very beginning of the battle, the two engaged in the most primal and savage struggle.
Diana could feel the power emanating from beneath the opponent's armor—a terrifying force that combined Bruce's peak physical abilities with Ares' divine power. In a pure clash of strength, she couldn't gain the slightest advantage!
very good.
Diana's eyes sharpened, and she stopped trying to resist.
With a swift movement of her feet, her body moved like the most agile willow leaf, deflecting the opponent's powerful straight punch. Her arm then wrapped around the opponent's arm, and with a burst of power from her waist, she executed a standard Amazons over-the-shoulder throw!
However, the scene that was expected—the other person being smashed to the ground—did not occur.
With his the Merciless, Wu Lei's lower body remained as stable as a mountain. He merely swayed for a moment before delivering a backhand elbow strike aimed at her back!
Diana had anticipated this, twisting her body at an incredible angle to dodge the elbow strike while simultaneously delivering a sweeping kick to his supporting leg.
This time, he couldn't hold on, and his heavy body collapsed to the ground.
Diana didn't pursue him; she simply stood there, coldly watching him get up from the ground. "Who taught you your fighting skills? So utterly pathetic."
The Merciless slowly straightened up, patted off non-existent dust from his armor, and his voice beneath the helmet was devoid of emotion.
It's you.
Before he finished speaking, his body shot forward instantly! His speed was more than twice as fast as before!
Diana's pupils contracted, and she reacted immediately, diving down to trip him using the same technique.
But the moment she moved, a chill ran down her spine.
The Merciless changed its movements; it descended in the exact same posture, its arms wrapping around hers at the same angle, its waist exerting force in the same way...
That's her move!
Before Diana could react, an irresistible force surged through her, and the world spun around her.
She was thrown out like a rag doll, crashing heavily against the wall in the distance.
"Boom!"
The wall behind her was where those mythical weapons were hung.
Several magical artifacts were shaken and fell to the ground, clattering and clanging around her.
Diana coughed up blood, quickly scrambled to her feet from the rubble, and stared incredulously at the black figure.
How could that be? He not only copied her techniques, but he even... used them more skillfully and more lethally than she did!
She charged forward again, this time using all her trump cards in Amazons fighting techniques: grappling, locking, joint locks... the culmination of thousands of years of war wisdom from Themyscira.
However, it didn't work.
No matter how ingenious her moves were, her opponent could always see through them immediately and then counter them in the exact same, but simpler and more efficient way.
Every attack felt like it was hitting him directly.
Only then did Diana finally understand the true terror of these Dark Knight.
They are not simply Bruce Wayne with the abilities of a Justice League member.
They are monsters who possess those god-like powers, while also retaining Batman's top-notch tactical mind, capable of analyzing, learning, and finding all weaknesses!
He's using Batman's mind to harness the power of the God of War and... her fighting skills!
Talking about warriors' glory anymore is just foolish!
Diana wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her eyes becoming sharp and resolute.
With a swift roll, she grabbed the fallen Sword of Hephaestus beside her and, without any fancy moves, brought it down with all her might on the head of the Merciless!
Divine fire burned fiercely on the blade, determined to cleave this embodiment of darkness in two!
Faced with this fatal blow, the Merciless didn't even look at it, but simply picked up a short-handled warhammer from the pile of weapons next to him and casually swung it upwards.
"Clang--!"
A deafening clang of metal clashing!
The Sword of Hephaestus, a divine weapon forged by Hephaestus, God of Fire himself and powerful enough to cleave atoms, was easily parried by that warhammer!
The immense recoil force traveled along the blade, causing Diana's hand to go numb and almost making her lose her grip on the hilt.
Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was a hammer, entirely silver-gray in color and with an antique design.
Mjolnir.
With the Merciless fist, he blocked her sword with a hammer in one hand, his voice from beneath his helmet carrying a hint of cold mockery.
"It seems your power doesn't just come from within."
As soon as he finished speaking, lightning flashed on Mjolnir in his hand, and a violent force erupted from the blade!
Diana was violently thrown back by the force, sliding more than ten meters on the ground before regaining her balance.
She looked up and saw that the Merciless had also picked up his greatsword, which was wrapped in dark lightning, and was now wielding it alongside Mjolnir.
The fierce battle resumed once again.