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"Kindness is not a crime. But sometimes, it awakens the weakness and greed in others."
- Suwon, (Akatsuki no Yona)
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<(Bruce Wayne POV)>
"Maybe you should have accepted the security detail Julia offered to arrange for you instead of sneaking off like this. If news leaks out that we are currently carrying billions of dollars worth of antiques in the car trunk with us, the entire Gotham City will be on our tail. It will be quite annoying if that happens." Nyssa uttered in frustration as we casually drove towards Wayne Manor. "With that look Luthor gave us, I am pretty confident that he might try something underhanded to get his hands on that gun. Do you remember how he threatened that you would regret what you did to him in the auction? And he looked even more furious after you offered a job to that secretary of his to annoy him." She giggled as she remembered the billionaire's enraged face.
Right now, the two of us were driving back home from the auction. Well, I was the one actually doing the driving while Nyssa just kept reminding me about how we could be attacked by anyone anytime in our car as well as how utterly unprepared we were to defend ourselves from a serious assault. And she would have been right too but only if it was someone else driving the car instead of me. I on the other hand was fully aware of how safe we truly were in my vehicle. In fact, that was the sole reason why I was brave enough to ask the auctioneer to hand me some of the items that I wanted to take home early like some of the interesting antiques, and the Ace of Winchester.
Of course, this was against Auction rules since buyers can only get their purchases after days of various security protocols that ensured the safety of both the seller and the buyer while also maintaining transparency throughout the whole transaction. But the fact was that I was filthy rich and when faced with a hefty bribe, even the strict strict-faced auctioneer was more than willing enough to bend some of the rules for me, especially when I offered to buy the entire auction house. Oh and no, I didn't do it this time because I was trying to show off my wealth but simply because I was afraid that Lex might try to pull something unlawful to take what he wanted.
So yeah, Nyssa wasn't just "worrying" for no reason. Actually, she was just being cautious. The power she already had as one of the lords of the High Table made her much more of a threat than Lex Luthor when it came to connections to the criminal underworld. However, she knew that Luthor wasn't just about influence, he was also a genius scientist and extremely cunning when it came to playing dirty to get what he wanted. He would have been a terrifying enemy if it was not for his useless pride. So, Nyssa's wariness was quite valid in this case especially since Luthor really seemed to want that shotgun for some reason.
However, I just casually shrugged at her words before giving her a charming smile, "Don't worry, Nyssa. This car has more intricate technology and complex weaponry systems inside it than the entire Pentagon. We are completely safe in this car even if Luthor were to launch controlled nuclear strikes against us like you are imagining. Also, both of us are enhanced humans, remember? Getting rid of both of us quietly is impossible for the low-grade weak lackeys he normally hires as his bodyguards. So, just take it easy. As long as I am here, absolutely nothing can go wrong..."
*BOOM* A glowing red explosion suddenly hit the side of our car forcing it away from the main road and slamming it into the guardrails faster than any of us could even contemplate what was happening. A huge portion of the road was also destroyed in the explosion as well along with a major section of the guardrails we had collided against. However, despite the powerful explosion, our car barely had a few visible dents on it which was not surprising since I had specifically made the car with radiologically inert carbonadium to make it extra durable for situations exactly like this. Still, what surprised me was that when I tried to restart the car, the vehicle didn't respond at all. The defense systems, stealth systems, or the engine, nothing was responding. Hell, not even the touchscreen controls of the car were currently functioning. It was almost like someone had managed to perfectly fry every electronic component of the car.
"Interesting, this is the same thing that happened with my plane too when those three Greek goddesses tried to... oh shoot, it's magic!" I exclaimed upon finally realizing that magic in the DC multiverse was broken beyond what I originally expected and that this magic didn't seem to play too well with high-tech electronics and gadgets. I had used a lot of defense systems and tech protocols to protect my vehicle from almost everything that I could think of like fire, lightning, ice, or even radiation but I had forgotten the most dangerous weakness of all, magic.
'I should make a note to learn a little more about Defense against the Mystic Arts when I get time. I need to get better at it ASAP to better protect myself against magical enemies going forward especially since even though technology is my biggest strength, it might become one of my biggest defenses if I don't learn to shield it from mystic attacks.
"What was that?" Nyssa asked in surprise as she looked around to spot where the attack had come from. "You had to jinx our smooth journey home, didn't you?" She exhaled tiredly before taking out a promethium dagger and her new laser pistol from somewhere inside her dress, both of which were a courtesy to me.
"I don't believe in jinxes. I believe in conspiracies and plots but never jinxes." I responded after noticing a shadowy figure slowly approaching our car from the back. Even though the silhouette looked mostly humanoid, I noticed a couple of things that indicated he was anything but human. One was the bony structure of his body that made him look too eerily tall and the other was the fact that he had ten hands instead of the normal two.
"A metahuman hitman?" Nyssa asked after she too noticed the figure.
"More like a demon... I think." I answered as its features seemed to match some of the descriptions Giovanni Zatara had once taught me about demons from hell. "But no worries. We are in luck since even though I might not be the most compatible person with mana, I still definitely remember all the exorcism rituals Zatara taught me. After all, anyone can do exorcisms as long as they put their faith in a god of any religion of their choice. And fortunately for us, I know how to exorcise demons in twenty different languages and seven different religions." I smirked before calmly exiting the car. "However, this time I think I am going to go with one of my favorite ones."
Upon noticing my relaxed exit from the car, the figure came to a halt before slightly tilting his head to observe me. This in turn allowed me a clearer view of him as well and despite the night's darkness cloaking him like a shroud, my heightened superhuman senses were easily able to perceive his appearance. Just like I expected. it was the grotesque figure of a demon, his white skeletal frame sprouting ten slender bony arms with each of them clutching a revolver or a pistol.
"Bruce Wayne, the billionaire born with a silver spoon and a golden heart. *Heh Heh* Even in hell, you are quite a well-known man. There is a luxury suite booked just in your name for when you get there and believe me you are going there, Mr. Wayne... But maybe we can help you make your life a little better before you die, make you richer, and more influential, or perhaps even help you get a girl that you always liked. How about it, interested in making a deal with us?" The demon offered with a creepy voice that honestly sounded like two pieces of wood being scrapped together.
"An interesting thing about being the richest person in the world is that there is nothing I can't get on my own, bone-guy. Also, look at my face, do you honestly think anyone will say no to this face? Plus, I already have too many hot women in my life. I am not perverted enough to make a deal with a literal demon to get even more." I snorted before suddenly becoming serious again. "Now, why don't you cut the crap and tell me why you are really here. Did Luthor finally snap and make a deal with a demon to one-up me or something?" I asked while raising one of my eyebrows before taking a look at the gun box that was still in the back seat of my car through the side of my eye.
"Intelligent way of trying to glean information from us, human. But you assumed wrong. We are not mercenaries; we don't do the dirty work of others. Lex Luthor never made a deal with us; WE were the ones who approached Lex Luthor with an offer. The Ace of Winchesters in exchange for some forbidden knowledge that he wanted. Quite a good deal for him... that is if he were as capable as we initially expected him to be. Sadly though, he proved to be useless. But that doesn't mean the two of us can't reach a deal that will satisfy us both."
He is making an offer for the shotgun instead of just trying to take it from me by force? He is too much of a goody-two-shoes for a demon but as Zatara once said no demon is a goody-two-shoes... which can only mean two things. Either he wants to be friends with me for some reason which is probably not true since he is a demon and all or... he can't take the gun from me by force and must need me to hand it over to him because of some bullshit rules. That would also explain why he didn't just steal the relic and needed Lex to buy it for him after making a deal with him.
"Yeah, no. I am going to go on a limb here but from the hundreds of horror and demon movies I have watched, I think banishing you back to hell is the smarter thing to do here than make a deal with you." I replied before pulling the sleeves of my right hand and revealing a small pentagram-shaped tattoo on my wrist. It was time to exorcise this mother fucker.
"Mischief is in their hearts, give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors, give them after the work of their hands, render them to their desert. Smite them and let them not rise again. Blessed be the Lord. The Lord is my strength and my shield. Thou shall perish!"
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