The bat bomb detonated just inches away from Commander Ross's face, and the damage was nothing short of catastrophic.
An eruption of blinding light and unearthly heat poured out from the small device, the searing air wave instantly expanding into a furious, burning fireball. The roar of the explosion drowned out every other sound, as if the world itself had been momentarily muted by the violent outburst.
Ross, who had been hovering confidently atop the Tis Shield, lost all control in that split second. The force of the explosion slammed into him like a wrecking ball, propelling him backward through the inferno. His entire body was flung through the wall of flames like a black dagger, cutting a blazing arc across the sky as he spiraled toward the square below.
His fall was violent and uncontrolled, like a meteor crashing down to earth. The heat of the explosion still clung to him as he hurtled toward the ground, burning brightly against the night sky. The asphalt beneath him cracked and shattered as he slammed into the road with a deafening thud, the impact leaving a large, smoldering crater in his wake. The force was so immense that it sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.
A nearby car screeched to a halt, the driver barely managing to swerve out of the way of the massive pit. The vehicle skidded sideways, tires screeching against the pavement, and came to a jerking stop just inches from the edge of the crater. But the car behind wasn't so lucky—it collided with the first, the impact flipping it onto its roof with a sickening crunch. The overturned car scraped along the road, sparks flying as the roof was dragged across the pavement in a shower of metal and glass.
A hand reached up from the pit, blackened and trembling, grasping the broken asphalt with a desperate strength.
Commander Ross pulled himself from the smoking crater, but he looked nothing like the figure of control and superiority he had been moments before. His body was singed, his clothes tattered and hanging in burnt shreds, and his skin was marred with bright red gashes where the explosion had torn through his defenses. His once-pristine image was shattered. He looked ragged and worn, his breathing labored as he stood amidst the wreckage.
The Tis Shield had reacted instinctively to the explosion, oozing out of his body in an attempt to shield him from the blast. But the timing had been too short, and the explosion too close. The shield, normally invincible, had barely had time to form before the bat bomb detonated.
Now, Ross's entire body was covered in burns and wounds, blood dripping from the cuts that the shield hadn't been able to block in time. His clothes were scorched, hanging from his muscular frame in charred remnants, and his face was twisted in a mix of anger and shock.
Before hitting the ground, the Tis Shield had managed to soften his fall, oozing out from his back to form a cushion-like barrier beneath him. It had absorbed a good portion of the impact, sparing him from worse injuries. But even with that, the landing had been brutal. The shield had softened the blow, but not enough to spare him from the pain. Without it, he might not have gotten back up.
Ross coughed, blood splattering onto the ground as he tried to steady himself. His legs wobbled slightly, and his vision swam as the bright lights of the city dazzled him. The tinnitus ringing in his ears made it hard to focus, and for the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely vulnerable.
"Careless," he muttered to himself, spitting out more blood.
He should have known better. Batman wasn't just physically powerful—he was cunning, unpredictable, and relentless. His arsenal of gadgets and tricks was seemingly endless, and his ability to exploit weaknesses, even ones as small as a split-second delay in the Tis Shield, was terrifyingly precise. Ross had heard the stories—how Link had once fallen victim to the Dark Knight's schemes, his mind shattered by one of Batman's insidious traps.
Ross had thought he was prepared. He had underestimated Batman.
But this wasn't over. It wasn't even close to over.
He still had the Tis Shield, the invincible defense passed down from the remnants of an ancient demon god. As long as he stayed cautious and played things smart, he could still turn this around. Batman's tricks would eventually run dry.
But then, Ross felt it—a shift in the air, a sudden, primal warning that sent a shiver down his spine. His instincts screamed at him, and his eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, the Tis Shield sprang into action, oozing out from his body once more, forming a soft, sand-like barrier around him. It pulled him backward in an instant, creating space as Ross retreated several meters from his previous position.
Just as Ross backed away, something crashed into the exact spot where he had been standing only moments earlier.
The impact was tremendous. The road beneath it buckled and exploded outward, sending chunks of asphalt and debris flying in every direction. A deep crater formed at the point of impact, and a shockwave rippled through the air, stirring up dust and smoke that quickly blanketed the area. The roar of the crash was deafening, almost as loud as the earlier explosion.
Ross crouched low, his black shield braced in front of him. The automatic defense mechanisms of the Tis Shield activated once more, blocking the debris and stones that flew toward him. His heart pounded in his chest as the smoke thickened, reducing visibility to near zero.
"What... was that?" Ross thought, his mind racing.
Whatever had just crashed into the ground hadn't been a bomb or some sort of conventional weapon. It had been... something else. Something alive. He had caught a glimpse of it just before the dust obscured his view.
And then it moved.
Through the thick cloud of debris and smoke, a figure slowly rose from the newly formed crater. The silhouette was unmistakably human, but the impact should have shattered every bone in its body.
Yet the figure stood up as if nothing had happened.
Ross squinted through the haze, and as the figure stepped into the dim light of the street lamps, he saw it clearly for the first time.
It was a man. Stocky, muscular, with a feral appearance. His face was rugged, framed by a full beard, his eyes gleaming with an animalistic intensity. He wore a simple white vest and dark blue jeans, his attire humble and unremarkable—yet there was something unmistakably dangerous about him. It wasn't just his appearance. It was the way he moved, the way he stood there, completely unbothered by the devastation around him.
The man didn't look special—just another brute with a bad attitude.
But Ross felt it. This was no ordinary man.
"Who the hell?," he whispered under his breath, his eyes narrowing.
"The material the opponent refers to as 'Tis Shield' is incredibly durable," Friday's voice echoed calmly in Charlie's earpiece. "The explosion from the bat bomb wasn't enough to penetrate it."
"Good," Charlie muttered with a grin. "Let's see how it holds up against this."
Ross clenched his fists, his confidence returning. It didn't matter what Batman threw at him. The Tis Shield was invincible. It had held up against everything—fire, explosions, physical attacks. Nothing had ever broken through it.
But then he saw something that gave him pause.
The man standing before him—Wolverine—clenched his fists, and with a sharp, metallic snikt, two sets of six gleaming, razor-sharp claws emerged from between his knuckles.
Adamantium claws.
They glowed under the city lights, catching the glint of the streetlamps and reflecting a cold, deadly sheen. Ross's eyes narrowed as he watched the claws extend, glistening like freshly sharpened blades.
Wolverine wasted no time. With a feral snarl, he lunged at Ross, moving with the speed and precision of a wild animal. His claws cut through the air, aimed directly at Ross's head.
Ross didn't flinch. He had faced dozens of opponents who thought they could break through his shield. Every one of them had failed.
He stood tall, hands clasped behind his back, as the Tis Shield sprang into action. The black matter solidified instantly, forming a thick barrier between him and Wolverine's incoming strike. Ross's expression remained calm, even slightly amused. He had no fear of this new foe.
But then, something impossible happened.
The claws didn't stop.
With a roar, Wolverine's claws tore into the Tis Shield with a vicious ferocity, cutting through the black matter as if it were made of paper. The supposedly indestructible shield cracked under the sheer force of the adamantium blades, and they continued their path toward Ross's head, completely unhindered.
Ross's confident smirk vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of sheer disbelief.
The Tis Shield—his absolute defense—was being sliced apart?
In a split second, Ross jerked his body back, barely avoiding a fatal blow. Wolverine's claws slashed through the air, grazing Ross's side, leaving a deep gash in their wake. Blood sprayed into the night, the sharp pain sending a wave of shock through Ross's body.
He flew backward, his feet barely touching the ground as he reeled from the unexpected blow. His mind raced, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
The Tis Shield... cracked?
Impossible.
That shield was crafted from the essence of an ancient demon god. It was beyond anything in this world—indestructible. It had survived explosions, fire, even the most powerful of attacks. Yet here it was, being torn apart by... claws?
Of course, Ross had never encountered adamantium before. The metal, forged from another universe, was renowned for its indestructibility. It had sliced through beings far stronger than Ross, through materials that could withstand nuclear blasts.
And now, it had sliced through the 'Tis Shield'.
Ross put distance between himself and Wolverine, his heart racing. He extended his hand, and the black matter flowed from his body once more, reshaping itself into a long, gleaming sword.
The sword of the Tis Shield was a deadly weapon, just as invincible as the shield itself. It could cut through anything. And Ross was determined to prove that now.
He swung the sword in a wide arc, aiming for Wolverine's neck. The length of the blade would give him an advantage, striking before Wolverine's claws could land another hit.
The sword, forged from the strongest 'material' in existence, cut through the air like a black arc of death.
But Wolverine didn't slow down. He charged straight into the attack, roaring like a wild beast. His claws gleamed as they slashed forward, seemingly indifferent to the blade coming at his throat.
Ross's eyes widened. What was this man doing? Was he insane?
The blade of the Tis Shield struck Wolverine's neck.
There was a sharp, metallic clang.
Ross's world seemed to freeze for a moment as the impact resonated in his ears.
The sword had hit something. Something it couldn't cut through.
Wolverine's neck.
The blade was... stuck?
Ross's mind reeled. The sword, the supposedly invincible blade, was stuck... in someone's neck?
[TL Note - Demon god? looks like we're finally getting to the plot]