Ivy struggled helplessly to break free from the hold of Diana's lasso, but it was fruitless. Slade's comments on her situation only made her even angrier.
Each time she showed too much resistance, Diana would tug on her as if she were a dog on a leash.
Looking at her, Slade couldn't help but grin. "For someone like you who's into that femdom shit, this must be pretty humiliating. If it's any consolation, the princess here bench presses for fun."
Ivy could only glare at Slade before turning her attention to Diana. "Enjoy it while you can, princess. The day I get my hands on you..."
Having grown tired of this little detour, Arias stepped forward and looked down at Ivy.
"That day may prove to be much further than you can imagine. As a matter of fact, I don't think anyone will mind if we get rid of a weed down here," he casually threatened.
Ivy furrowed her brows and looked at Arias with caution. But in her mind, he was just a rich boy with enough money to keep powerful individuals at his side, so she didn't really fear him.
"You won't kill me. You don't look like the type. Not to mention that'll bring you unwanted attention, right?" she asked with a small smirk.
Arias just laughed at her while shaking his head. "If anything, it'll save me trouble. Besides, if Diana is the one to cut you down, I very much doubt they'll criticize her for it. If anything, they'll cheer her on. Can you imagine it? The whole city celebrating your death."
He spoke with a certain coldness that only Slade had witnessed so far. For Mercy, Terra, and Diana, this was their first time seeing him so... cruel with his words. But none of them disliked it; Diana and Mercy, especially, found it refreshing.
Diana nodded at Arias's comment. "I have no qualms about ending the life of an enemy who sought to bring us harm. Don't worry, I shall make it quick, despite my desire to make it as painful as possible."
She spoke with a strict tone while reaching for her sword. Her values and beliefs were still that of Themiscyra. She had no qualms about taking the lives of her enemies, but she had the values of a warrior, so she would never torture them or seek enjoyment through it.
Her unique nature made it easy for Arias to be more like his true self around her. Mercy was a criminal even before meeting Lex, and Terra was a blank canvas for him to mold however he wanted.
As Terra watched this, her young mind was learning. As much as she looked up to Slade, Arias was someone who had Slade under him, following orders to the tee. A big part of her wanted to learn how he did this, especially since it seemed like he had no special powers.
Ivy was the only one worried in this scene. Seeing Wonder Woman and knowing the rumors regarding Arias and his task force, she thought they didn't kill, like Batman. This brief exchange proved to her that she couldn't have been more wrong.
"Okay, fine. I give up. I'll play nice. Now tell your princess here to put her knife away," Ivy said, still carrying an air of authority, as if she had conceded.
Diana, however, was less than happy about the fact that her sword was called a knife. "You dare insult a weapon crafted by the gods! Arias, what do you wish to do?"
Arias smiled at the question while Ivy looked more concerned.
Looking at it from a value point alone, Ivy wasn't worth much to Arias, especially with the many talented young children coming to his academy. The only way he could tame someone like her was harshly, and that quite frankly felt like a hassle. So he chose another route—to use her as a sacrifice to better his relationship with Diana.
"She offended you the most, Diana. It's up to you to decide whether she lives or not," he offered.
Diana looked at Arias with some gratitude and felt weirdly moved. In her mind, it wasn't easy giving up an enemy you wanted to slay, but Arias did so without hesitation, not only demonstrating his value of their friendship but also his control over his emotions.
Now, she didn't want to seem bothered either, just like him. So she shook her head and put away her sword.
"I'll let her live. I'll only dishonor the gods if I use their weapon to cut grass," she smirked and taunted.
Ivy, although relieved that she'd live, was less than happy about the humiliation she had to endure.
Arias smiled and nodded at Diana, not expecting her to spare Ivy's life. But this was also good; it demonstrated to him that his habits and nature were having a big impact on how Diana carried herself.
"That's probably for the best, Diana. Anyway, the rest of you can leave. I'll have Slade transport her away after I give him some instructions," Arias said briefly.
Diana and Mercy were quick to prepare to leave, but Terra looked a bit hesitant. Arias looked at her curiously and offered, "Do you want to stay and listen?"
She looked a bit confused but nodded ever so slightly. "…Yeah."
After giving confirmation, she approached the duo and just stayed silent, her gaze fixed on Ivy.
Slade ignored Terra's presence and didn't comment on it. He trusted Arias's methods almost completely at this point.
"So, what do you want me to do with the weed?" he asked, arms crossed, his eyes clearly showing intent to kill.
Arias looked at Ivy for a moment before nodding. "Have her transported to the newly built complex underneath Markovic Tower. I think it's time I start putting my newly acquired knowledge through some tests."
He said only this and gestured for Terra to follow him as they walked away. Both she and Slade had no idea what he meant exactly by "new knowledge."
In reality, it was just the very same knowledge he stole from Luthor. The title used to describe Lex as a genius was no joke—the sheer amount of understanding Arias gained in various fields was immense.
This knowledge presented him with many more paths to explore, without even having to invoke his true power.
To the untrained eye, they would just assume Arias was a rich genius like Lex. The only difference being, he had no weaknesses.
As the duo walked away, Terra became curious and couldn't help but ask, "Why not just kill her? She might become a problem later..."
Arias smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder gently, like the father figure he was.
"Never waste an asset that could be of value in the future, Terra—especially if it doesn't give you benefits of equal or greater value."
Terra lowered her head and thought for a moment. "Does that mean I'm also a valuable asset to you?"
Arias couldn't help but smile at Terra and nod. "As things stand, you're my most valuable asset, Terra. Someone I'll go to great lengths to guide and protect."
Although his words made Terra feel complicated, she knew the world wasn't so simple.
"Slade once taught me that nothing comes free in life. I don't know if I can meet the value of your expectations... and that scares me."
Arias just laughed and nodded. "He wasn't wrong, but that's only true when you live in someone else's world, Terra. But this world... this world is mine, so don't worry so much and live freely. Your father always has a plan."
Terra smiled softly and nodded. "Thanks, Dad. Does that mean I can be more like Harley?"
Arias's smile faded, and he narrowed his eyes. "I take back what I said."
For the first time, Terra broke out into hearty laughter.
"I was just joking. At least I know you don't want your daughter becoming a... uhm, what do you even call someone like Harley?"
Arias just sighed and kept walking.
"An anomaly."