As Harley moved forward, leaving a burst of carnage in her wake, she created a gruesome trail for Batman and the others to follow.
Upon seeing the first truly dead body, Green Arrow furrowed his brows and looked toward Batman, asking, "Are we really going to allow this?"
Before joining the League, Green Arrow had fought crime in a manner similar to Batman, by beating criminals and, at worst, leaving them unconscious. It was an unspoken rule not to kill; they were heroes, not judge, jury, and executioner. So, despite knowing that the people Harley was killing had abducted and kidnapped children, Green Arrow and the others felt uncomfortable with her actions and were unwilling to condone them.
Batman frowned as well and glanced at Arias before shaking his head. "Let's focus on rescuing the children. We don't have time for infighting."
He knew the inevitable reaction to Arias's and Harley's methods was coming, but this wasn't the time to address it. Even Batman hadn't expected Arias to let Harley loose like this—he had at least expected clean kills in the heat of battle. But what Harley's trail showed was that even when her opponents were no longer a threat, she still went for the fatal blow and carried on.
Green Arrow was about to argue further, but they spotted another group of enemies emerging from a nearby pathway. Clicking his tongue in irritation, he let the matter drop for now. "Damn it, fine! Get down!"
In an instant, Green Arrow reached for his quiver and bow, which extended just as he was positioning an arrow. It took him less than a second to shoot toward the incoming group. As the arrow approached, the cylinder-shaped tip beeped once and then burst open, releasing a powerful electric charge that incapacitated most of the group.
Two of the enemies at the far back remained unscathed, and Green Arrow was about to shoot again when Batman acted first, throwing his batarangs. Two of the batarangs disarmed the enemies, while the other two struck them on the head, instantly knocking them unconscious.
In that moment of distraction, another enemy appeared from around a corner, aiming his gun at Green Arrow from up close. Before he could react, Black Canary kicked the gun out of the attacker's hands and unleashed her sonic scream, sending him flying into the wall and knocking him out.
Green Arrow sighed in relief and smiled. "Thanks, I could've handled him though."
Ignoring the flirtatious tone, Black Canary was about to refocus when another enemy appeared in front of them, wielding a rocket launcher. Before the group could fully react, the enemy fired the projectile. Batman seemed poised to react quickest, but before he could, the missile stopped mid-air.
Batman looked toward Arias, whose expression was hidden under the cloth covering much of his face. With a flick of Arias's wrist, the missile was turned and sent back toward the enemy, blasting him into chunks of flesh.
The sight was gruesome, with flesh splattered against the walls, but it was necessary to avoid their own deaths.
"Thanks…" Black Canary said in an unsure tone, though she gave her thanks regardless. Her attitude didn't seem shaken by the near-death encounter, much like the others. Without lingering, she ran on ahead.
Batman warned, "It looks like they're sending reinforcements down. We better hurry."
Hearing this telepathically, Superman chimed in, "Yeah, it looks like most of them are headed your way. Should we come down?"
With the situation changing rapidly, Batman had to think quickly. After a moment of consideration, he responded, "Yes, you and Lantern come down. The others should stay up in case reinforcements arrive."
"Roger that." Superman affirmed, and Green Lantern, who had also heard the message, had no objections. The duo burst into the inner structure.
Meanwhile, Flash finally gave an update. "Uh, hey guys, come to where I am. I found the kids… among other things," he revealed in a tone devoid of his usual witty humor.
Without wasting time, Batman pulled out a small device from his utility belt, which expanded into a holographic screen displaying a rough map of the area and some markers. "Follow me."
The action happened quickly, and though Green Arrow, who was behind, couldn't see it, Arias took note of the interesting tech. However, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he said, "You go ahead. I'll provide backup for your team member and Harley. We can keep the enemies busy while you and the surface team rescue the children."
Batman didn't like the idea of Arias leaving his sight, but between Arias and the children in danger, his priority was the latter. He gave a nod and began running, gesturing for a reluctant Green Arrow to follow.
Arias noticed Green Arrow's look and wondered to himself, *Does he suspect something?* He didn't attribute the suspicious glance to Green Arrow's discomfort with leaving him alone with Black Canary.
Regardless, Arias didn't see him as a threat and rushed in the direction Canary and Harley had gone.
After a few minutes, he found them both fighting back-to-back, giving their attackers a hellish time.
A grinning Harley found the experience fun and didn't bother hiding her joy. "They're dropping like flies! Not bad, Blondie."
Canary was more focused and stoic than Harley, but she occasionally smirked as she kicked one of her attackers away.
"Thanks, I think," Canary replied, still uncomfortable with Harley's brutal fighting style. From a skill perspective, though, she couldn't deny Harley's effectiveness.
Soon, Canary's expression turned serious as a telepathic message from Batman and the others came directly to her.
**"Canary, it looks like the last of the attackers are heading your way. We're leaving a team to secure the children and sending the others to you. Make sure you don't lose sight of Markovic and Harley—it's time."**
Canary didn't respond to the message but cast a quick, subtle glance at Arias. Unlike Harley, who was a known criminal and psychopath, Arias had always seemed like a good person in her eyes.
This brought a slight hesitation. Even if Arias was a good person, she couldn't fully agree with his methods, assuming what she'd heard about him was true. So, she remained cautious.
Noticing the shift in Canary's expression, Arias realized something wasn't right. *Looks like they couldn't pass up the bait.*