Chapter 15 - 15. Night's End

Toji raises his sword, blocking another attack from Ra's al Ghul. The mercenary counter but, again, the immortal manages to barely dodge his attack before disappearing in the thick cloud surrounding them. Then, the mercenary feels two daggers sticking on his thighs. He pulls them out and the bleeding eventually stops. Enraged, he swings the sword at a shadow and cut down a tree that falls with a loud thump. Breathing in the fog stings Toji's lungs. And he can feel himself slowly fading which means the poison in it must be very potent as well.

Ra's voice echoes from within the fog. 'I see now why Luthor showed interest in you, boy. You've managed to survive me longer than most. You show much potential. But physical prowess is nothing when compared to experience. And you have much to learn'. 

Ra's comes out of the fog and continues his assault on Toji. The mercenary easily blocks his attacks but the enemy has many tricks hidden in his armor. Blades eject from the immortal's knee pads and and graze Toji's face. He jumps back and touches the wound on his face making him grimace. 'You and your damn tricks. Stop hiding'. Toji swings his sword in an effort to fan the fog away but the thing surrounded them didn't seem affected by the burst of wind.

The immortal laughs. 'I'm no fool, boy. I've been fighting your kind for millennia. I've learned many things, magic being one of them. A true assassin must use all weapons within his arsenal. Let's just say this is me being sincere. You are a true warrior, after all'.

Toji sees a shadow at the corner of his eyes. He leaps, ready to swing his sword and Ra's al Ghul raises his weapon to block. The mercenary stops his sword, instead, he grabs Ra's by the face and, with his momentum, thrusts his head into the dirt. He swings his weapon to cut of the man's head but the other man manages to kick him in the chest. Ra's flips backwards but Toji swings his weapon again, managing to make a small cut in the immortals forearm. 

Ra's looks with surprise as the flesh around the cut begins to dry up and darken. 'What have you done?' he roars. 

'People say you're an immortal. I've fought against immortals too and I've learned a thing or two on how to deal with your kind. This is me showing my sincerity. You're more experienced, after all', says the man with a wide grin.

Toji goes on the attack. He stabs his sword, aiming for the man's neck. Ra's, now more cautious, blocks the attack and immediately leaps back before throwing some knives. The mercenary lets the knives pierce him and decides to continue his assault. He runs after the villain, grabbing his arm and swinging his sword. Ra's al Ghul parries, making the weapon slide over his armor. The immortal then throws a quick hand strike aimed at Toji's neck. To his frustration, Toji didn't care, instead opting to cut Ra's. 

Both fighters leap back. Toji rubs his neck as he gasps for air. The mercenary looks bloody with multiple knives sticking out of him. Ra's, on the other hand, has a diagonal cut on his torso. The cut on his chest darkened, much like that of a dried up corpse. 

The immortal glares at him. The mercenary readies himself for another bout. However, Ra's decides to turn and run away. Toji easily catches up, laughing maniacally as he clumsily swings his sword around. 'Now, this is so much better', says the mercenary. 'This is how prey should act like'.

Ra's disappears only to suddenly lunge from on top of a tree. He kicks Toji's weapon away before grabbing on to him and throwing him to the ground. The two tussle on the ground as they try to get on top of each other. Ra's forces his thumb on the other man's eye but Toji just grins as he grabs hold of the man's throat. He continues to squeeze until he feel the immortal's arm turn limp. 

Then, a scimitar impales itself on Toji's chest. He looks behind him and sees an old Asian man standing behind him. The mercenary tries to attack this new enemy but his punch misses and he falls to the ground. Behind him, Toji hears his comrades scream for his name. He watches the old man help Ra's al Ghul stand up. The immortal leans on his comrade before looking at Toji with disdain. 'We'll meet again. And next time, we'll finish what we started'. Ra's leans on the old man and Toji watches the both of them walk away. 

Suddenly, a chain wraps around Ra's al Ghul's neck and he gets dragged back to the now kneeling mercenary. 'Why don't we finish it now?' says the mercenary. He grabs the Soul Splitting Katana and pierces it through the immortal man's chest. Everyone stares in awe at the sudden turn of events. Ra's al Ghul tries to pull away from the blade as his body darkens, withering into an ancient corpse. 

The old man screams with grief, striking Toji to the side before hugging whatever is left of the corpse. The old man pulls out the sword and carries whatever is left of the once great immortal's corpse. 

---

Kara no longer bothers to fight. She flies towards Toji, quickly pulling out the sword sticking from his back. 'I'm here. Hold my hand', she says, intertwining her hand with his.

Looking around, she realizes that all of the League of Assassins are now gone. The rest of the heroes run next to their downed comrade. Batgirl sprays his wounds with chemicals, hoping it would be enough to stop further damage. Kara hugs the man's head with tears in her eyes as she watches her friends as she watches her friends do their best to save Toji. However, none of what they do seems to work. Kara listens to his heartbeat go slower and slower until eventually, the man's strength finally leaves him.