At that very moment, Avery, dressed in the heavy, stifling Batsuit, arrived on the scene.
By now, it was fully dark, and Gotham's night was as oppressive as ever.
"Batman" crouched on the rooftop of the rundown factory, silently observing everything inside through a gap. His cape flapped in the night wind.
"Are you going to talk or not? If you don't, I'll beat it out of you!"
"I don't even know what to say!"
"Then explain why Batman uses Wayne Tech gear!"
Bruce's gaze shifted upward briefly before he decisively replied, "I don't know."
Again with the 'I don't know'! Is that the only thing you can say!?
The leader was on the verge of punching Bruce in the face, ready to teach him the meaning of "honesty leads to leniency, resistance leads to severity."
But just as his fist, the size of a sledgehammer, was about to land, there was a faint whooshing sound. In an instant, a familiar Batarang shot through the air and embedded itself in the leader's hand, with one of its sharp wings sticking out from his palm.
A few more Batarangs followed, landing with a thud and releasing a cloud of white smoke. "Batman" then dropped down into the room, quickly freeing Dick from his bonds before moving toward Bruce. Bruce had already untied his own ropes and was now exchanging a look with him.
Seeing Batman appear, the leader didn't even care about the pain in his hand. He yanked the Batarang out, ignoring the blood streaming from his palm.
His eyes filled with hatred as he looked at Batman. "So you finally show up. I was just thinking about whether I should chop Wayne into pieces and send them to you, but unfortunately, I don't have your home address."
Avery, disguised as Batman, responded without missing a beat: "No worries. I remember yours. I'll be sure to visit you annually when you take your trips to Blackgate Penitentiary. It's the first lower bunk, window side, in cell 2001, right? Sykes."
Sykes' breathing grew heavy with anger, so furious he didn't even register that Batman had used his real name instead of the rough alias he had been known by.
He gripped his gun and started firing at Avery, but Avery, more agile than Bruce, easily dodged each shot. While Bruce had greater physical strength, Avery's natural agility made him more adept at such quick, nimble movements—something Bruce couldn't quite replicate due to his heavier build.
Bullets hit the ground, leaving holes in their wake as Avery dashed through the crowd. Several goons fired aimlessly into the smoke, nearly hitting each other in the chaos.
Bruce had already taken cover with Dick. At this point, it wasn't the right time for him to intervene, especially with so many eyes watching. Everything would have to be left to Avery.
Fortunately, his butler was always dependable.
"There! He's over there!"
"Stop right there!"
"Shoot him all!"
Immediately, several submachine guns were trained on Avery, who had drawn all the hatred to himself. But he wasn't afraid in the slightest. Seriously, would a powerful wizard be scared of this level of physical attack?
Getting restrained by Bruce during their fights was a kind of playful exercise. As a wizard fully aware of his own limitations, Avery never let enemies get close. Even now, without using his most potent spells, a simple illusion would be more than enough to deal with these thugs.
And so, he weaved effortlessly through the crowd, knocking each person out cold. One of them was even a traitor from Wayne Enterprises, someone who had chosen to collaborate with these criminals. Avery didn't care whether the person had any forced reason for doing so—once they decided to attack, they were treated the same as the rest.
In the ensuing chaos, the camera was smashed to pieces, ending this ridiculous spectacle for Gotham's citizens.
Sykes emptied his gun quickly. Frustrated, he shook it and then angrily threw it to the ground, stomping on it a few times to vent his fury.
Watching as his useless henchmen were easily dealt with by Batman, Sykes took a deep breath and gradually calmed down.
With the last of the goons subdued, Avery walked through the smoke and approached him. Honestly, this guy had it rough. He'd barely managed to escape from prison, and he couldn't even gather competent help.
Most of his former crew had been captured, scattered, or simply abandoned him. The few who remained were useless, as evidenced by how easily they had been taken down.
"Batman…"
Sykes stared at the masked vigilante clad in black armor in front of him, then slowly cracked a twisted smile. "You really think you can win forever?"
"I've never thought that," Avery replied calmly. "But you're clearly about to lose."
Avery eyed him cautiously, unsure of what last-ditch plan Sykes might have up his sleeve. His smug expression suggested that he had something sinister in mind.
"Batman won't be in any danger, right?" Dick whispered to Bruce as they hid in the corner.
Bruce appeared calm on the outside, but internally, he was also trying to figure out what trap might still be in play. He reassured Dick, "He'll be fine. He's Batman."
Meanwhile, Sykes, facing off against Avery, slowly spread a wicked grin across his face.
He said, "I've planted a ton of explosives in this abandoned factory. Do you think you can get yourself and those two out before the whole place blows up?"
"The doors are welded shut."
"Ha ha ha ha…"
Sykes let out a crazed laugh, the sound of someone with nothing left to lose.
At the same time, Avery heard a faint ticking noise.
That was the sound of time running out.
Under his mask, Avery raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. Sykes was really prepared to die with them. He was going for a suicidal, all-out explosion.
Avery glanced around, his keen eyesight quickly confirming that all the exits were indeed welded shut. If he, Bruce, and Dick wanted to escape, they would have to leave the way Avery had entered.
That wouldn't be too difficult. The real issue was time. Given Sykes' confidence, there likely wasn't much of it left.
In a flash, Avery understood the situation.
Then, he smiled casually, an expression unfitting for Batman, and snapped his fingers. At the same moment, Dick, who was being carried toward Avery by Bruce, suddenly collapsed into a deep sleep.
"Beep—"
With a long electronic beep, Avery activated his teleportation magic. In the blink of an eye, both he and Bruce disappeared from the scene.
Left alone, Sykes widened his eyes in disbelief, realizing his defeat. He uttered his final word in this world, full of bitterness.
"No—!!!"
"Boom!"
The explosion roared through the air, leveling the entire factory in an instant.