He had no intention of retreating on his command, not because of pride—though that played a part—but because complying without resistance would project an image of weakness, one that could influence how these people treated him and Gotham moving forward.
If they later planned anything against Gotham, their perception of its guardian as easily intimidated could embolden them further—a complication he couldn't afford.
After a brief pause to consider, Batman replied resolutely, "You stir up chaos in my city and expect me to back down?"
His response was the complete opposite of what Grigori had anticipated.
"Pfft—hahahaha…"
Avery, watching this exchange, couldn't help but laugh aloud.
Both sides turned their heads to him as his laughter echoed through the room. Slowly, Avery subdued his amusement, rising to his feet. With a mocking smirk, he addressed Grigori: "Do you think this is some kind of tournament? Waiting for a signal to start and even clearing the stage first?"
Wizards don't fight with honor or rules like that!
As his words hung in the air, a sudden flash of light illuminated the room. In an instant, a staff appeared in Avery's hand. Without hesitation, he extended his arm and swung it forward.
A massive, overwhelming figure burst from the ground, towering over them like a force of nature. It moved with terrifying speed toward Grigori and his group.
A golden dragon, formed entirely of earth and elemental energy, rose from the ground beneath their feet.
Because they were standing on solid earth, Avery had seized the opportunity to harness the environment to his advantage—one of the key strengths of an elemental wizard. Wizards like him excelled at adapting to their surroundings, except in cases where the terrain clashed with their core elements.
Had the underground lair not been so confined, Avery could have summoned an elemental dragon hundreds or even thousands of meters long.
This was a glimpse of his true power. The small displays he'd previously made in Gotham were nothing more than child's play.
"ROAR!"
The colossal dragon let out a thunderous roar, its deafening cry reverberating throughout Gotham. Every resident of the city instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
One roar followed another roar, each one more intimidating than the last. None of the onlookers had any idea what was happening underground. But not long after, every resident of Gotham witnessed something truly otherworldly: an enormous Eastern dragon—thought to exist only in myths—spiraling through the sky above their city. It occasionally dove toward the ground, clearly locked in a fierce battle with some unseen opponent.
In that moment, the entire city was stunned into silence.
Back in the Batcave, Dick stared slack-jawed at the screen, watching the unfolding spectacle in front of him. Turning his head to Alfred, he struggled to find the words and finally managed, "How in the world did you raise a son like that?"
This move was nothing short of devastating. The golden dragon barely flicked its tail, seemingly without much effort, yet it easily smashed through a wall, causing the entire building to tremble under the strain.
The battleground, situated over ten meters below ground level, meant that the collapse of the wall had catastrophic structural consequences for the entire building. If they were standing outside, they would likely see the old structure—a building constructed in the Old Town District nearly a century ago—starting to teeter ominously, on the verge of complete collapse.
Such collateral damage was unavoidable. When fighting breaks out, who has the bandwidth to worry about nearby architecture? Whether it's wizards or anyone with special powers, battles inevitably come with destruction.
In the not-so-distant future, Batman, in his dual role as benefactor and consultant to the Justice League, would think back on this scene every time he had to reimburse Superman for property damage—and sympathize deeply.
After all, the Court of Owls had a penchant for nesting under Wayne Enterprises' properties. Unsurprisingly, this building also belonged to Bruce Wayne.
Bruce, standing there and witnessing it firsthand: "..."
Though Grigori and his group were expelled from that world before they could gain access to higher-tier magic, it was evident they had made some progress in magical research on their own over the years. Faced with the roaring dragon diving toward them, their instincts kicked in, and they quickly combined their efforts to conjure a transparent, illusory shield that held the dragon at bay for the moment.
But it was obvious this defense could only hold the attack temporarily. No barrier lasts forever; all shields eventually falter. Purely defensive tactics were never a winning strategy—especially against a foe who wasn't just powerful in raw magical talent but also adept in combat strategy.
Even united, Grigori and his group could barely keep up with Avery. Individually, their capabilities fell far short. If Avery managed to isolate them or drain their magic power, many of them might not have left this place alive.
Damn it! How could this man still be so strong?!
They had never anticipated that their persistent adversary would turn out to be Avery. They'd assumed he was merely a local wizad, like them, who had discovered their foreign origins and decided to cause trouble.
So they had brought along people that was specialized in sealing and containment.
If they had known it was him—their old nemesis, whose enmity with them was irreconcilable—they would have mobilized their full strength and come fully prepared to eliminate him once and for all!
On the other side, Batman's eyes widened as he watched Avery conjure a dragon seemingly out of thin air. He couldn't help but think to himself that Avery had clearly been holding back until now.
He glanced up at the precariously unstable ceiling. "This place is about to collapse."
Avery replied calmly, "Don't worry. Just stay close to me."
The others on the scene had also noticed the imminent danger.
Leading the group's defensive efforts, Grigori grits his teeth. He recognized that this stalemate was not to their advantage. However, if they dropped the barrier now, the dragon would immediately lunge and attack them.