Seeing this, Avery did not attempt to avoid the oncoming storm. Instead, he commanded the dragon to block the attack, confronting it head-on.
The transparent light wave collided with the golden light wave in an instant. The impact from the collision sent everyone nearby flying uncontrollably, some of whom were sitting in their homes, unaware of what had happened, only to be struck by the shockwave.
From a rooftop not far away, Batman frowned as he watched the scene unfold. He quickly scanned the area, spotting one of Grigori's accomplices preparing to leave. With no sound, he leapt down from his high vantage point, his figure melting into the surrounding darkness.
On the other side, the dragon and the hurricane collided, and their forces canceled each other out. In the blink of an eye, both of them vanished from everyone's sight. The two combatants were forced to retreat several dozen meters from the force of the shock, floating in the air, eyeing each other.
But the situation was far from over.
Wrapped in a white robe, Avery lowered his head, the lower half of his face, not concealed by shadow, suddenly curling into a smile.
He looked at the two people who had been knocked toward the coastline. Raising his staff above his head, he began chanting a series of incantations in a language no one around him could understand.
Grigori's expression darkened as well. This old city district was very close to the sea, and a single shockwave had brought them to this location. But this wasn't the primary reason for his foul mood. What made Avery so terrifying was that most people could only wield one or two, perhaps three elemental attributes. For example, the wind magic his companion had just used. But Avery could almost wield them all.
On the vast ocean, filled with water elements, he could even be called the ruler of the sea!
On the dark and endless sea at night, a massive whirlpool suddenly appeared, swirling in the center like a black hole, as if it was about to devour everything.
In the center of the whirlpool, a giant dragon, composed of continuously flowing water, slowly emerged. Its long body coiled and undulated as it circled the two people in the middle, surrounding them.
At this point, they had thoroughly distanced themselves from areas with a large population.
"What do we do? Should we escape?" another person asked, looking at Grigori.
Grigori's face grew serious, two deep furrows appearing between his brows. "We're destined to be unable to fight him when it comes to controlling various natural elements, and..."
He shook his head. "Volkhv, didn't you see? This space is isolated by an array."
This...
Volkhv looked around in shock, and indeed, traces of the formation slowly revealed themselves across the sea.
Setting up an array undoubtedly took time, so it meant that Avery had already prepared the formation here, waiting for them. They had fallen into his trap! Had he planned this far ahead?
After the shock wore off, Volkhv looked back at Grigori. "So, we…"
He had a faint suspicion.
And under his gaze, Grigori, who was skilled in spatial magic, conjured something out of thin air...
Meanwhile, the large commotion had attracted many onlookers, each reacting to the situation in their own way.
In the sky, a flash of a red cloak passed by.
In the sea, a figure holding a trident slowly emerged from the water's surface.
...
Batman's sharp vision, enhanced by his advanced tech, allowed him to clearly observe the unfolding battle from a distance. Between the surging movements of Avery's water dragon, he caught sight of one of the enemies wielding a device that looked strikingly like a high-tech rocket launcher.
"What is that?"
Glancing down at the captive at his feet, Batman removed the gag from the man's mouth and asked again.
"Ah…"
The prisoner barely had time to draw breath before attempting to chant a spell to escape. However, Batman, ever vigilant, immediately recognized the attempt. He didn't hesitate—his fist landed squarely on the man's jaw, interrupting the incantation mid-chant.
Wiping the blood from his glove, Batman repeated his question.
This cycle of resistance and retaliation repeated several times, with Batman employing his famed interrogation techniques. Finally, bloodied and broken, the captive relented, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"It's... a weapon we developed, combining magic and technology."
Batman's voice turned steely. "What does it do?"
The captive hesitated, but another swift punch prompted him to stammer out the answer. "It can... obliterate everything within nearly a kilometer radius. Nothing would survive—not even plants. If anyone is within its range, they'll be vaporized instantly."
Deeming that level of disclosure relatively harmless, the man grimaced in pain before Batman gagged him once more.
Hearing this, Batman snapped his head toward the ongoing fight. While Avery might still show restraint to minimize collateral damage, it was clear his enemies had no such scruples. They were prepared to unleash a weapon capable of annihilating large swathes of Gotham.
He had to stop them before they destroyed the city. But how could he approach unnoticed amidst the chaos? His mind raced for a solution.
Just then, a calm, composed voice interrupted his thoughts.
"If I may clarify, sir, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but if you don't mind, I might be able to stop them."
A red cape fluttered into view, and the speaker stepped into the scene—
...
"It seems I underestimated him."
Gregori whose face already dark with frustration, withdrew a weapon resembling a light cannon.
He had initially assumed that Avery's strength had diminished significantly—after all, the body Avery was currently inhabiting was certainly not his original body. It might have been stolen, with the original owner's consciousness obliterated, or even reanimated from a corpse. And how could someone fighting in an ill-suited "vessel" possibly exert their full power?
But now it was clear: this cunning opponent had masked his true capabilities from the start. Defeating Avery, or even escaping, required the deployment of their most destructive weapon.