Standing next to the nuclear bomb, the mercenary smirked, his demeanor unnervingly calm. "I don't work for Bain, nor do I represent Lena Luthor. Though, between us, Lena has her moments—far more competent than her brother in certain respects. But that's not why we're here today, is it?"
He raised the remote control in his hand, waving it lightly as if it were a mere toy. "You're here for this, right? The nuclear bomb's remote control?"
Kaius remained silent, his sharp gaze fixed on the mercenary. With a subtle movement, he activated the speed field, instantly halting time around him. The world froze as Kaius stepped forward, calmly prying the remote from the mercenary's hand before returning to his original position.
The speed field faded, and time resumed. Kaius raised the remote, a triumphant smirk on his face. "This is mine now."
The mercenary, whom Diana and Kaius now recognized as Tate, raised an eyebrow but showed no concern. He simply shrugged, his calm demeanor unnerving. "Interesting," he remarked, retracting his empty hand.
"Something's off," Diana whispered, stepping closer to Kaius. Her warrior instincts were on edge. "It's too easy. What if it's a trap? What if the remote's functions are reversed? Pressing the stop button might detonate it, and pressing the detonate button could stop it."
Kaius frowned, considering her words. He took out his phone and quickly searched for information about advanced remote-control circuits. Using his super-speed brain processing, he devoured volumes of technical material in mere seconds, mentally dissecting schematics and diagrams.
"I think I just earned a degree in electrical engineering," he quipped, scanning the remote with his X-ray vision. After a thorough examination, he frowned. "No anomalies. It's a standard remote—at least from what I can tell."
Pointing the remote at the super-energy reactor in the center of the parking lot, Kaius pressed the stop button. Nothing happened. The reactor continued its violent fusion reaction, the energy building ominously.
He pressed the button again. And again. No response.
Realization dawned. "This isn't the remote," he said grimly. "Or maybe… the reactor was never meant to be stopped."
Tate's smirk widened. "Clever. Bain handed me this remote, but if it doesn't work, then perhaps it was never meant to. Perhaps this bomb was destined to explode from the beginning."
Kaius's eyes flicked to the reactor. The readings on the instruments showed the fusion process had reached 70% completion. Based on the current rate, the explosion would occur in two to three hours.
"We don't need a remote," Kaius said with sudden resolve. "I'll just throw this reactor out of Gotham."
Tate's grin turned wicked. "By all means, try. But I should warn you: the reactor's stabilizers were removed when it was set up. Even the slightest jostle could accelerate the fusion reaction—or worse, trigger an immediate detonation."
The casual malice in Tate's voice made Kaius's eyes narrow. Heat vision surged in his pupils, and with a flash of red energy, he unleashed twin beams at Tate.
The beams struck—but not Tate. His image flickered and disappeared as if he had never been there. Kaius immediately redirected the heat vision, ensuring it didn't touch the reactor. He scanned the room, his senses on high alert.
"Anger suits you, Kaius," came Tate's voice from behind. Kaius and Diana turned sharply to see him standing casually, arms crossed, as if he had been there the entire time. "But a nuclear explosion? That wouldn't kill someone like you, would it?"
Diana unsheathed the Sword of Hephaestus, the blade gleaming under the artificial lights. "Who are you?" she demanded, her tone sharp. She hadn't needed her sword for the mercenaries above, but now she felt its presence necessary.
Kaius's mind raced. If Tate had moved, his speed would have been detectable—even rivaling the Flash, Kaius's own super-speed senses could have tracked it. But this was different. Tate wasn't moving at high speed; he was teleporting.
"Who am I?" Tate echoed, his gaze momentarily distant. "A good question. I've been dormant for so long, I've almost forgotten."
His cryptic response only deepened the tension. Diana tightened her grip on her sword, while Kaius prepared for whatever came next.
Kaius studied Tate carefully. "You're not just another mercenary," he said. "Teleportation… that's not something anyone can do without help. Who are you really? What are you after?"
Tate smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling confidence. "All in good time, hero. For now, let's just say I'm someone who thrives in the chaos you're so desperate to prevent."
"Ares! You are Ares!" Diana's voice trembled—not with fear, but with determination and excitement.
From the time she was a child, her mother, Queen Hippolyta, had told her the stories of the gods. Ares, the God of War, was the harbinger of chaos, the destroyer of peace, and the instigator of endless conflict. His mere existence dragged countless lives into the abyss of war and destruction.
Now, standing face to face with the god himself, Diana felt the weight of her destiny. It was time to fulfill her mission.
At the mention of his name, the man's appearance began to shift. The façade of a mercenary melted away, revealing a middle-aged figure with weathered bronze skin and white hair, his eyes devoid of any light. "Ares… yes, that's me. The God of War, the last remnant of the age of gods." He chuckled darkly. "Oh no… now there's one more." His gaze flickered to Diana with a knowing smirk.
Diana was unmoved by his words. Her grip on the Sword of Hephaestus tightened as she stepped forward with unwavering resolve. "I am Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. I stand here in the name of all that is good in this world. By the will of the Amazons, I will expel you, Ares, from this world forever!"
Her voice carried the authority of her heritage. With a sharp battle cry, Diana raised the Sword of Hephaestus high and lunged at Ares, aiming for his heart.
The blade of the god-forged sword descended with divine precision, a strike meant to end Ares once and for all. But just as it reached his chest, Ares raised his hand. The Sword of Hephaestus pierced through his palm effortlessly, yet as Diana pushed further, the blade began to disintegrate into dust. The indestructible weapon crumbled before her eyes, leaving her clutching only the hilt.
"How… how is this possible?" Diana gasped, disbelief etched across her face.
Ares sneered. "You call this toy the Sword of the Godkiller? How naive." His voice was filled with contempt. "Only a god can kill another god, Diana. And you, child, are far from ready."
Before Ares could finish his taunt, twin beams of searing heat crashed into him from above, slamming into his protective aura. The impact forced him to the ground, shattering the earth beneath him. Cracks spider-webbed outward, the sheer force devastating the terrain.
Kaius descended slowly, his eyes still glowing faintly red. His voice was calm, laced with quiet authority. "You dare show off in my presence? Did I give you permission?"
---
Meanwhile, outside the Gotham courthouse, the battle between Batman and Bain raged on. Bruce Wayne had hoped disconnecting Bain's Venom supply would weaken him, but Bain remained unfazed. His monstrous frame towered over Batman, his strength unrelenting.
"You know nothing of true power, Batman!" Bain roared, his voice booming across the courtyard.
With a feral growl, Bain launched a devastating punch, striking Batman square in the chest. The force was akin to a cannonball, sending Batman hurtling backward. He crashed through a sturdy marble pillar, the structure crumbling under the impact.
Buried in a pile of rubble, Batman groaned but began to rise. The shock-absorbing mechanisms in his Pleiades Alloy Batsuit had absorbed the brunt of the impact, sparing him internal injuries. Though he was battered, he was far from beaten.
Bain stalked forward, confident in his victory. But Batman, ever the tactician, was already analyzing the battlefield. His mind raced, simulating scenarios, calculating every move and counter. Each weapon in his arsenal was assessed for its utility against the enhanced behemoth before him.
High above, Fiora stood on the courthouse roof, watching the battle with growing intrigue. At first, she considered intervening—Kaius had made it clear that Batman was not to be killed. But something stopped her.
Despite the overwhelming odds, Batman was calm, methodical, even determined. The desperation of earlier had vanished, replaced by cold, calculated focus.
"Is he seriously thinking he can win without equal strength?" Fiora mused, her curiosity piqued. She leaned closer, her interest now fully captured by the human below.
As Diana prepared for a renewed assault against Ares, and Batman strategized against Bain's brute force, two battles for the soul of the world unfolded. On one side, a demigod sought to fulfill her destiny by banishing the embodiment of war. On the other, a mortal man faced impossible odds, relying not on power but on wit and resilience.
In Gotham and beyond, the battles raged, each hero carrying the weight of their world on their shoulders.
The fight was far from over.
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