章 37: Chapter 37: The Lazarus Tournament part 10.
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(General P.O.V)
Talia remained silent, her face set in an angry and confused frown.
The members of the Light, all of them had suddenly disappeared without a trace.
It had to be him. Angel.
"Tch. What are you waiting for?! Take him down!"
She gave the order to the Shadows and in a repeat of a previous dance, Angel was jumped.
But this time, he didn't require Shade's help. And despite these particular Shadows being elites- thus tougher than the one's he had faced in the past, it wasn't much of a contest.
To him, a slightly bigger ant was still an insect.
Calm in his seat, Angel paid them no heed, his eyes set on Talia with a snide smirk on his face.
His chest inflated as he breathed in deeply.
Whoosh.
Following a long exhale, cold air poured forth from his mouth, rapidly condensing into numerous chittering white forms.
A swarm of Ice bugs. Or to be specific, Ice-nanites.
This was a combo-move.
By adding cold energy into the nanites, he was able to shift their forms into a mass of visible tiny ice elemental constructs that followed his bidding.
The cloud of white, consisting of bug-like nanomachines with glittering wings and sharp pincers, rose into the air, flying around him in a circular rotation before assailing the shadows.
"What are these things?! They don't stop!"
One of them yelled, wildly swinging around his blade, only to have the metal turn gray and brittle as soon as it passed through the cloud.
With an audible crack sound, the blade shattered and the Ice-nanites immediately swarmed him.
"Arrgh!- Ack! "
His screams were cut off with a pained howl.
And as the swarm moved on to attack the rest, a shrunken corpse wrapped in a baggy shinobi uniform was all that was left behind.
The body fell to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Fall back and guard Lady Talia!"
Ubu gave an unnecessary order, as most of the Shadows were already trying to escape the swarm, by utilizing their shinobi skills to escape the room.
Unfortunately for them, a part of the Ice-nanites broke off and blocked all exit points- covering the door and walls in a layer of ice.
Without a way to flee, they were quickly turned to lifeless corpses that littered the wooden floor with dust.
Those who stood their ground, led by Ubu, encircled Talia and Ra's Al Ghul in a protective circle.
"Take out the boy and the insects will follow!"
Ubu confidently directed, pointing his sword at Angel, who was still in his seat, sipping on the drugged wine.
Emboldened, the Shadows let loose a hail of long range attacks his way. Daggers, shurikens, kunai and even crossbolts.
For anyone else, they might have posed a danger.
However, inches from Angel's face, the swarm flew in to cover his front. This was done so automatically.
When a material like metal is frozen to very low temperatures, it's molecular mobility decreases, turning it brittle.
This is NOT what the Nanites were doing.
Due to their efficient energy absorption, the nanomachines were basically sucking out all the heat in the blades and the bodies of the Shadows, inducing a phenomenon known as Thermal Shock.
That was the reason every weapon launched at him, shattered into dust the second it entered the cloud of Ice-nanites.
"My turn."
Angel calmly said, gray dust drifting down around him.
And in response, the Ice-nanites instantly spread out through the entire room, buzzing like a swarm of angry hornets.
The few Shadows left stood no chance. In a second, they were submerged in the swarm.
"Aarggh!!! Lady Talia! Help me!"
Ubu cried out desperately, reaching with his hand towards Talia.
The latter stayed rooted beside her paralyzed father, a terrified expression in her eyes.
As for Ra's, he had a complicated look in his. These were his Shadows. He had trained them. Ubu especially was like a son.
Yet, he could do nothing but watch as Ubu was robbed of his body heat. His large muscles shrunk as he lost vitality and his skin turned pale and grey.
"Mas-steer..."
The former bodyguard called out to the Demon's Head in his final moments, before all light left his eyes.
What was left were corpses surrounding the two of them.
And as the Swarm returned to hover around Angel, the bodies begun crumbling down like sand sculptures.
"M-my men..."
Talia muttered, her mouth dry.
Angel cleared his throat, causing Talia to jerk her head his way.
"I asked you a question, Talia. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Angel asked in the same cool tone.
'He's a demon. No, a monster.'
Talia thought to herself, and in a quick move, she placed her dagger below Ra's Neck, holding her own father hostage.
"Try anything and I slit my father's throat."
She warned, nicking his skin and producing blood.
Angel stared at her like he was looking at a particularly stupid person. Had she forgotten that he had killed his own father?
Why would he be bothered if she killed him?
"Do it then."
He shrugged.
"If he dies, I can just use the Lazarus pit to bring him back. But as for you..."
He left the warning hanging.
Talia's hand shook.
"Stop this, daughter. It has already gone on long enough."
Ra's spoke up.
"Shut up!"
Talia rounded up on him, making the mistake of looking away from Angel.
"The League is mine! I haven't lost-"
"Oh, but you have."
Angel's voice whispered close to her ear. So close in fact, she could feel the warmth of his breath.
Spooked, she turned around with a cry and a swing of her dagger, only to hit nothing but the air.
Angel was still seated, more than a few feet away.
"What..?"
Confused and breathing heavily, Talia didn't notice the red ice that creeped up her boots. Only when the burning pain that Red Ice causes when it came into contact with skin assaulted her, did she look down.
"What is this!?"
She howled, trying to dislodge her stuck feet. But it was all for naught, and in a few seconds the Red Ice had climbed up to her neck.
The lavish green dress she wore begun melting inside it, revealing her bare skin, and the matching black underwear and bra she wore.
The burning sensation intensified and it only got worse as the Red Ice reached her head.
"Damn you Angel Savage!"
Talia cursed him out in rage and hatred.
Unable to resist, the Red Ice completely covered her, encasing her entirely.
She was like an art piece on display. An almost naked woman with a dejected and hateful expression on her face.
"And then there were two."
Angel turned to the Demon's Head, a noticeable edge in his words.
"Just like it was SUPPOSED to be."
Ra's eyes widened as the swarm orbiting Angel started flying his way.
His emotions were complicated and there was a lot he wanted to say. But paralyzed as he was, and knowing there was little he could do or say to appease Angel's fury, he accepted his death.
'It is what I deserve. After all, I led him into a trap.'
They had also tried to kill him more than once. If Ra's was in Angel's shoes, he wouldn't forgive them either.
The swarm swallowed him, entering his body through his nose and ears.
And although it was uncomfortably cold, there was no pain. And no death came for him either.
"There, I used the nanites to neutralize the effects of the poison."
Angel's voice reached his ears, pulling The Demon's Head attention back to reality.
"Your body will go back to normal after a while."
The swarm returned to him, back to guard duty like faithful sentinels.
Ra's made eye contact with the boy, not sure what to think. Why was he not dead yet?
No. He was alive and that was a good thing.
"Thank you for sparing this old man's life."
So he bowed his head in gratitude.
Angel said nothing in response.
Ra's Al Ghul took it in stride, noticing he could move his body, though a few parts like his legs were still numb.
Fortunately, he could shift his neck. With regret coloring his face, he turned to his daughter.
His precious Talia.
No father would be comfortable seeing their daughter in the kind of humiliating situation she was in.
Yet, it couldn't be helped. Talia had ultimately chosen this. One lesson he had made sure to impart onto her was about consequences. Thus, she could blame no one but herself for the results of her decisions.
"Don't worry, Red Ice is porous. So she won't suffocate. Yet."
Angel informed him.
The Demon's Head sighed. At least his major concern was lifted.
The swarm flying above Angel stirred and through his direction, the Ice-nanites merged with his body, recreating the pants he had been wearing.
The main reason he hadn't stood up or left his chair even once...was because he was sitting in just his briefs, having used his pants to create the swarm of Ice-nanites.
For that short time, Angel had been half naked!
Luckily, no one had noticed. That would have been embarrassing.
'I'll have to tell Ivo to increase the number of nanites I can carry on me.'
He noted.
But for now, it was time to collect a debt.
"Ra'Al Ghul."
Angel cleared his throat, one leg crossing over the other.
Ra's gulped.
Despite walking the Earth for 300 plus years, he inexplicably found himself nervous facing a 10 year old.
But this was no normal 10 year old. In his head, the shadow of Vandal Savage appeared behind Angel.
'He exerts the same pressure as his Father. No, even more. And those eyes, they're colder than steel.'
Ra's thought.
"Let me start by first thanking you for your hospitality. So far, my stay on your Island has been pleasant. However..."
At this juncture, Angel's face turned sour and his gaze narrowed.
"You have to answer for this mess. The only reason I joined the Tournament was to meet with you. And although I should thank you for helping me discover a leak in my security, I still require a proper explanation. Why did you invite the Light?"
Ra's breathed in and slowly exhaled, before answering,
"At it's core, the Lazarus Tournament is an exhibition of martial skill and talent. It was always the plan to invite them to watch the Semis and Finals. The feast was a way to welcome them to the Island. My meeting with you on the other hand, was scheduled for after the feast."
The older man sighed, looking away.
"Forgive me then, for not anticipating the hostile environment I was bringing you into. I truly did not intend for things to turn out as they did."
"I see."
Angel replied in understanding.
"Then I won't push the matter any longer."
While Angel was angry about the whole thing, he wasn't keen on pursuing the grudge. Besides, the whole incident was a blessing in disguise. He had removed a dangerous piece from the board by handling the Light.
He would also increase the security on his sister. So win-win.
However, things in the Supervillain world worked differently from the normal world.
Here, you couldn't be perceived weak. Which meant...
"I accept your apology. But on one condition. I want something from you in return. Grant me this one request, and I'll call us even."
Angel responded after being quiet for a time.
Ra's nodded in understanding. He had expected a demand.
"What do you want? If it is within my influence or power, you shall have it. Be it My Lazarus Pits or my Entire League Of Shadows. Ask and you shall have it! This, I swear by the Crest of the Demon's Head!"
He raised his right hand, showing a ring with a black and red demon skull on the top.
Naturally, Angel knew what this was.
This ring was the status symbol of the Demon's Head.
Anyone wearing it would be able to command the full might of the League of Shadows.
Inside the sculpture of Red Ice next to Ra's, Talia's eyes went wide in surprise.
She had heard her Father's pledge. Which meant, Angel could ask for everything that was rightfully hers, and her Father would be liable to hand it over.
This was bad!
Angel didn't say his wish right away.
But when he did, it was like a hammer struck!
"I want Talia. Your daughter."
Calling the request unexpected would be an understatement.
Talia had thought he would go for ownership of the League of Shadows. But hearing that he asked for her, made her blood run cold despite the burning sensation across her body.
'Father no! Tell him no! Please!'
She yelled in her mind what she couldn't say with her voice.
But Ra's response made her heart sink.
"Done."
The Demon's Head immediately accepted and continued calmly,
"She is yours to do with as you please. Have your way with her, drive her mad so she regrets fighting fate, or Kill her for all I care. I have no use for Traitors."
Talia's heart broke. Her vision turned blurry, the cold Assassin was no more and a final unheard gasp proved it,
'D-daddy...'
Satisfied that Ra's had accepted his request,
"Shade."
Angel softly called out.
The Sculpture of Red Ice holding Talia was swallowed by its own shadow.
"Good Luck on your final match, young Master."
Shade whispered as his presence faded in the background, and with his exit, Talia's as well.
But different from Luthor and the Light who would be placed in the dungeons, awaiting the worst experience of their lives, Shade was under orders to hold Talia somewhere else.
Angel would personally deal with her when he left the Island.
He just had to win the Tournament first. The winner could ask for anything they wished and Angel knew exactly what he would ask for.
"Well, with that out of the way, how about we-"
Angel was interrupted by a loud crash that came from his back.
Bang!
The door to the chamber was violently kicked off it's hinges and thrown a few feet away.
And through the opening, a large group of Shadows led by Sensei stalked in. They had weapons drawn and looked ready for a fight.
Sensei surveyed the room with a frown. Only managing to find Ra's Al Ghul and Angel inside.
"Master, the sentries reported of a commotion occuring in this room. Is everything alright?"
Sensei asked.
"No need for concern. As you can see, Angel and I were having a pleasant conversation."
Ra's replied, motioning to the end of the table.
"Sup Master."
Angel greeted Sensei, getting off his seat.
"Ra's, I have a match tomorrow so I'm gonna head out."
He casually told Ra's Al Ghul, intending to leave.
"Wait,"
Ra's stopped him with a hand raise.
"I'm curious, why did you ask for Talia when you could have gotten the ring? With it, you could command my entire organization."
Sensei's frown intensified. He didn't understand what was going on, but the implications of the Master's words were grave!
Angel smirked.
"What do you think I'll ask for when I win the Tournament?"
At his response, the Demon's Head snorted in amusement. The boy had even thought that far. Such foresight.
It showed he was someone who keenly analyzed every situation, and made plans to benefit him in the long run.
It occured to Ra's that Angel had been playing him from the start.
'He is powerful. But more importantly, he is cunningly wise. What a combination.' The Demon's Head thought.
"You are one scary man, Angel Savage. I look forward to your future."
Ra's raised his empty wine glass.
"Let's talk once more after the Tournament."
Angel nodded in agreement.
"Sure. Until then."
Then he walked away, passing by a still confused Sensei, who stepped out of his way to allow him to leave.
At the entrance, Angel suddenly stopped.
"Oh, and one more thing. The Justice League might stop by tomorrow."
He told them over his shoulder, causing Sensei to stiffen.
"How do you know that?"
His old teacher demanded intimidatingly.
"A little birdie told me."
Angel shrugged.
"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. Just don't say I didn't warn you."
With that, he left.
(A few minutes later)
At Ra's order, the Shadows that had arrived with Sensei were sent back to their posts.
And now, it was Sensei and Ra's Al Ghul alone in the chamber.
"Master,"
Sensei, walked forward and kneeled before Ra's, who seemed lost in thought, his eyes set on the wine glass before him.
"Speak."
The Demon's Head allowed.
A hard look crossed Sensei's normally impassive face.
"As much as it pains me to admit, my former pupil may be right. A short time ago, during the festival, I captured one of the fighters sneaking out of the Communication Hub. They are currently in a cell."
Ra's actions stilled.
"And?
Sensei exhaled heavily.
"Forgive me master, but I suspect they sent out the Island's coordinates, revealing our location."
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