After all, Robert is the sworn enemy of the entire Skrull race. Gravik bringing Robert here now is practically an act of betrayal against the Skrulls. As for Diana, while it did seem odd seeing her bind Gravik with the Lasso of Truth, the Skrulls' hostility was still directed at Robert and Gravik.
"This base has far fewer Skrulls than I imagined. So, there are only about a hundred of you here? I suppose that means you have to run around to different places... Hmm? Bruce Wayne? He's actually still alive?" Robert ignored the Skrulls in front of him, sensing the energy in the base. He shook his head slightly, surprised to detect Bruce Wayne's presence.
"Well, it makes sense. Bruce Wayne has a dual identity, and his high status in Gotham would be useful to you Skrulls. But it looks like he's trying to escape—though he seems to be failing."
"Close-quarters combat isn't exactly Bruce Wayne's specialty. Otherwise, with his skills, he wouldn't have been captured by the Skrulls. If he had time to prepare, none of the Skrulls here would be his match."
"Batman, huh? But if the Skrulls didn't replace him..." Diana raised an eyebrow as she recalled the false Batman from the Doomsday incident.
"If the Skrulls didn't replace him, then he should already be dead!" A cold glint flashed in Robert's eyes as he spoke.
Robert was fairly familiar with Bruce Wayne, as they had crossed paths many times. Bruce had even sought Robert's help on several occasions to resolve some of Gotham's more troublesome supernatural incidents.
Despite their past interactions, Bruce Wayne remained cautious of both Robert and Clark. To Robert, Bruce was like a more extreme version of Tony Stark.
Initially, Tony Stark was also very wary of Robert and Clark. However, over time, as they worked together to neutralize more and more global crises, Tony eventually came to see them as allies.
Bruce Wayne, however, was different. Though his initial attitude mirrored Tony's, the less frequent interactions meant that even with a few collaborations, Bruce never fully trusted Robert or Clark.
Bruce was naturally more paranoid than Tony. After all, Bruce didn't even trust himself to remain in control forever. So how could he trust others, especially someone as powerful as Robert or Clark, who could destroy cities in the early stages and possibly worlds later on? It was only logical for Bruce to be cautious around them.
Robert could understand Bruce's mindset, but that didn't mean he would spare Bruce if he ever threatened Robert's loved ones. Understanding and acceptance are two very different things.
Suddenly, "Zzzap!" Multiple laser blasts shot toward Robert and Gravik. The Skrulls, enraged by Robert's disregard for them and Gravik's betrayal, launched their attack.
The Skrulls had decided to kill Gravik alongside Robert, with Gravik as their primary target. Robert was too powerful for them to handle, but Gravik, who had betrayed them, was within their reach.
The key reason for targeting Gravik was that killing him would cut off Robert's ability to track the Skrulls further. This, in turn, could protect the safety of their remaining, undiscovered comrades.
As for the safety of those Skrulls left in the base, they had resigned themselves to their fate. They believed that as long as the seeds of their secret invasion survived, the future Super-Skrulls would avenge them.
The Skrulls' loyalty to their own was commendable, as they were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the remaining hidden Skrulls. However, their strength was too weak. Even with their advanced technology, they stood no chance of killing Gravik under Robert's protection.
With a hum, an invisible barrier appeared, blocking all their attacks and rendering their struggle futile.
Even when the Skrulls used the energy grenades that had previously been effective against Bruce Wayne, they failed to penetrate Robert's barrier. Instead, the grenades exploded near the Skrulls, injuring several of them.
"Hmm, it's time to deal with the other Skrulls." A ball of energy formed in Robert's hand, splitting into countless smaller energy blasts. Some flew toward the Skrulls in the vicinity, while others shot through the base's corridors, targeting more Skrulls.
Not a single Skrull in the base escaped. Robert had locked onto every one of them.
As for why the Skrulls didn't send more troops to handle Bruce Wayne, it was because not every Skrull was suited for combat. Many preferred administrative roles or research over fighting, even though they all had shape-shifting abilities.
After all, the secret invasion required both military and intelligence support, and the Skrulls' individual combat abilities were generally not very strong.
"No!" Gravik, still bound by the Lasso of Truth, couldn't speak, but his heart roared in anguish as he watched the Skrulls around him being wiped out, leaving nothing behind, just like those in S.H.I.E.L.D.
Even though these Skrulls had tried to kill him and glared at him with anger, Gravik did not blame them. If he could, Gravik would have killed himself to prevent more Skrulls from dying because of him.
But he had lost all freedom—both physically and mentally. Even the freedom to live or die was no longer in his control.
Elsewhere in the base, Skrulls were being blown to bits by Robert's energy blasts. Bruce Wayne, who was battling Skrulls and growing increasingly wounded, suddenly felt a shiver down his spine.
It was an instinctual reaction to danger. Bruce sensed a terrifying threat approaching, though it wasn't from the Skrulls he was fighting.
With a grunt, Bruce took a kick from a Skrull, flying backward before quickly turning and running in another direction.
"Trying to run? Chase him!" The Skrulls, still disguised as Bruce, were unaware of the impending danger and were determined not to let him escape now that they had him on the ropes.
But before they could take two steps, energy blasts appeared behind them. The faster Skrulls tried to dodge, but the blasts locked onto them like guided missiles, no matter how they twisted and turned.
The difference in speed between the energy blasts and the Skrulls was immense. Even disguised as Bruce Wayne, they couldn't outrun the blasts. The gap between the extraordinary and the mundane was simply too great.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions echoed through the corridors. Bruce stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the smoke and destruction behind him.
"These energy waves... they resemble the Saiyan's ki blasts! Could the Saiyans have found the Skrulls and tracked them here?" Bruce muttered to himself, staring at the devastation.
He acknowledged Robert's power but also marveled at the Skrulls' ability to disguise themselves. When fighting eight versions of himself, Bruce had realized that if the Skrulls didn't intentionally expose themselves, even he couldn't tell the difference between them and the real thing.
This made Bruce hesitant. He wasn't sure if it was really Robert who had arrived.
"Bruce Wayne, long time no see." Before Bruce could decide, Robert flashed into the area. Diana had taken Gravik to commandeer the Skrull ship.
Even though the ship left behind by the Skrulls wasn't as advanced as their previous warship, it was still superior to Chitauri technology. Robert suspected that it had a powerful energy system and defensive capabilities.
Otherwise, Gravik wouldn't have intended to bring Earth down with him. Despite his anger, Gravik would have left some trace of the invasion for future Super-Skrulls, so they would know what happened on Earth, rather than staring blankly at a bombed-out planet.
"Saiyan!? It's really you! Did you discover the Skrull infiltration?" Bruce asked excitedly. "There are many of them. You must track them all down. Even one loose Skrull is a huge threat..."
"Don't worry. I know the Skrulls better than you do. I've killed more of them than you've ever seen." Robert replied calmly. "Oh, and I killed you once too. You should be glad the Skrulls replaced you. That impostor carried out part of your plan to deal with me and Clark. Not only did it get Clark killed, it nearly doomed the entire Earth."
"Superman is dead?!" Bruce's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? According to my intel..."
"You'll find out more when you leave this place. I'm not afraid to tell you, Lex Luthor found Krypton's weakness. He used the disguised Batman to kill Clark." Robert said, his gaze sharp.
"But even if the real you had been in contact with Luthor instead of the Skrull, the result would have been the same. So I warn you: don't cross my line. Don't ever think your contingency plans will work. If you do, your fate will be the same as that Skrull's."
"Lex Luthor? That can't be right." Bruce frowned. He knew Luthor and had dealt with him before. He didn't think Luthor was capable of such a god-slaying feat. Then a thought struck him. Bruce hesitated before asking, "Is it possible that Lex Luthor is also a Skrull?"
"I'm afraid not. I considered that, but he isn't. He's not even Hydra. He's just the CEO of LexCorp, an ordinary man. But he won't stay hidden for long. I'll find him soon enough." A cold glint flickered in Robert's eyes.
"Oh, by the way, all the Skrulls in this base are dead. There are still a few prisoners here. Handle them yourself. I have other Skrulls to deal with."
With that, Robert vanished without waiting for Bruce to respond.
Robert had come to warn Bruce. While Clark hadn't been resurrected yet, Kara was still on Earth.
Robert didn't know how Kryptonite was made, but if Bruce ever got
his hands on it again, whether from Luthor or through replicating past data, it would still be a massive threat to Kara. Even though Robert could save her at any moment, he didn't want her to fall into danger in the first place.
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