A deafening crash echoed as the Batwing slammed into the heart of the Gamma base.
The wings and fuselage were completely shredded by the high-speed impact, but the heavily armored core cockpit remained relatively intact.
It rolled across the ground several times before the hatch blasted open. In the same instant, four massive hydraulic support pylons shot out from the inner walls of the cockpit and drove deep into the concrete floor.
The four pylons hoisted the cockpit upward. At the same time, the bottom section detached, dropping an enormous drill-buried bomb onto the ground.
That bomb was originally Batman's last-ditch escape tool—an earth-penetrating explosive meant to dig an emergency tunnel when every other plan and weapon had failed. It was the final lifeline he'd built for himself.
But right now, the bomb had been jettisoned. Clearly, Batman no longer needed it to dig an escape route. He needed the cockpit itself for an entirely different plan.
Supported by the four hydraulic pylons, the cockpit began to unfold and transform. Thick armored panels dropped down one after another, using the pylons as a frame to form an indestructible cage.
It was different from the containment measures carried on the No. 1 Bat-pod, but the purpose was the same: to forcibly imprison or restrain the gamma-spawned monsters inside the base.
The premise of containment was that Batman had to lure the monster close to the cage—or simply knock it unconscious first.
But at this moment, Batman was surrounded on three sides by the Leader, the Gamma Green Goblin, and the Red Hulk. Compared to "Desperate Plan No. 2" for controlling the monsters, he was currently relying far more on Venom-Robin.
"Robin, can you handle the heat?" Batman asked in a low voice.
"Dad… I don't think I can," Venom whispered back, its tone full of dejection.
It had heard Batman briefly explain the plan on the plane and knew it was one of Batman's final trump cards—so until that moment came, it was supposed to stay hidden and not act.
Out of some strange anticipation, Venom had obediently remained inside Batman's body the entire time. Other than the one time it struck under the cover of EMP bombs and smoke grenades, it had simply waited.
But it never expected that the moment it had to come out, it would be facing the blazing-hot monster it feared most.
Looking at the glowing crimson Red Hulk, Venom instinctively shrank back.
"Dad, what do we do…?"
"Don't be afraid, Robin," Batman said calmly. "You can form weapons, right? Give me a sword."
"Got it!" Venom answered instantly. The pitch-black symbiote writhed, condensing in Batman's hand into a ferocious, door-sized greatsword.
The blade and hilt together were nearly two meters long and as wide as a door panel, with jagged bone-like spikes jutting irregularly from the guard and pommel.
"…A crusader longsword, Robin," Batman reminded with a sideways glance at the massive slab in his hand.
"Huh? Oh!" Venom yelped, hurriedly reshaping the symbiote mass into the narrow, elegant form of a classic cross-hilt longsword.
Surrounded by three monsters, Batman chose to take the initiative—and his first target was the one who had just moved so fast it was practically teleportation, the Gamma Green Goblin, whose power might very well surpass even the Red Hulk's.
"Norman just displayed speed that exceeds even Peter Parker's body's dynamic vision. Trying to track him with my eyes alone isn't wise."
"I need to make full use of the Spider-Sense."
Batman gripped the cross-shaped longsword tightly with both hands, giving the medieval knight-style blade a slight flourish.
Venom was terrified of the Red Hulk's heat, and the Leader's psychic powers were useless against Batman.
Right now, the greatest threat was the lightning-fast Gamma Green Goblin. Batman had to take him out first.
Against an opponent this fast, fighting bare-handed was no longer viable; he needed a weapon to make his counters more efficient.
Almost the instant Batman locked eyes on the Gamma Green Goblin and took his first step forward, the Goblin vanished from where he stood.
His speed surpassed the limits of Peter Parker's enhanced vision. He left no trail in the air—not even the wind he stirred arrived before he did. In a flash, he was already at Batman's flank.
AHH—!
Ink-green claws materialized out of nowhere on Batman's left, slashing mercilessly toward his head.
Only then did the gust from the Goblin's movement finally howl through the underground plaza.
In that frozen heartbeat, the Leader's lips still curled in a cold smirk, the Red Hulk hadn't even begun his attack, and Batman was already a hair's breadth from death beneath those claws.
Yet the instant the claws were about to connect, the pitch-black crusader sword formed by Venom rose—perfectly, impossibly—into the exact trajectory of the strike.
CLANG!
A screeching metallic impact loud enough to rupture eardrums exploded outward. The sheer force cracked the floor beneath Batman's boots inch by inch, but the Venom suit instantly dispersed and absorbed the shock, the black symbiote rippling like boiling tar.
The moment the claw met the sword, the Gamma Green Goblin vanished again—this time reappearing behind Batman and striking once more.
But strangely, even though Batman never saw the path of the attack, the black longsword in his grip blocked the claws perfectly a second time.
While parrying that strike, Batman twisted his body at blinding speed, letting the blade dip just enough to catch the Goblin's second claw in the same motion.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Ear-splitting clashes rang out nonstop throughout the underground plaza. Every time the sound erupted, the Gamma Green Goblin's claws were already attacking again from every conceivable angle.
Amid this chaotic, invisible onslaught, Batman never stopped moving. He constantly shifted position, adjusting his stance, the cross longsword in his hands weaving an impenetrable curtain of steel.
It was supposed to be a heavy, cumbersome knightly sword, yet in Batman's hands it seemed alive. The Venom blade had become an extension of his senses and limbs, always finding the exact spot it needed to be to intercept every blow.
In just a few seconds, the Gamma Green Goblin had launched dozens of attacks. Batman, guided purely by Spider-Sense, swung the cross longsword in flawless defense, forcing even the Leader to furrow his brow.
Batman's strength had once again exceeded the Leader's calculations—but he wasn't about to admit defeat.
While Batman was tied up trading blows with the Gamma Green Goblin, the Leader darted to the fallen cockpit. Several missiles immediately streaked out, rocketing straight toward Batman.
At the same time, the Leader yanked the throttle. A section of the plaza ceiling split open as he piloted the ruined craft skyward, then fired several more missiles down from above.
Meanwhile, the Red Hulk—who hadn't joined the fight for several seconds—finally moved. He plunged both hands into the floor, ripped up a three-meter slab of concrete, and hurled it with earth-shaking force straight at Batman.