Chapter 383: The Underground Labyrinth (3)
Barbara's Victory
The black short sword was extremely sharp. After piercing the armor, it cut into the bone, causing a pain that nearly made Barbara pass out. She bit down and held on, her right hand—dragging the lightning ball—smashing heavily into the Talon's abdomen.
Sizzle!
White electrical light enveloped the Talon's body. He trembled violently, his eyes rolling back from the shock. Fortunately, the short sword was not made of metal, or Barbara would have been in mortal peril too.
"Go down!"
The girl kicked the Talon against the wall, raising both hands high and bringing the lightning balls down with full force.
Blinding electrical light illuminated the cavern. The lightning ball struck the Talon's head and instantly erupted. The electromagnetic pulse, charged with high-voltage current, tore through his body, inflicting devastating damage on his brain.
Having done this, Barbara quickly backed away, anxiously watching the convulsing Talon. Smoke rose from his body, and his eyes began to take on the dull sheen of a dead fish.
"Did I kill him?"
The girl felt uneasy. Enduring the pain in her shoulder, she called out,
"Hey, are you alright? Say something!"
"Are you okay or not? Make a noise!"
After a moment of no response, Barbara quickly took off her mask and placed her fingers under his nose. Feeling a faint breath, she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Well, either way, I won."
Since he was alive, Barbara no longer needed to worry. She lifted her chin and said with a hint of smugness,
"Your skill and experience are far superior to mine, but you weren't smart enough. Only the clever survive in the end. That's what Luke said, though I don't entirely agree with it."
She turned and walked into the depths of the labyrinth. The path ahead was winding and full of traps, but Barbara was determined that she would make it through and find the answers she needed.
The Grandmaster's Speech
This night was arguably the most difficult one for the members of the Court of Owls.
Of the six main entrances, two were reporting intrusion alarms, and one had gone completely silent. They didn't know if the loyalist soldier responsible for patrolling had been defeated or had simply fallen asleep.
Panic filled the great hall. Every piece of bad news brought muffled curses from the surrounding members. If this continued, the stress alone would drive these "high and mighty" nobles mad before the Court itself collapsed.
A man in a suit, who had already torn off his tie, couldn't take it anymore and headed for the exit. He was stopped by the loyalist soldier guarding the door.
"Why are you stopping me? I need to use the restroom! Get out of my way!"
The man shoved hard, but the soldier didn't budge. He merely pointed to a room on the east side of the hall.
"The restroom is over there."
"You..."
The suited man was enraged, his eyes twisted as if he wanted to eat the soldier. Just then, the soldier moved aside, and a mysterious figure wearing a white mask and a large red ceremonial robe stepped out.
The suited man instantly stiffened, standing straight and bowing.
"Hello, Your Excellency, the Grandmaster."
"Call me 'Sir.'"
"Yes, Sir."
The suited man was now incredibly humble, a complete change from his previous arrogance.
The red-robed Grandmaster, known simply as "Sir," gave him a look of indifference and strode into the hall.
The Court of Owls currently had two Grandmasters: Sir Black Hawk handled daily affairs, and the Red-Robed Grandmaster was in charge of the Talons and loyalist soldiers. Essentially, the power of life and death for the Court rested in his hands.
With his appearance, the noisy hall instantly fell silent. Everyone rose to bow and offer their highest respects. The Red-Robed Grandmaster acknowledged them one by one, walked through the crowd, and approached the throne. Instead of sitting, he pressed his hands down and spoke in a gentle tone.
"The Owls were founded in the seventeenth century. Over these hundreds of years, we have endured countless hardships. The one fifty years ago remains clearest in my memory. At that time, three Grandmasters feuded and attacked each other. One Grandmaster even tried to use outside forces to unite the Court and claim it as his own."
"That was a dark, unspeakable era, but we survived. We continued our traditions, maintained our wealth, preserved our status... and continued to rule as the kings of Gotham."
"Why did we win?"
The Red-Robed Grandmaster looked down at the crowd, his calm gaze landing on every member.
"Why? Because of the Talons? Because of the loyalist soldiers? No, no. They are all just tools, like the knives and guns on a rack, they need someone to wield them."
"We won not because of the strength we possessed, but because all members were united, supporting one another, and combining all our forces to withstand the disaster."
"That is why the Court has endured for centuries, and it is the original intention of our ancestors when they founded the Court. They wanted us to bind ourselves together, to protect ourselves, our families, and everything we own."
His powerful words echoed through the hall, seemingly possessing the ability to calm spirits. The agitated crowd gradually composed themselves. A slightly naive young member stood up and nervously asked,
"Sir, we are willing to dedicate ourselves to the Court and unite to overcome this crisis, but we also want to know the truth. There are rumors that the police are sending people to explore the underground labyrinth, and that Batman is inside. Is this true?"
The Red-Robed Grandmaster chuckled softly.
"Your words are half-truth, half-fiction. The Gotham police are timid mice; they lack the courage to explore the underground labyrinth. Instead, they are setting up defenses at the western exit, hoping we will walk right into their trap."
He laughed again, and some of the members who were in the know joined in. The Court had six exits—guarding only one was useless.
"However..." The Grandmaster paused, changing his tone. "Batman has indeed arrived. He is in the labyrinth, alone. He foolishly tries to defeat us and destroy the Court with his own power." He then said mockingly,
"Do you think he will succeed?"
Hahahahaha!
Joyful laughter erupted in the hall, as if it were a holiday celebration.
"Now, everyone, trust the Court, trust yourselves. Before long, Batman's corpse will appear before you. I hope you will all remain calm and enjoy the sight."
After placating the members, the Red-Robed Grandmaster left the main hall and went to a second-floor conference room.
As soon as the door closed, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of extreme grimness.
"Has Batman not been captured yet?"
The aide quickly bowed his head, saying nervously, "The assassins sent out couldn't defeat him. They all failed."
"What about the previous four? Did they fail too?"
As he asked this, the Grandmaster's pupils widened, emitting a chilling killing intent. The aide quickly waved his hands.
"No, we haven't received word from them yet. It should be soon. Four against one—Batman definitely won't be a match for them."
The Grandmaster snorted heavily.
"What's the situation at the other two locations?"
"At the garbage depot, there's a woman in power armor. Based on the last report, her fighting skill is average. Sending two more Talons should be enough to deal with her. The location outside the city has been quiet."
"Quiet!"
The Grandmaster frowned. "Were they not instructed to report in regularly?"
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