As one of the Celtic pantheon's top-tier holy swords, injuring Superman wasn't particularly difficult—especially when his attacks had no technique to speak of. With plant-based mind control thrown into the mix, it became even easier. But without kryptonite breaking him down at the cellular level, every wound Thea inflicted healed almost instantly.
Between Superman's own internal energy reserves, his rapid cellular regeneration, and the yellow sun's assistance, Thea spent ages hacking away at him only to realize he was barely scratched.
Midway through, Batman finished recalibrating his armor and rejoined the fight. Black helmet, black armor—it looked impressive enough, but it wasn't doing much good. Both of them were fighting with their hands tied in the city, forced to consciously lure Superman toward the outskirts.
To be fair, that was mostly Batman's achievement. The mind-controlled Superman looked at Batman as if he'd murdered someone he loved, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks with savage ferocity. If Batman's anti-Superman armor hadn't been built so damn sturdy, he might've actually died.
Once they reached the outskirts, Thea finally stopped holding back. Her attacks grew sharper. One strike, charged with emotional energy, carved a twenty-centimeter gash across Superman's left arm. The wound took a full minute to heal completely, and as a chain reaction, one of Black Mercy's tendrils was severed clean through by the holy sword.
"Can we actually kill this thing by just hacking at it?" Batman's armor had similar X-ray equipment. Through Superman's clothes, he could see one of the plant's tendrils on his chest withering and calcifying. Curiosity got the better of him.
Thea dodged the question. That strike had cost the holy sword significant energy too—piercing the Man of Steel's body was no joke. After breaking through his invulnerable skin, she'd had to channel the damage along the mental pathway back to the plant's main body. The precision required for that energy manipulation was extraordinary.
She could manage it occasionally, but doing it repeatedly would be exhausting. This twisted version of the Batman v Superman battle suggested an even bigger fight was coming.
In the original timeline, when they'd dealt with Supergirl, this plant had been completely passive—just latching onto the host's chest, not giving a damn about anything else. Back then, it had shown no ability to control bodies. Plus, Thea didn't think the plant had any deep-seated grudge against Batman.
Considering that all of Supergirl's uncle Non's belongings had fallen into Luthor's hands, the odds that this Black Mercy was Luthor's "enhanced" gift to Superman were basically certain. The countdown to Doomsday's arrival had probably already begun.
"Hang on a bit longer. My backup's almost here," Thea said, dodging a blast of Superman's freeze breath. Batman, controlling the anti-Superman armor, unleashed a massive sonic barrage that drove Superman back.
"Is it Diana?" The anti-Superman armor kicked Superman flying.
"No." Calling Diana wouldn't help much right now. Thea had summoned Poison Ivy—with her special abilities, she should be able to wrest control of the plant. Actually, Killer Frost's heat-absorption powers would be devastatingly effective against Kryptonians, but unfortunately Caitlin still couldn't show her face in public.
With one tendril severed, Black Mercy's control over Superman weakened further. Thea's mind-control spells were now causing noticeable lag.
"That's a nice suit of armor. When did you develop it?" Thea asked during a break.
Batman kept pounding away, pretending not to hear. He avoided her question entirely, focusing on pinning Superman to the ground and beating him senseless.
After three more minutes of using Superman as their punching bag and grinding him into the dirt, Poison Ivy finally arrived.
Never mind Batman's instinct to investigate the background of every stranger he met—Poison Ivy's expertise was beyond question. She summoned a cactus-like plant from thin air.
With a rustling sound, Superman began swaying like a drunk, stumbling down from the sky before losing consciousness entirely.
Poison Ivy's expression grew serious. She touched Black Mercy on his chest, and after a long pause, finally said, "Thea, this thing's been modified. It's not entirely plant-based anymore. It's really difficult for me to control!"
Thea did a quick examination. Completely removing it would take considerable time, and this desolate wilderness wasn't the place for a chat. Her vision had already spotted military satellites spying on Gotham.
"Let's head to your Batcave first. This is Poison Ivy—a friend I trust." Thea said to Batman, then gave a brief introduction.
Batman wanted to refuse, but he knew they still needed Poison Ivy's professional skills. After a slight hesitation, he agreed.
The armored Batman carried Superman on his back, and the three returned to the Batcave.
The first thing that caught their eye was a massive hole in the wall—undoubtedly evidence of Superman's handiwork.
Next, Thea spotted the woman blessed with the supernatural ability to appear wherever danger lurked: Lois Lane. The talented disaster magnet was currently helping clear rubble from the floor. According to Batman, Lois had been learning basic combat techniques from Barbara at the time.
The golden armor they'd all chipped in to make for her fit surprisingly well. Lois and Barbara were currently lifting a concrete pillar together.
Seeing them carry Superman in, Lois cried out in alarm, "Cla—Superman, what happened to him?"
"He's fine," Thea said, exhausted. Batman beside her looked even worse, his face a mass of bruises. Compared to Superman, who just had some torn clothes, he really was fine.
They placed Superman on a platform as the others in the Batcave gathered around.
Batgirl Barbara, Huntress Helena, Nightwing Dick Grayson and his current girlfriend Starfire, and finally Tim Drake, the third Robin—now Red Robin—whom Thea was meeting for the first time.
While Poison Ivy conducted her examination, Batman gave Thea a quick introduction to everyone. Whether they knew each other or not, at least they could all put a face to a name now.
Then he explained the attack. There really wasn't much to tell—Superman had moved too fast. From the moment the Watchtower space station detected his high-speed movement to when he landed in the Batcave, barely any time had passed.
If Starfire and the armored Lois hadn't intercepted those first two attacks, these normal-human superheroes—except for Batman with his unmatched dodge abilities—wouldn't all be standing here in one piece.
After that, Batman had emergency-activated his anti-Superman armor. But in this timeline, there was no major conflict between Batman and Superman, so the armor was still far from complete. Getting beat to a pulp in the hasty battle was hardly surprising.
"I forced a disconnect on the mechanical components. I can only put the plant to sleep—waking him up will have to come from within," Poison Ivy said helplessly after her lengthy examination.
"What do you think?" Batman asked Thea, who was after all a contemporary medical titan.
"Extract his brain waves, build a brainwave synchronizer, enter his consciousness space, and wake him up." Thea laid out the solution she'd already thought through. Batman had no better options. Working together, in less than ten minutes they'd created a somewhat crude but distinctly high-tech helmet.
Who should enter the consciousness space to wake Superman? A serious question now faced the group.