Starting With Batman

Charlie's breath hitched as the figure emerged from the shadows, his mind racing with disbelief. Link—there was no mistaking it. Even if his face could have been someone else's, that distinctive posture, the swagger in his movements, and that head-to-toe Tokyo foodie aesthetic were undeniable. It was him.

The game screen flickered, and a prompt flashed into view, urging Charlie to click the left mouse button. His hand shot forward, and his finger slammed onto the button with enough force that it almost left an afterimage. In the blink of an eye, Batman reacted to his input, the elbow joint of his suit moving in perfect synchronization with Charlie's command. The strikes landed with swift, brutal efficiency, each elbow driving into Link's abdomen like a steel piston, the force reverberating through both their bodies.

"Shouldn't this guy be dead?" Charlie's thoughts tumbled in confusion. The scene before him seemed surreal, wrong in a way that made his heart pound harder in his chest.

Friday's calm, analytical voice broke through his mental haze. "Facial recognition confirms it's Agent Link. Vital sign scans also match."

That shouldn't have been possible. Charlie was there when Link died. Well, technically, it was Batman who had been there, but Charlie had watched through the screen. He had seen it—the moment Link's own tentacles had punctured his chest, ripping through flesh and bone, completing his gruesome self-destruction. The detective mode scan had confirmed it—Link's vitals had dropped to zero. He had been dead. Gone.

But here he was now, alive, breathing, and very much trying to crush the life out of Batman—or as Link saw him, Agent Snake.

Something wasn't right, Charlie could feel it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, a creeping sense of unease slithering down his spine like cold fingers.

As the two combatants grappled, Batman's holographic disguise flickered briefly, the shimmering camouflage affected by the close combat. It was subtle, just a flicker, but enough for Link to notice.

At that moment, Charlie saw something change in Link's eyes—a flicker of suspicion, quickly followed by frustration. But what caught him off guard was the unexpected force of Batman's strikes. Each elbow hit with more strength than Link had anticipated, enough to make him flinch, his armored body absorbing the impacts but not without cost.

Link's grip loosened, just for a moment, and in that brief lapse, Charlie could feel the tide of the fight shift.

From Link's perspective, this wasn't supposed to happen. He had planned to kill this "weak" agent in one swift, decisive strike. This was supposed to be easy, quick. But the situation had turned. Instead of crushing his enemy with the momentum of a thunderbolt, Link found himself struggling against a foe who seemed far stronger than he had expected.

And just as Link began to regain his balance, another figure materialized from the darkness above, moving with the speed and grace of a dancer. A flash of white—a slender, elegant form descending from the sky—and in the blink of an eye, Spider Gwen was upon him.

The sound of two webs snapping onto Link's back echoed sharply through the air. Gwen's movements were fluid, precise, like a predator closing in on her prey. With a sharp tug on the webs, she yanked Link backward, his body jerking from the force as Batman landed another brutal blow.

Charlie had planned for this. Batman wasn't the only hero in play. The team had expanded, and for a mission like this, Charlie wasn't going to let Batman go alone. Not when the stakes were so high. Spider Gwen and Spiderman were part of his roster, ready to step in when things got messy—and now, they were his trump cards.

Gwen's nimble agility allowed her to dance through the battlefield, and she moved like liquid light, her every motion a perfect balance of strength and grace. As Batman swept his leg to knock Link off balance, Gwen pulled again on her webs, dragging Link backward and sending him tumbling toward the ground.

But Link wasn't finished yet.

A dark tentacle shot from Link's back, moving faster than a whip, aiming directly at Gwen's torso. The tendril sliced through the air with lethal precision, the sharp tip gleaming with malice. But Charlie was ready. His finger jabbed the defense button, and Gwen twisted her body mid-air with an elegant somersault, narrowly dodging the attack. The tentacle lashed the air where she had been only a heartbeat earlier.

Her body flowed with effortless ease, and with a flick of her wrist, she fired a web toward Link's body. The webbing shot through the air, sticking to him with a wet snap, just as Gwen spun again, launching herself upward. She kicked out, her foot connecting with Link's jaw in a bone-jarring strike, sending him hurtling backward once more.

Link hit the ground with a heavy thud, his body rolling awkwardly across the stone floor. But Gwen didn't give him a chance to recover. Before he could rise, she pounced, landing blow after blow with a series of graceful strikes. Her fists blurred as they connected with his armored skin, the sound of metal meeting flesh echoing through the underground chamber.

The stone walls seemed to vibrate with the force of the blows, dust and debris raining down from the ceiling above. Each hit sent shockwaves rippling through the room, the dim lighting casting long shadows over the scene as the battle raged on.

Finally, with a powerful kick, Gwen sent Link crashing into a crumbling stone wall. The impact was brutal, sending cracks spider-webbing across the surface of the wall, chunks of debris falling to the ground. Link's body slumped against the stone, his head lolling to one side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

But even as his body trembled with exhaustion, Link's tentacles surged forward in one last desperate attempt to fight back. One of them snapped toward Gwen, moving with deadly speed. But Gwen was faster. She swayed to the side, her movements fluid and instinctual. With a quick flick of her web shooter, she snagged the tentacle and yanked hard, pulling Link back toward her.

At that moment, Batman, still under Charlie's control, sprang forward. His cape flared behind him like a shadow, and with a single, powerful punch, he drove his fist into Link's chest. The force was immense—Link's body jerked as electricity surged through him from Batman's gloves, the shock sending a wave of pain rippling through his nerves.

Link's face twisted in agony as the high-voltage current coursed through his body. His eyes widened, recognition dawning in his mind. This wasn't some weak agent—this was Batman. The realization hit him like a hammer blow. Batman had been chasing him from the beginning, and now here he was, in the flesh.

As the holographic illusion fell away, revealing Batman's true form—the gray-black armor, the iconic bat-shaped helmet—Link's expression hardened. His mind reeled. Of course, it was him. Of course, it was Batman.

His rage boiled over, mixing with a deep, primal fear. Batman had always been relentless, an unstoppable force that wouldn't quit. And now, after all this time, after all these battles, he was here again, tearing Link apart.

The seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity, but it was all over in the blink of an eye.

Gwen swung back into action, her body twisting as she fired another web, anchoring herself to the ceiling before launching downward with incredible force. She slammed into Link with both feet, delivering a final, crushing blow that sent him spiraling downward, deeper into the dark abyss.

Batman and Gwen landed together, both watching as Link's body tumbled into the darkness below. But just as they thought it was over, one of Link's tentacles lashed out, wrapping around Batman's ankle. The sudden jerk yanked Batman off balance, pulling him toward the edge of the cliff.

"Batman!" Gwen shouted, her voice sharp with urgency. Without hesitation, she fired a web toward him, the sticky strands latching onto his armor just in time.

Charlie's pulse quickened as he watched Batman struggle against the pull, but Gwen's web held fast. She yanked with all her strength, dragging both Batman and Link back toward solid ground.

Link's battered body hit the ground first, his armor cracked and broken. He groaned, struggling to lift himself, but it was clear the fight had drained him. His once-imposing form was now limp and bruised, his tentacles twitching weakly.

Despite his injuries, Link forced himself to stand, his body trembling as he faced Batman and Gwen. His skin was peeling, revealing patches of raw flesh beneath. His joints cracked as he tried to move, but the hatred burning in his eyes was unmistakable.

Gwen glanced at Batman, her voice a soft whisper. "Uh… he really seems to hate you."

Batman remained silent, his eyes fixed on Link, his expression unreadable. He didn't need to speak. The tension between them said everything.

Link's gaze flickered down to his chest, where a small bat-shaped device was blinking with a soft, rhythmic light.

Boom!

The explosion was instantaneous. Fire and smoke erupted from Link's chest, sending his body flying backward like a ragdoll. He hit the ground hard, his limbs sprawled out, motionless.

"Done." Gwen dusted off her hands with a smirk, her eyes gleaming witha sense of satisfaction. She turned toward Batman, extending her hand for a high-five, a playful grin tugging at her lips.

"A high five?" she asked, her voice light, teasing. The excitement of victory still pulsed through her veins, her body almost vibrating with the energy of the fight.

Batman, ever the stoic, didn't flinch. His cape rustled slightly in the settling air, but his gloved hand remained by his side, his gaze still fixed on the spot where Link had fallen. The smoke from the explosion drifted up toward the ceiling, mingling with the dust that lingered in the atmosphere. The bat insignia on his chest gleamed faintly in the dim light, a symbol of relentless pursuit, of justice delivered cold and hard.

Gwen let her hand fall with a sigh, her eyes rolling beneath her mask. "So cold," she muttered, stepping away from Batman's side to inspect the crater where Link had been blown back. The charred remains of the once-mighty enemy lay scattered across the floor, barely recognizable. A distant part of her pitied him. But not enough to forget the trail of destruction he'd left behind.

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Posted up to chapter 175

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