Chapter Fifty-One: The Demon's Quest Part Two.


The final assault upon Gotham was pretty much at hand and now all of the cards were on the table. Ra's Al Ghul was waiting for the members of the League of Assassins, along with their associates to get into place. He looked up and saw the moon up into the sky. The energies from it glowed eerily on this evening and it was an omen for some interesting things to come.

It was amazing that the moment that the sun came up the next morning, there would be no Gotham. The smoldering ashes over the once grand city would give a chance to be reborn. And underneath those smoldering ashes, there would be a brand new Metropolis that would be born one more time.

Ra's was currently discussing matters with one of his associates, the one and only Lionel Luthor. "Yes, I do realize that our mutual friends do wonder about my intentions, but I'm certain that they would wonder about yours as well."

"Yes, but we all have are secrets, and you have had more of an opportunity to hoard more than a few of them, my friend," Lionel replied. There was a tiny bit of apprehension in his voice. It was hard to hear, but it was there. "But I do wonder about your intentions, I really do. It seems like it's the dawn of something new."

"No matter what, the Light will always burn brightly for one reason or another," Ra's reminded him. He could hear the sounds of combat in the distance. It was just beginning as far as he was concerned. The Demon Head prepared to step on in. There would be vultures that would pick off the bones of those who had been taken down by far greater.

The League of Assassins lasted for thousands of years and would last for thousands more past the departure of Ra's Al Ghul. The gifts of the Lazarus Pit sustained him and allowed him to build an empire that would allow the world to move towards a brand new age. It was a new era that was dawning.

It was just as well that those same pits would lead to a brand new dawn in this world. The Demon head could see everything become reborn before his eyes. His excitement grew the closer that they are.

"There are some loose ends that need to be tied up before we move forward," Ra's commented. "Rest assured, by this time tomorrow evening, we all know where the cards lay."

"You do have some kind of idea what is happening, don't you?" Lionel asked him. There was no question in the man's mind that Ra's was up to something, but the real question was what. He figured that he would find out about the same time as the rest of the world.

Ra's gave a shuddering breath after he said his goodbyes to Lionel Luthor. The gifts of the Lazarus Pit were not everlasting. Each time he used them, his body grew weaker faster. All of the ravages of aging caught up with him.

Ra's had business to deal with in Gotham City right now. "I will speak to you later. I understand that you're a busy man with a time table of your own and you know that for me, time is money."

"Yes, that old chestnut," Lionel agreed. He was in mostly good spirits, but there was something in his tone that was fairly calculating. He wouldn't be a Luthor if he didn't play a more impressive game than most. "Just rest assure that if you need me or any of our associates, we will be prepared to offer you that assistance. Just say the word and we'll be there."

Ra's was glad that he had allies. Time had taught him the value of having an immense criminal organization.

He exited the temple and he hit a large lump that was on the ground. It took the Demon Head only a few seconds to realize what he ran into.

It was Ubu, he had been laid out on the ground. Ra's turned around and saw the guards were down on the ground.

The Demon Head braced himself for battle. He was close by, leader of the League sensed it.

One of the only guards that had been knocked out was slumped against the wall and breathing heavily. Ra's didn't keep his back turned. He reached behind him and yanked the guard forward.

The guard was jolted out of his semi-conscious state by this one move. He was completely shaken and he staggered in his attempts to look the Demon Head straight in the eye.

"Bring me Lady Shiva, the matter is urgent," Ra's told the guard.

Any protest of the guard was lost due to the fact that the great Ra's Al Ghul had given him an order. That was something that was not to be debated no matter what. Despite the fact that his leg had been snapped, he managed to scramble into the temple to retrieve Lady Shiva, who was waiting his orders.

Ra's looked up. It was almost like he was close to him.

"So, we begin this chess game, so be it," Ra's muttered to himself. "It ends between the two of us. This time the battle is to the death."

Ra's could tell that the Dreaded Dragon stopped short of killing him the last time for a simple reason. He wanted it to sink into Ra's mind that his successor had been found. Ra's accepted his doom was nearing and he was ready for it.

Lady Shiva made her way outside of the temple. The woman in red leaned down and bowed before the current leader of the League. At least he was for the League right now.

"I wish for you to keep an eye out for him," Ra's added. "Do not allow him to fight me, at least not yet."

Shiva nodded. She knew what was going on. A battle with the Dreaded Dragon would be represent a challenge for her and it was one that she would get the better of. The Deadliest Woman alive bowed before her master.

"It will be done," Lady Shiva whispered.

"Excellent, the hour approaches," Ra's commented.

A plant sentry stepped forward to greet him. Ra's turned his attention to the Ubu-Hybrid.

"Mother Nature has planted her spawn in Gotham and she has attracted a Bat," Ubu told him.

Ra's smiled. Things were moving in a more and more favorable direction for him. Their final assault upon Gotham City was going to be at hand sooner rather than later.

Ra's didn't see the man stalking him just yet. There was no doubt.

"It's time for the Detective and I go to face to face," Ra's said.

He suited up, ready for battle. Ra's Al Ghul decided that despite the fact that Batman was not worthy, he was still worthy of a one on one battle with the Demon Head. Just to give him that last chance to prove him wrong, even though it was doubtful. The man's unwillingness to kill, even beyond all reason would prove to his undoing.

Some grew strong with adversity. Others were broken because of it. Batman appeared to have gone somewhere in the middle with some combination of both.

"It's time."


Batman made his way through the jungle that was Gotham City. Each step brought him closer towards his enemy. He sensed that. Being mindful of his surroundings, the Detective pushed himself forward.

There was a frustrated howl in the distance. One could see that Batman got separated from his team; at least until they remembered that it was Batman, who purposely separated himself from his team, because that was just how he did some things.

There was a large growth of plants that Batman tried to fight his way through. The more he struggled through them, the tighter the vines went around him. It almost ensnared him when Batman tried to slip between them. He found it more difficult to get through. Even the device from his belt that was supposed to cut through the plants honestly didn't work.

"Get closer and feel the misery, feel the terror, feel the power of Poison Ivy," she replied. Her excitement grew when Batman made his way inside.

Batman sprayed the counter agent and the plants retreated on their own.

There was a large root that shot out of the ground and wrapped around Batman. He was pulled up.

Batman tried to reach for his belt. Another vine rippled through and ensnared the utility belt, ripping it off of him.

"I won't fall for that one again, Batman," Poison Ivy continued. Her tone grew even harsher. Batman was brought up to face her. "Did you honestly think that it would end like this?"

Batman tried to free himself from his predicament. Without his belt, he was pretty much trapped with nowhere to go. He groaned when he was pulled up and the vines turned to make him properly face her.

"Did you really think that you could get the better of me?" Poison Ivy taunted him. "Did you really think that you could get the better of Mother Nature? Did you really think that it was all possible, Batman?"

Her tone was extremely taunting the more that he was lifted up. Batman could see Poison Ivy sitting in the pods.

Batman managed to remove a gadget from his glove and he sliced his way through the vines. Without a word, he used the vines as a method to try and get himself to Poison Ivy.

"Nice try Batman, but it won't work this time," Poison Ivy said with a taunting tone to her. "Clothes make the man or in your case, your belt makes you. Destruction will be your downfall, Dark Knight."

Batman didn't even respond. The Dark Knight Detective tried to pry himself free from his position.

"You're sick, you need help," Batman said.

"Says the man who wears a mask and dresses up like a giant bat," Poison Ivy fired back. She swooped over in front of him. Her babies got close and some of the wilder ones wanted a good meal. "I wonder if I should kill you first or just ground you into mulch."

"Do what you want, but you don't think that your babies will survive in the world that Ra's Al Ghul has created," Batman whispered. His voice came out in a raspy hiss.

Poison Ivy inclined her head and viewed him in bemusement. There was a small smile tugging on her lips when she looked down at Batman.

"What you think and what's going to happen will be two different things," Poison Ivy said. Her answer was harsher than Batman expected. She paused long enough to consider this claim. "But it doesn't matter. Ra's Al Ghul was just the means to get everything that I need. He's nothing as far as I'm concerned. Just like you'll be nothing soon, do you hear me Batman, you will be nothing!"

Her tone increased in a pained howl. No matter what happened, Batman was doomed. That was one thing that you didn't have to be the World's Greatest Detective to deduce.

In the greenhouse, Batgirl slipped her way inside. The redhead was careful not to disturb any of the plants.

'Just keep fighting them on the outside, I'll retrieve him,' Barbara thought.

'I'd make him sweat for a little bit longer,' Helena thought. There was a tone in her voice that sounded properly vindictive.

'I know that you're angry with him, but I have a job to do,' Barbara thought. She was acrobatic enough to avoid stepping on any of the vines and triggering any of Ivy's alarms. It took skill, but Barbara had that in abundance.

'Perhaps you should have sent the girl with archery skills in there to make the one in a trillion shot,' Artemis said. She didn't have that much time to be worried about this. One of the thugs tried to trample her over.

The thug was this close to running its dagger through her chest. Artemis jumped up and she slammed her hands against the back of the head of her enemy.

'No, I'm fine, I've got a back- up plan,' Barbara thought. She had the device that Kara gave her in her hand. 'So, does this work?'

'Harry created it, with help from Whitney, Caitlin, and Gwen, who tested it,' Kara thought. There was something about her tone that seemed increasingly haughty. 'What do you think?'

'Point well taken,' Barbara said. Her cowl was carefully made up with ear protection. The redhead lifted the device up and closed her eyes. All it would take was one button to be pressed.

Poison Ivy was about ready to finish Batman off. There was a loud sonic emission that went off.

"NO!" she howled in absolute pain. It was a blistering amount of agony that filled her form. There was something entered her ears and it caused her to lose all of her concentration.

Batman dropped down and got out of the way. He did see a few glimpses of Ivy's plants turning on each other and trying to hack each other to bits. The Dark Knight avoided these attacks when they kept stabbing at each other, over and over again.

Barbara now could see that Pamela was knocked down onto the ground. She wouldn't stay that way for that long, so Barbara had to move and now.

The dart hurled from her hand. It got Poison Ivy right in the shoulder, doubling her over. Her eyes dilated and she tried to step forward.

The woman landed down onto her knees onto the ground. Her breathing became extremely labored. The villainous dropped to her knees before the cowled crusader.

Batgirl waited for the other shoe to drop. The plants who had gone completely insane moments ago had grown extremely docile. They were really docile and almost cute, in a really weird way.

'Okay, I think that everything is good right about now,' Barbara thought. Things got oddly calm. It was like some kind of moment before the storm. The cowled crime fighter inched closer to Pamela's down body.

One toe nudged her and she didn't move. The sedation worked, and Barbara looked up. She could see Helena make her way down to this particular area.

'Pick her up and bring her back to RAO, to see if we can do anything with her,' Faora thought. She did have some potential, but it would need to be pointed in the right direction for Pamela to be the very best she can be.


Batman pulled himself up to his feet. He climbed up onto the top of the roof of the building that he fought Poison Ivy. His armor was damaged and he could barely stand thanks to a twisted ankle. The Dark Knight took a half of a step forward and his knee nearly rolled out from underneath him. His pain was immense, but he somehow stood up.

A slow and loud clapping was heard. The man standing in the mist walked forward. Batman came face to face with the fully formed form of Ra's Al Ghul.

"It's been a long time, Detective," Ra's Al Ghul remarked. "You have been durable to last this long, which is favorable. I hope that you enjoy watching your beloved Gotham City burn and something new rise from the ashes."

"Not if I take you down first," Batman growled.

He swung his fist towards Ra's. Ra's dodged his attack and knocked Batman down to the ground. He did a forward flip and landed onto the ground.

"The lessons you have been taught have not properly sank in Detective," Ra's replied. He pulled a sword from his sheath. "But, before we both leave this world, there's one more lesson that I must teach you. I hope that it properly sinks in before you are sent on your way to the next life."

The swipe of a razor sharp sword nearly hit Batman. Batman avoided the attack and stuck the landing. The breath was knocked out of his body when Ra's went to attack him.

The next attack was avoided and Ra's tried to put him out. Batman shook his head. He was getting so dangerously close to Ra's taking his head off with this sword.

"Stand and fight your ground, just like a true warrior is, I'm impressed," Ra's commented. He stabbed Batman through the chest plate. "Pain is a great teacher, is it not detective? Let's see how dangerous you are without you gadgets."

Batman caught Ra's with a glancing blow and pulled the sword from his grasp. The Detective jumped up and nailed Ra's with a series of punches. The Demon Head staggered back a few steps.

"Very good," Ra's said. He kicked Batman in the back of the leg and a pained grimace followed when Batman's knee almost went out from underneath him.

Batman returned fire, sweeping the legs of Ra's out from underneath him. Ra's landed backfirst on the ground, but he popped back up. The two of them went nose to nose, with Batman attempting to bring Ra's down.

"A short pause and we go at it again," Ra's responded. Both of them went hand to hand with each other, with the Demon Head gaining the advantage. He took down Batman and there was a loud crack when his leg went out from his side. "Come, Detective, do you really think that it would be that easy to defeat me?"

Batman popped up. There was a loud crack and a flash of lightning behind them. Both of them went hand to hand with each other. Batman backed Ra's Al Ghul off of the back of the roof.

"It has been a good battle, Detective," Ra's said. He slammed a palm strike into the throat of Batman.

Batman struggled to breathe when Ra's hand connected with him. Ra's kicked Batman in the face and brought him down to his knees.

"Gotham City will be the first to go down, when this brand new world will rise," Ra's said. He stepped over towards Batman and kept kicking him hard in the face.

Ra's lifted a dagger out and he stabbed Batman in the shoulder with it. He kicked Batman off of the side of the roof.

Time seemed to stand still when Batman flew backwards off of the roof. Ra's looked down at him. The rain continued to piss down in Gotham City. It fell just as Batman did.

Seconds before Batman would have hit the ground; there was something that slowed his descent. Ra's leaned over to see Batman not splatter into the pavement. He was let down.

Another lightning flash and Ra's turned around to see the one and only Harry Potter standing there across from him. The Demon Head looked forward towards him. The man's hands raised and he slowly, but surely started to applaud.

"You never cease to amaze me," Ra's replied. His tone was calm and cordial "But, I'm certain that many of the cards now lie in your favor."

Harry was silent. He stared down Ra's Al Ghul with cold indifference. The battle was about ready to take place.

"It's over now," Harry answered. "You wanted my attention, you have it."

"It's not done yet, there's still one more piece of business that I have to do," Ra's answered.

The one and only Lady Shiva turned up next to Harry, and she approached him.

"The pits will detonate all at once, which will cause a chain reaction that will purge the world," Ra's said. He backed off and dropped down gracefully.

Shiva rushed at Harry, and he blocked her attack.

"Make it convincing," Harry muttered.

"I know," she said through the side of her mouth. She jumped up and tried to nail him hard with a kick. It would have been a brutal strike that might have taken him out.

Harry grabbed her foot and flipped her down hard onto the ground. Shiva landed onto her feet and threw a dagger at Harry. Harry caught the dagger in his hand. Flipping over onto his feet, he hurled it back to them.

'Ra's Al Ghul is going to detonate all of the pits, and…..' Harry thought.

'You're kidding me, right?' Sara asked. She didn't have a clear idea of his plan, no one did.

'He thinks it's going to purge the world,' Harry added. He continued to fight hand to hand with Shiva. The interesting thing was that she was really holding his own against one of the deadliest women in the world, if not the deadliest women. Actually, Shiva would take great offense to the declaration that she was only one of the deadliest women in the world. 'But I'm guessing that all of the pits going off at once will kill most life on Earth, which is his intention. But it may cause Earth to crumble and cause many atmospheric changes.'

'So, how are you going to stop him?' Kara asked. She watched the battle between Harry and Lady Shiva with interest.

She wasn't the only one who was watching the battle between Harry and Lady Shiva with interest. The two of them put on quite an amazing show with each other.

The Dreaded Dragon closed his eyes and flipped backwards off of the roof top. He landed firmly onto a roof top.

Lady Shiva jumped down from the rooftop high above from him and she stuck the perfect landing next to her. The woman's punch was swung at the hero. Harry dodged her attack, twisting her arm around and forcing her down to her knees. The woman struggled in an attempt to escape the consequences from these attacks. He wrapped her arm down behind her back and that caused her to wince when he forced her down.

"Making it convincing," Shiva reminded him. She flipped out of the attack.

A pair of daggers flung out with Harry hurling them towards her. The warrior flipped in the air and blocked the daggers in her hand.

Harry caught her with a glancing kick to the face. He shot a rope downwards and wrapped around her, tying her around a lamp post.

'We should have a return match sometime under less dire circumstances,' Harry informed her.

There was another crack of lightning and Harry slipped off into the night.


Things had actually calmed down for the most part in Metropolis. That proved one thing. The attacks in Metropolis were just a diversion to the main event that was happening in Gotham City. Gotham would be destroyed and from the ashes something new would be born.

Whitney paced up and down. Kara watched her with a combination of frustration and amusement. Her mind went back and forth.

The girl stopped and cleared her throat. It was obvious that she would wear out the floor if she wasn't careful.

"Sorry, I pace if I get nervous," Whitney replied. She made her way to the vending machine and prepared to clean it out.

"Well there goes your salary for this week," Gwen commented and her eyebrows rose when she saw the girl clear out the vending machine. "And there goes everything in the vending machine."

She cleared out everything in the vending machine, cleaning it out like it was no big deal.

Gwen turned her attention towards the woman that was trapped in the cell. She had to admit that it was pretty eerie. It was like she was suspended in time.

The intern's eyes flashed over towards a potted plant, it was really unsettling for some reason. It was almost like there was a chance for her to break out and the plants to come to life.

"Okay, relaxing, she's contained," Kara stated. She frowned when she looked at Gwen. Gwen looked back at her.

"How do you know there isn't a chance for her to break out?" Gwen asked her.

Kara looked at her, frowning deeply before she responded. "My mother created that containment case. It will hold, trust me."

Kara's tone was so firm that Gwen couldn't do anything other than trust her. Caitlin cupped a hand over her mouth and started to laugh. Gwen turned towards her and gave her one of those little looks. It was unfortunate that said look only caused Caitlin to break out into laughter and Whitney joined her in response.

Donna made her way into the lab and handed Kara something.

"What's that?" Caitlin asked. Her curiosity got the better of her.

"It's the blood sample that was extracted from her before we put her completely under," Kara explained. "And the other vial is the sample that had been extracted by one of the plants."

Whitney frowned deeply when she looked at the plant extracts and frowned. There was something about the particles that unsettled her.

She made her way over to the computer and started to type. The computer keyboard was reinforced to prevent it from breaking down from super powerful typing. Whitney whistled when she finished typing things up.

"There are parts in the plant extract that match those chemicals that are alleged to be found in the Lazarus Pits," she told them as she looked things over. She frowned. "We're talking about science of the most advanced type."

It wouldn't be the first time that Gwen's eyes shifted nervously to the seemingly innocent potted plant, nor would it be the last time today. She drummed her fingers nervously when she waited for everything to break on free.

"I wish you would stop doing that," Caitlin muttered underneath her breath.

"What is he planning anyway?" Whitney asked. Her gaze locked onto the entire group.

"He's planning to cleanse the world," Kara said.

"He's going to create some kind of big bang or something like that?" Whitney asked.

Kara eyed her and thought that was the most accurate way to describe that.

"We've got things extracted from her, so we can form an antidote where her darker side doesn't overwhelm her," Kara replied.

"Are you sure that we can do this?" Whitney asked. "I mean, her DNA is mutated beyond all comprehension and if she's exposed to the Lazarus Chemicals, you don't know how much she could have changed."

Kara looked at the young budding scientist, raising her eyebrow. "I think that we have a good idea, that's why we're not exposing her to any antidote until it's tested."

There was a chance that any antidote could cure her and there was also a chance that any antidote could turn her into a giant plant monster.

"I believe that we're on the right track."

Whitney nearly jumped halfway off of the ground when there was something that popped up. Her eyes widened when she leaned towards the person who showed up. Mouth was wide open and closed shut at the same time. Heart started racing when she looked at the shadowed figure.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," the woman on the other side commented. She looked like Kara, but she was a bit older.

'And she laughed at me for being startled by the gate, oh this is too amusing,' Barbara thought. She was now over that and she could really laugh about the circumstances.

"This is my mother, I don't know if any of you had met her yes," Kara replied.

Once Whitney got over her initial shock and awe, there was a wicked grin that spread over her face. To say that she was impressed would be putting things extremely mildly. She looked at her.

"How is this possible?" Whitney asked. Her superfast mind processed what she thought was a logical solution. "It's like something out of Star Trek, isn't it?"

"A lot of things we have created are," Alura stated in amusement. "We got television signals of Earth television shows to our planet."

"Oh, that's really amazing, it's too bad that Earth doesn't get any kind of alien television shows," Whitney said. She spoke as fast as she could and nearly choked on her tongue when she spoke.

Kara barely was able to keep a straight face on her face. She patted her on the back.

"There are some alien television shows, although something far more advanced," Kara admitted.

Whitney was relieved about that. She would hate to see any kind of advanced civilization that was without any kind of television. She had a million questions to ask, but then again, her mind was one that went a million miles a minute.

"Just take a deep breath, and ask the first one that comes to mind," Alura said. She looked rather amused. "In the meantime, why don't we see what we can do with this young lady?"

The group had to get to work and hopefully they could do something to help her. It went without saying that if they were able to bring Pamela mostly back to normal, they could have a valuable asset on their hands. It was time to really get to work.


Ra's Al Ghul thought that in the end people would understand. Everything was in place, it was time to detonate. It was time to bring the world into greater control.

He got to his knees and said a prayer for Gotham City. The poor souls that had been corrupted in the city would need it. Time was running short.

Once he was done, the Demon Head got to his feet.

"May the great creator have mercy," Ra's muttered.

He pressed the detonator in his hand, but nothing happened. It should have been an explosion with the chain reaction having started in Gotham City.

Ra's turned around and saw the Dreaded Dragon swoop down next to him. The Demon Head frowned and he tossed the detonator to his side.

"Again, you never cease to amaze me," Ra's answered. He drew a rather sharp and shiny sword from the sheath. "So, should we finish?"

"Be my guest," Harry said, inviting the Demon Head to make the first move. He placed his hands behind his back and propelled himself over the first attack from the Demon Head.

The sword sliced through one of the pillars and caused dust to fly.

"I'm surprised that you are wearing the watch for this battle," Ra's commented. He stabbed towards Harry, who avoided his attacks. "And you have come without any weapon."

"I will merely take yours from you once you are finished with it," Harry answered.

Ra's gave a satisfied smirk. He measured Harry for a swift blow, but he blocked the sword with his hands.

Harry jumped up high into the air and brought the point of his knee down onto the top of the head of the Demon Head. The enemy staggered from the impact of the blow. Harry really had the advantage and he was not letting up.

A rapid fire chain of punches kept rocking the Demon Head. He was staggered over. Punch after punch rocked him when he was bent over.

Harry cracked his arm behind his back and stuck one more attack. The sword was ripped from his hand.

It spiraled in the air and landed into Harry's hand. He caught it.

"A backup weapon," Harry commented.

The two of them rushed forward with Ra's having removed a second sword from another sheath. The two of them clashed and sent sparks flying.

"The world must be prepared for a new age to dawn, "Ra's said. "If the Ice Age hadn't occurred, would humanity have had a chance to thrive? It can grow greater with this new genesis."

The two continued to attack each other. Harry flung the sword into the air and ripped Ra's sword from his grasp.

He threw the swords off to the side and went for a palm thrust to the chest. Ra's avoided the attack.

Harry nailed him right in the side of the face. Ra's dodged another shot. He crouched down and kicked Harry's leg out from underneath him.

Ra's pulled two daggers out, and tried to stab them at him.

Harry caught them, ripped them from his hands, and sent him flying into the slightly damaged pillar. Ra's rolled over, blood dripping from his mouth. Seconds later, Harry flew over and punched him hard in the face. Over and over again, with Harry slamming him down into the ground and brutalized him.

"Do you yield?" Harry asked him.

"I still have enough fight left in my body," Ra's breathed. He threw a powder into Harry's eyes and staggered him back.

Harry took a step back. He could feel a bit winded. The Demon Head rushed towards him. Like a viper, Harry struck first.

It was at the last possible instant that Harry managed to take out Ra's Al Ghul. There was a loud snap when he was brought down to the ground.

Harry brought down Ra's Al Ghul to the ground and the swords lifted into his hand. He slammed them down onto his neck, inches away from cutting into his throat.

"I've won again," Harry said.

"You've defeated me," Ra's agreed. "You have taken your rightful place for the League."

His injuries were fatal. His body was already breaking down and he was fighting a much more durable adversary. The fact that he was able to hold his own for that long was a testament for his abilities.

Talia stepped on in, and she could see her father down on the ground. She stared down at him. "Harry's won, and you have lost."

"I have lost and will finally slip on free," Ra's muttered underneath his breath. The swords cut into the side of his neck and the pillars of the temple slowly cracked, giving way.

There was a lot hissing sound. Seconds passed before the temple was about ready to collapse. Harry met Talia's gaze and there was one thing that both of them needed to say, without even saying it.

It was time to get down. The pieces of rubble flew down. Ra's Al Ghul didn't make any attempt to extract himself from the rubble. They smashed down, each of them crushing his body.

Talia and Harry cleared the exit of the temple just as it completely fell. It buried Ra's Al Ghul underneath it.

"Not the burial he would have wanted, but the one that is fitting for what he became," Talia commented. There was something stoic about her tone, with the finality involved.

She mourned the death of her father. The man who led the League of Assassins though, she didn't even consider mourning his death for one single moment. The choking clouds of dust nearly blinded the two of them.

Talia turned around, looking at Harry. Something about his expression was not able to be read at all.

"You do realize that this will only be an inconvenience for him and his most hardened of followers," Harry answered her.

Talia didn't answer that for a moment. She looked down at the temple and paid her respects. "Yes, I realize that, but I'm certain that we can extract the body and destroy it before it becomes a concern."

Harry wondered if destroying the body would do anything. He did suspect one thing and that was that Ra's had chosen his methods to die a long time ago. It didn't go as well as he intended, but it was still what how it was done. And he was gone and the League was under new management.

'We're ready,' Kara informed Harry.

It was go time.


To Be Continued on February 27th, 2015.