Leon stood in front of Batman, Kateryna standing behind Robin, who stood guard, all alert but still focusing on Leon.
The Ukrainian President was confused as to what was even happening. The other four just stared at this white-haired idiot, thinking, 'Father-In-what?'
"Rose, how could you? All this time, I thought we had something real, and yet…" Leon started speaking in a weepy voice, wiping fake tears from his cheek, being overly dramatic.
"What the hell does that even-" Ravager walked forward, confusion steering her voice.
"Heh, I only said Rose, though. Not you?" His tone suddenly changed as he pointed at the girl.
She was stumped. 'Had he known from the start-' Her thoughts came to a halt when he spoke again. "Rose Wilson Worth, you really are the world's worst spy." He had a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Come on, Mr. Wilson, you gotta do better than to send your own daughter for that kind of work." He motioned with his hand. Deathstroke turned back at Ravager, who just looked to the other side, not wanting to make eye contact.
Leon turned around to Batman and continued, "See, Batman, even criminals are adopting your style. You're being a bad influence, you know?" He looked up at his eyes, and Batman frowned with a grumble, standing a bit taller than him.
Sensing the confusion from everyone, Leon covered his mouth. "Oh my, was that not public knowledge? Shit, I guess we all have to pretend that I didn't just say that."
"This isn't a game, kid. The president's life is in danger, and if you can't be of any help, stand aside," Batman spoke, his dark, raspy voice emphasizing each word.
"The president's fine, see. You guys did your job well. Hey, Madam Kushnir, you doing alright?" Leon waved at her.
"Perfectly fine." She gave a thumbs-up with a smile.
"How long- For how long have you known?" Ravager asked, prompting Leon to turn around.
He replied, "Just a few months after you coincidentally started living near me. Anyway, I'm getting off track-" He took a step forward, disappearing with a silent whoosh in the air. They all blinked, and he was back where he was, but he had a blade in his hand- one of Deathstroke's swords that was sheathed on his back.
'When did he?' They all thought in unison.
"Aluminum-titanium alloy with carbon steel as its edge, all compressed around a metal that I've never seen. Man, this must have cost a fortune," Leon said, observing Deathstroke's katana.
Deathstroke immediately pulled out two guns, holding them in each hand, and shot three rounds from each at him. Leon's hand moved fast, faster than they could track.
Sharp clanging of metal echoed in the place, the sword he was holding deflecting all the bullets away from him and from the ones behind him.
"Come on, guns? Really? Did your princess tell you nothing about me? Or, oh wait, she didn't know too much to begin with." Ravager gritted her teeth; she had no answer to that, and that was a nail in her pride.
'Is he just not using that barrier, or can't he?' Batman made a mental note. He knew how strong and fast Leon was, so he wasn't that surprised, but that wasn't the case for the others.
"What do you want, Leon Blade?" Deathstroke finally spoke.
"Now you're talking. I know someone put you guys up for observing me, and I want to know who," he replied.
"And why would I do that?" Deathstroke asked.
A smirk grew on Leon's face, and he replied, "The world might know you for your ruthlessness, Mr. Wilson, but I know pretty well how much you love your daughter." Leon turned his head to Ravager, but nothing happened.
"..."
"..."
Leon spoke again, "Any time now, Frost?" Just as he said that.
"Argh!" Ravager suddenly grunted, something pushing her from behind. Her shadow extended back, and out jumped Frost, the Divine Dog: White. About three meters tall, her fangs and claws bared, pushing the girl to the floor, her paws pressing her down. (A/N: Yes, the divine dogs can change their sizes too.)
"I'm sure some of you've seen her at one point, but meet my friend, Frost. I advise you stay still, Rosy dear; she's a bit grumpy today, might accidentally crush you to death."
Ravager's grunts became louder; Frost had slightly increased the pressure on her paws. "Ease up, Frost… Not yet," Leon spoke.
Suddenly, Batman held his shoulder, saying, "No one is crushing anyone to death."
"And who exactly is planning to stop me?" Leon asked, casually raising his eyebrows.
Suddenly, they all felt a presence, like a prey's instinct from a predator staring down at them. Robin and the president felt a chill going down their spines as a deep but low growl echoed in their ears, and their bodies vibrated with that growl.
Icy blue eyes glowed open from the darkness; then a beast slowly walked towards the light. Each step taken by the beast was a warning to all of them.
A tigress, bigger than the wolf, stared down at them, slowly pacing around, observing each of their movements. Batman didn't even flinch; he just looked back at the president and at Leon, then said, "You wouldn't dare."
"Who? The president? Mr. President hired me to keep her safe, you know? I'm just using this time to ask Mr. Wilson here some personal questions," Leon replied, turning around and walking towards Deathstroke.
"Are we letting this happen?" Robin whispered to Batman, who just silently grumbled. He wasn't willing to bet whether Leon would kill the girl or not, but if he got what he wanted, then maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't?
He was in a tight spot now. Those two summons were dead-focused on their master's orders: the wolf on the girl and the tiger on the two of them. He couldn't make a rash move now.
He then looked at Leon, who was now standing near Deathstroke. 'What are you really planning, Leon Blade?' he thought to himself.
Leon looked up at Slade, who right now was taller than him. They stared at each other for a few moments. Leon finally broke the silence. "Man, your criminal profile really doesn't do justice to explaining how stubborn you are."
Leon could just force the answer out of this man. 'Where's the fun in that?' he smirked. And he was sure that someone wouldn't be too pleased if he did that. Not that he cared much, but he saw no point in acting like a total villain either.
He then turned around, the katana still in his hand, and spoke as he slowly walked away. "Alright, I'll make this a bit fair for you. A chance for you to save both you and your daughter."
"We will have a duel right here. I won't use any of my abilities, but you can use whatever you want. Swords, guns, bombs, I don't care." He turned to him again and threw his sword back at him, which he easily grabbed.
Robin, with a confused face, spoke out, "Wait, wait, aren't we here to protect Madam President from these guys? You said Mr. President hired you too, didn't you? Why are you suddenly having a duel?"
"Batman, are you seriously going along with this?" he asked but was surprised to see his father focused on the two guys in the center, sizing each other up.
"What are the conditions?" Deathstroke asked, sheathing both of his swords.
"As I said, I'm making this easy for you. You just have to land a single hit on me, doesn't matter with what. And you can use anything at your disposal.
If you win, I promise no one will stop you from leaving here with your daughter. But if I win, you'll tell me who ordered you to observe me. If you tell me what I want, I'll leave with my client." He pointed back at the president.
"For your convenience, I'll add one more condition: if I, for example, accidentally use an ability, you automatically win, and you leave without a hitch. That sound fair?"
Deathstroke grumbled and walked a bit forward. "What's the proof that you'll keep your word?"
"Them." Leon pointed at his summons. "They follow my command, yes. But they have their own will. And if I lose according to our conditions, they'll make sure no one stops you from leaving.
Oh, by the way, you can forget about your assassination job. Ms. Bubbles is personally protecting Madam President, so even if I 'lose,' she'll tear apart anything that threatens the president's life."
"Ms. Bubbles?" Robin silently mumbled and turned to the tigress who was silently observing them. 'He surely isn't talking about that, right?' he thought.
Deathstroke took a few steps back. Batman stood in front of Robin and Kushnir, ready if things went south.
Leon turned the Infinity off and thought, 'Alright, no CE reinforcement either, let's see how I fare.' He had a hand in his pocket, and his posture was completely relaxed. Slade quickly raised his guns, dashing towards him as he fired rapid shots.
Leon weaved through each bullet that flew past him. Without stopping to shoot, Slade put one gun back in its holster and aimed one at Leon with both hands.
Leon was already in front of him, pushing his hand aside as he shot the last bullet. Slade didn't stop; he got down, unsheathing a combat knife from his ankle.
He swung the blade towards Leon's neck, which he easily blocked, raising his hand. Slade let go of his gun and knife at the same time and immediately changed the hands with which he was holding them.
Now the knife was in his right hand; he twirled it fast, aiming a stab from below, right at Leon's chest. Leon, who had grabbed his hand that held the gun, tilted aside, avoiding the stab, then jumped up, executing a back kick, his right heel landing square on Slade's armored chest.
SMACK!
Robin widened his eyes; Leon's movements were fast, precise, and minimal at best. All calculated with precision.
"Keuk!" Slade grunted, sliding backwards on his knees as he used his knife to break the momentum. 'This kid… He's reading all of my moves. Is he simply that fast, or using some ability of his?' He began doubting Leon's previous words.
But he didn't say anything; he just got up, cracking his neck, and removed his helmet, revealing his face. He was a man in his mid to late fifties with white hair, beard, and mustache, with an eyepatch over his right eye.
Leon had a goofy grin on his face; he raised his hand, and a handheld scorecard appeared out of nowhere. "10 points for cool looks. But don't tell me this is all the fight you have in you."
Batman frowned, adding a new detail in his head as the scorecard disappeared after dissolving into Leon's shadow.
Slade reloaded his gun and held it in his left hand, then unsheathed one of his swords with a flourish. He held the katana in a reverse grip, aiming the gun at Leon, holding it over his right hand.
Leon, with a smile, took a step forward, and so did Slade. He began shooting, and Leon cleanly dodged the bullets, when he got near, Slade twisted his right hand down, aiming the sword strike from above.
Leon shifted to the side, watching the blade go down, just shy of touching his nose. He still had that smile on his face. Slade raised his gun and fired a few rounds at his face point-blank.
To his surprise, Leon tilted his head and pushed his hand to the side at the same time, dodging those bullets. Slade pressed the small button on the gun's handle, and it disassembled itself, leaving the sharp bottom portion in his hand.
He used it like a knife, stabbing it forward at Leon's chest; Leon raised his knee, pushing his hand aside and slightly jumped, aiming a teep (Push-kick) at Slade's chest.
But Slade swung his sword forward, the sole of Leon's shoe striking against the edge of the sword. Leon slightly increased the pressure on his foot, pushing the back. Slade got up, throwing the sharp end of his disassembled gun aside, and unsheathed another sword.
He was dual-wielding the katanas now. He dashed forward, holding one in a reverse grip and one normally.
The clash became a bit more fast-paced now. Leon was easily weaving past each of his strikes, no matter how fast they were.
Slade tried to swing faster, but Leon quickly grabbed each of his hands, and without letting go, he jumped up, landing a double kick.
Then, swinging Slade's hands aside, he gave him a quick one-two combo on his chin, his loose fists striking blinding shots that disoriented him, then ended it with a 360 kick that landed on his side, throwing him back, right beside where Rose was still being pushed down by Frost.
Robin, now fully immersed in the fight, thought, 'Not just strong and fast, but an expert fighter too… Who the hell is this guy?' And, counting the president aside, why was he the only one who didn't know about him here? He looked at Bruce with a frown, who was too busy observing the fight.
Slade got up again, saying, "You're good, kid. Real good. It seems we'd been way over our heads all this time."
"Compliments taken. Unfortunately, you're barely living up to the hype," he replied with a grin.
"What can I say? I'm getting old," Slade strode forward, sheathing his swords back.
"Making excuses?" Leon asked, raising his head with a smirk.
"No, I'm just getting started." He replied, pulling a baton out of his back and dashed towards Leon. He then pulled something out of his side pockets and threw them at Leon.
Small pellets with beeping lights- Leon just swatted them away, and they exploded, landing a bit far. Slade was now right in front of him; he twirled the baton, striking low, which got deflected to the side as Leon raised his foot.
Slade tried to kick him, but Leon struck down his elbow onto the man's shin. Slade gritted his teeth, swallowing the pain; it wasn't broken, so he didn't need to fuss over it.
He then threw a left hook that Leon intercepted with his hands; his loose fists then struck at Slade's chest with four consecutive strikes that pushed him back.
Slade dashed forward and pointed one end of the baton at Leon, then pressed a small indent on its side. Leon had noticed it too; the baton extended, covering the whole distance between them.
Then, from its front end, extended a long blade with a cross guard at the bottom. It was a naginata. He twisted the long blade, executing a wide strike.
Leon just jumped up, and as the blade passed below him, he gently stepped on top of the blade and threw a fast 540 kick that Slade barely managed to block, bringing the naginata handle in front of his face.
The force of the kick traveled through the handle, bending it inwards, rattling his bones. 'Alright, let's finish this,' Leon thought and suddenly appeared in front of the dazed old man.
Slade tried to punch him, but Leon intercepted his hands, then swung his elbow, striking his chin. Holding his right wrist, Leon placed his left hand, his palm straight and fingers just gently touching the armor on Slade's abdomen.
"Do you know about the one-inch punch?"
"What-" BAAM!
His palm turned into a fist in a flash, striking Slade's belly. His armor caved in, and as Leon let go of his wrist, he flew back, carrying the shockwave and the momentum from the punch.
Slade crashed onto the side of the big ventilator, slumping down on the ground, breathing heavily. That punch had shook him down to his soul.
He coughed out some blood, and as the pain subsided, he took a few long breaths. He looked at Leon; strangely enough, there was a smile on his face.
The others just stared silently, Ravager still under Frost's paw, who then let go of her as Leon motioned with his hands.
Anger flaring within her, she immediately dashed towards Leon, aiming her sword at him. He just shifted to the side and grabbed her by the back of her neck and said, "Wow, jumping right at your ex, huh?" Then threw her back to where Slade was.
"Go back to daddy and see if he isn't dying." She got smacked on the surface, just beside where Slade was sitting. "Does she even love you?" he asked in a mocking voice.
"Stay down," Slade grumbled to her, who would have stayed down even if he hadn't told her. Her head was spinning because she just got smacked face-first onto the metal.
"So, I win?" Leon asked.
Slade was silent for a while. "Lex Luthor… He's your guy…" he mumbled, still taking in irregular breaths.
Batman and Robin silently sighed at the same time, thinking, 'What was that bald idiot up to, again?'
Confusing everyone, Leon just started laughing, not a maniacal laugh but as if he'd found something genuinely funny. "Ah, fate is such a bitch sometimes. Lex Luthor, huh? That's funny as hell. Any specific reasons he told you to do so?" he asked again.
"Just to observe you and report to him on what you do, your abilities, how you do it. Things like that."
Leon just cupped his chin, thinking about something that would make sense, about Lex fucking Luthor coming into the scenario out of nowhere, and only one thing was coming to his mind.
'That incident… But it's not even proven that he was a part of it… Meh, I'll find it out anyway,' he shrugged and looked back at Batman and Robin.
"Aren't you supposed to arrest them or something?" he asked, confused why they weren't doing anything.
It was Rose who spoke up. "You said you'd let us go."
"I said I won't let anyone stop you if your father won. And since he lost and told me the truth, I won't stop you guys, but I can't decide what they want to do." He pointed at the vigilante duo.
She was about to get up, ready to try and put up a fight, when Slade pulled her down, grabbing her hand. He was in no condition to put up a fight; today wasn't simply their day.
He looked at Leon; Slade knew from the start that if the kid wanted, he would have killed them both at any time, so he was just glad that he was still breathing.
Robin then tied both of their hands behind their backs. And then, as Leon was about to speak to Batman, his phone rang.
It was from the president himself. He showed the caller ID to Bruce with a smug and replied, "Yes, Mr. President. She's completely safe and sound.
Yeah, he's right in front of me." He said and handed his phone to Batman.
"You hired a kid?" Batman asked, prompting Leon to look back at Robin with a frown. 'Talk about hypocrisy,' he thought.
The president replied from the other side, "I hired someone who does his job more efficiently than anyone else. And besides, you guys did good as a backup.
And more than that, you got your hands on the man you wanted behind the bars of Gotham's prison." Batman realized, that was their plan from the start.
The president spoke again, "You can leave the escorting of Madam Kushnir to Mr. Blade. Deathstroke and Ravager are yours to take."
Batman returned the phone and didn't say anything after that. Not even a minute later, a medium-sized Quinjet, shaped like a bat, came flying above them, positioning itself beside the roof.
As they were leaving with the father-daughter duo, Leon waved at them. "See you soon, don't miss me, guys!"
"Who'd miss that?" Robin mumbled, a bit grumpy.
"Ignore him," Batman replied, and they all boarded the plane from the roof; then it flew away.
'Showoff,' Leon thought, as if he hadn't just beat up an old man a few minutes ago just to show off his skills.
Now Leon and the president were on the roof. Kateryna was just petting the tigress, who sat by her side. Leon then escorted her to the White House, where she should have been kept from the start, if they knew there was going to be an attempt.
'Whatever, better late than dead,' Leon shrugged and, after taking his payment, went back home.
...… To be continued!