Meanwhile, after decapitating the last Talon with his blade, Batman glanced down at his gauntlet, tension tightening his expression.
A red warning light flashed sharply on the display.
Beside him, Deadshot, still wrapped in bandages, noticed it as well.
"What happened?" he asked cautiously.
Bruce took a breath, steadying himself.
"The nuclear device I moved into the manor today is gone. Someone took it. The Court of Owls must have breached my defenses.
I haven't finished renovating the Batcave, but I secured a containment area strong enough to withstand most of the blast.
I acquired that device from Oswald through a fruit import business. Now even my signal receiver can't track it."
He frowned, frustration creeping in.
Ever since Axel entered his life, something felt off. His plans, once precise, now showed cracks.
Deadshot stared at him.
"Wait, that nuclear device… you mean the kind that destroyed Hiroshima?"
"More powerful."
Deadshot froze.
"So I've been sleeping on top of something worse than that? Why would you keep something like that in your home?"
"It's safe unless triggered. Without detonation, it's less dangerous than it sounds."
"That's not the point. Why keep it where we live?"
Bruce's voice hardened.
"The Court of Owls has controlled Gotham City for centuries. If they ever threaten the entire city, we need leverage strong enough to counter them."
"So that's your leverage?"
"One of them."
"Damn."
Deadshot let out a breath, shaking his head.
"Let me guess, you didn't stop there."
---
At Downton Manor.
Axel, walking toward the bedroom, suddenly stopped.
"Damn it."
He pulled free from Selina's support and walked straight to a large decorative vase. Without hesitation, he drove his hand into the wall beside it as if it were soft clay.
At the same time, Bruce continued speaking elsewhere.
"Besides the device underground, I placed explosives throughout the estate in concealed positions. Anyone infiltrating the manor would be under constant threat."
Back in the manor, Axel pulled out a compact explosive from the wall.
"This one's standard," he muttered. "But there are too many of them."
He scanned the house, his expression darkening.
"The dining room, the kitchen, the living room, every bedroom. Even near the chandelier in ours.
And behind the fireplace that leads to the cave, more explosives. The Court of Owls planted theirs too.
They know they can't kill me directly, so they're aiming at everyone around me."
He moved quickly, ripping another device from the wall.
Behind him, Selina spoke quietly.
"If they succeeded, would it actually affect you?"
Axel didn't hesitate.
"No."
He tossed another bomb aside.
"Death means nothing here. People die and come back all the time.
If you die, I fix it. I can reset everything, or bring you back in a dozen different ways.
So no, I wouldn't break down over it."
He moved faster, his speed increasing sharply.
Within moments, more than eighty explosives were piled in the living room.
Axel stared at them, jaw tightening.
"They're trying to level the entire manor."
He picked them up one by one and threw them into the sky, sending them far beyond the atmosphere.
After finishing, he turned back, irritation still clear on his face. He tapped Selina lightly before speaking.
"Stay here. I'm going to finish what's left in the city.
The Court of Owls thinks I won't act because I've been quiet. That ends tonight."
His figure vanished instantly, leaving only a gust of wind behind.
Selina watched the empty space, her lips parting slightly.
"He's gotten stronger."
---
Moments later, explosions echoed across Gotham.
A body shot through the wall of a villa, tore through two more buildings, and finally burst into a spray of blood against a distant surface.
That was only the beginning.
Across the city, destruction erupted in rapid succession.
Screams, impacts, collapsing structures, all blending into chaos.
Within seconds, entire sections of Gotham were torn apart as Axel moved through them with overwhelming force.
---
Then, in a flash of fire, Axel reappeared in front of Bruce and Deadshot.
Without a word, he stepped forward, walked through a wall, and dragged a man out of bed.
Before the man could react, Axel threw him.
The body smashed through multiple walls, breaking apart until nothing recognizable remained.
Axel turned back, grabbed the blanket, and silenced a screaming woman with a single strike, crushing her instantly.
He wiped his hands casually and walked out.
By the time Bruce and Deadshot entered the room, Axel was already waiting.
Deadshot gave a short laugh.
"Axel, finally decided to step in yourself."
Axel shot him an annoyed look.
"If I hadn't, things would've gotten worse."
Bruce nodded.
"They crossed a line, infiltrating the manor."
Axel stepped forward and struck Bruce lightly on the shoulder.
"They didn't just infiltrate it. They turned it into a minefield.
How did you let that happen?"
He turned and kicked Deadshot once, then again.
"And you. Your daughter lives there too. You're supposed to be one of the best, yet you didn't notice anything."
Deadshot exhaled, stepping back.
"You're right. I got careless."
He paused, then added,
"If someone stole that nuclear device from under our noses, I'd be furious too."
Axel froze briefly.
"Wait. What did you just say?"
Deadshot frowned.
"You didn't know? The signal from the device Bruce hid disappeared. It was taken."
Axel blinked.
"Then the bombs in the walls…"
Bruce stiffened.
"They found those too? That shouldn't be possible. Not that quickly."
Axel cleared his throat.
"Right. Anyway, handle it.
I'm going to sleep."
He waved dismissively.
"Deadshot, you're done for the night. I cleared everyone left on your list.
Also, the Talon production site at Indian Hill is gone.
And Hugo Strange, the one running that operation through Arkham, is dead."
He glanced at Bruce.
"You still have influence at Arkham Asylum, right? Tomorrow we pick someone more competent to run it."
Axel turned and walked off.
"That's enough for tonight."