All of Gotham had descended into chaos. Residents hiding in their homes grabbed knives, axes, and firearms, watching their doors with anxious expressions.
In the streets, panicked screams filled the air as people fled in all directions.
Beast-men appeared in increasing numbers, forcing civilians to run for their lives.
Few people carried self-defense weapons during their daily routines, even in a city as troubled as Gotham.
Under the influence of the toxins surging through their bodies, the beast-men killers continued growing stronger. Saliva dripped from their mouths as they prowled like feral predators.
The streets and vehicles were quickly destroyed in their rampage, and fires broke out across several parts of the city.
BOOM!
Harvey fired his shotgun at a beast-man about to attack a civilian.
The buckshot spread instantly, blasting apart the creature's head.
"WHAT!!!"
Seeing the beast-man's shattered skull, the terrified citizen screamed and ran toward Harvey.
"Ha! Being a good cop does have its moments," Harvey remarked as he reloaded his shotgun.
Behind him, Gordon stood guard with dual pistols.
With the streets blocked by wrecked cars, they had abandoned their vehicle and continued on foot toward the heart of the conflict.
"If this is what we're facing on the outskirts, I can't imagine what's happening at the epicenter," Gordon said grimly.
The beast-men they encountered had grown progressively stronger during their approach. Initially, they could kill these creatures with a single pistol shot.
Now, it took multiple direct hits to bring one down.
Even Harvey's shotgun had become less effective.
The beast-men could still be killed, but only by targeting vital points. An ordinary shot would merely create a bloody wound, enraging the already-difficult opponent and triggering even more violent transformations.
They had learned this lesson the hard way. Earlier, Harvey had fired a shotgun blast into a beast-man's chest. Despite the bloody mess it created, the shot failed to kill the creature. Instead, it had triggered accelerated growth, making the beast-man strong enough to shatter concrete with a single punch.
If Harvey hadn't reacted quickly and destroyed the creature's head with a second shot, they might not have survived.
Gordon approached the frightened civilians, guns in hand.
"You're safe now. Do you know what's happening ahead?" he asked.
Under Gordon's reassurance, the citizens' panic subsided.
Seeing the heavily armed officers, one man sighed with relief.
"I don't know exactly what's happening, but those two vigilantes who've been appearing lately are fighting the monsters!"
Though they had only glimpsed Bruce and Selina fighting from a distance, the civilians were profoundly grateful for these recent vigilantes.
Without them, escape from the beast-men would have been impossible.
The nimble, cat-like warrior—the woman with the whip—had been controlling many beast-men, creating opportunities for civilians to flee.
Regrettably, there were only two vigilantes. Despite their exceptional efforts, they couldn't intercept all the beast-men.
Those two recent vigilantes? Gordon and Harvey exchanged glances, curious about these unofficial protectors.
"Go this way—we've cleared all the beast-men from this area," Gordon instructed the civilians before turning to Harvey. "We need to move faster."
They were the official police force, after all. If the responsibility of protecting the city fell entirely to vigilantes, what purpose did the Gotham Police Department serve?
Meanwhile, Bruce's battle against the Talon had intensified. His mastery of the rapier improved rapidly with each exchange.
Fighting at full strength had drained his battle suit's energy reserves quickly. Before long, its energy had been depleted by a significant percentage.
Hmm~
Feeling the vibration from his wrist controller, Bruce cut the energy flow to his rapier.
Instantly, the space distortions around the blade vanished, along with the blue sparks.
Seeing the change in Bruce's weapon, the Talon seized the opportunity. He drew a dagger and lunged forward.
Hiss~
With a deceptive parry, Bruce deflected the Talon's dagger, then countered with a thrust that pierced the assassin's armor.
"Even without that power, you're no match for me," Bruce stated calmly.
His rapier continued its deadly dance. Pushing off with sudden force, Bruce leaped toward the Talon, his blade slicing through the air.
Flash of Steel
A gleam of steel, a spray of bright red blood across the night air.
The Talon's arm flew upward before falling to the ground with a thud.
Bruce hadn't hesitated to attempt a killing blow—it was the Talon's incredible reflexes that had limited the damage to just the loss of an arm.
How is this possible? Bruce wondered. How can an ordinary human display such power?
Bruce could achieve his current capabilities thanks to his battle suit's enhancement.
But this Talon was seemingly an ordinary human, yet capable of extraordinary feats.
The assassin's reaction speed, strength, and reflexes had reached the absolute peak of human potential.
Though not equal to Bruce's enhanced state, the Talon would easily defeat most opponents.
While pondering the source of the Talon's abilities, Bruce maintained his assault, targeting every vital point of his opponent.
"Bruce, more are coming," Selina called out as she fought the beast-men surrounding her.
She had spotted approaching Talons. Though shaken by Marcus's earlier attack, they remained determined to fulfill their orders.
As more beast-men charged toward her, Selina channeled her full strength into the energy whip. She needed to eliminate these creatures quickly.
SNAP!
With one powerful lash, she sent a group of attacking beast-men flying backward.
Their bodies bore deep, bloody wounds. Through some injuries, shattered bones and damaged organs were visible.