Things started getting complicated. Talia was indeed tricked into returning, but then Ra's al Ghul suddenly jumped out demanding that Oliver accept the position of leader of the League of Assassins and marry his youngest daughter.
With the old man as the bridge, relationships became thoroughly entangled. In this timeline, Ra's al Ghul had been nothing but good to Oliver, teaching him everything without reservation. Now, with only ten years left to live, he played both the pity card and the sympathy card. Faced with his final wish, Oliver really couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Before Thea entered, the group had spent half an hour in awkward discussion without reaching any conclusion.
Talia naturally opposed it strongly. She could do without the man and was somewhat reluctant to give up her son, but power was absolutely non-negotiable.
Square-jawed Nyssa was a lesbian. How could she get involved with Oliver? But she also knew her father didn't have many years left and couldn't bear to refuse him outright. She was in the most awkward position.
Batman had always considered the League of Assassins villains and strongly opposed letting Green Arrow fall into that trap.
As for Green Arrow, forget about it. What League of Assassins? He was doing just fine in Star City. Why would he run off to join them?
Ra's al Ghul, contrary to his usual domineering manner, just kept playing the sympathy card, leaving both men speechless.
"Get it now? If your brother marries my aunt, we'll be relatives..." Damian had spent several years with Thea and had perfectly imitated several of her expressions. Right now he was squinting to express his displeasure.
Scratching her head, even the young miss who could go toe-to-toe with her eldest brother had no good solution at the moment. She feared soft tactics more than hard ones. This was true for her, for Green Arrow, and equally true for Batman.
With wife, son, and father-in-law all tangled together in a mess, even Batman's off-the-charts intelligence couldn't untangle this knot.
Ra's al Ghul seemed to have finally found their weakness. He wasn't wearing his usual imposing long cloak either. With his face now haggard, dressed like a lonely elderly man, he kept insisting that Green Arrow inherit the League of Assassins, promising he wouldn't interfere at all with how the League developed afterward. Oliver could even have them do good deeds on the streets every day if he wanted. This old man didn't have many days left anyway!
Honestly, Green Arrow was somewhat tempted. If an organization could follow him toward goodness, he'd be willing to bear the infamy.
Batman thought the same way. He'd always had high hopes for Oliver. If he could inherit the League of Assassins and guide them toward the righteous path, Batman would definitely support it.
The one strongly opposed became Talia, who'd even drawn her blade, demanding a duel to the death with Oliver.
Oliver obviously couldn't fight her. Whether considering Batman or Damian, injuring or killing her was impossible. He flatly refused the duel.
Ra's al Ghul wouldn't give up. One moment he demanded his two daughters fight it out, the next he wanted the two men to settle it.
Nightwing, the first Robin, Barbara, Catwoman, plus Thea, Cassandra, and Damian—seven people in various slouched positions against walls or sitting on the ground, watching the whole group argue.
Finally Batman couldn't take it anymore and desperately waved at Thea. Initially she really didn't notice, thinking he was calling Damian. Only later did she realize he meant her.
But remembering this guy had specifically installed anti-teleportation black tech, she tilted her head to the side and pretended not to see.
Only when Oliver also called her did she awkwardly stand up and slowly walk over to the group.
Hands in pockets, she carefully observed them.
Family matters are messy—even a judge can struggle with them. What could she do?
After hearing everyone's demands again, she frowned internally. Actually, the problem with everyone else wasn't that serious. The key issue was Ra's al Ghul's attitude.
This old guy looked weak as hell now, but his intentions toward Batman and Oliver were genuinely sincere. This made both superheroes unable to make up their minds.
Locking him up or killing him directly—neither was possible. Neither superhero had fallen to such ungrateful depths.
Talia's attitude was also problematic. Thea lowered her head in thought, then pulled Batman and Oliver aside to ask, "You know Ra's al Ghul isn't a good person, right?"
Obviously—who didn't know that! Both men nodded.
"If the old man's life could be extended, I think today's problem could be shelved and slowly resolved later." Thea saw subtle changes in their expressions and continued.
"But this old man isn't a good person. Now it depends on your choice—let the old man live, or resolve everything today."
After speaking, she looked toward Batman. No need to worry about Oliver's side. Her brother's relationship with the old man hadn't reached that do-or-die level. The key decision rested with Batman.
After his parents died brutally in the street, it could be said that during the darkest period of his life, Ra's al Ghul gave Batman the courage to overcome everything. The old man wasn't a good person—everyone knew that. But you didn't see Superman or The Flash running over to punch the old man. This was all because of Batman's relationship with him.
In a sense, Ra's al Ghul was like a stern father to Bruce. He'd created the Batman of today. Without him, Bruce Wayne probably would never have reached his current heights.
After falling out with Batman, the two had clashed several times, but neither had delivered a killing blow to the other. Batman could excuse it with his no-killing principle, but Ra's al Ghul had also let Batman escape on several occasions. Their relationship hadn't been severed because of their different views on good and evil, but had instead become more tightly connected.
What Thea was doing now was tossing this choice to him. Back when she was a demigod facing Ra's al Ghul whose body was corrupted by demons, she'd been powerless. Today was different. She was confident she could let the old man live another thirty or forty years.
"Thea, do you really have a way?" Seeing Batman sink into contemplation, Oliver quickly pulled his sister aside and asked quietly.
"Of course." The young miss answered with absolute certainty.
"What about Talia?" After thinking it over repeatedly, Batman still couldn't bear to let his father-in-law simply wait for death, so he raised a new question.
"Maintain the status quo. Under her leadership, the League of Assassins has kept a much lower profile. Perhaps that's a good thing."
This kind of delaying tactic—honestly, Batman didn't like it, but he had no better solution. Delay one day at a time. He nodded grimly, agreeing to the plan.
Seeing the superheroes had unified their position, she called the old man aside and explained her proposal.
"I can extend your lifespan for a while longer, but the price is giving up the League of Assassins. Can you do it?"
Hearing his lifespan could be extended, Ra's al Ghul's eyes flickered. "You said I only had ten years left?"
Needless to say, Thea wouldn't mention ascending to godhood with the old man. She was afraid of stimulating someone who'd sought immortality his whole life. She pulled out a colorless transparent hourglass from her spatial ring and showed it to him. "This is a treasure from the Greek death god Thanatos."
Quite amazing—despite being severely conned, Thanatos and Hypnos, the two cold-hearted gods, didn't know the truth. When they heard that Hera took Thea's words seriously, they specifically brought out a batch of treasures to curry favor with her. This hourglass was an inconspicuous item among the gifts...