Ugh... Hmph!
Ra's al Ghul gasped in pain, then swung his left fist down hard toward Axel's temple.
Crack!
The bent thumb joint of his fist shattered on impact. Pain and humiliation creased Ra's al Ghul's face.
He inhaled deeply and spun, whipping his right arm out like a steel whip. Though it looked boneless and flexible, it struck Axel's body with full force.
Whack!
Ra's al Ghul pulled back his right arm. It now truly hung limp, like a broken noodle. Even with his broken hand and leg, his years of training allowed him to maintain a proud stance.
Axel studied the crippled but defiant immortal and nodded.
"Not bad. You finally look a little like the Demon's Head. Heart and mind aside, your will is impressive. Someone like you, even if I kill you, deserves the evaluation 'stubborn to the end.' Now… my turn."
He stomped the ground with his right leg.
Paving stones cracked under the force as he lunged, grabbed Ra's al Ghul's neck, and slammed him against a tree.
Boom!
The massive tree, wide enough for two men to hug, splintered and crashed.
Axel hurled Ra's al Ghul into a nearby rockery.
Crash!
Rocks exploded outward.
Before they even hit the ground, Axel's fists followed, moving so fast they blurred, raining down on Ra's al Ghul.
Ra's al Ghul could no longer speak.
His chest was pulverized beneath the assault.
He realized brute martial skill alone would never control this wild force. Even with guns and explosives, it would only make Axel stronger.
To defeat him, Ra's al Ghul would need a grander strategy, a perfect storm of resources and manipulation. Only then could this beast be subdued.
He opened his mouth, gasping.
"I am the Demon's Head. Remember my name. When I return, you shall worship me as a god!"
"Babbling nonsense! God your mother's god, you damn fool!"
Axel freed his hands, yanked Ra's al Ghul's head from his chest, and slammed it onto the rocks like a basketball.
He held the flattened head up, aligning its shattered eyes with his own.
"I don't know whose god you are, but I do know this—I will be the nightmare that haunts your soul forever."
Suddenly, he paused, sensing something behind him.
Strange.
Axel scanned the empty street, nose twitching.
"Interesting. Something was watching me just now… I swear I've seen it somewhere before. Iceberg Lounge, maybe?"
The sky above Smallville was clear, sunlight warm on his face.
Axel narrowed his eyes.
"Still can't see anything. He hides well. No rush. Everything revolves around me anyway—they'll show themselves soon enough."
He wiped Ra's al Ghul's blood from his face with whatever grass and flowers he could find.
The messy remains clung to his body, especially his face, making him grimace.
Stepping onto the street, he noticed cars—empty and abandoned.
He yanked open the door of an Audi with a laugh.
"Thanks to nature's bounty!"
Tearing into the dashboard, he fiddled with wires, but after two minutes, admitted defeat.
Some things were simply beyond him. He was good at stealing running cars, not starting a dead one. Specialization, hehe.
Giving up on the car, he jogged along the streets, about four seconds per hundred meters.
Though he didn't know the way, the remaining townspeople would guide him.
Sure enough, as he moved away from the battlefield, South Smallville residents slowly returned.
Phones out, filming Axel covered in blood—a walking spectacle.
He approached a bold female internet personality.
Lightning fast, he snatched her phone.
"Hey, buddy, how do I get to the Aile Cafe?"
The woman stammered.
"There's navigation on the phone, buddy… your, um… bloody look is really intense! Wait, what are you—my phone?!"
Axel glanced at the screen, seeing live-stream comments flood in.
"I must emphasize: I'm 187 cm tall. Your blogger? Less than 160. How do you believe 175 just from beauty filters on short legs, you idiots?"
He casually closed the live stream and activated navigation.
"I'm borrowing your phone. I'll return it in your next life, settled."
With that, he flung the dazed woman into a flower shop window.
Glass shattered; she fainted amid the blooms.
Other internet personalities nearby flinched and scattered, their live-streams overwhelmed by comments about Axel.
Ignoring them, he prepared to follow the navigation.
Then, a familiar voice called out.
"Boss Axel!"
"Holy crap, even here? Have I really become this famous in two days?"
He turned and saw the former waitress approaching, riding a ghost bike with a man, engines roaring.
"Danny, that's the Gotham big shot who gave me the motorcycle! He took down three bikers with one punch. Don't provoke him!"
The waitress stopped beside Axel.
"Boss Axel! You're alive! Thanks for the bike!"
Axel pointed at another bike.
"I only gave you one, so this one's…?"
The waitress faltered.
"Uh… my boyfriend and I… we sold the other two bikes to move to Gotham. Since I went on the run, selling one wasn't enough. We thought two bikes would cover rent. I went to elementary school here, so… feels like home!"
Axel chuckled, shaking his head.