Multiverse: Deathstroke

The Talons have no self-awareness. They are warriors who have been hypnotized, controlled, and frozen. When the Court of Owls needs them, they are thawed and assigned tasks, most of which are assassination missions.

Once their missions are completed, they return to the Owl's Maze to be frozen again, awaiting their next awakening.

The Talon standing before Su Ming could very well be a centuries-old relic, but one must never underestimate them.

They are cybernetically enhanced humans, stronger than the assassins of the League of Shadows. While being brainwashed, they are also imbued with the Talon's ancestral combat techniques, making each one an expert in melee weapons.

And since their leadership consists entirely of Gotham's aristocracy, devoid of any concept of honor, all their weapons are coated with deadly poison.

Ordinary people stand no chance against a Talon.

When disguised as someone else, they can easily mimic any mannerism or voice, acting convincingly enough to be indistinguishable. In their Talon state, however, they rarely speak, preferring to make guttural sounds or hoots, imitating owls.

Their number is always maintained at 100—99 regular Talons and one specially trained Zero Talon, the most formidable of them all.

Each year, new Talons are recruited to replace those who are too damaged from missions. The Court of Owls selects promising children or young adults, deceiving them into undergoing brainwashing ceremonies to replenish their ranks.

The one Su Ming had to deal with now appeared to be just a regular Talon, but if she managed to escape and report back, things could become as dire as he had feared.

If she made it back to the Owl's Maze, the Court of Owls would know everything that had happened here.

He had to keep her down here and engage her in combat, then kill her. Provoking them seemed like a reasonable tactic, and Su Ming had a guess as to how to do it.

"The Court of Owls eats shit!" he suddenly shouted, giving the Talon double middle fingers.

Cindy covered her face, while the other three exchanged bewildered looks. What was he doing?

"Eat… Eat shit…" His voice echoed between the wrecked cars, carried by the wind and rain. The insulting words found their way into the Talon's ears, despite the storm.

Perched high above, the Talon, who had been poised to take flight, halted, her gaze shifting back to the figure below.

Yes, as assassins and tools of the aristocracy, it didn't matter how much they themselves were insulted. But the aristocrats were different. Therefore, one of the Talon's hypnotic commands was to forever obey the Court of Owls and protect its honor.

Su Ming's actions directly triggered this command.

"Loyalty to the Court!"

A shadow plummeted towards Su Ming, the intense wind whistling through the Talon's cloak, making it blend with the downpour as she dived.

Su Ming did not relax after achieving his first objective. He would only breathe easy once the enemy was completely eliminated, but vigilance was always required.

"Swish! Swish!"

Two streaks of bright white light, tinged with black, slashed in front of him. These were the Talon's claws, extremely sharp and coated with deadly poison, aiming to rip through his throat.

Just like how an owl seizes a mouse, always snapping its neck first before disemboweling it.

Su Ming deftly dodged, using his blades to deflect the claws aside, sparks flying.

He then moved, circling to the Talon's side, keeping his distance. At the same time, he made a mental note.

"Specializes in claw techniques, favors attacking the neck and abdomen—consistent with the comics."

Due to the fully enclosed hood structure and thick round goggles, it was like the Talon had a telescope over her eyes, restricting her vision.

Even though Deathstroke was missing one eye, he could rely on his brain's memory and computing power to fill in his surroundings. This made him the least affected by his helmet among all fighters.

So now Su Ming chose to stay in her peripheral view, testing for any blind spots.

If one is too focused on distant threats, they miss those close at hand. He planned to use this opportunity to locate her weaknesses, which would come in handy if he faced multiple Talons in the future.

Indeed, the Talon's body remained still, but her neck and head twisted at a strange angle to keep him in view. This confirmed Su Ming's hypothesis, and he made another note.

Everything went eerily silent. It was as if the rain had slowed down, falling gently from the sky. Su Ming's single red eye locked onto her round lenses.

Then, Su Ming suddenly attacked, both blades coming down, one vertically, the other horizontally, slashing at the Talon.

She performed a backflip, narrowly avoiding the strikes, then immediately lunged forward, drawing two long daggers from her waist and engaging Su Ming.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!!!!"

The sound of clashing metal reverberated between them, sparks flying everywhere as their arms and bodies moved, scattering raindrops like strings of pearls, crashing against the surrounding wreckage.

They kept moving, but the Talon's lower body was relatively exposed. She rarely used her legs for attacks, but frequently utilized her outfit for short-distance glides, making her extremely agile.

Su Ming meticulously noted the Talon's strengths and weaknesses.

"Excellent weapons, poisoned, agile movements, but relatively weak strength, minimal protective gear."

He switched to a shotgun, blasting at close range, but she dodged again. In fact, she started evading the moment he reached for the gun's handle.

The entire battle was under Su Ming's control. After exchanging a few moves, he realized that this Talon was not as formidable as those in the mainstream comics.

He could easily take her down right now, but he wanted to gather more information without letting her escape.

Facing an all-around warrior like Deathstroke, with his rich experience and superhuman physical attributes, she stood no chance.

Su Ming took this opportunity to test almost all of his weapons, even using a grappling hook to spar with her for a few rounds.

One minute later, he had gathered all the information he needed.

The Talon assassins of Earth -11 would no longer hold any secrets or hidden cards against him.

The rain fell harder. Su Ming shoved the Talon back, but she showed no intention of fleeing.

They were both enhanced individuals, their breathing steady even after hundreds of exchanges. However, Su Ming had already obtained what he needed. His brain had automatically formulated the best solution based on the information he'd acquired.

"It's over!"

He drew his dagger, no longer avoiding the Talon's attacks. Instead, he slightly twisted his body, allowing her dagger to graze his side while he pushed forward, driving his own dagger into her chest.

"Hiss," like the sound of a basketball deflating.

The moment the sound occurred, he violently yanked the dagger back, creating a gaping hole in the Talon's chest, her heart split in two.

Blood gushed out like a small red fountain, strangely beautiful. Amidst the blood and rain, the Talon slowly collapsed, splattering filthy mud as she hit the ground.

A clear scratch marred the chainmail on Su Ming's side, but the attack hadn't penetrated his armor. Everything was within precise calculations, from the angle of impact to the pressure the armor could withstand, from friction to weather conditions, from her behavior to possible reactions.

With a combination of instinct and mental calculation, Su Ming perfectly achieved his goal.

This was a victory he had expected.

But he still waited for the last confirmation. Wiping his dagger clean on the corpse, he sheathed it and intently observed the exposed organs in the wound.

A few minutes later, he pulled out a grenade, stuffed it into the chest cavity, pulled the pin, and walked back toward Cindy and the others without looking back.

Boom!!!

Limbs flew everywhere, with perhaps some hands and feet remaining intact, but on this dark night, at least the Court of Owls wouldn't be piecing the body back together.

He also received the answer to his final question: in Earth -11, the Court of Owls did not possess the Amber Gold.