The tall, thin man stood fearlessly, surrounded by enemies, wielding his long sword with ease. In a matter of moments, he struck down two officers and severed the wrist of a veteran.
Seeing her companions slow to react and realizing she was too far away, Thea had no choice but to draw her bow and arrow and aim at this dangerous individual.
Two arrows aimed at the man's face and shoulder flew towards him. The self-proclaimed Angel of Death, however, proved to be quite skilled. At the critical moment, he kicked a nearby officer, using the recoil to evade Thea's arrows.
Impressive! This was the first opponent since Thea began her career who managed to dodge her arrows. This man's reaction speed was far above that of an ordinary elite.
"Who is this guy?" Thea quickly asked her teammates, implying they should provide some insight if they had any.
"He is Theo Galavan, former Mayor of Gotham, but this man should have been dead for many years. Most likely, he's a clone left behind from back then," explained Commissioner Gordon, who stood behind firing his pistol, realizing that the younger ones might not recognize him.
"Oh!" Thea exclaimed with surprise. Initially, hearing the word "mayor" startled her. Were all the mayors of Gotham this formidable? Did one need this level of skill to survive?
In just a short while, this man's clothes were already stained with blood. From the side of his hood, one could see his aged face and a short, steel-like beard. With each strike, he let out a fierce roar.
Intimidated by his prowess, the surrounding officers involuntarily gave him some space. He, however, showed no mercy, continuously moving and relentlessly attacking those who ran the slowest.
Observing him closely, Thea noted his high combat skills, particularly his fearlessness. His clothes likely had some bulletproof properties, as numerous officers and veterans shot at him, but he simply dodged fatal shots while remaining unphased by others.
Sighing, she realized she might have to intervene herself. Robin and the others had already found their opponents, but they might not stand a chance against this man. Reluctantly, she knew that once she showcased her skills, her days of being a bystander would be over.
"Everyone, step back!" Thea shouted to the crowd. Since he was a clone, killing him shouldn't matter, right? She wasn't going to rush in recklessly, though. Taking advantage of the distance between them, she used rapid-fire techniques, firing three arrows at a time, constantly changing her attack angle, while swiftly moving towards Azrael.
This former mayor's clone had an exceptionally keen sense of danger. Despite Thea's constant positional changes, he still managed to react, either by slashing with his long sword or dodging sideways, causing all six of Thea's previous arrows to miss.
Seeing his skill, Thea knew that she couldn't take him down using conventional methods. She retrieved the Batarang she had gotten from Barbara earlier. Many members of the Bat-family had used this type of throwing weapon, each tailored to the individual's preference and strength.
The one Thea was using now was Barbara's Batarang, which had a suitable size and weight. She first threw one Batarang and then leaped into the air, shooting another arrow at the back of Azrael's head.
The Batarang was lightweight, and although Thea had thrown it first, due to the acceleration of the bowstring, both projectiles arrived almost simultaneously.
Azrael realized he had no time to evade and had to choose between two evils. If he allowed the arrow to strike the back of his head, he wouldn't survive. He deftly swung his sword to cut the Batarang in half while simultaneously trying to dodge the incoming arrow.
However, Thea had calculated the angle precisely to prevent him from dodging so easily.
The sharp Batarang pierced his left arm deeply, and his leather jacket provided little resistance.
He pulled out the Batarang, glaring fiercely at Thea. "You are guilty!"
Thea almost laughed. Did he think he was in a hot-blooded anime? He was really getting into character. At this moment, the two were only five meters apart. Thea put away her bow and drew the long-unused katana and dagger. With three quick steps, she closed in on the so-called Angel of Death.
She had seen his swordsmanship before; it had shades of European court swordsmanship mixed with modern fencing techniques. The long sword in his hand was not the typical two-handed sword used on the battlefield. Instead, it resembled a mix of Swiss and Italian long swords. The blade was less than a meter long and adorned with intricate patterns on the hilt. The scabbard slung diagonally across his body was also adorned with shiny jewels.
But the true test of a renowned sword was in its performance. Many famous swords were not as sharp as modern weapons made of alloy steel. Thea's katana and dagger were made of special steel. To make these two weapons, she had to get a permit from Moira and use rare metals.
Taking advantage of his left arm being injured, Thea launched a fierce attack. She slashed upwards at his cheek with her dagger held in her left hand, and as he tried to dodge, she swiftly executed a direct cut towards his abdomen with the katana in her right hand using the Iaido-style technique.
Azrael thrust his sword into the ground with both hands, blocking Selina's horizontal slash while simultaneously halting his retreat.
This unconventional move caught Thea off guard. When their blades clashed, she felt her katana inexplicably halt. She realized something was wrong; her opponent indeed wielded a valuable sword. Their blade-to-blade clash had already caused damage to her weapon.
Although the situation was slightly unfavorable, Thea found her fighting spirit soaring.
Switching from her dagger, she used the katana held in her right hand for her primary attack. Since she lacked strength, traditional Japanese sword techniques weren't suitable for her. Instead, she used Wing Chun's Eight-Cut Sword Technique.
Although the Eight-Cut Sword Technique was designed for shorter blades, Thea had no choice but to manage with her longer katana. Unlike Wing Chun fist techniques aimed directly at opponents, the Eight-Cut Sword Technique took a different approach—targeting the opponent's weapon instead. This made it well-suited for the current situation.
Taking advantage of her katana's slightly longer reach, Thea relentlessly targeted her opponent's wrists and fingers with thrusts, stabs, slashes, and chops, demonstrating the essence of the Eight-Cut Sword Technique. She attacked in a steady flow, one strike seamlessly transitioning into the next.
Azrael had never encountered such moves before and felt frustrated by the relentless attacks.
The unfavorable situation made him increasingly agitated, and he began to shout incessantly, "Sinner! You will face the purification of heavenly fire."
"Behold my judgment!"
"Crusader Strike!"
As Azrael continued his incessant shouting, Thea became somewhat bewildered. What was this guy's deal? Was he really yelling out the names of his moves mid-fight? He had even taken off his hood, his hair flying wildly as he spewed spit in her direction. This guy was truly a quintessential Gotham character.