The confrontation between the two was different from the previous time. The last time was just a brief encounter. Talia had been wary of an ambush by Ra's al Ghul, while Thea hadn't wanted to fight her. Both had held back.
This time, however, was different. Talia felt that her "sister" was more valued by their father, and, reflecting on her own unfair treatment, she was unable to quell her anger. She didn't care about Selina, her own son, or even Bruce; she was determined to prove that she was no less capable than her "sister."
As for Thea, she initially found herself reluctantly dragged into the fight, unexpectedly filling in for Selina. With Talia's romantic history with Bruce, her role as Oliver's future mentor, and various other factors, Thea fought with her hands tied.
But after several close calls, Thea threw aside her concerns. Who was afraid of whom? There was nothing wrong with Selina being with Bruce. As for Oliver, she realized she could personally mentor him. The word to describe their clash? Intense.
After resting for less than half a minute, they resumed their intense fight.
On both sides of the law, there was some confusion. Wasn't this supposed to be an internal affair of Gotham? Why were these two outsiders fighting to the death here? Seeing Talia now locked in fierce combat with Thea inevitably led to speculation.
"I heard she's here to fight for her husband," one of Penguin's henchmen whispered to his companion.
"The one she's fighting is said to be her sister," a self-proclaimed well-informed Talon of the Court of Owls pointed out.
"Why are these sisters fighting so fiercely?" someone from the GCPD's 12th Precinct's 5th Task Force asked.
"Can't you see? It's clearly the two sisters fighting over that, you know," an experienced old soldier told those around him, hinting at certain unmentionable stories.
With nothing better to do, people on both sides could only pass the time with gossip. The stories became increasingly bizarre as they were passed around, and after several rounds of artistic embellishment, they almost sounded plausible. As for Selina's part in this scenario, it had long been forgotten by the rest.
So, when the final version of the story, after several twists and turns, finally reached Selina through her Bridgit, she was utterly baffled. The story had evolved into a melodramatic tale where Talia's "sister" had admired Batman from a young age and, upon growing up, came seeking true love. However, her older sister vehemently opposed this, triggering this great battle in Gotham.
This information was allegedly revealed by one of Talia's long-time subordinates, lending it high credibility. After undergoing extensive embellishment by the public, the story took on its current form.
As for Selina? Sorry, since Talia didn't care about her at all, her subordinates were completely unaware of Selina's existence, so she had no role in this story.
Selina, completely ignored, didn't know how to react. She drooped her eyelids, feeling the gaze around her. All she could do was pretend to be an ostrich and think, 'Fine, ignore me now, but I'll come back and steal everything from your homes later!'
Unaware that she not only took the fall but also caught the bullet, the duel between Thea and Talia had entered its final stage.
Both had been taught by their biological fathers, but compared to Ra's al Ghul and Malcolm Merlyn, the difference in their teachings was clear. Although Thea had been trained by Lady Shiva for a while, her experience still couldn't match Talia's.
Thea, on the other hand, had the upper hand in terms of stamina. At just sixteen, she was much younger than Talia, who was in her thirties. Besides, Talia had recently given birth, so she had not yet returned to her prime condition.
"Hah!" Thea turned her head to avoid a blow coming at her, using the momentum to spin in the opposite direction, and with her sword in her left hand, she aimed toward Talia's waist.
Thea skillfully dodged an incoming slash from Talia, twisting her body to evade the blade. Capitalizing on the momentum, she executed a swift turn and switched her sword to her left hand, slashing towards Talia's waist.
Caught off guard, Talia's previous move had left her vulnerable, and she couldn't defend in time. She had to bend her knees and fold her body in half to perform a backbend, narrowly avoiding Thea's lightning-fast sword strike.
Seizing her opportunity, Thea didn't give Talia a chance to get up. Her right hand quickly joined her left on the sword's grip. With both hands exerting force, she changed her horizontal slash into a powerful downward slash aimed directly at Talia on the ground.
Unable to rise in time, Talia could only roll sideways, using her legs in an attempt to trap Thea's legs and bring her down as well.
Seeing through her intentions, Thea knew she couldn't fall into Talia's rhythm. She exerted force with both feet, stepping forward with her left foot and sideways with her right, seamlessly transitioning into a T-shaped stance.
This wasn't a technique of Ra's al Ghul's but rather Kalaripayattu, which was taught by Lady Shiva. Kalaripayattu is an ancient Indian martial art incorporating ceremonial and dance movements.
Thea's proficiency in this martial art was only so-so. She always believed in direct and forceful strikes rather than this dance-like martial arts fighting style. But today, it unexpectedly proved effective.
While Ra's al Ghul might have been familiar with this martial art, Talia had no idea. When she exerted force with her legs and found that Thea remained unfazed, she realized she was in trouble. Sure enough, Thea seized the opportunity. With a diagonal swing of her right hand, she slashed the blade towards Talia's neck.
Talia was still on the ground, with no way to dodge. The thought of being defeated by her "sister," who was half her age, made her feel extremely upset. Was all her hard training really meaningless? Was her talent so inferior?
Driven by an instinctive refusal to accept defeat, Talia also thrust her blade upward, aiming for Thea's heart.
"Selina, hurry!" Bruce was so anxious that he felt like he might jump out of the monitor.
Their exchange was too fast, and by the time they reacted, it was too late. Selina took out the throwing knife she had prepared in advance, ready to intervene.
Of course, Thea wouldn't go down with her. She had anticipated a counterattack and saw Talia's blade coming towards her heart. She swiftly drew the dagger she had not used for the entire battle and, with a "clang," parried Talia's sword.
The sword in her right hand came to rest on Talia's neck as Thea said flatly, "You lose."
"Thea, don't." Only Bruce could speak to her at this moment. Commissioner Gordon wanted to say something but restrained himself.
"For your trial, go ahead and kill me." Talia, quite calmly, let go of her sword, still not getting up, prepared to meet her end.
Trial, my foot! Thea had already won, and the urge to complain surged again. Could killing Talia grant her equipment drops? Would it unlock achievements? Besides, Bruce wouldn't allow her to take matters into her own hands.
But it wouldn't be good to stop abruptly like this. This was a sacred matter for the League of Assassins. One could see that Talia's hundred-plus subordinates were silently watching, with not one intending to rush in and save their leader. Bruce, who understood the rules, was also very conflicted at this moment. Interjecting hastily would be an insult to both parties. So he could only silently await the outcome.
Thea hesitated for five seconds. Damn it, why wasn't anyone giving her a way out?
Just as she was thinking about how to wrap things up, someone who didn't understand the rules and thought he was some big shot jumped out. Three razor-sharp blades, spinning like grinding wheels, flew towards her.