Chapter 122: A Bat VS A God

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"I may not always win but I never back out of a fight."

- Johnny Lawrence, (Cobra Kai)

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<(Bruce Wayne POV)> 

"I hope I don't regret this," I murmured quietly before swiftly grabbing Ares' helm from where it was lying near Hercules' feet. The demi-god remained so engrossed in his spellcasting, his eyes shut in concentration, that he remained completely oblivious to my actions. 

[{Image in discord}]

Seeing the helm in my hands, both Hippolyta and Diana were confused. "Wait, what are you doing with that?" The Queen of the Amazons asked with a raised brow.

"Probably saving all of your lives... along with mine" I whispered the last part more to myself before slipping the demonic evil-looking helm over my head. 

"No, Bruce, don't" Diana yelled trying to stop me even though she had no idea what was going to happen. Nobody did.

Even I didn't have a complete idea of what I was doing. I was completely acting on instinct here and going in blind. I wouldn't say I liked it but, I didn't have any other choice. Defeating a full-fledged god wasn't that easy, especially when the said god was trying to revive a Titan that was apparently even more powerful than most average gods. 

'Huh? Nothing is happening... Did all my effort of acting cool and mysterious just go to waste? *Sigh* It seems even my luck and innate intuition have abandoned me at my final moments.' I mused to myself with a wry smile on my lips before trying to remove the helmet, hoping to salvage what little dignity I had left. 

However, as soon as I tried to remove the helmet, something inexplicable happened. It further tightened around on my head, clenching my skull like it was trying to crack it open. It was only my superhuman durability that saved me from losing consciousness or dying on the spot. 

Not just my head, Ares' helmet began to affect the rest of my body as well. As a strange energy began to emerge from the helmet and circulate through my entire body, I could feel my veins getting thicker, threatening to explode as literal boiling blood coursed through them. 

It felt like my muscles were exploding with unexplainable power while my skin felt harder than the hardest of metals. Everything around me turned into a blur as my vision became stained with red. 

[User mental status deviating]

[User mental status now healthy]

[User mental status deviating]

[User mental status now healthy]

[User mental...]

...

[New Armor template has been registered]

[Armor now transforming into new selected pattern]

The nanobots all over my body slowly began to shift from their positions, forcing my armor to change shape as well. It fused with Ares' helmet more fluidly while becoming bulkier with a more demonic-esque design compared to its previous middle-aged one. 

[{Image in discord}]

"Okay, this might have been a bad idea," I somehow murmured teeth clenched against the stabbing headache splitting my head apart. Even my mental shields were on the verge of collapsing as a dense mist settled over my thoughts, obscuring the clarity of my mind.

"What is that armor? He looks like Ares now, only more... dangerous. Is Bruce alright in there?" Diana asked her mother with a frown. 

"I don't know, Diana. But now, I understand what he wanted to achieve by wearing that helmet... He has somehow forcefully forged a direct connection to the God of War. Ares' divine power is currently flowing through your friend's body." Hippolyta exclaimed in a voice of disbelief. 

"By Hera, that's impossible. A mortal carrying the power of a God? His mind should not be able to bear that kind of burden, especially if that power belongs to someone like Ares. Bruce is in danger; we need to do something to help him." Diana voiced her concerns, panic lacing her voice as she kept trying to come up with solutions to help her new friend. 

However, her mother just gave her a cold look in return. "We won't do anything, because we can't do anything. The connection is already made. Even if he is not completely gone, he will be soon. Killing a god has its consequences and fate has chosen that boy to suffer those very consequences." Hippolyta uttered with a deep breath like she was almost preparing for what was to come. "Now, all we can do is pray and hope for the best... Hope that we are still alive by the time this unfortunate day ends." She spoke without paying any attention to the sad and guilty face of her daughter.

***

<[Inside Bruce's Mind Palace]> 

"What? Why was I suddenly transported here? I thought I was finally going to have an epic fight with Hercules." I mumbled unhappily while surveying my surroundings. 

I was back within the confines of my mind palace, my mind library to be exact. However, something was different here today. The entire atmosphere of the library which was the core of my mind looked gloomier than normal, like emitting a sense of deep and ominous foreboding. Moreover, the entire structure seemed to be trembling every few minutes as if being attacked by some unseen force.

Concerned about the security of my mental fortress, I swiftly activated the multitude of television screens mounted on the walls of my inner mental library. They were specially made by me to provide real-time surveillance of every nook and cranny of my mental dungeon and were precisely intended for emergencies such as this. 

Most screens displayed identical scenes: different sections of the dungeon shrouded in a darker atmosphere than usual, experiencing periodic tremors at different intervals. Yet, amidst this, a notable anomaly caught my attention. Certain areas of the dungeon walls were covered by a blood-red moss-like substance, their tendrils attempting to corrupt my mind while slowly corroding its defenses. 

However, that was not all. On another screen, a dark, imposing figure engaged in combat against a swarm of hundreds of Xenomorphs with just a Warhammer in his hand. Clad in heavy armor, the figure fought with almost mechanical precision, not uttering even a single word while endlessly slaying the ugly monsters without rest. But contrary to his silent nature, his way of fighting was entirely different and somewhat familiar. He was fighting like an experienced bloodthirsty savage, each strike of his hammer meant to swiftly crush his foes. 

"Ares" I muttered, recognizing the armored figure. "So, I am under a mental attack due to wearing his helmet, maybe under a spiritual attack as well... Goddamn it." I cursed at my misfortune. 

Don't misunderstand, my mental shields were more than powerful enough to hold even his godly remnant ego back but that was only if I focused completely on strengthening and fortifying my mental defenses. But currently, I don't have that luxury. I needed to focus and do my best to stop Hercules and whatever he was trying to summon, not protecting myself from the psychic attack of a rabid god. 

However, in that case, my mental defenses would only be able to hold this psionic Ares for twenty minutes at most without me actively reinforcing my mental fortifications, which meant I only had twenty minutes to stop Hercules. 

'I am glad I made those agents super strong. They possess the capability to manipulate Xenomorphs and inhabit their bodies, rendering them nearly immortal as long as a single Xenomorph remains. Their leader, Agent. Smith can even replicate himself onto others trying to invade my mind and thus take complete control over their minds... although I doubt, he would be able to do the same with Ares' remnant ego. Nonetheless, every second they buy for me is valuable.' I thought before starting a mental countdown for 20 minutes on one of the screens. 

***

<[In the outside world on Themyscira]>

<(Omniscient POV)> 

"Άνοιξε τις πύλες του χρόνου, αιώνιε Ίαπετε, Τιτάνα των δυτικών αιθέρων, θεού της δύναμης και της διαρκείας." Hercules continued to cast his spell using the energy from his own divine power along with his newly gained authority over the well of souls, the same well that the Amazons used as their private reincarnation cycle to make sure that every fallen Amazon could safely reincarnate and the next generation of Amazons could be replenished, making sure that every birth on Themyscira brought forth a female, but never a male. 

With a victorious smile playing on his lips and his eyes closed in utmost focus, he chanted the spell required for the ritual. Despite his initial joy at finally being able to overcome the Amazons after so many centuries of struggle, he still remained vigilant. In fact, he could not afford to be careless since he was not merely summoning some random monster but was about to unlock the very gates of the pits of Tartarus itself, to call forth the same titan that the Olympians had once banished and imprisoned at the most ruthless depths of Hades, the Greek hell. 

But while Hercules was engrossed in executing the ritual of resurrection, an unexpected event unfolded that Hercules could never even have dreamed of. Out of nowhere, the heaviest kick Hercules had ever felt in his life landed directly on his groin, the full power of the sudden blow bypassing even the defense of Hercules' thick metal armor. 

"AAAHHHHH" Hercules released a painful scream, abruptly halting the ritual as he experienced the worst agony that any man could ever feel in his life. Even though the kick had only lasted for a second, he could still clearly feel the sensation of the behemoth's foot-wearing spiked metal plates that had just plunged onto his balls, forcing him to experience a "world-ending" level of pain. The Greek "Hero" could even almost feel the taste of copper in his mouth, a bitter reminder that no matter how strong, Hercules still wasn't invincible. 

"Who dares to attack the manhood of the great Hercules?" He shouted in anger while looking around for the perpetrator of the despicable crime. 

Before he could register the figure in front of him, another blow came; this time, in the form of a headbutt as Ares' divine helmet almost made a dent in Hercules' forehead. 

A deep and heavy voice suddenly struck Hercules's dazed ears as he felt another "Herculean" punch connecting with his face. "Blood for the Bat God"

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