Watching Axel joke around, Ra's al Ghul's expression darkened. Without another word, he drew the straight sword from his waist.
With a smooth, almost theatrical flourish, he tossed the sword into the air. The blade spun rapidly, glinting under the light, before Ra's al Ghul calmly raised his right hand and caught the tip between his index and middle fingers.
He handed the hilt toward Axel, his left hand resting behind his back.
Axel glanced at the offered sword, then casually adjusted his pants, fastening the button at his crotch as if this was the most important thing happening at the moment. After fixing his waistband, he took the sword without ceremony, tucked it under his arm, grabbed a belt nearby, and began fastening it around his waist.
Just before finishing, Axel looked up and smirked.
"What, you think giving me a sword counts as mercy? Afraid you'll bully me without one?" he said. "You're really putting on a show, old man. If you actually wanted to go easy on me, why not hand me a damn Gatling gun instead?"
"..."
For the first time in a long while, Ra's al Ghul questioned his judgment.
Did he really want someone with such a filthy mouth to inherit the mission he had carried for seven hundred years?
Compared to this bastard, his daughter's soft hearted, disappointing husband suddenly seemed almost tolerable.
Ra's al Ghul's gaze grew colder as Axel finished fastening the belt and finally examined the sword properly.
The emerald embedded in the hilt shimmered faintly. The blade was roughly ninety centimeters long, engraved with a dragon exhaling fire. It was undeniably beautiful.
Axel swung it a few times. Despite having no formal training, the weight and balance felt smooth, almost natural.
"Nice sword," Axel admitted. "But giving this to me is pointless. I don't know how to use it, and honestly, it would just slow me down."
He tossed the sword aside without hesitation and clenched his fists.
His knuckles cracked loudly as he rolled his shoulders and raised his chin at Ra's al Ghul.
"I don't know why you're here, and I don't give a damn about your grand purpose," Axel said. "But you're clearly not here to make friends, and I really hate guys who are flashier than me trying to strut around like peacocks."
He sneered.
"So stop wasting my time. I'm supposed to be meeting a female paparazzi later, Ra's al Ghul."
"Oh?" Ra's al Ghul replied, narrowing his eyes. "You truly have no interest in what my name represents?"
"Nope," Axel shot back. "Knowing your life story won't change shit. We're still fighting to the death. And trust me, the only thing living at the end will be me."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Axel exploded forward.
The distance between them vanished in an instant. His arms spread wide, his right arm drawing back like a bowstring before snapping forward toward Ra's al Ghul's head.
Ra's al Ghul scoffed and calmly placed both hands behind his back.
"An untrained fist cannot harm a disciplined opponent," he said. "That is your first lesson."
He stepped aside smoothly, bent low, and swung his right leg toward Axel's waist with terrifying speed.
Axel did not dodge.
Instead, he wrapped both arms around Ra's al Ghul's leg.
Boom.
The kick slammed into Axel's torso. Ribs that had resisted bullets cracked under the force, fracturing instantly.
Axel did not even grunt.
His left hand clamped around Ra's al Ghul's ankle while his right elbow smashed down onto the shin with brutal force.
Ra's al Ghul was not surprised. An immortal understood another immortal better than anyone.
Pain meant nothing. Injuries were irrelevant. Victory belonged to the one still standing at the end.
Using his left foot, Ra's al Ghul launched himself into the air. Pivoting around his trapped leg, he twisted backward gracefully, spinning his body midair.
His free leg struck like a viper.
The tip of his shoe drove straight into Axel's left eye.
Hiss.
The eye ruptured instantly.
Blood sprayed, yet Axel's grip did not loosen. His elbow came down again, but this time it hit nothing.
Ra's al Ghul's knee bent backward at an impossible angle, folding his leg into a reverse shape and causing the strike to miss entirely.
In the brief moment Axel hesitated, Ra's al Ghul yanked his leg free and wrapped both legs around Axel's neck.
Thud.
Ra's al Ghul flipped cleanly through the air and slammed Axel into the ground, his legs crushing Axel's head.
Before Axel could rise, Ra's al Ghul lunged forward. His right hand shot out like a blade.
Pfft.
Axel's right eye was pierced, blood erupting upward.
Ra's al Ghul did not stop.
The muscles in his arm contracted sharply, his fingers narrowing and hardening as his hand drilled deeper into the eye socket.
Thump.
His knuckles shattered the inner edge of Axel's skull, destroying his brain instantly.
As flames began to consume Axel's body, Ra's al Ghul withdrew his hand and spoke calmly.
"I have mastered every school of martial arts," he said. "My body is the ultimate weapon."
He looked down at the burning remains.
"Axel, if you can hear me, then come before me again. Either kill me with your crude strength, or allow me to teach you true power."
His voice carried rare admiration.
"Your talent is extraordinary. It should not be wasted. Become my disciple."
Axel's body vanished completely.
Ra's al Ghul stared at his hand, an almost nostalgic expression crossing his face.
The boy's mouth was irritating, but his potential was undeniable.
He had trained countless disciples across centuries. Some had been far more troublesome than Axel.
Behind him, Axel reformed once more.
He shook his head and laughed softly.
"This guy actually thinks I'm stupid enough to become his disciple," Axel muttered. "Does he think I'm some lost kid looking for a dad?"
He scoffed.
"Every time I die, I learn. Death teaches better than any old bastard ever could. I just watched his techniques firsthand."
Axel inhaled deeply.
With each death, his body sharpened. His senses evolved. Even instincts he could not explain grew clearer.
He suddenly turned toward the northeast, eyes narrowing.
"Ra's al Ghul," Axel said quietly.
A grin spread across his face.
"I can already smell your defeat."