"Nightwing? What are you doing here?"
Seeing Nightwing suddenly appear, Helena frowned.
Helena had worked under Batman for a while, but they parted ways due to differing ideals; it was during her time with Batman that she got to know Nightwing, then just Batman's sidekick, thoroughly.
The guy was a total scumbag, a walking Casanova, a womanizer who never let anyone attractive slip through his fingers, whether they were colleagues, comrades, or enemies.
But this wasn't the sole reason for Helena's prejudice against Nightwing. While Nightwing's promiscuity was one thing, the younger, naive Helena had actually dated him for a period. Even after learning about Nightwing's extensive romantic history and giving him two hard slaps, the disgust had taken root in her heart.
"No way, it's been so long, how can you still hold onto it?"
However, Nightwing's explanation was so feeble that it didn't ease Helena's feelings at all; it only made things worse.
This left Helena looking at Nightwing as if he were a pervert.
It wasn't entirely Helena's fault for being so prejudiced; Nightwing's own behavior was the problem.
Helena had worked with Batman, and after going solo to hunt down Mandra, her intelligence-gathering skills had significantly improved.
While searching for her enemy, Helena saw no harm in spending a little time investigating her ex-boyfriend.
The investigation brought her even more revulsion towards him, and she congratulated herself countless times on how correct her decision to leave Nightwing had been.
Not only was Nightwing now dating her former superior's daughter, but he also had a dubious relationship with a pizza parlor waitress, clearly playing a double game.
Seeing Helena's gaze, Nightwing guessed that she already knew about his little affairs.
Men, sometimes they couldn't control themselves. When excited or worked up, doing something irrational was quite normal, but Helena's stare made him truly uncomfortable.
Any attempt at an excuse now would be futile. Nightwing could only clear his throat to change the subject and say, "Let's defeat this guy first."
Nightwing was also quite troubled. He had simply been on his nightly patrol, fighting crime in Gotham, and hearing gunshots nearby, he had rushed over without thinking. If he had known he'd run into Helena, Nightwing wouldn't have come, even if he were beaten to death.
But he couldn't back out now. Since he was here and saw his ex-ex-ex-girlfriend in trouble, how could Nightwing stand idly by?
Fortunately, Helena knew what was more important. She had no lingering feelings for their past relationship and used the excuse to temporarily drop the topic, focusing on the enemy before them.
However, after this was over, Helena still decided to have a chat with Nightwing's current girlfriend. Some things needed to be clarified, to prevent an innocent girl from being harmed by a scumbag.
The more they fought, the more Nightwing felt something was wrong. Even though Helena was injured, their combined efforts with her could only achieve a draw, a precarious draw at that, where a single misstep could lead to a complete collapse.
"Are you sure you're not holding back?"
"What do you think?"
After another clash, the Mimic Master faked a move with his right hand, deceiving both of them. Then, with his left hand, he instantly swung a meteor hammer, sending Nightwing flying several meters.
"Oof!" Nightwing stood up, rubbing his aching chest. "I remember this move. You're the Sports Master!"
Hearing Nightwing's accurate guess, the Mimic Master didn't explain. He merely snorted, and his attacks became even more ferocious, as if enraged by his disguise being seen through.
This was also part of Bai Qi's plan: not to let others know that Mandra's bodyguard was the Mimic Master. After all, many people knew the Mimic Master was working for the Holy Lord. Therefore, from the beginning, the Mimic Master had been using the Sports Master's techniques, guiding their assumptions in that direction.
The outcome seemed successful, especially that meteor hammer strike, which was a signature move of the Sports Master, instantly solidifying his identity.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for the two of them. Helena's arm injury had not been treated, and such extensive movement caused the wound to tear open again and again. As she lost blood, Helena grew weaker.
Nightwing noticed this. After forcing the Mimic Master back, he supported Helena and said, "Let's retreat. You'll die if this continues."
Helena was well aware of her condition. Just as Nightwing said, if she didn't get treatment, she would truly die. But she couldn't retreat now; if she did, all her previous efforts would be in vain.
With this thought, Helena said to Nightwing, "You hold him off."
"Huh?"
Before Nightwing could react, Helena fired two bolts, forcing the Mimic Master back. She seized the opportunity and rushed up the stairs, heading for the second floor.
The Mimic Master tried to stop her but was blocked by Nightwing, who had recovered.
Blocked by Nightwing, the Mimic Master didn't rush. He continued to engage Nightwing in a prolonged struggle, as if the previous incident had never happened.
Upon reaching the second floor, Helena, familiar with the layout, headed straight for Mandra's room. But before she could barge in, a desk lamp was thrown out from inside. Fortunately, Helena dodged quickly enough to avoid being hit. Then, chairs, tables, and even dinner plates were thrown out, all intended to prevent Helena from entering.
But who was Helena? Even severely injured and having lost a lot of blood, she could easily dodge these objects.
Just as nothing else was being thrown, and Helena was about to break in, Mandra, inside, decided to strike first. His massive body smashed through the doorframe, pinning Helena against the wall.
"You brute!"
Due to the impact, Helena's hand crossbow was knocked from her grasp. Combined with the blood loss that had significantly weakened her, she was momentarily unable to break free from Mandra's grip.
Seeing the weakened Helena, Mandra instantly became arrogant. He grabbed Helena, who was pinned against the wall, and threw her violently. Then, he picked up a nearby trash can and smashed it onto her.
Helena took out a spare hand crossbow from her embrace and fired three bolts at Mandra.
Unfortunately, the bolts were too weak and inflicted very limited damage on Mandra.
Mandra's appearance, aside from his eerily pale skin, was very similar to a low-budget version of Kingpin. Both had abnormally massive bodies and powerful physiques that appeared plump but were actually muscle. Well, perhaps Mandra was weaker, but the crossbow bolts that entered his body caused only superficial wounds and posed no threat to him. Instead, it further enraged Mandra, who proceeded to beat and kick Helena.
Although Mandra's attacks were purely brute force, they were more than enough for the current Helena.
After venting his anger, it was time to end this farce.