The coordinated assault from both vigilantes made Bane acutely aware of the growing threat they represented. Although the massive quantities of venom he had consumed had severely impaired his cognitive abilities, he still retained enough tactical awareness to recognize genuine danger when it presented itself.
The fact that Bruce and Selina had specifically focused their attacks on the two crucial supply pipes connected to his gas mask triggered an inexplicable surge of irritation and protective instinct in Bane's drug-addled mind.
These two individuals were making him feel genuinely threatened for the first time during their encounter, and his deteriorating mental state demanded that he eliminate them as quickly as possible.
THUMP!
Bane stomped against the ground with tremendous force, his fists clenched as he launched himself toward both vigilantes with renewed desperation and fury.
However, while Bruce and Selina might not possess Bane's superhuman reaction speed, their months of training and patrol experience had taught them to read their opponents' intentions from considerable distances.
Both fighters moved like slippery fish around Bane's massive form, weaving in and out with their daggers flashing. No matter how aggressively Bane attempted to connect with his devastating attacks, he simply couldn't manage to touch either of his elusive opponents.
Although Bane's physical strength continued to increase as more venom flowed through his damaged system, his loss of rational thought actually made him easier for the vigilantes to predict and counter than the calm, calculating version they had initially faced.
While dodging Bane's increasingly wild attacks, both Bruce and Selina continued to leave cutting wounds across his body with their daggers, and they managed to create even more damage to the pipeline system of his gas mask.
Their seamless cooperation earned an approving nod from Marcus, who continued to observe from his concealed position. Although the two students wearing their enhanced battle suits couldn't engage Bane in direct combat, they were successfully exploiting their superior movement speed and taking advantage of Bane's gradually deteriorating mental state to launch precisely targeted attacks that left accumulating damage across his body.
"Very good," Marcus thought with satisfaction. "They understand how to exploit their opponent's weaknesses effectively. It seems their main problem is simply that they lack experience fighting against evenly matched or superior opponents."
This observation caused Marcus to pause in sudden realization.
"That's exactly right," he murmured to himself. "With their advanced battle suits providing such overwhelming advantages, they rarely encounter any opponents in Gotham who can truly challenge them. This kind of situation represents a very unusual learning opportunity."
Just as Marcus was contemplating this development, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps echoing from behind his position.
The distinctive rhythm belonged to Fries and Bridget—the two experimental subjects who had been restricted by Dr. Strange and explicitly forbidden from leaving the underground laboratory.
"So he decided to send them out after all?" Marcus said quietly. "Yes, that makes sense. Bane has moved too far away from the facility."
Bane's pursuit of the vigilantes had taken him well beyond the immediate vicinity of Arkham Asylum. Combined with the destructive effects of the specialized landmine that had exploded earlier, it was completely logical that Dr. Strange would be concerned about Bane's current status. Dispatching these two enhanced individuals to investigate the situation was a reasonable tactical decision.
"Bane cannot be allowed to die at your hands!" Fries announced coldly, raising his specialized freezing weapon with both hands.
The moment he observed Bane being overwhelmed by the two vigilantes' coordinated assault, Fries pulled the trigger and fired concentrated beams of absolute cold directly at Bruce and Selina.
Hisssss~
The instant the freezing rays made contact with the ground, the entire surface was covered with a thick layer of crystalline frost. The previously soft grass became as hard and brittle as iron, completely transformed by the supernatural cold.
The sudden burst of intense chill caused both vigilantes to hesitate momentarily, and during that brief pause, Bane's massive fist connected with devastating force, sending both fighters flying backward across the ground like bouncing rubber balls.
"Damn it!" Bruce cursed under his breath as he struggled to recover from the impact.
Although their battle suits had absorbed and dispersed most of the attack's force, Bane's raw power was so overwhelming that even a fraction of his full strength was more than either Bruce or Selina could easily withstand.
"How are you holding up?" Bruce called out to his partner with obvious concern.
"I'm fine," Selina responded, trying to maintain a light tone despite her obvious discomfort. "It feels like someone just hit me in the chest with a sledgehammer, but I can keep going."
Selina's condition was similar to Bruce's—she felt significant pressure and pain in her chest area, but like her partner, she couldn't completely absorb or deflect the tremendous force behind Bane's attacks.
Seeing that Selina was still capable of fighting, Bruce nodded grimly and pressed a small controller device he had been carrying in his utility belt.
Almost instantaneously, Bane found himself surrounded by a series of violent explosions as Bruce activated all the remaining landmines he had strategically buried throughout the area as part of his contingency planning.
With their opponents now numbering three instead of one, Bruce and Selina simply didn't have the energy reserves or tactical positioning to deal with multiple enhanced enemies simultaneously.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Continuous explosions erupted around Bane's position, and the overwhelming destructive force of the concentrated blasts caused even the venom-enhanced criminal to display genuine fear and hesitation.
Although his cognitive abilities were severely impaired, Bane still retained enough awareness to recognize pain and danger. The violent explosions were causing significant damage to his body, and his survival instincts compelled him to retreat rather than advance through the ongoing detonations.
Even with his enhanced durability, Bane's body was being torn and bloodied by the specialized landmines that continued exploding around him. If it weren't for his ability to rapidly repair injuries through venom absorption, he would probably be lying motionless on the ground by now.
However, the gas mask that Bruce and Selina had damaged during their earlier attacks was now operating at severely reduced efficiency compared to its original capabilities.
Although substantial quantities of venom were still being provided to repair Bane's injuries and maintain his enhanced strength, enormous amounts of the precious enhancement drug were also being wasted. The damaged pipes were continuously leaking venom, which spilled onto the ground and quickly began corroding the grass and soil beneath Bane's feet.
"You can rest and recover for now, Bane," Fries called out with cold authority. "We'll handle these two vigilantes ourselves!"
As he spoke, the freezing weapon in Fries' hands discharged another concentrated beam of absolute cold, rapidly freezing the venom-contaminated ground solid before redirecting toward both vigilantes.
"The freezing effect of that weapon is incredibly powerful," Selina warned Bruce as they both dodged the incoming attack. "You need to be extremely careful. And... the other one you should also pay attention to. Please don't hurt her if you can avoid it."
After successfully evading the freezing ray's path, Selina felt compelled to share crucial information with her partner.
She had clearly recognized the woman holding fire-based weapons as Bridget—one of her closest friends from her time living on Gotham's streets.
Although Selina had no understanding of why Bridget had appeared in this location, or why she was apparently working alongside these dangerous criminals, she understood that Bridget had somehow become their enemy during this encounter.
Selina desperately wanted to avoid hurting her friend, so she could only ask Bruce to exercise additional caution and try to minimize any potential harm to Bridget during their fight.
Bruce immediately noticed Selina's obvious emotional conflict and quickly understood that the woman who hadn't yet attacked them must be someone important to his partner.
After all, Selina had spent most of her early life living among the homeless teenagers and street criminals of Gotham, so it was completely natural that she would have developed close friendships with people who might later become involved in dangerous activities.
Glancing at Bridget, who was still holding her flamethrower but hadn't yet joined the assault, Bruce nodded with understanding.
"All right, I'll do my best to avoid hurting her," he promised. "But given our current tactical situation, I'm afraid we're going to have to use those special weapons Teacher gave us."
Surrounded by three enhanced opponents with vastly superior individual capabilities, Bruce and Selina could only hope to survive by employing their most powerful equipment and entering their strongest possible combat configuration.
Both vigilantes looked at each other with grim determination, then turned to face their three opponents. They nodded slightly and simultaneously reached for the specialized weapons that Marcus had provided them for exactly this type of emergency situation.
Bruce drew his rapier—a blade imbued with spatial manipulation properties that made it incredibly powerful in skilled hands. The three enemies they were facing simply wouldn't be able to resist the cutting power of this particular weapon.
Meanwhile, the short staff in Selina's hand began generating a crackling energy whip, its glowing length weaving through the air as she prepared to engage all three threats simultaneously.
These weapons represented their ultimate confidence and capability. Once they began using these advanced armaments, their power would be enhanced to a completely different level than anything they had demonstrated so far.
"Remember, be careful not to hurt her!" Selina reminded Bruce one final time, referring to her friend Bridget.
After issuing this warning, Selina flicked her energy whip forward, sending the crackling weapon lashing toward all three of their opponents with practiced precision.
Facing the sudden appearance of the energy whip, each of their enemies reacted according to their individual natures and capabilities.
The powerful Bane chose to attempt grabbing the energy construct directly, opening his massive hands wide as he prepared for intimate contact with the crackling weapon.
However, Fries and Bridget coordinated their specialized equipment, activating their freeze gun and flamethrower simultaneously. Beams of absolute cold and torrents of superheated flame shot toward Selina from two different angles.
"So that's their strategy," Bruce said with sudden comprehension as he observed the coordinated attack. "Ice and fire working together!"