DC: I am Bruce Wayne

Chapter 71: Young Bat vs Old Demon (2) - A Soup for the Soul

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"You need to accept the fact that you're not the best and have all the will to strive to be better than anyone you face."

- RORONOA ZORO, (ONE PIECE)

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<(Bruce Wayne POV)>

"So Bruce Wayne, do you just want to kill me and take over my organization or do you want an opportunity to take everything I have for yourself, my knowledge, my skills, and even my life?" Ra's Al Ghul said, doing his best to tempt me to accept his offer.

Now, the normal me would never think of even considering this offer of his. Hell, I would have already killed him to get this over with and be happy with only the league that I could take over after him but the problem was that this was not the normal me.

No, this me right now was high on a particular psychoactive drug that was forcing me to operate on cold hard logic rather than emotions and caution. And my logic according to my currently enhanced mind right now dictated that I could stand to profit more if I just heard him out. I could tell that there was a seventy-seven percent chance that Ra's Al Ghul wasn't lying.

"How?" I finally asked, giving in to the temptation after running thousands of possible scenarios in my mind, concluding that this could really be a huge leap for me if I managed to somehow succeed.

"The Lazarus pit could extend one's life and even enable one to live for centuries, albeit with some terrible side effects including addiction to the water itself and even... decay of the soul. The longer you continue to depend on the water, the more the side effects increase making true immortality impossible through just this." Ra's Al Ghul explained, revealing that he knew the negative effects he was currently suffering from because of overusing the pit.

"But after centuries of research, I discovered a way to achieve true immortality. If two different people enter the pit together and fully immerse themselves in its water, the Lazarus pit will choose only one of them to extend their life. The one with the stronger will to live, the one who can endure the pit's torture and outlast the other until they drown, will not only be the one to gain immortality without any drawbacks but also inherit everything that the loser had, including their knowledge and skills. The loser will die, while the victor will get all." He revealed his secret with a triumphant tone.

I eyed him with suspicion, wondering what he was hiding behind his calm facade. "So you think you can beat me in this ritual? You seem very confident... Or is this your last resort, and you are just acting out of desperation? Tell me, Ra's Al Ghul, how desperate are you to keep living, in a world where even your daughters despise you and might try to kill you if you survive this?" I asked, trying to gauge his true feelings.

"You have no idea about sacrifice, about responsibility. I have the duty to survive and lead the human race to prosperity, to save them from extinction even if it is from themselves. And if I have to kill my own daughters for that, then SO BE IT." He screamed trying to make his point.

The worst thing about this was that he wasn't acting. He truly believed that whatever he was doing by building this weird terrorist organization full of ninja assassins while ending entire civilizations and cities, 'purging' them from evil was actually helping the world. I could tell that he regarded his work as something that he was doing for God himself. Truthfully, it was pathetic.

"Fine, then so be it," I repeated his words as the All-blades from my hands disappeared. "Let's do this then. One pit, two killers, one survivor. Let's see who wins." I said as I began walking towards the pit while Ra's Al Ghul began to do the same in measured steps.