"I missed you, Diana, but surrendering is not your style." Merciless Iron Fists watched as Diana dropped her weapon, examining her with interest.
"No, let's fight with our bare hands." Diana's expression was serious; against the Godslayer, other weapons were of no advantage. Only bare-handed combat would be somewhat fair.
Diana was fighting for the glory of the Amazons, and after Merciless Iron Fists donned the War God's Helmet, the belligerent factor had fused into his soul.
A duel of glory, he could not refuse.
A hissing laugh came from beneath Merciless Iron Fists' helmet, and the sharp Godslayer was casually tossed back onto the weapon rack by him.
"My Diana and I have been through countless wars; she is a warrior you could never compare to. You... have no chance of winning."
With that, he agilely lunged at her, his enormous fists whistling through the air, moving with a speed that defied his physique.
Diana calmly seized his arm, using his momentum to throw him aside. The heavy armor crashed to the ground with a thud, but he quickly got back up, unscathed.
"You're not the Bruce Wayne I know, but no matter where you come from, you're just another Bruce Wayne, a mortal impersonating a god."
Merciless Iron Fists lunged at her again and their fingers interlocked, engaging in a test of strength. Even though Diana mentally despised her enemy, she had to admit that this Bruce, after gaining the War God Power, was stronger in every aspect.
"I am the mortal who has slain countless gods." He nonchalantly increased his strength, pressing down on the already smaller Diana.
"Ha, but your skills are incredibly clumsy. Who trained you? An assassin? A monk? Or... a butler?" Diana used all her strength, yet she was still at a disadvantage. She gritted her silver teeth, squeezing out some mocking words.
The words had an effect, but not the one she imagined; a sudden surge of immense power came from Merciless Iron Fists' hands, lifting Diana and tossing her like a sack. She landed heavily on the ground.
Merciless Iron Fists stood up straight, not even out of breath. He stared at the fallen, indignant Diana with his blood-red eyes, and responded in a dull voice, "It was you."
Diana's back burned hotly as she spat, "Impossible; I would never teach you, even in death."
"Absolutely true, you would recognize it if you saw it."
He turned around and took a giant Two-Handed Hammer from the wall.
Diana rolled on the ground, picking up her Fire God Sword and Shield, charging at him.
"Tell me the truth!"
Iron Arm swung his Warhammer to block the strike, and the two clashed with a clang. He had mastered all the Amazon Battle Techniques, and Diana's assaults felt like lovers' quarrels to him.
Calmly fending off the sword strikes from every tricky angle, he replied smoothly, "I'm telling you the truth. After I destroyed the gods, I sought out your sisters. The Battle of Paradise Island lasted for three days, and I ensured they died with great honor."
"Wha..." Despite being from another universe's Paradise Island, Diana's heart wavered for a moment, as she instinctively associated the familiar faces with her friends and family from another Earth.
This moment of distraction was seized by Merciless Iron Fists. A powerful swing hit her on the side of the face, sending her spinning like a top in the air before she flew far off.
She spat out a mouthful of blood. Thankfully, she had Divine Power protection; otherwise, her head would have exploded from the blow. Nonetheless, her ears buzzed, rendering her unable to stand for now.
Iron Arm emitted a whooshing sound, unsure if he was laughing or enjoying the inhalation. He hoisted the Warhammer on his shoulder, turning his head to a large gong beside him.
Diana's gaze also moved upward, but she soon realized it wasn't a large gong but a massive suspended Gold Coin emblazoned with Merciless Iron Fists' image.
As if sensing her gaze, he went on to explain, "I have one Large Gold Coin from your Bruce… I acquired the passage fee for every dead Amazon from the Netherworld; they are vessels for their souls. They reside within, and I reforged them into this giant Drachma."
Merciless Iron Fists walked step by step toward the enormous coin, raising the Warhammer in striking position.
"They'll never reach Paradise again; they will fight for me forever! Come forth, Amazon Legion, greet your Queen!"
With that, he swung the giant Warhammer at the coin. The power of the War God surged forth; once this enormous coin rang, a ghostly unit of thousands would descend upon this world, slaughtering all enemies.
However, just as the Warhammer struck the coin's surface, a tremendous explosion occurred. The coin indeed emitted a loud sound but simultaneously turned to powder, and the souls inside emerged like translucent smoke, forming a cyclone that rushed up into the stone ceiling, dispersing.
Merciless Iron Fists was also blasted nearly a hundred meters away, the front of his blue War God Armor charred and inlaid with numerous fragments of Gold.
Yet he was unharmed; these non-'metal' fragments might shatter the War God Armor, but his body remained protected by Dark Energy.
Kneeling on one knee, Diana shielded her head with the Silver Bracelets on her arms. Despite being blown a short distance away, she dodged the shrapnel and shockwave, only at the cost of worsening tinnitus.
"How is it possible?" Iron Arm grasped the Warhammer, his gaze searching the dim distance of the underground space.
However, a burst of bullets awaited him, hitting the lenses of his helmet's eyes in quick succession. Several bullets struck the same spot repeatedly.
These were not ordinary bullets; he was well acquainted with human weaponry, knowing that hot weapons couldn't damage the War God Armor, yet the War God's Helmet, a Divine Artifact, was deformed from the impact.
Unable to endure, he immediately raised the Warhammer in front of him, but it was futile. This supposedly decent weapon's hammerhead couldn't block the bullets. Much like toothpicks piercing butter, the bullets passed through, accurately hitting his head.
Nonetheless, he had already achieved his aim to buy time. As long as his eye position wasn't hit, he could observe his surroundings and seize chances. Heart stirring, he rolled away from the bullets, hiding behind a series of display cabinets.
Diana, her eyes wide open, found it unbelievable that the War God could be repelled by gunfire. Was she being tied up on the Dark Tower, living a nightmare?
It was at this moment a tall silhouette suddenly appeared beside her, an arm clad in black and yellow Arm Armor reaching out to her.
"Lamppost, I've come to rescue you."