Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5667 - 4691: Deadly Escape (24)

"It's my innate talent," Greed replied, eyes fixed on the monitor. "Their visual feed isn't overly dark; it includes night-vision capabilities." This allowed Stark to clearly observe Arrogant's brick-stacking process, noting the precise application of force on each individual brick.

"So, one person's talent, another's talent. It's like this round was designed specifically for your family," Scarecrow couldn't help but voice his complaint. "Oh, wait, it actually was designed by your family. But shouldn't you at least try not to be so obviously biased?"

Greed, however, seemed to anticipate this, stating, "You believe the other version of me has an advantage? Let me tell you this: where there is gain, there must be a corresponding loss. It would be utter madness if he were the first to complete this challenge."

"I don't see any scenario where he wouldn't win the championship," Mephisto declared, arms crossed. "In fact, they are currently the fastest, nearing the balance scales. They are, after all, the very first group to participate."

"That won't be the case for much longer," Greed commented, observing Arrogant's expression.

"The difficulty level of this particular stage feels a bit too low, wouldn't you agree?" Joker grumbled with dissatisfaction. "One can pass simply by performing acrobatics; there’s no real technical skill involved. They really should have electrified the ladder."

"But the next stage involves a monumental task," Scarecrow enthused, rubbing his hands together. "How will they make their choices? Will they opt for shedding blood, or will they choose not to trust the individuals behind them?"

"They've arrived, they've finally arrived!" Mephisto pointed excitedly at the screen. "Shiller and that Batman fellow have reached the area. Will they decide to shed blood?"

What transpired next completely defied everyone's expectations, leaving them utterly speechless. It was a scenario none of them had ever witnessed before. Stark was the first to voice his bewildered question: "What on earth are they doing???"

All eyes turned to Greed. He cleared his throat twice before responding, "Didn't I warn you? Even with an apparent advantage, they would swiftly squander it. The terrible flaw with Arrogance is the inability to control when the madness takes hold."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Stark practically leaped from his seat. "What! What is it! Don't go prying up the floor tiles! My machine!!!"

"Hiss..." Greed also gasped. He frantically attempted to adjust the control panel data, but unfortunately, the power surge reached an uncontrollable peak, preventing immediate suppression. Arrogant was still able to successfully pry up the floor tiles.

"Agent! Agent!!!" Greed yelled urgently. "I knew this would happen! Agent, please hurry!!"

The agent approached with a visibly exasperated expression. Greed gestured towards a nearby equipment box. "Quickly, clean this up! The next group is arriving soon!"

Following the departure of Bruce and Arrogant's team, a heavily equipped figure materialized on the stage. It was an agent clad in full protective gear, pushing a cart laden with tools directly from the maintenance passage. Adjusting his mask and goggles, he commenced the cleanup.

The agent surveyed the blood splattered everywhere and the disarray of the floor tiles, letting out a profound sigh. Greed certainly ensured he had his work cut out for him. While classifying himself as a crime scene cleaner was acceptable, these two individuals were simply unparalleled in their ability to create such a mess for him to handle.

However, he had no other recourse; the job was accepted, and he was present. The agent could only pick up his mop and begin the arduous task of cleaning.

First, he applied specialized cleaning agents to the ground, followed by mopping, and then utilized a water blade. A considerable amount of blood had seeped into the grout between the tiles, making it impossible to remove completely. With time being of the essence, he opted to conceal the stains with original filler materials.

The most challenging aspect was dealing with the dislodged bricks. The agent stared at the bricks, his muttered curses echoing through the monitoring room.

"How can these possibly be put back?! That blasted Arrogant even scraped off all the filler on top! In his fit of madness, he somehow remembered to play the role of a bricklayer!"

He managed to reinsert the bricks, but lacking adhesive, they would sink slightly when stepped upon. With no alternative, he resorted to using filler material to pack all the gaps, attempting to secure the bricks together to prevent excessive sagging under light pressure.

After laboring to wipe away the blood and reposition the bricks, Greed's voice boomed again. "Wait, thoroughly check for any remaining marks. We absolutely cannot allow them to leave any traces behind!"

The agent had no choice but to meticulously re-examine the entire room. Before he could even complete the inspection, Greed's voice rang out once more. "Room two, Charles and his group have left markings! Hurry and grind them off!"

The agent grabbed his tools and headed for the maintenance passage. Just as he was about to exit, Greed shouted, "Hold on a moment, they haven't departed yet!"

After a brief wait in the corridor, the agent confirmed the onlookers had departed before emerging. To his dismay, Erik and Charles had already utilized iron rods to etch their signatures into the bricks, adding a taunting message: "Just visited."

"Have some respect!" The agent retrieved a grinder from his toolbox and activated it. Fortunately, the duo, in their haste, had not carved deeply. A simple grinding of the brick's surface layer sufficed.

However, merely grinding wasn't enough. The brick's texture now starkly contrasted with its surroundings. The agent had to meticulously replicate the original texture before spraying it with water to simulate aging. Just as he finished, movement at the passageway entrance alerted him, prompting a hasty retreat of the cart into the maintenance tunnel.

"Hurry, hurry, someone's marking room three as well," Greed stated into his walkie-talkie, his voice urgent. "Quick, erase it!"

The agent navigated the passage to room three to address the vandalism. Meanwhile, the observers in the control room shifted their focus to the chamber filled with spikes.

"Hold on, if your alternate self can't regulate their strength, then the lever... Ah, they've bypassed that stage," Mephisto murmured with a sigh.

Displayed on the monitoring screen, Arrogant had directly yanked the lever intended to activate the secret passage, which was situated near the ceiling. This lever was designed with a deadlock, requiring immense, sudden force to disengage. However, Shiller, possessing precisely that kind of sudden immense power, not only caused the ceiling to descend but also pulled the lever down.

The mechanism that triggered the ceiling's descent was located beneath the platform. Without its activation, the ceiling would remain stationary. Having arrived first, they found the ceiling still high above, allowing them direct access to the secret passage.

Once inside, they no longer needed to concern themselves with the lever. They could simply wait for the ceiling to lower to a level where they could step onto it, enabling their passage.

"A fundamental design flaw," Joker chimed in. "More critically, failing to restrain that Madman's strength allows them to bypass all the challenges requiring brute force."

"They've already reached that point, so let them skip," Mephisto responded placidly. "In the end, they'll only exhaust themselves fighting each other and won't secure the top spot, stealing your beloved Batman's position. Rest assured."

Joker merely pursed his lips, remaining silent. Yet, compared to the unfolding events, the situation involving Arrogant and Bruce was hardly a mere design flaw. The true catastrophe was yet to materialize.

At that moment, cheers erupted before Loki, who was trapped and immobilized within the secret passage.

"Yes, precisely! This is exactly what we wished to witness!" Scarecrow exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "Hurry and step on it, green eyes! Don't let us down!"

Joker, visibly thrilled, resumed speaking with theatrical flair: "If you step on it, you'll even experience the tremors of your brother being crushed to death. Such a heart-pounding moment is rare in a lifetime, isn't it, Nordic God? Hahahahaha!"

While they eagerly awaited the impending spectacle, the surveillance feed abruptly focused on the preceding chamber, revealing Anatoli and Lucifer.

"Hiss..." Greed gasped, his breath catching. "Agent, how did they deduce the bricks were... Oh! No! No, no, no!"

Greed and Stark shouted in unison as Anatoli began excavating beneath the floor tiles.

After digging a cavity, he used bricks to create a buffer for his crowbar, placing another brick beneath it to leverage against the machine. He then commenced prying the mechanism with aggressive force.

"Wait! Wait!!!" Stark yelled, his voice laced with panic. "You cannot pry it like that; the setup is incredibly delicate, you'll damage it!"

Amidst a grating, squealing sound from the machine, the entire structure was pried askew. The protective casing enclosing the mechanical arm detached and fell with a loud crash. Anatoli, observing the exposed components, immediately recognized its load-bearing function.

Consequently, he subtly adjusted his angle and persisted in his prying. Merely prying proved insufficient; he began employing the dislodged floor tiles as a shield, pushing against the already tilted apparatus alongside Lucifer.

This action proved disastrous. The entire machine slowly canted to a forty-five-degree angle. The edge of the protective cover became wedged against the mechanical arm, driving it upward and rigidly locking it in place, rendering it immobile.

Abruptly, everyone within the spike-and-ceiling room felt a distinct lessening of pressure upon their shoulders.

You must understand, Harley and Pamela were already on their knees, overwhelmed by the immense pressure and drenched in sweat, their hands hovering over the exit button. Thor and Loki were gasping for air, while Charles crumpled the moment the crushing force from above ceased. Batman and Superman weren't faring much better; Batman's vision had faded to black due to severe blood loss, forcing him to lean against a pillar, and Superman quickly moved to support him.

It could be said that, with the exception of Arrogant and Bruce who had opted out of the challenge, all other teams were precariously hanging on, teetering on the brink of complete exhaustion.

Anatoli stood within the chamber, his attention keenly focused. Although no sounds reached him, he could perceive the cessation of subtle vibrations. A knowing expression crossed his face, accompanied by a smug smile.

"It appears we've played the Savior once more," Anatoli remarked to Lucifer. "Let's proceed and observe what the subsequent stage entails."

A palpable displeasure emanated from everyone in the surveillance room.

"Perhaps you should reconsider allowing him into Hell for the time being," Mephisto suggested, rubbing his hands together with a rather calculated demeanor. "My palace is quite agreeable, and there's no pressing need for relocation at present. What are your thoughts?"

"This is sheer, unadulterated chaos!" Scarecrow exclaimed in discontent. "Do they not comprehend that they cannot simply vandalize the game environment?! Shouldn't they exhibit some sense of public responsibility!"

"I should be the one uttering that sentiment!" Stark boomed, his voice filled with indignation. "I invested considerable effort in devising that complex mechanism! It was intended to be a flawless design, and we were so agonizingly close to achieving our objective!"

"From whence did that individual emerge?" Joker questioned, directing his gaze at Greed, his brow furrowed. "I have no recollection of this particular character."

"You merely need to be aware that, recently, the majority of Batmans across the Multiverse have been excavating the earth three feet deep in their pursuit of him," Greed delivered a rather damning pronouncement. "I am uncertain of his exact capabilities, but I do know this: individuals within Arkham Asylum do not receive such meticulous attention."

Joker instantly erupted in fury, leaping in place. "Batman digging three feet deep to find him?! You damn... damn..."

Joker pondered for an extended period but found himself incapable of conjuring a fitting descriptor. In matters such as these, he highly valued strategic precision and focused on targeted assaults. However, based on his recent observations, Joker found Anatoli to be an exceptionally difficult enigma to quantify.

One might label him reckless, yet he executed precise calculations; one might accuse him of lacking artistry, but he possessed his own philosophical tenets and articulated them effectively; one might claim he defied conventional rules, but not for personal enrichment; one might deem him cunning and deceitful, yet he achieved genuine success.

"Damn Soviets," Stark could only grumble, "It seems as though they were destined to be my perfect counter."

"Indeed, they are," Greed replied with a shrug.