Cherreads

Chapter 21 - Dignity

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The fight had turned into a storm of speed and violence.

"BOOM!" — A punch from Batman to Blade.

"BAM!" — A strike from Blade to Batman.

They were exchanging blows at insane speeds, each trying to outmaneuver and outthink the other.

But as the Justice League members watched, they noticed something… very strange.

At first, when Batman landed solid hits on Blade, they expected bruises to swell, wounds to bleed, battle scars to remain.

But they… didn't.

Every hit, every scratch, every bruise—it was disappearing within seconds!

Flash, standing beside Superman, muttered under his breath:

"Did you see that? His nose was broken seconds ago… now it's fine!"

Superman, narrowing his enhanced vision, analyzed Blade's body and said grimly:

"He's regenerating… at an insane rate. This isn't normal."

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) frowned.

"No… this isn't just healing. This is something else. It's like… he can't be beaten."

Wonder Woman, gripping the hilt of her sword, kept her gaze locked on Blade.

"If he doesn't feel real pain… that means he's not even fighting seriously."

But while everyone else was stunned…

Batman was the only one who didn't seem surprised.

As if… he had known all along.

Blade noticed their reactions and smirked wickedly. He then spoke loudly:

"Ooooh, my God! They've figured out my big secret! Yes, my dear Justice League friends, I'm like those video game characters with 'auto-regenerating health!' I can literally fight all night without stopping! Isn't that amazing?!"

Then, he turned to Batman with a smug grin.

"So, Batsy, are you gonna surprise me and say you've got some genius plan to stop that?"

Batman didn't respond.

But his fists clenched even tighter, ready for the next round.

And then—

"BOOOOM!!!"

A smoke bomb exploded, fired by Batman, filling the area with a thick cloud of black smoke!

Blade covered his face, coughing lightly.

"Oh, great! Now we're playing hide and seek? Batsy, is this your big strategy?! Because I don't even need to see, I can just—"

"SHOOOOSH!!!"

Before he could finish his sentence, something sharp and fast cut through the smoke!

"BOOM!"

"CHAAAK!!!"

Something solid struck Blade's head with brutal force, snapping it back—then…

"KRAAASH!!!"

He slammed into the ground—hard!!!

Everyone froze.

No one expected Blade to go down like that.

Even Flash muttered in shock:

"Wait… what? Did he just drop him?!"

Blade lay there on the ground, eyes open, body motionless for a few moments.

And as the smoke began to clear, Batman stood there, fists clenched, his eyes locked onto Blade.

"Is it over?"

No… it wasn't.

Because, in the next moment, Blade's body started to move.

Slowly, his hand reached for whatever had struck his head.

"CLACK!"

He ripped the projectile from his skull and tossed it aside like it was nothing, as his body rapidly repaired itself.

Then, calmly… he reached up to his mask.

And removed it completely.

For the first time, everyone saw his face.

He was undeniably handsome—yet his features carried the scars of battles past.

His right eye was a clear, sharp blue—but the left one… completely blind, a lifeless white.

A long scar stretched from the right side of his mouth, down to his neck, as if someone had once tried to slit his throat.

The air grew heavy.

Even the members of the Justice League and Titans couldn't hide their surprise.

But Blade?

He smirked.

A cocky, self-assured grin.

Then, he looked down at his hands, ran his fingers over his face for a moment, before raising an eyebrow and saying mockingly:

"Haaaah… so, you've finally witnessed this legendary handsomeness, huh?! Don't blame me if you start feeling jealous—I mean, not everyone can pull off this kind of rugged good looks!"

Then, with a short chuckle, he pointed at the deep scar on his neck and added:

"And this? Oh, this little beauty? Got it as a 'gift' during my old training days! Yeah, yeah, great story—some guy tried to take my head off… almost succeeded! But, as you can see, failure and I have always been a thing!"

He rolled his eyes upward slightly, his tone laced with sarcasm:

"And the funny part? Even my magical, bullshit healing factor can't fix this! Ahh, don't you just love irony?"

Then, locking eyes with Batman, he clenched his fists and spoke with a voice full of excitement and raw energy:

"Alright, Batty Boy… let's get back to it! This time, I'm not holding back!"

And in an instant, Blade launched himself forward—at insane speed!

The fight exploded into a vicious frenzy!

"BAM! BAM! BAM!"

Fists flew at breakneck speed, every hit more brutal than before!

Batman was using everything—every skill, every strategy, every trick he had spent years perfecting.

But he had a problem he never expected…

Blade was learning.

At a terrifying rate.

Like a living supercomputer, analyzing every move, memorizing every technique, adapting to every strategy!

"BOOM!"

Blade dodged a punch from Batman—then slammed a straight fist into his chest!

The punch was so strong that something audibly snapped—

"CRAAACK!"

One of Batman's ribs broke.

He staggered back two steps, but… he didn't fall.

He didn't flinch.

He didn't make a single sound of pain.

He didn't even change his expression.

Blade raised an eyebrow in surprise—then smirked, leaning in just enough so only Batman could hear:

"Ooooh, wow! So, I definitely just broke one of your ribs, huh? No need to tell me, I heard it! And yet… you're just standing there like nothing happened?! Dude, are you a fucking robot?!"

But he got no answer—because Batman was already back in his fighting stance.

No hesitation.

No moment of weakness.

Even with the pain.

Even with a broken bone.

He wasn't backing down.

And Blade?

That just made him more excited.

"Alright then… let's see how long you can last, Dark Knight!"

But before charging again, Blade paused—his eyes scanning the area.

The Justice League. The Titans. Robin.

All of them were watching, eyes locked on the battle.

But the one who caught his attention the most… was Robin.

His eyes were filled with conflicted emotions as he watched his mentor take hit after hit… against an opponent who wasn't slowing down, who wasn't staying down, who wasn't breaking.

Blade felt it.

But he didn't show a single sign of caring.

Instead…

"Alright, alright, I know what you're all thinking…"

He suddenly raised both hands in mock surrender, then spoke loudly:

"Oh nooo, I'm so tired! This fight has been so intense! Batty, man, you're really strong! I think… I think we've reached a draw here! Yeah! A tie! That makes total sense, right?!"

Everyone stared at him in silence.

A tie?

How the hell can someone who doesn't take damage, doesn't bleed, doesn't fucking die… claim to be exhausted?!

Cyborg muttered,

"Wait… is he… is he serious?!"

Flash let out a short laugh and shook his head.

"I can't believe this… He beat Batman, but he's calling the fight a draw?! That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard!"

Meanwhile, Blade placed a hand on his forehead, pretending to be exhausted—staggering a little like he was about to collapse.

"Ohhh… all this running, all this fighting… my muscles… they ache… Yep, yep, I'll be fine, I just… need to lie down for a bit… maybe ten minutes? No, half an hour? Oh—wait, how about a weekend off?!"

The truth?

He was just letting Batman keep his dignity.

But he'd never admit that.

Because, quite frankly… that just wasn't his style.

Batman was about to speak—

But, of course, Blade wasn't about to let that happen.

He immediately threw up a hand in Batman's face, stopping him mid-thought.

"Ooooh, no, no, no, Batty! I know, I know! You were about to give one of your deep, emotional speeches about honor and perseverance and the will to fight and blah blah blah… But there's something waaay more important right now!"

Everyone raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Wait… what?! Something more important than this fight?!"

Even Batman, despite himself, seemed momentarily intrigued by whatever ridiculous thing Blade was about to say.

And then—

"I left something important… on Cyborg's security server."

Cyborg froze.

Then—

"Wait… what?! What the hell did you leave on my server?!"

Blade turned to him slowly, his expression dead serious.

Then, in the most solemn voice possible, he said—

"Pizza."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Cyborg immediately exploded with rage!

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!!! YOU LEFT PIZZA ON MY SYSTEM?!! THAT'S THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF TECHNICAL DISRESPECT!!!"

Blade shook his head, feigning deep regret.

"Yes… unfortunately. And worse? It was a double cheese pizza… and now, with all that system heat… it's probably turned into a greasy lake of molten cheese!"

Cyborg looked like he was about to detonate.

"Dude, if anything happens to my server, YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT!!!"

But Blade completely ignored him. Instead, he turned to Robin, placed a dramatic hand on his shoulder, and declared:

"Robin… we must return immediately! Or else, our base will be under grave threat!"

Robin was about to argue—but then he caught sight of Batman.

Batman was just staring at Blade. Like he was trying to process the absolute nonsense that had just transpired.

And with that, Blade casually strolled toward the Titans' ship, leading the team—who still didn't understand how the hell the fight had ended in such a ridiculous way.

Inside the ship, Robin couldn't hold back anymore.

"Why… didn't you finish the fight? You had the advantage."

Blade smirked.

Then he said—

"Robin, my boy, there is one very important rule in life…"

Robin waited, anticipation clear on his face.

Then, in an overly deep and gravelly voice—clearly imitating Batman—Blade finished:

"A true hero is not the one who wins every battle… but the one who knows when to retreat… to save a hot pizza."

A strange silence fell over the ship.

And then, without warning—

Beast Boy BURST OUT LAUGHING.

"HAHAHAHA!!! OH, DUDE, THAT'S THE DEEPEST PHILOSOPHICAL SHIT I'VE EVER HEARD! TEACH ME SOME MORE WHEN WE GET BACK!!!"

Blade, smirking as he checked his blind eye in the reflection of the glass, replied—

"Alright, Greenie… but be ready for a whole new level of insults."

Even Starfire had to cover her mouth, struggling to hold back laughter.

And Robin?

He just took a deep breath… held his head in his hands… and wondered how the hell he ended up stuck with this guy.

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If you liked the story and want to read more

or just to support me, copy the link below.

You will find a special membership for:

3 chapter

 and another one for:

7 chapters.

patreon.com/zakx205

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