One should expect comical events in a comics universe.

But sometimes, things did go overboard, such as the tournament held on Lazarus_Island held by Rúh al Ghul the leader of the League of Lazarus, and the mother of the former Ra's Al Ghul.

I mean, not only were they a splinter group from the League of Assassins, which meant our revenue was decreased by the competition, but they also held the tournament not to select worthy assassins, but to sacrifice the champion to a demon.

Ruh was also a powerful mage, enhanced by centuries of using the Lazarus Pit on the island to empower herself, beside healing or resurrecting herself from death.

And while my other bodies were mostly busy, including the Lantern Power Ring user on Applebase, the Ra's Al Ghul, or Grey Leader was getting bored in Tibet, even with a pair of bodacious women polishing his dick.

"Ruh Al Ghul! This is Angel, my candidate for the tournament!" I spoke in my best assassin voice, and presented the new recruit, now enhanced with a Miracle 4.7 and wearing a resilient Nomex suit in dark grey colors, including a hood and mask.

"Ra's Al Ghul!" the other assassins exclaimed and knelt to one knee, most likely intimidated by my superhuman Intimidation, going over 100 points.

Instead, Ruh Al Ghul glared at me with deadly eyes, and turned to observe Talia Al Ghul, standing quietly at my right side.

"Grand-daughter, you chose to follow the man who killed your father?" the old assassin-mage asked in a viperous voice.

"Now I do. But first I tried to kill him, using everything I could. It just doesn't work." Talia explained with a careless shrug.

"You're very brave, stepping on my island, after you killed my son. After the tournament, I will flay you alive and torture you for months!" Ruh Al Ghul told me in a confident voice.

I just shrugged. Her 1000 MAG points were decent, but absolutely futile in front of me.

Instead, I scanned the other competitors.

Ravager or Rose Wilson was the daughter of the deceased Deathstroke, which brought me fond memories of me snapping her father's neck in Star City.

Flatline was an interesting girl with the power of Skill Absorption , which allowed her to absorb and retain the skills of those who die near her, or at least a portion of their abilities.

King Snake was the son of Bane, and a decent fighter despite his blindness. He was dosed with Venom though, which helped him somewhat.

Connor Hawke was the son of the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. He was quite skilled and somehow obtained a Miracle 1.9 potion and thus was slated to win the tournament.

Batman of Japan or Jiro Osamu was a hero from Japan, way over his head here.

Battleaxe was an assassin girl with a big axe and a great pair of tits.

Black Swan was a ballerina girl who went mad and killed her troupe, then got into crime.

Blue Shrike was a villain fighting for his dead brother's honor, another villain called Shrike.

Brutale was a mobster who threw knives.

Constantine Drakon was a villain who knew martial arts. He was quite good too.

Drenched was an Atlantean villain with decent superstrength and durability, plus some mix of genes to give him enhanced senses. Also able to breath underwater, like all Atlanteans.

Double Dare were a pair of twins girls, Aliki and Margot, who worked as thieves after they got bored of the circus.

Lady Vic was a blonde British assassin with plenty of experience and skills, real name Lady Elaine Marsh-Morton, a real noble and also single.

Nite-Wing was a boring American criminal who knew martial arts.

Raptor was a Batman villain with the pain immunity perk, due to his leprosy. He also used his skin disease as a weapon.

Respawn was an experiment created by the former Ra's Al Ghul, using genes from Deathstroke and Talia as donors. The man had a body comparable to a Miracle 4 user, including regeneration and toxin immunity.

Tengu was a villain from Japan, enhanced with demonic rituals and an evil sword.

Tigress was a villain girl painted like a tiger.

And lastly, XXL was a moron 10-year-old kid with superstrength.

I had faith my Angel could win this tournament, but I also wasn't sure she should. Being sacrificed to bring a demon on Earth wasn't a nice fate.

Standing two steps behind me, Lady Shiva murmured something like 'lambs to the slaughter' which was rather appropriate.

'That Respawn guy is Talia's son. Make sure you recover him, when its time.' I warned my new assassin with a telepathic message.

It had taken me a few days to locate and convert the fierce assassin back to the League, since her League of Shadows was also a splinter of the original League of Assassins. It seemed the former Ra's had been quit lax, letting so many splinters form, including the ones led by his daughter Talia, his mother Ruh, this Lady Shiva and a woman called Athena leading the Thanatos Guild.

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I mean, these splinters being led by women only made things easier for me, since the love potions and my Persuasion worked mostly on women. And if my dick had to get wet, well...it was a bonus.

Talia has also brought the Silencer with us, an assassin woman with the power to create zones of silence around her, thus making firearms a silent weapon. It also insured break-ins and struggles were kept quiet, while her Nanode device was able to create armor suits, ropes or anything needed on the spot. Of course, the tech would be useful for me and the heroes as well, especially those without magic or energy constructs.

Another experiment of Ra's, called Smoke was still being trained into obedience in my Applebase. However because Smoke was both intangible and a telepath, things were going slowly, not to mention the experiment was quite mentally deranged. The Power ring could turn the main body intangible as well, which made things more equal, while Lemon could use her energy constructs to discipline the prisoner.

As soon as the tournament began, things started to go wrong as Flatline simply ripped the hearts out of anyone she encountered, only for the magic of the island to resurrect the dead for the next match.

I glanced at Ruh with a bit of respect, since this magic wasn't something easy to do. It had taken me a great deal of effort to resurrect Sara when she died.

But Mother Soul, as she called herself, had mastered the use of death, forward and backwards, once more proving that I wasn't a skilled magician despite my power.

Perhaps I shouldn't kill the old woman, and instead recruit her? I did have Fortuna after all, and the ancient shaman was far worse. Or used to be, at least.

I rose to my feet and walked next to my 'enemy' then sat down in mid-air, as if I had an invisible chair. "Lady Ruh. Why did you separate from the former Ra's?" I asked in a polite, but stern voice.

She glared at me, then sighed. "My son was not a good leader, and had no vision. At least you're trying to end world hunger, from what I've learned." Mother Soul answered in a pained voice.

"It will take time to buy enough food companies and insert agents in enough countries. I guess, you mean Madagascar here?" I asked with a wry grin.

"Yes, and other things. My grand-daughter Nyssa called a few times." Ruh revealed with a superior smirk.

Oh. It seems Nyssa still played in the shadows, even while burdened with the NSA job. Or because of it. She did have access to the djinn network just like Emilia. I mean, Sentry was always in the castle, after all.

"Talia is far better suited for the Black Leader job, I admit. She has an eye for talent too." I nodded with a glance towards Silencer and Angel.

"While you managed to return Lady Shiva to the fold, once more. After my son had to let the woman go." Lady Ruh admitted with a frown.

"So, your plan?" I asked just as Angel managed to decapitate Flatline and then Battleaxe in two swift moves.

"Would you believe me if I say: I only want world peace?" the old woman asked in a tired voice.

"Then don't summon the demon, Lady Ruh. The island will explode." I offered with a hint of clairvoyance.

Ruh stood up and began walking away, so I followed her into a deep cavern under a mountain. "I should have known you knew about Nezha . His powers are immense though. With his help I could actually force everyone to obey." she spoke as we reached the demon's tomb.

"Nezha, the Chinese Devil. Also called Prince Nezha ·and Third Lotus Prince ·during his appointment in Heaven. The seal is already eroded from inside, as Nezha has discarded the sash which kept him good. One last push, a worthy soul sacrifice, then possession. Mind-controlling everyone in range, leading to world conflict among heroes and nations. I only see peace when Nezha is dead." I explained in a patient voice, while Ruh paled at little at my predictions.

"Who are you? Not even I can scry the future so accurately." Mother Soul asked in a horrified voice.

I entered one limit, then another, drew out the Spear of Destiny from my inventory and exploded in a giant Light of the Soul visible from orbit. Even without the Power Ring, this body had 27000 MAG for a moment, followed by a triple spear stab through the tomb and into the essence of the immortal devil.

*Ding

-You have killed the body of Devil Prince Nezha.

-You have killed the mind of Devil Prince Nezha.

-You have killed the soul of Devil Prince Nezha.

*The purified essence of the Third Lotus Prince returns to Heaven. +100 CHA, + 10 Persuasion.

*Gain +1 Fate point.

*Gain +500 MAG, +200 PER, +100 WIS.

*Your Adaptation Perk increases to the next tier.

*Soul perks increase one tier.

Grinning wide while the world stood still, I robbed the tomb of its precious artifacts, then returned to the tournament to drain the powers I wanted from the competitors.

*You have obtained a source of Lazarus_Resin , a mutagen able to heal, restore or resurrect any humanoid species. On healthy people, produces mutations, mental disorders and can even grant extra powers. Cybernetic organisms, androids and robots receive +100 HP/sec if painted with the resin. The painter receives full mind-control over the synthetic paintings, equivalent to 100/100 Affection. Magic users gain double MAG attributes if painted.

-By luckily preventing a global cataclysm and millions of deaths, the Gamer receives + 500 INT and an extra body and mind. Your Five Mind perk evolves to Seven Minds.

*Gain +1 Fate point.

*You have drained the powers and lifeforce of Flatline. You gain the Skills of those who died in 100 meter radius.

*You have drained the powers and lifeforce of Raptor. You gain a pain perk.

-Pain perks increase one tier. You will now feel only 1% of any pain. Soul Block mitigates remaining pain by 70%.

-Beyond painful or stronger events can be absorbed as fuel, to power your Lantern or your Magic.

*You can absorb pain from other people or creatures, and use it as fuel.

*You have drained the powers and lifeforce of Drenched. You gain water breathing, +100 STR and +100 END, +50 PER.

*You have drained 9 villains and gained +9 to all attributes, + 20 Athletics, +20 Demolitions and +40 Weapons.

I used the remaining 3 seconds to complete a new Dungeon and level up again, and held back a single second of my Adept Limit for any eventuality.

See, I could act a bit wiser now!