Malcolm Merlyn already knew why Talia had come.
Her visit was not difficult to understand.
After the events in Gotham, Adrian had successfully shifted the blame for the enhanced soldiers and the destruction of Gotham City Hall onto the League of Assassins.
Becoming the scapegoat for such chaos was never pleasant.
Worse still, Adrian's actions had accelerated the League's downfall, forcing them into an increasingly dangerous position.
"Powerful?"
Talia let out a cold scoff.
"No matter how powerful Adrian is, he cannot control everything in this world."
Malcolm's expression remained composed.
"The truth is, he's closer to that than you think."
His voice lowered slightly.
"Unless someone finds an alien force powerful enough to oppose him, Adrian will remain the strongest warrior on this planet."
Malcolm paused, his gaze hardening.
"To be honest, I wouldn't even be surprised if he could destroy Earth with almost no effort."
The seriousness in his expression made it clear he was not exaggerating.
"Believe me, Miss al Ghul, his strength is far beyond anything we once imagined."
Talia's eyes narrowed.
"No one remains powerful forever."
Her tone sharpened.
"Everything has a beginning and an end. Strength rises, then decays."
She stood from her seat.
"If Adrian insists on standing against the League of Assassins, then he will pay the price."
Her voice turned colder.
"No matter how much it costs us."
Without waiting for Malcolm to respond, Talia turned and walked away.
The reception room fell silent.
Malcolm remained seated, his thoughts drifting.
Outside, Star City's skyline stretched endlessly into the night.
For the first time in a while, uncertainty crossed his mind.
The League of Assassins had been pushed into a corner.
Cornered enemies were often the most dangerous.
Far away, on a snow-covered mountain plateau, violent winds swept endlessly through the frozen landscape.
The cold sliced through the air like invisible blades.
Snow drifted endlessly across the mountains, obscuring the world beneath a veil of white.
Standing beside a large window, a middle-aged man quietly stared into the distance.
The faint moonlight illuminated the snow-covered peaks.
The blurred shapes of the mountains reflected the turmoil in his mind.
Henry Ducard.
Or rather, Ra's al Ghul.
The memories of a war long past surfaced once again.
A burning structure collapsed beneath the night sky.
An explosion tore through the mountainside.
The wooden fortress of the League of Assassins had crumbled under fire.
Many members died that night.
Even the supposed "Ninja Master," dressed in ceremonial robes, had seemingly perished beneath collapsing beams, reduced to nothing more than a burned corpse.
The surviving members fled in chaos.
Their war against a single man had ended in complete failure.
"Bruce Wayne…"
Ra's quietly spoke the name.
The man responsible for his humiliation.
The favored son of Gotham.
Originally, Ra's had intended to mold Bruce the same way he had once shaped Malcolm Merlyn.
Pain.
Hatred.
Discipline.
He intended to forge Bruce into the League's sharpest weapon.
Instead, Bruce turned against him.
Bruce Wayne rejected the League's ideology.
He refused to destroy Gotham.
Conflict became inevitable.
Ra's still remembered the battle.
The injuries.
The darkness.
When he eventually regained consciousness, he found himself in a small village near the mountain.
Ironically, Bruce Wayne had saved his life.
The very man who defied him had pulled him from the burning wreckage.
The false Ra's al Ghul had died.
Many members of the League had been killed or crippled.
And yet Bruce had shown mercy.
Ra's stared into the storm outside.
His expression darkened.
Yes.
He failed.
Bruce Wayne never became the obedient successor he envisioned.
The destruction of Gotham, the rebirth he carefully planned, everything collapsed.
Perhaps one day Bruce would realize that morality was weakness.
That mercy changed nothing.
But even on the day they fought, Bruce's beliefs never wavered.
That stubborn idealism remained.
After recovering from his injuries, Ra's never returned to the ruins.
He never bothered recovering the corpse of his decoy.
Neither did the surviving members.
To them, death meant little.
Bruce Wayne had believed Gotham was saved if the League's leader died.
Such naïve thinking.
Ra's had taught Bruce one rule above all else.
Never show mercy to an enemy.
Yet Bruce had ignored that lesson completely.
Standing before the window, dressed in black, Ra's slowly narrowed his eyes.
Throughout his long life, he had worn countless identities.
Some names had faded with time.
Others remained.
Some knew him as Henry Ducard.
Others feared him as Ra's al Ghul, the Demon's Head.
But within the League of Assassins, there was only one title that truly mattered.
The Demon's Head.
An immortal ruler.
A figure worshipped almost like a god.
Turning away from the window, Ra's let his thoughts shift.
Years ago, he told Bruce Wayne something important.
To become something greater than flesh, one had to become a symbol.
Fear.
Mystery.
Theatricality.
These things mattered.
That was why he used deception.
Why he created a false "Ra's al Ghul."
Why he concealed himself behind masks and manipulated events from the shadows.
Bruce Wayne had transformed because of it.
The frightened boy eventually became Batman.
Stronger.
Sharper.
More certain of himself.
In many ways, the plan succeeded.
But Bruce never submitted.
Instead, he rebelled.
That failure remained a thorn in Ra's heart.
Now, another thorn had appeared.
Adrian.
The feeling reminded him too much of Bruce Wayne.
Only this time, the challenge was far worse.
Adrian was stronger.
Far stronger.
Ra's had witnessed the Battle of Metropolis.
The battle against General Zod.
To him, it felt incomprehensible.
The difference in power was overwhelming.
Then came Kalibak's invasion.
The Green Lantern conflict.
The growing influence of Homelander.
Each incident only confirmed Adrian's terrifying capabilities.
Against someone like that, resistance felt nearly impossible.
And now Adrian had turned his attention toward the League.
Ra's could not afford another failure.
He had ruled for centuries.
The Lazarus Pit had granted him unnatural longevity.
Kings.
Politicians.
Billionaires.
Military leaders.
Many had bowed before him.
Within the League of Assassins, he represented immortality itself.
Again and again, he cheated death through the Lazarus Pit.
To his followers, it was nothing short of divine.
Much like a miracle.
That belief strengthened the League's loyalty for generations.
But recently, challenge after challenge had shaken his authority.
Bruce Wayne humiliated him.
Gotham slipped through his fingers.
Now Adrian hunted the League as though they were prey.
Such humiliation was intolerable.
Ra's frowned deeply.
His thoughts spiraled.
Then footsteps echoed through the hall.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
He did not need to turn around.
He already knew who it was.
"Talia."
His daughter stepped into the room.
"How did your meeting with Malcolm Merlyn go?"
Ra's asked.
Talia's expression darkened.
"He has no intention of standing against Adrian."
"He fears Adrian's power."
"He won't risk opposing him."
She folded her arms.
"I considered forcing his cooperation."
Ra's looked toward her.
"You tried something."
Talia nodded.
"I attempted to use his daughter as leverage."
"But Adrian's enhanced soldiers were protecting her."
"I couldn't get close."
Her expression hardened further.
"And Alpha has disappeared in Gotham."
"The League's contact with him is gone."
"There's a high chance Adrian already captured him."
Ra's fell silent for several moments.
Then he gave a slow nod.
"You handled it appropriately."
His tone turned more serious.
"This is not the time for reckless action."
"The chaos in Gotham likely attracted Adrian's full attention."
He looked directly at her.
"For now, the League goes underground."
"Cease unnecessary activity."
"Disappear."
"Do not give Adrian an opportunity."
"I understand."
Talia lowered her head slightly.
After a pause, Ra's shifted topics.
"The collapse of Gotham City Hall."
He narrowed his eyes.
"That happened during Adrian's battle with Clark, didn't it?"
"Yes."
Talia hesitated briefly.
"But Clark lost."
Her voice lowered.
"It wasn't close."
"Clark couldn't pose enough of a threat."
Ra's became thoughtful.
"So…"
"What is Adrian's weakness?"
"Green Kryptonite?"
The League had already gathered extensive intelligence.
Smallville was easier to investigate than most places.
Money and patience opened many doors.
By now, Ra's already knew Adrian and Clark's real identities.
Talia spoke after a brief silence.
"We investigated their school records in Smallville."
"There are many suspicious incidents."
"Meteor-infected individuals kept appearing throughout the years."
"Most of them eventually ended up in Belle Reve."
"And nearly every single one crossed paths with Clark and Adrian."
Her tone became more serious.
"In other words…"
"Many of Belle Reve's inmates consider Adrian and Clark their enemies."
Ra's nodded slowly.
"So they spent their youth hunting monsters."
Talia ignored the remark.
"There's something else."
"Lex Luthor of LuthorCorp remains closely connected to both Adrian and Clark."
"They've known each other since middle school."
"Recently, Lex has been researching some kind of superhuman serum."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"It's difficult to believe Adrian isn't connected to it somehow."