Meanwhile, at Downton Manor.
Bruce and Lex stood glaring at each other, tense like two predators seconds away from tearing each other apart. Before either could throw a punch, Axel stepped between them, already irritated.
"Both of you, shut your damn mouths."
He clapped his hands together hard.
A violent gust of air exploded outward, knocking Bruce and Lex off balance. The sudden force snapped both of them back to their senses.
"Since today is my invitation," Axel said coldly, "I'll let this shit go. But when I get back, Bruce Wayne, I'm making time to beat your ass properly."
Bruce straightened his sleeves and let out a dry laugh. "I'll be waiting. Try to find the guts to challenge me soon, Lex."
Lex accepted the clothes Pierce handed him and put them on without responding. Making these two friends was impossible, but getting them to sit at the same table was easy enough.
As the banquet began, Alfred stood behind Axel with a polite smile, watching him grab a bottle of whiskey and shove it straight toward Bruce.
Faced with the bottle nearly forced into his mouth, Bruce panicked. "Let go, I don't drink. Axel, let me go!"
"You don't make the rules tonight, buddy," Axel laughed. "I'm the King of Gotham, remember?"
Ignoring Bruce's resistance, Axel locked onto his arm and poured the entire bottle down his throat. Moments later, Bruce was already swaying.
Axel nodded approvingly. "Now you look a bit more like a man. At least you won't be sneaking around like a damn ghost."
He turned to Alfred. "Once he's fully drunk, prep a nice room for him and Miss Rachel. I'm really looking forward to their wedding."
"A most gentlemanly suggestion, Master," Alfred replied, eyes lighting up as if he were ready to escort them himself.
Bruce struggled to stay conscious and waved his hand weakly. "Impossible. I still have important things to do tonight. I need to finalize a plan that might restrain you…"
"What was that?" Axel said sharply. "You want another bottle?"
Before Bruce could react, Axel grabbed another bottle and poured it straight into him.
Then Axel lifted his own glass and clinked it against Lex's. "Let's drink with him."
Lex nodded. "Since you insist."
Bruce rubbed his forehead, his words slurring. "Axel, I haven't slept in over forty hours. If I keep drinking, I'll mess up everything I need to do…"
"Spending time with Rachel is the important thing," Axel cut in, raising his glass toward her.
Selina, standing beside Rachel, chuckled. She took Rachel's glass, drank it herself, then pressed her lips to Rachel's and forced the wine into her mouth.
Bruce staggered forward and slapped Selina's hand away. "She's just an ordinary girl. Don't bully her."
Selina raised an eyebrow. "So you think you're extraordinary?"
She gently shoved Rachel into Bruce's arms. The two drunk bodies collided, and before Bruce could recover, Axel exchanged a glance with Selina.
In the next second, Selina held Rachel's face while Axel pushed the back of Bruce's head.
Their lips collided.
After that, no one needed to interfere. Bruce and Rachel were already lost. The crowd watched as they kissed more intensely before stumbling out of the banquet and into the castle.
The moment they disappeared, Axel slapped a high five with Selina. Alfred almost joined in before catching himself, though the smile on his face was impossible to hide. For the first time in a long while, he saw real hope for Bruce.
Selina licked her lips and glanced at Axel. "So, anything else you need to discuss with Lex?"
"Discuss?" Axel laughed. "I'll discuss you, Kitten."
He scooped Selina up and headed inside, leaving Lex alone at the table.
Lex curled his lip as he watched them go. "Bruce Wayne disappoints me. A brilliant mind wasted on hesitation and desire. Axel at least follows his instincts. Bruce pretends to be above temptation but folds instantly. Pathetic."
He drained his glass and stood. "Alfred, take good care of Axel. His existence is our greatest asset. I'll be relocating my laboratory closer to the Manor."
Without waiting for a reply, Lex boarded his plane. Pierce apologized repeatedly to Alfred.
"It's fine," Alfred replied calmly. "My Master and Young Master are no easier to deal with. We should simply be grateful they're friends."
Pierce laughed. "Lex having friends is still hard to believe, but it's good news."
Soon, Lex's plane lifted off and returned to Metropolis.
After cleaning up the banquet, Alfred took a quiet walk around Wayne Lake. He paused when he noticed two squirrels chasing each other through a tree and finally broke into a warm, contented smile.
Elsewhere, in Gotham's Diamond District, cleanup efforts hit a turning point.
With the roads cleared, the gangs grew restless and gathered around their temporary leader.
"Boss, where's Boss Bat?"
"Yeah, what's the next order?"
"Victor said we belong to Boss Bat, but we don't even have territory yet."
"Shut the hell up," the leader snapped. "If Boss doesn't have a place, we'll take one for him. We've got men and machines. What's stopping us?"
He raised his hand. "Get in the cars. We're hitting Sionis territory. Their core spot, the Supersonic Bar. Tonight, it becomes Bat Bar."
Cheers erupted as the convoy roared to life and charged forward.
Gunfire echoed through the district until midnight. By eleven, the Dead Souls Gang had driven the Sionis family out and beaten back the police reinforcements.
A crude Bat symbol was sprayed over the Supersonic Bar sign. Reporters rushed to write their headlines.
"The Bat Force Rises, Gotham Moves Toward a Single Voice."
Back at Downton Manor, an invisible figure suddenly smashed through the castle defenses and landed directly in Axel's bedroom, shattering tiles and carpet alike.
"Who the hell is that?" Selina shouted, already firing her pistol.
Bullets struck Kara without slowing her. She pushed through the gunfire and grabbed Axel.
"Axel!"
The windows exploded outward as Axel snapped awake and slapped her away.
Kara seized his wrist and clamped a hand around his throat. "They're going to destroy Wayne Tower at dawn. We have to move."
"Get lost," Axel muttered.
With a lazy wave of his hand, he ignored her entirely and went right back to sleep, still in her grip.