Chapter 97 The Last Secret Realm ② The Last Secret Realm, I...

The scattered vines shattered into bones after being beaten, and under the heavy, ornate staff, they were forced to reveal their original bone demon form. The increasingly fierce attacks seemed to be a strong declaration of war against the fragile mages, but unfortunately, even with excellent fighting skills, they were no match for the three people at hand.

Dick was incredibly agile; even wielding the staff did not hinder his flexibility in the slightest. Not to mention Bruce and Jason, who had already become quite adept at the fight. Until the battle ended and the forbidden magic circle was destroyed, this place was no longer a garden, but a silent, withered field.

“A few scrapes, and there are marks here from being hit.” Enid frowned as she watched them approach, muttering about their injuries. Without waiting for Bruce and Jason to speak, she said to Dick, “Please, hold the staff up for about three seconds.”

Without a second thought, Dick quickly raised his staff high. Enid simply closed her eyes, gently offering a blessing. The staff emitted a glow that healed their minor wounds. The staff was inscribed with healing runes that would automatically activate under certain circumstances, but it could only heal external injuries; it was considered an alchemical artifact, not magic.

Tim taught her how to exploit loopholes. Tim had mentioned this during their previous discussion, so Enid found this staff. It seems quite useful, doesn't it?

“Great…hmm, bandage?” Dick was trying to find a good prop to codename, and Enid smiled and nodded in agreement. “Great, that’s bandage. Next up is…okay, the door’s open.”

At the end of the road was a large door. There was almost no more druidic trials after that, or rather, the original trials had been dismantled and broken down. Although some of the polluted atmosphere had been purified, it was clear that the air here was worse than in London and the Gotham Factory.

“Compared to the air here, the Joker’s chemical plant is better than the Joker’s,” Jason suddenly said, his tone slightly relaxed. He was wearing a full-coverage hood with a purification device inside. “But unfortunately, I can’t feel it, so I said a full-coverage hood is the best.”

Dick shrugged, admitting Jason was right this time, though he didn't actually find the air that bad… Dick frowned, looking at Enid with some concern, then at Bruce. Bruce, who had already prepared his gas mask, walked over when he saw Dick and Enid hadn't moved.

The scent in the air lingered after the battle, or perhaps it wafted out from inside the door after it opened.

"B, I'm fine. Um, it's the staff purifying the air around me. I bet the air around me is almost as fresh as it is at home now." Dick looked at Bruce, understood what he meant, and quickly explained.

Bruce was relieved to know the reason, and then looked at Enid. Enid took out a necklace with a shy expression. The gemstone was made into the Nightwing symbol, and a silver bat-shaped icon was hanging on the back of the necklace.

"Yes, that's fine. Hmm... let's continue."

"Nightwing and I will walk in front, Red Hood will walk at the back, and you will be in the middle of us."

No one objected to the arrangement. Their excellent night vision allowed them to see everything clearly even inside the dimly lit doorway. Enid followed behind Dick, her staff flashing brilliantly, the faint light seemingly providing just the right amount of assistance for their journey.

The cave seemed unremarkable, just a maze with twists and turns, like a real labyrinth. This labyrinth, fraught with danger, was like a final obstacle before the final challenge. Hidden traps would spew out various sharp blades at almost every approach, the gleaming silver blades trying to pierce their skin and satisfy their bloodlust.

Unfortunately, no one here was willing to satisfy its desires, so the blade was broken.

Not all the mechanisms in the maze were triggered without reason; they had a certain probability or condition within the rules. Leaving aside the unconditional ones, the rest were all avoided unscathed by the three experienced people with Enid. For some reason, Enid suddenly thought of the underground levels in Ma'ao.

"Wouldn't it look a lot like Ma?"

"Indeed, if there really were man-eating flowers, I bet those things would turn against you."

Jason quickly chimed in after Enid spoke, saying that given Enid's relationship with the plants and animals, it was hard to say whether the carnivorous flower was an obstacle or an asset. Enid smiled and her eyes crinkled.

"Of course, but there won't be any here... and even if there were, it wouldn't be real."

“They won’t let real plants pave your way here, but they can’t,” Dick said gently.

As they were talking, Dick noticed the mushrooms growing on the wall. The brightly colored mushrooms, growing in the damp and dim environment, looked like they were poisonous and probably not edible. They also noticed the mushrooms. Bruce went over first, took out his device, and scanned the mushrooms. In less than 10 seconds, a beeping sound came from the device.

"The exit from the maze has been found."

The only exit from the maze was where the plants grew. Enid's hand, glowing with a faint green light, devoured the mushroom. Instantly, a small door appeared where the mushroom had grown. Bruce was still the same; he always took the lead and wouldn't let the children go first.

Inside the door was a spacious plaza, much like in Kirby, where after navigating through mazes and traps, you'd be facing the final boss.

“Don’t worry.” Bruce looked at Enid and assured her seriously, “It will be over soon. Hide well and take advantage of the situation.”

"The old bat is right."

Jason caught the gun he had tossed up, then quickly reloaded it with new bullets—the kind he'd been using all along, specially made for these guys. Dick, on the other hand, didn't speak. Instead, he reached out and touched Enid's cheek. He said nothing, but it was as if he'd said everything.

Enid nodded, quickly hiding herself and watching them become wary. Her senses flashed to their maximum, the surroundings were deathly quiet, as if trying to wear down their patience.

Unfortunately, the plan failed. Before they could wear down their willpower with time, Enid discovered the traces of their magic and passed them to Bruce through a metal badge. Bruce gave a gesture, and the other two quickly received it.

They used a feint attack, swarming in the moment the enemy showed a fleeting weakness.

The fact that they can't see the enemy's appearance doesn't affect their ability to hit every shot in battle. They can even sense the appearance of their opponents, just like the bone ghosts they saw after leaving the first level. However, these guys are more agile and can even cast corrosive magic.

Her heart pounded. The enemy was almost completely invisible. Enid suddenly regretted that she could share her vision with everyone, so that only she could see the enemy's appearance clearly. She pursed her lower lip, but thankfully she was no longer worried, because... even if she couldn't see the enemy's appearance, its movements seemed to be full of flaws.

The wind and light reached an agreement: optics erased its appearance, but could not hide the changes that occurred when it was distorted. Every movement and breath was a flaw, the very thing that allowed them to strike at its core.

The skeleton rolled to the ground, shattering into pieces. Some parts were slightly corroded, including the hem of Batman's cape and the outer arm of Dick's suit. The injuries were almost quickly healed by the staff. The dead skeleton had lost its ability to become invisible, and they could see that it was a skeleton that had been dead for a long time.

Before Enid lay a shimmering blue crystal, which she exchanged glances with the others. She grabbed the crystal, stuffed it into her own space, and then lunged at Dick, who caught her just in time.

Space collapsed in that instant. Dick clung tightly to Enid. At that moment, the staff opened a barrier, and they quickly found their way forward amidst the falling rocks. The clanging sound of the metal badges came through again, and Barbara's voice was unusually serious, as if she had been alerted. "Five minutes left."

Cassan quietly assessed the enemy's arrival timeline. Inside the school, as instructed by Enid, she had prepared all the anti-teleportation runes. The runes were inscribed on specific containers and then evenly distributed. She stroked the metal edge, relaying the message to everyone still inside.

She watched as four people emerged from the collapsed secret realm. Dick didn't intend to let go; instead, he greeted Cassan. Cassan emerged from her hiding place, and the five of them gathered together. Lyra remained on high alert, with Barbara's voice in their ears.

"Five at seven o'clock, three at three o'clock, very good... Break through at nine o'clock, the troublemakers and I are waiting for you here."

"receive."

Bruce quickly knocked those people down, and they soon fell asleep under the powerful attack, probably for the whole night. Bruce was very careful with his direction; he had beaten many people before. In the midst of everyone's quiet sleep, they quickly crossed the road.

Barbara sat on the unicorn's back, while Alfred, who had prepared a carriage behind them, quickly boarded. Stephanie had lost her bet with Barbara, so she didn't get to ride on Aura's back. Barbara thought it was perfectly normal that Stephanie had lost the bet, wasn't it?

Aura's footsteps sped along the uneven road, the scenery turning into a fast-forwarded video. They watched as Aura stepped into the void, and the same dazzling halo was released from Enid's hand. Chains bound the door, leaving the enemy helplessly outside. They entered the familiar white space, and the door was locked.

After watching them disembark from the carriage, Superman greeted Bruce, who happened to be on patrol that day. After greeting Enid, this portal was also designated a daily patrol route for the Justice League.

Bruce and Superman nodded, indicating that everything was fine. They turned to look at the gate that was locked by chains. Enid reached out and stroked Aura, kissed her cheek, and then ran over.

"The door is closed! Let's go home!"

"Okay." Bruce said gently, a slight smile playing on his lips.

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Author's Note: The secret realm ended very quickly.

The finale is almost here!

Okay, next up is the proposal and stuff.