Bane wasn't about to take any chances now. He quickly backed up and got into a fighting stance.
Adam, watching closely, yelled out a warning, "Watch out! His style is all about wrestling. He's going to charge. Don't try to block him head-on!"
For the first time, Bane finally looked straight at Adam. There was something unsettling about this guy—a regular person, but he seemed to know all of Bane's tricks.
But Bronze Tiger wasn't planning to dodge. He braced himself, planting his feet wide in a strong triangle. His arms came up, ready to absorb Bane's attack. Seeing the opening, Bane didn't hesitate—he raced forward at full speed.
The two heavy-hitters slammed into each other with a sound like thunder. Bronze Tiger stayed where he was. Even though his feet didn't budge, the ground beneath him cracked and scraped from the force. Quickly, he took a deep breath, spun Bane's arm around, and drove a powerful kick into Bane's side, tossing him back.
"Real power comes from the ground," Bronze Tiger called out. "If you lose your base, all your strength is wasted. Now it's my turn!"
With that, Bronze Tiger launched himself high into the air, even higher than Bane. He seemed to almost float, moving with control and agility.
Bane was shocked and he muttered aloud, "How is he moving like that?!"
His surprise slowed him for just a second—but a second was all Bronze Tiger needed. He rained down punches on Bane from above, hitting him over and over. Bane hit the ground hard, bruised and bloodied, and finally slumped to his knees, coughing up blood and struggling to stand.
"No! I refuse to lose now!" Bane said, panic rising in his eyes. "After everything I've fought for, I can't die as nothing. How does someone have this much power without drugs? He must be using some secret technique. Think! If I spot the pattern, I can win."
Desperate, Bane replayed every move Bronze Tiger had used, searching for the smallest clue.
Meanwhile, Bronze Tiger took a steady breath and marched toward Bane.
"Sorry, but this ends here," Bronze Tiger said, his voice cold. "Maybe in a training hall, I'd be glad to have a rival like you. But this is war. You should have known the risk."
He shaped his hand like a blade, full of deadly focus. With no hesitation, he struck straight for Bane's throat—the weakest point on the human body. The knife-hand blow sliced deep, and blood spattered everywhere, coloring the dirt red.
But at the last second, Bane managed to block. Instead of his throat, Bronze Tiger's hand sank deep into Bane's arm. Bane ignored the pain, and with his free hand, punched Bronze Tiger hard in the stomach.
Bronze Tiger gasped, face twisted in agony.
Bane stood up, kicked Bronze Tiger away, and watched him crash to the ground. Suddenly, all the skill and agility Bronze Tiger had shown earlier seemed to vanish—he couldn't even dodge.
"Game over," Bane growled, not even glancing at his bleeding arm. "Your fancy moves don't work anymore. I figured it out. Before every attack, you always changed your breathing, and would jab your thigh to wake yourself up. It's some kind of trick to squeeze out extra strength, right?"
Bronze Tiger coughed up more blood, barely able to stand.
"So I focused all my hits on your lungs. You might have secret techniques, but breathing only works if your lungs do. Once they're hurt, your little tricks don't matter anymore."
Bronze Tiger felt himself weaken. It was true—his body hadn't healed and those pressure-point tricks were a last resort, never meant to last long. Bane's quick observation and sharp thinking had undone him in just a few moves.
That was always the scariest part about Bane. He wasn't just a powerhouse; he was a strategist, always looking for weaknesses. In the comics, Bane never attacked Batman head-on. Instead, he hid in Gotham, tracked down every clue, and discovered Batman's true identity. His plan was perfect: let loose all the criminals, keep Batman running until he was completely exhausted, and then, when Batman finally returned home, Bane waited, broke him, and dropped him in front of everyone in Gotham.
Bane's strength was undeniable, but it was his brain that made him truly dangerous.
Slowly, Bane walked over to the fallen Bronze Tiger. "It's over now," he said quietly. "This is a battlefield. Remember what you said? You should've been ready for this."