"No Bruce, Standing up to my father… has always been a dream of mine. Let me do this." Sophie voice was resolute.

Bruce exhaled, slow, steady, and a subtle nod formed.

If this was what she wanted, he would stand with her. Not in front of her. Not instead of her. With her. But he would never allow her to face this alone.

"Alright," he murmured, voice low, resolute. "I'm with you."

Something warm flickered through his eyes, quiet but unwavering. "And Sophie There's no need to feel anything, stand strong."

"I understand." Her breath stuttered, something raw and grateful passing through her expression before she steadied herself again. The aura outside drew closer. The air thickened until even the walls seemed to creak. Lamps quivered. The mana in the room recoiled as if bowing to something colossal. A distant step echoed, soft, controlled, but heavy enough that Bruce felt the floorboards tense like muscles beneath pressure.

Sophie's fists clenched. She inhaled sharply. She stood taller.

And the night shifted.

Something unstoppable was coming. And this time, she was done running.

They had barely made it halfway down the stairs when a soft, polite knock echoed through the quiet house.

Bruce and Sophie froze.

The presence they'd sensed earlier... It was gone, completely masked.

Which meant only one thing.

He'd shown that aura on purpose.

Just enough to announce himself.

Just enough for them to know who was coming.

Sophie swallowed, pulse quickening again. Bruce caught the shift instantly, placing a steadying hand at the small of her back. Together, they approached the entrance.

Sophie opened the door.

Standing there was a middle-aged man with jet-black hairs and red pupils. The exact same crimson glow Sophie possessed, but sharper, colder, refined to a blade's edge. His features were striking, ageless in a way that suggested power rather than time. Sophie looked like a perfect mirror of him.

He carried a calmness that should have eased the air.

But for Bruce… It only made every alarm in his body ring louder.

That kind of calm didn't belong to gentle men.

It belonged to apex predators.

Monster recognizes monster.

No mask could hide that truth from Bruce.

"…Father," Sophie whispered, voice tight.

She stepped aside.

Bane entered with measured steps, gaze sweeping the living room once before settling on his daughter.

"So," he said quietly, "you've reached A-Rank."

Sophie stood straighter. "Yes, Father. I stand by what I said."

Bane shook his head with a faint, bittersweet smile. "Sigh… Sophie. You've really grown. I suppose I need to stop seeing you as a child who needs my guidance every step of the way."

His eyes shifted to Bruce.

"I presume this is the Bruce who showed you that 'path' you spoke of."

Sophie stiffened.

This tone…

This softness…

It wasn't him.

Where was the Bane who trained her until she vomited blood?

Where was the Bane whose methods were merciless, who never praised, never comforted, never once showed love openly?

Where was the Bane who treated her like a soldier, not a daughter?

This man felt… unfamiliar. Unsettlingly so.

She couldn't even form words.

Bane let out a small sigh, shaking his head again. "Since you're speechless, I'll take that as a yes… Sigh. Youngsters these days… too brilliant for your own good."

His voice stayed calm, yet held a weight that carried sincerity.

"I can't believe the two of you discovered the loophole people of my generation spent decades searching for." He smiled, not mockingly, but almost… proud. "I'll accept my loss, Sophie. I was wrong. I pushed you toward my path, when yours was the one that could actually break through this world's restrictions."

He paused, eyes softening.

"If his teachings truly free you from the chains this world places on us… then you have my full support."

Bruce blinked, surprised despite himself.

But Sophie? She looked shattered. Not in pain, but disbelief.

Her voice finally cracked out. "Why… why did you knock this time? Why didn't you just teleport inside like you always do?"

It might seem like an odd question to ask, but she asked that question because her father has never knocked before. He always teleported in without permission, treating her like a soldier with no privacy. The sudden politeness felt overwhelming for her.

Bane let out a quiet laugh, a sad, tired one.

"Isn't it obvious?" He glanced between them knowingly. "I didn't want to intrude on your privacy."

Sophie froze.

Bane exhaled deeply, shoulders loosening in a way she had never seen before.

"Sophie… I know I've been a terrible father. I know I've pushed you beyond your limits, hurt you, hardened you. But despite everything… I am still a gentleman at my core. If I weren't, your mother would never have fallen for me."

He looked away briefly, an old shadow passing through his eyes.

"But when she died, when those invaders used their vile methods to take her from me, my view of the world changed. I changed. The only thing left in me was survival. I wanted you to follow the same path because it was the only one I believed could keep you alive."

He stepped closer, voice low but honest.

"Breaking the world's restrictions… that is the only hope we have of surviving the doom that's coming. I forced you because I didn't want to lose you like I lost her. But…"

His eyes flickered toward Bruce again.

"It seems your path… is stronger."

Even though Bruce hadn't spoken, his stance was calm and unyielding, protective, resolute, unwavering at Sophie's side.

Bane noticed.

He turned fully now, gaze shifting toward Bruce, "And you, what do you think of my daughter…"

Bruce met Bane's gaze without flinching.

"…I think she's extraordinary," he said quietly. "Not because of her rank or her talent. But because she keeps choosing to stand… even when the world keeps trying to break her."

His voice stayed level, but there was no mistaking the conviction in it.

"She deserves someone who treats her as more than a weapon or a legacy. Someone who sees her. I won't fail her in that. She's my girl."

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