C84: Shot Showdown
"Someone's coming—no, a lot of them. Fast."
Matt Murdock's voice was low, strained. His hyper-attuned senses picked up the rush of footsteps approaching from all directions, echoing through the narrow streets of Chinatown like a rising tide. He didn't need to see them to know who they were.
"The Hand." Danny Rand confirmed, standing at the second-floor window of the Chinese restaurant, peering out over the rooftops with narrowed eyes. "They're not even trying to be subtle anymore."
Luke Cage shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rubbing his ribs. The bruises from their last encounter hadn't healed yet, even with his unbreakable skin. "Looks like round two's coming sooner than we thought."
Even the invulnerable had their limits.
Matt pushed himself to his feet, gripping his red-tipped cane with pale knuckles. His balance faltered for a moment before Wesley—stoic and silent—caught his arm. "We need time to recover, but the Hand's not interested in giving us that luxury."
He turned to face the others. Though blind, his radar sense swept the room like a sonar pulse. "This fight might be our last. Some of us... may not make it out alive."
Jessica Jones crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "Not exactly the motivational speech I was hoping for, Red."
Luke stood as well, grimacing as the pain from his wounds reminded him just how mortal he still was. "Motivational or not, if we let that lunatic walk free, Harlem and Hell's Kitchen are next. Don't forget what they call him."
He said the name with weight: "The Ultimate Murderer."
Wesley, still in his clone disguise, added without looking up, "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
Jessica blinked. "What?"
"It's the creed of the League of Assassins. Arabic origin. Talia al Ghul once—"
"Yeah, yeah," Jessica waved him off. "File it under 'weird things to explain if we're still alive later.'"
Danny wasn't a Defender, not officially, but his feud with the Hand ran deep. From K'un-Lun to New York, he'd fought their shadow warriors too many times to count. He clenched his fists, the faint glow of the Iron Fist flickering beneath his skin. "They're not walking away this time."
That left Ye Wen.
Everyone looked to the calm man in the traditional Tang suit, who stood like still water amidst the storm. He simply nodded, no hesitation in his voice. "If this involves the Fire Cloud Evil God, then as a guardian of Penglai, I cannot stand aside."
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The Hand's sudden surge through Chinatown scattered pedestrians like leaves in the wind. Lanterns swung violently in the growing wind, red paper flapping like the wings of startled birds. Locals slammed their doors and shuttered their windows. The legends of shadow ninja clans weren't just urban myths here—they were alive and closing in.
Huoyun Evil God walked forward slowly, surrounded by a dozen masked Hand ninjas. His golden robes brushed the pavement, his presence warping the air like heat over asphalt.
He stopped outside the Chinese restaurant.
His red eyes glanced up.
"No point in hiding," he called out casually. "I already know you're in there."
His voice—low and calm reached Matt and the others upstairs with eerie clarity.
"What the hell does he want?" Danny growled.
"What I want is simple," came the reply, tinged with laughter.
With a burst of supernatural strength, Huoyun Evil God launched himself upward—crashing through the solid stone wall of the second floor. Bricks and dust exploded outward. In an instant, he stood before them.
He didn't flinch at the circle of defenders glaring back.
"I just want to kill a few people. Or die trying."
[Legend gained from Daredevil +120]
[Recognition from Jessica Jones +115]
[Reputation with Luke Cage +95]
[Fame increase from Danny Rand +75]
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Watching through a distant surveillance setup inside an old antique store, Li Ran adjusted his collar. Gone was his usual identity—now he wore the face of Ye Wen, a calm guardian of Penglai. Where once he had used chakra clones for subterfuge, he now personally stood in as one of his own characters.
Limited by the [Mizuki Clone] card's chakra reserves, he couldn't maintain more than two avatars. This time, for maximum effect and fame gain—he had to play Ye Wen himself.
"Let's see if this works," Li Ran murmured, keeping a thread of control over the Fire Cloud avatar's actions while preparing himself for a staged duel.
Huoyun Evil God turned and finally noticed Ye Wen's figure, standing calmly with arms behind his back.
"You," the villain growled. "Penglai?"
The man in the Tang suit nodded. "Ye Wen, disciple of Penglai."
The evil god sneered. "They sent you? Alone? Did the masters grow arrogant, or just careless enough to send a lamb to the slaughter?"
Ye Wen didn't flinch. "You may find the lamb has teeth."
"Big words. I wonder if you'll still talk when you're coughing up blood."
Before Li Ran could even blink, Huoyun Evil God was in front of him, palm raised in a strike shaped unmistakably like the opening form of the Buddha's Palm—an infamous Penglai technique said to tear through steel and stone.
"Look out!" Matt yelled.
But Li Ran moved before the warning even finished. He intercepted the palm with a precise deflection at the elbow, using Penglai's redirection principle. The attack veered aside, crashing into a wooden support beam, splitting it in two.
His counterattack was fluid, slipping past Huoyun's defenses to land a solid strike to the chest.
Huoyun grunted, then grinned. "Interesting."
The duel began in earnest. They traded blows faster than the eye could follow. Palm shadows danced across the room. Furniture exploded. Wind howled through shattered windows.
Jessica and the others stared, wide-eyed.
"Damn," Luke muttered. "He's actually holding his own."
"That's... Ye Wen?" Jessica asked.
Danny's eyes narrowed. "Penglai martial arts. I'd know them anywhere."
The Fire Cloud Evil God twisted, parried, and struck again. Ye Wen responded in kind. To the defenders, it looked like a true battle between ancient titans—a master of forbidden arts versus the last defender of a sacred legacy.
But only Li Ran knew the truth.
He wasn't just fighting to win.
He was fighting to be seen.
To etch his legend into this world's story.
And the points kept rolling in.
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