Chapter 222: Batte Between Generals
"Thank me later, Commissioner; first, get yourself to safety." John set the Commissioner down and urged him to find a safe spot to hide.
The Commissioner scrambled out the back door of the precinct as fast as his legs could carry him. The entire building was now a designated danger zone.
"Lieutenant John, you're back again," Kezli noted.
John tilted his neck, cracks echoing in the quiet. "Am I supposed to just watch a clown throw a party in my precinct?"
"I hope you don't go running away in disgrace like you did last time." Once again, Kezli chose to engage John in a one-on-one duel rather than commanding his Squid Ninjas to swarm him.
John dropped into a combat stance, and the two began trading blows. They were evenly matched in speed, and while Kezli had the clear edge in raw power, John completely outclassed him in tactical martial arts.
"You're like a dog with nothing but muscle, just biting blindly," John taunted.
"Shut up!" Enraged, Kezli snapped. He swung a high roundhouse kick aimed squarely at John's shoulder.
John smirked inwardly. He had provoked Kezli specifically to lure out a reckless opening. Finding his moment, John ducked low, grabbed Kezli's supporting thigh with both hands, and heaved upward with all his might.
Kezli was hoisted clean off the ground and slammed back down with bone-shattering force.
Bang!
"Aagh!" Kezli felt as if his entire skeleton had splintered.
He immediately stopped trying to box with John. The Squid Ninja behind him lashed out with its tentacles to strike the detective.
John had intended to press his advantage, but the sudden sneak attack forced him to abandon the finishing blow. He rolled across the floor, narrowly dodging the whipping tentacles.
"Looks like you're a sore loser," John said, popping back up with a kip-up.
"So what if you know martial arts? I'll learn them too. Too bad you won't live to see the results of my training." Kezli waved his hand, summoning two Squid Ninjas to flank John from both sides.
"I won't see it because you'll be spending the rest of your life in a cage," John replied, though he was still talking tough, he could feel the pressure.
The Squid Ninjas were freakishly strong. For the first time, John felt a genuine sense of dread that his career—and his life—might end right here.
"Are those your last words? Trash." Kezli made a sweeping motion with his hand.
The two ninjas lunged simultaneously, their tentacles whipping toward John. He focused his vision and leaped high into the air, the appendages whistling beneath his feet.
"Whew... these things are solid." John actually managed to land on the tentacles, balancing himself precariously. It was like standing on four vibrating rubber bungee cords; controlling his center of gravity was nearly impossible, and he swayed dangerously.
"Get down," Kezli commanded.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the ninjas phased into an intangible state. John's feet passed through thin air, and he plummeted. Reacting instantly, John braced his fall with his hands, pushed off, and landed steadily on the floor.
On the other side of the room, Matthew was in dire straits. The ninjas' ability to phase meant his radar sense—which relied on sound echoes—couldn't accurately track their physical forms. His body was already covered in painful welts from their lashings.
"I guess I really am wearing a red suit now," Matthew muttered through the pain. He was likely bruised red from head to toe.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Three tentacles snaked out, binding Matthew's left arm and both legs, pinning him in place.
"Lieutenant John, if you don't care about Daredevil, feel free to keep jumping around," Kezli sneered.
John spun around and saw Daredevil restrained. A Squid Ninja was slowly approaching the hero, its maw widening as if to bite Matthew's head clean off.
"Hold on, brother!" John lost his cool. Daredevil was a man of justice; he couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
"That's another opening." Kezli had alerted John on purpose just to distract him. As John's focus shifted, he was caught in the same manner—his limbs bound tight by black tentacles.
"Ngh! Aah... damn it..." John strained with every ounce of strength he had, but he couldn't break free. He let out a muffled curse.
"It's over! All over! Hahaha!" Kezli's laughter echoed through the hall.
The Squid Ninja opened its mouth, its spiraling, saw-like teeth spinning toward Matthew's head. Just as it prepared to bite—
"ROAR!"
A three-meter-tall dark shadow suddenly lunged out of nowhere, its jaws snapping shut on the head of the Squid Ninja.
Crunch! The ninja began to dissipate into black mist, but the Shadow-Eater Ninja, Little Seven, inhaled the gas directly into its stomach.
Shadow-Eaters can consume any shadow, including their own kind. To them, the Shadow Corps was even more nutritious than human shadows.
"Are you okay?" Jenny, wearing half of an Iron Man mask that left the lower half of her delicate face exposed, urged Little Seven forward to disperse the ninjas restraining Matthew.
Thud! Matthew hit the ground, hissing in pain. He used his sound echoes to "see" the person who saved him. His "eyes" widened in shock. "I'm okay... Jenny? Is that you?"
"It's me, Uncle," Jenny didn't bother hiding it, knowing Matthew's super-senses would figure it out anyway.
"I told you to stay home!" Matthew barked through gritted teeth.
"Home was boring. Besides, Uncle, you'd be dead without me," Jenny said, sticking her tongue out.
"..." Matthew had no retort. She was right.
"ROAR!" Little Seven's massive roar kept the surrounding Squid Ninjas at bay.
Kezli stood frozen in the background. "Is that... the Shadow Corps?"
"Oh? It seems you know about them too?" Jenny's enhanced hearing caught his mutter.
Kezli stared at the small girl. "Hello, little lady. Perhaps we should be on the same team."
"I don't play with murderers." Jenny hated nothing more than villains who killed the innocent; her parents had died at the hands of such men.
"Then we have nothing to talk about! Shadow Corps! Attack!" Kezli commanded.
The Squid Ninjas lunged at Little Seven without hesitation. As Shadow Ninjas, they followed the General's orders with zero fear.
Little Seven bared its glowing, razor-sharp teeth, preparing to swallow the first ninja that reached it. However, the Squid Ninjas were clever; they dodged the snap, and five of them used their tentacles to bind Little Seven's mouth shut—its only means of attack.
"ROAR!" Despite its size, Little Seven couldn't shake off five ninjas at once.
"Oh no! Little Five, go help!" Jenny nudged the fist-sized Little Five sitting beside her.
Jenny could currently only summon two Shadow-Eaters, whereas Kezli's expanding darkness allowed him to command twenty Squid Ninjas.
Little Five looked at its big brother being pinned down, then looked at its own tiny body.
Charge! Little Five bounced forward toward the fray.
The result was predictable: an Squid Ninja swiped a tentacle, sending Little Five tumbling into a corner, nearly dissipating from the impact.
Little Five shook its dizzy head, looked around, and saw the unconscious police officers lying under the bright lights. Its teeth suddenly gleamed.
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