Chapter 400: Shadow Generals' Duel!
"A flying wealthy socialite?" John frowned slightly. He wasn't very familiar with the happenings over in San Francisco.
Rei nodded. "Yes. I have a student from there, and I overheard the news by chance."
"Why mention this? Is it possible that he's another Shadow General?" Kingpin asked, rubbing the ring on his thumb.
"Are there Shadow Generals that can fly? I'm not clear on that point." Mike "The Underworlder" hadn't unlocked much information regarding the other Generals. He knew his own abilities well, but the rest were a mystery.
"In my memory... I think there are," Jenny said, tapping her chin with her index finger and blinking her large eyes.
John thought for a moment before speaking. "There is. It's the General of the Bat Khan, Kiiro."
"Now that you mention it, I recall a bit about General Kiiro," Mike said, his memories of the Shadow Realm flickering back.
"Are you certain he's a Shadow General?" John turned to ask Rei.
"I'm not sure. I just found it suspicious that someone would suddenly gain the ability to fly," Rei replied. Many people in the world gained superpowers, varying in strength; she couldn't know for sure if this socialite was one of their own.
"Regardless, we must investigate. What if he is one of our Shadow Generals?" John stated.
Kingpin tapped the table. "Then who goes? While the Shadow Ninjas are good for errands, they aren't the best at communication."
"That... let me go." Eddie Brock finally saw an opening to speak.
"You?" John looked at Eddie skeptically. He felt Eddie's personality wasn't quite suited for a Shadow General—even Jenny seemed more reliable.
"Leave this to us! Eddie and I live in San Francisco anyway; we're close by," Venom said, giving Eddie a disappointed look. How can you be so timid in front of the other Generals! You have to show strength!
"Yes, we're in San Francisco. We're familiar with the area," Eddie added with a sheepish grin, feeling like he didn't quite fit in.
The group exchanged glances. Then Rei stood up. "So, it seems we're done here? I have matters to attend to."
"I never said we were finished." John looked up, his gaze fixed on Rei.
John was clearly positioning himself as the leader of the Generals, despite Rei wearing the mask of General Ikazuki. Silas hadn't enforced a rigid hierarchy based on the original masks; instead, the Generals were allowed to compete for the top spot based on their own strength whenever the Shadow Master was away.
"It seems Sheriff John has a bit of an issue with me?" Rei's lips curled into a slight smirk. She was General Ikazuki!
"The Shadow Master said we are free to rank ourselves. Whoever has the hardest fist is the boss," John declared, clearly wanting the lead position.
"Don't forget, I am General Ikazuki," Rei said, black mist beginning to swirl around her cursed blade. The battle was imminent.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Jenny cheered, her eyes sparkling with excitement. It had been so long since a good fight; her bones were feeling rusty.
Eddie watched the tension rise and whispered, "Venom, maybe we should leave. It looks like they're actually going to fight."
"Eddie! What are you afraid of? We are the Shadow Symbiote General! Don't you want to be the boss?" Venom clearly loved the idea of power.
"Uh... no, I don't," Eddie shook his head firmly.
"Too bad, I do!" Venom wasn't about to let Eddie leave. He wanted the top spot.
Mike laughed. "Since no one is leaving, I assume everyone wants to be the boss?"
"Of course. I am the Kingpin of the underworld; I have a great interest in being the leader of the Shadow Generals," the fake Fisk said, a flash of excitement in his eyes.
"Excellent. Why don't we settle this in the Shadow Kingdom? Calling out the legions would be boring," Mike suggested with a light chuckle. Indeed, a General's worth was measured by their personal strength, not just their army.
"Suits me," John said, cracking his neck. He fully agreed with Mike's suggestion.
"I hope you don't regret this," Rei said, lowering her blade. Ever since gaining her powers, she hadn't lost a single duel.
The Shadow Kingdom
"Just to be clear, I'm not participating in the fight for the top spot. I'm a scientist," Blacklight said, stepping back from the conflict. He had zero interest in leadership; his only passion was research and technology.
"A scientist?" The others tilted their heads, surprised by this General's unique style.
"Then Brother Blacklight can watch from the sidelines," Mike said, surprised that someone would actually opt out.
"Since Sheriff John started this, let's have John versus Sister Rei first!" Jenny shouted, hugging Five-Six-Seven excitedly. She couldn't wait for the show to begin.
"My thoughts exactly." John's legs transformed into long, sharp triangular spikes, and his hands turned into razor-sharp claws—the form of the Razor Legion.
Seeing this, Rei summoned a swirl of black mist that solidified into a suit of obsidian-like samurai armor.
"Be careful, Rei. My claws aren't just for show," John warned. His claws glinted with a cold light that made the air feel sharp.
"And this armor isn't just for decoration." Rei was confident in her swordsmanship, but she wasn't about to underestimate her opponent.
Mike called forth his Legion to surround the area, forming a massive arena. "We should have some rules. Stepping out of bounds or being incapacitated counts as a loss. Agreed?"
Everyone agreed. Without a boundary, someone with high speed could just run around forever.
"Then let it begin!" Mike shouted.
At the signal, Rei vanished, leaving only an afterimage.
"So fast!" John hadn't expected her to move like that in such heavy armor. However, in terms of pure agility, the Claw Ninja style was superior.
When Rei appeared before John and brought her blade down in a heavy arc, John crossed his claws above his head.
Clang!
A brilliant shower of sparks erupted between them as the claws held back the cursed blade.
Creak~
However, Rei's raw strength was greater. John's lower body began to tremble as he was slowly overpowered.
"You're too arrogant," Rei mocked. John had seen the trajectory of her blade but had chosen to block it head-on rather than dodge.
"I think I can handle it!" John's right leg suddenly whipped toward Rei.
Rei looked down, but she was too close to jump away. John's sharp spike-leg scraped against her armor, sending sparks flying. At the same time, Rei lost her balance and began to fall toward the ground.
Now! John saw his opening. He lunged forward, aiming his claws at Rei's back. The samurai armor was thick, but the Claw Legion's piercing power was designed to break through defenses.
At the critical moment, Rei slammed her katana into the ground. She let go of the hilt and used it as a pivot, spinning her body in mid-air to land firmly on her feet a short distance away.
John's claws struck nothing but air. He looked at the blade stuck in the ground. "Don't you samurai value your swords more than your lives?"
"What use is a sword if the life is gone?" Rei reached out her right hand, and the cursed blade flew back into her grip automatically.
"Convenient ability." John reassumed his combat stance. It was time to get serious. John was like an agile assassin, while Rei was a heavy-duty warrior—a warrior with high defense but slightly lower mobility.
"The warm-up is over. Ready to surrender?" John asked, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"Funny," Rei replied, black energy beginning to billow from her blade. "I was just finishing my warm-up too."
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