Chapter 401: Hulk and Loki's Famous Scene!
The battle between the two Shadow Generals in the Shadow Kingdom was incredibly intense, with both sides unleashing their signature techniques.
Rei wasn't actually that interested in the leadership position, but John's arrogance had rubbed her the wrong way. If you want to be the boss, then I'll be the boss too! I'm going to fight you for it!
For a time, the arena was a blur of flashing blades and shadows. The air was filled with the rhythmic clashing of steel and flying sparks. Rei's cursed blade was enveloped in black mist—her unique ability, allowing her to imbue the weapon with a temporary, lethal sentience.
Meanwhile, John pushed his speed to the limit, moving so fast that Rei had to remain constantly on guard against his unpredictable, lightning-fast strikes.
Below the stage:
"Eddie, we're up next." Venom was already vibrating with excitement, unable to wait for his turn to perform.
Eddie Brock watched the blurring figures on the stage with wide eyes. He swallowed hard and whispered, "Maybe we should just keep watching for a bit."
"Coward," Venom hissed, instantly seeing through Eddie's nerves.
The commotion caught the attention of someone else: Silas.
Having hit a dead end with the Horse Talisman clues, Silas had decided to set them aside and play some games, thinking a fresh mind might find a breakthrough. Instead, he found an even better show happening among the Shadow Generals.
Silas loved being a spectator. He immediately manifested a small stool and a bag of melon seeds, floating invisibly above the arena to watch the duel. He completely concealed his aura; as long as he didn't want to be found, he was a ghost.
Only Blacklight sensed him, but that was because Silas intentionally let him. Floating in mid-air, Silas winked at Little Black below and began casually cracking his melon seeds. Little Black was surprised that a simple internal dispute had drawn the Master's attention.
Thump!
In the end, Rei narrowly defeated John. In a moment of distraction, John's hands were pinned by Rei, and she delivered a decisive kick that sent him flying out of the ring.
"Sorry, I win," Rei said, sheathing her long leg and giving John a slight smile.
"Impressive. Truly worthy of being General Ikazuki," John conceded. He wasn't a sore loser.
"Who's next?" Rei asked, catching her breath as she looked at the group below.
"Take a rest, Sister Rei. Otherwise, if we win, it won't be a fair victory," Jenny said, her small figure stepping forward.
"Agreed," Mike added, not wanting to take advantage of Rei's exhaustion. Rei didn't push herself; she nodded and hopped down from the stage.
"Then it's my turn! Hee-hee!" Jenny bounced on the spot, but she was so small she couldn't even jump onto the one-meter-high stage.
"Hmph~" Jenny puffed out her cheeks, frustrated by her height. Her pet, Five-Six-Seven, sighed and hopped down, letting Jenny step on his head to scramble up. Finally, she made it.
"Alright! Now, who's my opponent?" Jenny asked, looking down with anticipation.
"Her! Let's fight her!" Eddie's eyes lit up. He patted Venom on the head and jumped onto the stage with newfound confidence.
Everyone else looked at Eddie with utter disdain. You're seriously going to bully a little girl? They had been planning to let Jenny win by default or discourage her, but Eddie had actually taken the bait.
"You're embarrassing me," Venom muttered, so ashamed that he retracted into Eddie's body.
Eddie gave a sheepish smile and said to Jenny, "Don't worry, Jenny. I'll go easy on you."
"Really?! Thank you, Uncle Eddie!" Jenny bowed politely.
For a moment, Eddie felt like Jenny was far too well-behaved to be a Shadow General.
"Begin," Mike announced from below. To the observers, it seemed obvious: without her Eater Ninjas, Jenny appeared to be the weakest person present.
"Can I go first?" Jenny asked with a mischievous grin.
"Of course," Eddie replied. Though for some reason, he felt a sudden chill.
BOOM!
Suddenly, Jenny's body began to swell. Her once thin limbs exploded into massive, bulging muscles. Her height skyrocketed from under a meter to over three meters, transforming her into a literal "Black Hulk."
"Wait... something's not right," Eddie stammered, backing away. Is this still Jenny?!
But Jenny didn't care about his confusion. He had said she could go first.
"No, no, no!" Eddie turned to jump off the stage, but Jenny was faster. She lunged forward, grabbed Eddie by both legs, and slammed him face-first into the floor.
CRASH!
The arena shook. A deep, spider-web crack formed where Eddie's head met the ground. But Jenny wasn't done. She hoisted him up and began repeatedly slamming him side-to-side against the floor.
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
The spectators below winced in unison, turning their heads away at the brutal sound of the impact. Finally, Jenny threw Eddie high into the air, letting him crash back down onto the stage like a falling meteor.
"Cough... hack..." Eddie lay in the crater, half-dead, spitting out blood and dust. He feebly raised an arm to surrender, but Venom suddenly surged forth.
Black tendrils covered Eddie, instantly healing his displaced organs and absorbing his internal bruising.
"I didn't expect that. Truly a Shadow General," Venom hissed, his long tongue flickering over his milky-white eyes. He had intentionally let Eddie take the beating to teach him a lesson about underestimating others. Now, he was ready to play.
Even at over two meters tall, Venom was still dwarfed by the massive Jenny.
"Wonderful! You're called Venom, right? Can you be my pet?" Jenny asked, her interest piqued.
"Can I eat you instead?" Venom retorted. He was Venom, not a puppy!
The two behemoths clashed, trading devastating blows. Jenny used her superior mass to pin Venom, but Venom used his liquid-like body to coil around her, trying to seize control of her movements. They were locked in a stalemate.
"Never underestimate a Shadow General," Mike muttered, having learned a valuable lesson from the little girl.
"Small body, terrifying explosive power," Kingpin added, glancing at Mike. Their eyes met, sparks of rivalry flying between them. They both knew their fight was next.
"Not bad. Jenny has integrated the mask's power very well," Silas praised from the air. He could feel through the masks that Jenny actually had the deepest connection to her shadow powers among them. Her potential, once she reached adulthood, would be unmatched.
Back on the stage, Jenny ripped through Venom's outer casing, exposing Eddie's head inside.
"Go easy on me..." Eddie pleaded.
Jenny grinned, grabbed him, and tossed him out of the ring. She held the liquid form of Venom in her hands like slime.
"You look just like non-Newtonian fluid~" Jenny poked the goo. Venom couldn't speak in this state; he needed a host. After playing with him for a bit, she tossed him back onto Eddie.
The newly revived Eddie was immediately smacked in the face by his own symbiote and fell over again. Jenny then shrank back down to her harmless, cute form and skipped off the stage.
"..." The remaining Generals were speechless.
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