"Angry Crow Takes Flight!"
Hak Foo, the first to react, let out a roar like a war drum, sounding the start of this duel.
His body was agile as a cheetah, launching a heavy, powerful flying kick straight for Vic's face. The wind from his leg was fierce, carrying the resolve to kill his prey in one blow.
Vic, however, reacted as if he'd met a butterfly saying hello during an afternoon stroll. Unhurriedly, he pulled out the Ming Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain vase he'd swiped from the cleaning cart and casually blocked with it.
The movement was so natural, as if this priceless antique was a shield he carried with him.
"Watch the kick! My antique!"
Valmont's scream instantly changed pitch, becoming sharp enough to pierce eardrums.
Hak Foo's mouth twitched violently. He forcibly twisted his body in mid-air, the flying kick filled with all his strength narrowly grazing the edge of the vase.
He stumbled upon landing, almost losing his balance, his face turning green with frustration.
"Idiots! Forget that broken bottle! The talismans! My talismans!!"
Shendu on the wall was so angry his stone body was buzzing. He wished he could jump down personally and use dragon breath to turn these useless fools and the little thief into ash.
"State your name!"
Hak Foo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood. He assumed a starting stance, hooking his finger at Vic, trying to regain some masterly demeanor.
Vic blinked, showing a look of realization like "Oh, we have to go through this process." Then he straightened his back and said in a solemn tone akin to reciting poetry:
"Black Cat Role, an elegant phantom thief."
He even smoothed an imaginary bow tie.
"Black Cat Role? I am Black Tiger Hak Foo!"
Hak Foo narrowed his eyes, killing intent gathering again.
"Prepare to die!"
Before his words fell, Hak Foo moved like a rabbit again!
"This is Mantis Style!"
"This is Snake Step!"
"This is Lotus Float!"
"This is Scorpion Palm!"
With every move name he shouted, he launched a fierce attack. Fists, feet, elbows, knees—the offensive was like a tide, trying to intimidate the opponent with dazzling techniques and names.
Vic's figure drifted, dodging sideways, blocking, or retreating lightly, always avoiding the core force of the attack by a hair's breadth. His movements were relaxed and comfortable.
The expression on his face grew increasingly peculiar, changing from initial confusion to the sheer interest of discovering a new toy.
Hey, say what you will—
Vic complained to Venom in his mind.
This guy brings his own commentary to a fight? Full marks for ritual! Although his combat power is meh, the entertainment value is absolutely top-tier!
Venom formed a small mouth on his shoulder, hissing with laughter:
"Indeed, much more interesting than watching boring TV shopping channels. Let him shout more; I'll write them down to use in fights later. Sounds pretty bluffing."
Vic agreed deeply.
Although with his current physical fitness enhanced by Venom, he could take down Hak Foo in a few serious moves, he suddenly felt reluctant.
He wanted to see how many weird move names this live treasure could shout.
Also, using his basic attacks to tank the opponent's ultimate moves gave him an inexplicably satisfying feeling of "high cost-performance ratio."
Hak Foo, however, felt more frustrated and alarmed the more he fought.
He poured all his strength into every move, shouting until hoarse, yet the opponent wasn't even breathing hard, dodging and blocking with ease. Forget shouting move names; he didn't even offer a decent expression.
This frustrating feeling of his ultimate moves clashing with someone's basic attacks made him feel like a street performer, while the opponent was the audience holding a coin and watching the show.
"Hammer of Heaven!"
"Cat Landing!"
"Bear Slap!"
"Taste my Flying Crane Catches Shrimp!"
"Two Dragons Play with Pearl!"
"Gorilla Breaks Branch!"
Hak Foo's move names became denser, his attacks wilder, but Vic still strolled leisurely, occasionally laughing out loud at a particularly bizarre name.
This laughter was like a whip, lashing at Hak Foo's proud heart.
Finally, with a roar filled with unwillingness and exhaustion, Hak Foo used his opening move again:
"Angry Crow Takes Flight!"
He leaped into the air again, kicking toward Vic.
This time, Vic lost his interest in playing. He sighed, his tone carrying the regret of "reruns are on, time to change the channel."
"Yo, out of new moves? Starting to loop now?"
Watching Hak Foo fly-kick toward him, Vic didn't dodge. He simply raised his leg, striking later but arriving first. A precise side kick landed squarely on Hak Foo's chest.
BANG!
With a muffled thud, Hak Foo flew backward faster than he came, like a bowling ball smashing into the waiting group of Shadow Ninjas behind him.
Instantly, the Shadow Soldiers were knocked over, falling in a heap and dissipating into smoke.
Vic casually dusted non-existent dirt off his pants leg. Looking at the messy scene and the stone dragon on the wall about to explode with rage, he flashed a brilliant smile capable of infuriating the living:
Shendu's roar echoed in the office, trembling with exasperation.
Following his will, more Shadow Ninjas seeped out of the shadows in the walls and floor.
A dense mass completely blocked the path to the heavy solid wood door. Cold killing intent solidified in the air.
Pushing the cleaning cart loaded with "loot," Vic scratched his head helplessly, his face written with the displeasure of "vacation interrupted."
"Sigh, honestly, I'm getting a bit tired of this tag-team fighting."
He sighed, as if talking to himself, or shouting toward an empty direction.
"Minion No. 1, I know you're here. Stop hiding, come block them."
"Don't call me Minion No. 1."
A voice, slightly shadowed and suppressing some emotion, came from behind the blocking Shadow Ninjas.
The ninjas turned their heads.
Standing at the door was a young man dressed ordinarily, with a somewhat thin frame. He kept his head down, hair covering part of his eyes, radiating an incongruous, heavy aura.
"Not Minion No. 1?"
Vic raised an eyebrow, pushing the cart leisurely toward him, his tone teasing.
"Do you want me to call you 'Good Boy' like I call Laurel?"
He walked up to the young man, very naturally patting his shoulder. The action was intimate, like encouraging a shy younger brother, but his words carried a cold threat:
"Be obedient, if you don't want to be eaten by Venom as an afternoon snack."
The young man's body stiffened imperceptibly.
Vic, as if unaware of his tension, continued in that "Big Brother taking care of Little Brother" tone:
"I know you've been suppressed for days, suffocating, right? Here, opportunity knocks. Vent a little, Minion No. 1."
He pointed at the ready Shadowkhan and the struggling Hak Foo. "Stretch your muscles, it's good for the body."
With that, as if he had just assigned a trivial task, he pushed the squeaky cleaning cart through the path the young man made, leisurely walking out. He even turned back to add:
"Oh, right. When you come back, bring me a chocolate milkshake. Double sugar."
The whole process was smooth as flowing water, as if he had just temporarily stored a troublesome package and ordered the delivery guy to bring a drink later.
"Stop him! STOP HIM!!"
Shendu let out a roar that nearly cracked his voice for the umpteenth time today. His stone body creaked under the burden of extreme rage.
Orders were absolute! The Shadow Ninjas moved instantly, like a black tide, waving sharp ninja sais, surging toward the seemingly lonely, thin young man at the door!
Hak Foo, who had just suffered a big loss and was full of fire, also turned his target to this newly appeared "soft persimmon," fierce light exposed in his eyes:
"Can't beat that Black Cat, can't I beat you?! Take this!"
Behind Valmont, Finn, Ratso, and Chow exchanged a tacit glance, quietly shuffling their feet backward.
Assuming a wait-and-see attitude of "Boss, if you don't call our names, we resolutely won't go up to feed the enemy."
Ratso even muttered softly: "I still haven't found my milkshake..."
Facing the surging attacks, the young man who had kept his head down slowly lifted his face.
Those eyes, which should have belonged to a human, were now filled with chaos, pain, and a rage about to burst the dam.
A low growl, like a suppressed beast, came from his throat.
"As you wish..."
This whisper was like a switch being flipped.
The young man's body began to undergo a terrifying mutation!