Chapter 235: The Great Pursuit Through the Shadow Kingdom
"NO!!!" John roared, his voice cracking with agony.
Mike, suspended by the Squid Ninja, had his arms hanging limply toward the ground. Blood flowed slowly from a wound in his head.
Clatter! The pistol slipped from Mike's hand and hit the floor.
To prevent Kezli from using him to threaten John any longer, Mike had chosen to end his own life. It was the only way to give John a chance to escape.
"Hmm?!" Kezli was momentarily stunned by Mike's action. He hadn't expected the man to commit suicide, but he quickly dismissed it. He had intended to kill Mike eventually anyway.
Kezli waved a hand, and the Squid Ninja tossed Mike's body onto the ground like trash.
"Captain!" John scrambled toward Mike's body on all fours. He couldn't believe his captain had died here. He pulled Mike into his arms, weeping uncontrollably.
"How boring. The game is over." Kezli didn't want to waste any more time. He needed to track down that little girl; only by eliminating all his enemies could he truly be rid of future troubles.
With a thought from Kezli, the Squid Ninja beside him extended a tentacle, aiming to slice John's throat.
Snap! Two Razor Shadow Ninjas materialized and severed the tentacle, standing protectively in front of John. As members of the Shadow Corps, their duty was to protect their General at all costs.
"You think these two can protect you?" Kezli reached out with his own tentacles, instantly snatching the Razor Ninjas and crushing them into shadows. The gap in power was too vast for them to resist.
John sat cradling Mike's body, his eyes vacant and lifeless. Suddenly, more and more Razor Ninjas began to emerge from the darkness, surrounding John in a tight circle.
"You can still summon them?" Kezli's smirk vanished. He felt something was wrong.
The Razor Ninjas engaged the Squid Ninjas in a fierce struggle, while a portion of them remained stationary to guard John.
Smash! Bang!
Kezli whipped aside the ninjas blocking his path. "John! Today, you die here!"
With those words, black energy erupted from Kezli, forming a suit of samurai armor over his body. "All of you, DIE!"
Kezli lashed out with his tentacles. The Razor Ninjas swarmed him, baring their talons.
Clang! The sharp Razors only struck sparks against Kezli's armored tentacles.
"Useless, little pests." Kezli's tentacles suddenly elongated, piercing through the bodies of several Razor Ninjas at once.
Poof! Poof! Poof! The ninjas dissolved into black mist, obscuring Kezli's vision.
"Eh?!" Kezli tried to extend his tentacles further but found them gripped tightly by something within the mist.
"Kezli..." A low growl echoed from the black fog.
"What?!" Kezli felt a surge of unease. He tried to retract his tentacles, but whatever was in the mist held them with an iron grip.
As the mist dissipated, John stood there completely unharmed. The gruesome injury on his leg had vanished, leaving not even a scar. Only the blood on his clothes remained as a testament to his previous wounds.
"John!" Kezli roared, his fangs baring in a snarl.
"Don't have such a temper." John chuckled. The tattoo on his skin dissolved into black mist and reconsolidated on his face, forming a Shadow Mask.
John's fingers elongated into the deadly Razors of the ninjas, shimmering with a cold light. His feet transformed into black, triangular points that dug into the floor.
"This is quite unpleasant, wouldn't you say, Kezli?" A fire of vengeful hatred burned in John's eyes.
"How?! How can someone like you obtain the full power of a Shadow General?" Kezli couldn't believe his eyes. John was supposed to be weak. A man who yearned for the light, like John, should never have been able to merge with the Shadow General's power.
"Do you know? Someone asked me if I wanted revenge. I said 'of course.' Then he said it would cost me my life. I agreed without a second thought." Steam rose from John's mouth.
Razso, the Shadow General, hadn't wanted John as a host because his talent was too low. If John remained his host, Razso would be the weakest among the Generals. Unwilling to accept this, Razso offered John a deal: his life in exchange for the General's full power. Blinded by hate, John had accepted.
"You're crazy! You're a lunatic!" Kezli could never be that reckless. As long as there was a sliver of hope for survival, he would never trade his life for power.
"Heh... a lunatic? You're the one who drove me to this! ARE YOU READY, KEZLI?!" John's Razors slashed through the air. With a powerful kick, he launched himself toward Kezli.
Kezli frantically raised his tentacles to block. Thanks to his armor, the tentacles weren't severed, but the force of the impact sent him reeling back.
"Such strength!"
John was like a cornered lion, completely ignoring Kezli's counterattacks. He had only one goal: to take Kezli's head.
"This is insane!" Using the elasticity of his tentacles, Kezli repeatedly maneuvered behind John to strike, but John didn't even flinch. He tanked every hit just to get a swing at Kezli's neck.
"I'm done playing with you!" Kezli dove into the Shadow Kingdom, fleeing the boxing arena.
John didn't hesitate. He tore open a rift with his Razors and pursued Kezli through the void. Kezli had to die!
New York
Crashes! John's Razors demolished a thick wall, but Kezli dove back into the Shadow Kingdom just in time.
Germany
"Die!" Kezli suddenly spun around, whipping a tentacle at John's head. John dodged this time; he knew a headshot might end his pursuit.
The Desert
Sand swirled everywhere, blinding most, but it couldn't hide Kezli from the eyes of a Shadow General.
"Kezli, even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will hunt you down!" John laughed maniacally.
Kezli was exhausted. He glanced back at John, realizing his time in the General form was running out. If he didn't escape this madman soon, he was finished. He dove back into the shadows one more time.
Himalayan Mountains
The moment they stepped out, the howling wind and bone-chilling cold bit into their marrow.
"Huff... huff..." Even with the General's power, Kezli shivered uncontrollably.
"I see even a cold-hearted man fears the frost," John said, appearing behind him.
"Hahahaha!" Seeing John was like a ghost that wouldn't leave, Kezli opened another rift. "Have it your way! Keep coming!"
Mount Everest Peak
"AAAAHH!" The moment Kezli arrived, the mask fell from his face, reverting into a tattoo on his arm.
"Is this the grave you chose for yourself?" John asked. He knew Kezli couldn't run anymore.
"Come on! Kill me then!" Kezli was quickly being covered by snow. He was too drained to move. He had hoped to reach their Leader, Silas, thinking he could beg for protection now that he had tasted the General's power. But his strength had been sucked dry, and he had fallen out of the Shadow Kingdom prematurely.
John didn't waste another word. He raised his razor-sharp Razors to take Kezli's head.
SHLICK!
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