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In the ruins of Shendu's palace, dust hung heavy in the air.
Cracked stone pillars jutted out of the ground, broken dragon carvings lay scattered everywhere, and what used to be a grand Demon Throne was now just a crumbling base.
Jiro stepped carefully across the rubble, his boots crunching ancient debris engraved with forgotten spells.
His eyes locked onto a strange mask embedded in the wall behind the throne—a mask glowing faintly green.
"The mask of the Shadow Army's commander, huh?"
He reached out and took it down, his fingers brushing the twisted, monstrous carvings.
Suddenly, the mask trembled—and a raspy voice echoed directly in his mind.
"Mortal… put me on… I can grant you incredible power…"
Jiro's reply was simple: a soul shock straight into the mask's core.
"AHHHH!!"
A terrible scream exploded in his mind, and twisted ghostly faces flickered across the mask's surface.
"Wait! I'm Nija, a general under Master Tarak (Tara)! If you destroy me, the Shadow Realm will—"
"So noisy."
Jiro formed a spell with one hand, and a glowing blue-green seal flared to life.
With a flick, he slammed the cleansing spell right onto the mask.
"Tsshhh!"
Thick, inky-black smoke was forcefully dragged out from the mask and devoured by the palm of Jiro's hand.
The mask rapidly lost its color, turning into a dull gray stone.
And that black smoke? Once it circulated through his body, it was completely refined into pure shadow power!
Ding! You've obtained the authority of the Shadow Sovereign!You can now freely summon the Shadow Legion!
With a single thought, the shadow beneath Jiro's feet began to boil.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
One after another, shadowy ninja soldiers rose up from the darkness, their crimson eyes glowing like a sea of blood-red lights in the dark.
They knelt silently on one knee, claws across their chests, even more respectful than they had been toward Tara.
"So that's how it works…" Jiro stared at the swirling shadow energy in his palm. "These soldiers are just basic templates."
He suddenly injected Hellfire from the Dragon Talisman into the shadow energy!
"BOOM!"
Ten of the shadow ninjas instantly mutated—their bones cracked and popped, their bodies expanding to nearly three meters tall. Their claws ignited in flame, and black smoke with a sulfur stench hissed out from the gaps in their masks!
Shadow Legion · Dragonflame Variant
Jiro didn't stop. He tried fusing the transformation power from the Monkey Talisman.
"Crack-crack!"
Another batch of ninja soldiers twisted and transformed into half-human, half-eagle monstrosities, with wings made entirely of shadow unfurling from their backs.
Shadow Legion · Nightstalker Variant
"Now we're talking," Jiro said, satisfied as he looked at his new army.
Suddenly, he sensed a lingering spiritual link inside the remains of the broken mask—coordinates to the Shadow Realm!
"Tara."
He crushed the leftover mask fragments, and his eyes pierced through the dimensional veil. On the other side, he saw a towering shadow giant with a crown staring back at him in terror.
"Don't worry. I'll be paying you a visit real soon," Jiro said with a smirk into the void.
Midnight in Hong Kong
Neon lights shimmered off the damp streets.
Jiro stood in the shadows of an old Tang-style building, idly spinning a bronze compass between his fingers.
His magical senses were pointing straight into the depths of Kowloon Walled City, right to a certain antique shop.
Huang's Pawnshop
"Well, you hid yourself pretty well."
He pushed open the creaky wooden door. A small wind chime jingled, waking the dozing shopkeeper.
"Sir, are you looking to pawn something or—"
The greeting stopped dead.
The shopkeeper's face instantly changed when he saw the red glow in Jiro's eyes.
Jiro looked past the counter and locked his gaze on the safe. "The mask."
The shopkeeper started convulsing. His eyes rolled back, now glowing with eerie green light. "The general... will not... hand it... over..."
"Knew it. You're possessed," Jiro muttered.
He raised a hand and tapped the air. A blue light from the Sheep Talisman enveloped the shopkeeper's head.
"Get out."
"Aaaaargh!"
A green shadow was yanked out of the man's body and took shape in the air—an evil spirit wearing a samurai helmet.
It was General Ra'so's lingering soul!
"How dare you—"
Before the spirit could even finish its sentence, Jiro snapped his fingers. Chains of magic instantly formed mid-air, wrapping the ghost up like a dumpling.
The safe clicked open by itself, and the mask flew straight into Jiro's hand, trembling violently.
As Ra'so screamed in agony, Jiro activated his soul-extraction spell.
"Crack!"
Like a river rushing into the ocean, the energy flowed out and the mask turned gray in an instant.
At the same time, the shadow beneath Jiro boiled again—dozens of clawed ninja silently emerged.
Ding! You've gained control over the Clawshadow Legion!Trait: Clawed hands capable of tearing through most materials.
Jiro casually tossed the drained mask back at the collapsed shopkeeper. "Tell the rest of the masks—I'm coming."
"....."