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The steak Sylas had just eaten was, without exaggeration, the worst of his life. Truly unforgettable in all the wrong ways.
"How do you even mess up a steak that badly…?" He shivered and hailed a taxi.
"I need a glass of fresh juice before my taste buds riot."
---
Above New York City
A commercial jet from Germany finally crossed into New York airspace. Inside the cockpit, the Shadow Ninjas quietly returned control of the plane to the pilot and co-pilot after temporarily hijacking the system for their infiltration.
Once the aircraft descended to about 2,000 feet, the Shadow Legion gathered at the rear exit. One after another, they leapt out in perfect formation, gliding through the cold night air toward Queens.
They landed across the rooftops, sprinting toward Sylas' apartment.
---
Back Home
"Thanks, Aunt May," Sylas said as he carried his glass of fresh juice into his room.
Inside, nine Shadow Ninjas knelt respectfully on one knee. The one in the center withdrew a glowing object from his cloak, a talisman, and raised it high with both hands.
"Good work," Sylas said as he accepted it.
He could feel it immediately: a dense, ancient power pulsing inside the charm.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Pig Talisman. Absorb it?]
"Yes," Sylas answered.
Crack!
The Pig Talisman shattered like fragile glass. Raw energy burst out, swirling midair as if searching for a target.
Sylas watched in awe until the power suddenly locked onto him and shot directly into his eyes.
ZZT—!
Bright orange arcs crackled across his pupils as the talisman merged with him.
"Laser vision…?" he muttered to the mirror.
Excited, he let his mask materialize over his face and opened a portal into the Shadow Realm.
---
The Shadow Realm
Boundless, oppressive, and painted in a suffocating shade of crimson the Shadow Realm was as unfriendly as ever.
Blue-scaled creatures roamed between floating platforms. One rushed toward him, but the Tāra Mark burned to life across Sylas' chest. A flash of red light sent the creature scurrying back.
"Shame they don't obey me," Sylas sighed. "Would've made things easier."
The Shadow Realm was more than the home of his Shadow Brigade it was the birthplace of countless monsters, each stranger and more vicious than the last. Some were far stronger than the basic foot soldiers.
The strongest, at least on paper, remained the Mantid Corps a squad so deadly it barely had any recorded appearances before wiping out its enemies.
Then there was the Devourer Legion… weak initially, but capable of limitless growth by consuming shadows.
Sylas scanned the twisted horizon.
"Where's the Lizard?"
-----
BOOM!
A chill ran up Sylas' spine with danger.
He twisted and leapt back just as the Lizard dropped from above, claws snapping where his head had been.
"Let me out!" the Lizard snarled.
Even without Sylas' black combat suit, the mask alone was enough for the creature to recognize him and remember him.
Here in the Shadow Realm, there was nothing but monsters. The only reason they weren't tearing the Lizard apart was simple: they were terrified of Sylas.
He had slaughtered so many that the realm itself treated him like a walking warning sign.
"You want out?" Sylas smirked. "Then go ahead. Climb your way through the dimensional walls."
The Lizard roared and lunged, desperate to tear him apart.
But this was Sylas' territory.
Here, he moved like a phantom.
He dodged easily. "Locked in for a few days and your IQ already dropped?"
"Kill me!" the Lizard bellowed. "If you won't release me, then just end it!"
He had considered letting the monsters finish him once but survival instinct always overrode that final step.
"Relax," Sylas whispered, lowering his hand. "I'm not going to kill you. Actually… I brought you a gift."
As the Lizard charged again, Sylas' eyes lit with lethal brilliance.
"Time to test the Pig Talisman."
---
BOOOOM!
Twin beams of superheated energy blasted from Sylas' eyes, scorching the air.
The Lizard barely had time to shield his face with his arms.
What he didn't expect was the temperature far hotter than anything Tony Stark's laser weaponry could output.
The beams sliced cleanly through one of his arms like it was soft tofu.
He froze truly feeling death brush past his forehead.
The laser stopped just a hair from his skull.
"Why… why didn't you kill me?" the Lizard rasped.
"I told you. I'm not killing you."
Sylas cut off the energy and let the Pig Talisman's power settle.
Only now did he appreciate how dangerous it truly was. Even creatures who could tank Iron Man's lasers couldn't withstand this.
The severed arm hit the floor.
Green blood pooled, and nearby monsters crept closer, drawn to the scent.
"Regenerating already?" Sylas murmured as new tissue began forming
Of course, he regenerated Dr. Connor's rebuilt his DNA around reptilian limb regrowth.
Still, if you cut him in half, he didn't have the cheat-level immortality of Deadpool.
"NO!" the Lizard roared as his blood spread across the ground.
The monsters finally gave in and tore into the discarded limb.
Sylas waved lazily. "See you next time. Try not to die before I'm done with you. Would ruin my future plans."
And with that, he vanished leaving the Lizard alone, trembling between rage and despair.
---
Back in the Apartment
The mask faded. Sylas sipped his juice and turned toward the small table in the corner where Little Black and Big Black were playing chess.
Ever since Big Black lost to Little Black last week, he had been on a mission to win a rematch.
Today, he tried a new strategy—human chess theory.
Result?
He still lost… badly.
Big Black collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in dramatic agony.
Little Black patted him gently on the shoulder and signed:
If you want to beat me, you might need to respawn first.
Shadow soldiers, after all, returned to the Shadow Realm after death rebuilding fresh bodies from scratch.
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