Chapter 236: Resurrecting Mike and Absorbing the Sheep Talisman
Kezli's head flew off, blood spraying in its wake, and rolled across the ground.
A moment later, a figure appeared behind John.
"Who are you?" John spun around quickly, narrowing his eyes at the sudden arrival—a bald individual wearing a large yellow robe.
"Wha—?!" Silas suddenly sat up on his bed. Those two actually managed to draw out the Ancient One?!
This was completely unexpected. Silas had been enjoying the "show" until the chase led them straight to her doorstep. More importantly, she had actually intervened.
Silas sat there in a daze, wondering if he should just remotely detonate the Shadow General masks. If the Ancient One came looking for him, what then? His own Shadow Corps looked identical to theirs. She wasn't a fool; she would know it was him.
"Well, things got a bit out of hand." Silas lay back down, crossing his legs. Should he go to Kamar-Taj to fetch his people?
Just as he was hesitating, an orange-red, sparking portal opened in the center of his room.
"Care to join me for a moment, friend?" From inside the portal, the Ancient One could be seen sitting at a tea table. Tea sets were already laid out, and wisps of steam drifted upward from the cups.
"Of course. I've never tried the tea here," Silas said with a smile, adding mentally: especially tea brewed by the Sorcerer Supreme herself.
Silas got out of bed and stepped into Kamar-Taj.
Kamar-Taj
"Please, sit." The Ancient One gestured toward the chair opposite her.
Silas nodded and sat down, glancing at the surroundings. "Hello, Master Ancient One. We meet again."
"Hello, friend. Indeed we do." She looked at the tea, signaling him to drink if he was thirsty.
"Thank you." Silas picked up the cup, blew on it, and took a small sip. It was bitter at first, but left a sweet aftertaste. When he set the cup down, it refilled itself instantly.
"Master, about John..." Silas decided to get straight to the point.
The Ancient One smiled and shook her head. "He is well. We have healed his injuries. However, it seems my other self arrived a little too late for the other one."
"It's fine as long as John is alive." Silas knew the Ancient One could have saved Mike if she really wanted to. She likely had been watching them throughout the chase. When they arrived at the Himalayas—her territory—their presence was impossible to hide. Compared to the cruel and murderous Kezli, she had no desire to save him. John, the good cop, was worth the effort of a simple healing spell.
"Then I thank you, Master." Silas took another sip of tea and prepared to leave; he didn't want to linger here longer than necessary.
"By the way, Silas. There is something I must give to you." The Ancient One waved her hand.
A box behind her opened, and a hexagonal stone floated onto the table.
"The Sheep Talisman!" Silas was internally shocked. It was the very thing he had been searching for. But how did it end up with her? He hadn't even cracked the clues for its location yet.
"You do know what this is," the Ancient One observed, reading his expression.
"I do, Master. This belongs to me." Silas reached for the talisman but paused to look at her for permission. She nodded, and he took it into his hand.
"How did this get here?" Silas asked, holding up the stone.
The Ancient One looked up toward the skylight. "A friend who fell from the sky gave it to me."
"From the sky?" Silas followed her gaze.
"He told me to ensure this reached your hands," she added.
When Silas tried to ask for a description of the person, she shook her head. "I cannot tell you who he is."
"Alright then." Silas didn't push. If the Ancient One wouldn't say, she wouldn't say.
The Ancient One looked to the side, and a portal opened, depositing John. He was unconscious, but his wounds were gone.
"I'll take John home then. Thanks, Master." Silas walked over to John, used the Rooster Talisman to make him float, and entered the Shadow Kingdom.
"Until we meet again, Silas," the Ancient One said as she turned back into her portal.
The Shadow Boxing Arena
"What a mess." Silas surveyed the arena. Trash was strewn everywhere in the stands. In the center, near a pool of congealing blood, lay the body of Lieutenant Mike. His head had been pierced by a bullet; life had left him the moment he pulled the trigger.
"Sigh..." Silas sighed. The Shadow Corps appeared throughout the area and began cleaning up.
Kezli was dead, but this arena was a good asset. Silas had taken a liking to it; no sense in letting it go to waste.
"Would you like a new General?" Silas asked the shadows.
The Squid Ninjas poured out from the Shadow Kingdom. Silas held total control over all the tribes. Once a General unlocked a tribe, Silas could summon them with even higher authority than the Generals themselves. The ninjas couldn't speak, but their thoughts were clear to him.
Silas lowered John gently to the floor. An orange-red mask appeared in his hand, previously Kezli's.
"John really liked you as a friend, Lieutenant Mike. I'm no god, I can't truly bring you back to life," Silas muttered, crouching by the body. He spun the mask in his hand. "But I can let you live on in a different way."
Silas began chanting an incantation in a low voice. A surge of dark magic appeared behind him, pouring into Mike's body. As the magic flooded in, the gunshot wound in his head miraculously closed. Aside from the blood on his face, he looked perfectly fine.
"I'll do you one last favor. This arena is nice; you can manage it for me." Silas placed the mask onto Mike's face. "Bind!"
The man on the floor suddenly opened his eyes. However, the brown pupils were instantly swallowed by black energy, turning his eyes entirely black.
"As of today, Lieutenant Mike is dead. 'Underworld Mike' is born." Silas finished the ritual and prepared to take the still-unconscious John home.
Shhh! Mike stretched out his blood-stained hands, standing up with a disjointed, jerky motion, moving like a living corpse.
Hotel
After dropping John off, Silas sat down. It was time to absorb the Sheep Talisman!
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