Chapter 334: Silas vs. The Mandarin
"I know you, Destiny. Last time, your Shadow Knight Corps gave my Extremis soldiers quite a beating," the Mandarin said, opening his eyes to reveal a sharp, piercing gaze.
To this day, he could not forget how someone who hadn't even shown their face managed to force him into a retreat using only subordinates. This humiliation was a stain the Mandarin would never forget as long as he lived.
"You actually still remember? I'd forgotten all about it," Silas Parker mocked, intentionally stoking the man's shame.
"Do not push your luck!" The Ten Rings on the Mandarin's fingers began to glow with multi-colored light. He pointed at Silas and said, "I don't want to play games with you today. I suggest you stay out of my way."
The Mandarin knew his mission today was to eliminate Spider-Man to solidify his deal with the Green Goblin. As for Destiny? He would find an opportunity to settle that score later.
"Apologies, but I want to play. And you don't really have a choice in the matter," Silas replied. He planned to take the Mandarin down today; truth be told, he was quite covetous of those Ten Rings.
"Self-righteous fool!" The Mandarin lost his patience. He extended his left index finger. Instantly, the red ring on that finger unleashed an intense, high-temperature heat ray that streaked through the air toward Silas.
"Nice ability," Silas remarked, tilting his body slightly. The heat ray brushed past him, but encased in his Blacklight Armor, he felt none of the searing heat.
BOOM!
Without giving Silas a moment to breathe, the ring on the Mandarin's middle finger flashed green. Lightning began to arc from nearby power lines and underground cables, coalescing into a ferocious bolt of electricity.
"Die!" The Mandarin roared, lashing out with the concentrated lightning, desperate to turn Destiny into ash.
This time, Silas didn't dodge. He held out his right palm, and a rectangular scroll materialized before him. "Defense Scroll!"
CRACK!
The lightning struck the scroll, but upon contact, the parchment erupted with a green light even more violent than the electricity itself. The light seemed to form a giant maw, swallowing the lightning dragon whole and converting it into the scroll's own energy.
"What?!" The Mandarin stared, completely baffled. He had no idea what kind of artifact he was looking at.
"My turn." Silas traced a circle in the air with his right hand and gave the scroll a light push. "Reflector Scroll!"
ROAR!
The lightning dragon, which had seemingly vanished, erupted from the scroll with a sky-shaking cry. With lightning speed, it lunged forward to consume the Mandarin.
Terrified, the Mandarin desperately activated the yellow square ring on his right ring finger. A flash of yellow light so intense it seemed to bleach the world erupted, and the massive lightning dragon vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.
"Impressive, Mandarin," Silas clapped mockingly.
The Mandarin stood there, panting, cold sweat drenching his forehead. He had nearly been killed by his own attack.
Silas found himself liking the Ten Rings even more. Such power was wasted on a man like this. The yellow ring the Mandarin had just used could release a beam of energy capable of breaking the bonds between atoms and molecules. However, such a "broken" ability had a flaw: use it once, and it needed twenty minutes to "recharge."
"Your strength is truly... terrifying," the Mandarin admitted, beginning to consider a retreat. He realized that against those strange scrolls, he stood no chance.
"Thanks for the compliment. Your rings are quite nice. Can I buy ten? I've got ten dollars right here," Silas said, pulling a ten-dollar bill from his pocket and tossing it toward the man.
The Mandarin didn't even look at it. A small vortex of air appeared before him, shredding the money into confetti.
"Enough of your insults! Bastard!" He had wanted to run, but Silas had pushed his pride too far. He decided that even if he couldn't win, he would at least take a piece of Destiny with him.
The small vortex expanded rapidly, generating a massive suction force intended to drag Silas in and tear him apart. Silas began to slide slowly toward the center. The Mandarin smirked—finally, something was working.
But before he could celebrate, Silas used the Horse and Ox Talismans to root himself firmly to the spot.
"How is this possible?!" The Mandarin increased the vortex's power. Surrounding objects were ripped from the ground and pulverized, yet Silas stood as steady as Mount Tai.
"I don't believe it!" the Mandarin screamed. He added the power of another ring, and a blue glow seeped into the vortex, bringing a blizzard of absolute-zero cold. Everything around them froze solid, but Silas remained unaffected.
"Attack Scroll!" Silas decided he was done playing. Deep red beams of destructive energy shot from the floating scroll toward the Mandarin.
The Mandarin's eyes bulged. He steered his dragon chair to dodge, but the chair was too slow. He had to throw himself off the seat.
KABOOM!
The red beam hit the dragon chair, and the ornate seat disintegrated like tissue paper, leaving only a wisp of black smoke.
"My chair!" The Mandarin ground his teeth in rage. "I will kill you!"
Black matter began to flow from the Mandarin, spreading outward like a giant hand that covered the entire block, blotting out the sun. Civilians thought night had suddenly fallen, but they soon realized their phones and flashlights wouldn't turn on. This was the power of the black ring on his right pinky—it absorbed all light to create a space of absolute darkness.
"In this space, I will torture you," the Mandarin hissed. He could see perfectly in this void. He looked at the silhouette of Destiny and began to laugh, ready to strike.
"What are you laughing at, you creep?" Silas asked, turning to look directly at him.
"Impossible!" The Mandarin froze. He stared at the two glowing red eyes on Silas's face. There shouldn't be any light in this space!
Silas shrugged. "Don't you think it's incredibly stupid to try and kill a Shadow General by creating a space of darkness?"
"Shadow General?" the Mandarin stammered.
Snap!
Silas snapped his fingers. One pair, two pairs, three... countless glowing crimson eyes lit up within the darkness. In an instant, the Mandarin felt like he had wandered into a bat-filled cave—except the "bats" were a massive army of shadow warriors.
"Why... why is this happening..." The Mandarin was in total despair. His chair was gone, and his ultimate trump card was a playground for his enemy.
"Destiny! I admit I've lost," the Mandarin shouted. "But you can't guarantee you'll kill me without taking damage yourself. Let's both step back. We'll go our separate ways and never be enemies again. What do you say?"
He didn't want to die. He had worked too hard for his position. He gambled that Destiny wouldn't risk a desperate counter-attack just to finish him off.
"You overestimate yourself. Killing you is as easy as turning over my hand." Silas glanced behind the Mandarin. The timing was perfect.
"I don't believe you!" The Mandarin lost his mind. Driven into a corner, he prepared to fight for his life. "If I go down, I'm taking your skin with me!"
Nine of his rings—all except the depleted yellow one—began to shine like a galaxy of stars. He expected Silas to look afraid, but instead, Silas pulled out a chair, sat down calmly, and watched him with pure disdain. It was as if Silas was watching a monkey perform a circus act.
"You will pay for your arrogance!" The Mandarin went to throw his hands forward, but found he couldn't move.
"What's going on?!" he screamed. No matter how hard he struggled, his arms felt like they were cast in lead.
"Didn't you notice?" Silas stood up and yawned. "You've had a little tail following you for a while now."
"Hehe..." A cold, raspy laugh came from right beside the Mandarin's ear.
"When did this get near me?!" The Mandarin looked down in horror at his arms. Two creatures were biting his hands. Or rather, the Shadow-Eaters weren't biting his flesh—they were biting the shadows of his arms.
This was Silas's plan. The Shadow-Eaters had been hiding in the Mandarin's shadow since their very first meeting. Silas knew that with the Ten Rings, the Mandarin might detect them if they moved too soon, and the yellow ring could destroy anything it touched. He had to bait out that specific ability first.
"Remember the first time you fought the Shadow Knight Corps?" Silas's mask dissolved, revealing his "innocent" teenage face.
"So it was since then..." the Mandarin whispered. He had been doomed from the start. What shocked him most, however, was that the terrifyingly meticulous "Destiny" was just a boy.
"Time to say goodbye. The curtain falls," Silas said. The Shadow blade appeared in his hand. He stood before the Mandarin and raised the sword high.
Squelch!
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