บท 21: Options & Vipers
Viper silently descended the spiral staircase to the floor below, making no sound.
Above, Wolverine's screams echoed, and one of his steel claws was neatly severed.
The Samurai kicked Wolverine with one foot. Before Wolverine could regain his footing, the Samurai's foot had already pinned down Wolverine's other wrist, and Katana was raised to strike.
"Ding"
An arrow struck the Samurai's head. More and more arrows followed suit. Eaven though they didn't caused any damage the took his attention away from Wolverine and focused on the Ninja Clan members who were now under the control of Mariko.
Mariko had long subdued the Ninja Clan with the help of Harada but after his death it took her some time to stabilize the Ninja Clan and consolidate her power.
During her short imprisonment her followers who were hidden within Ichiro's men had already helped her in that regard. This right now the Ninja Clan is truly hers.
Seeing that the mastermind is Mariko the Samura rushed towards her while cutting down all the Ninjas in his path. Just as he was about to strike Mariko, Wolverine jumped onto his back and the two began the second round of fighting.
"Mariko!"
Yukio's s voice called out from the side, and moments later, Yukio appeared, running towards them.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Mariko shook her head and whispered, "He's helping me. You can go with him once this is over."
Although she didn't explicitly mention who "he" was, Yukio understood immediately.
Mariko was definitely not referring to Wolverine!
After a brief pause, Yukio inquired, "Where's Viper?"
"Below, she should be deceased," Mariko replied, her gaze fixed on the spiral staircase.
Yukio hurriedly approached and looked down, but there was no sign of the Viper at all.
"No?"
"No."
Mariko approached and peered over the railing, but there was no sign of the venomous snake.
Unbeknownst to Mariko and the others, Viper possessed the unique ability to molt and regenerate. However, Max was aware of this ability. After the arrow struck Viper, Max transported her to his space.
In this alternate space, Viper lay on the ground with the arrow still lodged in her chest. Her skin began to undergo a noticeable transformation, adopting a snake-like texture.
Suddenly, the Viper's eyes snapped open.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled the arrow out directly and slowly rose to a sitting position. The Viper started to remove her clothes. Her sharp nails began to glide down from her forehead, and her hands tore apart her skin from the sides.
It was akin to peeling off dried glue, with a thin layer of skin being shed directly. The only remnants were her hair, as the long golden locks fell off with the discarded skin. Once the molting process was complete, Viper put its clothes back on and stood up.
At this moment, she became acutely aware that something was amiss with its surroundings. Dark green ripples slowly spread, causing the Viper to turn around abruptly.
"Who are you?" Viper asked with a hint of fear, gazing at the man behind her.
"The one who saved your life," Max replied with a slow smile.
Viper surveyed her surroundings and inquired in a deep voice, "Are you The Sacred Gates? Is this your ability? Did you create the gate earlier?"
"You betrayed Mariko. If I had let you go, you would have been hunted down by Yukio. You're aware that you can't truly die, so you chose to cooperate with Mariko and betray her. Even if you were fortunate enough to escape death, Mariko wouldn't spare you, and you'd have no opportunity to continue your research."
"Then, only if Mariko survives!" Viper glanced at the scene where Wolverine was hopelessly outmatched by the Samurai.
Max shook his head gently. "Mariko hired me on the condition of giving me the samurai armor, so Ichiro is fated to perish."
"Consider your options."
As Max's words hung in the air, Wolverine and the Samurai tumbled from above. Viper instinctively tried to flee but found that the fallen Wolverine and the Samurai seemed to pass through it, leaving no sensation as if they had overlapped!
At that moment, both of Wolverine's adamantium claws had been severed, and the Samurai gripped Wolverine's fists, penetrating the steel claws to initiate a transfer and absorb Wolverine's self-healing ability.
Max offered a knowing smile to Viper, turned, and opened the door behind the Samurai, exiting the scene.
It was time to set his plans into motion.
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