Pietro was startled by Peter Parker's pale complexion and hurried over to help, which seemed to improve Peter Parker's condition.
Meanwhile, Peter Parker stopped using his webs against the shadow ninjas, opting instead for hand-to-hand combat. Considering the strength of the shadow ninjas, he could manage with his fists and feet as long as he could dodge their attacks.
Previously, Peter Parker was too eager to eliminate as many shadow ninjas as possible to end the crisis quickly.
But now, Peter Parker realized that facing an endless stream of enemies, his power was limited. Even with his awakened abilities, it was better to be steady rather than overly ambitious.
...
At the same time, in the secret chamber of Valon's secret base, the dragon statue of the Holy Master was trembling continuously. With too many shadow ninjas dead, the power stolen from the mask and the Shadow Corps was nearly depleted. After all, this was not the Holy Master's own power and couldn't last indefinitely.
The Holy Master was unwilling to lose the chance to reclaim the talisman. His heart was filled with hatred because Robert had thwarted his plans every time.
If not for Robert, he could have reclaimed the talisman, regained some of his power, found a chance to break the seal, regained his freedom, and even restored all his power to rule the world again! Thinking this, the frustrated and angry Holy Master desperately assaulted the seal on him, causing the entire seal to tremble and small stones to fall from around the dragon statue.
The Holy Master knew this might be his last chance and decided to make a desperate effort. The red light in his eyes became more apparent, and as the dragon statue trembled, the entire chamber shook!
In the monitoring room, Valon watched indifferently, without any intention to act but with a hint of anticipation. He wanted to see if the Holy Master could regain his freedom without the talisman.
However, if the Holy Master really succeeded, Valon wouldn't just watch. He would test the Holy Master's strength, and if not sufficient, Baron Strucker might have a new subject for experimentation.
Indeed, if Valon could study the Holy Master's innate power, the animal warriors developed from the monkey talisman could advance further.
Before that, Valon needed to find a way to restrain Baron Strucker and prevent him from reaping the benefits.
"Roar!" As Valon looked on expectantly, a dragon's roar came from the chamber, and the Holy Master's statue reached a peak in aura, its red light even illuminating the chamber in red. It seemed the Holy Master might break free from the seal at any moment, at least that's what he thought.
Unfortunately, the seal's resilience and strength were fully displayed at this moment. When the Holy Master's power peaked, the seal still firmly bound him, preventing his escape.
As the Holy Master's most potent burst failed to break the seal, he faced the seal's backlash, his aura instantly dropping and his consciousness severely damaged, falling into a slumber without any movement, like a real dragon statue.
"Is that it? Over?" Seeing the chamber return to calm, Valon's eyes flickered with doubt, then disdainfully said, "I thought this old guy had some tricks up his sleeve. Seems not much after all! Or maybe, the one who sealed him was too powerful! Luckily, I haven't encountered such a powerful individual... Wait! There's that guy, the one always spoiling my plans, Clark's assistant, the mysterious and unknown strong person!"
Initially, Valon thought Robert was a secret weapon of Zone 13, an unknown super-agent, fantasizing about the power he could gain after controlling Zone 13.
Unfortunately, as time went by, Valon learned more about Zone 13. Although Zone 13 had significant supernatural powers, including the talisman, there wasn't a stronger force than Robert.
Thus, Valon's dreams shattered. He couldn't gain a powerful subordinate like Robert or become as strong himself.
However, Valon's infiltration into Zone 13 didn't stop, with more and more Hydra spies becoming mid to high-level officials there.
With these subordinates' help, Valon gave up on fully controlling Zone 13, instead looking to reclaim all talismans, having waited long enough.
As for Zone 13, let whoever wants it have it, as Valon no longer cared. After all, Valon's background and identity meant he couldn't officially control Zone 13. Even appointing a trusted subordinate to control Zone 13 wouldn't make much difference, as it would only lead to conflict with organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D.
It would not only upset Alexander Pierce's faction but also deplete Hydra's internal strength, making it a loss rather than a gain.
Better to take the talismans and leave, gaining their power, Valon could easily unite Hydra under his command.
Then, S.H.I.E.L.D. would still be under Valon's control, so why bother with a smaller, less secretive Zone 13?
Especially now, with the Holy Master apparently in slumber, Valon was already fantasizing about wielding unlimited power after obtaining the twelve talismans.
On the other hand, Peter Parker and others, while fighting the shadow ninjas, suddenly found them disappearing into black mist, leaving Peter Parker and his allies somewhat bewildered, not understanding what had happened.
"Where are the enemies? Where did they go?" Pietro looked around but saw no sign of the shadow ninjas, especially since they would turn into black smoke and disappear after being killed. Now, the surroundings were clean, as if the shadow ninjas had never been there, making the recent fight seem like an illusion.
"It must be too much for them to handle," Kara said softly, holding Robert as they landed from the sky. "But they'll come back. Of course, wherever the talisman is, they'll appear. So, shouldn't you consider handing over the talisman to me?"
"Hmph!" Lana huffed disapprovingly, looking at Kara, "Didn't you say that Robert was handling the talisman before.
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