Next, the scene unfolds with Shadow Ninjas infiltrating the magic academy's subspace. Under normal circumstances, they would emerge from beneath the ground, allowing for stealthy entry. However, given the instability of the academy's subspace due to the ongoing battle between Robert and Valentin, the Shadow Ninjas had no choice but to sneak in through the crumbling barriers of the subspace.
Unfortunately for the Shadow Ninjas, Kara and Diana quickly detected their presence, their conspicuousness and the disturbances they caused making them easy to spot.
Diana furrowed her brows upon noticing the ninjas. While she didn't consider them a significant threat, Kara recognized them and charged forward without hesitation, launching an attack. Knowing the Shadow Ninjas' origins and having faced many before, Kara didn't hesitate to eliminate these enemies, especially while Robert was engaged in battle.
"Spurt!"
"Spurt!"
"Spurt!"
Kara swiftly dispatched several Shadow Ninjas, while Diana, realizing something, glanced at Robert still fighting fiercely. She then used her Lasso of Truth, capturing many Shadow Ninjas in its grasp.
"Hey!" Kara felt the sting of having her prey taken by Diana, understanding for the first time what it felt like to have one's kill snatched away, especially by someone she disliked intensely.
Unaware of Diana's name, Kara sensed hostility between them, recognizing Diana as a formidable warrior, not just in strength but in the bond she shared with Robert. Kara remembered Robert's words about his preference for warrior women, wondering if his tastes had matured to favor them even more.
Breathing heavily, the air around Kara churned with her tumultuous emotions. In an instant, she vanished, reappearing among the Shadow Ninjas captured by Diana, determined to showcase her superiority as a warrior woman.
"These are my captures. Find your own, and don't meddle with my prey!" Diana blocked Kara, calmly stating her claim.
"This has been my hunt for a while. Do you understand this prey as I do? Do you know their preferences? And shouldn't we honor the principle of first-come, first-served?" Kara retorted, her words tinged with more than just concern for the Shadow Ninjas.
"I believe I understand a bit more than you do," Diana replied with a serene smile, confidently asserting, "And once I've caught my prey, I don't let go."
"Then let's see whose actions speak louder," Kara said, her gaze intensifying. Despite her attempt to maintain composure, Kara couldn't help but lose patience, especially given her and Diana's silent rivalry until now.
"You sure about this? Now? While he's still fighting?" Diana asked with a hint of amusement.
"You… Hmph!" Kara clenched her fists but, glancing at Robert's ongoing battle, decided to hold back, choosing to wait until his fight was over.
"Whoosh!" Kara disappeared once more, venting her frustration on the remaining Shadow Ninjas. These ninjas, merely sent to scout the situation with the angels, found themselves caught between Kara and Diana's rivalry.
Oh, but not all were eradicated. The Shadow Ninjas ensnared by Diana's Lasso of Truth remained alive, as she attempted to extract information through the lasso, suspecting their encounter with Kara and Robert meant a deeper connection and enmity.
"Hum!" The lasso glowed brightly, thoroughly binding the Shadow Ninjas as Diana probed their minds for the identity behind them. Although unfamiliar with Shadow Ninjas, Diana's keen intuition sensed their unnatural origin.
"Who is this? A divine force? An angel perhaps? Detected?" Far away, Tara sensed a divine force tracking him through the Shadow Ninjas, immediately suspecting the recently encountered angel as the prime suspect. Wishing to remain hidden, Tara severed all connections with the Shadow Ninjas, leading them to their demise.
"Huh?!" Diana noticed the Shadow Ninjas dissolving into smoke, not from escape but death, a sight familiar from Kara's previous killings.
"What's happening?" Kara wanted to inquire further, but remembering her strained relationship with Diana, she kept her thoughts to herself.
"This means the mastermind behind them has noticed? They're not to be underestimated," Diana thought, realizing the complexity of their foe.
Preparing to aid Robert against this hidden threat, Diana knew the importance of timing, especially considering Robert's imminent loss of the berserk boost and the potential vulnerability afterward.
Diana understood Robert well; despite his unyielding performance against Valentin, she knew his combat prowess was bolstered by his fighting spirit, which would wane post-battle along with his energy reserves.
Thus, familiar with Robert, Diana decided to confront the mastermind behind the Shadow Ninjas, partly driven by her desire for a worthy challenge.
"Go!" Diana silently invoked a spell, the Lasso of Truth floating and spinning in mid-air, seeking direction, much like Robert's tracking magic, though without a visual on Tara, relying instead on the connection between him and his Shadow Ninjas.
"Hmm?!" Kara watched the lasso's performance with caution, wary of its power and ready to evade any binding attempt from Diana.
However, Diana's lasso unexpectedly fell back into her hands, her face briefly betraying embarrassment, unnoticed by Kara but for her keen sight.
"Failed? How?" Diana pondered, unaware that Tara had cut off all connections with the Shadow Ninjas, erasing the demonic power he had stolen and used to enhance them, leaving Diana without a trace to follow.
Tara's caution as a dark dimension power was evident, managing to remain undetected even by the likes of Robert and Clark, proving his cunning when truly cautious.
"Seems like someone's not having an easy time!" Kara almost taunted Diana after noticing her silence, barely restraining herself to avoid mirroring Lola's provocations.
Realizing such behavior would place her below Diana, Kara chose not to mock her openly, determined not to be seen as inferior.
Unaware of Kara's internal struggle, Diana focused on Robert and Valentin's critical battle phase, her thoughts on aiding Robert against the shadowy threat.
Robert positioned himself beneath Valentin, launching him skyward with a kick, then aimed a finger beam at the airborne Valentin. The visible strain and gathering of formidable energy signaled an imminent attack.
Valentin, sensing his life at risk from this energy, attempted to flee but found himself immobilized, forced to witness Robert's attack unfold.
The Kikoho, Tien's signature move, engulfed Valentin in a bright energy beam.
"Crack!" The subspace ruptured under the Kikoho's force, establishing a connection with the outside world. Robert had chosen his attack's direction carefully, avoiding potential damage to Earth.
After releasing the Kikoho, Robert, drained from consecutively deploying his energy, felt his Great Ape power and the effects of the Berserker Fist wane, his strength diminishing.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Diana caught Robert, with Kara arriving moments later, her gaze fixed on them in frustration.
Kara's fists clenched tightly, holding back only because of Robert's apparent injuries and weakness.
Without mocking Diana openly, Kara resolved to maintain her pride, refusing to admit any inferiority to her.
Diana, preoccupied with regret for not resolving the shadowy menace and missing a chance for battle, now focused on the
critical moment in Robert and Valentin's fight.
With Robert unleashing a devastating Kikoho, he aimed to finish Valentin, his attack marking the end of the demon lord's life and Robert's first major victory.
Despite the victory, Robert paid a price for using the modified Kikoho, his energy unable to sustain the Great Ape form, especially as the Berserker Fist's effect faded, leaving him vulnerable.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Diana embraced Robert, with Kara glaring at them, her resentment palpable but restrained for Robert's sake.
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