MARVEL: CARD EXTRACTION SYSTEM

Chapter 25 – Ninjas of The Hand



"Put yourself in your place, Lucas Hayes..." Murdock said to me.

I was surprised when he said my first and last name. I'd always been careful and covered my face when I acted as a vigilante, so how had he found out?

"Yes, Lucas, I know who you are. A seventeen-year-old boy living in the Bronx whose parents died in an accident six months ago while on a trip to Montauk. He lives alone and is somehow supporting himself. Nobody knows when, not even his neighbors, but he's a mutant, and to make matters worse, he's the kid who disrupted my last meeting with Spider-Woman… Oh, boy, you've been a nuisance to me, an annoying, persistent migraine that came on suddenly and hasn't gone away."

"Ha. When you talk like that, it sounds like you're jealous." I replied with an accusatory tone.

Murdock put his cane in front of his body and held the top of it with both hands. "You're new, Lucas, and you're in a situation you can't win. Spider-Woman is against me, and you're the main reason why. So let's settle this right now."

The ninjas around Gwen and me finally started to move, walking toward us.

"These men and women have been trained since they were children by the organization I'm a part of, A Hand. They are experts in various types of martial arts, but I'm proud to say that they don't need to use them, because they can kill in an instant. If you think you can fight them, go ahead." Murdock said with a cold smile.

At that moment, a ninja to my left ran towards me.

'System, equip Sharingan!'

[Skill Card "Sharingan" equipped.]

[⅓ slots of your deck are filled.]

The first ninja threw a sharp knife at me while I was still running, but thanks to the Sharingan, I moved my head to the side and dodged it easily.

This ninja seemed surprised, but didn't stop and drew a small sword from his back to try to cut me. At this point, I took a step to the right and let the sword pass by the left side of my abdomen. With the ninja trapped, I raised my left leg and kneed him in the stomach using the power of One for All. Thanks to that, that man felt the pain of a blow he had never felt before and fainted. I then spun the ninja's body around and easily threw him at another ninja who was very close by, sending them both crashing into a pillar.

Gwen, who was busy dealing with her own opponents, saw this scene and said:

"I didn't know you were that strong!"

I smiled. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Gwen fired webs that stuck to the ninjas and briefly immobilized them, but they were good at getting rid of themselves and faster than most criminals in this city. However, the ninjas' techniques were based on stealth, and once the spider-sense detected them, they could no longer surprise Gwen.

Still, the ninjas were outnumbered and began to surround the two of us. When four of them advanced together, I used my Sharingan and tilted my body to the side, dodging a sword swing and then countering with a blow to the ninja's face. It broke some of his teeth and threw him back several meters.

Gwen did pretty much the same thing, but instead of a punch, she kicked and then webbed the ninja to the ceiling.

Matt Murdock watched without moving a muscle as his subordinates were beaten. There was an uneasy calm in his presence, as if waiting for the right moment to act.

When most of the ninjas were down and out, I still had my fists raised. Gasping for breath, I looked at the three remaining ninjas who had somehow managed to resist so far.

I glanced to my right and saw Gwen, also tired and breathing heavily. This battle was starting to turn in our favor, but it was hard to tell who would win, because even after being defeated, the ninjas kept getting up, no matter how hard we hit them.

When only the sound of panting could be heard on the dark floor, Murdock dropped his cane with a cold smile and let it fall to the ground with a dry thud.

"Impressive, you've really managed to impress me. You're even better together than apart... I think I have an idea. How would you both like to work for me?"

Gwen and I looked at each other, then back at Murdock.

"No way." We answered simultaneously.

Our answer surprisingly made Murdock smile, so he took off his suit jacket, let it fall to the floor, and began to pull up the sleeves of his white shirt.

"I figured you'd answer that. So I'm going to make you kneel down and kiss the back of my hand, if only by force."

As he lifted the sleeves of his white shirt, he revealed chiseled muscles and deep scars. His confidence was evident, and he seemed to believe that his skill and training alone made him a match for the two of us. It was an exaggerated confidence, bordering on the ridiculous, but perfectly in keeping with the self-centered nature of the Matt Murdock of this universe.

"Let's get this over with," Gwen said.

"I agree."

Of course, Matt Murdock, though trained normally by his master in this universe and trained even more during his youth in Japan, had no additional powers beyond super hearing and martial arts. As a result, he had no chance against two individuals with the skill to predict his attacks s and super strength.

After less than two minutes of fighting, Murdock was the one on his knees, his sunglasses partially broken and blood dripping from his face and mouth.

"Wait... you don't... understand... the way of this city must be... followed..." He said, but collapsed before he could finish.

I looked at Murdock, but came back to reality when Gwen, who was already at the window, said:

"Lucas, what are you doing? Let's go! We don't have time! More of his ninjas are going to show up any minute." She held out her hand, and I took it with a smile.

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