Chapter 160: Enforcer
"Work for you?" Therrus's eyes widened in disbelief. He had never imagined that a superhero would ask a criminal to work for him.
"What's wrong?" Silas's tone became sharp. "Are you unwilling? Then say goodbye to this world."
"No! No! I'm willing! Willing!" Therrus shouted quickly. He truly didn't want to die, or he wouldn't have played this game with Destiny in the first place.
"Very good." Silas held out his right hand, palm open. A Black Shadow Ninja respectfully handed him a brownish-yellow staff. The staff was made of precious teak, two meters long, and topped with nine branching snakeheads.
"I will bestow something upon you," Silas said, stroking the staff in his hand.
Therrus stared intently at the staff in Silas's hand and spoke in a nervous tone, "What... what is it?"
"Something that can enhance your power." Silas pointed the staff at Therrus and said, "Don't thank me."
Whoosh!
Nine balls of black mist shot out from the nine snakeheads of the staff, then slowly condensed into one enormous mass of black mist.
"Can I... not have it?" Therrus was shaking with fear. Was this magic?
"You must accept it." Silas snorted coldly. The black mist instantly drilled into Therrus's body.
"Ah!" Therrus was lifted into the air by the power of the black mist. A blue mark appeared on his forehead, and his ears became long and pointed. His hair disappeared, replaced by a long mass of brown hair. His clothes were torn, falling to the ground in shreds. A brand-new black suit appeared on Therrus's body, with blue, lightning-like patterns appearing on his arms.
Bang!
Therrus landed on one knee, staring blankly at his discolored hands. "What... what exactly happened to me?"
"From today onward, you are my Shadowkhan Enforcer, Therrus." Silas signaled for a Black Shadow Ninja to bring a mirror.
The Black Shadow Ninja immediately retrieved a mirror from the Shadow Realm and tossed it to Therrus, who was kneeling on the ground.
Therrus quickly caught the mirror and looked at himself.
"No! How did I turn into this!" Therrus's heart filled with despair as he looked at his monstrous reflection in the mirror. With the Extremis virus mutation, he had not only gained great power but could still maintain the appearance of a normal person. Now! Everything had changed!
"I'll fight you!" Therrus was utterly desperate. If he had turned into a monster, what difference was there between that and death?
"The moment you agreed, you became my loyal servant." Silas turned his back to Therrus without a backward glance.
Therrus looked at Destiny, who was treating him with such contempt, and his heart was filled with even greater fury. He prepared to deliver a fierce punch to Destiny's back.
Suddenly, a powerful force emerged on his body. Driven by the power, Therrus was irresistibly forced to his knees, unable to even lift his head.
"What? You just got power and you want to kill me already?" Silas found it somewhat amusing.
This was Silas's first experiment using the magic to create a Shadowkhan Enforcer, which was the Shadow Magic used to create Finn in the original work. A person hit by the Shadow Magic will be irresistibly subject to the user's will. Therrus was still Therrus, but his body no longer belonged to him.
"No~ that's not it." Therrus trembled with fear. He couldn't help but regret his impulsive behavior and only hoped Silas would spare him.
"I won't dwell on your impulsiveness. Take a good look at the power within your body." Silas was completely unconcerned by Therrus's recent actions, as the current Therrus would become his most capable assistant for now, Little Black excluded.
"Power?" Therrus realized upon hearing this that he really did feel stronger. A never-ending source of energy was generating inside him.
Clang!
A huge shuriken-like weapon appeared in Therrus's hand.
"Hah!" Therrus threw the shuriken with all his might. Bang! The iron gate blocking his way was instantly sliced open. After cutting through the iron gate, the shuriken flew back into his hand.
"Cool~ I feel like Captain America," Therrus said, feeling his power.
"It can even undergo changes?" A glint of surprise flashed in Silas's eyes. He hadn't expected the combination of the Extremis virus and Shadow Magic to grant Therrus such powerful abilities through the Extremis mutation. As Therrus's master, Silas could clearly sense that power. Therrus was right; he truly had become like Captain America! At least in terms of strength, he was close to Captain America.
Crucially, he had gained an extra ability: immortality. As long as Silas, his creator, was alive, the most he would suffer was being defeated and scattering into a black mist, waiting for Silas's next summons. Furthermore, his body still retained the durability of the Extremis virus, meaning he didn't have to worry about the awkward situation of constantly being beaten into a black mist.
"Thank you for your gift." Therrus reacted, quickly kneeling down in gratitude. With such incredible power, he was no longer human!
"Good. Don't worry, you still retain your human form. You just need to learn to control the power and contain it, and you can revert to your normal appearance," Silas said. The combination of Shadow Magic and the Extremis virus was proving to be very effective.
"Really!" Therrus exclaimed happily, immediately focusing on the power within his body. Then, the Shadow Magic flowing inside him was slowly contained. Therrus's body changed. His monstrous appearance reverted back to that of a normal person.
"This is absolutely amazing!" Therrus slammed his head onto the ground and shouted, "What do you need me to do!"
"Do you know anything about those Mantis Men?" Silas asked the question he most wanted answered.
Therrus replied, "Those are... organization's... no, the Ten Rings' bio-enhanced fighters."
"I don't know exactly what they are made of," Therrus said apologetically. Even though he had gained the recognition of those within the Ten Rings, he still didn't have permission to know the organization's classified information. At most, he knew that the Mantis Men were the Ten Rings' bio-enhanced fighters and could be summoned to provide support at any time.
"If those Mantis Men, the bio-enhanced fighters, don't have intelligence, then how are they controlled?" Silas was confused by this. Things without intelligence are the hardest to control. Why wouldn't those bio-enhanced fighters attack the Ten Rings members, but only him?
"I'll have to keep investigating." Silas opened the Shadow Realm, stepped one foot in, and said, "You go back to the Ten Rings as a spy."
"Understood," Therrus said.
"Mm." Silas left.
After Silas left, Therrus stood up. He was already eager to return to the Ten Rings and show off his power. Even without transforming into his Shadowkhan Enforcer form, he was confident he could defeat those conceited individuals. By demonstrating his unparalleled strength, the Ten Rings would grant him more authority.
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