"I've talked to Catherine a few times in the past two days. She learned all she knew about the Japanese ninjas from the current leader of the Foot Gang, Karai."
Prinst wagged his tail. "That's not accurate. Karai used a lot of misleading words to improve the image of the Foot Gang, but in fact, none of the forces in this circle are that righteous, especially the Foot Gang, which started with assassinations and looting."
Saber sat cross-legged opposite Prinst. Looking at this big rat ninja who didn't hate people, he said in a low voice, "This sounds like a long story.
"This sounds like a long story, but I don't have much time. So, I think we can actually make it short. For example, your purpose, what do you want, and what do you need me to do?"
Prinst glanced at Saber with his human eyes.
"Patience is a virtue, and you have plenty of time, Mr. Saber. The sacrificial ritual of the shadow beast will take an entire night. If we rush into the shadow realm rashly, we'll be attacked indiscriminately by the shadow beast. The best time is after it completes its possession, when its power is dispersed, and we can take it down one by one. It doesn't have intelligence."
"Okay."
Saber made a "please" gesture, and Prinst coughed softly.
"Let's start with the topic you're concerned about. It's about Catherine's injuries. The moment the poor girl was hit by the shadow beast's power, some magical power protected her from most of the damage. That should be the 'angel' my children talked about. Judging from the smell, it was a fallen angel …"
He looked at Saber and tapped the ground with his bamboo cane. "It has to be said that contracting such a creature with a girl's soul is a very dangerous thing."
Saber's expression didn't change, so Prinst continued, "But a small piece of her soul was still absorbed by the shadow beast's greed. It's a demon that descended on Earth in ancient times. Its origins are unknown, but its greed for souls is instinctive. Every ninja of the Hand has a piece of their soul in the shadow beast's body. After they die, this piece of soul becomes a sacrifice to the shadow beast.
"If we don't stop it, Catherine will suffer the same fate. Also, since she doesn't have a contract with the shadow beast to exchange power, this kind of soul devouring will happen in an even more violent way."
Prinst sighed. "This girl's fate is full of misfortune, so you have to get that piece of soul back before it's completely digested."
"Mm … That's what I have to do, and I should've already started doing it."
Saber rubbed his chin and looked at Prinst. "The main force of the Hand has been destroyed. The shadow beast is next. But to be honest, I don't want to let go of the other accomplice who lured Catherine into this scheme. So, tell me about the Foot Gang. Who are they?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to say."
Prinst stretched out a claw and picked up a cup of tea from the ground. "The Foot Gang used to be a small organization that the Holy Purity Society didn't even observe. It wasn't until nearly a hundred years ago, when their leader, Schlade, found a demon blade in the remains of a big monster that the Foot Gang flourished. I was once chosen to observe the Foot Gang, and watched almost the entire process of their rise."
The big rat ninja drank the tea and heaved a sigh of relief.
"That was an incredibly boring and cruel process of bloodshed and annexation. There's nothing much to say about it. Things should've been on the right track at this point. Shlaide would've either been destroyed by the Holy Purity Order, or he would've changed his way of doing things and become a mundane ninja organization. However, Shlaide chose neither. Instead, he made the worst decision possible.
"So, I'll say that the Foot Gang and the Hand are actually jackals of the same lair. The Hand worships demons, and the Foot Gang worships evil spirits. Of course, the evil spirits I'm talking about might be different from the ones you know."
Prinst narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you curious why Catherine let down her guard so easily and followed Carly to New York?"
"It has to do with their 'evil spirits'?"
The big rat ninja nodded. "Carly's body contains the power of a legendary fox demon. She can easily control the minds of ladies like Catherine, but it's probably because of Catherine's fallen angel influence that Carly can't completely control her. Otherwise, you would be facing a sister with ulterior motives."
The big rat laughed strangely, and his voice turned eerie.
"She can manipulate Catherine to assassinate you, or even worse, to tear apart The Devil Gang … Don't underestimate Carly. Schlade lives far away in Japan to study the power of evil spirits. How can someone whom he entrusted with the Foot Gang be an impulsive woman? You might not know this, but 15 minutes after Catherine left the Foot Gang's base, I lost track of the Foot Gang. It's obvious that they know what the Devil's Gang is doing, so they went underground in advance. "
"Ha!"
Saber snorted. "They're scared!"
"Of course, they're scared of a crazy tyrant like you."
Prinst slowly poured a cup of tea for Saber. "But I think what Carly wants to do is to use this opportunity to form an alliance with The Devil Gang. In fact, if it weren't for me and my children, Carly's plan would have had a high success rate. As long as they provide some help when you attack the Shadow Realm and play some tricks, with your personality …"
Prinst's description was emotionless, but Saber could sense a hint of dissatisfaction. He rubbed his temples.
"So, you're complaining that we've disrupted your peaceful life? Or are you planning to join us and remove the last trace of uncertainty? "
"The Foot Gang is sneaky and vicious. When Michelangelo and Raphael rescued Catherine, the peace was broken."
Master Prinst spread out his hands.
"But they are doing good things according to what I taught them. How can I blame them? As for your question, my answer is, if war is destined to happen, then what reason do we have to not stand on the winning side?"
He lowered his voice.
"You see, every ninja of the Pristine Society believes in justice, but we often use unjust methods to achieve it. My children are too young and always think that upholding justice is the right thing to do. But I'm old, and I understand that justice can't change the situation of the enemy. Willpower alone can't win a war. The first thing to consider is the safety of my children. They're still too young."
Prinst's furry face showed a hint of worry.
"Carly's advantage lies in his strategy, and strategy doesn't hurt people easily. But Shleder is different. Once he returns to New York, we may have to face a more direct threat. To be honest, even if my children and I work together, we have no chance of winning against Shleder, who may have truly mastered the power of the Great Demon and has the Demon Sword Teng Gujian."
"He's the same as you. He likes to use violent means to solve problems. He's also a tyrant."
The rat ninja's green jade staff was placed horizontally on his legs. Suddenly, Seiber's interest was piqued by Shlaide, whom he had never met before. He opened his mouth and asked.
"Tell me about Shleder. I suddenly feel that he may be a big trouble …"
"He is indeed! In fact, I've known him since he was still a Genin. "
Prinst said in a tone that was a mixture of nostalgia and hatred. "His real name is Kotosuki, and he's a young man who pursues power. He joined the Feet and easily reached a high position. He used to be my friend, and we shared combat skills and ninjutsu. I know very well that Shleder has a stubborn pursuit of power, but I still believe that he can use his own power reasonably. But he doesn't … After he accidentally obtained the Teng Gujian, everything went wrong."
"He used a cruel method to unify the Feet and lead them. In a few years, he stole a large amount of resources from the powerful Hand. Then, he was inspired by the evil power of the Teng Gujian. In the era when the dimensional barrier was still very strong, he began to study mysterious powers. He was probably one of the first people in the world to receive a response. He answered the call and became the carrier of the evil spirit."
Prinst's voice lowered.
"But he wasn't controlled by the evil spirit of the big monster. On the contrary, he controlled it! The evil creature called Daitengu reaped unimaginable rewards from it. So, in the next ten years, the Feet rose to prominence and became an opponent on par with the Hand. You killed Mrs. Gao, but you might not be able to defeat Shleder, because Mrs. Gao has never truly defeated Shleder, who can control the power of the evil spirit. "
He stretched out a furry paw and scratched his beard. He looked at Saber calmly.
"I have to prepare for a rainy day. Shleder won't let those of us who ruined his plan go, and he won't let The Devil Gang and you go. So, my children and I will help you attack the Shadow Domain. That place is filled with shadow energy, and you will need my ninjutsu to help. When Shleder and the Feet come for revenge, I need you to stand in front of us. That's fair, isn't it?"
Seb rested his chin on his fingers. He looked at Prince. Finally, he said softly,
Finally, he said softly, "I have enough trouble …"
When Prinst heard this, his tail twitched, but he asked calmly, "So, what's the problem?"
"So?"
"That's why I don't mind having another problem. If there's enough reward, the ninja turtles have amazing potential. They can move as nimbly as a ninja even with such a heavy turtle shell on their back. They should have a bigger goal instead of hiding in the sewers and being nameless pawns fighting against hooligans and robbers. That's simply a waste of their talent!"
He crossed his fingers and flexed them back and forth.
"Have you thought about moving? Catherine likes those turtles a lot. She asked me to bring you to Gotham to play with her. Because I might ground this crazy girl for two to three years, and because you're facing the threat from the Feet, I suddenly feel that moving is the best solution to all the problems. "
"That's The Devil Gang's nest. I won't give it to the Feet so easily. You can rest assured there."
Prinst's ears twitched.
"Is there tea there? Is the sewers there spacious? Most importantly, is there a battlefield where my children can grow up quickly? "
Saber narrowed his eyes, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Of course, there's the best place to enjoy. I have a harbor for you to live in, and there's the best opponent there. Forgive me for being blunt, but compared to Gotham, the criminals in New York are like children playing house. There's a senior like Batman for them to learn from. Let's be frank, if your children don't die in the hands of those cunning and cruel criminals, then they'll definitely grow at a speed that you can't imagine. I can guarantee that!"
Prinst was a little moved, but as an experienced former master ninja, he stroked his beard and thought repeatedly. After a moment, he said softly,
"Let's wait until the matter in Shadow City is over before we talk about this."
"Okay!"
Saber stood up and moved his body. "Then let's move. Let's finish this thing that should've been finished long ago. I'm really getting impatient."
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