Chapter 79: A Step Back for Each?

"Give me the talisman..." Robert didn't answer Johnny's question, but instead reached out to Susan, who was invisible behind him.

"Oh... Oh! Thank you!" Susan, a bit dazed, came back to her senses. Before handing over the Serpent Talisman, she emerged from her invisible state and instinctively handed it to Robert.

With a "hum," the Serpent Talisman in Robert's hand glowed again, as if to make him invisible too, but a layer of energy barrier formed between Robert's palm and the talisman, blocking its power.

"You should figure out the situation before you act! If he hadn't stood in front of me and saved me, I would have been turned to ash like those black-clad ninjas!" Meanwhile, Susan ran to Johnny's side, glaring at him irritably.

"Er..." Johnny looked somewhat embarrassedly at Susan, his aura somewhat diminished.

"Aren't you going to give him the talisman? You, a reckless guy like you, thinking of having superpowers? Do you even have the ability?" Susan quietly glanced at Robert, who hadn't spoken, and continued to address Johnny.

"No need for that, keep your anger from just now, we'll have a fight soon!" Robert waved his hand to interrupt Susan and encouraged Johnny.

"Huh?" Johnny and Susan stood there, somewhat bewildered, not knowing what to say to Robert for a moment.

"Let's go!" Robert waved his hand and after dealing with the black-clad ninjas who appeared and tried to charge at them, he spoke.

"Oh... Oh!" Johnny and Susan subconsciously followed behind Robert, and Jackie Chan also hurriedly came over with Jade, whose eyes were shining. Even with the black-clad ninjas continuously charging, Jackie Chan had to admit that the safest place was by Robert's side! "You're not leaving?" Meanwhile, Batman had already retreated to a safe distance with Catwoman. Catwoman, watching Batman pull out his binoculars, asked curiously.

"I want to observe these extraordinary powers, in case similar ones appear in Gotham and we're unprepared..." Batman stood motionless with his binoculars, watching in Robert's direction.

"Alright, tonight was too thrilling, I need to go back and rest..." Catwoman nodded in understanding, about to turn and leave, when she suddenly stopped and teasingly asked Batman, "By the way, this isn't Gotham, why did you happen to be here and save me?"

"..." Batman fell silent for a moment, unwilling to admit he came specifically to save Catwoman, "I was just passing nearby, I didn't come for you, no need to thank me."

"Okay, I believe you, but I hope next time I'm in danger, you'll just happen to pass by and save me!" Catwoman looked at Batman with a flirtatious smile, not intending to expose him, knowing Batman's character; she was just teasing him.

"..." Batman remained silent until Catwoman left, not uttering another word, blending into the darkness, his focus entirely on Robert's direction.

Meanwhile, Robert, along with Jackie Chan and others, arrived in a desolate suburb. Robert had to admit, those black-clad ninjas really had something special about them, their ability to constantly refresh was enough to give many people a headache...

However, what Robert didn't know was that the Holy Master was already getting a headache.

The black-clad ninja clan wasn't originally a power of the Holy Master. He gained control over summoning them after absorbing the energy of a mask. But now, Robert had killed countless black-clad ninjas, and this was consuming the mask's energy absorbed by the Holy Master, especially since this consumption seemed endless...

"Retreat!" Helplessly, the Holy Master gave the order, planning to let Garon figure out Robert's details before deciding how to deal with him.

Garon was also startled by Robert's performance. Even as the leader of Hydra, having seen many extraordinary powers, Garon had never heard of someone like Robert.

"Area 13? Hidden so deeply! It seems there are many secrets there to unearth!" However, Garon clearly misunderstood something. He excitedly began to scheme in his heart, "If I can fully infiltrate Area 13 and find its secrets, wouldn't I become an important voice in Hydra like Alexander Pierce?"

"Hm? They're running away? That's it? What happened to the endless onslaught?" Robert, seeing the remaining black-clad ninjas meld into the ground and disappear, couldn't help but mutter.

"Indeed, no energy is endless. If you kill enough, these ninjas will also disappear or be driven away..." Batman, observing with binoculars, silently noted this key information, then continued to watch Robert's direction without a word.

"Alright, the Serpent Talisman matter is settled, now it's time for the Dragon Talisman." Robert threw the Serpent Talisman to Jackie Chan, who disappeared and then reappeared, apparently mastering the talisman's power like Susan, but Jackie Chan did it through his own attempts, while Susan succeeded inadvertently.

"Gulp!" Seeing Robert hand the Serpent Talisman to Jackie Chan and then look at him, Johnny instinctively swallowed, forcing a smile at Robert.

Honestly, Johnny was a proud and willful person. After obtaining the Dragon Talisman's explosive flame ability and killing several black-clad ninjas, he became even more arrogant.

But having followed Robert and seen him easily kill countless black-clad ninjas, and considering Robert's previously demonstrated strength, Johnny didn't think he stood a chance against Robert, even with the Dragon Talisman...

"So, can we both take a step back?" Johnny tentatively asked Robert.

"A step back? What do you mean?" Robert raised an eyebrow, looking at Johnny quizzically.

"I won't fight you, and you don't take my talisman, how about that?" Johnny asked, full of hope.

"That's not a step back, that's two steps forward for you!" Robert shook his head helplessly, looking at the unenthusiastic Johnny, "How about this: I won't fight you up close. As long as you can hold on without admitting defeat before my strength runs out, you can keep the Dragon Talisman. How about that? You should know I've already spent a lot of energy..."

"Really?" Johnny's eyes lit up, instantly invigorated. The chance to have superpowers was right in front of him, and Johnny couldn't help but consider if this might be his only chance in life, so he had to seize it!

"The Dragon Talisman in his custody?" Jackie Chan hesitated for a moment. Although he didn't think Robert would lose, letting someone like Johnny keep it seemed too unreliable... Especially considering Johnny's previous performance and destructive power, it was hard for Jackie Chan to feel reassured...

___________________

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT