The moment Luke spotted the rocket tearing through the air toward him, dark energy surged over his body. He dissolved into shadows and immediately warped to a safe distance.
The RPG slammed into his tiny apartment, detonating with a deafening roar and utterly vaporizing everything inside.
When Luke stepped out of the shadow realm, he wasn't surprised to see his home reduced to a blazing, shattered crater. But then, a strange, distinct smell caught his attention.
He turned his head, his eyes widening in sheer horror. 'My hoard! MY MONEY!'
A surge of absolute, murderous fury erupted from his chest. Dozens of Shadow Ninjas materialized behind him in the darkness, their crimson eyes burning with lethal intent.
Down on the dark street below, a squad of heavily armed mercenaries, backed by two armored personnel carriers, surveyed the burning apartment building.
Seeing the explosive hit dead center, the squad leader smirked and barked an order. "Move in! Drag his corpse out and string it up at the entrance to Hell's Kitchen! Let everyone know the Kingpin's authority is absolute!"
Just as the mercenaries stepped forward, the shadows behind them twisted.
Cold steel flashed in the moonlight. One by one, mercenaries collapsed to the pavement, their throats silently slit.
"Ambush!" one of the surviving thugs screamed, spotting a ninja standing over a fallen comrade. He immediately opened fire, unloading his assault rifle into the darkness.
The Shadow Ninjas blurred into motion, their katanas flashing in rapid succession to deflect the incoming bullets. However, the concentrated crossfire of military-grade weaponry was too much. Several ninjas were shredded by the hail of lead and exploded into puffs of dark smoke.
A mercenary let out a shaky breath, lowering his rifle as the ninja he had just shot vanished. "Got hi—"
A bone-chilling cold washed over him. He looked down in shock to see a katana jutting out of his chest.
More ninjas poured out from the surrounding shadows like a nightmare. A volley of razor-sharp shurikens rained down, cutting through the remaining gunmen. Blades thrust from the darkness, silently harvesting life after life.
Watching his squad get butchered by literal phantoms, the leader desperately tried to maintain his composure.
'They can be killed by bullets! We can kill them!' he yelled at himself.
He spun around, intending to order the heavy machine guns mounted on the APCs to lay down suppressive fire. Instead, he froze.
Standing casually on top of one of the armored vehicles was a young man in a t-shirt, flanked by two Shadow Ninjas.
The APCs were completely silent. The heavy steel plating was useless against enemies who could literally melt through the micro-fractures in the armor via the shadows. The crews inside, trapped in tight quarters, had been slaughtered without even having the chance to scream.
Luke tapped his foot against the roof of the vehicle. Slowly, the massive armored transport began to sink into the ground, swallowed whole by the shadow realm. There, the dense metal would eventually be corroded and converted into dark energy by the System—though given its mundane nature, the entire vehicle would probably yield less than a fraction of a single crystal.
As the APC completely vanished, Luke and his two bodyguards dropped lightly to the asphalt.
"So," Luke smiled warmly at the trembling squad leader. "Would you mind telling me who sent you?"
"The Kingpin will never forgive you!" the leader screamed, before violently raising his pistol to his own temple and pulling the trigger.
Luke barely flinched as the man collapsed. 'The Kingpin?'
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Wilson Fisk. I guess my little crusade was cutting into his profit margins."
He sighed, shaking his head. "How annoying."
Still, a debt was a debt, and Luke fully intended to collect. He turned his gaze toward the tallest, most opulent skyscraper in Hell's Kitchen. 'Guess it's time to pay him a visit.'
Behind him, the ninjas had finished their bloody work. The street was silent once more. Merging into the shadows, Luke began his march toward Fisk Tower.
In his penthouse office, Wilson Fisk read the preliminary reports from his strike team before communications abruptly went dead.
He leaned back in his massive chair, his face a mask of cold fury. 'An enhanced individual? I suppose that isn't entirely unexpected.'
He steepled his fingers. 'Still, this is problematic. I'll need to employ more drastic measures.'
Luke arrived at the base of the towering skyscraper. Fisk had built this monolith as a symbol of his absolute power over the city's criminal underworld. Even if the Kingpin wasn't currently inside, destroying his prized asset was the perfect way to send a message.
"Let's collect some interest," Luke muttered.
Dozens of Shadow Ninjas detached from his shadow and sprinted toward the glass entrance.
Suddenly, a massive explosion ripped through the ground floor lobby, instantly incinerating dozens of his advancing ninjas.
"Hah. He really doesn't care about collateral damage, does he?" Luke shook his head. Since the Shadowkhan could infinitely respawn as long as he had energy, the trap was completely meaningless.
Hearing a heavy whistling sound from above, Luke glanced up just in time to see two massive figures plummeting straight from the third floor.
'Suicide jumpers?' Luke raised an eyebrow, casually stepping aside to avoid getting splattered with blood.
To his surprise, the two men landed on the concrete with a heavy, metallic crunch, completely unharmed. They were clad in bulky, mechanical exo-suits. They weren't anywhere near the sleek, advanced level of Tony Stark's Iron Man armor, but they clearly provided significant strength and mobility enhancements.
One of the men wielded a massive, hydraulic-powered battleaxe, while the other held two oversized, vibrating high-carbon swords.
Seeing them drop into combat stances, Luke couldn't help but be slightly impressed. The Marvel Universe really was full of hidden tech. Even before Iron Man made his public debut, militarized exo-suits were apparently already in use by the criminal underworld. Back in his old world, this kind of tech was still highly experimental.
Without a second thought, Luke ordered his remaining ninjas to attack.
A dozen katanas swung toward the super-soldiers in perfect unison, flawlessly predicting and cutting off their every escape route.
Seeing the inescapable wall of steel, the two enforcers blanched. They hadn't expected these phantom assassins to possess such terrifying coordination.
However, their objective was purely to act as a distraction and draw the ninjas away, opening a window for the final trap.
Instead of retreating, the two enforcers roared and charged straight into the swarm. Ignoring the sparks flying as katanas carved deep gouges into their mechanical armor, they swung their massive weapons, brutally cleaving through the evasive ninjas with sheer, overwhelming force.
"Did Fisk really think sending two grunts in cheap mecha-suits would stop me?" Luke sighed in disappointment. He had expected the Kingpin to deploy an actual supervillain boss, not two suicidal meatheads.
Within five seconds—before Luke even needed to summon a fresh wave of ninjas—the two enforcers were completely overwhelmed. The Shadowkhan systematically dismantled their exo-suits piece by piece, forcing them to their knees.
Just as Luke shook his head at the pathetic display, a high-velocity sniper round tore through the night sky, aimed silently and flawlessly at the back of his skull.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
In a fraction of a second, a Shadow Ninja materialized directly behind him, slashing its katana upward and cleanly slicing the bullet in half.
Luke slowly turned around, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the dark rooftops of the adjacent buildings.
Dozens of ninjas instantly spawned around him. Moving like spiders, they scaled the sheer glass surface of the building across the street, rushing the sniper's position.
Seeing the swarm of shadows rapidly scaling the wall toward him, the sniper cursed, frantically cycling the bolt of his rifle to fire again. But the bullet was easily deflected by another ninja shielding Luke.
The sniper stared in utter despair as a ninja vaulted over the roof ledge, its blade flashing in the moonlight before effortlessly severing his head.
With the immediate threat neutralized, the ninja swarm scattered across the rooftops, actively hunting for any other hidden shooters.
Watching their spotter die, the remaining snipers hidden in the surrounding buildings panicked. Several suppressed shots rang out simultaneously, converging on Luke's position.
But before the bullets could connect, dark energy completely enveloped him, and he sank effortlessly into the pavement.
The snipers stared through their scopes in shock. By firing, they had completely exposed their positions, and their target had just vanished into thin air.
Before they could even attempt to relocate, crimson eyes flared in the darkness of their sniper nests. The gunmen frantically drew their sidearms, but it was useless. The ninjas easily parried the desperate pistol fire before executing them on the spot.
With the ambush entirely dismantled, Luke rose from the shadows back on the street. He watched coldly as his ninjas forcibly restrained the two battered enforcers. A quick double flash of steel, and both heads rolled across the pavement. No one was left to block his path.
Luke looked up at Fisk Tower and waved his hand. His army of ninjas flooded into the building like a tide of darkness.
However, to his mild disappointment, the skyscraper was mostly empty. Aside from a few dozen heavily armed gang members holding the lower floors, there were no major targets inside.
After violently purging the guards and completely trashing the lobby, the ninjas located a few hidden vaults, looted a massive amount of cash, and faded back into the shadows.
Turning to leave, Luke noticed a familiar vintage car parked down the block. Phil Coulson was leaning against the hood, watching him.
Luke walked over. "Is my ID ready?"
Coulson calmly pulled a sleek black folder from his jacket and handed it over, completely ignoring the chaotic, burning skyscraper in the background.
"Director Fury initially wanted to offer you a tactical support team for this operation, but it appears you had the situation well under control," Coulson remarked smoothly.
"A support team could still be useful. If you guys don't mind, we can go kill the Kingpin right now."
Coulson shook his head. "We will provide you with the locations of his known safehouses. However, Wilson Fisk is deeply tied to numerous legitimate corporations and political interests. We do not officially endorse his assassination. But... we won't exactly stop you, either."
Luke nodded, perfectly understanding S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stance. They wanted Fisk gone, but they needed someone else to pull the trigger so they didn't have to deal with the political fallout.
He opened the folder and found a glossy ID card bearing his photo.
"Can you explain why I'm officially listed as a 'Security Consultant' for some random government agency?" Luke asked, furrowing his brow.
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Coulson recited flawlessly, not missing a beat. "This credential functions as a top-tier federal identification. Furthermore, it provides significant discounts and priority access to various government-affiliated services."
"Do these 'services' include the full VIP treatment?" Luke asked curiously.
Coulson maintained his polite, practiced smile and shook his head, leaving Luke somewhat disappointed.
"So, you're trying to recruit me?" Luke tapped the badge against his palm.
"In truth, S.H.I.E.L.D. does not actually have a 'Security Consultant' division. This position was specifically created for individuals with extraordinary abilities who refuse to formally enlist. As long as you do not cause massive public incidents, you will receive a generous monthly salary for doing absolutely nothing."
"However," Coulson continued, "in times of extreme crisis, we may request your assistance. If you are available to help, you will be heavily compensated on a case-by-case basis. Of course, if you ever change your mind, we would be more than happy to put you through standard training and offer you a position as a full-time field agent."
Luke thought about it. Joining S.H.I.E.L.D. officially sounded like a massive headache. He'd probably end up doing grunt work for Nick Fury—or worse, accidentally helping HYDRA. But getting paid a massive federal salary just to hold a badge and occasionally beat up bad guys? That was a sweet deal.
"This works for me. I don't really want to clock in every day anyway. It's too much of a hassle. I'd rather just stick to extorting the local gangs."
He pocketed the badge and turned to walk away.
Coulson nodded, getting back into his car to report the night's explosive events to Director Fury.
"You're telling me he slaughtered at least a hundred men in that skyscraper, and you still believe he's safe?" Nick Fury sat behind his desk in his dimly lit office, his hands steepled.
Coulson handed over his compiled investigation file. "Since his initial appearance, he has not harmed a single innocent civilian. Furthermore, my interviews with his neighbors confirm that he is incredibly polite, keeps to himself, and always holds the door for the elderly."
Coulson kept his face perfectly straight, mentally recalling the image of himself aggressively interrogating terrified New Yorkers with an angry S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team looming behind him.
Fury took the file. "And we're supposed to blindly trust neighborhood gossip?"
He flipped past the witness testimonies, reviewing the rest of the data. His single eye narrowed as he reached the digital surveillance report.
Tracking Luke's IP address, they had found that his internet history consisted entirely of ordering exorbitant amounts of takeout and playing competitive video games.
Fury sat in complete silence for a long moment.
'This enhanced individual is completely bizarre,' Fury thought. Usually, when people got superpowers, they immediately developed a god complex and started blowing up banks. But this guy? He was a shut-in gamer. If he didn't constantly send his shadow army to massacre drug cartels, S.H.I.E.L.D. probably never would have noticed him.
After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, Fury made a decision. He had seen the terrifying destruction rogue superhumans could cause. Finding one with a somewhat stable moral compass, ordinary hobbies, and overwhelming, controllable power was incredibly rare.
This was exactly the kind of asset S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to secure.
"The current assessment stands. I believe he can be a valuable asset to us. Classify this file at Level 7."
Fury finalized his decision. Luke possessed a standard moral code, completely normal human desires, and devastating power.
Fury's eye gleamed. The Kingpin was about to learn a very painful lesson, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had just acquired a terrifying new wildcard.