The five leaders of the Hand immediately leaped into the hole where the Dragon Bone was buried, leaving Elektra, the Black Sky, and the other Hand ninjas to deal with Danny Rand and the arriving forces of Jessica, the Chaste, and their allies.
Though Danny was furious that the Hand leaders had used him and desperately wanted to pursue and defeat those five K'un-Lun traitors, seeing the black chi released by Elektra devour two Chaste ninjas, he chose to focus on countering the Black Sky's demonic power first.
In Danny Rand's eyes, besides himself, who possessed the Power of the Dragon, everyone else present would likely be unable to handle the power of the demon worshipped by the Hand.
As Elektra and Danny initiated the fight, the two sides immediately engaged in full-scale combat. Soldiers fought soldiers, and generals fought generals. The Hand's ordinary ninjas clashed with the Chaste's ordinary ninjas. The Hand's elite high-ranking members automatically took on opponents with powerful fighting abilities like Matt, Stick, and Luke.
Because the five other Hand leaders hadn't brought many personnel to New York, the Hand forces present were essentially only those from the New York branch. Coupled with the heavy casualties from the strongholds that Danny, Matt, and Jessica had recently destroyed, the Chaste ninjas led by Stick actually managed to gain the upper hand.
"Damn it, this demon power on the girl named Elektra is getting stronger and stronger."
Danny's expression turned grim as he observed the mark on Elektra's forehead begin to rapidly expand and spread. As the demon mark covered more area, the demonic power released became stronger, requiring him to use more of the Power of the Dragon in battle. As his chi consumption increased, Danny felt more and more strained.
"ClayDoll"
Seeing that Danny's situation was deteriorating and the black chi released by Elektra was becoming more intense, Jessica didn't hesitate and immediately used the Clay Doll Gaia Memory, transforming into a Dopant.
She immediately blasted the Hand ninja in front of her into ashes. Over the past few days, Jessica had also destroyed several Hand strongholds and factories and witnessed the Hand's cruel methods firsthand. To better control the workers in the factories and prevent them from leaking information about the Hand, the Hand had blinded all the people they had kidnapped and forced to work, including many underage orphans.
Because all these workers were blind, the probability of accidents during work was extremely high, and many people suffered lifelong, incurable severe injuries. These injured people, who had lost their ability to work, were either directly disposed of or casually thrown onto the streets like garbage, left to fend for themselves.
Having personally witnessed the Hand's actions, Jessica held a deep hatred for the Hand ninjas and showed no intention of holding back during the fight. After easily dealing with all the surrounding ninjas, she immediately went to help Danny fight the black chi-shrouded Elektra.
Several energy blasts struck the eerie black mist released by Elektra, relieving some of the pressure on Danny.
"How do you have this kind of power?" Danny Rand took a slight breath, asking with confusion.
Jessica chuckled: "This is the power of my Gaia Memory. Why did she stop moving?" she asked, a little strangely, observing that Elektra had suddenly become motionless.
Danny shook his head, saying he didn't know, and glanced around, catching sight of the mark on Elektra's body having completely covered her. He became highly vigilant and cautioned, "Be careful. Something dangerous might happen next."
"Inferior humans, greet the coming of the great 'Beast'," The motionless Elektra suddenly erupted with a powerful black chi, uttering a hoarse and terrifying voice.
This was a fragment of the "Beast's" consciousness successfully descending through Elektra, the Black Sky.
"The demon's consciousness has descended!"
Stick's face drastically changed upon hearing Elektra's voice. He shouted loudly, "We must destroy the Black Sky, the vessel, before the demon can transmit more of its power! Otherwise, it will be an immeasurable catastrophe!"
Daredevil was silent for a moment after hearing Stick's words, then finally remained quiet. He just put more ferocity into his collapsible staff, no longer sparing the lives of the ninjas attacking him.
"The Beast" manipulated the black chi to block the attacks from Jessica and Danny, its gaze sweeping around.
It spoke: "Where are those five loyal followers who summoned me? Why do they not come to worship my glorious arrival!"
The Hand ninja's temporary leader, Stone, was about to speak to appease the descending demon when suddenly Madame Gao and the other five appeared out of thin air on the ground, causing him to freeze in shock. When did the five leaders acquire this ability?
Madame Gao and the other five Hand leaders were also slightly stunned. What happened? They had clearly been standing next to the Dragon Bone, about to absorb some of its power, so how did they suddenly return to the surface in the blink of an eye?
"My followers, you have arrived," The Beast said upon seeing the five Hand leaders. "Immediately offer me sacrifices so I may truly descend a portion of my power into this world, and I shall grant you immensely powerful strength."
The five Hand leaders were extremely confused as to why they had suddenly returned to the surface. Could it be that the Dragon Bone had a spatial barrier that instantly teleported anyone who touched it?
Although they had a thousand guesses, their actions and reactions showed no hesitation. They respectfully bowed their heads and said to the demon "The Beast": "Great 'Beast,' we had prepared many sacrifices for your arrival, but these people ruined the ceremony. Once we deal with these troublemakers, we will immediately find more living sacrifices to offer you."
"The Beast" nodded, quite pleased, and looked at Jessica and Danny Rand: "These two humans indeed possess some special powers, actually being able to contend with this vessel of mine. Even though I have only descended an insignificant wisp of power, they are indeed not easily dealt with."
"But that is fine. I shall consume both of them. Their unique power must be far superior to many other ordinary sacrifices."
With that, it waved its hands. The black mist solidified into an inky substance, pouncing on Jessica and Danny like a predatory beast.
Although the power being manipulated hadn't significantly increased, "The Beast's" true self was an extremely powerful primordial demon. Its control over energy and the laws of nature was incomparable to the unconscious Black Sky before.
The black chi under "The Beast's" conscious control now displayed a completely different level of power. It directly corroded, eroded, and consumed the energy blasts fired by Jessica. The black chi wrapped and trapped the Power of the Dragon released by Danny like a thick shroud, causing Danny's power to be consumed gradually like "water without a source."
"Damn it," Jessica felt a sense of despair, looking at the black chi that had solidified into chains, encircling and sealing her off.
"I shall consume you first. The power you possess has a unique aura from this planet; it seems quite delicious." "The Beast," watching Jessica trapped as if in a cage, let out a triumphant laugh.
Danny tried to rush to the rescue, but the black chi, as agile as a snake, attacked him from all directions, forcing him to use the Power of the Dragon to protect himself first.
"That won't do. A Memory that serves as a divine sacrifice is not something a mere trash like you can covet." Dan, transformed into Kamen Rider Eternal, leisurely flew out of the hole where the Dragon Bone was buried.
With a sweep of the Eternal Dagger in his hand, a bright blue blade of chi easily cleaved the black chi cage surrounding Jessica.
"Who are you?! What did you do in the underground cave?" The five leaders of the Hand stared at Dan flying out of the Dragon Bone's burial hole, asking in shock and uncertainty. They wondered if the man in white armor was responsible for their sudden teleportation from the Dragon Bone to the surface.
"Damn you, human! How dare you insult the great 'Beast' with the word 'trash'! I will tear you limb from limb and devour your soul piece by piece!" "The Beast" was utterly enraged by Dan's contemptuous and casual use of the word "trash." A mere human daring to look down on a great demon!
Ignoring Danny and Jessica, it immediately mobilized the black chi to attack Dan.