Chapter 346: Snatching the Talisman Tracker in the Lake!
As the water grew deeper, the water pressure became increasingly immense. Soon, they reached the fifteen-meter mark, which was the physical limit for their bodies. If they continued to push forward, they would be crushed by the pressure and dissipate into black mist.
Fortunately, they were well-prepared. The three Shadow Ninjas simultaneously pulled out Kamen Rider transformation belts and strapped them to their waists. With the Kamen Rider armor equipped, the pressure vanished instantly, allowing them to continue their descent smoothly.
Gurgle, gurgle...
No. 3 wanted to speak to his teammates, but only these sounds came out in the water. Helplessly, the three of them began using hand signals in the bottomless lake. To anyone else, the water was pitch black, but to the Shadow Ninjas, it was as clear as a city in broad daylight; their vision was not obstructed in the slightest.
"Hmm?" No. 3 tilted his head in the water. He thought he saw a massive object swim past just now, but it vanished in the blink of an eye. However, the priority was still getting the Dragon Talisman. Following the display on the Talisman Tracker, the three Shadow Ninjas continued to dive.
The Lake has a depth of 373 meters, so it took the Shadow Ninjas some time to reach the deepest part. The three ninjas touched the silt at the bottom of the lake. No. 3 checked the tracker, only to find the signal was still further down. It seemed the Dragon Talisman was buried in the mud.
No. 5 followed the direction of the tracker and dug with his hands, but still couldn't see any sign of the talisman. Furthermore, the mud below was quite hard; there was no way they could dig through it with just their fingers. They needed tools. While the Kamen Rider armor could do it, digging with it would be far too inefficient.
They had prepared so much, yet hadn't expected the Dragon Talisman to be in this situation. Left with no choice, they played Rock-Paper-Scissors underwater; the winner would go back up. In the end, No. 3 lost again. He handed the tracker to No. 5 and submerged into the Shadow Kingdom to head back up. Underwater, there wasn't a single ray of light, making it the perfect environment to open the Shadow Kingdom.
No. 5 and No. 9 began to wait for No. 3 to return. Suddenly, a behemoth swam into view! It was fifteen meters long and looked like a crocodile, but it lacked the hard shell of a snapping turtle. Its skin was fish-like, covered in scales, and its long teeth were exposed as it sped toward the Shadow Ninjas.
"Mmph!" No. 5 saw the giant monster behind No. 9 and frantically pointed at his back, signaling him to get out of the way. No. 9 was confused, but as soon as he turned around, a bloody, gaping maw appeared right in front of him.
Bang!
In the moment of crisis, No. 9 managed to grab the monster's teeth. However, they couldn't exert their full strength in the water. Hit by the monster's impact, No. 9 was sent flying, skidding across the lake bed and stirring up clouds of silt that turned the area murky.
"Ah—" The monster let out a cry similar to a child's wail, bone-chilling and sounding like a ghostly infant screaming in your ear. But the Shadow Ninjas felt no such fear. No. 5 tried to swim toward No. 9 to help him up, but the monster was far faster. It reached No. 5 instantly, its thick tail slamming into him.
No. 5 flew back like a cannonball, hitting the lake floor. The Talisman Tracker fell out of his pocket. Just as No. 5 scrambled up to catch it, the monster swallowed the glowing tracker in one gulp!
"What?!" No. 5 and No. 9 clutched their heads in shock, staring at the monster in disbelief. You can eat us if you want, but why eat the tracker?! That thing doesn't even taste good!
The monster shook its bloated head, seemingly finding the tracker unpalatable as well. It turned its attention back toward the Shadow Ninjas.
"Gurgle! (Spit it out!)" No. 5 jumped with his legs together, attempting a Rider Kick. He didn't expect that he wouldn't be able to jump properly in the water. As soon as he tried, he lost his center of gravity and floated aimlessly.
The monster didn't understand what this strange food was doing, but it opened its mouth wide to swallow No. 5. He quickly activated the thrusters on his calves, narrowly dodging the monster's teeth. These thrusters were meant to increase the power of the Rider Kick, but here, they could only serve as small jets.
"Gurgle... (What do we do?)" No. 5 asked No. 9.
No. 9 spread his hands. "Gurgle... (How should I know?)"
The biggest problem now was that the monster had swallowed the tracker.
"Gurgle? (Should we go up?)" No. 5 pointed upward.
"(Gurgle?!) You lost the tracker and you have the nerve to go back up?" No. 9 was speechless. If the Captain found out they lost it, they'd be skinless.
" (Gurgle?) Then what can we do?" No. 5 searched his body but didn't have a single weapon. No. 9 rubbed his chin; it seemed there was only one way. Without another word, No. 9 submerged into the Shadow Kingdom and vanished.
"..." No. 5's lip twitched. I didn't think your 'way' was just retreating first!
"Ah!" The monster attacked No. 5 again. With a look of weary resignation, No. 5 began a game of cat-and-mouse with the creature. He couldn't leave; if he did and the monster escaped, where would they find it? The lake was massive and connected to the ocean.
On the Surface
"Tools for digging?" Hearing No. 3's request, the Captain quickly handed them over. "Go on, come back as soon as you can." The Captain sat back down and picked up his cards. "King Bomb!"
"..." No. 3 watched with envy. Unfortunately, he was on duty. Just as he was about to dive back in, No. 9 emerged from the Shadow Kingdom.
"Why are you up here?!" No. 3 asked in surprise. The other ninjas stopped their card game and turned their glowing red eyes toward No. 9.
"There's a big problem..." No. 9 explained everything.
"A giant monster?!" The Captain hadn't expected that. No. 3 felt lucky he had come up when he did. The Captain looked at the single 3 left in his hand, coughed, threw his cards into the pile, and flipped the table.
Bang!
"Preposterous! How dare it bully the Shadow Ninja Corps! Brothers! Get it!" The Captain rolled up his sleeves. Ninjas No. 4 and No. 6, still holding their cards, looked at him suspiciously, as if saying 'Don't think we don't know why you're doing this.'
"Ahem! Why aren't you saying anything?" the Captain asked awkwardly.
"Get it!" the squad finally responded. They all equipped their armor and entered the Shadow Kingdom to head to the lake bed.
The Lake Bed
"Gurgle! (Help!)" No. 5 was bracing his hands and feet against the monster's jaws. Thanks to the armor's defense, he hadn't been bitten in half yet. Suddenly, a shadow appeared.
"Is that... light..." No. 5's eyes filled with hope. His Master had said to believe in the light.
"It's not light, it's the Shadow Ninja Corps!" the Captain shouted. "Brothers! Charge!"
"Charge!" The other members swarmed the monster. The beast thrashed violently, trying to shake them off.
Thud!
The Captain was the first to be thrown off, landing on the silt. "This isn't working. It's too big, and we're only here for the Dragon Talisman..."
"But the tracker is in its stomach!" No. 5 shouted, finally free.
"Then we'll have to request backup." The Captain contacted the brothers in the Shadow Kingdom.
"Who is he calling?" No. 5 wondered.
Boom!!!
The ninjas were all tossed aside as a new behemoth emerged from the Shadow Kingdom.
"My name is... Gurgle..." Kha'Zix was about to introduce himself but didn't expect to be underwater. "What's the situation?" he asked.
The monster's eyes lit up at the sight of Kha'Zix—a huge prey! It lunged, its tail propelling it toward him to swallow him whole. Kha'Zix raised his arms to block and prepared to fire his thrusters, but they instantly stalled out.
"Not good." Kha'Zix realized his thrusters weren't like the others'. Without them, he couldn't exert his true power underwater.
"Is he really going to be okay?" No. 5 asked, watching Kha'Zix being dragged along by the monster.
"He should be." The Captain had seen Kha'Zix's power on the freighter; he had nearly crushed the Mandarin.
"Just in case, let's get another helper," No. 5 suggested.
"Who?"
Just then, a massive opening to the Shadow Kingdom appeared. A red light flashed from the abyss, illuminating the entire lake bed. The monster and Kha'Zix stopped fighting, stunned by the sight. A colossal black obsidian body filled their vision. The source of the red light was now clear: a massive red eye radiating an overwhelming aura of authority.
"I know who he called," the Captain said, dazed.
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