Winner Takes All

It was late in the night and all was quiet.

After his wounds were treated and dressed, Jack assured Amber and Steve before they went to bed. Then he along with Mr. Ward and the rest remained in the corridor.

Cheer brought some men to clean up the corridor and even covered up the damages on the walls. There was a strong smell of plaster in the air. When Cheer found out what had happened, he was so terrified that his face became as white as a sheet of paper. He immediately knelt in front of Jack but Jack was not angry with him. Even Mr. Ward and Brent were not upset because all of them understood that all the men of the Grand Freemasons and the local Hughes office were only there to provide a deterrent against the smaller threats.

From the beginning, Jack, Mr. Ward, and the others had made sufficient preparation against killers like Iga. Mr. Ward, Brent, Daisy, and the mysterious man were the only ones who could deal with such killers. A skilled killer like Iga was able to penetrate the defenses put up by the thousand-men Grand Freemasons and the local Hughes office. Killers of that class could easily defeat even twice that number. After Cheer left, Jack, Mr. Ward, and Brent sat on the bench along the corridor. Jack had a cigarette in his mouth and his left shoulder was heavily bandaged with some blood seeping through the bandages. Mr Ward and Brent also sat on the bench as they smoked.

None of them spoke a word as they cast long shadows along the corridor. But occasionally Mr. Ward and Brent would take a peek at Jack. What happened just now was extremely dangerous.

A Ninja Lord not only had drawn away the mysterious man, but he had also managed to draw Brent and Daisy away. This was Brent and Daisy's greatest failings. Mr. Ward who had witnessed the fight betweer Jack and Iga felt even guiltier.

As a servant, he actually stood behind his master and allowed his master to face the life and death situation by himself. Although Jack managed to kill Iga, the last sacrificial move by Jack to take the sword through his body, made Mr. Ward cringe whenever he thought of it. The next moment Mr. Ward looked at Jack's shoulder, he quickly closed his eyes and was overcome with emotions.

Then, Jack snuffed out his cigarette and asked, "Do you know any information about the Ninja Iga clan?"

Everyone knew about ninjas. Jack saw numerous depictions of ninjas through movies and television programs. But it was one thing watching ninjas in the movies and another thing fighting with them in real life Jack knew nothing about the Iga clan!Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Brent's eyes lit up and said, "Master, Iga clan had become a legend within the ninja world."

"Legend?!" Jack was shocked.

No wonder Iga appeared so disgusted when Jack mentioned Kotaro. As a Ninja Lord of the legends among the ninjas, Iga must have very high standards and looked down upon the lesser skilled ninjas. Even when Kotaro was ranked eighteenth in the Azrael killers list, it was just another nobody in Iga's eyes. It was the same as how the Hughes family would never accept some elite families of some regions. "Yes, many clans had emerged over the long history of the ninjas. During these years, there had been numerous battles to separate the strong from the weak." Brent was familiar with this as he had interactions with different groups of killers during his time as a mercenary.

"Now, the prowess of the various ninja clans is clearly differentiated. The Iga clan had been renowned since ancient times till today and naturally had become a legend in the eyes of all ninjas."

"It's not only the length of history of the Iga clan but its ninja arts and skills far surpass the other ninja clans. Even the modern-day standards of the ninjas were being set by the Iga clan."

Brent paused as he snuffed out his cigarette and then said solemnly, "It's not a stretch to say that nowadays there are many ninja clans out there."

There was an awkward silence after Brent finished. Jack's eyes glimmered but he suppressed his words. With the status of a legend and yet they set the standards for becoming a ninja, that meant that they could preserve their status and authority. But Jack's fight with Iga made him believe what Brent said.

He had fought against two ninjas, Kotaro and Iga. He could clearly tell the differences in their skills. Even when Kotaro was ranked eighteenth on the Azrael list of killers, Iga far surpassed his skills.

Iga could leave the Iga clan and easily set up a clan on his own. But what bewildered him was why would someone like that want to kill him?

'I didn't go to his territory and neither did I disrespect his ancestral burial grounds!' Jack thought.

"Master, the Bloody Angel organization and Iga clan do not differ much." Mr. Ward said as he pondered deeply.

Jack was snapped back to his senses. What Mr. Ward meant was that it was equally strange for both these organizations to want to kill Jack. It started with the Bloody Angel and now with the Iga clan, it appeared to be a pattern.

Jack rubbed his nose and then scoffed at Mr. Ward, "Are you trying to tell me not to worry as there would always be people who want me dead?"

"Make lemonades from lemons, isn't it?" Mr. Ward chuckled in resignation.

Jack and Brent looked at each other and agreed that life was like that. Even if you did not seek troubles, troubles would somehow have a way of looking for you. How could you live every minute in fear and trying to come up with solutions for every problem?

After a pause, Mr. Ward suddenly asked, "Master, when did you learn to control the muscles on your shoulders?" He pointed to Jack's shoulders as he asked. He looked surprised as the images of what had happened flashed into his mind.

His muscles raised and twitched as if they were alive. They could even pinch and grip onto the sword blade which had penetrated Jack's left shoulder. That scene was indeed visually traumatic.

On hearing, Brent also looked at Jack in awe and asked, "So, master had not revealed the full abilities to control his shoulder muscles when you forced me to utilize the Python devours Dragon move?" Indeed Jack had pulled his punches. Jack was clear where he reduced his strength when he forced Brent to use the Python devours Dragon move. Mr. Ward and Brent looked at Jack as they eagerly wait for his answer.

Jack shook his head, "No, it was an emergency just now and I suddenly managed to do it."

Kaboom! What Jack said was like a thunderbolt.

Mr. Ward and Brent were stunned like a deer in the headlights...

Was this... inspiration?!☐☐☐☐☐☐☐