James sipped his cola, pleased. "Better than expected."
May wiped tears of laughter. "Their faces are green! Wait!" She pointed. "What's Mustache doing?"
Morlun's Good-clone had set up a projector, showing Angry-Morlun a home video. "Here's you at five, when Dad skipped your birthday."
"Argh, turn it off!" Morlun wailed.
Solus panted, glaring at James. "Think this traps us? Our power comes from something you can't comprehend."
"The totem-devouring protocol from a higher dimension?" James cut in, eyes mocking. "My array's already set."
He snapped his fingers. The Mirror Dimension's sky turned transparent, revealing New York's night. Golden chains wove from the void, sealing the dimensional rift shut.
"Impossible!" Solus paled. "You sealed our family's channel?!"
May swung her feet smugly. "Surprise! This guy's magic is cosmic-level. You're outmatched!"
The Good-clones paused, turning to James. Good-Solus spoke, "We have a request. Let us take these evil clones to a therapy center."
The Inheritors screamed, "Who's going to that place?!"
"Sorry, no." James's eyes glinted playfully, green light sparking at his fingertip—the Monkey Talisman's power rippling.
"Mew?!"
The Inheritors shrank, transforming into fluffy kittens!
Solus's claws became pink paw pads, his cape fluffy fur. "This is absurd!" Good-Solus meowed, cat eyes wide. "You can't treat us like—mew?!"
Even the Good-clones became kittens, circling James. "Sir, forced transformation violates ethics—mew!"
James snapped his fingers.
Buzz!
The Good-clone kittens turned to light, merging back into their evil counterparts.
"Meowr!" The Inheritor cats bristled.
Still powered, Karn's claws sprouted energy blades, Brix's tail grew spikes, and Solus leaped, wreathed in red energy.
"Careful!" May yelped, then laughed.
James's eyes flashed. The Inheritors morphed again—Solus into an owl-cat hybrid, wings flapping uselessly; Karn with bunny ears and kangaroo legs, tumbling; Morlun a turtle-cat, trapped in his shell.
"Haha!" May slapped her thigh. "A magical creature mash-up!"
The Inheritors' mismatched bodies failed. Solus's energy blast twisted his owl neck. Karn's kangaroo legs sent him spinning into a wall.
James lifted them telekinetically. "Game over."
His eyes blazed red, heat vision sweeping through.
Zing!
The bizarre cat-creatures dropped, lifeless.
May webbed them into bundles. "So, they're dead?"
"Monkey Talisman plus heat vision sent them to meet their maker," James said, dismissing the Mirror Dimension, eyeing the closing rift. "Problem solved. The Inheritors' base is in a higher dimension. These were just scouts."
May's face shifted. "Wait! If they're after spider totems, Russell—"
Her wrist screen showed Russell in his red-blue suit, fleeing across rooftops from three black-robed hunters!
"Help! These psychos say my blood smells good!" Russell yelled.
James laughed, opening a golden portal. "Let's go."
May dove in after him.
Queens, New York
Russell panted, leaping clumsily between buildings, his spider-sense screaming. The three hunters pursued relentlessly.
"Little spider, stop running!" the lead woman sneered, bone spikes extending.
"Your blood will strengthen our family!"
Barely 48 hours post-mutation, Russell's control was shaky. He misfired a web, plummeting toward an alley's trash heap.
"Crap!"
A black blur flashed. James caught his collar, landing smoothly.
"Yo, newbie." May swung down, blocking Russell. "First day and you're pulling overtime?"
Russell gasped. "You guys! What are these freaks?!"
The hunters paused, eyeing James warily. "Who are you?"
James glanced at them. "I killed Solus. You're still here?"
"You killed Lord Solus?!" the woman shrieked. "We must have the spider totem's blood!"
May rolled her eyes. "Can villains get new lines?"
James shook his head. "Waste of time."
He didn't move, just raised his hand, fingers clenching.
Bang!
The three hunters froze, as if paused. Their skin cracked, golden light bursting from within.
"No, impossible!" the woman gasped, her body disintegrating.
May and Russell gaped as the hunters turned to sand, vanishing without a trace.
Telekinesis and basic matter reconstruction—James rarely used it, but it was enough.
"Done." James turned to Russell. "Hurt?"
Russell shook his head, stammering, "You just… made them…"
"Dust?" May finished, unfazed. "Get used to it. This guy never needs a second move."
James eyed the sky. "Inheritors won't bother again. Their higher-dimensional base lost key hunters; they'll lay low."
-----------------------------------------
50 chapters in advance on my patreon.
Chûnin-Rank Plan: Read 20 chapters in advance + free waifu.
Jônin-Rank Plan: Read 30 chapters in advance + 10 waifu
Hokage-Rank Plan: Read 40 Chapters in advence
patreon.com/The_Fool007