"The power of the Sheep..."
At the bank entrance, Finn looked down at the three Talismans in his palm with a look of utter dejection, his face twisting in discomfort.
Not long ago, Valmont had gathered them to restart their criminal enterprise. The Enforcers were back in business: Ratso, Chow, and himself. And, of course, Hak Foo, as he was a heavy hitter.
Aside from Hak Foo, he, Ratso, and Chow were long-time partners. Their cooperation was seamless (in his opinion, at least), and they had pulled off plenty of big scores together. As for Valmont, Finn felt in his heart that he was a decent boss. He had the ambition to make money, the skills, the means, and a "never say die" spirit. It was just that, more often than not, they seemed to lack a bit of luck.
This time, however, should have been their most promising run yet. Valmont had secured the Twelve Talismans! Four men, three Talismans each. It was common knowledge that this was power beyond limits, far surpassing any mere mortal, if only he hadn't been stuck with these three useless rocks.
"Hey, boss," Finn said, clutching the stones as he looked toward the ready-and-waiting Valmont. "Don't you think there's a bit of a problem with the distribution?"
Valmont, clad in his green suit with his long white hair flowing, glanced at Finn and the artifacts in his hand.
"Astral projection, animating the inanimate, and balancing Yin and Yang... why do I always get stuck with the junk?" Finn grumbled.
But Valmont clearly had no time for him. Chow stood at the front, the power of the Dragon Talisman exploding from his hand, blasting a hole straight through the bank vault. Beside him, Ratso wasn't about to be outdone; the power of the Pig Talisman surged from his eyes, melting through an armored car to reveal the stacks of U.S. dollars inside.
Each of them looked like a god descended to earth. Then there was Hak Foo, a martial arts master whose movements were so fluid that even bullets couldn't catch him. In just a few minutes, the fully guarded bank fell under the Enforcers' fire.
Except for Finn. He felt like he hadn't contributed a thing.
His cohorts were already stuffing duffel bags with cash when the piercing wail of sirens erupted. Police cars and armored vans swarmed into the financial district one after another. Simultaneously, a familiar figure appeared before them.
"Jackie Chan!" the Enforcers shouted in unison.
Finn glanced at the Talismans in his hand and took half a step back, positioning the others in front of him. Even with the power of the Talismans, their opponent was Jackie Chan. Everyone knew Jackie excelled at two things: snatching Talismans with his bare hands and "borrowing" things without ever returning them. Especially since the Talismans Finn held were, frankly, duds.
The two sides instantly traded fire. A dense hail of bullets clashed with the magical energy of the Talismans. Continuous explosions rocked the financial district. Finn was about to find a safe place to hide when a blue blur flashed past his eyes.
It was Jackie! Finn only had time to see the flying kick before he was clutching his stomach, sent spiraling backward. He's too fast!
The Talismans hit the ground. Just as Jackie reached for them, a sharp roar cut through the air.
"Mule Kick!" Hak Foo flew in with a kick, intercepting Jackie. The two immediately became locked in combat.
The scene was pure chaos. Jackie was... practically a superhuman. Finn struggled to his feet and, after a thought, pocketed the Talismans. He was about to help when a familiar voice hissed in his ear.
"Useless!"
"Who? Who's calling me that?" Finn blinked, startled. For a second, he thought Valmont was chewing him out, but the boss was clearly occupied.
"I am talking to you, of course!" the voice rang out again.
Finn looked toward a nearby wall. On the smooth glass surface of the financial building, he saw the reflection of the one creature he never wanted to see again in his life.
"She... Shendu?!" Finn's shock was so great he could barely speak. "Y-Your Majesty? How are you here? Aren't you dead?"
Finn reacted quickly. He immediately held out the three Talismans to Shendu with a pious expression. "Your power... I've been keeping it safe for you this whole time..."
He shot a glance at Chow and Ratso, who were busy fighting Jackie. "The other Talismans are with them; they have nothing to do with me. See? Dragon, Rabbit, Pig, Ox... even the Rooster. All the strong ones are over there..."
"Those are not important!" Shendu interrupted. His wicked gaze landed on Finn's hand. "I am here for this."
As Shendu spoke, the Sheep Talisman rose slowly from Finn's palm, vanishing in a flash of pure white light. For a long time, Finn heard nothing more from Shendu. He slowly looked up. Shendu was gone.
"The power of astral projection... what does he want with that?" Finn wondered.
Shendu, of course, wasn't going to explain. Finn knew he had to tell Valmont the news of Shendu's return as quickly as possible.
Back at the bank, the fighting had wound down. No matter how skilled Jackie was, he was only one man. The Enforcers had filled several bags with cash and scrambled into their getaway car.
"Finn!" As the car sped off along their planned escape route, Hak Foo reached out and hauled Finn inside.
"What were you doing back there?" Valmont asked, his voice dripping with displeasure. Ratso, Chow, and Hak Foo had done the heavy lifting.
Feeling Valmont's gaze sweeping over him, Finn swallowed hard and said in a panicked voice, "He's back!"
"Who?" Valmont instinctively felt a chill of danger.
"It's Shendu! He's returned! And he took the Sheep Talisman!"
…
As the car sped down the highway, a certain demon from the human world had already returned to the Netherworld. Seven towering stone platforms formed a circle, the demons looking down at the spirit of Shendu below.
"I told you, I will not deceive you this time, my brothers and sisters!" Shendu coiled himself into a loop, looking up pitifully at the seven Demon Sorcerers. "And this time, I shall not fail. Each of you will have the chance to return to the mortal realm through the Demon Portal left by my martyrdom!"
As he spoke, Shendu looked toward the highest stone platform. The demon Tso Lan stood there, hands folded, watching Shendu in silence.
Truthfully, Zoran hadn't expected Shendu to move so quickly. Perhaps it was because Jackie Chan hadn't been there to stop him from getting the Sheep Talisman? Regardless, Shendu was still a demon; failing every time would be truly embarrassing.
"However, my demon brother, you must realize that the power possessed in a spiritual state is limited," Shendu warned, looking toward Tso Lan.
Hearing this, Zoran slowly shook his head. "My sacrifice is for the freedom of our other demon siblings."
With those words, he earned another wave of favor from the other demons. He raised a finger, and a beam of glowing green light shot toward Shendu. The other demons followed suit almost simultaneously.
"What is this?!" Shendu roared.
"A binding spell. It will keep you tethered to the first person you possess until you have confirmed the release of all our kindred."
"Fine... very well. In that case, I believe I have a target."
In Shendu's eyes, the reflection of Jackie Chan appeared.
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