{T/N: I decided to leave the repetitive nature of this chapter untouched, otherwise this chapter would be 23 words long, lol...}
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~Midland Circle Financial, Conference Room~
The five leaders of the Hand had gathered together, a rare occurrence...
Alexandra sat at the head of the table, her perpetually cold face betraying a trace of barely contained excitement and joy.
Her life hung by a thread. Every day, she could feel her organs failing as the shadow of death crept closer. The chill of mortality clung to her like the icy breath of the Reaper, jolting her awake from midnight dreams.
Death remained humanity's greatest fear, especially for someone like Alexandra who had lived for centuries. The longer one experienced life, the more terrifying death became.
"I've captured Danny Rand, the last inheritor of K'un-Lun. He's now in our hands..."
The usually composed Alexandra was nearly giddy at the prospect of renewed vitality:
"...Centuries ago, to master the legendary art of immortality, we fled K'un-Lun, and took with us the Dragon Bones from the sacred cavern. The immense life energy within granted us centuries of extended life..."
"...But as time passed, the Dragon Bones dwindled, and death loomed over us once more. Yet fate has not abandoned us. After hundreds of years of searching, we've found another dragon's burial site sealed beneath the earth by K'un-Lun's power. Only the Iron Fist can open that door!" Alexandra's voice echoed through the conference room.
The other four leaders listened in silence. They had once been monks of K'un-Lun, but their greed for immortality drove them to steal the Dragon Bones and flee the rigidly disciplined sanctuary. Using the bones' power to resurrect the dead, they founded the Hand and became its five fingers.
Over centuries, the Hand grew into the vast global criminal empire it was today.
"With Danny Rand in our grasp, do you really think Daredevil and his allies will just stand by?" Murakami, the Japanese leader, voiced his concerns.
He knew all too well the trouble Hell's Kitchen's vigilantes could cause.
Daredevil, the Punisher, and those other peculiar individuals had cost the Hand countless operations over the years.
Alexandra waved a dismissive hand, "The Black Sky will deal with them."
At this, Murakami fell silent...
The Black Sky was an ancient, esoteric ritual inherited from K'un-Lun, a dark worship of the primal demon known as 'The Beast'...
It granted tremendous power at the cost of the host's emotions and rationality. If not for the extreme conditions required to host the Black Sky, the Hand could have forged an entire army of such warriors.
"Elektra is the most suitable host I've ever seen. With the Black Sky fully unleashed within her, Daredevil and his friends stand no chance." Alexandra brimmed with confidence.
Elektra, who should have been dead, had been resurrected using the last remnants of the Dragon Bones. Stripped of her memories, she was the perfect vessel.
"We need Danny Rand to break the seal underground. The sooner we excavate the Dragon Bones, the better. We can't linger in New York any longer, there's already a mysterious organization watching us." Sowande, the African warlord, spoke gravely.
Madame Gao, the Hand's New York insider, nodded in agreement...
The elderly woman commanded an extensive intelligence network. She knew this country harbored a shadowy agency dedicated to handling supernatural threats and extraordinary crimes.
But this organization remained deeply hidden... like an iceberg, with only its tip visible. Even the Hand's intelligence couldn't penetrate further.
"One week. We excavate the bones then." Alexandra set the deadline.
"I'll arrange the extraction route. Removing the Dragon Bones will destabilize New York's foundations, triggering catastrophic chain reactions. We'll escape in the chaos." Bakuto who had been silently listening laid out the plan.
The five leaders of the Hand seldom gathered like this. In the mundane world, they each maintained separate identities...
Alexandra as a New York tycoon, Sowande as an African warlord, Murakami as the head of a Japanese conglomerate. These were mere facades, respectable veneers masking unfathomable darkness.
"What about Wesley's employer?" Madame Gao suddenly asked.
Alexandra placed both hands on the table, "Elektra will kill him. Hell's Kitchen has no room for another ambitious player."
That man's mysterious origins and apparent knowledge of the Hand's past (and K'un-Lun) unnerved her deeply.
"Dangerous elements should be strangled in their cradle."
For centuries, the Hand had only five fingers. Alexandra would never allow a sixth to share the elixir of immortality.
"Everything proceeds as planned." Alexandra surveyed her four companions.
Over centuries, they had relied on and supported each other, building the Hand's empire after fleeing K'un-Lun's rigid discipline...
"One day, we will return to that place and claim infinite life!"
Madame Gao, Murakami, Sowande, and Bakuto rose together.
Centuries ago, they had fled K'un-Lun... that mystical realm existing in another dimension. Though wary of it, they secretly yearned to return so they could plunder its buried Dragon Bones and the secrets of eternal life.
"We can pry the Iron Fist's secrets from Danny Rand. He's not just the key to the door below, he's also the only compass leading back to K'un-Lun." Sowande's dark face twisted into a cold smile.
The others nodded...
The Dragon Bones would eventually run out. But if they could return to K'un-Lun and loot the cavern's depths, immortality would be within reach.
Just as the five leaders basked in their grand vision, crisp footsteps sounded outside. The door opened, and Elektra strode in, a gleaming katana in hand.
The faint metallic tang of blood clung to her, like a warrior fresh from slaughter. Her bestial eyes shimmered with dark satisfaction.
Alexandra observed Elektra with approval, "Is it done?" she asked.
Once possessed by the Black Sky, the host's emotions and memories faded, leaving only primal bloodlust.
Elektra stared at her master, her expressionless face suddenly breaking into a faint smile. Alexandra's heart lurched.
Standing silently in the conference room (black-haired and red-clad, with a katana in hand), Elektra resembled a blooming crimson rose... exquisitely deadly.
"His name is Sean." The slightly hoarse voice rang out as Elektra stepped aside.
A black-masked young man strolled in leisurely.
Taking in the Hand leaders' varying expressions, Sean couldn't help but chuckle:
"Surprise! Long time no see, everyone..."