Killer Bee sat in the car, looking at Coulson in the passenger seat.
He said, "Coulson, I'm quite interested in that staff. Do you think the agency would consider trading it with me?"
Coulson was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected even ninjas to be intrigued by Asgardian weapons.
"I'll need to get approval from the Director. Where 084 items end up isn't something I can decide," Coulson responded.
"What would you offer in return?" he asked.
Without hesitation, Killer Bee replied, "Body-enhancing serum, of course. We can discuss the exact quantity."
Clearly, Killer Bee didn't believe a single dose of the serum was enough to trade for such a powerful weapon that could amplify its wielder's strength.
Coulson nodded. "I'll make sure the Director gives it serious consideration."
…
Soon, as night fell, Elliott Randolph led the team, including Killer Bee, to a church where he had hidden the third piece of the staff.
Pushing open the church doors, Elliott smiled, "Haven't been here in a while, but…"
Seeing the items on the table, he quickly approached, "Yes, it's still here."
The group followed Elliott to the table where an open book lay, displaying an image resembling a saint.
Elliott chuckled, "The nose doesn't quite look right, but…"
Coulson glanced at it curiously and asked, "Is that you?"
Elliott nodded, "Yep, they revered me like a saint."
Ward couldn't help but quip, "They must've been idiots."
"Where's the staff?" Ward asked impatiently.
Elliott gestured upstairs with a grin, "Up there."
As the group made their way upstairs, Skye whispered to Coulson, "Is that normal Ward or berserk Ward?"
"Hard to tell," Coulson replied.
Killer Bee glanced around and asked, "It's so quiet. No guards here at night?"
Elliott responded, "How else would I trust them with my secret? They've taken a vow of silence."
As Elliott opened the compartment where the staff should have been, he realized it was empty.
At that moment, Jakob stepped out from a side doorway, holding the staff and shouting, "But if you push them, they'll talk."
Jakob approached Elliott and, without warning, plunged a piece of the staff into his chest.
"If you want to defeat a god, you must become one."
With that, Jakob stabbed Elliott with one piece of the staff while holding the other piece, watching the rest of the group warily.
In an instant, Killer Bee appeared before Jakob and kicked him square in the chest.
Boom!
Jakob was sent flying out of the second floor of the church, crashing down below. Killer Bee immediately leaped after him.
The others on the second floor were stunned, watching Elliott, the once-powerful berserker warrior of Asgard, injured by his own weapon in a surprise attack.
Ward stepped forward and grabbed the half of the staff lodged in Randolph's chest. Red light flickered across the staff, and painful memories surged back into his mind.
"Ahhh!" Ward roared in pain but managed to pull the staff piece out.
"Quick, treat him!" he shouted.
…
Meanwhile-
Down on the first floor-
Jakob had crashed onto a table, shattering it upon impact. He struggled to get up, but even with the staff's enhancement, he was no match for Killer Bee.
With a swift spinning kick, Killer Bee struck Jakob's neck, knocking him unconscious. The staff fell from Jakob's hand, clattering to the floor.
Killer Bee stared at the fallen staff, pondering for a moment before reaching out to pick it up.
…
Back on the second floor, after Ward removed the staff, Simmons exclaimed, "He's not human! I don't know how to treat him!"
Ward responded, "He's dying!"
Fitz added, "We know, but Simmons doesn't understand his anatomy, and I—"
Ward glanced at Killer Bee, who was effortlessly dealing with enemies below, "I'll get Killer Bee up here—he knows healing techniques."
With that, Ward jumped from the second floor. Seeing this, May said, "I'll go help too."
…
Just as Killer Bee grasped the staff, it lit up with a red glow, and his expression twisted in pain.
Memories of being shunned by villagers, pelted with eggs, and the agony of having the Eight-Tails sealed inside him all flooded back.
Ward landed nearby and, facing away from Killer Bee, extended his hand. "Killer Bee, Randolph needs your healing."
Killer Bee glanced at Ward with murderous intent in his eyes. But before anything could escalate, the church doors burst open, and a large group of Jakob's henchmen, all empowered by the staff's magic, stormed in.
Killer Bee suppressed his inner rage and said, "I'll leave them to you."
Letting go of the staff, Killer Bee stepped back.
Ward hesitated, not picking up the staff himself—already holding a piece, he feared that more exposure to the staff's power would overwhelm him with uncontrollable anger.
Seeing Ward's reluctance, May took the half of the staff from Killer Bee. As soon as she touched it, painful memories flooded her mind as well.
With two-thirds of the staff now in hand, Ward and May exchanged a glance and charged toward the approaching enemies, while Killer Bee leaped back up to the second floor.
"How's he doing?" he asked.
Simmons replied, "He's dying fast. He needs treatment now."
Killer Bee crouched beside Elliott Randolph and, seeing the bleeding wound, quickly summoned green chakra into his hands.
Using his healing palm technique, the wound on Randolph's chest began to close rapidly.
"His self-healing ability is strong," Killer Bee noted.
"Even if we didn't intervene, his body would eventually heal itself."