"You're the Magician," Quentin Beck exclaimed, his face contorting in fear. The sudden appearance of Daniel, despite his casual attire, along with the red glow from his wand, made it clear to everyone in the room who he was.
"If you know who I am, I suggest you refrain from making any rash moves." As Daniel spoke, several red beams shot from his wand, knocking out those who had reached for weapons.
The group fell unconscious, but Daniel had no intention of killing them—not yet, anyway.
"What do you want?" Quentin demanded.
"Interesting," Daniel replied, his tone laced with amusement. "Why ask me what I want? Shouldn't I be asking what you've done?" With a casual flick of his wand, the glasses behind the bar shattered, sending shards flying toward the group.
Some of the glass cut the faces of those sitting near the bar, eliciting screams of pain.
"A superhero attacking innocent civilians—looks like tomorrow's headlines are set," Quentin, attempting to regain his composure, addressed Daniel with a new confidence.
"The real headline should be about the people responsible for causing that deadly chain reaction car crash," Daniel retorted, his gaze locking onto Quentin's.
"I don't know what you're talking about. We're just a group of people having drinks in a bar. But you? Attacking innocent civilians? I'm sure many media outlets would love that story," Quentin replied coolly.
"Are you threatening me?" Daniel asked calmly, his eyes narrowing as he watched Quentin.
"I'm just stating facts," Quentin responded, his posture confident.
"I'm calling the cops! A superhero assaulting regular folks? You're going down!" The bar owner, emboldened by Quentin's attitude, pulled out his phone, followed by a few others who had similar ideas.
Bang, bang, bang.
Gunfire erupted, and those holding their phones collapsed to the ground, blood spreading across their chests as confusion and shock flickered across their faces. The sudden gunfire silenced the entire room. The injured patrons who had been groaning in pain shut their mouths, and the previously confident faces of Quentin Beck's team turned pale with fear.
"You… you killed them!" Quentin stammered, the realization finally sinking in.
"Why did you assume I wouldn't kill?" Daniel asked coldly, raising his gun and firing a shot that shattered Quentin's right leg, causing him to crumple to the floor, clutching his shattered limb and howling in agony.
Daniel wasn't the type to show mercy to those who treated the lives of others with contempt.
"You don't value other people's lives, so don't expect me to value yours," Daniel continued. He raised his gun again. "Shut up, or I'll make sure you're silenced for good." At his icy command, Quentin fell silent, biting his lip to stifle his screams.
The remaining members of the group froze in place, too terrified to move.
"Can't have you bleeding out just yet." With another flick of his wand, Daniel sealed Quentin's wound in a block of ice, preventing him from dying of blood loss.
"Enough playing around. Let's get down to business." Subduing this group had been child's play for Daniel. Had he wished to, he could have killed them all without revealing himself. But this was about more than just ending their lives—he wanted Quentin Beck's technology.
"Hand it all over—everything related to your holographic system." That was Daniel's main objective. As for the drones Quentin's team had been working on, he couldn't care less. Daniel's tech already surpassed anything they had.
"Looks like you've managed to get this far, but unfortunately, Mysterio's methods are pretty limited," Daniel mused. In a high-tech world, Mysterio's illusions were impressive. But in combat-based universes, they would be almost useless. For instance, in the One Piece world, a simple Haki technique like Kenbunshoku would see through his tricks in an instant. That said, his holographic technology had other valuable uses—such as remote education, which Daniel found far more useful.
"Goodbye." Having secured the data he needed, Daniel set fire to the bar, leaving behind the blazing wreckage as he made his exit.
"I didn't expect to run into this guy," Daniel muttered to himself as he perched on a rooftop overlooking the burning bar. He noticed a figure in a red suit leaping from building to building toward the scene. It was none other than Daredevil.
"That heightened sense of his is something else. Even stronger than my Kenbunshoku Haki," Daniel thought as he watched the vigilante approach. Daredevil's extraordinary hearing allowed him to monitor half of New York—a feat even Daniel's Haki couldn't match.
"A lawyer by day, crime fighter by night. The guy has energy to spare," Daniel said, shaking his head. Daredevil was one of those self-sacrificing heroes like Spider-Man, constantly putting others before himself, even at great personal cost. And like Peter Parker, Daredevil had a strict no-kill rule.
Observing Daredevil for a moment longer, Daniel decided it was time to leave. He activated his Mystic Gate and vanished into the night, returning to his mansion to continue his work.
---
The next morning, Daniel received a call from Phil Coulson.
"Good to hear from you, Coulson. What's going on?"
"We've got a bit of a situation," Coulson explained, sounding apologetic. He hadn't wanted to bother Daniel, but certain problems required attention.
"What kind of situation?" Daniel asked, curious.
As Coulson laid out the details, Daniel's mind quickly pieced things together. "Ah, the singularity issue in Gloucestershire. Got it. I'll need a ride."
"Melinda May's on her way. She should be there soon," Coulson replied.
"See you soon, then." Daniel ended the call just as May's aircraft came into view, ready to pick him up.
"Long time no see. You look well," Daniel greeted May as he climbed aboard the Quinjet. May, as stoic as ever, gave him a sharp glance before taking off.
"Still as cold as always," Daniel commented with a smile, unfazed by her frosty demeanor. May was focused, efficient, and unbothered by distractions—a trait Daniel respected.
Their destination was the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England, where a strange anomaly had been reported. Since Daniel had never been there before, he couldn't teleport directly using the Mystic Gate, so he had to rely on the Quinjet for transport.
"Raptors?" Daniel stared down from the aircraft at the scene below. Dozens of velociraptors were running through the forest, chasing after what appeared to be SHIELD agents and soldiers. To his surprise, none of the personnel were fighting back.
"Why aren't they fighting? What's going on down there?" Daniel asked May. "We have weapons on this jet, right? Let's take them out."
May hesitated. "Are you sure? Won't killing them cause a temporal paradox or something?"
"What?" Daniel blinked, caught off guard by her response.
"Killing these ancient creatures might disrupt the timeline. They're from the prehistoric era, and if we interfere—"
"Who told you that nonsense?" Daniel cut her off, incredulous. "If killing these things would endanger the human race, we'd all be extinct already. Don't worry. I guarantee there won't be any timeline issues. Just take them out."
"If you say so," May replied, still uncertain but trusting Daniel's judgment. She activated the Quinjet's weapons, and the aircraft's guns roared to life, raining bullets on the raptors below. The prehistoric creatures stood no chance against modern firepower, dropping in quick succession.
May's precision was flawless—none of the agents on the ground were harmed.
"Melinda, what's going on? Why are you firing?" Coulson's voice crackled over the radio, sounding confused.
"I told you we couldn't kill them!" Another voice, full of anger, interrupted Coulson. The man on the other end was clearly upset about the decision to attack the raptors.
Despite the growing tension, May continued firing, determined to finish the job. Just as the last of the raptors was about to fall, a figure leaped in front of the remaining creature, forcing May to pull back.
"Who's that idiot?" May muttered, bringing the Quinjet down for a landing.
As the ramp lowered, Daniel and May stepped out, coming face to face with a furious man standing protectively in front of the injured raptor.
"You SHIELD agents are going to doom humanity! I told you we can't kill them—we have to send them back to their time!" the man shouted, directing his anger at Coulson, who stood nearby.
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Hello, if you enjoy mythology novels, I invite you to check out "I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother", a story inspired by Norse mythology