"Damn it, those bastards really made their move." Wearing the armor Tony had made for her, Tohka pushed her speed to the maximum. She didn't spare a thought for her own energy consumption, flying forward like her life depended on it.
Just now, she had received a message from Miku Izayoi saying she'd been attacked by unknown individuals. As for who it was, Tohka could figure that out without thinking.
So, she flew at her top speed. Luckily, this armor had been upgraded by Tony—otherwise it would have already fallen apart by now. Considering all the different kinds of Marvel black tech, she couldn't be sure no one had developed weapons specifically targeting Miku Izayoi.
"Tohka, don't be anxious—I've already sent Spider-Man and the others to assist." But right at that moment, Nick Fury's black face suddenly appeared in front of Tohka.
"Hmph, I get it. Director Nick Fury, shouldn't you be checking S.H.I.E.L.D. itself? Otherwise, why is it that the moment I leave, Miku Izayoi gets attacked?" Seeing Nick Fury's damn face,
Tohka didn't bother giving him any courtesy. If anything happened to Miku Izayoi, she'd storm S.H.I.E.L.D. without hesitation. Anyway, she knew exactly who the big fish inside was, so she wasn't afraid of hitting the wrong target.
"I understand. I'll look into this." Hearing Tohka's blunt words, Nick Fury—uncharacteristically—didn't argue back. After everything that had happened, he wouldn't believe S.H.I.E.L.D. was spotless even if someone put a gun to his head.
Actually, he'd already started investigating, but since the person responsible apparently held a high rank in S.H.I.E.L.D., he hadn't dared to act too openly.
After that, Tohka didn't say another word and sped off toward New York. Nick Fury didn't speak further either—this topic was far too sensitive, and with all these people around S.H.I.E.L.D., it wasn't the right moment to discuss it.
"Thank goodness nothing happened."
As soon as Tohka arrived in New York, she heard a series of explosions. She looked up and saw Miku Izayoi floating high in the air, looking down at the scene below. All around her were rows of golden strings like harp strings, and one after another, tangible waves of sound slammed downward.
Tohka recognized this—it was Miku Izayoi's Angel, Gabriel. But what surprised her was that Miku had even resorted to using her Angel.
"Are you alright? Really okay?" Seeing that, Tohka immediately flew up to Miku and shielded her with her own body. Only then did she glance toward the enemies below.
But to her speechless surprise, the attackers had apparently underestimated Miku Izayoi's strength—by now, the ones who'd come were beaten into something unrecognizable.
As for Spider-Man and the others, they stood a little ways off, silently watching, not daring to approach.
"Uuuu, Tohka, it really scared me to death. Uuuu—today I was just sitting at home, and then suddenly a bunch of people burst in—and a few of them were terrifying."
The moment she saw Tohka, Miku Izayoi threw herself into her arms and started sobbing. But even as she cried, she didn't forget to rub her face against Tohka's large chest.
"Uuuu—cut it out, you idiot!"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, especially in such a sensitive spot, Tohka's footing slipped and she nearly fell. This girl—after she'd worried so much—turned out to be totally fine.
"Let's find another place first. I'll ask you exactly what happened."
Finally managing to push Miku's head away, Tohka ignored Spider-Man and the others and flew off toward Stark Tower with Miku in tow. As for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier, she was absolutely never setting foot on it again.
"Those two girls...seriously?"
Dumbfounded, Nova watched Tohka carrying Miku away and turned uncertainly to Spider-Man. Just now, he'd seen something that nearly made him cough blood. Honestly, he wanted to try that himself.
"You're just now realizing that? Whatever—there's nothing more for us to do here. Let's go."
With a sidelong glance at Nova, Spider-Man prepared to leave. But as soon as he finished speaking, a series of explosions erupted from the ruined building.
"Damn—they're really that ruthless." Hearing the blasts, Spider-Man's expression darkened. He didn't need to think hard to figure out why.
"Alright—so what exactly happened after I left?" Pushing Miku out of her arms, Tohka's ears caught the sounds of explosions outside. She knew this was obviously Hydra destroying the evidence. She didn't even have to look to be sure nothing would remain there—including...their house.
"Um—just a bit ago, someone suddenly kicked down our door." Seeing Tohka's expression, Miku Izayoi calmed herself a little.
"One of them had a steel arm—he smashed a hole through the wall in one blow. As for the others, they all had some kind of yellow stuff on them, and when they were hurt, they didn't bleed."
"The Winter Soldier and Centipede soldiers? Hydra really went all-in."
Hearing this, Tohka let out a cold laugh. Although they were in Stark Tower, they weren't inside the rooms—they were on the very top floor. JARVIS wouldn't be able to overhear them here, so she didn't bother lowering her voice.
"And those people seemed completely hollow." As she spoke, Miku Izayoi shivered a little—it was the first time she'd seen humans treated like machines.
"My powers didn't work on them—they were like walking robots. But it's fine—other than the guy with the metal arm who ran off, I left the rest behind. Though they all seemed to self-destruct."
"I see. Those bastards really..." Tohka sighed. "Whatever—our house is gone anyway. We'll just stay at Tony's for a few days. Oh—and when we go inside, don't say a word."
She had no choice. Inside was JARVIS's domain. That's why she had to remind Miku. As for Hydra, she'd have plenty of time to settle accounts with them later. But she absolutely couldn't let Tony find out—otherwise it would be a huge pain.
"Alright, I understand." Hearing this, Miku Izayoi nodded.
Seeing her agree, Tohka descended onto the helipad atop Stark Tower. She had already decided—she'd wait here for Loki to show up. As for the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier—she'd rather die than set foot on it again.