Smiling as he looked at Selina, Marcus felt satisfied with this cat-like, flexible, and alert girl.
Seeing Marcus looking at her, Selina showed no hesitation. She pulled out a long whip from her waist and approached him.
"Buzzing Bee Sting!"
Crack!
The whip shot toward Marcus from a distance, as straight as a spear.
Faced with this attack, Marcus nodded in satisfaction, then raised his hand and caught the whip firmly.
"Good performance, but before using the whip, pay attention to the strength gap between you and your opponent."
As he spoke, he released the whip, signaling Selina to continue her attack.
Selina didn't hesitate. She flicked her wrist, drawing the whip back around her body.
Snap!
"Leading Claw!"
The whip lashed out instantly like a sharp talon, creating two sonic booms that exploded directly beside Marcus.
This move, like the Buzzing Bee Sting, was one of the techniques of the Scorching Hornet style.
What Selina demonstrated genuinely surprised Marcus. Being able to generate the sonic boom effect of the Leading Claw at her level was beyond his expectations.
He raised his hand to grab the whip and shook it violently. Selina, still holding the other end, couldn't maintain her grip. The whip flew from her hand toward Marcus.
Just like Bruce had done, the moment her weapon was taken, Selina pulled the dagger from her waist and rushed toward Marcus.
But her approach was completely different from Bruce's.
Bruce fought more like a warrior—even when attacking with a dagger, he couldn't help but display the qualities of a frontline fighter.
Selina, on the other hand, moved like an assassin. Her body was extremely flexible. Unlike Bruce's direct assault, she would strike once and immediately create distance.
Though she hadn't managed to hit Marcus, she also hadn't been caught like Bruce.
While circling Marcus, Selina spotted what seemed to be a slight opening in his defense. Her eyes lit up, and she lunged with her dagger toward his back.
Thump!
In an instant, Selina found herself subdued by Marcus.
"You performed well, and your observation skills are excellent. Your only flaw is being too impulsive. That opening was deliberately created to lure you in."
Releasing Selina, Marcus offered his assessment of her skills.
Then he walked toward the stone table in the garden, drawn by the aroma of the tea Alfred had prepared.
"Let's eat something first. I'll give you your gifts afterward," he said, picking up a cup of tea and taking a sip.
Following Marcus's lead, Bruce and Selina joined him at the table and helped themselves to the refreshments.
After they'd finished their tea, Marcus looked at the two students before him and asked, "What do you think you lack most right now?"
The thing we lack most?
The two exchanged glances before sharing their thoughts.
"I think what we lack most is the ability to protect ourselves," Bruce said. "I've been attacked by assassins multiple times. When facing them, all I can do is dodge and look for small opportunities to strike back."
"I think what we lack most is power," Selina offered. "As Bruce said, we've faced repeated attacks. If we had enough strength, we wouldn't be forced to flee from those killers."
Their statements differed slightly, but both expressed the same fundamental need—they lacked the strength to effectively confront their enemies.
Although they were now strong enough to handle most ordinary criminals, the beast-like assassins were beyond their capabilities.
Not to mention, there were so many of these killers that once encountered, Bruce and Selina would quickly be surrounded. This was the primary reason they'd been forced to constantly evade them.
"Good. It seems you both have a clear understanding of your situation."
Nodding with satisfaction at his students' self-awareness, Marcus reached under the stone table and pulled out a box.
"These are the gifts I've brought you—something that can both protect you and enhance your strength."
With that, he opened the box and removed the battle suits made by Howard.
These suits were specially designed to perfectly fit anyone, regardless of body type.
He handed one each to Bruce and Selina, then looked over at Alfred who was standing nearby.
"Alfred, this one's for you. Wearing this, you won't be limited by your current physical condition."
After catching the battle suit Marcus tossed him, Alfred looked surprised. He hadn't expected Marcus to prepare one for him as well.
The three examined the suits carefully, somewhat confused. Could these outfits really deliver what Marcus promised?
"Don't just stand there—try them on. You'll understand once you're wearing them."
Following Marcus's suggestion, they all returned to their rooms to change into the combat suits.
A short while later, the three returned to the garden, now dressed in pure white suits.
As the oldest of the three, Alfred felt the effects most profoundly. After donning the battle suit, he sensed his strength had increased dramatically.
He felt confident that with his current enhanced capabilities, he could easily eliminate the assassins that had previously broken his arm.
"Is this the kind of power you command, teacher?" Bruce asked, also feeling the surge of strength the suit provided. He realized he could probably lift the stone planters in the garden with ease now.
If he'd had this kind of power when he was being hunted before, he could have fought those killers directly—maybe even defeated them.
"My power?"
After finishing his tea, Marcus looked at Bruce and shook his head slightly.
"This is not even close to the power I possess. This is too weak."
His words shocked all three of them. What they perceived as extraordinary strength was apparently insignificant in Marcus's view.
They could tell Marcus wasn't at all impressed by the power the battle suits provided. In his eyes, they seemed to be little more than ordinary clothing.
However, rather than dwelling on this, they found themselves even more curious about Marcus's true capabilities. Just how powerful was he?
"Teacher, I've always wondered what level your strength has reached," Bruce asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"My strength?" Marcus rubbed his chin for a moment, then looked at the three of them. "Let me put it this way—even if those assassins were wearing these combat suits, they'd still be no different from ordinary people to me."
These battle suits had been created by Howard by combining Skrull and Kree technologies. While they could provide significant enhancement, the power increase had definite limits.
They were designed to give humans enough strength to fight back against alien forces—not to reach the pinnacle of power.
If Howard's battle suits could truly reach a level that could challenge Marcus, then Fury and Howard wouldn't be so worried about Earth's future.
After hearing Marcus's answer, the three looked at each other in stunned silence. His revelation had left them completely speechless.