Chapter 125 Attack
After the elevator doors closed, it accelerated upwards. Banner looked at the constantly changing numbers and said, "Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? I went to Kolkata, India, just to get away from cities and crowds, but now you want me to go to the most bustling area in the World, and participate in a war? I'm really worried that tomorrow morning's news will shock the World..."
"Dr. Banner, these are all last resorts," Captain Americasaid. "We must ensure we get the Tesseract back..."
"Otherwise, do you want to see our whole team get beaten up by the Devil? Oh, right, Commander Hill, pull out all the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. Let them go with the Police to maintain order!" Tony turned to Banner and said, "I think it's time for you to get angry today!"
"Although I don't think it's necessary," Thor said stubbornly, "I alone can keep the Devil occupied!"
"Alright, alright..." Banner said, lowering his head. "Although I've been keeping calm right now, if I get angry, I don't know what will happen..."
"Leave everything to me!" Thor said confidently. "I'll stop you in time."
Banner shrugged and said, "I hope so..."
With a 'ding', the elevator doors opened, and a group of people filed out.
"Dr. Banner, do you know about the Anti-Demon Alliance?" Captain America walked alongside Banner.
"I just found out today. Agent Romanoff educated me on it. Captain, you're very brave. Everyone knows the Devil is powerful, but only you dare to openly state that you want to form a team to eliminate him..." Banner suddenly stopped. "Captain, you're not thinking of..."
"That's right, I officially invite you to join the Anti-Demon Alliance," Captain America said seriously.
"No, no, no, Captain, you've only heard that I'm strong. If you'd really seen it, you'd understand." Banner shook his head. "I'm not suitable for any organization... or rather, Hulkisn't suitable. He's only good at smashing and disrupting everything, including your battle plans."
"You can think about it first," Captain America said, patting Banner's shoulder. "I feel that no matter what the outcome is today, you'll have a deeper understanding of the Devil, and perhaps you won't hesitate when facing this problem later."
"We'll see," Banner nodded helplessly.
Everyone stopped in front of the helipad. Captain Americascanned each person. "Alright, the team is assembled..."
"Wait a moment!" Tony interrupted Captain America. "I still have a helper who hasn't arrived."
"Who?"
Tony was about to speak when suddenly, a sound of arc pulse propulsion came from the sky.
"Colonel James Rhodes, War Machine," Tony introduced. "Although he's a little late now, he's quite reliable at critical moments."
As Tony's voice fell, an Iron Armor with blue, white, and red coloring descended, directly shattering the ground upon landing.
War Machine's helmet opened, and Rhodes smiled at everyone. He was about to deliver the speech he had prepared: "Hello everyone, I am..."
"Colonel, remember to come back and repair the helipad after the mission!" Hill interrupted him.
"Uh..." Rhodes was momentarily speechless. "Of course, I'll contact you then? Can I have your phone number?"
Hill turned and walked into a nearby fighter jet, with Natasha following suit.
Captain America looked at Tony with a half-believing glance. "Let's go, destination Central Park. This time we must reclaim the Tesseract!"
Banner, Sam, and Thor walked towards the fighter jet one after another.
"A 21st-century version of Captain America?" Samgossiped. "His armor's color scheme is exactly the same as Captain's shield!"
"Who knows!" Dr. Banner held a tablet. "I'll be able to pinpoint the Tesseract's location precisely very soon!"
"Colonel Rhodes, on behalf of the Anti-Demon Alliance, I welcome you to this operation," Captain America said.
"It's an honor to fight alongside you, Captain!" Rhodes said.
"Do we need to salute again?" Tony mocked, squeezing the metal wristbands on his hands. A mech pod launched from the rear of the Base.
Tony spread his arms, and the armor pod rapidly transformed as it approached him, emitting infrared rays to scan the metal wristbands on Tony's hands for identity verification and positioning.
First, the body and arms. Tony ignited the arc pulse propulsion devices on his hands. After hovering, the leg armor also assembled, and the repaired Iron Armor Mark 7 was fully assembled.
"I hope you're still this leisurely when you come back, Colonel Rhodes!" Tony said as the golden mask fell. He instantly activated all propulsion devices, accelerating rapidly and flying out, appearing a hundred meters away in less than two seconds.
"You upgraded your armor again?" Rhodes' face was filled with disbelief. "See you next time, Captain... I mean, see you in a bit!"
War Machine's helmet closed, and Rhodes spread his arms, also soaring into the sky.
"Stark?" Captain America called out on the comms channel. "Proceed according to the battle plan!"
...Inside the Devil Group Base, Arthur and Wanda sat on the sofa, neither speaking.
All the front glass was closed, with only light shining down from the fifteen-meter-high ceiling. The holographic screen played the hottest American drama, and the Snake Girl sat on the steps beside them, eating potato chips and occasionally bursting into laughter.
The Fallen Angel stood beside Arthur, holding a silver tray with two coffee cups. Her black and white gradient wings were folded down.
Suddenly, Arthur's brow furrowed, and the Fallen Angel's wings beside him instantly spread out.
"You even have the ability to foresee danger?" Arthur said, somewhat surprised.
Wanda, beside him, cast a puzzled look. The Fallen Angelbowed and said, "But I can't always give timely warnings for every danger; it's not accurate."
"You two go down first, go to the back. If you encounter an enemy you can't defeat, you can surrender," Arthur said, waving his hand carelessly.
"Who's here?" Wanda asked Arthur with some worry, but Arthur just opened his arms and embraced her, signaling her to relax.
The Fallen Angel nodded, her wings spread behind her. Holding the tray in one hand, she flew, sweeping in an arc through the air before grabbing the Snake Girl with one hand and flying to the back. The Snake Girl was still screaming as she reached the door.
At the same time, a huge explosion came from the front, and countless glass shards and steel frames flew in.
Arthur calmly extended his hand, pressing down in the air. A spreading ripple seemed to form in the air, and the Rooster Talisman's telekinesis filled the entire room.
All the fragments and objects flying in the air instantly stopped, as if space had frozen... The airwave from the explosion swept in, ruffling Wanda's long brown hair. Arthur saw Wanda's frowning, terrified face!
Even the powerful Scarlet Witch would tremble in the face of a sudden explosion... "Who told you to open fire!" Tonylooked at Rhodes, who was wearing War Machine, in surprise.
"Didn't Dr. Banner confirm the location already?" Rhodesfelt strange. "According to the mission Captain assigned us, we are responsible for attracting firepower from the front. Is there a problem with what I did?"
Tony didn't speak. He looked at the glass walls that had shattered after the explosion and then instantly froze, muttering to himself, "Damn it..."
"Is there a problem with what I did?" Rhodes was still asking. "He's a heinous Devil; of course, we should use the most powerful attack! Tony..."
Suddenly, Tony pushed Rhodes away. A steel pillar used for wall support flew past! For a moment, both Tony and Rhodes were stunned. The broken glass and fractured steel pillars had all become the Devil's weapons, flying directly towards them!
These objects only sparked when they hit their armor, unable to penetrate it... But behind them, a fighter jet was still hovering. Numerous glass shards and steel pieces shot into the jet's engine, causing an instant explosion. The fighter jet shook violently, and the pilot, Hill, could only make an emergency landing in Central Park below.
When the front wall shattered, the view was unobstructed, and Tony and Rhodes could clearly see the situation inside.
The man wearing the demon mask sat on the sofa in the very center... Dr. Banner had not miscalculated; the Devil was indeed here.
But the situation on site seemed a bit off... There was a beautiful girl beside the Devil, nestled in his arms, her face still showing panic, as if startled by their sudden attack.
"Rhodes, you seem to be in trouble..." Tony said subconsciously, looking at the scene before him.
Arthur stroked Wanda's head, comforting her.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a war," Arthur said softly. "You just sit here obediently, with the 'glowing sapphire'. If they want the Tesseract, give it to them. I can get it back."
Arthur got up and had only taken half a step when Wanda grabbed his hand from behind.
Outside, Tony had already started shouting, "Mr. Devil, you are surrounded! Although it sounds strange to say, that's the truth. Don't try to resist..."
"What?" Arthur looked back at Wanda. "Do you want me to send you back to the manor first, and then deal with them?"
Wanda looked at Arthur, said nothing, shook her head, and let go of his hand.
Arthur nodded at her, and as he turned, his body began to float.
Arthur would protect Wanda, but the Scarlet Witch also needed to grow slowly; she had to adapt to the battlefield eventually.
"He's coming out!" Rhodes said, excitedly raising his arm, wanting to fire a miniature missile made by Hammer Industries at the Devil flying towards them, but Tony, beside him, stopped him.
Tony knew the Devil's abilities. Rhodes' attack would not harm the Devil, and all they needed to do was buy time.
By this time, Captain America might be taking the elevator directly to the top floor from the parking lot. Jarvis had just helped them decrypt the elevator's password.
"Mr. Devil, long time no see..."
But Arthur clearly had no intention of wasting time with them. He interrupted mercilessly, "Who fired the bomb just now? This is my new Base."
Arthur stopped at the hole blasted in the front glass wall. His tone was calm, but Tony detected a hint of anger.
"That was just an accident..."
"It was me!" Rhodes, wearing War Machine, was very confident. "I'm not only going to blow up your Base, but you too! Devil, remember, your judge is Air Force Colonel James Rhodes!"
What Rhodes didn't expect was that the Devil actually smiled after hearing his ambitious speech... Rhodes wanted to say something else, when suddenly he let out a gasp. An invisible force came, causing War Machine to lose balance and fly towards the Devil. No matter how he operated it, it was useless.
"Rhodes!"
Tony flew towards Arthur, immediately firing the arc pulse cannon from his chest!
Arthur raised his right hand and shot out an explosion of Fire. Two yellow energy beams met in the air, clashing, but Arthur's Dragon Talisman, with its infinite energy, almost overwhelmingly crushed Tony's arc pulse cannon.
The explosion hit Tony's chest, blasting him away. Tonyflew back hundreds of meters at high speed, crashing into a building before stopping.
Rhodes, wearing War Machine, stopped a few meters in front of Arthur. Arthur's left hand was clenched into a claw, grasping his neck from a distance.
"You will pay the price."
Rhodes wanted to say something harsh, but it was as if an invisible hand was squeezing his neck; he couldn't even breathe... Piercing sounds of tearing metal rang in his ears. Rhodes discovered in horror that War Machine on him was beginning to be destroyed... In less than a second, Arthurhad torn apart the Iron Armor Rhodes was wearing with pure strength.
Arthur waved his hand, and a piece of armor shrapnel pierced Rhodes' abdomen, blood flowing from high in the sky... Suddenly, the sunlight was dispelled, and dark clouds gathered in the sky. A huge lightning bolt struck directly at Arthur!
Fortunately, Arthur reacted quickly enough, using the Dragon Talisman to create an energy shield to resist the power of the thunder. He was only pressed to the ground by the powerful energy; the thunder did not shatter his energy shield or harm him.
Otherwise, even if the Dog Talisman made him immortal and the Horse Talisman could instantly heal his injuries, he would still have spilled blood everywhere... Rhodes, in the air, lost control and fell straight down. At the critical moment, Sam flew out from the side and began the rescue, and finally, the two fell heavily to the ground... Wanda, watching the battle, was worried when she saw Arthurstruck by lightning and disappear. She ran down the steps to the broken glass area, and only when she saw Arthur's elegant figure rising again below did Wanda breathe a sigh of relief.
"Rhodes!" Tony shouted in the comms channel. He flew over quickly, landing at the crash site of Rhodes and Sam.
Thunder rumbled in the sky. Thor, holding Mjolnir, looked at the hole in the top floor wall of the building and said, "I see the Tesseract, in that girl's hand."
"Received, Thor. Try to keep the Devil occupied; I'll be there immediately." In the elevator, Captain America looked at the constantly increasing floor numbers and continued to call out, "Sam, Stark? Is Colonel Rhodes alright? Get him immediate medical attention, then return to the front to assist Thor in keeping the Devil occupied."
The elevator doors opened, and Captain America and Natasha walked out with their firearms. At the corner of the corridor, they saw the Fallen Angel and the Snake Girl.
"Hands up!" Natasha shouted.
The Fallen Angel and the Snake Girl looked at the two dark muzzles of the guns and wisely raised their hands.
"Steve Rogers?" The Snake Girl said excitedly. "I'm your fan, can we take a picture together?"
"We'll talk about photos later..."
Chapter 126 Hulk
Thor spun Mjolnir and flew towards the broken gap in the glass wall.
Under the flickering lightning, Wanda's face was pale, her eyes turned red, and scarlet Chaos Magic energy overflowed.
But before she could attack, Arthur used the Snake Talisman's deep invisibility and displacement to appear in front of her. The Dragon Talisman shot out a powerful Fireball, and the crimson pillar of flame clashed with the lightning, creating a blinding flash of light as it exploded. Wanda also raised her hand to shield her eyes.
The Dragon Talisman had never been at a disadvantage in energy confrontations. Thor's lightning was defeated in an instant, and he dodged the towering pillar of flame.
Thor spun Mjolnir again and flew out. He raised his hammer, preparing for a close-quarters attack with the demon! After the last lesson, he would never throw Mjolnirat the demon again.
"Demon!" Thor roared, like a God descending to the mortal world.
Arthur didn't move an inch. He used the Rooster Talisman's telekinesis to pull out the structural steel, already deformed by the explosion, around him. The steel pieces shot towards Thor like sharp spears.
Thor didn't dodge at all. He continuously swung his hammer, and with a series of crisp metallic clashes, all the steel pieces were easily hammered away!
Thor's speed wasn't slowed down in the slightest. He came, wielding Mjolnir and enveloped in lightning. Thor let out a roar, his face, with its leaping blue arcs, was ferocious. He put all his strength into it, seemingly intending to resolve the demon with a single heavy blow, to wash away the shame the demon had brought upon Asgard's bravest warrior!
Facing the aggressive Thor, Arthur, who was directly in his path, showed no panic. It wasn't until Thor was dozens of meters away from him that Arthur spoke calmly.
"Turn into an ugly long-haired monkey."
The earth-shattering thunder suddenly ceased, and a burst of white light enveloped Thor. An irresistible force of rules acted upon his body.
"No..." Thor roared, but this sustained high-pitched sound eventually turned into a monkey's cry.
The lightning dispersed, and the storm-like offensive instantly calmed. Arthur activated the Rooster Talisman to casually sweep away Mjolnir, which was flying towards him due to inertia. The white light in front of him faded, and a yellow long-haired monkey fell from the sky.
"That's incredible..." Wanda, standing behind Arthur, said in surprise, watching the accelerating monkey fall. She looked at Arthur's back. "Are you a God?"
"I am not a God. I am a demon, a demon that even Gods fear..."
Arthur smiled and glided downwards.
The long-haired monkey that Thor had become slammed heavily onto the grass in Central Park. Amidst a cloud of dust, a long-haired monkey slowly crawled out of the huge crater.
Although Thor was transformed into a long-haired monkey by Arthur's Monkey Talisman, and the power of Thorwithin him was also confined by the Monkey Talisman's sealing power, his physical strength remained unchanged. A high-altitude fall could only make him ache all over, it wouldn't kill him.
The muscular, strong-looking long-haired monkey ran on all fours on the ground. After being transformed into the corresponding animal, his thoughts and actions were affected.
The long-haired monkey ran towards the direction where Mjolnir had fallen. Now that he was transformed, his power was sealed, and he couldn't summon Mjolnir. But Thor also knew that as long as he held Mjolnir, the surging power of Thor would instantly break the seal on him, allowing him to return to his original form.
Suddenly, the long-haired monkey made a sharp turn and ran to the left, but Arthur blocked his path again. Arthurwaved his hand, and the long-haired monkey's four feet left the ground, floating upwards.
"Thor, with your face full of hair, you look just like a monkey. You don't need to thank me for helping you return to your original form."
Thor responded with a monkey's cry.
Arthur waved his hand, and the long-haired monkey Thorrapidly fell backward, continuously moving away from Mjolnir. He broke several elm trees before creating a deep trench in the ground and finally stopped.
Before Thor could get up, several thick structural steel beams flew over, bending and contracting around his body. Arthur used the steel to forge shackles, locking him firmly.
Arthur waved his hand, and Thor floated up again.
A hint of yellow appeared in Arthur's eyes, "Vulnerable..."
He activated the Pig Talisman, and two lasers shot from his eyes. The lasers penetrated Thor's physical defense and entered his body, leaving two bloody holes.
A tragic monkey's cry echoed over Central Park... "Uh... don't tell me that's Thor."
Tony, returning to the battlefield, fired shoulder-mounted missiles at Arthur. He flew at high speed, grabbed the steel shackles confining the long-haired monkey, and landed with him.
"No matter what you look like, that hairstyle is still hard to describe..." Tony couldn't help but complain, looking at Thor, who had turned into a long-haired monkey.
The power of this shoulder-mounted missile was immense. Even though Arthur used the Dragon Talisman to create an energy shield, he was still pushed back dozens of meters by the powerful kinetic energy.
Arthur watched Tony take Thor away, then flashed after them. He used the Rabbit Talisman to instantly accelerate and appeared beside the two.
"Hey, Mr. Demon!" Tony greeted the demon who suddenly appeared beside him, while firing his repulsor rays.
But before his repulsor rays could activate, Arthuractivated the Dragon Talisman and shot out an explosion of flame, accurately hitting both of them.
The ball of fire grew larger in Tony's eyes until it exploded on his chest... In an explosion, Tony, wearing his Iron Armor, and Thor, transformed into a long-haired monkey, flew out, rapidly falling onto the green belt on the ground.
Arthur's figure slowly descended. He landed steadily and gracefully on the paved path in Central Park. Arthur, with a smile on his face, slowly walked towards the two.
"You know, Colonel Rhodes, who was wearing the War Machine just now, is my best friend." Tony stood up amidst the rubble, one hand supporting his head, as if the recent fall had left him a bit dizzy. "Now he faces the risk of lifelong paralysis. From today onwards, I will officially join the Anti-Demon Alliance. I will reopen Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing department until I build a weapon that can destroy you!"
"Lifelong paralysis? And it's only a risk... I originally wanted to kill him, but this long-haired monkey interfered." Arthurdidn't care about Tony's threatening words. His smile remained unchanged. "Who told him to dare to break my glass?"
"You will be judged..." Tony murmured.
"Who has that ability?" Arthur kept approaching. "Justice alone cannot defeat me..."
Suddenly, a roar echoed from the nearby forest. Arthur, possessing the Dragon Talisman, felt a powerful energy source suddenly approaching. Before Arthur could react, a green figure crashed through the elm grove and charged out.
"Hulk?"
The Hulk charged and knocked Arthur over. Arthur flew through the air in a dizzy spell, feeling pain all over, but the Horse Talisman instantly repaired all his injuries and discomfort. Arthur, who had regained consciousness, was about to use the Snake Talisman's spatial movement to create distance, when Hulk grabbed his leg.
Hulk, with his immense strength, even interrupted Arthur's spell. Hulk grabbed Arthur's leg and slammed him to the ground, creating a large pit, then lifted him and slammed him to the other side... During this process, Arthur constantly suffered fractures and injuries, which the Horse Talisman instantly healed. After several such cycles, Arthur activated the Rabbit Talisman. With the Rabbit Talisman increasing his speed and reaction time, Hulk's movements seemed infinitely slowed down in his eyes. Arthur reached out and aimed at Hulk's head.
A high-energy flame pillar shot out, and Hulk was sent flying by the Dragon Talisman's attack. Arthur also seized the opportunity to break free from the restraints. He used the Snake Talisman's spatial displacement to move a hundred meters away, preventing Hulk from getting close again.
Arthur, in the air, stretched lazily with a slightly displeased expression, and a series of bone crackles emanated from his body.
Hulk on the ground roared continuously until he spotted Arthur in the air. He bent his legs and jumped with force. The massive Hulk actually flew up from a standstill! He crashed straight towards Arthur in the air, reaching out as if to grab the agile Arthur!
Arthur once again used the Snake Talisman's spatial displacement ability, easily dodging Hulk's charge.
A few seconds later, Hulk fell back to the ground, creating a deep crater. The surrounding stone paving was shaken several meters high, and Tony felt as if a magnitude 10 earthquake had occurred.
"Dr. Banner, well done!" Tony said from the side. This was the first time he had seen the demon at a disadvantage in a fight.
The distracted Hulk glared at Tony and walked towards him. Tony felt something was amiss.
"No, no, no, Dr. Banner, we're teammates!"
Tony had just activated his arc reactor propulsion to fly away when Hulk grabbed his left leg. Hulk aimed at Arthur in the air and forcefully threw Tony away.
Arthur waved his hand, and Tony's flight path was forcibly altered, flying past him at close range. He seemed to even hear a scream.
"Green fatty, do you really think you're invincible?" Arthursaid, shaking his head.
Hulk roared at the sky. He aimed at Arthur again, jumped, and launched an attack.
The outcome, of course, would not change. In the eyes of Arthur, who had activated the Rabbit Talisman, his flying speed was too slow, and Arthur could easily dodge.
But this time, as Hulk was falling, Arthur suddenly appeared and used the Rooster Talisman's power on him. Hulk's body immediately decelerated until he was suspended in mid-air.
Hulk flailed his arms and kicked his legs, struggling constantly. He let out roars, seemingly wanting to break free from the invisible restraint, but it was all in vain.
Telekinesis was an intangible weapon. No matter how much strength Hulk possessed, he had nowhere to exert it, and could only be suspended in the air by the telekinetic shackles.
Arthur beckoned, and the Hulk, floating in the air, flew towards him.
Hulk desperately stretched out his arms, wanting to grab Arthur, but Arthur maintained his distance, and he could only continue to roar.
"Enjoyed that beating, did you?"
Arthur activated the Pig Talisman, and two laser beams shot from his eyes. The extremely penetrating lasers hit Hulk but failed to penetrate his physical defense, only leaving black marks on his green body before dissipating. The pained Hulk roared even louder, the sound waves hurting Arthur's ears.
But at this moment, with Hulk's feet off the ground, he became like a fish on a chopping board, completely unable to counterattack, and could only be arbitrarily cut by Arthur's various attacks.
Arthur activated the Pig Talisman again, and two extremely penetrating laser beams continuously acted on Hulk's body. Amidst Hulk's roars, a bluish smoke wafted up. Just as Arthur was about to continue using the lasers to break through Hulk's defense, he suddenly felt the surge of Chaos Magic energy from the Base behind him.
That meant Wanda was fighting someone... Although Wanda possessed powerful Chaos Magic, her combat strength was formidable and her potential was extremely high, she clearly wasn't skilled in using Chaos Magic yet.
Arthur withdrew the Pig Talisman's attack. His figure slowly retreated, energy surging, as the Dragon Talismancontinuously charged.
Two seconds later, Arthur released the fully charged explosion of flame attack. The controlled Hulk couldn't dodge and could only endure Arthur's extremely powerful attack head-on!
The explosion instantly sent Hulk flying hundreds of meters, and along the way, uncontrolled violent energy continuously exploded, creating powerful explosions one after another.
The roars gradually faded from his ears. Watching Hulk's retreating figure, Arthur finally used the Snake Talismanto initiate spatial displacement... "Put down the Tesseractin your hand!"
Captain America and Natasha jumped down the steps, holding their guns, barrels aimed at the ceiling.
"You're being held hostage by the demon? I'm sure that's it!" Captain America approached Wanda step by step. "I'm Captain America, you must have heard my name. Trust me, give me the Tesseract, and you won't be in any danger."
"It's not called the Tesseract." The light from the Tesseractshone on Wanda.
"What?" Captain America was a little confused.
"It's called the 'Glowing Blue Gem'..." As she spoke, Wanda's eyes turned red.
Wanda raised a hand, and scarlet Chaos Magicoverflowed, knocking Captain America back more than ten meters, where he stopped after hitting the steps.
"Hands up!" Natasha, seeing this, immediately raised her gun and aimed at Wanda.
"Stop shooting!" Captain America, who hadn't gotten up yet, shouted, "Don't shoot."
Natasha obeyed Captain America's command. Captain America got up again and walked towards Wanda.
"You might not know what you're holding, or how many crimes the demon has committed!" Captain America said as he walked. "You might even be controlled by the demon right now, you might have forgotten who you are. We don't want to harm innocent people! So..."
"Stop!" Wanda suddenly interrupted Captain America. She pointed at Captain America and said decisively, "The demon is my boyfriend. I'm very clear-headed now. Stay where you are and don't move."
"No, you don't know how dangerous the Tesseract is!" Captain America was still trying to persuade her. "We won't shoot. Give me the Tesseract, and we'll leave..."
Wanda looked down at the Tesseract and said, "This is a gift from him. If you try to take it, then I can only kill you..."
"Captain, stop talking nonsense with her!" Natasha said. "She seems to be severely brainwashed by the demon!"
"Perhaps you're right."
Captain America picked up a nearby chair and threw it at Wanda. He accelerated and charged out.
Wanda used Chaos Magic to repel Captain America again. Natasha attacked from the side, but she, who had leaped and was flying in the air, suddenly froze. Red Chaos Magicwrapped around her body.
Wanda casually threw her aside, but the unlucky Natasha, after falling on the floor and rolling several times, actually tumbled down through the destroyed opening in front... "Natasha!" Captain America shouted.
Wanda stared blankly at Natasha falling. She hadn't intended to kill Natasha..
Chapter 127 Twelve Talismans
"Stark! Sam..." Captain America kept calling out in the comm channel, hoping someone on the main battlefield could save Natasha, who was falling from the building, but there was still no response.
Captain America looked at the broken hole, and suddenly a figure emerged. He was backlit, obscuring his face, but Captain America recognized that it was the Demon!
Natasha was grasped by the neck and held in his hand. Natasha struggled incessantly as the Demon slowly lifted her up... [Detected 'Superhero: Hulk'. 'Ox Talisman' has been unsealed. Can be upgraded using villain points.]
[Try to make Hulk generate negative emotions. More surprises await your discovery!]
Accompanied by the system prompt, Arthur felt a powerful force surging within his body.
All twelve Talismans were unsealed. Arthur had long anticipated this, but when the moment arrived, he still felt a slight thrill.
[Ox Talisman Lv1: Increases the holder's strength.]
[Ox Talisman Lv1: Upgrading to Lv2 requires 500,000 villain points, significantly increasing the holder's strength, allowing them to lift 25 tons of heavy objects, and enhancing the holder's physical fitness and defensive power.]
The Ox Talisman can be upgraded through the system. After upgrading, the strength provided by the Ox Talismanwill continuously increase, and it will constantly enhance the holder's physical fitness and physical defense capabilities.
Lv3: Increases strength by 300 tons. The physical body can defend against attacks from ordinary cold weapons and firearms.
Lv7: Increases strength by 1,000 tons. The physical body can defend against attacks from bombs and single-soldier missiles.
Lv9: Increases strength by 100,000 tons. The physical body can defend against attacks from arc pulse cannons and electromagnetic cannons.
Lv11: Increases strength by 150 million tons. The physical body can defend against attacks from high-energy laser weapons, nuclear bombs, and hydrogen bombs.
Furthermore, when the Ox Talisman is upgraded to Lv12, your strength will increase infinitely as the battle progresses, and you will also possess the ability of precise strength control, allowing you to retract a punch powerful enough to shatter a planet. Additionally, your physical body ignores all physical attacks.
Arthur immediately spent 5.45 million villain points to upgrade the Ox Talisman to Lv11. By now, he had unsealed all twelve Talismans and upgraded them all to Lv11.
The totems of the twelve Talismans all lit up, and simultaneously upgraded to Lv12... Arthur had been looking forward to this moment for a long time!
Arthur let out a deep breath. He felt many powerful forces surge into his body, yet he also felt that everything remained calm, without any change.
At this time, Arthur's Talisman status was updated, the final update.
villain points quantity: 19.632 million;
Rabbit Talisman Lv12: Possesses an initial speed of five times the speed of sound, and speed stacks infinitely. The magnitude of acceleration depends on the Dragon Talisman's output power. When speed reaches a certain value, it gains the ability to travel through time.
Dragon Talisman Lv12: Infinite energy. Power output is unlimited, and the duration of continuous output is unlimited.
Rat Talisman Lv12: Grants the target 100% of the energy from its original setting, and makes it completely obedient to the holder.
Snake Talisman Lv12: Gains the 'Unselectable' ability for a short time. Cannot be attacked or targeted. All effects acting upon you disappear. You are unrestricted and undisturbed by any energy or rules. Cooldown is twelve hours per use, and a maximum of twelve charges can be accumulated.
Tiger Talisman Lv12: Absorbs any energy. Divides energy possessed by oneself or energy possessed by other targets. You can apply the divided energy to any living or non-living target.
Rooster Talisman Lv12: Controls the movement of any object, regardless of its mass, and is unrestricted by space or distance. Object movement speed can be increased using the Rabbit Talisman.
Dog Talisman Lv12: The power of eternal life and immortality possessed can be granted to a specified living target.
Pig Talisman Lv12: Laser can penetrate any substance, ignoring all physical defense and magic energy defense of the target. It also gains the power to penetrate space; for example, your laser can break through artificially created infinite illusion spaces.
Horse Talisman Lv12: Can repair damaged rules and restore the original order, such as restoring the orbits of celestial bodies, or resurrecting those who have died.
Sheep Talisman Lv12: Ignores all mental attacks, and can freely create dreams to pull targets into. If the target dies in the dream, their Soul will also dissipate.
Monkey Talisman Lv12: Possesses unrestricted transformation power. Can transform oneself or a target into any living or non-living entity, ignoring volume, mass, energy, and rules.
Ox Talisman Lv12: Infinite strength. Physical body ignores all physical attacks... [Unsealed all twelve Talismans and upgraded all twelve Talismans to Lv12. Reward: 'Shadowkhan'.]
[Shadowkhan is composed of nine different forms of fighting legions, which are the Ninja Legion, Razor Legion, Night Bat Legion, Troll Legion, Samurai Legion, Alien Legion, Shadow Eater Legion, Pincer Hunter Legion, and Mantis Legion. Each legion has one Ghost Shadow General. The Ghost Shadow General and the Ghost Shadow Soldiers will obey the summoner.]
[Ghost Shadow Soldiers have no language system; they only completely obey the summoner and the Ghost Shadow General.]
[Ghost Shadow Generals and Ghost Shadow Soldierscan transform into Shadows and freely traverse any ground or wall. They move silently in the Shadow space World, performing spatial traversal, but they can only appear or disappear within the darkness.]
[Ghost Shadow Generals possess a certain level of intelligence, and their average strength is close to Captain America's.]
[Shadowkhan Lv1: The maximum number of Ghost Shadow Soldiers that can be generated by each legion is 100. villain points can be used to upgrade Shadowkhan, increasing the number of Ghost Shadow Soldiers in the legion. There is no level cap, and the maximum number of Ghost Shadow Soldiers that can be generated is uncapped.]
... The Tesseract suddenly shone with fluorescent blue light, and streaks of dazzling light radiated outward.
Arthur stretched out his hand, and the Tesseract flew out of Wanda's embrace, landing directly in his hand.
Instantly, the anomaly caused by the Tesseract vanished. The blue light dissipated, and the Tesseract returned to peace.
"Put her down!" Captain America said, watching Natashastruggling incessantly in the Demon's hand.
No one paid attention to him. Wanda turned and looked at Arthur. Arthur seemed unchanged.
But Wanda also felt that the Arthur before her had undergone an earth-shattering transformation, as if he had become a hundred times stronger... "What's wrong with you?" Wanda asked softly, her brow slightly furrowed.
"I'm fine. I've never felt so refreshed..."
As Arthur spoke, he squeezed the Tesseract slightly in his hand. A sound like a quartz object being pulverized rang out. Blue light instantly burst forth and instantly disappeared; the Tesseract had been easily crushed by him.
"What did you do!" Captain America was stunned by this scene. He raised his gun and rushed toward Arthur while firing.
Arthur did not dodge, allowing the steel-core bullets to hit him. The flattened bullet heads fell to the ground.
The bullets only pierced his clothes. Arthur felt no pain when they hit his body. With a casual wave of his hand, the Rooster Talisman's powerful telekinesis repelled Captain America. His body smashed heavily onto the steps, breaking the floor, and cracks appeared in the concrete ground.
Arthur moved his mind, activating the power of the demon mask, and instantly changed into a fitted black suit. He always maintained his elegance.
Captain America slowly climbed out of the rubble. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and slowly walked toward Arthur, limping. His left leg seemed to be broken.
Captain America's gaze was resolute: "I can do this all day..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Arthur said helplessly, "Captain Rogers, you say that line every time, but every time I beat you until you can't get up. And I feel like you're getting weaker... though it's more accurate to say that I'm getting stronger."
Captain America looked at the Demon's left hand, which was still glowing blue, and then looked at Natasha in his right hand, who had almost stopped struggling.
"Let her go!"
Captain America roared, as if trying to psych himself up. He actually started running despite dragging a broken leg.
"Perhaps you should change your name to CaptainCockroach..."
Arthur was about to attack again, but a mass of scarlet Chaos Magic had already repelled Captain America. He smiled as he glanced at Wanda, choosing not to expose her little scheme.
"Fine, as you wish, I'll let her go..." Arthur said, tossing Natasha away with one hand. He seemed to be muttering to himself, "You Superheroes are such hypocrites. I clearly saved her, or she would have been splattered meat just now."
Arthur hadn't used much force. Natasha rolled a few times on the ground before stopping. Having been close to suffocating in Arthur's hand, she was breathing heavily, as if trying to pull all the oxygen into her lungs... As soon as Natasha regained the ability to move, she turned and ran toward Captain America, not daring to spare the Demon another glance.
"You forgot to say thank you!"
Arthur spoke lightly, making Natasha's body tremble. She turned around, just about to speak, when she saw a certain totem light up in Arthur's eyes, resembling a White Sheep... Natasha didn't know what would happen next, but her intuition told her the Demon wouldn't do anything good... She turned and fled.
But obviously, no matter how much she resisted, once Arthur made his move, the outcome was predetermined.
A dense white energy substance appeared out of thin air. It surrounded Natasha, who instantly stopped in her tracks, standing rooted to the spot, allowing the White energy to enter her head.
Natasha's face was pale and her expression was vacant. In an instant, all her memories flashed through her mind: training in the Red Room, executing missions at high-end European banquets, playing a council member in Demon Project... Natasha let out a painful wail, the sound terrifying, like a vengeful spirit crying.
[Detected severe fear and pain in 'Black Widow'. You have become the strongest, most violent, and unconquerable villain in her heart. She will unconditionally obey your commands!
Special Reward: You can apply the 'Unselectable' ability provided by the Snake Talisman Lv12 to other single targets.]
Arthur used the power of the Sheep Talisman to forcibly shatter and modify Natasha's memories, nailing one irreversible setting after another into her mind. In just an instant, Arthur turned the double Agent Black Widowinto his loyal follower.
Furthermore, this control is permanent and irreversible, unless the Horse Talisman is used on her, or the power of the Soul Stone is used for restoration.
Wanda's face also turned somewhat pale watching this scene, lost in some wild thoughts... The process quickly ended, and the huge Base returned to peace.
"Master."
The corrupted Natasha turned around and knelt on one knee before Arthur.
"From today onward, you are completely Black Widow. Natasha is merely the past," Arthur said lightly. "Understood, Natasha?"
"Yes!" said Black Widow.
"What did you do? What did you do to her!" Captain America, unable to get up, could only roar angrily at Arthur. "Damn Demon!"
"Do you truly feel no fear?" Arthur said, frowning. "Can't you smell death?"
"Justice will never fear evil!" Captain America said self-righteously. "Kill me!"
Arthur showed a faint smile. He paused, then said, "Then I shall destroy your justice."
Arthur waved his hand, and Captain America floated over. He stood upright, suspended in the air beside Arthur. Captain America tried to attack but found himself unable to move.
Arthur turned and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Captain America. His hand rested on Captain America's back, and a continuous stream of life force poured into Captain America's body, instantly healing all his injuries.
"What new scheme do you have?" Although the pain in his body had vanished, Captain America felt uneasy. The Demon clearly wouldn't be this kind.
"Do you see those Agents and Police? And the onlookers..." Captain America heard the Demon whisper, "What interesting things would happen if Captain Americaattacked them in broad daylight? I hope you can still cling to your justice then."
"No..." Captain America's eyes widened.
Suddenly, he fell silent. White mental energy drilled into his brain and took control of him... Arthur beckoned, and the Vibranium circular shield hidden in the corner of the containment room in his Queens Villa was locked onto by the Rooster Talisman and flew up. He then used the Rabbit Talisman for acceleration, and a few seconds later, the Vibranium circular shield flew into his hand.
Arthur placed the shield onto Captain America's hand. After months apart, the shield finally returned to Captain America's grasp.
"Starting today, the justice you believe in will abandon you, despise you, detest you, and even try to kill you... Captain America."
As Arthur spoke, he pushed Captain America away. Captain America's figure quickly flew toward the intersection where the crowd had gathered... After completing all this, Arthur finally landed back on the floor. Wanda subconsciously took half a step back as the Demon approached.
Arthur didn't care about this at all. He stood quietly in place, looking at Wanda, neither moving nor speaking.
Time flowed by. Wanda suddenly rushed forward and buried herself in Arthur's chest. Wanda hugged the man tightly, even though this man was the Demon who made the entire World fear... Arthur also extended one arm and hugged Wanda back, stroking her head.
The two separated shortly after. Wanda looked into Arthur's eyes, wanting to say something, but Arthur raised a hand to interrupt her.
Arthur spread open the hand that had crushed the Tesseract. The blue light shone brightly for a moment, then dimmed. Among the pile of Tesseract fragments was a blue Gem... the Space Stone.
"Now it truly is a 'glowing blue Gem'..." Arthur chuckled.
Arthur activated the Monkey Talisman's power, transforming the pile of Tesseract fragments into a chain to secure the Space Stone.
"Here, it's yours."
Arthur put the necklace, made from the Space Stone and the Tesseract, around Wanda's neck. He placed the Space Stone into Wanda's cleavage.
"Don't lose it," Arthur said, giving it a pat.
Chapter 128 Crushing Defeat
"Is everything over?" Wanda asked, clutching her chest. "Let's go."
"No, it's not over yet." Arthur turned, flew out of the shattered opening, and met the Hulk who was leaping up from the ground.
The Hulk had returned to the battlefield. Having just endured Arthur's torment, he was furious, leaping through the air with a whistling rush of wind, attacking like a cannonball.
Wanda saw the rapidly approaching green figure, and suddenly, a yellow energy shield enveloped her and the Black Widow behind her.
Arthur and the Hulk simultaneously threw a punch. The phantom of an ox flickered in Arthur's eyes, and tens of millions of tons of force erupted in that single blow!
The immense Impact distorted the Hulk's massive body. He was sent flying backward like a meteor, instantly vanishing on the horizon, moving so fast that his trajectory was invisible.
The Impact generated by Arthur and the Hulk's collision spread out, and the World seemed to shake. The glass walls of the skyscrapers built around Central Park were completely pulverized, especially the high-rise directly behind Arthur. All the glass shattered, and even the building's structure developed dense cracks.
Arthur suddenly turned his head to look. As the Impactswept past, Falcon, flying nearby, burst into a mist of blood. The flight pack on his back exploded after sparking, and his two metal wings tumbled uncontrollably.
Falcon lost consciousness and was carried backward by the Impact, falling... Arthur's clothes were also shredded, leaving only his trousers intact. He used the demon maskto change back into a black suit and landed steadily inside the Base.
Arthur activated the power of the Horse Talisman. Rings of light radiated outward from his feet, and the entire building was enveloped by the Horse Talisman's repair enchantment.
The shattered glass and broken structural steel flew back together and reassembled. The pulverized floor and the dense cracks on the building's structure also began to heal.
Wanda watched in astonishment as the fragments flew back. The massive floor-to-ceiling window in front of her was slowly repairing itself. The Sun was gradually blocked out, and the interior eventually became dim before the lights came back on.
Everything was as good as new, as if nothing had happened... "Do you find it amazing?" Arthur asked, walking toward Wanda. "You will be able to do these things too in the future, and even better than me in some aspects."
There was no falsehood in Arthur's words. He could only use the Horse Talisman to repair objects or the Monkey Talisman to transform objects; he did not have the ability to conjure things from thin air like Chaos Magic.
Wanda shook her head and hugged Arthur again... Captain America accelerated his descent, using the Vibranium shield beneath him as a cushion. After a roll, he landed steadily and walked toward the Agents and Policeofficers at the intersection.
"Captain, the public is gathering here. We can't evacuate them at all."
"Captain, do you have any orders?"
"Congratulations on getting your shield back, Captain..."
Suddenly, all voices ceased. Captain America slammed his shield onto the head of the nearby Agent. A spray of blood splattered, and the Agent fell straight to the ground.
Before the crowd could react, Captain America kicked a Police officer, sending him flying. The officer smashed the windshield of the car behind him.
The sound of the shattering windshield startled all the Police officers and Agents present. Even though they didn't know what was happening, they all raised their guns and aimed at Captain America.
"Hands up and drop the shield!" shouted the Police officer. "Stand there and don't move, or we will shoot!"
The Police officer was about to shout a second warning, but Captain America responded by throwing his shield at him!
The Vibranium shield struck his forehead and bounced back into Captain America's hand. Seeing the fallen Policeofficer, the others hesitated no longer and immediately pulled their triggers and fired.
Captain America raised his shield to block. He spun around and kicked over an Agent, holding the Agent in front of him with one hand to shield himself from bullets, while using the Agent's gun with the other hand to fire into the crowd.
In an instant, not only did several Police officers and Agents fall, shot and incapacitated, but even members of the public were killed by Captain America.
"Report to Headquarters, Captain Rogers has defected! He is attacking us! Report to Headquarters..."
Suddenly, a spinning shield struck the side of his head, and his walkie-talkie clattered to the side.
The onlookers were dumbfounded. Based on appearance and attire, the person in front of them was the most upright Superhero, Captain America. But why would Captain America shoot Police officers and ordinary citizens?
Gunshots continuously echoed at the scene, but these ordinary Agents and Police were no match for Captain America, who wielded a Vibranium shield. Every shot Captain America fired and every time he threw his shield, he took down a person holding a gun.
Soon, Captain America had dealt with all the Agents and Police officers. Bodies were scattered everywhere, and those not yet dead crawled on the ground, clutching wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding... The public fled in terror, screams rising and falling. Suddenly, amid the chaos, Captain America was jolted awake. He stopped moving, looking at everything before him and his blood-soaked shield with a face full of confusion.
"No..."
With a clang, the shield fell to the ground, and the stolen firearm dropped from his hand. Captain America knelt down, clutching his head, as the bloody scene before him continuously assaulted his mind...
Agents and Police officers who heard the gunfire in the distance advanced against the flow of people. Even though they had already received news of Captain America's defection, they couldn't help but be shocked by the sight... After all, Captain America was no ordinary Superhero.
"Hands up! You are under arrest, Steve Rogers!"
The Police officers shouted. Seeing no reaction from Captain America, they cautiously approached.
An Agent kicked away the Vibranium shield next to Captain America. Several strong Police officers rushed forward and wrestled Captain America down. Only after they had secured him with specialized restraints did they breathe a sigh of relief... "We have arrested Captain America..."
The video ended there, and Hill closed the screen.
The conference room was deathly silent; everyone present remained quiet.
"It was the demon's doing. Captain was clearly controlled by the demon..." Thor couldn't help but say.
"We know that, everyone knows that," Tony said, pressing his temples. "But the public won't believe that excuse. They only saw Captain kill many people..."
Silence returned to the conference room after Tony finished speaking. This room used to be full, but now only the three of them remained.
"Where is Captain now?" Tony asked, looking at Hill.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. retrieved him from the Police. He is currently being secretly held in another Base, thirty kilometers away," Hill replied.
"I need to see him, to find out exactly what happened today..."
Tony shook his head. During the fight, he had been thrown by the Hulk like a weapon. Not only did he miss the demon, but he flew extremely far before Tony could restart his propulsion system and stop. By then, he had flown out of New York, and the war was over by the time he returned.
"No problem," Hill said. "However, Captain cannot leave that Base for the time being, at least until this matter calms down..."
"It's impossible for it to completely calm down..." Tonythrew his phone onto the table. "They are calling for protests demanding the government execute Captain."
Those were comments beneath the video of Captain America's attack. Netizens were surprisingly furious, and the occasional comment defending Captain America was drowned out by angry curses.
"How could things turn out like this?" Thor was somewhat confused. "Shouldn't the public support the warriors who protect them? Are they going to execute him just because of one mistake?"
"It was seventeen lives," Tony stressed.
"The demon controlled him!"
"Yes, because of the demon. And the demon handed us a devastating defeat... Rhodes is paralyzed below the waist, and Sam has left us forever." Tony was filled with sadness and anger. He looked at Hill: "How are the others? What about Agent Romanoff?"
"We found a dying Dr. Banner at sea," Hill said calmly. "There has been no news of Natasha so far. Perhaps you can get answers from Captain."
Thor said in a deep voice, "This war is not over. Loki must have a scheme coming to Earth, and now he has colluded with the demon..."
"No one said it was over," Tony said, looking up at the ceiling. "I never surrender..."
Chapter 129: Chitauri
In the massive underground laboratory, besides the technicians in white uniforms, there were only Terroristscarrying assault rifles.
Loki sat on the central platform with his eyes tightly closed, the gem at the tip of the Mind Stone in his hand flashing continuously, emitting a soft yellow light...
In a dim World, Loki wore a green and black robe, donned a helmet with two golden horns, and held the Mind Stone, gazing at the brilliant galaxy in a distant corner.
"The Chitauri Army is already impatient..." A deep voice came from the darkness behind Loki.
"A glorious war awaits you." Loki tilted his head slightly and said, "Perhaps you need to make some preparations..."
"War? Against those ants on Earth?"
"That is why I said glorious, not difficult." Loki paused, took one last look at the magnificent scene in the distance, then turned around and said, "Though, perhaps not necessarily..."
"Are you questioning us? Or questioning him? Questioning the one who bestowed the Mind Stone upon you?" A fierce and eerie figure stepped out from the darkness. "My army is invincible! Who is worthy of being our enemy?"
"He is very powerful, but he is just one person."
As he spoke, Loki frowned. The impression the Demon had left on him was profound and indelible; his power was second only to the one who had bestowed the Mind Stoneupon him.
"Hahahaha... An enemy? An Earthling?" He seemed to have heard some huge joke. "Ignorant Asgardian, our gaze has never been fixed on Earth, but on the broader Worldbrought by the Tesseract... That tiny Planet cannot possibly breed an enemy of the Chitauri."
"The Tesseract is also in his possession." Loki's words made the person behind him look grim. He continued, "It seems he knows how to use the Tesseract..."
A black shadow flowed, and that Chitauri suddenly lunged in front of Loki, a fierce light instantly appearing on its face.
Loki's expression did not change in the slightest. He slightly pushed out the Mind Stone to fend off the Chitauri, and the Mind Stone bloomed with light as images from Loki's memory appeared on the side:
A man wearing a demon mask held the Tesseract, blue light surged, and the Demon, along with several others, performed a spatial displacement...
"He is very powerful. If I do not open the Space Portal and your Chitauri Army does not fight under my guidance, then everything you imagine is just empty talk." Loki said calmly, "You will never be able to obtain the Tesseract."
"Do not forget your status. We can bestow honor upon you when you are adrift, and we can erase it all when you are glorious." The black shadow slowly dissipated. "Go fight, Asgardian. If you are defeated and the Tesseract falls into other hands, even if you flee to the ends of the Earth, he will not let you go..."
Loki looked around. The brilliant galaxy and the meteorite belt streaking across the horizon gradually disappeared, as if an illusion were shattering, revealing yellow rock walls full of excavation marks and a tiled floor. He had returned to this Base.
Loki took a deep breath, looking at the constantly flashing Mind Stone in his hand without saying a word.
A moment later, he looked up at the spatial device beside Dr. Selvig. If everything went smoothly, he could open the Space Portal to welcome the Chitauri Army.
Although the Chitauri were arrogant and conceited, their power was undeniable. If he could control that Chitauri Army, he estimated that even the Demon would be nothing to fear by then...
Loki slowly stood up and walked toward the disc-shaped Space Portal device.
"How did you gather so many people in such a short time?" Dr. Selvig asked while operating the instrument.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is not short of enemies," Hawkeye was wiping his bow and arrows. "These people were once my enemies, and I know what conditions they cannot refuse."
Seeing Loki walk over, Dr. Selvig immediately stopped his work.
"Yesterday afternoon, a great battle occurred between the Demon and the Anti-Demon Alliance in Central Park, New York, and the Anti-Demon Alliance suffered heavy losses!" Dr. Selvig happily shared this news with Loki. "Captain America has turned from a Superhero into a criminal. Now, there should be no one left to stop our great mission."
Loki only smiled. Although he only had eyes for the Demon and didn't care about that group of Superheroes, hearing this news still pleased him.
"Is the device experiment successful? Is the program calibrated?" Loki asked one by one. "How should we contact the Demon?"
"Sir, no one can contact the Demon." Hawkeye answered first. "But I think as long as we have everything ready, he will appear... Perhaps he is watching us from the shadows right now."
After hearing this, Loki tilted his head slightly without changing his expression, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the underground laboratory.
"I have conducted thousands of simulation experiments, but the success rate is only thirty percent. According to calculations, we still need one important thing..." Dr. Selvigsaid, "But the supply of this thing on Earth is very scarce, and every gram is strictly guarded."
"Iridium! A substance that does not belong to Earth, only found in meteorites, capable of forming anti-protons." Dr. Selvig pressed his phone, and a page of information appeared on the simple LED screen beside him. "It can ensure that the Space Portal will not collapse on its own like it did last time at the S.H.I.E.L.D. secret Base. If you want the Space Portal to be large enough and last long enough, then you cannot do without it—Iridium."
"This thing is not easy to find. If S.H.I.E.L.D. knows we need it, it will be even harder." Hawkeye stopped what he was doing and said, "They will blockade all Iridium in the World, and might even secretly transport it..."
Loki raised his hand to signal Hawkeye to shut up. He cast his gaze toward Dr. Selvig. "If we get the Iridium, are you sure you can open a Space Portal large enough to transport an army?"
"There is one last thing: a high-energy-density power source." Dr. Selvig waved his hands, trying to explain to the two the knowledge of thermonuclear reaction astrophysics involved. "That is the thrust to start the entire device and make the Tesseract open the Space Portal. We need to heat the Tesseract to 1.2 billion degrees Kelvin to break the Coulomb barrier and build a massive and stable Space Portal."
"Where can we obtain the high-energy-density power source you mentioned?" Loki grasped the core of the problem.
"Stark Industries Building on Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City." Dr. Selvig reeled off a location.
"Stark?"
"Correct. Tony Stark is very famous in the clean energy industry." Dr. Selvig nodded and said, "It means we won't be opening the Space Portal in some secret place in the World, but will complete all of this in the skies over New York, which is in the global spotlight. It will cause a lot of trouble."
"Just as I intended." Loki picked up the Mind Stone and turned around. "Such a glorious moment should be completed under the witness of all humanity..."
...
"Execute the Demon Captain! Execute Steve Rogers!"
"Restrict all super-powered individuals..."
"We don't need Superheroes, the World doesn't need Superheroes!"
Shouting various slogans and holding various banners, the protest march passed by the Ford. The video of Captain America publicly killing seventeen police officers and civilians caused a sensation as soon as it was released. After secondary reports by multiple media outlets, this incident sparked global discussion.
Many young people demanded that the government execute Captain America through protests, calling it a "Justice Parade." Some extremists even turned their fire on every super-powered individual, whether they were evil villains or Superheroes upholding justice.
The Justice Parade started in the afternoon and hadn't stopped even now that night had fallen and the streetlights were on. The crowd was even showing a trend of constant expansion. The parade had started from Brooklyn, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, and arrived in Manhattan.
Gwen, in the passenger seat, felt somewhat depressed watching this scene. Part of the reason was Captain America's tragic plight, and another part was that during this denunciation, Spider-Woman was also receiving a lot of heat...
Yet, at this moment, Arthur in the driver's seat was still chiming in with the slogans of this Justice Parade: "The World doesn't need Superheroes! The World doesn't need Superheroes..."
Gwen glared at Arthur and used her hand to cover his mouth. "Stop it, you are not allowed to say that!"
"The World doesn't need—mmph..." Arthur turned his head to dodge. "Why? I think what they are saying is quite right."
"It is correct that the World doesn't need super-powered individuals, but criminals with superpowers need Superheroes to deal with them." Gwen said helplessly. "You understand the logic, but you just like to see me have bad luck..."
"My Gwen, that is heartbreaking to hear." Arthur smiled. "But now, the most righteous Captain America has turned into a criminal, and many criminals with superpowers haven't even killed seventeen people..."
"We all know there must be a hidden story behind this; Captain would not do such a thing..." Gwen suddenly choked on her words. The fact was that Captain Americareally did kill seventeen people in full public view; whatever the hidden story was, it didn't matter anymore.
"Fine, you win again. Being a Superhero is indeed not a good profession. It seems the internship at the Anti-Demon Alliance can be shelved for now. Perhaps I should finish my university studies first."
"That would be a wise choice." Arthur reached out and stroked Gwen's hair. "Which school did you apply to? New York University? Empire State University? It wouldn't be that a Superhero wearing a white and black skintight uniform will appear in London next year, would it?"
"Spider-Woman doesn't plan to leave New York for the time being." Gwen nodded and said.
Suddenly, a protester in the parade, holding a sign with white text on a red background that read "Kill Rogers," banged hard on the hood of the Ford, raising the sign and shouting slogans at Arthur and Gwen inside the car through the windshield.
"You are the one who should be damned."
This protester instantly flew out from the crowd and was jammed into a trash can by the side of the road.
Gwen covered her eyes with her hands, refusing to look. "Captain Rogers won't be in any trouble, will he? The government won't actually execute him just to appease the public's anger, right?"
Arthur looked indifferent. "Instead of worrying about that, you'd better worry about what we're having for dinner. I've booked a table at a restaurant."
As he said this, Arthur started the Ford. He didn't care at all about the protest march occupying the road, revving the engine and charging out. Those people were one after another flipped over by the Rooster Talisman and thrown to the side of the road. The protesters, whether angry or terrified, had nowhere to vent and could only watch the taillights of the Ford fade into the distance...
Gwen couldn't take her hands off her eyes. Once, as Spider-Woman, she had used her body to stop a runaway train, but now she was sitting in her boyfriend's car, violently crashing into this group of protesters...
However, this group of protesters was indeed annoying, and Arthur had a sense of proportion and wouldn't really cause any serious trouble. Also, it was possible that even if she spoke up, Arthur wouldn't listen...
Chapter 130: The Meddlesome Spider-Woman
Suddenly, a sonic boom swept over the Ford. Gwen stuck her head out the car window to look.
"It's Iron Man!" Gwen exclaimed. "He usually doesn't fly low over crowded streets; something must have happened."
"Of course, if I had just been defeated yesterday, I wouldn't have the face to parade around today either..." Arthuragreed deeply.
"Shall we chase after him and see?" Gwen said excitedly. "Maybe a big case is happening over there, a villain or a demon... otherwise Mr. Stark wouldn't be in such a rush."
"Did I hear that right? Or are you joking?" Arthur laughed. "You'd go to your death knowing a demon might be over there?"
"I have never feared demons!"
Arthur just smiled at this without exposing her; in the beginning, he had gained quite a few villain points from Spider-Gwen's fear.
"I object," Arthur refused. "I think we should enjoy a candlelight dinner, not fight against heinous criminals."
"Objection overruled!" Gwen said with a smile. "I'm sorry, but our candlelight dinner is on hold. It's Superhero time for Spider-Woman, hurry and catch up!"
"But that's Iron Man. How could you think this old clunker can catch up to Iron Man?" Arthur looked at her helplessly.
"That makes sense!"
Gwen smiled. Suddenly, she unbuckled her seatbelt, shot a web, and grabbed the backpack from the back seat.
"I think this is a bad idea..." Arthur shook his head.
Gwen lunged from the passenger seat, hugged Arthur, and gave him a deep, forceful kiss on his face.
Looking at the two bright red lip prints on Arthur's cheek, Gwen said, "Goodbye, Arthur. Don't worry, I'll come find you tonight... We can pack the dinner to go and eat it together!"
Saying this, Gwen agilely jumped out of the car window. She shot a web into the air, grabbed onto a nearby wall, and swung away.
Arthur watched Gwen's disappearing figure and shook his head slightly. Having a Spider-Woman as a girlfriend really isn't worry-free... Or more accurately, it really isn't worry-free for a demon!
...
"Stark, the address is confirmed: 28 King's Avenue, Stuttgart Tower."
"Got it, I'm on my way. You know I can't fly too fast in the city, or I'll disturb the public and cause damage. I don't want to get canceled online..." Tony said. "Can you confirm the identity now? Commander."
"69% match. Loki isn't hiding; he's appearing openly at the banquet in Stuttgart tonight." Hill's cold voice came through the communication channel. "We have already transferred the Stuttgart Tower surveillance system to Jarvis."
"Jarvis, display the feed on the screen." Upon hearing Hill's reminder, Tony said immediately.
"Yes, sir." Jarvis's voice sounded.
The video feed appeared on the screen, precisely focused on Loki's face. Tony saw that face again, wearing a faint, sinister smile that made one want to punch him.
Loki was currently wearing a black suit with his white shirt collar popped up, his medium-length black hair neatly combed. He strolled through the banquet hall holding a glass of champagne, frequently nodding in greeting to the noblewomen who were attracted by his aura and staring at him...
A figure flew out of an alley a few hundred meters behind Tony. Gwen kept shooting webs to swing and accelerate, but she couldn't catch up to Iron Man, who was equipped with arc pulse thrusters, and the distance between them kept increasing.
Gwen thought that the only way she could catch up to Iron Man was to attach her web to his armor...
Iron Man ahead accelerated and increased his flight altitude, quickly passing over building after building and disappearing from Gwen's sight. Now Gwen was completely helpless; swinging with webs required tall buildings on the sides of the streets.
Just as Gwen was thinking about using the New Yorkpolice information channel to track Iron Man's whereabouts tonight, a familiar voice came from beside her.
"Hi, want a lift? Miss Spider."
Arthur hovered beside her. No matter how much Gwenrose, fell, or turned while swinging on her webs, Arthurmaintained his distance and moved along with her.
"Looks like you're no better than my old clunker; you lost him too."
Gwen changed direction and bumped into Arthur's arms. "I thought you wouldn't come! Hurry, follow him. Iron Manflew off in that direction."
Arthur flew in the direction Gwen pointed. He accelerated instantly; the powerful G-force and the whistling wind in her ears made Gwen let out bursts of screams.
"Too fast..."
Arthur maintained a steady speed and expanded an energy shield to block out the whistling wind.
"Guess it's my bad luck. Who told me my girlfriend is Spider-Woman!" Arthur said sarcastically. "Even if a demon is waiting for us ahead, I can only accompany her to our deaths..."
"Emm..." Gwen felt a bit embarrassed. After all, she had essentially kidnapped Arthur to come here this time. Even as a couple, she shouldn't force Arthur to do things he didn't want to do.
But for her to remain indifferent to a crisis she had detected, or even pretend nothing happened, was impossible. If that were the case, Gwen wouldn't have become a righteous Superhero.
"We're just going to take a look. If the demon is there, we'll turn around and leave, no matter what is happening on the scene!" Gwen said firmly.
In her impression, demons weren't that dangerous, at least not to the point where they would develop murderous intent just by seeing someone passing by, or stop what they were doing to chase them down...
"Does that mean if the demon isn't there, you're going to act like a hero?"
"Maybe not. Iron Man is very strong. If it's something he can't solve, I might not be able to either."
"No, no, no, Spider-Woman is the best." Arthur replied casually. As the demon himself, he naturally knew his own itinerary, but he could only agree to Gwen's request. "No problem, even if it's a demon, I'll face it with you."
"You're the best, Arthur!"
Gwen hugged Arthur and planted a rewarding lip print on his other cheek.
...
The orchestra was playing soft music on-site. Dashing guests held wine glasses, gathering in small groups to exchange pleasantries. The sound blended together like whispering, occasionally punctuated by laughter with their female companions.
Loki's gaze focused on a middle-aged man in a gray suit. At that moment, he had one hand on the slender waist of his female companion, and the other holding a glass of champagne, talking to the person in front of him with a full smile.
A waiter walked by. Loki placed his wine glass onto the waiter's tray and then walked quickly toward the middle-aged man.
He pulled out the white handkerchief from his chest pocket and shook it open. His other hand reached into the handkerchief, and like magic, pulled out an instrument more than half a meter long.
The tip of the instrument expanded. Some people in the venue noticed Loki's abnormality and called out to ask.
Loki ignored them. The middle-aged man also heard the commotion and turned his head, but Loki had already reached him.
"Who are you?" the middle-aged man asked in confusion.
Loki grabbed him by the collar with one hand and threw him forcefully to the side. The middle-aged man smashed heavily onto a nearby dining table, scattering drinks and food all over the floor.
Loki didn't waste words; he jammed the instrument in his hand into the middle-aged man's right eye socket, causing a spray of blood.
The nearest female guest was splattered with blood on her face. She was the first to let out a scream, the crowd retreated in horror, and the soft music stopped abruptly...
The instrument activated, instantly detecting, copying, and transmitting his iris data.
This middle-aged man was the president of a high-tech company. The company's vault stored a large amount of the iridium Loki needed, but it required his iris verification to open.
"Sir, identity verification failed." Hawkeye's voice came through. "Did you stick it in the wrong eye? I remember telling you it was the left eye."
"My apologies!"
Loki said indifferently. He reached out, pulled out the instrument, and nonchalantly inserted it into the middle-aged man's left eye.
The iris data was scanned, copied, and transmitted again.
"All done, sir." In addition to Hawkeye's voice, the sound of a bowstring being drawn came through the communication channel.
"Good luck." Loki said, watching the crowd fleeing in panic toward the exit.
The middle-aged man covered his blood-covered face and let out a scream. Several security guards rushed in from the side. Loki grabbed him with one hand and threw him at the security guards, causing chaos on the scene.
Loki walked slowly toward the crowd, the Mind Stone held in his hand. Golden light shone on his body; his black suit gradually transformed into golden armor, and his green robes were swirled by the night wind.
Loki walked out the door. Several security guards raised their pistols and fired at him, but the bullets hitting his body caused no damage. He activated the Mind Stone to fire a beam of energy, easily taking out the security guards.
The guests had all entered the small fountain square in front of Stuttgart Tower. Suddenly, Loki conjured an illusion in front of the crowd, blocking their path.
The guests no longer had any of the grace and demeanor they had just minutes ago. They scattered in panic, but several of Loki's illusions blocked all exits. For a moment, the crowd was trapped in the fountain square. Looking at the Loki illusions all around, they couldn't help but feel terrified, and women's screams rose one after another...
"Kneel before me..." Loki's voice spread throughout the fountain square.
The crowd looked around in panic. At this moment, Lokiarrived in front of the crowd. His Mind Stone emitted a dazzling light, and the Mind Stones of all the Loki illusions were lit up simultaneously.
"Kneel!"
Loki and all his illusions roared in unison. The crowd slowly knelt down amidst the roar, trembling in the lingering echoes...
"Kneeling is so much better; this way you don't have to fear death, just submit peacefully." Loki walked slowly. "It should have been like this long ago, weak Earthlings. Your hearts desire to be conquered..."
"Excuse me!" Suddenly, a voice came from a distance, accompanied by a sonic boom.
Loki looked to the side, and everyone kneeling on the ground also looked over. Suddenly, a red and gold humanoid armor flew out from behind a building.
"It's Iron Man!" someone shouted.
Tony landed quickly, hovering above the crowd.
"A wonderful speech, sorry I really don't want to interrupt." Tony aimed both hands at Loki. "But I must formally announce one thing: you are under arrest!"
"I thought you were a smart man, but clearly your vision is limited only to Earth."
Loki said, raising the Mind Stone, but Tony fired his right Palm Cannon first, hitting Loki with an energy blast and knocking him down.
"Everyone, you should run away now. Are you waiting to watch a live performance?"
Tony said as he flew toward Loki. He grabbed Loki and moved him away from the crowd, smashing through sculptures in the fountain pool along the way, then threw him onto the ground!
The trapped crowd scattered, and Tony and Loki began to scuffle.
Loki swung the Mind Stone at Tony. Tony fired his Palm Cannon continuously to provide fire suppression and then punched him in the face.
Loki seized the opportunity to aim the Mind Stone at Tonyand fired an energy blast. Tony was blasted away, and the two traded fire from a distance.
"By comparison, your strength is far inferior to Thor. A younger brother is always a younger brother."
"I heard you suffered a crushing defeat yesterday? A loser will always be a loser." Loki retorted.
The two were evenly matched. Suddenly, Tony seized another opportunity and flew toward Loki. He spun to dodge an incoming energy blast and clenched his iron fist, swinging it toward Loki's smiling face.
But Tony's iron fist hit thin air; it was just an illusion Lokihad created. Loki, who had flashed behind Tony, raised the Mind Stone, aimed at Tony's back, and fired an energy blast!
Tony was knocked to the ground. When he tried to get up, Loki's Mind Stone was already pressed against his chest.
Loki was all smiles, operating the Mind Stone to surge energy into controlling Tony's mind... Suddenly, Loki froze. The energy emitted by the Mind Stone entered Tony's body and, like a stone sinking into the sea, received no response.
"What?"
Tony was puzzled. What on Earth was Loki doing? He fired his chest arc pulse cannon, and the powerful energy instantly blasted Loki away.
Loki got up somewhat disheveled. He raised the Mind Stone again and aimed at Tony: "If you cannot serve me, it seems your intelligence will just have to be wasted!"
"Stark never works for others." Tony also raised his hand at Loki.
Just as Loki was about to attack, a web suddenly shot out and grabbed the Mind Stone in his hand!
Gwen pulled hard, performed a double front flip, landed steadily, and then reached out to catch the flying Mind Stone.
"What is this? An Egyptian pharaoh's scepter? It can even fire high-energy attacks, cool!" Gwen held up the scepter and waved to Tony nearby. "Good evening, Mr. Stark!"
Tony was slightly surprised. "Good evening, Spider-Woman."
"Spider?"
Loki rushed toward Gwen, who had her back to him, and threw a punch.
Tony saw it and quickly tried to warn her, but before he could even speak, Gwen had already reacted. No one could sneak attack Gwen, who possessed Spider-Sense.
Gwen shot a web, grabbed Loki's shoulder, and pulled him toward her. Then Gwen leaped and kicked out, sending the heavily struck Loki flying.
A round of applause sounded from behind. "Cool combo!" Tony cheered.