A thin smile formed on Lance's face. Not a warm smile—more like the smile of a slayer before swinging the sword.
"You think too much." Where Lance raised his hand, drawing a semicircle in the air. A swirling portal opened, casting a golden light mixed with purple.
"The sorcerers from Kamar-Taj do protect this world, but that doesn't mean we can't kill. We are not bound by the law—because we existed long before the law was made. We protect the world from demons... but that doesn't mean we will pity humans who allow themselves to become demons."
Then, without looking back, Lance stepped into the portal. Lance's back disappeared, and the light from the portal sparkled like the last fireworks in the twilight sky, then vanished with the last rays of sunlight.
Barbara and Clint remained silent. They did not try to stop him.
And to be honest... they knew they couldn't.
Barbara sighed. "Wizards who do not acknowledge civilized rules... they will be the toughest challenge we have ever faced."
Clint simply nodded. Where Clint carried his bow, his expression turned serious again. "Maybe they have the upper hand now. But the future is not necessarily theirs."
As Clint walked toward the descending Quinjet, his voice returned to calm and professional. "Let's go. The data we collected today is crucial. We need to send it to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters for analysis immediately. Don't give anyone a chance to tamper with it. A force bold enough to use Hammer tanks in a city this size... is clearly not acting on the personal orders of a general. Their background needs to be thoroughly investigated."
Barbara followed behind. They both boarded the aircraft, and with a soft hum, the Quinjet lifted off, leaving the ruins and the darkening sky behind.
...
...
...
Lance experienced a few minor accidents.
As Lance closed the portal in his living room, a mysterious figure lunged at him from behind—quick and wild like a tiger sliding down a mountainside.
Of course, neither a fake nor a real tiger would pose a threat to Lance. He could easily kick the creature against the wall—or through it. But this time, Lance didn't want to make a mess of his home with spilled blood and guts.
Besides, Lance was a bit curious: where did this little thief come from, so bold as to break in?
With a snap of his fingers, the figure froze in mid-air, then began to spin like an upside-down top.
The Rooster Talisman worked perfectly.
This spell couldn't allow its owner to fly freely in the sky, but with a little focus, even something as heavy as a truck could be lifted and played with like a dry leaf blown by the wind.
"Hey, kid, who are you?"
The young man had sharp blue eyes, though they now appeared red and exhausted. He looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. His face was bruised, covered in marks as if he had just been beaten by a gang of thugs in a dark alley.
"Wait, White!" a sharp voice interrupted. Nancy ran down from the upper floor, breathless.
"Maxie, do you know this kid?" Lance asked, raising his hand slightly to stop the rotation of the half-unconscious intruder in mid-air.
The man's face was already pale, and even before touching the ground, he looked like he was about to vomit.
Lance grimaced in disgust, then snapped his fingers again.
Suddenly, the man's body was hurled toward the window, dragging a length of white rope with him. He flew through the open glass, tumbling down into the garden.
And that was when the vomit came out.
Lance clicked his tongue softly. "Wow... the Rooster Talisman can also clean out the stomach, it seems."
Nancy rushed to the window. Her face was tense. "Zack, are you okay?!"
"No... I'm... I'm fine..." Zack replied hoarsely, bowing his head and continuing to vomit the remnants of his stomach into the bushes.
Nancy sighed, then turned to Lance. "This is Zack."
"Yeah, I heard," Lance murmured quietly. A memory flashed quickly in Lance's mind, and he looked at Zack with a sharper gaze. "So he's Zack. Your brother, right?"
The X5 squad—a group of genetically engineered soldiers—originally numbered forty-nine, including Nancy. Half of them died as children. While escaping from Manticore Base, even more fell. Those who managed to escape... were only twelve.
Zack is the oldest among them.
Where Zack is not only a brother to the other children but also a leader, directly appointed by Dr. Redrick.
It was Zack who led the great escape, where Zack brought his eleven friends out of hell.
After fleeing, they all separated, hiding their tracks. Only Zack knew the whereabouts of each one.
Lance pointed to Zack's severely bruised face. "What happened? Why did he suddenly show up? And in that condition?"
Nancy's face darkened. "Zack came to ask for help."
"What's going on?" Lance asked.
"Brin… our little sister… was captured by a group of soldiers two days ago. Zack heard about it and tried to save her. But their base is heavily guarded. Where Zack failed, he almost got caught too."
Zack, still leaning against the wall, spoke in a broken voice. "Maxie is the closest... to the base's location... so I came here. But... I didn't expect…"
Nancy interrupted with a regretful expression. "Zack attacked as soon as he saw Redrick, and I didn't recognize him... so we fought."
Lance almost laughed. The expression on Lance's face conveyed a mix of amusement and disbelief.
So... that battered face was the result of Nancy's own doing.
"And you didn't have time to heal him?" Lance asked, sounding surprised.
With Nancy's White Lantern Ring power, such wounds should have been healed in seconds.
Nancy spoke softly, her tone sounding hesitant and tired, "Didn't you say... under normal circumstances, I shouldn't use that power in front of others? I thought Zack's wounds weren't that serious, so I just applied ointment like usual."
Lance responded with a small smile, gentle yet firm, "Because Zack is your family, it's okay if you show him your abilities."
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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