High in the sky, the gale howled.
Henry's figure was like a black meteor, falling straight toward the steel fortress below. The wind roared in his ears, but he felt no resistance. His bio-field had long since smoothed the airflow around him, making his descent incredibly graceful.
He looked at the energy shield below, which pulsed with a faint blue light, and a cold sneer curved his lips. Fury had certainly spared no expense. An energy shield of this scale could hold out for quite a while even against a small meteor shower.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn't facing a meteor; he was facing his greatest nightmare. S.H.I.E.L.D. was dedicated to protecting the world, yet here was that one-eyed bastard using it to protect himself. If he didn't have a guilty conscience, why was he so panicked?
In his vision, the massive energy shield wasn't just a simple blue dome. He could clearly see how the energy was drawn from the core beneath the headquarters, channeled through dozens of thick conduits to over a dozen nodes at the top of the building. He could even see the trajectories of the energy flow on the shield's surface and the structural weak points created where those energies intersected.
Everything was as clear as a professional blueprint laid bare before his eyes. Fury thought he had laid an inescapable net, but he didn't realize that in Henry's eyes, this net was as full of holes as a pair of fishnet stockings.
Behind him, Tony's armor streaked through the air in a brilliant trail of light, finally catching up to fly alongside him. Of course, this was only because Henry hadn't accelerated; he was just cruising.
"Hey, Henry!" Tony's voice came through the comms, a mix of excitement and annoyance. "We agreed on a team operation, and you're jumping the gun again! The protagonist is supposed to make a grand entrance at the end. Don't you understand dramatic effect?"
This guy—at a time like this, he was still obsessing over such trivial details. Henry rolled his eyes and retorted without hesitation.
"Give it a rest, Tony. Your 'grand entrance' act is outdated. Modern audiences prefer a simple and brutal opening. Besides, I'm just clearing the trash off the stage for the lead; you should thank me."
"Trash? Is that what I'm seeing? All I see is a supporting character rushing to collect his death-scene paycheck," Tony quipped.
"Still better than a certain someone who hides in a tin can and needs AI just to find his way around like a lost tourist."
"Fuck! Who are you calling a lost tourist?! This is strategic cruising!"
The two brothers bickered high in the air while rapidly closing in on their target. It was a strange feeling—almost like being kids again, teaming up to raid a neighbor's orchard. Though they traded insults, they knew they could always trust the other to have their back.
Following closely behind were two massive green and yellow meteors: Hulk and Abomination!
They lacked the ability to fly, but they had a primitive method of propulsion: jumping. Each of Hulk's leaps carved a massive arc through the sky, accompanied by deafening sonic booms! He was exhilarated. Tony, the metal man, had told him there was something big and hard down there that he could smash as much as he wanted. Was there anything that could make Hulk happier than that?!
Abomination was slightly more tactical. He used the walls of the buildings as springboards, performing jagged leaps that kept his speed on par with Hulk's. A bloodthirsty glint shone in his eyes. The Stark brothers had given him a stage to release his power to his heart's content, and he intended to repay that favor with his specialty: destruction.
On their flanks, a silver bolt of lightning and a crimson streak of light moved silently through the shadows of the buildings. Pietro's speed was already beyond the limit of the naked eye; only afterimages flickered where he passed. The sentries and patrols stationed on the perimeter didn't even have time to raise an alarm before being silently neutralized. Pietro felt amazing—it was like playing hide-and-seek in a playground where he was the ghost that could never be caught!
Wanda floated not far behind him, her red energy acting like invisible tentacles, silently infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance systems, tampering with footage, and blocking distress signals. She was Pietro's eyes and his support. Feeling his joy made her lips curl into a smile. Perhaps this was the life they were meant to have—not as tools for vengeance, but as warriors of protection. She looked toward the black figure in the sky, a different light swirling in her eyes.
...
Triskelion Headquarters, Command Center.
"Sir! High energy readings detected! Five... no, six unidentified objects approaching at high speed!" a technician shouted in panic, staring at the six red dots that had suddenly appeared on the radar. "They've breached our perimeter warning system! They're moving too fast!"
The command center instantly fell into chaos.
"Activate anti-air systems! Maximize energy shield output! All combat units to battle stations!" Maria Hill stood at the command console, issuing orders with a grim expression. Her eyes were fixed on the main screen.
The six targets were rapidly magnified, appearing clearly before everyone. When they saw the figures, the command center fell into a dead silence.
Iron Man! Two giants! The two powered twins! And that figure like a black god of death—Henry Stark.
They had truly come.
Hill felt her palms grow damp. Although she had prepared for the worst, the sheer pressure of seeing this team—names from Nick's Avengers Initiative list—appearing at their front door was suffocating.
"Sir!" she swallowed hard, contacting Fury through the internal comms. "They're here."
"I see them." Fury's voice came back calm. He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, quietly watching the approaching black dots in the sky. There was no anger, no fear—only a fatalistic tranquility. What was meant to come had finally arrived.
"Open fire with everything, Hill," he said plainly. "Show them S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fangs."
"Yes, sir!"
"Ladies and gentlemen," Tony's voice rang out in everyone's communication channel. "Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D. Theme Park. Today's first attraction is Justice From Above! Please fasten your seatbelts; the performance is about to begin!"
Before his voice even faded, countless turrets on the steel fortress below swiveled simultaneously, locking onto the figures in the sky.
*Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!*
A dense barrage of missiles, trailing long plumes of fire, swept toward them, blotting out the sky.
"Oh ho, a fireworks display? I like it!" Henry chuckled. He made no attempt to dodge, instead accelerating his descent right into the storm of missiles!
Beside him, the micro-missile launchers on Tony's shoulders and arms slid open in unison. "A fireworks competition? I'm game!" He laughed, launching dozens of micro-missiles that carved brilliant trails through the air to intercept the incoming fire.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
The sky was instantly engulfed in spheres of exploding fire, looking like a grand firework show!
"Too slow! Too slow!"
Pietro's figure turned into a silver bolt of lightning, easily weaving through the gaps in the explosions. To him, the missiles looked like they were moving in slow motion; they couldn't touch him at all. He was so bored he even made a face at the turrets.
Wanda floated in mid-air, eyes glowing red. She waved her hands gently. "Stop."
Crimson light expanded! The missiles flying toward her froze in mid-air less than ten meters away, as if trapped in static time. Then, with a flick of her finger, all the frozen missiles reversed direction, flying back toward their source even faster than they had come!
Another series of explosions rocked the roof. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own anti-air turrets were instantly turned into a sea of fire by their own ordinance.
"Nice work, Red Lady!" Tony praised over the comms.
"Thank you," Wanda's voice remained calm.
Below, Hulk and Abomination slammed into the energy shield!
*CRASH!!!*
A world-shaking boom echoed! The energy shield shuddered violently, visible ripples of energy undulating across its surface.
"ROAR!!!" Hulk let out a thunderous bellow. He felt like he had slammed into a giant piece of jelly—soft, but incredibly resilient. This only made him angrier! He raised his massive fists high and hammered down on the shield!
*BAM! BAM! BAM!*
Each heavy blow caused the Triskelion to tremble! In the command center, the alarms became even more shrill.
"Warning! Energy shield under sustained heavy impact! Energy depletion rising rapidly... 12%... 15%... 20%!"
"Damned monsters!" Hill snarled, watching the two giants pounding the shield.
At that moment, Henry reached the top of the energy shield. He hovered quietly in the air, watching Hulk and Abomination below. It was quite a sight; these two really did have an impressive sense of pressure.
"Alright, warm-up's over," he said plainly.
He ignored the missiles and gunfire, and he paid no mind to Hulk's wild pounding. His gaze pierced through the energy shield, through the thick walls, and locked directly onto the one-eyed man standing before the floor-to-ceiling window in the deepest part of the headquarters.
"Jarvis, monitor my emotions and vitals," he commanded calmly in his mind.
"Acknowledged, sir. Your heart rate is steady, and all physiological indicators are normal."
Excellent.
Henry slowly closed his eyes. He began to recall Nick Fury's face—always thinking he was in control of everything. He recalled the deals Fury made for the "greater good," and his race-traitorous act of allowing Skrulls to infiltrate Earth.
Soon, a deliberate anger, like a pre-set program, began to ignite in his heart! This wasn't an uncontrolled rage; it was power harnessed by reason. This was his secret—the second time he was testing this method.
"Sir!" Jarvis's voice rang out again. "Adrenaline levels are skyrocketing geometrically! Your physical attributes are climbing at extreme speeds!"
"The energy stored within your cells is being converted and released with even higher efficiency! Your energy output is surging!"
"Your cerebral cortex is abnormally active, but logical thinking remains unaffected. You've succeeded, sir! You have entered a controlled energy-overload state once again!"
"Real-time strength monitoring! Surpassing base strength by thirty times... forty times... fifty times!"
*BOOM!!!*
A visible wave of dark red air suddenly erupted from Henry! The air around him distorted as if it couldn't withstand the pressure radiating from his body. He slowly opened his eyes, a terrifying red glow burning deep within his pupils.
"Time to send some warmth."
His voice was cold, his chest rising and falling slightly. He didn't use heat vision, nor did he use any fancy moves. He simply curled his fingers into a tight fist. All the energy in his body began to mobilize, a massive force pooling in his arm!
Then, he moved. His right fist slammed down toward the energy shield below.
Time seemed to slow down a thousandfold. In the eyes of everyone in the command center, there was only Henry's fist, wrapped in dark red energy, descending from the heavens.
*THUD!*
There was no world-shaking explosion. No dazzling, blinding light. Only a soft, muffled thud.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone, the energy shield silently buckled inward at the point of impact, cracking like glass!
And then!
*CRACK!!*
A crisp sound of shattering echoed through the sky! The massive energy shield was instantly covered in fractures. Then, it shattered completely! The energy turned into a sky full of blue light particles, dissipating into the air.
"The party has officially begun."
Henry's voice carried clearly throughout the Triskelion. It sounded like a death sentence, chilling the agents to their core. S.H.I.E.L.D., this titan that had stood for decades, had finally been laid bare before its enemies.
The shattered light particles fell like blue snowflakes.
...
Inside the command center, there was an eerie silence. The agents stared blankly at the falling particles on the main screen and at the god-like figure hovering in the air. That was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top-tier energy shield system—a defense built with Earth's most cutting-edge technology, the result of years of effort by countless geniuses! Theoretically, it could block almost any attack.
And now, it had been shattered by a single punch?
"Impossible! This is impossible!" a technician muttered, staring at a monitor full of scrambled data. "The energy readings overloaded..."
Maria Hill felt her breathing stop. She looked at the black figure on the screen, her heart shrouded in despair. How were they supposed to fight this? What they were facing wasn't human—it wasn't even a typical "powered" individual. It was a god. In Hill's eyes, only a god could do this.
"All units!" She took a deep breath, her instincts as a commander forcing her to stay calm. "Fire! Free fire! Knock him out of the sky!"
...
Director's Office.
Fury watched the apocalyptic scene outside, the falling blue light reflecting in his eye. He wasn't as shocked as the others in the command center, nor was he in despair. His face was a mask of tranquility. Because the moment Henry threw that punch, he knew they had already lost this war.
They had lost completely. Any tactic, any weapon, would only appear laughable in the face of that kind of power. He turned slowly and sat back down at his desk. He stopped looking at the battle outside because it no longer mattered. He quietly waited for the man to arrive. He knew Henry's goal had been him, and only him, from the very beginning.
"Whoa!" Tony remarked, looking at the scene below. "Henry, I have to admit, that entrance was slightly more magnificent than my fireworks show. But could you give a heads-up next time? Do you know the electromagnetic pulse from that punch almost rebooted my armor's systems?"
That bastard had stolen the spotlight again! Tony felt a bit annoyed, but mostly he felt pride and relief. With a brother this impossibly strong, he felt that even if God showed up tomorrow, Henry could pin him to the ground.
"Details, Tony. Don't sweat the details," Henry's lazy voice came through. The aura around him had already receded. "The stage is set. Everyone, start your performance."
"ROAR!!!"
Hulk was the first to respond! With the shield gone, he let out a thunderous bellow and slammed his massive body onto the helipad!
*CRASH!!!*
The reinforced flooring buckled and tore under his impact, forming a massive crater. Nearby Quinjets were tossed into the air by the shockwave, tumbling like toys before exploding.
"HULK! SMASH!"
He pounded his chest in excitement, his eyes filled with nothing but the desire for destruction! S.H.I.E.L.D. agents swarmed from all directions, pouring fire onto the Hulk. However, the bullets hit his skin and didn't even leave a white mark; it was like an itch. Hulk grinned, his smile turning cruel. He grabbed the wing of a Quinjet and swept it across the area!
"AAAGH!!!"
Amidst the screams, dozens of agents were sent flying by the steel wing, their bones shattered!
On the other side, Abomination landed on another helipad. His combat style was more tactical than Hulk's, but even more brutal. He ignored the hail of bullets, which meant nothing to him, and charged straight into the agents' defensive line! Every swing of his fists brought a spray of blood. He was like a beast among sheep; every attack was lethal.
"Too weak!" He tore an armored vehicle in half, letting out a disdainful roar. "These are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s elites? They aren't even qualified to help me warm up!" He craved a stronger opponent, a real fight.
High above, Tony looked down at the two causing havoc and curled his lip. "Two savages." He didn't join the ground battle. His target was the armed aircraft flying out from the headquarters. "Jarvis, patch me into their comms. I want to have a little chat."
"Of course, sir."
The next second, Tony's voice rang in the pilots' headsets. "Hey there, pilots. Good afternoon. I'm your flight instructor, Tony Stark. Given that your takeoff maneuvers were the worst I've ever seen, I've decided to give you a free practical lesson on how to crash gracefully. Don't thank me; just call me Jesus."
"Fuck! It's Stark!"
"Open fire! Take him down!"
the jets swiveled their cannons simultaneously, instantly drowning Tony's figure in energy fire and missiles. However, Tony's armor zipped through the barrage at high speed, performing rolls and dives; not a single shell could hit him.
"Oh, a nice bullet-hell game," he commented casually while dodging. "The difficulty is a bit too low, though. I think I need to turn it up for you."
As he spoke, the airbrakes on his armor snapped open, and he performed a beautiful flip that brought him right behind one of the jets. "Lesson one," his voice turned cold. "Never leave your back to the enemy."
Two energy bolts hit the jet's engine. With an explosion, the jet trailed black smoke as it plummeted toward the Potomac. And that was only the beginning. Tony's fight continued!
...
Inside the building, a silver bolt of lightning was zipping through the corridors. Pietro's speed was at its peak. In his dynamic vision, everything around him was frozen. He could see the terror on the agents' faces, the slow movement of their fingers on the triggers, and the trajectories of the bullets leaving the muzzles.
He easily dodged every attack, and in the moment he passed the agents, he chopped them on the back of the neck.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
One by one, the agents collapsed silently.
"Wanda, Sector B, Level 7 armed personnel cleared. Time: 5.2 seconds," he said proudly over the comms. "I feel like I can go faster. The corridors here are too narrow; it's cramping my style."
"Don't get careless, Pietro," Wanda's voice replied. "I sense strong energy signatures moving toward your location from underground."
Wanda wasn't participating in direct combat. She floated above the central hall of the Triskelion, her red energy radiating from her into the entire building. Her mind had merged with the massive structure. She could see what was happening in every corner and hear every heartbeat. She was like the new god of this steel fortress.
"Strong energy signatures?" Pietro stopped, asking curiously. "How strong?"
"Much stronger than these ordinary soldiers," Wanda said gravely. "They... are not human."
...
Fury's Office.
An agent rushed in, looking panicked. "Sir! we can't hold them! Hulk and Abomination have breached the Sector A defenses! Stark's jets are slaughtering our aerial units! Our people can't stop that ghost-like speedster!"
However, Fury didn't even blink. He looked quietly at his desk. "Talos," he said plainly.
The moment he spoke, the agent who had rushed in suddenly twitched. His appearance began to change rapidly; his skin turned green, and his ears became pointed. In the blink of an eye, he had become a Skrull.
"The situation is worse than I imagined, Fury," Talos said, his face full of gravity. "That Henry Stark isn't human. His power is beyond our understanding."
"I know," Fury's voice was raspy. "The elite squad I sent to intercept him lost contact the moment they touched him. They didn't even have time to send a distress signal."
"Where are your people?" Fury looked at him with his lone eye.
"In position," Talos nodded. "They will do their best to delay the others. But, Fury... no one can stop Henry Stark."
"I know." Fury stood up slowly and walked to the window, looking down at his headquarters, which was now engulfed in flames. "I wasn't counting on you to stop him." He turned to Talos, a flash of crazed determination in his eye. "I just need you to buy me some time."
...
Henry ignored the battlefield below. Those so-called elite agents were no different from ants in his eyes. He could see the state of the entire battlefield and everything inside. Every front was within his observation; there were no obstacles.
Henry shook his head; even now, there was one thing he couldn't figure out. With a body stronger than his own, how on earth did Clark get caught by Kryptonite spray?
He hovered silently in the air, his gaze piercing through layers of walls and floors, finally locking onto the top-floor office. He saw Nick Fury. And he saw the green-skinned alien standing beside him.
"Skrulls." Henry curled his lip, a look of disgust in his eyes. "They really don't know when to quit."
He didn't wait any longer. With a flick of his right hand, his cape billowed, and he leaned forward slightly. The next second, he moved. No sonic boom, no trail of light. His figure vanished instantly.
*BOOM!!!*
A massive crash! The ceiling of the office was suddenly smashed open from the outside! Reinforced concrete fragments flew in all directions. Amidst the swirling dust, a black figure descended slowly through the hole. His landing was silent, like a feather. But his aura caused the atmosphere in the room to shift subtly.
Talos looked at Henry, feeling as though his blood was starting to freeze. He swore he had never seen such a terrifying presence. It wasn't just power; it was like a massive beast standing right in front of him.
"Good evening, Fury." Henry looked up, the red glow in his eyes dissipating, and gave the calm Fury a slight smile. "I've brought you your 'warmth' personally."
"Are you touched?"