Madame Gao thought her sneak attack had been silent and invisible. She had no idea that Peter's Byakugan provided a 360-degree field of vision that had tracked her every twitch.
As her strike whistled through empty air, she gritted her teeth, her heart burning with a mixture of frustration and indignity.
She had lived for centuries, mastering nearly every martial art known to man. Yet, here she was, unable to lay a finger on this "Arbiter."
Even more infuriating was his "Ki"—it felt vibrantly young, yet he commanded a level of power she hadn't reached after hundreds of years of bitter cultivation. How could she accept this?
Murderous intent overflowed in her eyes. Kill him. Carve him open. Study every cell. This youth was the key to her next breakthrough.
She had amassed mountains of wealth and influence; if she could achieve a physical evolution to match, leading the Hand would be small potatoes. She could rule a nation. She could rule the world.
Looking at Peter, her gaze turned from hatred to fanatical greed. She surged her Ki once more, causing the nearby reinforced walls to groan and buckle.
"Silver Samurai! Join me in killing him, and I will double your commission! Not only that, I will share the secrets of his body with you!"
Hearing the staggering offer, the Silver Samurai—who had been considering a tactical retreat—hesitated for only a heartbeat before roaring and lunging forward again.
Facing the pincer attack, Peter didn't feel a shred of tension. Instead, he nodded with genuine appreciation. "That's more like it! It's only a party if everyone joins in!"
In a flash of blue light, Peter intercepted the Samurai. Facing a blade vibrating with high-frequency heat—an edge that could theoretically cleave Adamantium—he didn't dodge. He went for a trade.
SHING!
The katana screamed through the air, aimed perfectly at Peter's throat. Again, there was no sensation of impact. The "Pre-emptive Hole" technique worked flawlessly.
"My turn!"
Peter swung a hand-blade wreathed in roaring thunder, chopping down at the Samurai's neck.
"Lightning Oppression: Horizontal Thousand-Generation Dance!"
BOOM!
The Silver Samurai felt as if he'd been head-on by a freight train. Even though his Vibranium-laced armor absorbed the bulk of the kinetic energy, "laced" was not the same as "solid."
His massive frame was blasted backward, his feet plowing deep trenches into the concrete. The right shoulder and neck guard of his silver plate were visibly caved in.
If not for his internal "Ki" shielding his vitals, that one blow would have snapped his spine.
Silver Samurai: I miss every shot, and he lands every crit? If he isn't nerfed, how can we play?!
As the Samurai cursed his luck, Madame Gao appeared behind Peter like a ghost. Her fingers curved into talons wreathed in misty white energy, aiming straight for Peter's heart.
This time, the concentrated Ki actually pierced the Lightning Armor's outer shell, stopping just millimeters from his chest muscles.
But before she could push further, Peter's leg swept around like a steel whip.
Madame Gao didn't retreat. She used a "Golden Snake Silken Hand" technique, wrapping her body around Peter's leg like a boneless serpent while her palms struck precise pressure points on his thigh.
HUMMM!
A strange, piercing energy bypassed the lightning and the elementalization, striking directly into Peter's nervous system.
For a split second, it felt as if thousands of needles were stabbing his nerves simultaneously. His Lightning Armor flickered, and his elemental state slowed down.
"Do it now!" Gao shrieked.
Using Peter's leg as a fulcrum, she spun in mid-air and delivered a crushing kick toward his neck. Simultaneously, the Silver Samurai charged back in, thrusting his thermal blade toward Peter's back.
They both believed this was the end. But their plans were destined for the scrap heap.
The power of the Horse Talisman surged through Peter's veins, instantly purging the numbing Ki from his nerves. He "opened a hole" in his chest to let the Samurai's blade pass through harmlessly while simultaneously hardening his neck with the Iron Body (Tekkai) technique.
CLANG!
Gao's kick landed, but instead of a snapping neck, she heard the sound of her own bones fracturing against a pillar of iron. She hissed in pain, recoiling as her foot throbbed with a hairline fracture.
Is this guy even human?!
Gao and the Samurai stood at a distance, panting, looking at Peter as if he were a demon from the lowest hell. Peter simply crooked his finger at them, his voice calm and mocking.
"Again?"
He could have ended this instantly. A single Rasengan or a Finger Pistol at supersonic speeds would have turned them both into paste.
But that would be a waste. It was rare to find two sparring partners with such high-level techniques who could actually provide a challenge.
Madame Gao was a treasure trove. In her movements, Peter saw shadows of a dozen different styles: the fluid redirection of Tai Chi, the explosive power of Xingyi, the lethal elbows of Muay Thai, and even hints of Capoeira.
She had spent centuries distilling the world's combat arts and magnifying them with Ki.
The Silver Samurai was far less impressive—his swordsmanship was telegraphed and relied too heavily on his gear.
But together, they formed a perfect balance. Gao had the skill but lacked the lethality; the Samurai was clumsy but carried a weapon that could actually kill him.
Peter settled into a focused stance, genuinely enjoying the lopsided battle. He wasn't doing this to show off—he was training.
He knew the future held Asgardians, Chitauri, and Kree warriors who would far outstrip Earth's heroes in raw stats.
If he didn't learn to manage multiple high-tier opponents now, he'd be in trouble when the aliens finally arrived.
With a smirk, he lunged back into the fray, ready to absorb everything the "Old grandma" had to teach him.
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