After coaxing Daisy to sleep, Peter found Mantis again, who was squatting in front of a large fish tank watching small goldfish.
Upon seeing Peter, Mantis couldn't help but reveal a cute smile; clearly, the happiness Peter exuded was a supreme delicacy to her.
"Ah~ So happy. It's like pink bubbles are about to pop up. It's wonderful!"
Peter pinched her cheek as if playing with a doll, then took out Roman Artillery: Pumpkin from his storage ring and handed it over.
"Here, a gift for you."
"A gift?" Mantis carefully took the Roman Artillery, her big eyes sparkling.
Although she was nearly a hundred years old, this was the first time she had received a gift.
"What is this? It's so beautiful!" Mantis said as she pointed the muzzle at her own forehead.
Cold sweat broke out on Peter's forehead as he saw this, and he quickly grabbed the barrel to force it away.
"This is a gun, a long-range offensive weapon. It converts your Mental energy into bullets."
"Pour your mental power into it, and then press here..."
Before he could finish, an Observation Haki warning rang in his head.
Without any hesitation, he immediately pointed the muzzle at himself while activating Armament Hardening.
Boom!
An energy wave as thick as an adult man's upper arm blasted into Peter's chest.
The light beam lasted for about three or four seconds before gradually disappearing, and the Roman Artillery temporarily entered an unusable state due to overheating.
Hiss~
Peter sucked in a breath of cold air and subconsciously reached out to rub his chest.
Truth be told, the power was quite significant.
It was much more destructive than the Roman Artillery used by Mine in the original anime 'Akame ga Kill!'.
With Peter's current physique, he could withstand Tony's repulsor blasts unscathed while using Armament Hardening.
But after taking this shot from the Roman Artillery, he felt a faint pain in his chest, roughly equivalent to being pinched.
If Peter hadn't blocked it with his body, such destructive power hitting a S.H.I.E.L.D. wall would have surely blasted right through it.
It might have even shot straight out into the street, clearing an entire block.
And this was just a casual shot from Mantis...
"Giving you this weapon was definitely the right choice!"
Peter gently patted Mantis's small head and warned her with a serious expression:
"But don't play with it when you're idle; this is meant for self-defense in critical moments."
Seeing Peter's grimacing expression when he blocked the muzzle earlier, Mantis realized how terrifying this weapon was.
She immediately nodded obediently, indicating she wouldn't play with it recklessly.
But after Peter left, she was like a child with a new toy, caressing the Roman Artillery in her hands and couldn't help but mutter to herself:
"As long as I use about one-thousandth of the spiritual energy output from that previous attempt, it should be fine, right?"
And then... 'pew-pew-pew' sounds echoed continuously in the room.
The female Agent responsible for delivering food to Mantis was nearly scared senseless on the spot after seeing the room's 'decor' style, which rivaled war-torn Country.
Peter's final stop was a small house on the outskirts of New York, which served as Sif's residence and exclusive training ground.
In the training ground, Sif was focused on wiping her longsword.
Sif's sword was considered a low-grade artifact.
Although it couldn't cast any strange magic, the sword had a transformation effect.
Normally, it looked like an ordinary two-handed sword, but with a twist of the hilt, Sif could turn it into dual swords, or by clashing the hilts together, it could become a polearm similar to a double-headed spear.
"Even though your sword is already great, I still highly recommend you try this."
Peter said as he handed over a sword wrapped in magnificent silk.
"This is?" Sif stopped her movements, her gaze falling on the sword.
"The Sword of Promised Victory, Excalibur." Peter unwrapped the silk, revealing a beautiful longsword emitting a faint golden glow.
"In Earth's legends, this is the holy sword held by Britain's King of Knights after receiving the blessing of the Lady of the Lake."
Sif's breath hitched for a moment; as a battle-hardened Asgardian god, she could sense the sword's extraordinary nature.
This wasn't some overhyped decoration; its value might even be higher than the divine sword personally bestowed upon her by Odin!
She couldn't help but reach out and grasp the hilt; the blade immediately emitted a slight hum, as if responding to its new Master.
"It's beautiful and powerful!" Sif couldn't resist pouring some of her divine power into it.
Hum~
With a sword chime, visible energy covered the blade. With a casual swing from Sif, a massive sword qi flew out, leaving everything in the yard in a shambles!
"Oh my god!" Even Sif's expression changed at this power, and a brighter smile than ever before appeared on her face.
She couldn't help but throw herself into Peter's arms and said emotionally:
"Thank you. I love this gift very much, but..."
At this point, her expression dimmed slightly:
"I can feel that I haven't earned 100% of this sword's recognition. I can't even unleash its maximum power. Right now, I'm not worthy of this sword."
Saying this, she prepared to return Excalibur to Peter.
"What are you thinking!" Peter gave her head a light flick.
"Practice with me for a while, and sooner or later, you'll earn its recognition!
Besides, leaving this sword with me would only let it gather dust. Only in your hands can it truly radiate its brilliance."
To completely ease Sif's concerns, Peter first took out his Vibranium tang long saber, then simply took out Senbonzakura as well.
"See, I'm not lacking in weapons. Besides, when I truly need it..."
As he spoke, Peter beckoned with his hand.
Excalibur instantly flew back into Peter's hand as he channeled magic power from his body into it.
A pillar of light from the Sword of Promised Victory shot into the sky, even startling the citizens far away in New York City.
But the light pillar appeared for less than a second before Peter withdrew it, making those who saw it doubt whether it was just a hallucination.
"When I need it, it will still show its highlight. This sword won't be buried in our hands; instead, it will forge a reputation even more resounding than its previous owner."
Hearing these words, Sif finally let go of her last concern. After carefully putting away Excalibur, she wrapped herself around Peter like an octopus.
"Since that's the case... let me think carefully about how I should respond to such a generous gift from you~"
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌