Chapter 158: Spar Between Two Men

Chapter 158: Spar Between Two Men

"Ha, I think you could start a Sherlock Holmes detective agency, Natasha."

Coulson said helplessly.

Despite his words, Coulson also knew that Natasha's points were not without merit. He also felt that this situation was beyond what ordinary people could handle.

Therefore, the suspects and targets were already narrowed down to a certain range.

It was likely those mysterious and supernatural entities, considering how frequently these things appear nowadays.

For example, in Chino Town, Natasha and Hawkeye encountered a bizarre incident during a mission.

Despite being top agents with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s support, they were left in a sorry state, with no ability to fight back. One could imagine how troublesome and exaggerated those entities must be.

Coulson definitely did not want to deal with those things.

"The real battlefield for those people should be over there." Natasha said, finishing her ice cream and casually throwing the trash into a plastic bag, preparing to take it away. She wiped her lips with a napkin as she spoke.

Coulson gazed at the sea, nodding. He had been virtually reconstructing the area from the damaged site and could tell that the center of the battle was not on land but in the sea. The seaside villas and roads were just collateral damage.

Even the aftershocks alone caused such destruction. One could imagine the terrifying energy clashes that erupted above the sea.

The rough calculations made Coulson want to turn and leave immediately.

Is that within the realm of human capability?

If his small frame got caught in it, he’d be obliterated in an instant, not even leaving ashes.

Coulson was frustrated that he was always assigned to investigate such tasks by the director. Although he appreciated the director’s trust in his abilities, he wished for less of this trust, as his abilities were useless against these superhuman threats.

"Tony has a lot of records. I think he witnessed the entire event."

Natasha said.

"Given his personality, it would be hard to get the truth from him."

"He is somewhat different from when I first met him."

Coulson nodded, "Indeed, there have been changes. But only time will reveal what those changes are."

Tony Stark’s identity was too complicated. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't deal with him directly; they could only make covert contacts and observations.

"Do you think it has anything to do with him?"

Coulson proposed a hypothesis. Natasha pondered for a moment, neither confirming nor denying it. "I don't know. It's possible he was involved, but why would he seek out Tony Stark?"

"That person has rarely appeared since the Forks Town accident. Occasionally, he dates that lady, but most of the time, he is nowhere to be found. I suspect he might not even be on Earth most of the time."

"What about your relationship with him?"

"You know, Coulson, I approached him with an agenda from the beginning. After he found out, there was no chance of further development," Natasha shook her head helplessly. Although their contact was brief, Natasha could somewhat analyze his personality traits.

Their relationship seemed friendly, but in reality, it was far from it.

He merely saw her as a neighbor-like figure, perhaps even less.

If she were to fall into a crisis and he saw it, would he save her or stand by? She suspected the latter was more likely.

He appeared cheerful on the surface but was very cold inside, with few people able to get close to him.

Certainly not her.

"Now he’s becoming increasingly enigmatic. The director wants us to keep a close watch on him, but we don't even know where he truly is."

In reality, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already identified most of the properties he bought in New York. However, he almost never stayed in those properties.

They seemed more like safe houses.

It was known that he resided roughly in the wealthy areas of Long Island.

After thorough investigation by S.H.I.E.L.D., there was no significant finding, which was illogical. So, S.H.I.E.L.D. concluded that one of the mansions or estates must belong to him but was cloaked with some ability that affects human senses or memory.

This led to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents being unknowingly influenced and overlooking it.

Fury wanted to infiltrate and investigate, but considering his personality and power, he decisively refrained. If he tried something foolish and provoked the retired Butcher to return to his old ways, it would be disastrous.

He feared that the butcher's wrath might turn towards S.H.I.E.L.D., so he let him be.

Nonetheless, both Fury and Natasha were itching for answers, especially after the incident in Chino Town and the appearance of the demon, which confirmed the existence of Hell.

Could other mythologies also be real?

Wanda and Pietro, seeing Thor for the first time, were not disappointed. From appearance alone, Thor gave off an impression of masculinity, warrior spirit, bravery, and forthrightness.

But once Thor spoke, the impression crumbled.

His various naive remarks would typically excite other youngsters, making them admire Thor’s heroic persona.

Pietro, being a young boy, was roused, eager to have a spirited spar with Thor.

Men's battles.

Wanda, on the other hand, was unimpressed. Girls and boys often have different thought processes. She felt Thor was naive and a bit silly, like an adolescent boy.

Wanda feared that being around Thor would infect Pietro with his naivety. Pietro then shouted, "Let’s have a one-on-one, real man's fight, Thor!"

"Haha, Pietro, son of Maximoff, I admire your bravery. At your age, you are the strongest warrior I have encountered. Our battle will be sung across the Nine Realms and remembered in history.”

Thor walked up to Pietro and warmly embraced him.

The Scarlet Witch's initial worry immediately became reality. She rolled her eyes dramatically and took a "half step" back, deciding to distance herself from these two foolish men.

Bi Xiao glanced at the Scarlet Witch, who had retreated "half a step" and was now standing close to him, almost pressing her small body against his. Amused, he reached out and patted her head, only to have his hand swatted away in a disgruntled and annoyed manner.

She did not want to be treated like a child.

She was an adult.

Wanda straightened her back, trying to show the man beside her that she was serious. But Bi Xiao completely ignored her, which was not permissible. Even though she was still young, his moral compass did not allow him to be that flexible.

"Alright, brave warriors, are you ready?"

In an instant, two intense gazes shot toward him. Bi Xiao nodded in satisfaction; foolish young men were the easiest to manipulate.

With a snap of his fingers,

Crack!

The sound of shattering glass rang out, and the surroundings changed. The entire manor, including the buildings, ground, walls, and trees, began to move rhythmically like waves. Before long, the manor had transformed into a massive, luxurious dueling arena.

The arena spanned tens of thousands of square meters, with tiered seating around the edges, resembling an enlarged version of an ancient Roman coliseum. Bi Xiao and the other three were lifted to a towering platform.

Bi Xiao led the Scarlet Witch to a seat that had automatically risen, sat down, and gestured to Thor and Pietro, indicating that they could begin their performance.

Rumble!

"Come, Pietro, Son of Maximoff, let us enjoy this battle together." With a burst of lightning and Thor's hearty voice, his figure descended like a bolt of lightning to the center of the dueling arena, over a hundred meters below.

Pietro, equally excited, followed in the same manner, intertwining blue and white lightning.

Their descent did not stir up a single speck of dust.

There was no conversation or exchange; the moment they landed, Thor and Pietro clashed like bolts of lightning.

Boom!

Thor swung his lightning-wrapped Mjolnir at Pietro, who gathered his Speed Force and, entering his berserk mode, refused to dodge, determined to meet Thor head-on.

The collision of the fist and Mjolnir erupted in a massive shockwave, with an earth-shattering sound and a wave of lightning, shaking the entire dueling arena for a moment.

"So fast," Wanda remarked, observing the intertwined white and blue lightning figures below, surprised at Thor's speed.

"He is the God of Thunder, who commands lightning. How could he be slow?"

Bi Xiao was not surprised.

In official settings, Thor's speed is at least light speed or even beyond. His speed is not inferior to Pietro's.

That’s why Thor's basic stats are rare even in the universe.

His strength can clash with the Hulk, and his speed can compete with Pietro. Thor is also a well-rounded warrior, excelling in all areas.

Underestimating Thor's speed is fatal. Most enemies facing Thor probably wouldn't even react before their heads are smashed by his hammer.

Thor's disdain for other races is not without reason. With his abilities, few enemies can match him. Anyone lacking speed and reflexes is doomed to be hammered to death.

Just charge through, no need for strategy or wisdom, just brute force.

However, this time Thor met a true opponent.

Pietro, from the moment he was saved, took about two months to develop his speed force with the help of magical enhancements. Despite his life level not being as high as Thor's, his abilities and techniques compensated for his shortcomings.

With speed force, he was faster than Thor. The magical core provided continuous power and speed force, and his berserk mode compensated for his strength. Even against Thor's immense power, Pietro did not lose out.