Chapter 422: Civil War II (Captain Marvel)
A woman descending from the heavens, shrouded in shimmering starlight, landed before the crowd. As her helmet retracted, her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, revealing her face. Her features were not conventionally beautiful—some might even call them plain—but her sheer aura commanded a presence that was anything but ordinary.
"Allow me to introduce my old friend," Nick Fury coughed, stepping forward with a formal flourish. "Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers."
"Who is she? Do any of you know her?" Scott Lang whispered, turning to the others. The Avengers didn't respond; none of them recognized this so-called "Captain Marvel" either. However, the suffocating pressure radiating from Carol was proof enough of her power.
"We can do introductions later. Long time no see, Fury," Carol said, extending a hand with a smile.
"Indeed, long time no see. But how are you going to prove you're not a Skrull?" Fury teased.
Boom!
Without a word, Carol raised her right hand and fired a beam of pure energy at a nearby building, obliterating a corner of the roof. It was a perfect recreation of the scene from their first meeting decades ago.
"Hmph~" Fury stepped aside and addressed the Avengers. "You all have one last chance."
"I heard the Mind Stone is with you? That thing is dangerous," Carol said, taking a step forward. She tilted her head arrogantly and held out her hand toward Tony.
"Okay, your face is really annoying. It's practically begging to be punched, LED Girl," Tony stated bluntly. Carol's expression was perpetually one of high-and-mighty confidence—an attitude Tony, who was equally arrogant, couldn't stand.
"What did you call me?" Carol frowned slightly.
"LED Girl. You got a problem with that?" Tony replied nonchalantly.
"Hmph~ Call me whatever you want, but hand over the Mind Stone first. Then you can call me whatever you like," Carol said, beckoning with her fingers.
"First, the Mind Stone isn't here. Second, even if it were, I wouldn't give it to you," Tony said defiantly.
"I see." Carol nodded and withdrew her hand. "So, there's nothing to talk about?"
In an instant, the atmosphere turned electric. Everyone fell into combat stances.
"Can I be a little rough with them?" Carol asked, wanting to teach Tony a small lesson.
"If you can beat some sense into that playboy, be my guest," Fury replied, happy to let Carol handle Stark.
Carol acknowledged with a nod and stepped out. "Do you want to come at me one by one? Or all at once? Friendly advice: you're better off coming all at once."
"I can handle this myself!" Tony suddenly lunged toward Carol.
"Tony!" Steve Rogers shouted anxiously.
But Tony didn't stop. He raised his armored fist and swung straight for Carol's face. Carol watched him approach without even entering her Binary state. She simply reached out her right hand.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted from Carol, buffeting everyone nearby.
"What?!" The group was stunned to see the woman catch Tony's fist effortlessly.
"Is this all the strength you have?" Carol's body began to change. Her golden hair seemed to flicker with surging energy. Her eyes glowed with light, and the power flowing through her intensified.
Inside his suit, Tony was shocked. He couldn't even pull his fist back; her grip was like a vice. Carol seemed to look right through the iron mask at his face and smiled.
Before Tony could react, a massive surge of power overwhelmed him. Carol tossed him aside like a ragdoll.
Crash!
Tony crashed into a nearby villa, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Hand over the Mind Stone," Carol said impatiently. It was her final warning.
"How are we feeling about this?" Steve asked, turning to his team.
"What do you think?" Natasha Romanoff snapped. The pressure was immense. Clint Barton silently swapped his shock arrows for explosive ones, fearing electricity wouldn't leave a scratch.
"I take back what I said earlier," Scott Lang muttered, swallowing hard. He wasn't delusional; the power gap was obvious.
"I feel... alright," Wanda Maximoff said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Her Chaos Magic had yet to be truly tested.
"Let's go, everyone!" Pietro (Quicksilver) was the second to attack, vanishing into a silver blur.
"Ah!" The Avengers charged simultaneously, their target singular: Carol Danvers.
Faced with the coordinated assault, Carol prepared to go Binary, but a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen sent her flying backward.
Thud!
Carol rolled across the ground and scrambled to her feet, seeing Pietro standing where she had been.
"Careful, Carol. He's fast," Fury said, rubbing his temples. He knew she hadn't read the briefing. He had sent her detailed reports on the Avengers' abilities, but it was clear she hadn't looked at a single page.
"I'm busy, Fury," Carol rolled her eyes, dusting herself off. Between flying across galaxies and rushing back to Earth, who had time for paperwork? "Not bad. How fast can you actually go?"
Carol entered her Binary state, her entire body radiating brilliant light.
"I don't know yet. Why don't you find out?" Pietro cracked his neck, thinking she might not be so tough after all. He lunged again, but this time his luck ran out.
The moment Pietro vanished, Carol unleashed a burst of energy. As Pietro closed in, he was slammed back by a sudden pulse of repelling force.
Bam!
Pietro hit a concrete wall hard, hissing in pain at the searing sensation on his back.
"Fast indeed," Carol smirked at the fallen speedster.
Suddenly, a black shield entered her peripheral vision. Carol's eyes narrowed as she spun and threw a punch.
Clang!!!
The impact was so massive that even Steve Rogers couldn't hold his ground; he was sent skidding across the dirt. Before Carol could speak, Natasha was on her, engaging in close-quarters combat.
Carol leaned back to dodge Natasha's high kick, then reached out and grabbed her leg in a firm grip.
"Ugh~" Natasha tried to pull away, but her strength was no match for Carol.
"Good technique, but you lack power," Carol critiqued.
"Is that so?" Natasha jumped with her other leg, aiming for Carol's chest.
Carol was ready. She caught the second leg and tossed Natasha aside. Natasha went flying like a projectile, but Wanda caught her with a crimson energy tendril just before she hit the ground.
"Thanks," Natasha panted. That fall would have put her out of the fight. Wanda nodded and stepped toward Carol.
"You have a very strong power within you," Carol said, finally turning serious. She could feel that the energy inside Wanda was on par with her own.
"You think so?" Wanda spread her hands, her deep red Chaos Magic swirling into a vortex before flying toward Carol.
"Yes. But you aren't ready yet." Energy gathered in Carol's fists, and two dazzling beams of light erupted from her hands.
BOOM!!!
The energy clash swept across the battlefield. Standard S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were blown away. Fury had to cling to a nearby car to avoid being tossed like the others.
"Ah!" Steve Rogers rose again, raising the shield T'Challa had given him. He pushed through the energy shockwaves and charged. Carol looked over just as Steve reached her back. He hunkered down behind his shield and struck out from below.
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