Chapter 424: Civil War II (Peter's Support)
A red figure flipped through the air, landing steadily in front of the Avengers.
"Underoos?!" Tony was slightly taken aback. He didn't understand why Peter had shown up here. Tony immediately disengaged from the Hulkbuster's control center, leaping out of the massive rig.
"Hi, Mr. Stark! You look like you could use some help," Peter said, turning to look at him.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Carol tilted her head in confusion. She made a mental note: if there was ever a next time, she was definitely reading the briefing reports cover to cover.
"Uh... hi. I'm Spider-Man. By the way, how do you get your whole body to glow like that?" Peter asked curiously.
"Fury, have the Avengers started recruiting children now?" Carol asked, sounding exasperated.
"He's not an Avenger," Nick Fury replied, making it clear he wasn't taking the blame for this one.
"Hey! I'm an adult! . Why does everyone always say that about me?" Peter protested. It was always the same story—no one ever mocked Wanda for her age.
"Alright, enough talk. Are you standing with them?" Carol pointed behind Peter.
"To be precise, I'm here to help Mr. Stark," Peter explained.
The Avengers behind him all shifted their gaze to Tony.
Tony covered his face awkwardly. "Listen, I didn't call him. He came on his own." Tony hadn't wanted to involve Peter in this at all; if anything happened to the kid, the consequences would be devastating.
"I suggest you step aside, Spider-Man, or I won't be holding back," Carol warned, clenching her fists.
"Move it, Underoos. This LED Girl isn't someone to mess with," Tony reminded him. A whole team of heroes hadn't been able to touch her; she'd spent the entire time overpowering them, even nearly matching the Hulkbuster in raw strength.
"Don't worry, Mr. Stark," Peter gave an 'OK' sign. He wasn't about to back down now.
"Fine then." Tony's iron helmet snapped shut as the Avengers prepared to engage once more. With Spider-Man added to the mix, they hoped to at least pin Carol down. They had realized they couldn't win, so the goal shifted to a stalemate where neither side could overcome the other.
"Charge!" Steve Rogers commanded, and the Avengers surged forward.
Thwip!
Peter quickly fired two web lines, latching onto Carol's wrists. "Sorry!" He yanked with all his might, intending to swing her around, even offering a polite apology in advance.
To Peter's shock, Carol didn't budge. She hovered a meter off the ground, radiant energy pulsing from her body.
"I think I should be the one saying sorry," Carol countered. She grabbed the webbing and effortlessly yanked Peter toward her.
"Whoa!" Peter felt the floor disappear as he was pulled through the air. Carol caught him by the neck just as Tony reached her.
Seeing Peter in danger, Tony wrapped his arms around Carol's waist, attempting to tackle her away, but she remained rooted in place.
"JARVIS! Maximize thruster output!" Tony gritted his teeth.
"Apologies, Sir, we are already at maximum capacity," JARVIS replied.
In that moment, Tony decided he was going to build an "Anti-Marvel" suit the first chance he got. This woman was terrifying.
"Let him go!" Pietro blurred toward Peter, hoping to rescue him. But Carol was too fast. Her other hand shot out, catching Pietro by the throat as well. She held them both aloft, though she refrained from using enough force to actually harm them.
"Pietro!" Seeing her brother in danger, Wanda's anger flared. Powerful Chaos Magic surged forth, slamming into Carol.
Boom!!!
The sheer force of the magic made Carol stumble back several steps, but she quickly steadied herself. Crimson energy swirled around her like vines, trying to bind her. Wanda gritted her teeth, pouring everything into the output.
Carol didn't back down. Her energy flow intensified until she looked like a fallen star.
Steve and Natasha shared a glance and attacked from either side. Natasha drew her shock batons. "Let's see how you handle high voltage!"
Zzzzt!
The batons hummed as she jammed them into Carol's left side.
"Ah!" Unfortunately, Carol didn't react at all, but Pietro and Peter—still in her grasp—were caught in the electrical discharge.
"Oh, sorry!" Natasha reflexively shut off the power. The two boys groaned in relief as the shocking sensation vanished.
Steve tried to strike Carol's right side with the edge of his shield. Carol, deciding she'd had enough of being a punching bag, threw Peter and Pietro aside like they were trash.
"Pietro!" Wanda cut off her magic and ran to her brother's side, helping him up.
With Wanda's distraction gone, Carol turned her focus back to the rest of the team.
"Uh-oh," Tony muttered. He knew he was the next target. Before he could retreat, Carol seized both of his hands.
"I heard they call you a playboy?" Carol delivered a brutal knee-strike to the head of Tony's armor. Even with the helmet's protection, the impact sent Tony's mind into a temporary daze.
"Tony!" Steve shouted.
"And what are you planning to do?" Carol released Stark and turned with a smile, catching Steve's shield mid-swing. Steve's veins bulged as he tried to force the shield forward, but Carol held it in an iron grip.
"Get off him!" Scott tried to shrink and dive into Carol's hair, but an energy pulse from her body sent him flying back.
Rat-tat-tat-tat! Boom! Boom!
From a distance, Sam provided cover fire with his submachine guns while Clint fired a volley of explosive arrows. However, every bullet that touched Carol's surface simply bounced off. Clint's arrows were even less effective—Carol absorbed the explosive energy, converting it into her own kinetic force.
Bam!
Carol tossed Steve and his shield aside effortlessly and took to the sky. From the air, she pressed her fists together and began a relentless energy bombardment on the ground below.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pristine road was cratered and destroyed in seconds. The Avengers scrambled to dodge the barrage, though several were caught in the concussive blasts.
"Where did Cyclops even find this woman?" Tony flew through the air, trying to draw her fire.
"Stark, you know how this ends. Just hand over the Mind Stone or accept S.H.I.E.L.D. supervision, and this can all stop." Carol had never viewed this as a real fight; the only one who could potentially threaten her, Wanda, hadn't come into her own yet.
"You should know by now—that's not happening!" Tony's chest piece glowed as a massive blue beam erupted from his Unibeam. The laser tore through the air, heading straight for Carol.
Carol met it head-on, firing a more powerful beam of pure energy that swallowed Tony's laser whole. The multicolored torrent of power crushed his output with ease.
"If you're going to be that stubborn, then I'll just have to take that suit apart," Carol said. She decided that stripping him of his armor was the only way to end his defiance.
Radiating starlight, Carol looked like an angel bathed in divine light, her presence so overwhelming that no one on the field could even raise their heads.
"Tony!"
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