Chapter 427: Civil War II (Silas Arrives)
Just a moment ago, Peter had kicked out in a state of desperation, and his strength had been a bit excessive. Tony slammed into the ground and skidded for a significant distance before finally coming to a halt.
"Mr. Stark, are you okay?" Peter asked, rushing to his side with a face full of guilt.
Tony opened his faceplate and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Still breathing."
Sitting nearby, Rhodey silently took note of the battle. He was glad he hadn't jumped into this "clash of the gods."
Carol, clutching Thor, flew back into the sky, and the two began a fierce exchange. Miraculously, Thor was now able to use his lightning to fly even without his hammer. The Avengers on the ground looked up at the sky, which was now thick with dark clouds and punctuated by the constant roar of thunder.
"I bet it's getting pretty intense up there," Clint said, drawing his bow and aiming at the sky. Thick clouds completely obscured their view of Carol.
"You don't need to guess, pal," Sam said, tiredly holstering his submachine guns. Without Redwing, he felt practically useless. He took some comfort in the fact that Clint and Natasha were in the same boat; Carol didn't even bother dodging their attacks because they couldn't deal any real damage.
While the group watched the clouds, the equipment on Nick Fury's end finally regained functionality.
"Great. What's the status?" Fury asked, looking at the screen.
"Thor is here. He's currently locked in a stalemate with Captain Marvel in the sky," an agent reported, immediately pulling up satellite imagery.
"Thor?" Fury frowned. He hadn't expected Thor to show up—a man whose reputation in the Avengers was on par with the Hulk. Fury felt a pang of anxiety. He knew Carol was strong, but he didn't know if she could handle a god. He desperately hoped Carol would come out on top.
In the sky—
Thor's lightning bombarded Carol, forcing her to weave through the air. "I thought you were strong!"
Thor raised his hands, and the clouds swirled violently above them.
"You want to use that?" Carol didn't hold back. Before the clouds could fully coalesce, she fired an energy beam that punched through and scattered the storm.
Thor moved like a bolt of lightning himself, appearing in front of Carol in the blink of an eye. Everything he had done was just a distraction. Now, bathed in the fury of a thousand storms, Thor threw a punch fueled by thunderous rage.
To his shock, Carol simply tilted her head to dodge the strike and countered with a punch straight to his chest. Thor's eyes widened in disbelief as his body doubled over, falling toward the earth like a spent arrow.
Carol had anticipated his move and feinted. Before he could recover, she pursued him, landing blow after blow and peppering him with pure energy blasts.
On the ground—
"Uh-oh. Everyone, get ready to catch Thor," Tony warned, being the first to spot the falling God of Thunder. His thrusters ignited as he flew up to intercept.
Carol smirked. She didn't want to waste any more time; her primary target was Stark. Now that he was coming to her, she wouldn't be polite. Tony's focus was entirely on Thor as he tried to find a way to stop Carol.
"Sir, Captain Marvel is heading straight for you," JARVIS warned urgently.
"What?!" Tony finally noticed her. She had bypassed Thor entirely and was lunging for him.
A dazed Thor saw Carol trying to move past him and refused to let her. He reached out with his powerful arms and grabbed her legs. However, the radiant energy flowing from her body was so intense it felt like it was tearing his skin.
"What kind of monster is this?" Thor thought. He hadn't expected this Midgardian woman to be so powerful. Still, his iron will kept him from letting go.
"Let go!" Carol tried to shake him off, but his grip only tightened.
"No," Thor grunted stubbornly.
Carol sighed. Seeing she couldn't shake him, she simply flew toward Tony while dragging Thor along. Since her flight was powered by internal energy rather than her legs, the extra weight didn't slow her down much. Tony didn't have time to escape before a vice-like hand clamped around his throat.
"JARVIS!" Tony shouted. JARVIS deployed every weapon in the suit's arsenal, raining missiles down on Carol. Aside from creating a bit of smoke, the attacks did nothing. Carol had once destroyed an interstellar carrier with her bare body; Tony's firepower was simply too low.
"Stop, everyone. I have Stark."
Carol descended slowly to the ground, holding Tony aloft by the neck and kicking the weakened Thor away.
"Stark..." Steve dropped his shield. They had lost. He could keep fighting, but Tony was a hostage. Wanda and Pietro struggled to their feet, while Clint and Natasha shook their heads in defeat. Scott and Peter shared a look of despair.
Rhodey, sitting on the ground, grumbled, "Lost again. Next time there's a fight like this, I'm definitely not joining Stark's team."
Just as the Avengers were about to surrender, a voice of hope rang out.
"I suggest you let go of Tony, or this one-eyed guy might get hurt too."
Peter's head snapped around. "Silas!" He immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. In his excitement, he had almost exposed his brother's name. Seeing that everyone's attention was on the newcomer, he hoped they hadn't heard him.
Silas Parker walked out from the side, holding Nick Fury by the neck with one hand.
"And who are you?" Carol was exhausted by the constant stream of reinforcements. She looked at Fury with a look that said, 'Great job, Fury. Your own Avengers don't even like you.'
"Me? You can call me Silas." Silas's mask dissolved, revealing his handsome face.
Everyone was stunned, especially Peter. Why was Silas exposing his identity now? Even Nick Fury was surprised, though he had long suspected that the "Chosen One" was Silas based on various clues.
"I didn't expect the 'Chosen One' to be so young," Steve said in shock.
"He's quite a handsome young man," Natasha said, finally smiling. Every time Silas appeared, it meant the battle was nearing its end, as he was the symbol of peak combat power in their eyes.
"He looks so young," Scott noted.
"How about it? You release Tony, and I release the cyclops?" Silas proposed.
Carol didn't hesitate for a second. She let go of Tony. "Release him."
"Of course." Silas raised an eyebrow, impressed by her decisiveness. Tony flew back to stand behind Silas, and Silas released Fury.
Fury rubbed his neck. "Next time, be a little gentler." He knew he was never in real danger; this was a dispute among the Avengers, not an execution. He gave Carol an apologetic look and trotted away.
"Silas, I've heard of you. Fury told me you were a very troublesome fellow," Carol said.
"Is that so? I'm honored," Silas replied. He hadn't realized Fury spoke of him that way.
"Are you sure you want to fight me? You saw what happened to the others," Carol said calmly.
"Actually, I'm not a big fan of fighting. But I really want to know... just how strong am I right now?"
"Energy Scroll!"
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