Loki walked over, put away his magic, and looked at the wounded scattered all over the ground.
"Indeed, their abilities are still quite decent even in Muspelheim."
Killian watched his subordinates fall one by one, the expression on his face changing from shock to anger, and from anger to fear.
He looked at Mavuika, that red-haired, seemingly frail woman, the woman he had completely looked down upon at first. In less than a minute, she had destroyed the Extremis army he had spent over a decade building.
"You... what kind of person are you?" His voice was trembling.
Mavuika raised her head and looked at Killian in mid-air.
"Just... someone passing by?"
Killian's face turned livid.
He knew he couldn't beat this woman; his Extremis in front of her was like a match meeting the Sun.
But he was unwilling to accept this, unwilling to fail just like that, and unwilling to give up just like that.
He suddenly turned around and lunged at Tony.
Tony was in mid-air, having just been knocked back a few meters by Killian, and was adjusting his posture.
Killian was too fast, and he didn't have time to dodge.
Killian's fist smashed into Tony's chest armor, causing the armor to dent, and Tony was smashed through the ceiling, flying up into the night sky.
Killian tried to chase after him.
But with a snap of Loki's fingers, green shadow-like energy wrapped around his feet, trapping him in place.
Under Killian's terrified gaze, Mavuika reached out her hand, and gold-red flames surged from her palms, pouncing toward Killian like a giant dragon.
Killian's body burned in the flames, and his Extremis operated frantically, trying to resist this power and regenerate his body.
But Mavuika's fire was not ordinary fire; it was the fire of the Sun, the Eternal Flame, and the purifying fire that could burn away all evil.
Killian's skin began to peel off like burnt paper.
His muscles began to wither, and his bones began to shatter.
He let out a final, desperate roar.
Then, he disappeared.
There was no corpse, no ashes, only a wisp of blue smoke drifting away in the night wind.
Mavuika withdrew her flames and turned to look at Tony.
Tony stood in the ruins, his armor damaged and his face covered in dust, but his eyes were very bright.
"Thanks." He said.
Mavuika smiled lightly: "You're welcome."
The lights of Miami were still dazzling, and the waves were still crashing against the coast; this World still didn't know what had just happened.
But at least, tonight, it had safely gotten through another day.
Thor carried his hammer over to her side: "Big Sis, are we still going to the beach tomorrow?"
Mavuika smiled: "Yes."
Thor grinned: "Great! I'm going to make up for today!"
Loki leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a faint smile on the corner of his lips: "Let me make it clear first, I'm not going into the water."
Thor glared at him: "Why?"
Loki elegantly adjusted his collar: "Because the seawater will wet my clothes."
Thor rolled his eyes.
Tony stood to the side, watching these three people, the corners of his mouth lifting involuntarily.
He looked down at his armor; it was severely damaged and needed a major overhaul.
But for some reason, he didn't feel troubled at all.
He walked to the window, stood beside Mavuika, and looked at the night scenery outside.
"Mavuika."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
Mavuika turned her head to look at him.
Tony didn't look at her, only looking at the distant horizon of the sea.
"Not just today, it's... all along."
Mavuika was silent for a second.
Then she smiled gently: "You're welcome, Tony."
Tony stood at the edge of the terrace, his armor already retracted into the briefcase. He was only wearing a black T-shirt, and the arc reactor on his chest emitted a faint blue glow under the moonlight.
He held a glass of whiskey in his hand, but he never drank it, only looking at the distant sea horizon, wondering what he was thinking.
Mavuika handed him a clean towel. "Wipe your face, you still have dust on it."
Tony took the towel, casually wiped his face twice, then leaned against the railing and sighed softly.
"Tell me, is this World getting crazier and crazier?"
Mavuika glanced at him without speaking.
Tony continued: "In the past, I only needed to deal with Terrorists holding my weapons. Later, I built armor and started dealing with those crazy people with superpowers. Now, some kind of 'Extremis' has popped up, with three thousand degrees of high temperature and capable of self-detonation."
He took a sip of whiskey and smiled bitterly.
"I really don't know what else will pop up in a few more years."
Mavuika leaned against the railing, looking at the distant sea horizon. The moonlight spread a silver strip of light across the sea, shimmering and unrealistically beautiful.
"The World is always changing..." she said: "We can only try our best to adapt."
Tony was silent for a moment, then said: "Banner has a project over there. I've been researching it with him for almost two months. If that guy Killian hadn't jumped out to provoke me, I wouldn't have had time to bother with him."
Mavuika raised an eyebrow. "What project?"
Tony glanced at her, the corners of his mouth curling into a mysterious smile. "It's a secret. Once it's made, I'll show it to you first."
Mavuika didn't press further. Tony was just like that; when it was time to speak, he would naturally speak, and when he didn't want to speak, asking was useless.
"Then when are you leaving?" she asked.
Tony looked at his watch: "Now."
After saying that, he had already put on his suit again, the thrusters at his feet flashed with fire, and he flew towards the night sky.
Thor sat up from the sofa and looked at Mavuika. "Big Sis, where are we going next?"
Mavuika thought for a moment. "Let's spend tonight in Miami first, and then... go back."
"Back to New York?" Thor asked.
Mavuika nodded. "Hmm."
The next day, the three siblings returned to New York.
The streets of Manhattan were still bustling, and the aroma of coffee mixed with car exhaust, forming the unique flavor of this city.
Thor carried a golf bag—inside which was Mjolnir—walking in front, stopping to look at every passing stall.
Loki walked behind, holding his phone and watching a chess tutorial video.
Mavuika walked in the middle, quietly looking at her two younger brothers with a faint smile on the corners of her mouth.
...
The night was as dark as ink, and the sky over Washington had no stars.
Fury stood in the office at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters; the coffee in front of him had already cooled, and he hadn't drunk it. His eyes stared at the clock on the wall, the second hand ticking step by step, making a slight, unsettling sound.
He hadn't closed his eyes for three days.
It wasn't because there was too much work, although there certainly was a lot, but because he couldn't sleep.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he would see those fragments.
A tampered report, a name that shouldn't appear there, an encrypted communication record. They were scattered in his mind like a puzzle, unable to be put together no matter what, but one thing was certain—
Someone was in the dark, doing things that shouldn't be done.
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