Chapter 119
(Sorry for the late upload. I've been getting teebaged by a fever for close to two weeks now. Patreon uploads have not been consistent as a result. I'm through the tough times now, I think. That's why the new fanfic is not out yet. Not been this sick since 2020. God damn.)
Dante
My eyes shone purple as angelic energy poured out of me, escaping in swirls of howling blue wind.
"I hope you left a fucking will. Your family is going to need it."
Osiris materialized in my waiting hand, and I spun around, releasing a potent omnidirectional wind blade that sheered through the first line of Dream runners unfortunate enough to be within swinging distance.
"Give the freak some space and cut him down!" an Australian mercenary yelled, and the others followed suit.
Osiris switched to Aquila, and with a wave of my hands, I sent two dozen roundtrips flying in all directions. They latched onto Dream Runner, ninja, thug, and mercenary alike, yanking them close for a Nether Fire-empowered cut with an axe. Their bodies exploded in gore, and those that survived were instantly set alight by demonic fire.
Two Demonic fire-wreathed axeheads barreled forward. One at a cluster of mercenaries, the other at the frozen Aussie who looked like he was about to shit his pants. The Axehead plowed through him, reducing him into chunks and setting him on fire before ravishing the scores of soldiers standing behind him, including the truck he arrived in.
The remaining tried to swarm me, but it was easy pickings from that point on. I went full gun master on their asses, body blurring as I meticulously picked apart every last asshole with my bullets and my fists even as they tried to swarm me or run.
The most resilient, surprisingly were a pair of East European thugs, who'd been riddled with demonic bullets, roaring and panting like beasts in heat.
"You won't get away with this!" a familiar scarred face bellowed at me. It was Peter's, the bodyguard of that one Russian gang boss I beat up and offered to SHIELD.
"I will not let you shame our families like this," the second one roared, striking a fighting pose. He bore a vague resemblance to the Albanian guy I smacked around. Nephew perhaps?
I raised a brow at the display.
"Don't put this one on me. You set the fucking bounty." I summoned Ebony and Ivory and pulled their triggers before both men could react, ending them.
I sped off in Creel's direction in a blue streak.
Jean Grey
"We're out of time," I said. "You need to make up your mind or take your chances with a mutant and a horde of demons."
Banner blinked, taken aback but experienced enough to recognize a lifeline when he saw it. They agreed to leave with me, but there was one fairly large problem.
The Gamma reactor they were using to activate the serums. Gamma rays were the working substitute for Vitarays, the original miracle substance that made Captain America a supersoldier.
The mini-reactor was brimming with energy, and in the case of an accident, it could lead to a catastrophic meltdown, which could wipe out at least half of the campus.
With the fight I estimated was incoming, that seemed more like an inevitability than a possibility. So, Bruce and I came to a compromise.
---
"I've come bearing gifts," Rin grinned as he approached me as I finished the last of my preparatory conversation with Bruce. He wore the leather and Infernal metal armor Dante crafted for him. It was a brutal, gaudy thing with an exaggerated shoulder pad with spikes pointing out. Red metal plates were strapped to nearly every vulnerable spot on his body.
It was a small miracle he was flexible in the get-up, but Dante knew his armors apparently. Even though he was basically cheating his way through hundreds of hours of studying and practice, it didn't make his achievements any less impressive.
At the back of his armor hung an Infernal metal Longsword enchanted by the Ancient One specifically to be extra durable. Rin also had an arming sword made from infernal metal, two grenades, and a revolver.
I made a face. "Don't tell me you brought it?"
"Yep," Rin grinned, and my frown deepened. "Come on, Dante poured his heart and soul into it. The least you can do is Represent."
I rolled my eyes but took the briefcase anyway. It was not that I did not understand the functional benefits of the Chitin Armor Dante made, the look of the armor just made it a hard sell with its bulbous dimensions.
Natasha, Kurt, Coulson, and Clint Barton followed after Rin, dressed in a familiar high-tech suit armor that Dante had worn for a while. They were ogling the strange armor that Rin wore and were thankfully saving judgment, choosing to focus on the greater task at hand, safeguarding Bruce, the formula, and his girlfriend.
"Fury brought us up to speed," Captain America spoke up. "Where are we?"
"About 20 minutes out from evacuating," I said. "They're working on shutting down the in-house gamma reactor."
"That was in the briefs," Coulson said. "There's no way around that. We have to wait it out."
"The problem is I'm fairly certain the pawn that Domina sent will not," I explained. "He's a mutant, with a few demons and a bunch of Fleshwarped Super soldiers hiding in his shadow."
"Those are words I never thought I'd hear," Clint said. "And what's this mutant's ability? Domina wouldn't have sent him if he couldn't do real damage."
"He can control people with his voice," I said with a pronounced frown. "He goes by Kilgrave."
Rin blinked. "Are you kidding me? This has to be intentional. Domina had to know this would piss you off."
"I don't doubt it," I said. Kilgrave, it seemed, had been chosen to unbalance nearly everybody on our team off, from Dante to me, Rin, the Captain, and even Natasha. We all had experience with manipulative sociopaths with delusions of grandeur.
"I say we kill him and move on with the mission," Rin suggested with a dismissive shrug.
"We can't."
"Why?" Kurt asked.
"Would Jean Grey step out of the building, please," An arrogant and decidedly British voice boomed from outside. "I've taken hostages. You have five minutes to comply before I start slitting throats."
"Because of that," I said. "I've read his mind. He's come well prepared. He wants to draw me out so that his demons can come in. He's even brought demons to neutralize my psychic skills."
Kurt, Clint, and Rin had a startled look while Natasha, Coulson, and the Captain controlled their emotions better.
"The attack on Tony Stark and the General, it was a diversion," The Captain said.
"They wanted to draw Dante away. He's our heaviest physical hitter," Clint concluded. "They were after the formula and Banner all along."
"It still won't work," Rin snorted. "The Boss is on another level now. And they have no idea how overpowered Jean is."
I smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but he's right," I admitted. "I think we can walk away from this with no casualties."
"What do you have in mind?" Clint asked, excited by the prospect of no bloodshed for once.
"I have only five minutes left, so I say we use it wisely. We should barricade Bruce and his team in while they shut down the Reactor and focus on evacuating the building. Between Kurt's ability and my portals, we should be able to manage it and prepare for the demons. Any objections?"
"We need a decoy," Natasha suggested. "Worst-case scenario, and we're not able to hold them back, we need somebody to stand in Bruce's stead so that they don't end up with the secrets to make super soldiers."
She was talking about using Mystique as a decoy again. There was just one fairly large problem with that.
"I can't imagine the mutant Brotherhood would be too happy leaving one of their key members exposed like that," I pointed out.
"I say we invite' em to the fight," Rin said, folding his arms. "I'm not saying we can't handle them, but I think it's time we start working together. Better we work out the kinks we have now than in Hell."
Clint let out a nervous chuckle. "Kid does raise a fantastic point."
I didn't look forward to it, but I'd make the call.
The next five minutes were some of the most nerve-wracking of my life. Magneto was naturally not thrilled by my proposition but allowed it, electing to send over two mutants to our cause. Mystique and the Red Witch.
While she and I had some tension between us, I could think of no better choice while I dealt with the demons and the mutant. After briefly explaining the plan, Magneto pointed out that she was my backup in case the asshole managed to corner me somehow.
After Kurt fetched both mutants, things went a lot smoother. We barricaded the door to the reactor, got all forty civilians trapped in the building out, and even had the time to seal entire hallways and entrances, strategically spread our forces, and set up a decoy location for Mystique.
When I stepped out of the building, draped in my red Chitin and leather armor, I was ready for what came next, as unpleasant as it was.
"Hit it," Kilgrave ordered the demons sent to support him.
The things that called themselves Mind Breakers opened their mouth until they disjointed and let out an otherworldly howl. Their voices undulated until they harmonized, and I felt it, a wet blanket over my tether to the Astral plane. They were trying to cut me off.
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