Chapter 136 - Insight Project Final Part

Above the Helicarriers, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Potomac River, Between Washington D.C. and Virginia.

After Iron Man's Victory.

Holding three Helicarriers simultaneously is truly draining. The energy supply Baldur is giving me is the only thing keeping me going right now. I'm fortunate no enemies have come to attack me.

The other Avengers are performing beautifully. However, seeing my prey fall so easily into the ocean has left me somewhat uneasy.

Stark has the most knowledge about her armor, so logically, he knows her weaknesses best. But I thought my enemy would be smarter than to just use armor reconstructed from scrap without making any changes, except for the color and adding poison. For the first time in my long life, I understand why warriors feel disappointed when their enemy disappoints them.

While the battle raged on both Helicarriers, where Hulk was honoring his ogre lineage, and farther away from me, where Stark was doing everything to destroy the Sentinels, I, high above all, with my arms outstretched trying to contain the Helicarriers, began searching for him. I logically sensed his presence, but since he hasn't chosen to reveal himself yet, I understand he will only appear when we've taken care of the minor pests. I get that. A God-King shouldn't bother with such weak beings.

Then, as Stark's battle ended and Hulk's was about to conclude, I saw my enemy once again flying through the skies, this time heading towards me. I thought for a moment she would go after Stark, but she didn't disappoint me and targeted me, the obstacle to her victory.

The Quinjets were destroyed when Stark appeared. The Helicarriers' weapons couldn't fire at me; well, technically, they could, but time is moving so slowly that they're still adjusting their weapons to aim at my position. This means I'm well protected up here, but any attack will break my concentration, thus ending the spell.

Stark realized where Iron Viper was heading, but due to the damage his armor sustained, I highly doubt he'll reach her before she does. Just a few meters away from me, Iron Viper, with wet hair and holding her sword in front of her body, was aiming for my heart.

I was about to break the spell to counterattack when I heard that powerful and calm voice in my mind.

"Release, I'll take care of these little paper planes."

Baldur's voice was clear as if he were speaking beside me, so I obeyed. That man has never gone back on his word. If he said he would deal with the paper planes, they're already doomed, and my actions now are unnecessary.

When I released my enchantment, the three Helicarriers that were encased in the time membrane began to move normally again. From the outsiders' point of view, they had been still for quite some time, only the Helicarriers that were stationary, not the people inside them. They were doing everything to make the machines obey their orders. So when the spell was broken, the Helicarriers, which had been adjusting their aim, continued that same action and opened fire shortly after, but now between them stood Iron Viper, caught off guard.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions painted the sky black with smoke. Iron Viper twisted her body in the air like a fish trying to dodge the shots, but one of them hit her squarely, destroying one of her thrusters, causing her to spin in the air. I didn't miss this chance. Anticipating the trajectory in which my enemy was falling, I opened a portal that the magicians of Midgard use. Iron Viper's body passed through the portal, landing on the beach of a small uninhabited island in the Malay Archipelago.

"Boom!"

Her body didn't lose speed as it passed through the portal, so she bounced on the beach sand a few times before coming to a stop. Fortunately, the sand did a great job of protecting her from more serious harm. But when she got up, she was shocked to see me facing her. Viper projected a blade from her wrist and attacked me, but I easily caught her wrist.

"You shouldn't have let me get so close to you," I said, smiling at her.

Then the wrist I was holding began to change. The green armor made of various resistant metals started to rust, the black coloration spreading across the entire armor at an insane speed. After the entire suit was dyed black, I spun her body, hurling her into a nearby palm tree. When she collided with the tree, the armor simply shattered, leaving only a beautiful woman with her face and hair covered in sand on the ground, wearing a swimsuit-like green outfit.

Viper, now deprived of her armor, forced herself to stand and looked at me with eyes still alive, ready to fight.

"I love seeing eyes like that; it really gets me quite excited. Here!"

Then I created another portal horizontally in front of her. From the portal, a sword fell and stuck in the sand. She let go of her sword when the Helicarriers began their attack; I'm returning it to her.

"Thank you," she said as she picked up her sword and assumed a defensive stance.

She knew she couldn't kill this Queen, but at least, she would die with honor. This kind of woman has my respect.

"I was thinking of killing you in the most terrible way imaginable," I said as I stuck my staff in the sand, leaving it behind, and stood facing Viper. I clasped my hands together at chest level, and when I parted them, a sword made of green energy very similar to hers appeared in my hand.

"But I changed my mind. Perhaps age is making me calmer, but now I really want a fair fight."

After these words, we both moved and clashed our swords. When the two blades clashed, they sparked in the air. Viper stepped back, causing me to lose my balance, forcing me to step forward. Viper then spun her body and aimed a strike at my neck. I ducked, escaping the blow, and attacked her legs. With her high agility, she somersaulted backward, avoiding the blow.

I didn't waste any time; I attacked again with a downward strike that was easily defended. We exchanged blows like this for a few minutes, moving across the entire length of the beach.

After a long exchange of blows, we separated and stood looking at each other.

Neither of us was injured, but this combat was leaning toward my victory. Even without using my magic and fighting honorably, my body is far superior to hers. We fought for a few minutes, and she was already panting.

"Why don't we end this now?" I said to her.

The woman in green, holding the sword, smiled at me again. As a master-level fighter, she knows that a prolonged fight gives her no chance of winning.

"Yes, let's end it," she says to me.

Viper then raises both arms high above her head, gripping her sword with both hands. This left me puzzled. I've seen a similar stance in people who wield katanas, but she was using a longsword. She's clearly setting up something for me, and I truly want to take the risk to see what it is.

I position my energy sword, pointing it at her body, and attack.

To my surprise, Viper does nothing. My energy sword simply passes right between her breasts.

"So, you've given up already," I remark to her, noticing a smile on her face as blood trickles from her mouth.

"Shlik!"

A small noise catches my attention. I look up and see that at the bottom of the sword's hilt, a small blade is revealed. My enemy then lowers her arms, aiming this blade at my heart. It's a swift and perfect move, leaving me no time to step back. I instinctively place one of my hands in front of my heart to protect myself.

"AH!"

I cry out in pain as the blade pierces through my hand and into my chest, but it isn't long enough to reach my heart, so the most severe injury is to my hand.

I push her away while pulling my sword from her body. As I distance myself, she falls to her knees in the sand, bleeding.

"That was a magnificent move," I commend her.

Viper, nearly losing consciousness from her wounds, still manages to look at me.

"You died like a warrior. Now rest. There is no more pain, only peace."

The enchantment in my voice takes effect; her tense face immediately relaxes, and she closes her eyes, passing away.

I extend my hand, summoning my staff to fly back to me. Then, I gently tap it against the forehead of the body before me. The effect is immediate; her body begins to transform into small points of light that spread through the air.

"A warrior of her caliber deserves a dignified burial."

With everything settled, I use some magic to stop the bleeding from my hand. The metal of the sword is quite irritating, and I don't have time to fully heal myself, so stopping the bleeding should suffice for now. I create another portal back to the chaos from which I emerged, but before crossing it, I remember to retrieve my enemy's sword.

Then I step through the portal, but the scene before me freezes me in place.

POV: Baldur

Hundreds of Meters Above Everything, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Potomac River, Between Washington D.C. and Virginia.

After Amora's Departure.

I must congratulate Steve later; this mess was much bigger than I imagined, yet he's still trying every means to fulfill his plan of inserting the cards into the three ships. I'd have already moved to plan C if I were in charge.

Since arriving here, I've been merely observing, seated on a throne created by light manipulation high above everything. Stark and Hulk did well in dealing with the Sentinels. Now Natasha was a disappointment; she took quite a beating, even with one of my weapons. Of course, she didn't have enough time to master my gifts like Freyja, but still, it should have been an easy task to win.

Now, the one I never expected to have much control over my gifts was the one who managed to use them best. That was a big surprise; I should pay a bit more attention to Hawkeye.

"I'm back with your two packages," Angela says, appearing by my side mounted on Sleipnir. In front of her on the horse, are two bodies lying sideways. Steve and his friend Bucky Barnes, they were fighting inside one of the Helicarriers; Steve managed to insert the second card into it but fell along with his friend into the lake below.

"Was there any trouble?" I ask my sister.

"The guy with the metal arm tried to fight, so I hit him hard in the head," she replies.

(I wonder how a woman who wasn't raised with the Asgardians can act like one.)

"Thank you nonetheless," I express my gratitude to her for retrieving them.

"Are you just going to watch?" she then asks, looking at the situation ahead.

The Sentinels have diverted from the intended course of events. Now, one Helicarrier still needs its electronic card changed, but there's no Avenger in a condition to do it. I could go there and do it quickly, or even Alice could take control of them, but as I mentioned before, an attack on Genosha must always be met with an appropriate response.

"Well then, let's finish this quickly!" I rise from my throne and extend my hand towards the clouds above the Helicarriers. The clouds change color to a faint gold. It's been a while since I made progress studying the Haglaz rune, which controls the forces of nature, but when I used Thor's divinity, I made a breakthrough in that rune. I'm going to test that breakthrough now.

The golden clouds aren't just for show; they'll aid me in my next attack. They also serve as a warning; the only Avenger still near the Helicarriers is Iron Man. After his fight, he remained in the air, targeting the Helicarriers' weapons from a distance. I could send him a telepathic message, but his armor has defenses, and it's been damaged since he couldn't hear Alice's messages. For this reason, I gave a small warning; he's certainly smart enough to guess what will happen next.

With a thought, the golden clouds begin to swirl in the air, creating a circle that expands, revealing a clear view of the three Helicarriers below. They are just a few meters away from reaching attack altitude, so all their weapons are ready and aimed at me. They may have detected the immense amount of energy I'm controlling now.

My attack is ready, but I patiently wait for Stark to move as far away from the area as possible. I want complete destruction; if any debris falls into the lake below, it could cause harm to the civilians witnessing the entire battle from the shores.

I raise my hand, and space distorts; the golden clouds spinning in the air then stop and unleash rays that strike an empty space in the air. The empty space begins to take shape. Three golden spears enveloped in pure energy from the rays emerge, each twenty meters high and pointing downward, one above each Helicarrier. These spears are charged with the power of thunder, along with my raw energy. The challenge was calculating the power to avoid accidentally blowing up the entire country.

Then, as the Helicarriers reach attack altitude, they open fire on me. I lower my hand, and the three spears slice through the air and impale each Helicarrier in the center. The spears that pierce through the Helicarriers and remain embedded in them explode, producing a noiseless blast, only visible as a bright golden light and golden bolts that uncontrollably descend upon the lake below. When the light and bolts vanish, all that's left is a rain of black ashes, the remnants of Hydra's conquest dream.