Ch.169 Knock Out and Free Delivery

As Ronan finished speaking, the three clones charged at the Winter Soldier simultaneously.

(Some friends might not be familiar with the characters' real names, so for less popular heroes, codenames are used instead.)

Not only were the three clones moving in sync, but each of their attack angles also completely locked down the Winter Soldier's position.

It could be said that no matter which direction the Winter Soldier defended against, he would be hit by the other two clones.

The Winter Soldier, with his extensive battlefield experience, immediately recognized the formation of the three clones.

Although he was still shocked by why there were suddenly three identical Ronans, years of combat experience allowed him to react quickly.

Since he couldn't defend against all three attacks at once, he decided to force all three back.

The Winter Soldier quickly dropped to one knee and slammed his left hand onto the ground.

A visible electromagnetic force radiated outward in all directions, centered around him!

The three clones simultaneously summoned the Rings of Raggadorr, and in the next second, the magical rings collided with the electromagnetic force!

Boom!

Three dull thuds echoed as the three clones were pushed back several meters.

Although it was only a few meters, it gave the Winter Soldier some breathing room.

His mechanical left arm unfolded, revealing five small missiles.

"We're screwed!"

Ronan twitched his lips, sensing something ominous.

Boom!

As soon as Ronan spoke, the five missiles shot out in all directions.

Ronan and his four clones simultaneously opened portals using the Mystic Arts. Four of the missiles flew into the portals and landed in an unknown part of the ocean.

The only ones unlucky were the innocent sea creatures.

Of course, the sea creatures weren't the only unlucky ones.

One missile wasn't caught by the portals and instead raced toward the crowd.

The bystanders who could react were frozen in shock.

The last time someone threw a bomb in the city was when the Mandarin, leader of the Ten Rings, did it.

But back then, they couldn't see the bombs. This was way more intense!

So, even though they saw the missile, they couldn't run away.

"Everyone, get down!"

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out in the crowd.

For the battle-hardened people of New York, when they heard these words, no matter what they were doing, they immediately dropped to the ground.

This was survival instinct honed from countless attacks.

You could say they were used to it.

Whether it was gang shootouts or alien invasions, if you didn't want to die, dropping to the ground was the best survival tactic.

So, they had it down to an art.

A circular shield flew out from the crowd and intercepted the missile mid-air.

Boom!

A deafening explosion followed.

Once again, the people of New York got a front-row seat to a fireworks show.

Of course, this fireworks show was a bit too intense, and there was no joy in the air.

The scorching heat and powerful shockwaves sent those who hadn't reacted in time flying.

They flew, but whether they could land safely was up to God.

The shield, having completed its mission, flew back to its owner.

Captain America, Steve Rogers, in his classic uniform, caught the shield with flair and struck a heroic pose.

Beside him stood Falcon, who had just landed.

"Looks like the fight's pretty intense."

Falcon glanced around as the crowd began to scatter in all directions.

Even their running seemed methodical.

It seemed they had planned their escape routes while lying on the ground.

"Let's go check it out!"

Without hesitation, Steve Rogers charged into the alley.

When the two of them entered the alley, they saw Ronan fighting the Winter Soldier.

Well, to be precise, it was three Ronans taking turns to spar with the Winter Soldier, while one Ronan stood by watching.

To be more accurate, it was three people wearing Iron Man masks having a friendly exchange with the Winter Soldier.

And another person wearing an Iron Man mask was just watching.

"What is this..."

Steve Rogers was stunned by the scene.

Why were there so many Ronans?

"You said five minutes, but you arrived in three."

"Coming early doesn't mean you get a discount."

Ronan turned to look at Steve Rogers.

He was wondering if this guy planned to take the Winter Soldier himself and skip paying.

"You're... Mr. Fantastic?"

Falcon, who was half a step behind Steve, recognized Ronan.

Although the outfit was different, the iconic Iron Man helmet and Steve's earlier explanation helped Falcon identify Ronan.

"Though I hate that name, yes, it's me."

"By the way, Steve, can you use the Avengers' resources to change my codename?"

"Something like 'Sorcerer Supreme' or 'Master of the Mystic Arts' would do."

Ronan was fed up with the name "Mr. Fantastic."

He was the next Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj. Why did he have to use someone else's codename?

It didn't suit his status!

"We'll talk about that later. I want to know why Bucky is here."

When the Winter Soldier appeared, Steve Rogers' gaze locked onto him.

The look in his eyes was almost tangible.

Falcon never expected to be NTR'd right in front of him.

Of course, in the 616 universe, Falcon and the Winter Soldier quietly formed a duo, carrying on Steve Rogers' legacy.

"How should I know?"

"I just came out of the bank, and he was following me."

"Then I came to this alley, and he blocked my way."

Ronan shrugged. If it weren't for the $50,000, Ronan would have killed the Winter Soldier multiple times by now.

All he needed was to summon hundreds of clones, each throwing a punch, and the Winter Soldier would be done for.

But for the sake of $50,000, Ronan decided to spare his life.

"Last time, I vaguely remember him saving me from the river."

"But why is he still working for Hydra this time?"

Looking at his former comrade, now unrecognizable, memories flooded Steve Rogers' mind.

Last time, they almost died together.

And now, they were about to face each other in battle again.

"Why don't you just take him back and ask him?"

"Don't tell me the Avengers can't break Hydra's brainwashing."

Ronan gestured with his chin.

As they spoke, the Winter Soldier, who had been on the defensive, finally fell to Ronan's fists.

In a one-on-one, Ronan punched him in the face, then kicked him in the lower back, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

The last clone delivered a spectacular double Rings of Raggadorr strike.

Yeah, two massive Rings of Raggadorr slammed the Winter Soldier into the ground.

And then, he passed out.

"Exactly five minutes. Knock out and free delivery."

"Boss, cash or transfer?"

Ronan checked his watch, satisfied.

He was very pleased with his clones' timing.

Seeing the Winter Soldier unconscious on the ground, Falcon twitched his lips.

Was this the same Winter Soldier who fought Steve Rogers for 300 rounds?

Why did he seem so weak against Mr. Fantastic—no, the Sorcerer Supreme?

"Alright, thank you, Mr. Fantastic."

Steve Rogers took a deep breath, slung his shield over his back, and quickly approached the Winter Soldier.

The clones, having completed their mission, returned to Ronan and vanished from sight.

Falcon, standing in front of Ronan, widened his eyes and looked Ronan up and down in amazement.

He couldn't figure out how the people he just fought with had disappeared so suddenly.

"Stop looking. They're standing right behind you."

Ronan glanced at Falcon and said calmly.

Falcon immediately turned around, only to find empty air.

"You can't see them. They're like ghosts. Unless they choose to reveal themselves, ordinary humans can't see them."

"Let me have them greet you."

With that, Falcon felt a hand pat his shoulder.

He quickly turned toward the direction of the touch but saw nothing.

His face instantly changed!

Foreigners are afraid of ghosts too, having grown up with horror stories.

"Stop messing around."

"Tell them... tell them not to stand behind me."

Although Falcon couldn't see anything, he felt a chill down his spine.

Ronan shrugged.

"I can't help it. They think you're interesting and want to follow you."

"You should be happy. These ghosts aren't racist."

Ronan said with a smile.

His words nearly broke Falcon's composure!

"F***!"

He cursed with an American expletive.

This was the first time he felt that racism wasn't so bad.

Especially compared to these non-racist ghosts, he'd rather deal with racist humans.

At least he could punch those people.

But what could he do against these invisible, intangible ghosts?

"Hey, they just told me you have a special scent."

"So they asked me to ask you if you'd like to join them and become an invisible, intangible ghost."

Ronan raised an eyebrow, as if receiving some message.

His question completely shattered Falcon's composure!

"F***! F***! F***!"

"Tell them I'm not done living yet!"

"And tell them to stop staring at my ass. I'm straight!"

Falcon quickly turned around, pressing his back against the wall. The empty alley was only filled with a gentle breeze.

This scene made him even more convinced he was dealing with ghosts!

"What a shame."

"They said with your potential, you might become a powerful ghost."

"Like Steve, or even surpass me."

"Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?"

Ronan's voice was full of temptation.

But before Falcon could answer, a dull thud interrupted their conversation.

Boom!

Steve Rogers flew through the air in an arc and landed heavily in front of them.

Ronan looked at him in surprise, then turned his gaze to the source of the commotion.

A masked giant, nearly three meters tall, stood over the unconscious Winter Soldier.

The giant was shirtless, his massive muscles clearly visible.

If someone took a photo of this physique and posted it, the wealthy ladies in Ronan's phone would go crazy!

"Is this... a mini Hulk?"

Ronan raised an eyebrow.

What was strange was that he hadn't sensed this person's presence earlier.

In fact, he hadn't even noticed how this person appeared!

But the giant didn't respond. Instead, he bent over, and the muscles on his back began to writhe.

A white spine slowly emerged from the back of his neck, accompanied by bloody flesh.

When the spine appeared, the giant grabbed it with his right hand and yanked it out with force!

Boom!

The spine slammed into the alley wall, causing half of it to collapse.

Seeing this familiar scene, Ronan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"What the hell is this monster!"

Falcon also saw what happened. The horrifying sight made him forget about the ghosts.

Steve Rogers got up from the ground.

He rubbed his forearms.

During the attack, he had only managed to block the kick with his arms.

But Steve could clearly feel the sheer power behind that kick.

If it weren't for his enhanced body and the tech-made suit dispersing some of the force, his arms would have been shattered.

"Be careful. He's incredibly strong!"

Steve Rogers took his shield off his back.

Falcon gulped and glanced at the collapsed wall.

Did they really need a reminder?

Anyone with normal vision could see the wall collapsing.

"Before we start fighting, I have a question."

At this moment, Ronan stepped forward, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Everyone turned to look at Ronan, curious about what he was going to ask.

Ronan rested his chin on his hand, squinting at the giant.

Especially at the pure white spine in his hand.

"Do you have a relative named Kimimaro?"