Ch.171 Did Ronan Die Again?
Thud!
Just as Steve Rogers struck a heroic pose, ready to fight, a dull thud echoed from behind him.
The sound startled him so much that he nearly turned around and threw his shield.
When he turned his head, he saw Ronan and the Winter Soldier lying on the ground.
The dull thud was likely the sound of the Winter Soldier's face hitting the ground.
"You guys are making so much noise outside, anyone would think it's New Year's Eve," Ronan said, scanning the area and pinning the blame for the fireworks on Falcon.
It didn't take much thought to realize that setting off fireworks in the heart of New York City was illegal.
This was clearly against the law!
He had to be arrested!
"What's New Year's Eve?"
Falcon, puzzled by the unfamiliar Chinese term, expressed his curiosity.
However, Ronan shook his head. He suddenly remembered that today actually was New Year's Eve!
While the West didn't celebrate this holiday, it was observed in Kamar-Taj, especially by Wong, who celebrated it every year.
Of course, Wong didn't celebrate it in Kamar-Taj but would go to Hong Kong instead.
According to him, that's where the real New Year spirit was.
Ronan recalled that Wong had mentioned this to him just a few days ago.
No, he needed to wrap this up quickly!
"Steve, Bucky's right here. I caught him again for you."
"This time, he'll probably sleep for a dozen hours. I can deliver him to the Avengers' base for free."
"Just make sure to write me a check when it's done."
After saying this, Ronan waved his hand at the Winter Soldier on the ground.
To Falcon's astonishment, the Winter Soldier floated into the air, suspended mid-air.
With a light stomp of his foot, Ronan's casual clothes instantly transformed into a sorcerer's robes.
One-click outfit change!
Falcon, in particular, was completely dumbfounded by Ronan's display.
He even thought he heard some faint background music.
Drip-drop, drip-drop...
As the faint BGM played, Ronan also floated into the air.
It looked like he was about to fly away at any moment!
"Wait, hold on!"
Just as Ronan was about to take off, Steve Rogers called out to stop him.
Ronan reluctantly halted his flight and turned to Steve with a look of annoyance.
Ronan could only float in the air for a few minutes at most, and just as he was about to show off, he got interrupted.
"What about this guy?"
"If we leave him in the city center, his destructive power would be terrifying!"
Steve gestured to the burly man nearby, clearly hoping Ronan would help.
Of course, by saying this, Steve already considered Ronan one of their own.
Well, it's always the "one of their own" who ends up suffering.
"Seriously? As a super-hero in the eyes of the American people, can't you handle such a small fry?"
"You've got a helper too."
"Oh, sorry, what's your name again?"
Mid-sentence, Ronan turned to Falcon with an apologetic look.
It wasn't that he was trying to create some dramatic effect—he genuinely forgot Falcon's name.
If it weren't for the fact that pulling out his phone to search Wikipedia for the name would be rude, Ronan might have actually done it.
Falcon twitched his lips and muttered a name.
"Sam Wilson."
Oh, that's his name.
Ronan nodded and continued, "Besides, you've got Falcon here to help you."
"Can't the two of you handle him?"
Falcon, already dark-skinned, looked even darker now. If you're not even going to use my name, why bother asking?
Steve, on the other hand, sighed.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew he couldn't take down the man in front of him.
If Ronan didn't help, even if they could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
"Fine, $100,000."
Ronan sighed, remembering how Steve had taken the fake Space Stone.
Although it was a transaction between them, this was still a life-threatening situation.
It was like Ronan owed Steve a favor.
"What?"
Steve was stunned.
"Hey, $100,000 is the friends-and-family discount."
"With that guy's strength, he could probably take on five Bucky Barneses."
"From a pricing perspective, I'm only charging you double."
Ronan had known from the start that this guy wasn't easy to deal with.
Especially since the moment he appeared, Ronan had noticed how quickly the man's wounds healed.
Charging this much was already a steep discount.
"Deal!"
Steve agreed immediately.
His quick agreement even made Ronan wonder if he had underestimated Steve's financial situation.
Was Steve secretly loaded?
"Alright."
Ronan shrugged, descended from the air, and opened a portal that swallowed the floating Winter Soldier.
This series of actions left Falcon utterly dumbfounded.
Today, he had truly seen it all.
Boom!
At that moment, a loud noise came from where the burly man was standing.
He slammed his bone shield into the ground, clearly unhappy about being ignored by Ronan and the others.
Seeing this, Ronan couldn't help but sigh.
Why were some people so eager to get beaten up?
"Alright, give me ten minutes."
Without waiting for Steve and Falcon's reactions, Ronan took two steps forward.
"Be careful, he's incredibly strong and fast."
"He also has a powerful healing ability!"
However, before Steve could finish his "briefing," Ronan had already charged forward.
Falcon twitched his lips and whispered, "Captain, is he really going to be okay?"
But Steve didn't answer, simply watching the fight unfold.
Falcon's gaze shifted from Steve to Ronan.
When he saw the burly man raise his bone whip high and bring it down with force, only for Ronan to catch it with one hand, all his doubts vanished.
This guy was not to be messed with.
Of course, Ronan wasn't foolish enough to catch the bone whip bare-handed.
His left hand was already enveloped in a layer of magical energy.
When he caught the whip, he was still startled by the immense force behind it.
This strength, while far inferior to Ronan's, was still beyond what most people could handle.
To put it simply, in Kamar-Taj, aside from Ronan and the Ancient One, no one else possessed this level of strength.
Not even Mordo or Wong.
"Not bad."
Ronan's eyes lit up as he grabbed the bone whip and yanked it toward himself.
He was growing more and more curious about the burly man's identity.
Was he a mutant, or had HYDRA developed some new serum?
The burly man clearly didn't expect Ronan to pull him in.
The sheer force caught him off guard, and he was yanked toward Ronan before he could react.
By the time he realized what was happening, he was face-to-face with Ronan.
"Hey!"
Ronan greeted the burly man with a smile.
But in the next second, Ronan kicked the man's chin.
With a crisp crack, the burly man was sent flying into the air!
Whoosh!
In Falcon's widening eyes, he only saw a blur as Ronan flew behind the burly man.
The two were now side by side in the sky!
"Next, let's give you the Loki treatment!"
Ronan muttered to himself as countless energy whips emerged from his back.
The whips quickly wrapped around the burly man's body, binding his arms and torso tightly.
The other ends of the whips fluttered behind him, eventually forming a neat bow.
"Stop."
With Ronan's soft command, the energy whips suddenly yanked the burly man, who was still ascending, to a halt in mid-air.
Then...
Ronan extended his right hand and flicked his index finger.
The energy whips, as if receiving an order, yanked the burly man down with tremendous force, slamming him into the ground!
Boom!
The burly man plummeted to the ground at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
Instantly, Steve and Falcon felt a violent tremor!
Anyone unaware would've thought an earthquake had struck!
"This guy..."
Falcon was completely stunned.
Was this how battles were fought?
Of course, if Falcon had ever talked to the Hulk, he might not have been so surprised.
But this wasn't the end.
Ronan, still floating in the air, moved his finger again.
His raised finger pointed downward once more.
Boom!
The burly man, who had been embedded in the ground, was "plucked" out of the asphalt and hurled back up to Ronan.
Ronan glanced at the man's face, now a bloody mess.
But his terrifying healing ability was already repairing the damage.
"Tsk, still not enough."
Ronan shook his head and flicked his finger downward again.
Boom!
Another loud noise and violent tremor followed as the burly man was slammed back into the ground.
This time, however, the crater wasn't the same as before—it was right next to the previous one.
Whoosh...
Boom!
The burly man experienced another rollercoaster-like ride.
Steve couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
At this point, he was nothing but grateful to Ronan.
If Ronan had used this move on them back at S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve would've been as good as dead, even if he survived.
After all, going from a towering 6'2" to a mere 5'6" would break anyone's spirit.
Yes, even though Steve didn't see the burly man's up-and-down ordeal clearly, he did notice Ronan's brief pause in mid-air.
Visibly, the burly man's height shrank from around 10 feet to several inches shorter.
While he still looked massive, he no longer had the same imposing presence.
Of course, this was just a joke.
With Steve's keen eyes, he could tell that the burly man's shrinking height and size were directly related to Ronan's attacks!
"Ronan, his height and size are shrinking."
"Try a few more times!"
Steve shouted up to Ronan from the ground.
Ronan had also noticed this. He shrugged and prepared to move his right hand again.
However, just as Ronan heard Steve's words, so did the burly man.
This seemed to trigger a sense of threat in him. The moment Ronan moved his hand, several sharp, white bones burst out from the man's back.
Whoosh!
Six silver-glinting bones shot out from the burly man's back.
In the next second...
Thud!
The burly man crashed into the ground again.
But this time, Steve wasn't focused on the burly man. Instead, he stared wide-eyed at Ronan in the sky.
His expression was filled with shock and disbelief!
The reason was simple.
Because Ronan's chest had been pierced clean through by six silver bones!
The bones had struck all of Ronan's vital points—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and even one that went straight through his neck.
An attack like this would kill anyone, even Ronan!
"Uh..."
Ronan's eyes widened in disbelief.
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as he tremblingly grabbed one of the bones and yanked it out.
Squelch...
The bone came out, bringing with it a gush of blood and flesh.
But this action seemed to hasten Ronan's death.
In the next second, Ronan spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Ah..."
"I'm dead."
With these final "last words," Ronan's body plummeted from the sky.
Steve, frantic, rushed toward Ronan and caught his body before it hit the ground.
When he caught Ronan, Ronan still had a faint breath left.
"Ronan, are you okay?"
Steve looked at Ronan's blood-soaked body, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
He was now consumed by guilt.
If he hadn't asked Ronan for help, Ronan wouldn't have ended up like this!
If he hadn't...
At this thought, Steve's body began to shake.
Falcon also flew to Steve's side. Seeing Ronan like this, he clenched his fists.
Even though Ronan had teased him earlier, they were still comrades.
Even if they had just met...
"I... I'm fine..."
"Steve, don't... don't be sad."
"I just did... what I had to do."
Ronan spoke haltingly, blood bubbling from his mouth as he did.
"Stop talking, I'll call for medical help right away."
"You'll be okay!"
Steve pressed his hand against Ronan's bleeding wound, unable to believe that Ronan was dying right in front of him.
How would he face Ronan's family and friends?
Ronan was an outsider, yet because of Steve's request, he had ended up like this.
At this thought, Steve's eyes welled up with tears.
"No... no need."
"I know my body."
"I just hope... you'll give that money... to my teacher."
"She..."
However, before Ronan could finish, a voice interrupted him!
"F***!"
"Can't you pick a better time to play the drama queen?"
As another Ronan's voice rang out, Steve and Falcon turned around in shock.
Because Ronan was standing perfectly fine behind them, holding a Coke and a burger.