Chapter 76: Crisis?

"They are exactly where they need to be," Ebony Maw replied, perhaps caught off guard by Peter's probing. Though he wasn't lying, his response was intentionally vague and ultimately meaningless.

Clearly, he didn't want to reveal the actions or whereabouts of the other two Black Order generals.

Across the Atlantic, in central-northern Africa's Wakanda.

Upon hearing the news, Black Panther immediately ordered, "Activate the energy barrier to full power! All divisions, prepare for combat readiness and guard against any possible enemy incursion!"

Although this wasn't part of the initial plan, any intelligent person could discern Peter's intention behind inquiring about the generals' locations.

The duo originally tasked with attacking Wanda and Vision to seize the Mind Stone—the Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive couple—had lost their strategic advantage once their targets were moved to Wakanda.

They could now be anywhere near Wakanda—or perhaps still where Peter and the Avengers were located.

Given the uncertainty, Black Panther wasted no time escalating Wakanda's defensive measures.

At his command, the mountains surrounding Wakanda's energy barrier began to rumble. Futuristic-looking turrets emerged from hidden compartments in the terrain.

These turrets were quite peculiar in design, essentially massive vibranium spears.

Their enormous size magnified the energy beams they emitted, transforming them into powerful "energy cannons."

Meanwhile, as Wakanda activated its energy shield to maximum capacity, something unexpected occurred—the alien warship that had been hovering ominously above vanished without a trace!

Outside New York City, on the lawn of the Avengers' new headquarters.

Iron Man glanced up at the disappearing warship, his mind already working through the implications.

Looking at the two Black Order generals standing before him, he remarked, "Looks like we're in some serious trouble."

Captain America silently raised his shield into a defensive position. "Trouble's nothing new for us, is it?"

Peter chimed in, "I'm fine. I've seen crazier things than this."

"Well then, let's go!"

The unwavering confidence of his teammates gave Iron Man a reassuring sense of solidarity.

Especially Peter—the Spider-Man.

While Iron Man still had his reservations about the "Holland Spider," whose reliability had often been questionable despite some recent improvement, Peter seemed different.

This Peter exuded a calmness and competence that Iron Man couldn't help but appreciate.

It wasn't just his skills, but his composure in the face of adversity that set him apart from the kid Iron Man had spent so much time trying to protect.

Feeling reinvigorated, Iron Man stepped forward. From the back of his suit, a cluster of particles dispersed and reassembled into four energy arcs, glowing with concentrated power.

With a swift motion, six high-energy beams—two from his hands and four from the arcs—blasted toward Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian.

Cull Obsidian roared and charged headlong into the attack but was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer kinetic force contained within the converging beams, sending him stumbling backward.

Behind him, Ebony Maw raised his hand casually with a slight wave.

Boom!

Cull Obsidian's massive body was flung sideways, crashing to the ground and carving a deep trench through the grass.

Captain America swallowed nervously as he watched Ebony Maw, who hadn't even budged an inch. "Without a sorcerer on our side, how do we fight something like this?"

Peter had already briefed them on the characteristics and potential abilities of the Black Order generals. They knew full well that this mysterious magic user was not someone they could handle.

"I've got this!" Iron Man redirected his weapons, preparing to unleash another assault.

But before he could act—

Boom!

The ground beneath him split open, and an invisible force catapulted him skyward. In an instant, Iron Man vanished from sight.

Immediately after, Ebony Maw brought his fingers together, and the nearby road shattered into floating fragments. These fragments morphed into sharp stone spikes that shot toward Peter and Captain America.

Captain America raised his shield, assuming a defensive stance. "Get behind me!" he shouted.

But Peter didn't listen.

Although these stone spikes moved as fast as bullets, Peter's spider sense had proven capable of dodging real bullets, making him unafraid of this attack.

Quantum Web Blast!

Raising his hand, Peter unleashed a newly developed variant of his skill.

The web blast formed instantly, sticking directly to Ebony Maw's face.

Caught entirely off guard, Ebony Maw—despite his formidable telekinetic abilities—did not possess heightened reflexes.

Seizing the moment, Peter fired a web line and propelled himself forward. Clenching his fist, he swung with all his might.

This wasn't a street brawl against some petty thug.

Against an alien opponent, it was a kill-or-be-killed situation. Peter wasn't holding back.

This punch carried a force of 20 tons.

Even Ebony Maw felt the threat of death in that instant.

Instead of pulling the web off his face, he hastily clenched his hand in the air.

Boom!

The ground around Ebony Maw erupted, forming a dome of compacted earth to shield him.

But mere dirt was no match for Spider-Man.

Peter's fist shattered the earthen dome with a single blow.

Yet, when he broke through, he found no one inside!

Rumble! Rumble!

A sound came from below the ground.

Peter reacted instinctively, retreating without hesitation.

The next moment, the ground nearby erupted violently.

Ebony Maw emerged from the earth.

The shattered remnants of the earlier earthen dome were now compressed into a dense, tiny sphere by Ebony Maw's telekinetic power.

If Peter hadn't retreated in time, he would have been crushed to death inside it.

Ebony Maw, disheveled and covered in dirt after being forced to escape underground by Peter's surprise attack, was visibly enraged.

He brought his fingers together, and an invisible energy slash streaked toward Peter.

Psychic Slash!

Peter narrowly dodged, feeling that even the slightest delay would have meant getting hit.

It was a close call, even for him.

After his rigorous training, Peter's reflexes had become second nature—his body reacted faster than his brain could process danger.

Yet, he still barely evaded the attack!

This meant that the speed of Ebony Maw's psychic slash was nearly on par with Peter's reflexes.

Buzz!

Peter's spider sense went into overdrive, signaling imminent danger.

A barrage of invisible slashes shot toward him from Ebony Maw.

Peter couldn't afford to lose focus. He was entirely consumed by the task of dodging.

Meanwhile, Captain America, who had intended to help Peter, found himself locked in combat with Cull Obsidian.

Although often jokingly said to be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone, Captain America wasn't invincible—he wasn't some unstoppable force.

Against the overwhelming strength of Cull Obsidian, he was forced to rely on his shield to fend off relentless attacks.

Despite the name "Obsidian," Cull was anything but small. And no, he bore no relation to the cosmic phenomenon known as white dwarfs.

Towering over Captain America, Cull Obsidian brought his heavy weapon down repeatedly, each strike crashing into the vibranium shield with earth-shaking force.

If not for vibranium's ability to absorb kinetic energy, Captain America might not have survived this relentless assault.

(End of Chapter)

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