Chapter 17 Phil Coulson

Seeing a hole suddenly appear in Neo's stomach, MJ is the first to react, screaming in fear. Peter quickly grabs Neo's backpack, remembering what he had mentioned earlier.

Gwen immediately pulls Neo closer, trying to prevent whatever attacked him from striking again, while Harry remains frozen in fear.

Neo, however, quickly shoves Gwen away when he realizes the curse is about to attack again. The moment it reappears, he greets it with a punch infused with cursed energy, sending it crashing into the apartment's ornately decorated wall.

Seizing the opportunity, Neo activates Kamutoke, and a surprisingly strong bolt of lightning strikes the curse. He then shouts to the group:

Neo: RUN! You guys are easy prey for it!

Hearing Neo's warning, everyone flees—except Gwen. She rushes to Peter, snatches Neo's glasses from the backpack, and puts them on, determined to help in any way she can.

Seeing her reckless decision, Neo wants to yell at her, but it's too late. The curse recovers and rises once more.

Realizing it stands no chance against Neo, it makes a choice—it goes after Gwen instead. And just like before, it vanishes, as if it had never been there.

Even Neo, with his high aptitude for sensing cursed energy, cannot detect its presence.

Before he can formulate a contingency plan, Gwen suddenly lunges at him with a broken piece of the table, attempting to strike him.

Neo instinctively jumps back to dodge the sudden attack, but unfortunately for him, the curse reappears right behind him, aiming to impale his heart this time.

Reacting quickly, Neo twists his body to avoid the fatal stab, but the curse's hand still pierces his shoulder.

Before he can retaliate, the curse vanishes once more.

Neo nearly screams in frustration but quickly remembers the new problem—Gwen. She is still attacking him.

Faced with a difficult situation, Neo comes up with a single plan to exorcise the curse without harming Gwen's body.

As Gwen swings at his head, he allows the attack to land on his shoulder instead. Seeing her momentary surprise at him not dodging, Neo takes the opportunity—he grabs Gwen tightly and unleashes a large circular slash, cutting everything around him in half, including the curse, which now writhes on the ground with its upper body severed.

Still holding Gwen, Neo moves swiftly, unleashing a flurry of slashes upon the remains of the curse, ensuring its destruction.

The moment the curse dies, Gwen snaps out of her trance and finds herself tightly embraced by Neo. Her brain short-circuits, and her face turns crimson as she stammers in embarrassment.

Gwen: Neo, could you please let go of me?

Hearing her voice, Neo suddenly remembers why he was holding her and quickly releases her.

The moment he does, Gwen looks at his condition and completely loses her previous composure. She even collapses to the floor in shock when she sees the state he's in—his stomach has a massive hole that goes all the way through, revealing the room behind him, and his arm is barely hanging onto his shoulder, nearly detached.

Gwen: N-NEO!

Seeing his horrific injuries, Gwen begins trembling as she frantically tries to grab her phone.

Gwen: D-Don't w-worry, Neo, I-I'll call an a-a-ambulance…

She fumbles desperately, but her shaking hands cause her to drop the phone.

Watching her desperate attempts, Neo sighs and speaks.

Neo: Gwen, I'm fine. Look, I'm already healing.

Hearing this, Gwen looks up and sees that—although slow—his wound is indeed closing.

The relief nearly makes her faint, but one thing still lingers in her mind.

Gwen: Neo… how are you regenerating?

Realizing that, according to Neo's own explanation, he shouldn't be able to heal like this, she looks at him in confusion.

Seeing her questioning gaze, Neo finally answers.

Neo: I'm a hybrid—a mix of a mutant and a sorcerer. I might be the only one… or not. It doesn't really matter.

Gwen stares at him, astonished by how different Neo is from everyone else.

He might very well be the only one of his kind.

As Gwen drifts into her thoughts, Neo scans his surroundings and realizes the extent of the destruction he caused. Harry's private theater was ruined—his flat-screen TV was sliced clean in half, and even the speakers had been cut through.

Seeing Gwen still lost in thought, Neo calls out to her.

Neo: Gwen, can you help me get downstairs? …I can't move.

Gwen turns to him and notices the severity of his injuries—his spine is gone, leaving him unable to move properly. She quickly rushes over, places his arm around her shoulders, and begins helping him toward the elevator.

As they reach it, Neo suddenly remembers something.

Neo: Gwen, can you find another elevator for me to use?

She looks at him, confused.

Gwen: Why?

Neo, looking exhausted and impatient, responds.

Neo: Because the police are downstairs, and I don't want to deal with a certain group of idiots.

Gwen, still confused, frowns.

Gwen: But Neo, my dad is with the police, and he's a good guy. You even know him.

Neo tries to hold back a laugh but fails, then responds as if it's obvious.

Neo: I'm not talking about the police. I'm talking about the people above them.

Gwen doesn't fully understand, but sensing they don't have time for explanations, she quickly leads Neo toward the service elevator, which is more discreet.

Inside, she takes a moment before asking him a question.

Gwen: Neo… is it possible to become a jujutsu sorcerer without being able to manipulate cursed energy?

Neo pauses for a moment before replying.

Neo: Well… it depends. I know a guy who can beat the crap out of sorcerers and curses alike without a single drop of cursed energy.

He stops to think for a second, then adds:

Neo: But his body was comparable to Captain America's—if not superior. I'm not sure. But to even stand a chance as a sorcerer, at the very least, you'd need a body far beyond that of a normal human.

Hearing this, Gwen looks a little disheartened, but she quickly shakes it off and waits silently in the elevator.

Neo notices her disappointment but says nothing. The path of a sorcerer is painful, to say the least. Every sorcerer eventually suffers the loss of comrades—over and over again. That's why Neo wants to keep his school friends as far away from curses as possible.

Ding!

The elevator doors open into the underground garage. Gwen helps Neo out, but the moment they step forward, they freeze—five SUVs are parked in a tight formation, blocking the exit.

Gwen panics, immediately assuming the secret service is here to capture Neo and experiment on him to study cursed energy.

Neo, on the other hand, remains calm. He sensed their presence while descending in the elevator but didn't care—he could still handle a bunch of armed men.

As Gwen struggles to figure out what to do, Neo gently pushes her aside and speaks.

Neo: Looks like you all forgot what happened last time. I guess I'll have to remind you what happens when you stand in my way.

Neo raises his hand, preparing to slice the cars into pieces with a barrage of slashes. But before he can act, the door of one of the SUVs opens, and a bald man in a suit steps out, hands raised in a non-threatening gesture.

Neo is mildly surprised—the man before him is none other than Agent Phil Coulson, in the flesh. Since Coulson is approaching with his hands up, Neo decides not to cut him in half.

Noticing that Neo isn't immediately killing him, Coulson lets out a hidden sigh of relief. He was terrified.

Once he reaches Neo, he begins speaking.

Coulson: It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Neo. My team and I, from S.H.I.E.L.D., would like to—

Before Coulson can finish, Neo cuts him off, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he releases a suffocating aura.

Neo: How dare you stand before me without kneeling?

The sheer pressure of Neo's presence forces Coulson to his knees, and even the soldiers standing at a distance find themselves bowing under its weight.

Sweating bullets, Coulson quickly realizes Neo has a god complex—but he pushes through, acting as if nothing is wrong.

Coulson: M-My apologies, Mr. Neo. As I was saying, we at S.H.I.E.L.D. would like to invite you to join an elite group of individuals who will defend the world against all threats—The Avengers.

Hearing this, Neo is momentarily shocked. The Avengers? Already? This is way too early in the timeline. But honestly, he doesn't care about that.

After a few seconds of thought, he responds.

Neo: I accept…

For a brief moment, Coulson's face lights up—only to darken again as Neo continues.

Neo: But on the condition that I get a plot of land with 1000km² (3,280,840ft²), free from American or any other country's jurisdiction, and complete freedom.

When Coulson hears this, he feels an extreme urge to yell at Neo, because what he just asked for is basically impossible—it's almost like asking the United States to give him land to create his own country.

But knowing that Neo wasn't joking, Coulson speaks cautiously.

Coulson: I'm not sure if that's possible at the moment, but if you allow me, I'll confirm with my superior.

Hearing this, Neo just smiles and releases his pressure, allowing Coulson to make a phone call.

Coulson stands up and steps aside while he calls someone, starting to argue with the person on the other end of the line.

Gwen, confused, asks from behind Neo.

Gwen: What's happening?

Remembering Gwen's presence, Neo explains.

Neo: I asked for something impossible at the moment, and now he's discussing with his boss what he's going to do. It's likely that his boss will tell him to say something like, "Unfortunately, it's not possible at the moment to provide 1000 km² (3,280 ft²), but we can offer you 400 km² (1,312,340 ft²), if that suits you."

Hearing this, Gwen understands and nods, stepping back behind Neo, when she notices Coulson coming back.

Coulson: Unfortunately, it's not possible at the moment to provide 1000 km² (3,280,840ft²), but we can offer you 400 km² (1,312,340 ft²) if that suits you.

Hearing that Neo had predicted everything Coulson said, Gwen almost bursts out laughing, but she manages to hold it in.

Upon hearing Coulson's words, Neo pretends to ponder for a minute before finally responding.

Neo: I accept the terms...

Coulson, hearing Neo's confirmation, lets out a frustrated sigh, knowing what he will have to do next.

Coulson: Just one thing, sir... my boss wants to confirm your power level before granting you that land.

Hearing this, Neo raises an eyebrow and looks at Coulson, who recoils, fully aware of the power this child in front of him possesses, thinking he might get cut for saying that.

But contrary to his expectations, Neo responds.

Neo: I agree with your request, let's see what your boss has to offer.

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Guys, if you're enjoying the fic, please send me some power stones!

Hey everyone, I managed to post another chapter as promised! I hope you like this chapter, which I made with so much love. But getting to the more interesting part, if you didn't like something or have any criticism or suggestions, just let me know! I always read everything