Chapter 79: Cry for the Moon – Part 5

We tore down the elevated highway in Madripoor.

The wind cut past me as I sped through a city dimmed by exhaust fumes.

Twisting the throttle, my bike surged forward.

Ahead, I caught sight of the Power Broker’s vehicle—a gaudy, heavily armored beast compared to the other cars on the road.

Above it, the Falcon flew.

Like a hawk targeting a fish drifting down a river… no—he’s a falcon, after all.

…And I had no weapon in hand.
The submachine gun, the shotgun—I’d left them behind.

The window in the rear seat of the Power Broker’s escort vehicle slid open… and the muzzle of an assault rifle emerged.

A split second later, they opened fire on the Falcon above.

He wrapped his wings around himself and spun midair.

The vibranium feathers deflected the bullets, knocking them away. Flattened rounds clattered to the ground with a metallic ring.
Then, he spread his wings again and climbed higher.

But it didn’t end there.

He tapped at the device on his arm, and the central module of his backpack detached.

It was a bird-shaped drone—Redwing.

The moment it separated, Redwing dove, pulling alongside the escort vehicle.
Panels unfolded underneath it, and something like a laser fired out—

—a beam of intense heat, cutting straight through the tires.

A sharp crack, a plume of black smoke.

“…Tch.”

The escort vehicle, crippled, lost control and skidded across the road, rapidly bleeding speed.

As I passed it, I reached for the rifle sticking out of the passenger-side window.

“Hand that over.”

The soldier seemed to understand, tossing the assault rifle out the window.

I caught it midair, gripped it tight, and moved on—closing in on the Falcon.
I raised the muzzle skyward.

A few single shots rang out.

He evaded with ease, but that didn’t matter—the gap between him and the Power Broker’s car widened.

Infuriating as it was, my job was to protect the Power Broker.

Even if I couldn’t land a decisive blow… as long as I stopped him from achieving his goal, it would be enough.

A tunnel loomed ahead.
Once through it, we’d reach our destination—the meeting point in Lower Lowtown.

He’d want to settle this before that.

Falcon angled his body downward, losing altitude—probably to avoid slamming into the tunnel wall.

But if he was coming lower… that opened the chance to land a real hit.

The rifle had only a handful of rounds left. No spare magazine.

We plunged into the tunnel. Falcon followed right in after.

In the dimness, only orange overhead lights illuminated the way.
For an ordinary person, visibility would be poor.

But for me? No problem.
The mask’s night vision kicked in, and the super soldier serum had sharpened my eyesight even further.

Still… the goggles Falcon wore almost certainly had night vision too.

It was the Power Broker’s hired guards who were at a disadvantage.
A moment ago they’d been looking for openings to shoot, but now, wary of friendly fire in the dark, their muzzles had withdrawn back inside.

They were mercenaries, not soldiers or agents.
Lack of training came with the territory.

In the shadows, the flames from Falcon’s jetpack flared bright, filling the tunnel with the roar of thrust and the hiss of burning fuel.

He accelerated—straight for me.

He meant to end it here.

…The bike I’d taken from Taskmaster wouldn’t catch him in time.
At this speed, closing the distance would take too long.

Made me realize again how good Tinkerer’s machines really were.
But there was no point wishing for what I didn’t have.

I wove between escort vehicles, pushing my speed to the limit.

…Still too far.
I’d have to shoot him down.

But at this range, he’d just block the rounds with his wings again.

So instead, I aimed the rifle at the overhead fluorescent lights ahead.

One squeeze of the trigger—glass shattered with a sharp report, raining shards toward the Falcon.

Area effect—harder to dodge than a single bullet.
A scratch or two would do.
If he blocked, the distance would open up—either way, a win.

But he angled down, spreading his wings in front of him, shielding himself from the glass as he dropped—
—landing right on top of the Power Broker’s vehicle.

“You sly bastard…!”

I stomped on the bike seat, launching myself onto the roof of another escort car.

The vehicle rocked beneath me the moment I landed—guess I startled the driver.

I locked eyes with the Falcon.
He was watching me just as closely—cautious.

I leveled my rifle at him—

—and caught movement in my peripheral vision. Redwing.

I swung toward it on instinct—
—but it was bait.

Falcon himself swooped in, closing the distance in a heartbeat.

His hand clamped onto my arm, ready to hurl me into open air.

“Kh…!”

I grabbed his arm with my free hand.
My feet swung into empty space, but I clung to him—
—only for the momentum to smash me into the tunnel wall.

I avoided being thrown off, but the impact slammed me hard into the concrete.

The vibranium armor dulled the blow. Hardly any damage.

But the rifle slipped from my grip, clattering onto the road below and shattering.

Kicking off the wall, I lashed out at Falcon with a flying kick.

“Well now, someone’s got nasty footwork.”

I reacted on instinct—twisting my body into a barrel roll.
The sudden rotation threw my balance off, and the centrifugal force threatened to tear me away from the Falcon.

“Ghh…!”

In the same instant, I fired the claw hook mounted on my arm.
It shot out and bit deep into the roof of an escort vehicle.

I twisted my arm, reeling in the wire.
I’d yank him down with me.

“What kind of brute strength is this…?!”

Knowing he couldn’t win in close-quarters on the ground, he lashed out with a kick.

I ignored it.
There was no way it could punch through vibranium armor.

The Falcon was a hero with incredible skill and a unique flight suit.
But his raw physical ability wasn’t beyond that of a well-trained soldier.
He had almost no means of piercing my armored suit.

Only those sharp vibranium feathers of his could do that.
But they were occupied with keeping him aloft.

Meaning—while in flight, the Falcon couldn’t land a decisive hit on me.

That was when I heard the slicing rush of air.
Redwing.

As it passed by, its wing cut straight through the wire.

“Tch!”

The cable was made from a special fiber—one that shouldn’t be easy to sever.

But Redwing… that thing was made of vibranium.
With wings honed like blades, it was no surprise they could slice it clean.

The altitude rose again, lifting me close enough to graze the tunnel ceiling.

“How about we make this a little rendezvous?”

“As if I’d ever—!”

I fired my jetpack, twisted my body, and flipped in midair.

The impact slammed me into the tunnel ceiling, shattering the metal panels.
Fluorescent lights burst overhead, making my vision flicker between light and dark.

“Ugh—!”

The vibranium absorbed the shock, but my inner ear took the hit.
I couldn’t even tell where the ground was anymore.

How could Falcon pull these wild maneuvers without getting dizzy?

Still locked in his grip, I was slammed into the wall again, my body straining under the crushing G-forces.
His jets roared at full thrust, dragging me along.

The screech of grinding concrete echoed through the tunnel.

“If you didn’t fight back, I wouldn’t have to do this…”

His voice carried through the sound of shattering stone.

“My… mission… must… be completed…!”

Failure meant suspicion of betrayal.
And to avoid death, the only option was to keep fighting the enemy in front of me.

“You’d have an easier life if you learned to take it easy.”

Take it… easy…?

“Shut… up…!”

Pinned to the wall, I reached for him—
—and swung my arm down hard.

“Gh—!?”

Metal struck metal, and the Falcon recoiled.

Tch… not just the wings.
Even the protective plates of his suit were made of vibranium.

I should have gone for the joints… but it was too late for regrets.

Even with a blow strong enough to crater the concrete, the suit didn’t have a single scratch.

But I could tell—the impact had gotten past the protector and into his body.

Falcon wavered in midair before crashing down onto the roof of the Power Broker’s vehicle.
I followed suit, landing hard.

On the narrow rooftop, I squared off against him.

“Tch… one wrong step and you’d be falling, missy.”

“Watch your mouth… I’ll pluck those wings and slaughter you where you stand.”

“Oho, scary…”

Balancing on the unstable footing, I took a step toward him—

“Take this!”

His wings stabbed into the roof.

Damn.

His win condition wasn’t to defeat me.
It was to take the Power Broker—the mission target.

If he managed to grab the target as a hostage, I wouldn’t be able to interfere.
That would be my loss.

“What a pain…”

The front was blocked by his wings.
I gripped the vehicle’s edge, shifted to the side, and reached for the rear door handle.

Locked, of course.

I wrenched it with all my strength, tearing the door off its hinges, and slid into the back seat.

To guard the Power Broker at close range.

But—

“…Gone?”

The Power Broker wasn’t there.

For a moment, I thought Falcon had already taken him…
But through the gap his wings had torn in the roof, Falcon was peering down with a puzzled look.

When had he disappeared?

At what point had he been—

No.

From the start… he wasn’t here?

No way—

That bastard—

“A decoy…!?”

Falcon’s voice sharpened.

The next instant, the vehicle’s speed dropped sharply.
Falcon was thrown from the roof.

“Kh…!”

But he used his vibranium wings as a cushion, killing the impact.
No damage.

Then the escort vehicles screeched to a stop, blocking the road ahead.
The rear convoy blocked the way behind.

If the Power Broker wasn’t inside, there was no reason for the escort to continue to the exchange point.
They were here to stall.

But Falcon could fly.
And conventional firearms wouldn’t stop him.
A bad play.

The guards stepped out of their vehicles—
—unarmed.

“What the hell…?”

Falcon glanced between them and me, confused.

I forced myself not to look surprised.
I acted as if this was all according to plan.

The guards wore expressions weighed down with resignation, as if they’d already accepted something inevitable.

I knew that look.
My line of work brought me face-to-face with it often.
It was the expression of someone who’d stared death in the eye and given up.

Why they’d wear that look, I didn’t yet know.

The guards touched their wristwatches.
All of them wore the same model.

That’s when I realized—
They weren’t ordinary watches.
They were some kind of device the Power Broker had prepared.

In the next instant, their bodies convulsed.
They groaned in pain—
—and began to swell.

“What the—!?”

I nearly shouted, but held my tongue.

The guards began to change shape right before my eyes.

Their skin turned a sickly green… and their bodies twisted into the form of humanoid lizards.

But their skin wasn’t reptilian—its texture was more like that of plants.

…What… is this?

What’s happening?

It looked like something straight out of a cheap, second-rate horror movie.

Dozens of glassy eyes turned toward Falcon all at once.

Then the guards—no, the monsters—pounced on him.

“What—You’ve gotta be kidding me…!?”

Startled, I took a step back.

The drool spilling from their mouths made my skin crawl.

With sharp claws bared, they let out shrill, inhuman cries and charged at Falcon without hesitation.

“Whoa—hey!?”

Falcon spun around and struck them with his wings.

The former guards couldn’t absorb the blow and were sent tumbling across the ground.

Even so, there were too many of them.

Knock one away, and another immediately lunged in to take his place.

There was no pause—only an unending rush.

I just stood there, watching in stunned silence.

They were clearly no longer in their right minds.

Their bodies… bore no trace of the humans they had once been.

…Could they even turn back?

No… if they could, they wouldn’t have worn such expressions before transforming.

They must have been blackmailed or coerced—forced into this against their will.

If it’s Power Broker, that wouldn’t surprise me.

That man is utterly without scruples.

But part of the blame lies with me, too.

…I’ve done nothing but follow orders without resistance—

I turned my eyes away.

I couldn’t face my own guilt.

I wasn’t even in a position to despise this grotesque act—because I was complicit in it.

Even now, Falcon wasn’t trying to kill these transformed guards.

He didn’t slash or impale them with his wings—only struck to disable.

But there were too many… Even if he didn’t lose, it would take time.

I slipped away, keeping out of sight.

Falcon noticed and raised his voice sharply.

“Hey! Wait! Do you really think this is the right thing to do!?”

I didn’t answer. I just kept putting distance between us.

I commandeered one of the stopped cars.

“What’s the point in protecting someone who’d do this!?”

I ignored his voice ringing in my ears and slammed my foot on the accelerator.

Leaving Falcon behind, I sped away.

I was heading for the deal site where Power Broker was supposed to be.

I had to protect him.

…No. That wasn’t it.

If I were doing what I should, I would’ve stayed there… and eliminated Falcon.

But I couldn’t do it.

The thought crossed my mind as an option… yet I couldn’t choose it.

The truth was… I just wanted to get away.

I was grasping for excuses—any reason to leave this place.

I just didn’t want to look at the atrocities I was part of.

I am… a coward.

---

Madripoor — Lower Town.

Among the rows of stacked shipping containers stood a man who clearly didn’t belong.

He wore a well-tailored black business suit… but that wasn’t the most striking thing about him.

His skin was purple, and his eyes glowed faintly.

A figure far removed from humanity—no doubt about it. This was Power Broker.

I held my breath and slipped behind the upper tier of containers, keeping out of sight.

…Power Broker had come alone.

No guards.

He carried only a single attaché case.

Not even a weapon.

Another figure approached the area.

“Nice to meet you, Power Broker. It’s an honor to finally see you in person.”

A woman in a suit.

The supposed client for this transaction… though in reality, she was an undercover agent.

Her name was Sharon. Sharon Carter.

She was a skilled agent in her own right.

She rarely operated in the public eye, which made her well-suited for missions like this one.

“…Hm?”

Yet, even as his ‘client’ arrived, Power Broker’s expression remained blank.

He placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought.

And then—

“Ah… I see now.”

He gave a small nod, as though coming to a private realization.

Then… his eyes swept the area, finally stopping in my direction.

His gaze locked on the spot where I was hiding.

Was it coincidence? My imagination?

…No.

He was looking right at me.

And yet his face remained calm—infuriatingly so—like someone enjoying a casual afternoon stroll, as if to say there was nothing at all to fear.

Sharon, ignored until now, finally spoke up.

“Um, Power Bro—”

“It’s fine. You… are irrelevant.”

With a casual wave of his hand, he cut her off and turned his body toward me.

“Come out… Nick Fury.”

…If he already knew my name, there was no point hiding.

I drew my pistol from inside my coat, keeping it partially concealed, and stepped into view.

“Shall we exchange proper greetings, Power Broker?”

“No need… I already know you well.”

“Oh? I’m flattered.”

I frowned at his mocking tone.

It was unpleasant, but I didn’t let it anger me.

Anger slows your judgment. I kept my mind clear, my thoughts moving.

While keeping one arm hidden, I tapped at my device, issuing silent commands to the other agents concealed nearby.

The agents in position tightened their formation, ready to strike at a moment’s notice—

Ten barrels, give or take, were aimed at Power Broker, waiting for the smallest suspicious move.

“Heh. Quite the turnout you’ve arranged… Oh? Even Black Widow is here. Not just numbers, but quality as well.”

Inwardly, I was startled.

I had no idea how he’d located us—or how he knew who was here.

And yet, even in a situation that should have been critical, he showed nothing but composure.

As I watched him warily, Power Broker smirked.

“Tell me, Nick Fury… do you know why I came here without guards?”

That was because we had delayed them.

Silver Samurai. Taskmaster. Redcap.

We’d deployed most of our strength to keep them occupied.

The plan was to split him off. And by all accounts, it had worked.

Or so I thought.

“Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you.”

Power Broker extended his hand toward Sharon.

A cold chill settled in my mind.

I didn’t know exactly what he was about to do, but I knew it was bad.

Sharon, sensing danger, took a step back.

No—too slow.

Most likely, he—

“Sharon! Get clear—!”

“It’s because I don’t need guards in the first place.”

A burst of blue sparks shot from his hand, blasting Sharon away.

A container wall crumpled, her body embedding into the metal.

…At the very least, she’d have bruises and fractures.

At worst—internal bleeding.

The agents burst from cover, weapons trained on Power Broker.

He showed no fear.

With a faint smile, he ignored the muzzles pointed at him and spoke directly to me.

“Energy bolt. Impressive, isn’t it?”

There was no weapon in his hand.

Only bare skin.

Some sort of… special ability.

“…A mutant, are you?”

“Now… who can say?”

From the moment I saw his inhuman appearance, I’d considered the possibility that he might possess special abilities.

That was why I’d arranged for multiple agents to be here.

But I had been misled by the fact that he was always surrounded by guards.

He wasn’t a merchant who couldn’t fight… He was a superhuman.

“I don’t hire guards to protect me. I hire them because… fighting is a nuisance. That’s all there is to it.”

My feet left the ground.

He rose into the air, until he was standing midair, level with my line of sight.

How, I had no idea.

And in his hand, he still clutched the attaché case—almost as if to say that someone like me could be defeated without even using both hands.

He aimed an arm toward me—

In that instant, a wire shot out, wrapping tightly around Power Broker’s arm.

“Mm…?”

“Fury! Permission to take the shot!”

Black Widow—Natasha—yanked him down toward the ground as she called out.

I answered without hesitation.

“Granted!”

At my order, Natasha kicked off the ground, rolling back out of the line of fire.

The agents opened fire on Power Broker all at once.

Bullets struck home, kicking up clouds of dust.

His business suit was soon riddled with holes—but there was no blood.

Whether his blood was even red, I couldn’t tell.

“…Barbaric. Devoid of refinement… like wild beasts.”

He gripped the front of his suit in one hand and tore it open.

Beneath was not bare skin, but a skintight costume—black, with glowing purple lines running across it.

“Beasts… won’t obey even if given profit. That’s why, with strength—”

His hand crackled, glowing bright blue with energy.

“I’ll make you submit.”

A thin, predatory smile spread across his face.

---

Shields and swords clashed.

…The sword in Taskmaster’s hands glowed with an orange light.
Just from its appearance, it was clearly no ordinary weapon.

Even a vibranium shield couldn’t completely absorb the impact.

I knocked his sword aside, raised my shield, and slammed my entire body forward.
Taskmaster twisted at the last moment, avoiding the hit.

In terms of raw physical ability, I had the upper hand.
In terms of equipment… if we were talking shields alone, mine was superior.

But when it came to combat technique—he surpassed me.

Overall, I still held the advantage.
But right now, things were different.

…The blows and kicks I’d taken earlier from Red Cap still throbbed.
I wasn’t at my best.
That difference in stamina evened the playing field.

“You seem quite invested in her, Captain America.”

Taskmaster’s voice was neither mocking nor surprised—just flat, matter-of-fact.
Wanting to buy even a moment to recover, I kept the conversation going.

“Of course. She’s… someone I must protect.”

“You’re quick to do things that don’t pay.”

Taskmaster slipped his right hand behind the shield on his left arm.

“…The world isn’t something you can live in with money alone.”

“And yet, without money, there are times you die.”

In that instant, Taskmaster hurled something.

“—Tch!?”

I deflected it with my shield, sending the “something” spinning up into the air.
When it came down, still spinning, I saw it—a trident-like short blade.
I couldn’t tell whose technique it was or where it came from,
but without question, it was the work of a master.

“Hmph. So even distraction won’t work on you.”

“…Ambushes are a coward’s tactic.”

“In a fight, there’s no such thing as cowardice. Only results. That’s what battle is.”

He leveled his sword, taking a step forward.

“If I kill you, I’ll probably get a nice bonus on my pay. Something to look forward to.”

He stepped in closer still.

“One thing… tell me, what do you actually know about her?”

“Me? Nothing.”

He stopped just outside the reach of his blade.
Then Taskmaster spoke again.

“But I know her organization. Or rather… I remember it.”

“Organization?”

“Oh yes. Filth that makes you sick just thinking about them. More evil… and more powerful than you can imagine.”

His expression was hidden beneath that skull mask.
But I doubted he was smiling.

“…I see.”

“That’s why, Captain America… all you’re doing is hurting her. It’s nothing more than empty charity.”

“Even if it is, if I can save her—”

“That very belief is wrong. Saving her is impossible. That organization is a bottomless swamp… once you’ve stepped in, it never lets you go.”

“That… is—”

“If someone is trapped in a swamp, and you try to pull them out by force, what do you think happens?”

“…”

“They tear in two and die.”

I found myself unable to respond.

“This bloodstained place is where she belongs. Dragging her out will only harm her.”

“…Then tell me what you know. I just want to help her.”

He clearly knew something.
I was certain of it—and I pressed him for it.

“Hmph. I’m not your instructor. I have no obligation… to tell you anything.”

He stepped in.
In the same instant, his sword came slashing down.
I deflected it with my shield and lashed out with a kick—

Only for his own shield to block it with the exact same motion.

When it came to shield work… we were dead even.

Damn… he was a tough opponent.

Using the recoil, I rolled back and hurled my shield—
At the very same moment, he hurled his.

In midair, the two shields collided—ricocheting away from each other.

Time to retrieve mine—

But in that instant, Taskmaster raised his sword to strike.
I grabbed his wrist and twisted.

“Tch…!”

He immediately rolled the sword around his wrist like a pivot.
I leaned back to avoid the slash, then snapped the top of my foot against the sword’s hilt.

The weapon spun free, flying out of his hand.

Now he was unarmed—his skill with weapons, useless.

I spoke.

“Surrender. We have things to discuss!”

“You think I can’t fight without a weapon?”

The gloves on his hands shifted—the clawed tips extending outward.
Metal claws, glinting under the light.

He slashed at me with them, lunging like a wild animal.

I dodged at the last second; the claws gouged deep into the concrete.

“…Black Panther.”

“Correct.”

His pattern of attacks was unreadable.
Pure physical strength? Without superpowers, he was always a step behind.

But he cycled between entirely different styles at the perfect moment—
Launching moves far outside any prediction, with master-level skill.

A dangerous opponent.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my shield.
I had to get it back.
In a barehanded fight, he held the advantage.
I couldn’t win on his battlefield.

So—

I drove forward in a tackle.

But at that exact moment, Taskmaster’s kick lashed out—
aimed with precision at a vital point.
The strike of a seasoned martial artist.

I threw a punch—

He rotated his arm, flowing my strike harmlessly aside.
It was like trying to punch water.

“Tch!”

“That was Shang-Chi.”

His counterpunch slammed into my gut.

“Ghh—!”

The blow rattled my insides, a burning pain flooding my body.

“And this is Iron Fist.”

I let the momentum carry me as I rolled across the ground.
Distance bought… but my shield still lay just out of reach.

Taskmaster reached beneath his cape and drew a collapsible bow.

“Now—do you know who’s next?”

A bow.
No doubt—Hawkeye.

I darted sideways, hand stretching toward my shield.
The creak of a bowstring tightening reached my ears.

I triggered the electromagnet in my arm bracer—
the shield jerked toward me.

A moment too late.

The arrow loosed—

And suddenly, there was the sound of something cutting the air.
Someone was charging straight at Taskmaster.

Reacting instantly, he fired toward the figure.

The arrow buried itself in a neck—
a black-haired teenage girl.

Blood streamed freely from the wound—

But she ignored it entirely, lunging for Taskmaster.

“Tch!”

He discarded the bow and backflipped away, opening the distance.

…My eyes went to the girl—
arrow still lodged in her neck.

“Hey—!” I called out to her.

“Sorry—thanks for the assist… but, that arrow—are you alright?”

She answered—

“Ghh, hhhohh, hhh—”

She gripped the arrow and yanked it out by force.
Her throat had been pierced—she couldn’t speak before.

“Guh… ggeh—kghh, hurts like hell…”

The wound closed instantly.

I recognized her.
Right—Fury had mentioned being in Madripoor.

“…Laura Kinney?”

I’d seen her once before—
back when she was still a killing machine, in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

“Khff—hahhh—yeah, that’s me,”
she spat blood onto the concrete, the red pooling beneath her.

“You’re—”

“Laura Kinney…!”

Taskmaster’s voice cut in, interrupting us.
In his hands—both sword and shield.

“What happened to Mercedes…?”

“Eh? Uh… well—uhh…”

Laura scratched her cheek.
Mercedes…? Who was that?

While she hesitated, Taskmaster trembled.

“You… I should have killed you back then…!”

His blade, glowing, ripped a gouge in the ground.
In his shield hand, a chain had appeared—its tip ending in a metal spike.

With a snap of his wrist, the chain spun in a deadly arc.
It wasn’t just plain metal—the marks it left in the concrete proved that.
A hit would strip flesh to the bone.

“You won’t get away this time. I’ll kill you for certain!”

Laura tilted her head.
“Uh… this is feeling kinda bad, huh?”

“Looks like you just stomped all over his landmine.”

“Oh… so that’s my fault?”

“That’s about right.”

Laura thrust both arms forward—skin splitting over her knuckles, adamantium claws sliding out.

A thought crossed my mind.

“Come to think of it… how’d you even catch up to us?”

“Huh? Oh—over there. Bike.”

I followed her gaze to a motorcycle lying on its side.
If she’d had the wheels, she could’ve gotten here way ahead of anyone.

I gave her a glance.

“Can you take him?”

I turned my gaze back to Taskmaster.

“…Of course.”

“I see… no. You take the bike and get ahead.”

“…What?”

“I’m grateful for the help. But I’ll handle this.”

Shield in hand, I squared off against Taskmaster.
The chain in his grip spun at high speed, slicing the air with a sharp hiss.

“Stand aside…!”

“I refuse.”

The chain cracked like a whip, striking at me.
I raised the shield, deflecting it with the smallest possible motion.

“Laura—go.”

“O-Okay… but are you gonna be alright?”

The truth was… my body was already beaten down.
Fatigue weighed on me.
My legs felt heavy, my insides ached, and even lifting my arms burned like fire.

But none of that mattered.

“Yeah. I can still fight.”

Again, I knocked the chain aside.

Laura sprinted to the bike, engine roaring to life.

Taskmaster’s eyes narrowed.

“…Why are you moving better than before?”

He sounded genuinely baffled.

“It’s simple. I fight better when I’m protecting someone… than when I’m just trying to win.”

“…Don’t toy with me.”

“I’m dead serious.”

Laura sped away, her bike tearing down the street.

I kept my eyes on Taskmaster.

“And it’s not just me. You’re the one getting weaker.”

“Tch… no matter. I’ll kill you first, then chase her down.”

Laura probably thought she’d only angered Taskmaster and gotten in my way.
But that wasn’t the case.

He’s a man who lives and dies by precision.
And right now, he’s lost his calm.

That gives me a chance.

And I won’t let it slip.
No matter the circumstances, I’ll pull the thread toward victory.

That’s how we heroes fight.