Chapter 1116: Wounded
Loki’s sudden disappearance wasn’t the first time it had occurred, but it was the first time Hawkeye had witnessed it. Although it was somewhat surprising, upon realizing that his three arrows had missed their mark, Hawkeye instinctively retracted his bow and swiftly unsheathed a short dagger from his side.
Clang!
Just as Hawkeye had drawn his dagger and held it close to his chest, a cold glint appeared before his chest, striking his short dagger. Simultaneously, Loki’s figure materialized in front of Hawkeye.
Loki’s sudden appearance before Hawkeye exuded a cold and fierce demeanor. His upper body looked slightly disheveled due to the close-range explosion, but only faint traces of injury marred his face; it could hardly be called harm.
At this moment, Loki held a small dagger, thrusting it toward Hawkeye. However, Hawkeye’s recently drawn short dagger happened to block the incoming attack.
Clank!
While Hawkeye’s short dagger managed to parry Loki’s incoming stab, it was evident that the sizes of the two weapons were not in the same league. The short dagger in Hawkeye’s hand only managed to deflect the attack for a brief moment; with a crisp sound, the dagger snapped.
Following the breaking of Hawkeye’s short dagger, Loki’s small dagger swiftly lunged toward Hawkeye’s chest. However, just as the razor-sharp blade was about to pierce through Hawkeye’s clothing and make contact with his skin, Loki’s eyes flickered. His right hand, clutching the small dagger, subtly deviated.
Pew, Chirp!
As anticipated, Loki’s small dagger directly plunged into Hawkeye’s chest. Before Hawkeye could react, Loki kicked him forcefully, sending him hurtling off the flying glider.
Hawkeye, wounded by Loki’s dagger, clutched his chest and descended toward the ground below. Loki, standing on the flying glider, watched him coldly.
“Why… didn’t it hit… my heart…” Watching Loki recede into the distance above, Hawkeye pondered in bewilderment.
As a skilled soldier, Hawkeye was acutely aware of the injuries he sustained. It was this clarity that led to his confusion, for the dagger hadn’t truly struck his heart but had veered slightly. Although the injury was severe, and for most people, life-threatening, it wasn’t as grave for someone like Hawkeye.
Whoosh!
As Hawkeye, wounded by Loki’s dagger and knocked off the flying glider, descended towards the ground, an Iron Man suit surged upward from below, quickly grasping Hawkeye.
After securing Hawkeye, the Iron Man suit descended rapidly toward the desert. While Hawkeye’s life wasn’t in jeopardy, it was apparent that he was unfit for further combat.
As this Iron Man suit, suddenly swooping in to rescue Hawkeye, descended, more Iron Man suits raced up from the side. However, these Iron Man suits differed from the previous ones; their alloy exoskeletons now glowed with a fiery red luster, as if they were coated with shimmering scales.
Observing the fiery red radiance emanating from the surface of the Iron Man suit that held him, Hawkeye blinked and quickly realized what was happening.
“This is… Extremis?” Hawkeye’s eyes swept across the fiery red glow on the Iron Man suit’s surface, expressing his astonishment.
While SHIELD had been researching Extremis for various applications, they hadn’t reached the level where Tony Stark had successfully integrated it into the Iron Man suit.
“Hawkeye, you’re quite unlucky. Descend for recovery and take the Recovery Serum. We’ll take it from here.” Just as Hawkeye curiously examined the fiery red glow on the Iron Man suit, Tony’s voice resonated from within the Iron Man suit that held him.
“Cough, cough… Be careful. Also, he seems to be holding back.” Upon hearing Tony’s words, Hawkeye coughed twice as a reminder.
“We’ll be careful. Whether he’s holding back or not, it doesn’t matter. We must fight until one side submits. Of course, I assume you wouldn’t want us to surrender.” Responding to Hawkeye’s reminder, Tony’s voice continued.
“That’s right, then let’s fight until he surrenders!”
“Haha, don’t worry, I still have many tricks up my sleeve!”
Swish, Swish, Swish!
As Hawkeye and Tony exchanged words, the Iron Man suits, all equipped with activated lifeform energy systems, soared back into the skies, encircling Loki once again. This time, the Iron Man suits were even more dazzling, enveloped in a radiant fiery red glow, exuding a greater sense of dominance.
“Hmph! A bunch of scrap metal!” Gazing at the fiery red Iron Man suits surrounding him, Loki’s expression was one of disdain.
Since Loki had managed to deal with these Iron Man suits once, he was confident he could do it again. Moreover, he wouldn’t allow these metallic adversaries the chance to take flight again.
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz!
As Loki prepared to release his magic once more, his small dagger vanishing from his hand and his grip tightening on the staff, an intense surge of energy emanated from the Iron Man suits surrounding him.
During the surge’s escalation, the light radiating from each Iron Man suit intensified, becoming increasingly blinding; eventually, the inner workings were obscured by the brilliance.
Boom!
Upon the Iron Man suits transforming into tiny suns, a blazing crimson energy beam abruptly shot forth from the chest of each Iron Man suit.
Unlike the previous laser beams, these fiery red energy beams were entirely composed of Extremis-altered lifeform energy. In terms of destructive power, the impact of these lifeform energy beams surpassed that of regular energy beams.
Bang!
These fiery red energy beams instantaneously converged around Loki, yet were once again intercepted by an invisible magical shield, just like the prior attacks. However, this time, the lifeform energy assault posed a considerable threat to Loki as well.
Within the circular magical shield, Loki’s expression had grown much graver. His magical energy was not limitless; as Extremis expended its own energy to attack him, Loki was also required to expend his magical energy to counter it.
“Truly troublesome!” Amidst the sea of fiery red that met his eyes, Loki’s brows furrowed as he muttered lowly.
Subsequently, the tip of Loki’s staff lit up with a green radiance. Hidden within the staff’s tip was a gem-like substance emitting a special glow.
Hum, Hum, Hum!
Upon the appearance of the green radiance within the staff’s tip, Loki’s aura suddenly surged dramatically. In the next instant, Loki tightened his grip on the staff and unleashed a pale green burst of magical energy from its tip.
……
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