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*****
Blue flames consumed the entire world, accompanied by the whispers of demons as souls wailed in the inferno...
"Ah!"
Gwen let out a low cry, jolting awake from her dream.
The very next moment, Mike pushed open the door and came in. He switched on the bedroom light, and seeing the cold sweat on Gwen's forehead, he asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?"
"Mm."
Gwen nodded, staring at her own fingers, as if she could still feel the burning heat of the flames.
"Tell me about it."
Mike sat on the edge of Gwen's bed, his voice soft.
Gwen thought for a moment and said, "It was the same as last time. Nothing different."
Gwen had her first nightmare not long after returning from Wakanda. This was the second one, nine days after the last.
Mike pondered this for a moment, then asked Gwen, "What did you feel in the dream?"
Gwen thought again, her brow furrowing. "I felt... a calling. A summons."
She paused, then asked nervously, "Dad, am I... am I going to hell?"
"Haha!" Mike chuckled, gently wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. "Silly girl, of course not."
He paused, then said with a smile, "Isn't your spring break coming up soon? We'll all go on a trip together then."
"That's great!" Gwen cheered, but then hesitated. "Is this trip... related to my nightmare?"
"Don't overthink it. Get some sleep. Call me if you need anything."
Mike kissed Gwen's forehead, got up, turned off the light, and left the room.
But after leaving Gwen's room, Mike's expression instantly darkened.
Gwen's nightmare... if he wasn't mistaken, it was likely related to Mephisto.
The reason she felt a 'summons' was probably because of the contract signed with Mephisto in the past. Is Mephisto making a move recently?
Thinking of this, Mike pondered.
However, just feeling a summons wasn't a huge problem.
After all, this was no longer Mephisto's Spirit of Vengeance, but his Spirit of Vengeance.
Still, it would be better to deal with it.
Besides, ruining Mephisto's plans always sounded rather interesting.
Mike smiled faintly and returned to his own room.
"What's wrong with Gwen?" Raven asked with concern.
"Nothing," Mike said lightly. "She just had a nightmare."
Mike stroked Raven's smooth long hair, lowered his head to kiss her forehead, and said softly, "Go to sleep."
Raven nodded, her heart at ease.
...
The azure Earth, like a sapphire gemstone embedded in the vastness of space.
But as Faora stared down at the planet, her eyes held only the desire for destruction.
She thought, every single moment, about destroying this planet, about killing the traitor Kal-El and his entire family.
But she had witnessed the power of the Kent family firsthand; she knew all too well that she couldn't possibly do it alone.
While she could probably take one of them down in a suicide attack, her goal was to wipe out the entire Kent family. Killing just one person couldn't be called revenge.
Revenge...
During the Battle of New York, she was assigned to stop Clark, but she was knocked unconscious and sank to the bottom of the sea.
When she awoke, they had already failed.
She had assumed General Zod's failure was only a temporary retreat. But when she saw some of the battle footage, saw her own compatriots being cut down by Mike Kent like they were vegetables, a sliver of fear tainted her grief and rage.
Could it be... that he killed all of them? Even General Zod?
She flew frantically out of Earth's atmosphere, heading for the Kryptonian ship's last known location.
In the end, all she found was the wreckage of the ship, drifting silently in the void.
She was completely stunned.
And when she saw a corpse float past her... she... she started to panic.
But she still clung to a sliver of desperate hope.
What if... what if the others were still alive?
And so, she began to silently gather the bodies, searching the vast emptiness.
One... two...
The days passed, and as she found more and more of her people's corpses, even General Zod's body eventually floated before her. She finally, completely, collapsed.
She had no home, and now, even the very last of her compatriots were dead.
Her only remaining desire was to destroy this planet.
But what made her feel utterly powerless was that the family's strength only seemed to grow more terrifying, and this planet kept producing more and more individuals who wielded immense power.
The so-called Star Corporation, the Sentinel War...
As these powerful forces and factions were, one by one, dealt with by the Kent family and the other superheroes, she couldn't help but feel a profound sense of helplessness.
If she wanted to destroy this planet, her enemy wouldn't just be the Kent family, but everyone on this world.
Lost in her confusion, she felt despair and emptiness, leading her to drift aimlessly... until that person found her.
Thanos.
Although she had no good feelings for that "purple potato"—in fact, their previous "cooperation" had made her despise him—it was undeniable that she needed to work with him to have any chance of destroying that planet.
This was especially true after she learned from Thanos that he had once been easily killed by Mike Kent and Odin.
Giving the blue planet one last look, Faora turned and sped away.
She would be back.
...
Sizzle!
As the sliced meat hit the hot oil, an enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen, causing the two people in the living room to unconsciously swallow.
Gwen's hands, which had been dancing across the piano keys, paused involuntarily. She looked at Raven with a troubled expression, "How am I supposed to keep playing music for my little brother's prenatal education with this distraction?"
"Giggle!"
Raven laughed softly, stroking her growing belly. "This is a test for you, too."
"Gu gu."
Gwen's stomach rumbled in protest.
Gwen couldn't help but giggle, sticking her tongue out playfully. Her fingers returned to the keys, her expression quickly becoming serene as a string of fluent notes leaped from her fingertips.
She still went to her piano lessons every week. As for combat... she had nothing left to learn from that interest class. Ever since she gained her powers, her combat ability had skyrocketed.
Before, playing the piano was just her hobby, but ever since she learned that music was beneficial for prenatal education, she had taken on a sense of responsibility as an older sister.
Whenever she had time, she would prepare gentle tunes, pull Raven into the living room, and do her part.
In the future, when my little brother becomes a musician, it will all be because of my training!
Gwen thought happily.
But following a call of "Time to eat!" Gwen immediately stopped the piece halfway. She turned to Raven, "Let's eat first, Aunt Raven! We need strength to play!"
"Pfft!"
Raven couldn't help but laugh. She pointed at Gwen from across the room and said seriously, "That's a very good point!"
The two walked to the dining table. Looking at the sumptuous lunch, they waited for Mike to sit down, and the family began to eat happily.
Halfway through the meal, Raven suddenly remembered something, her movements pausing. "I almost forgot. Tony said he needed to see you about something. He's next door right now."
"He needs me?" Mike was briefly stunned, then nodded. "Got it."
After finishing lunch, Mike casually left his house and went next door to Tony's.
He rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door was opened by a familiar face.
"Mike!"
Maria greeted him with a hug.
Mike glanced at the clearly dressed-up Maria. "You... going out?"
Maria nodded, pointing inside. "Tony's in the lab downstairs. Go find him yourself."
With that, she hurried out of the house.
"What's she in such a rush for?"
Mike muttered in confusion. He closed the door and headed down to Tony's lab.
Just as he reached the lab door, a metallic voice rang out.
"Welcome, Mr. Kent."
Mike nodded and walked into the lab.
Messy.
That was Mike's first impression upon entering.
He soon found Tony amidst a pile of materials.
"Tony?"
Mike called out.
Tony looked up, his face showing a trace of fatigue.
"You're here, Uncle Mike."
Mike stood at the doorway and joked, "You didn't call me over to help you clean this stuff up, did you?"
"Of course not."
Tony rubbed his temples, his face gradually lighting up with excitement. "I've recently completed a new project, and I want you to help me test it."
"A new project? A test?"
Mike raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious about Tony's work.
Tony stood up from the pile of materials and said to Mike, "I've been developing two sets of Iron Man armor recently. I just finished one, and the other is still in development."
He paused, a grin spreading across his face. "The one I completed... I'm calling it the Sentinel Armor."
"Sentinel Armor?" Mike asked, puzzled. "The 'Sentinel' in that name... it couldn't possibly mean the Sentinel I'm thinking of, could it?"
Tony took a deep breath, his voice filled with excitement. "It's exactly the Sentinel you're thinking of! The kind that can replicate mutant abilities!"
As he spoke, he pointed to a suit of armor placed in the corner, a smile on his face.
It was still the classic red-and-gold color scheme and looked no different from any other Iron Man suit.
But if you looked closely, you would find that the suit was covered in tiny, tile-like pieces, similar to the black scales on the Sentinels.
However, the scales on Tony's armor were more refined, and the seams between them were almost invisible.
"In addition to the Sentinel's own abilities, it also has the standard Iron Man attack methods. The internal structure is a bit special, so it carries less ammunition, but the ability to copy and store mutant powers is more than enough to make up for that."
Tony said as he walked towards the Sentinel Armor. The suit opened up, and he spread his arms, letting it envelop him.
In the next second, the suit's eyes and arc reactor lit up. Tony's voice came from within.
"This is the suit's first official test. Although I have faith in it, I just feel safer having you here."
Mike raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you ask me to test it? From the sound of it... is there a danger?"
"Correct. I've modified this suit so it can use multiple abilities in combat, but that means there's a chance they could conflict, potentially causing the suit to, well, explode."
Mike looked at him, speechless. "Then why don't you just let Friday control it?"
"An AI is still an AI. It can't compare to a human mind. And..."
Tony paused. "I injected myself with the Extremis virus earlier. It significantly shortens my reaction time when controlling the armor. It's better if I pilot it myself."
"Extremis? When? I thought that stuff was dangerous." Mike's brow furrowed slightly.
"I modified it. It's already complete, and the process was very smooth."
Tony brushed past the topic lightly, then suddenly grinned at Mike. "So, Uncle Mike, you'll have to go easy on me. I'd rather this suit not get blown up by you."
"Not much confidence, huh?"
"Confidence depends on the opponent. You're just a monster..."
The corner of Mike's mouth twitched. "What did you just say?"
"I said, you're so handsome!" Tony quickly corrected himself.
Mike let out a cold laugh, making Tony's heart skip a beat.
In the next instant, Mike opened a portal.
An icy wind, carrying snow, gusted from the other side.
"Let's go."
Mike said flatly and stepped through. After Tony flew through, Mike waved his hand, and the portal vanished.
He beckoned to Tony. "Come on."
Tony didn't waste any time.
He knew how strong Mike was; he wasn't worried at all about hurting him.
This was another reason he'd asked Mike to be the tester.
"First, a systems check of the abilities," Tony's voice rang out from the suit, filled with eager anticipation.
Lasers, flames, frost, diamond-form, metal-form—all the abilities the Sentinel police had used were present in Tony's Iron Man suit.
In addition, there were some abilities the original Sentinels didn't have: sonic waves, lightning, and rapid healing.
Mike stood in one place, watching Tony demonstrate each of these abilities one by one.
He had to admit, it was quite a light show.
One moment red, the next blue, then turning hard as diamond, then shooting out 'stick-like' beams...
Watching these abilities, Mike suddenly thought of some of the enemies he had defeated in the past.
Weapon X, Mister Sinister, Weapon Z, Ultron...
Tsk. These enemies had a lot of abilities, but none of them seemed particularly impressive.
"Uncle Mike, I'm starting for real now!" Tony, having run through the list, was eager to get started.
Mike nodded. "Bring it."
He could see that, even without using his cards, none of these abilities posed a significant threat to him.
Before Mike's words had even faded, Tony shot toward him.
Leaping flames erupted from Tony's palms, swallowing Mike like a continuous, fiery wave.
Tony didn't even wait to see the result. Two lasers shot from the suit's eyes, followed by several missiles launching from the suit's back, screaming through the air as they plunged into the flames where Mike stood.
Boom! Boom!
In a series of violent explosions, flames and shockwaves ravaged the area.
A few seconds later, as the flames began to die down, a figure flew out of the inferno.
Mike looked at Tony, who was a short distance away, and smiled. "If that's all you've got, I have to say, it barely made me itch."
(End of this chapter)