BOOM!
The entire retirement home exploded as if it were made of Lego bricks—walls shattered, debris flew everywhere, and thick clouds of dust rolled through the scene like a tidal wave.
Only now did the previously calm elderly residents finally realize the severity of the situation and began screaming and scrambling in all directions. The security guards, late to react, fumbled for their pistols and started firing blindly into the dust cloud at the towering figure within.
Their efforts, however, were utterly futile.
In a matter of seconds, they were flung away like ragdolls—some crashing through walls, others buried in rubble.
Daisy Johnson rolled across the floor, her clothes and face smeared with dust and debris. She and Wanda had just finished dealing with the poisonous snakes summoned by Amora and were ready to finally catch their breath when this new disaster came crashing through.
A massive silhouette emerged from the thick smoke.
He looked like some ancient battlefield general, built like a tank, clad in archaic "Five-Six-Seven" armor, and topped with a horned helmet. His figure was so imposing that Daisy, crouched on one knee, barely reached his kneecap. Even if she stood at full height, she wasn't sure if her head would reach his belly.
The Executioner.
Amora's loyal attack dog had arrived.
Because of the humiliating betrayal he suffered last time, the Executioner had lost his signature weapon—the dreaded executioner's axe. Now, in each hand, he wielded massive old-school flintlock-style guns that looked like they belonged on a pirate film set, not a battlefield.
But don't be fooled—these weren't props.
The guns had been enchanted personally by Amora. The bullets they fired were infused with her powerful magic. While they couldn't quite match the brute force of the executioner's old axe, they were still ridiculously destructive.
When she gifted them to him, the Executioner was so touched that he nearly burst into tears. For Amora, though, it was just a means to enhance her weapon.
He raised the massive guns.
BOOM!
Flames erupted from the barrels, launching cannonball-sized projectiles that struck the ground like meteorites. Each impact sent shockwaves through the earth, turning solid concrete into craters.
Daisy darted through the chaos, narrowly dodging explosions and magical blasts. Her Quake powers flared around her, deflecting one of the blasts in a shimmering shockwave.
"You really did trade all your brain cells for muscles, huh?" Daisy quipped mid-dodge, leaping forward.
Her hands lit up with vibrational energy. With a shout, she launched a massive wave of shock energy straight at the Executioner. The blast engulfed him—armor, guns, and all.
When the dust settled, the Executioner stood in nothing but a tattered pair of briefs.
Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Looks like not everything about you is oversized."
While Daisy battled the musclebound brute, another explosive clash erupted nearby. Red and green energy crashed together, shredding walls, warping furniture, and bringing the retirement home's roof to the brink of collapse.
Wanda vs. Amora.
"Little girl," Amora sneered, her tone dripping with mockery, "this is not how you use magic. Let me show you how it's really done."
Her pride was still smarting.
The last time she fought Wanda, she'd been humiliated—reduced to shouting like a fool while being outmatched by what she considered a mere Midgardian novice. That shame burned inside her like a curse.
Now, she conjured a dozen slender, glowing green swords. They hovered beside her, humming with enchantment. Even the space around them began to warp under their magical pressure.
With a flick of her wrist, the swords launched forward like missiles.
Wanda didn't flinch.
Twin crimson whips burst from her palms, cracking through the air. With precision and power, she lashed each blade out of existence, reducing Amora's spell to useless sparks.
Amora's expression grew serious.
This "Midgardian witch" was far more dangerous than she had anticipated.
Not only was Wanda incredibly skilled in close combat, but her command over chaos magic now rivaled Amora's own mastery of sorcery.
Impossible.
Before she could ponder it further—
CRASH!
The roof, long on the verge of collapse, finally gave out. Beams, bricks, and dust rained down. The Executioner, ever the brute, simply headbutted through the debris like a battering ram. He was the only one of the four combatants without any magical or kinetic protection—and naturally, the only one dumb enough to solve it with his skull.
Red and green magic danced wildly in the air, their collision sending out shockwaves that turned pebbles and broken furniture into deadly projectiles.
A metal chair leg impaled the wall near a corner store next door, narrowly missing the owner's ear. The poor man turned ghost white.
Amid the chaos, Amora made her move.
"Executioner! We're leaving!" she shouted.
Even in the middle of an intense duel with Daisy, the Executioner perked up at his mistress's call. He abandoned the fight and waddled toward her like an overgrown puppy.
Amora raised her hands. Magic surged, coating them in swirling green light.
She gave Wanda a knowing smile.
"Little witch," she purred, "I look forward to our next encounter."
"Wait—don't you dare!" Wanda roared.
Her scarlet whip lashed forward, but it was too late. Amora and the Executioner vanished in a flash of emerald light.
Daisy landed beside Wanda with a sigh.
"Well, we didn't catch them… but at least we still have Professor Selvig, right?"
Wanda's face suddenly paled.
"Professor?"
She dashed back into the room where they'd last seen Selvig—only to find it completely empty.
The two women exchanged a stunned look.
"…So," Daisy said after a long pause, "we… we kinda messed this up, didn't we?"
Wanda's voice was barely a whisper.
"Yeah… looks like it."
"…So what do we do now?"
Wanda sighed, exasperated.
"How would I know…"
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: p@treon.com/MPHFics