At the Hudson River site, inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary command center, Nick Fury slowly lowered his binoculars.
The strange phenomenon over distant North Brother Island no longer required optical equipment to observe.
Soaring cyan tornadoes repeatedly collided with dark blue frost, and the shockwaves from the resulting explosions sent abnormal surges rippling across the river's surface.
He stood calm, hands clasped behind his back—but his knuckles were white from the force of his grip, and his heart pounded loud in his ears.
"Sir, satellite data shows the island's energy readings are decreasing. But geological sensors indicate the island's structure is…"
Maria Hill strode over, her tablet displaying complex data charts.
"I understand," Nick Fury interrupted, his single eye fixed on the elemental storm erupting once again over the distant island.
If all our weapons hadn't been thrown into the river, he thought bitterly, I'd have leveled North Brother Island instead of retreating like this—disgracefully.
At the retreat order, the soldiers on the riverbank bolted from their positions as if they'd been doused in cough syrup.
Suddenly, a wind blade slashed across the sky, cleaving the dark cloud in two.
BOOM—!
The explosion that followed was deafening.
Several young agents instinctively reached for their waists—only to remember their pistols had been swept into the Hudson during the earlier storm.
"Damn it! What kind of monster is on that island?!"
A National Guard major muttered in terror.
But no one around him had an answer.
On North Brother Island, with Blackheart slain by Xiao, the remaining demons instantly lost all will to fight.
Unprecedented fear twisted the face of one particularly grotesque demon. His scarlet eyes darted frantically, searching for escape.
"Elf!"
Diluc roared. The black-and-red flames coating his Blackrock Slashblade surged violently.
He leapt into the air, his blazing blade carving a deadly arc that cleaved three winged demons in half at the waist.
BOOM—!
Before their burning remains even hit the ground, trailing wind blades shredded them into ash.
Xiao moved across the battlefield like a ghost. Each swing of the Flowing Moon Needle unleashed a violent blue wind blade.
A rock troll, poised to leap into the Hudson, was suddenly impaled through the skull by a wind spear falling from the sky.
Diluc gripped his sword with both hands, the black-and-red flames blazing so brilliantly they seemed to contain raw destructive power.
At the same moment, Xiao appeared in midair. The Crescent Moon Needle spun rapidly in his grasp, weaving a visible vortex of dark green wind.
His robes fluttered in the gale, and his golden eyes shone with resolute determination.
"Dawn is breaking!"
BOOM—!
Diluc swung his sword. From the blade burst a fire phoenix with a wingspan exceeding tens of meters—its black-and-red feathers rippling with destructive energy.
Wherever the phoenix passed, the air twisted and warped; the ground instantly vitrified. Three fleeing shadow demons vanished without a scream, vaporized by the searing heat.
Xiao's spear and Diluc's blade thrust forward in perfect unison.
"The Demon-Suppressing Nuo Dance—!"
In an instant, a blinding dark green light tore through the night sky—as if an ancient, ferocious beast had awakened from its seal—forming a cage woven from countless spinning wind blades.
The dark green hurricane and the fiery phoenix merged seamlessly: wind feeding fire, fire amplifying wind.
The already terrifying heat intensified further, and a zone of destruction more than fifty meters in diameter engulfed North Brother Island.
"Aaaaaah—!!"
The fleeing demons wailed in agony. Rock trolls' carapaces shattered in the inferno; the wings of rot-winged demons carbonized instantly; shadow demons, desperate to vanish into darkness, were ripped screaming from the void by the hurricane's grasp.
Flames and wind blades intertwined to form a web of death from which almost no demon could escape.
"Gurgle… gurgle…"
The surface of the Hudson River began to boil violently, sending torrents of steam shooting into the sky.
The water level dropped at a visible rate, exposing the dried-up riverbed.
BOOM—!
The entire North Brother Island began to disintegrate under the intense heat—rocks melted, buildings vaporized, and even the air ionized from the extreme temperature, emitting a blinding blue-white flash.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watching from a distance retreated. Even from several kilometers away, they could still feel the searing heat wave slam into them.
Nick Fury narrowed his one eye slightly. The lens of the telescope in his hand had already developed tiny cracks from the heat.
After a long while, the white mist hanging over the Hudson River was finally dispersed by the wind—but the riverbank fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the center of the river—where an island should have been, only churning water remained.
On the exposed riverbed, where the water level had dropped dramatically, the rocks still glowed with a fiery, dark-red hue.
A young agent removed his sunglasses and spoke in a slightly trembling voice:
"North Brother Island… evaporated?!"
———————————
Meanwhile, in an abandoned auto repair shop on the outskirts of Manhattan…
Johnny Blaze staggered to his knees, holding the unconscious Roxanne Simpson tightly in his arms, his face alight with the joy of having her back.
As for the members of the Fiery Car Team lying in the corner—their faces pale from the cold—he'd completely forgotten about them.
"Hiss… Guess I can't deny it anymore. I'm getting old."
Carter exhaled a breath of cold air as he leaned against a wrecked car, his old leather jacket drenched in sweat.
Outside, it was broad daylight. Warm sunlight streamed through the broken windows, bathing everyone in its glow.
Diluc casually tossed the Blackrock Slasher aside. The black-and-red longsword instantly dissolved into specks of starlight and vanished.
He stood in the doorway, backlit by the sun, his red ponytail swaying gently in the breeze, and said softly:
"Blackheart is dead. The threat of the San Venganza Pact has been eliminated. We'll take our leave now."
Xiao descended gracefully from the rooftop. At some point, he had already put away the Flowing Moon Needle.
Johnny Blaze looked up, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "So eager to go? Why not grab a drink before you leave?"
Diluc and Xiao locked eyes—but Xiao remained silent.
After a long moment, Diluc sighed and replied, "No need. We're not exactly familiar with each other. Besides… a few slipped through the net. We still have to deal with them."
Johnny Blaze fell silent, giving him a look that clearly said, "How can you be this smooth-talking and still so socially oblivious?"
"Uh… wouldn't we get to know each other better if we had a couple more drinks?"
Diluc crossed his arms and glanced pointedly at Roxanne Simpson in Johnny's arms. "If you've got that much free time, maybe you should figure out how you're going to explain everything that just happened to her."
Johnny Blaze looked down at Roxanne's pale face—and immediately felt a headache coming on.
Oh no…
He seemed to remember something sudde
nly and whipped around to look at the doorway.
Just as he'd feared: it was empty. Only a few fallen leaves spiraled gently to the ground.
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