In a luxurious seaside villa, a grand party was in full swing.
A crowd of glamorous Western women and well-dressed tycoons danced wildly on the floor, giving themselves over to the rhythm.
The music shifted into a fast-paced track, and the atmosphere in the ballroom reached its peak. Some people even began kissing passionately.
Even though many of them had only just met.
In a quiet corner of the party, Yujin sat silently in the shadows.
Beside him, a woman in a black evening gown exuded a cold, dangerous charm—Black Widow. Her icy elegance contrasted sharply with his silence, creating a strange harmony between them.
Holding a glass of red wine, the Black Widow glanced at Yujin. Seeing that he had no interest in the wild party, curiosity flickered in her eyes.
"Why don't you join the dance? The atmosphere is so heated tonight—I can almost feel the fire in my veins."
Yujin didn't even lift his head. "I don't have the patience for that."
Her gaze dropped to the black feather he was playing with in his hand. Under the light, the feather gleamed with a mysterious blue luster.
Intrigued, she reached out. "May I touch it?"
Yujin looked at her coolly. "Touching this feather is the same as plucking one from my wings. Don't even think about it."
"You—!" The Black Widow hadn't expected such a killjoy response. With a huff, she lifted her wine glass and walked away.
Meanwhile, in Yujin's mind, two voices were conversing.
"Lightning nature chakra is even harder to control than water nature chakra. Channeling it into a feather is a genius idea, but the difficulty might be greater than even shaping Chidori."
The voice of Pirate Yujin was hoarse and dry, like someone starved of water in a hellish prison.
In that place, prisoners received only a drop when they were on the brink of collapse. He had only just arrived, yet he could forget about luxuries.
The other voice, belonging to Uchiha Yujin, sounded better, though slightly strained and raspy. His throat wasn't in the best condition, since he had just dictated five rap verses for Killer Bee.
"Killer Bee's Lightning Pen can split waterfalls. Even Kisame, facing that technique, would have no choice but to dodge desperately."
"Right now, our Feather Technique hasn't reached its full destructive potential. But if we can infuse it with lightning nature chakra transformation, it'll become a true trump card!"
Yujin nodded. "I tried infusing chakra into the feather. It's definitely tricky. But once we master it, our overall combat power should take a huge leap."
He paused for a moment, recalling the observational haki theory he had learned from Pirate Yujin. "And if we add Observation Haki…"
"I don't even dare think about it! We've never fought with such resources before!"
Learning Observation Haki alongside the control of lightning chakra is difficult for one person. But with three of them studying together, their progress could only be described as lightning fast.
Suddenly, Pirate Yujin asked, "What about the Extremis Virus and the Asgard situation?"
Yujin glanced toward the dance floor, where Tony Stark was demonstrating how to pee in his Mark suit. "Not yet, but it should be soon. I've already caught up to the Iron Man 2 storyline."
"The S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't block the news about the New Mexico hammer… I wonder if it's a trap or something."
As he spoke, he suddenly stood up. "Never mind that. Colonel Rhodes just brought in the War Machine armor!"
Yujin cut the connection and quickly ran toward Tony Stark.
Under the War Machine helmet, Colonel Rhodes issued one final warning to Tony. "Hey! Tony! Stop all this! Don't forget who you are!"
As an American soldier, Rhodes couldn't stand watching his friend flaunt all these weapons while acting so carefree, doing nothing in the middle of all this.
What he didn't know was that, because the original arc reactor hadn't been replaced, Tony Stark was already ninety percent palladium-poisoned.
It wasn't that Tony was reckless; he was just unusually calm at the edge of life.
Inside the armor, Tony didn't show any intention of stopping. He forced a smile at Rhodes. "The suit fits you well. Want to dance?"
Rhodes' anger ignited instantly. "You don't deserve this armor!" he shouted, and, operating War Machine, raised his arm to strike Tony Stark!
Bam! Iron Man stepped back two paces.
Just as he was about to counterattack, a figure suddenly slammed into War Machine!
Iron Man was more than half awake, and with J.A.R.V.I.S.'s assistance, he saw the figure bursting out.
Yujin!
With Earth Grudge, the Cursed Seal of Heaven at Stage 2, and the Gene Lock activated, Yujin's strength was enormous. A single knee strike sent War Machine flying out of the mansion!
Glass shattered everywhere. People in the pool saw the situation and panicked, screaming as they scattered in all directions, quickly clearing a battlefield for both sides!
Inside the War Machine armor, Colonel Rhodes clutched his head, staring at the Asian-faced figure with a tail and wings, too shocked to speak.
Half an hour ago, he had scoffed when Tony introduced this man as his bodyguard.
And now, in less than an hour, he had been proven utterly wrong.
"Mutant?!"
Rhodes' clearance was high—he knew there were many strange things in this world.
Mutants were one of them.
With strength capable of sending War Machine flying, there was no doubt—this was a mutant.
Rhodes raised his hand, aiming at Yujin. "I'll count to five. When the countdown ends, I will open fire! Surrender immediately!"
Yujin wasn't buying it. "You think it's okay to hit my boss?! Don't act all tough! Stop looking down on everyone—take off your armor and talk!"
Rhodes hadn't expected the mutant to taunt him while the gun was aimed at him. The deep-rooted American military resolve made Rhodes grit his teeth. "Three!"
"Two!"
Before Rhodes could fire, Yujin struck first!
A feather, glowing faintly with blue chakra, shot toward Rhodes!
Its speed was so fast that Rhodes couldn't even react in time.
Fortunately, War Machine's AI system had automatic recognition and defense. Seeing the feather, it raised its gun!
"Rat-tat-tat!"
The bullets fired twice, and then—"Bang!"—a feather pierced through War Machine's cannon!
In a single strike, Yujin had destroyed one of War Machine's main guns!
"Oh my god!"
Pepper, holding a fruit tray, dropped it in shock.
She turned to Tony Stark, who was still watching the scene unfold. "What are you doing, Tony?! Stop them! Stop this fight!"
Tony Stark, already on the brink of death, cherished every second of life. If he could survive another second, he'd enjoy it.
"Rhodes was about to hit me. My bodyguard stepped in to stop him. That's not wrong."
At that moment, a massive water dragon appeared above the pool, crashing toward War Machine!
****
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