With a single wave of Yujin's hand, the Water Dragon Jutsu was unleashed.
A massive dragon of water surged forth from the pool, its roar shaking the air as it opened its giant maw and swallowed War Machine whole.
The raging current pushed the armored suit toward the cliff outside the villa.
Tony Stark's eyes lit up. He pumped his fist and shouted with excitement, "That's awesome! Woohoo!"
But his joy lasted less than five seconds. With a thunderous roar from its thrusters, War Machine suddenly shot up from the cliff's edge, dragging the heavy armor back into the sky.
Its cannons locked directly onto Yujin. Rhodey didn't hesitate. He opened fire. A barrage of missiles and bullets screamed toward Yujin.
The sight sobered Tony instantly, his drunken haze vanishing. He shouted in a panic, "Hey! Stop! Stop right now!"
Tony knew War Machine's defenses. There was no way anyone could break through them with bare hands in such a short time.
That was why he hadn't worried earlier when the two clashed—it was just a way to blow off steam.
But now it was clear Rhodey was serious. Yujin was still human. How could a human body withstand War Machine's bullets?
And yet, the next moment left Tony completely stunned.
As the machine guns unleashed their storm of fire, Yujin's body began to move with incredible speed and agility.
At first, his steps looked like nothing more than shifting in place. But as his pace quickened, his figure blurred, as though merging with the surrounding air itself.
War Machine's cannons spat endless streams of fire, bullets pouring down like rain. Yet Yujin's silhouette slipped through the storm like a phantom, weaving between the hail of death as if untouchable.
His movements became so fast they dazzled the eye. In the blink of an instant, his body vanished from everyone's sight, as though he had never been there at all.
War Machine's auto-targeting system was completely useless against Yujin's "Shave."
Even though Yujin's version of Shave was only a half-finished technique, it was already more than enough to leave modern weapons utterly helpless.
Yujin's speed and movements completely surpassed War Machine's calculations and tracking systems.
Black Widow, who had just rushed over after hearing the noise, froze in shock at the sight.
Only now did she realize how much Yujin had been holding back when facing her.
Dodging bullets on the spot?
Unbelievable!
Rhodey's machine guns had been firing wildly for a long time, yet nothing worked. He had even lost sight of his target. Furious, he cursed loudly, "Damn mutant!"
Then he quickly switched weapons.
From War Machine's shoulder rose another cannon—this one carrying heat-seeking missiles. A single shot could blow a tank to pieces.
Now, enraged, Colonel Rhodey was ready to show Yujin just what kind of firepower he was up against.
"Holy! Are you insane!?"
Tony Stark finally stopped spectating. With a blast from his palms, he shot forward and placed himself between War Machine's weapons and the target, blocking the aim with his own body.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
"Move!" Rhodey roared.
"You want to blow my house sky-high!? I already gave you that suit! Go wherever you want with it—I don't care! But not here!" Tony urged.
But Colonel Rhodey was determined to reclaim his pride. To him, the dignity of an American colonel could not be trampled on.
"He brought this on himself!"
Rhodey commanded War Machine to kick Iron Man aside, clearing the obstruction. His cannon instantly locked onto Yujin, who had stopped his high-speed movement.
At that very moment, just as Rhodey prepared to pull the trigger, he saw Yujin's eyes turn a deep, blood-red.
Within them spun three black, sickle-shaped tomoe, revolving at a terrifying speed.
In that instant, Rhodey's vision blurred—and images flooded his mind.
He saw a man pressing a red button.
Moments later, the radar screens of the central command center lit up with dozens of red blips—signals of an oncoming disaster: nuclear war.
The vision shifted again.
Rhodey saw the Washington Monument swallowed in an instant by a massive fireball and a towering mushroom cloud.
The surrounding buildings and streets were flattened under the force of the shockwave.
The once-majestic monument was now nothing more than a pile of rubble, swallowed by fire and thick smoke.
Then, the scene shifted to the Statue of Liberty.
Under the nuclear strike, the statue was consumed by violent explosions and unbearable heat. Her once-proud torch and broken chains were blown apart, scattering into the sky.
In the end, only a twisted metal frame remained, standing alone amidst the ruins.
Finally, Rhodey's eyes fell upon the Golden Gate Bridge.
This famous landmark, connecting San Francisco and Marin County, shuddered under the nuclear assault.
The bridge's frame twisted and deformed in the scorching heat. Cars and pedestrians on the bridge were instantly swallowed by the blast.
Its structure melted under the flames until, with a deafening roar, it collapsed into the waters below, throwing up waves and steam that filled the sky.
The images filled Rhodey with deep terror and despair.
"Hello?" Iron Man waved a hand in front of War Machine's faceplate, noticing that Rhodey looked frozen, as if his mind had crashed.
"What's going on?" Tony frowned, lightly tapping the iron shell of War Machine's helmet.
The next second—
War Machine suddenly lost control. In Rhodey's daze, his armor plummeted from the sky!
Tony Stark reacted instantly. His thrusters roared as he shot upward, catching War Machine in midair.
He gently lowered his unconscious friend to the ground.
But the moment War Machine touched down, a shadow darted forward at lightning speed!
Yujin's figure blurred as he closed the distance in a single breath. His fist slammed down on War Machine's faceplate, producing two heavy, ringing impacts.
Then, with a surge of his tail-he, he pried the helmet open!
Reaching inside, he landed two sharp, stinging slaps across Rhodey's face.
"Smack! Smack!" The sound echoed, making Tony's eyelids twitch. Rhodey's head lolled, knocked completely unconscious.
"Riding a dog's machine and still daring to act tough?" Yujin sneered.
Black Widow and Pepper Potts stood frozen, stunned by the sight.
Tearing open a mech suit with bare hands?
Terrifying.
Tony Stark swallowed. He looked at Yujin, his voice edged with nervousness:
"Alright, that's enough. If you hit him again he'd be dead. How did you do it?"
Yujin did not answer Tony's question. His expression was calm, as if the fight a moment ago had been nothing to him.
He only said lightly, "I want to take some time off, and I want the legal affairs officer to come with me, is that okay?"
Tony Stark nodded at once. "No problem, no problem."
****
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