Before the arrival of the scaled creature, Arthur, the nameless girl, and the strange wolf were watching the battle.The redhead trembled, unsure of what to do, while Arthur observed the scene with an impassive look.
— It would be easier to stop him once he's tired, he said after a moment of thought.
The wolf, as if understanding, sat down and continued to watch the fight, silently approving Arthur's reasoning. The girl, panicking, begged her companions to join the fight immediately, but they refused. After all, why bother when others were already doing the dirty work?
Fifteen minutes passed before the clash seemed to pause. That was the signal Arthur had been waiting for. He stood up, his red eyes beginning to glow. His body grew larger, his skin darkening as scales erupted across his frame. Most were black, but his forearms became covered in blood-red scales, while golden scales formed on his shins. His lips vanished, leaving his teeth lengthened and sharpened.
In moments, he stood nearly 2.5 meters tall, broad and massive like a living fortress.
Arthur vanished in a blur and reappeared just in time to stop Ace from launching another attack. This time, Arthur struck first. Ace tried to dodge, but Arthur seized his broken arm and yanked him forward. Catching him by the throat, Arthur slammed Ace into the ground with such force that a crater opened beneath them.
— Indeed, you look more like a beast than a man now, Arthur muttered, staring at Ace's rage-twisted face.— Well… since you freed me, I won't kill you. Not yet.
With that, he hurled Ace into the air and leapt after him. A savage kick sent Ace crashing back to the ground, shattering several ribs. Arthur dove straight down, his right arm tucked against his body, readying a devastating punch.
As he reached Ace, he drove his fist into his opponent's stomach with all his strength. The impact was so violent that Ace vomited a torrent of blood. The ground cracked in a spiderweb of fissures, hurling debris the size of cars in every direction. A cloud of dust swallowed the battlefield.
When it finally settled, Arthur had returned to his human form. He dragged Ace by the leg, unconscious. The young man's body was a ruin of bruises: his right side was purple, proof that his ribs had broken, and a massive dark mark spread across his stomach.
Arthur dropped him in front of Thor and Hulk—now Bruce Banner again—and said simply:— He's all yours.
He sighed, turned, and began to walk away. Thor made to speak, but Bruce stopped him with a grave voice:— You saw what he just did. In our state, we can't do anything against him. Not now.
Thor reluctantly nodded. He hoisted Ace onto his back and reclaimed Mjolnir.
The pair headed back toward the bunker, where they were greeted by the red-haired girl and the strange wolf.— Where is Arthur? the girl asked anxiously.
Bruce explained that he had left. But his attention was soon drawn to the wolf, who, standing beside the girl, released violet flames. They enveloped the wounded, closing their injuries.
A few moments later, Steve and Tony arrived and were also healed by the violet fire. Once back on their feet, the four Avengers received a call from Black Widow and Hawkeye, summoning them immediately to the control room.
Accompanied by the wolf, the girl, and the unconscious Ace, they made their way there. Tony tried to extract the last fragments of Hydra's data, but found nothing.
After several minutes of fruitless searching, the Avengers turned to their mysterious allies. But the girl didn't even know who she was, and the wolf… was just a wolf. Still, learning that they had shared a cell with Arthur and Ace, they decided to bring them back to headquarters.