Lucas stared coldly at the screaming Adam. His heart was utterly calm. Scum deserved only cruelty.
Adam's body was drenched in sweat, his mind nearly blacking out from the agony of his broken arm. He might be a gang boss, but years of living in luxury had made him soft. He'd only ever tortured others—never endured it himself.
Lucas ground his boot down on Adam's shattered arm, wrenching another howl of pain from his throat.
"The shootout with the NYPD a few days ago—that was your crew, wasn't it?" Lucas asked, though he already knew the answer.
Adam struggled to lift his head, staring at Lucas's youthful face. That innocent look was utterly at odds with his butcher's cruelty. He gave a weak, trembling nod.
"Good."
Crack!
Lucas stomped and snapped Adam's other arm.
"AAAHHH!!!" Adam's hoarse scream ripped through the warehouse. The pain snapped him back from his haze, only to plunge him into even greater torment.
"I want to know—who was the one who shot the police commissioner?" Lucas loomed above him like a reaper, gaze indifferent.
The pain was too much. Adam couldn't speak. His body writhed weakly on the floor.
"Fine. If you won't talk… then I'll just kill everyone here."
With that, Lucas stomped down, caving Adam's chest in like paper.
"Daredevil, get out of the warehouse," Lucas called out.
Daredevil glanced back once, then bolted without hesitation. He'd seen the green glow in Lucas's eyes and the winds swirling ever more violently around him. Even before the storm fully erupted, Daredevil could sense the destructive force gathering there—enough to erase the entire warehouse. Stay, and he'd be buried with it.
Nobu, who had been fighting Daredevil, instinctively moved to give chase. But then the winds rose, a storm spiraling into a raging hurricane. He froze. Memories of his last death flashed across his mind. Slowly, he turned to face Lucas.
Inside the warehouse, the gale became a howling maw, devouring everything in its path.
Outside, the Punisher stared slack-jawed through his scope. The hurricane had swallowed the warehouse whole, green streaks flashing like the scythes of death, cutting down everything within.
Daredevil couldn't see, but his heightened senses told him exactly what kind of destruction the storm carried.
At the eye of the storm, Lucas stood utterly still, not a hair stirred by the gale. He looked up, watching severed limbs and shattered debris swirl above him, his expression eerily calm.
[Beep, beep, beep~~ Congratulations, Host! Mission complete. Gang wiped out, vengeance fulfilled. Please claim your reward～]
The system's voice broke into Lucas's drifting thoughts.
A stack of documents materialized in his system space, packed with legal clauses and stamped with his signature. A deed. Property on Manhattan Avenue.
Manhattan Avenue—the heart of New York. Owning a place there was the dream of countless people.
Lucas felt refreshed instantly.
"Ah, System, you're the best. I love you!"
[Ding～ Please respect yourself. This system does not engage in that sort of relationship～]
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Tch. No sense of humor. Truly a cold, shameless, unreasonable System. Alright, let's go home."
The warehouse had been reduced to rubble, scattered remains strewn across the ground. Adam's crew had been shredded to dust in the storm—nothing left, not even ashes.
"Hmm? You're still alive? Lucky bastard."
Lucas looked up to see Nobu frozen in shock.
Nobu had thought he'd seen it all. But this? He was paralyzed by the sight, not even realizing Lucas had already appeared before him.
"My grudge is settled. If you want to run, now's your chance. Otherwise… I don't mind grinding you into dust too."
Nobu snapped back to reality. One fearful glance at Lucas was all it took. He spun and ran, faster than he'd ever moved in his life.
Daredevil didn't chase him.
"I've got to ask—what was that ability? Magic?" Daredevil asked.
"Something like that. You believe in magic?" Lucas raised a brow. He thought Daredevil would assume it was some kind of superpower, not magic.
"I've crossed paths with a few who called themselves sorcerers. You feel different from them… but that taste of magic? I'd know it anywhere," Daredevil replied calmly.
"You've met sorcerers? Hah… and what are you, a bloodhound?" Lucas shot him a side-eye. If he guessed right, those sorcerers were the ones from Kamar-Taj. The thought of the Ancient One possibly seeing through him made him uneasy.
[Ding～ Relax, Host. No one in the universe could see through your identity. This system is just that awesome～～]
The sudden voice startled Lucas.
"Damn it! Don't do that! You scared me half to death!"
Was the system reading his thoughts?
[Ding～ Of course. As your loyal system, I must anticipate your every need～]
"Then… can you send me back home?" Lucas asked hopefully.
[Ding～ Host, you're dreaming～]
Lucas was speechless. This system was insane. Probably bugged. Never once behaved like a normal system.
After regrouping with the Punisher, the three returned to Daredevil's safehouse.
"Kid, I didn't think you had it in you. I figured we'd be fighting till sunrise," the Punisher said, sipping a beer on the couch.
"With this gang wiped out, Hell's Kitchen should get a breather," Daredevil said as he bandaged himself. Though successful, he'd picked up a few minor wounds—not that they'd last past morning.
"I'd better head back. Good working with you two. If you ever need help, call me," Lucas said, noticing dawn creeping into the sky. If he didn't get back soon, Gwen would catch him.
"Alright," Daredevil nodded. The Punisher only raised his bottle in salute.
Lucas vanished into the night, darting across rooftops until he slipped back home. He climbed through his window into his bedroom.
"Finally decided to come back?"
The soft voice froze him on the spot. Gwen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoyed Marvel Manifestor, please give it a Power Stone and leave a review! Your support means everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~