Black Bolt gave a slow, solemn nod. The motion was simple, but the weight behind it carried unmistakable acknowledgment. Ethan Blake watched the king carefully for a moment before letting the lightning in his palm disperse with a quiet crackle, the bright arcs fading into the air like dying sparks.
A trace of disappointment flickered across Ethan's face as the thunder energy vanished. Now that Black Bolt had regained control of himself, there was no longer any reason to continue the fight. That was a shame, really. It wasn't every day he found someone tough enough to actually withstand the raw destructive force of the Lightning Fruit. He had been looking forward to testing his abilities properly.
Someone with skin that durable was practically a living punching bag.
Unfortunately, the opportunity had ended too soon. Ethan clicked his tongue softly in mild regret.
Not far away, Gorgon struggled back to his feet and limped over. His body was covered in bruises and burns, his armor scorched in several places. Anyone could see he had taken quite a beating during the chaos.
Black Bolt noticed immediately. His eyes lingered on Gorgon's battered condition, and the king's expression carried a mixture of concern and regret. It was obvious he blamed himself for what had happened.
Gorgon quickly shook his head and spoke before the king could react.
"I'm fine, Your Majesty," he said firmly. "There's no need to feel guilty. None of this was your fault. Everything happened because of Maximus."
The mention of Maximus instantly shifted the atmosphere. No one seemed to know where the traitor had gone, but judging by the destruction left behind, it was clear he had already slipped away during the chaos.
Gorgon had essentially dumped the entire responsibility onto him.
After a moment, Gorgon turned toward Ethan and continued explaining.
"Our king's ability makes it impossible for him to speak," he said. "If you want to understand His Majesty, you'll need Queen Medusa. Only she can accurately interpret the king's meaning."
Black Bolt nodded again in confirmation.
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly before asking, "So where is she now?"
Gorgon hesitated briefly before answering.
"When the coup first began, the queen suspected the palace might be overrun. She took Princess Crystal and left ahead of time to avoid danger. They should still be somewhere in the city… though I'm not entirely certain where."
Ethan stared at him for a second, his expression becoming strangely flat.
Their response time during coups was suspiciously efficient. It almost sounded like this sort of rebellion happened every other holiday in Attilan.
Then Ethan tilted his head slightly and smiled faintly.
"Didn't you just tell us earlier that Princess Crystal was in the palace?" he asked calmly.
Gorgon froze.
The awkwardness on his face was impossible to hide. At the time, he had simply wanted to borrow Ethan's group's strength to help suppress the rebellion. Now that he had personally witnessed Ethan's terrifying power, Gorgon suddenly felt trapped between honesty and self-preservation.
Offending someone like this could bring disaster not only to himself, but potentially to all of Attilan.
Fortunately, Ethan didn't seem interested in pursuing the issue.
He waved his hand casually.
"Forget it," Ethan said. "Just go find them quickly."
Gorgon exhaled quietly in relief.
But before he could move, the situation resolved itself. The earlier battle between Black Bolt and Ethan had caused enough destruction that it was impossible for anyone nearby to ignore. Before Gorgon even began searching, Medusa arrived.
She approached rapidly from a distant corridor, accompanied by a young woman wearing a bright yellow outfit. From the way the girl stayed close to Medusa, it wasn't difficult to guess who she was.
Crystal.
Black Bolt's eyes lit up the moment he saw Medusa. He immediately began making several rapid hand gestures.
Medusa nodded in understanding before turning toward Ethan with respectful composure.
"Honored guest," she said politely. "His Majesty asked me to convey his gratitude. Thank you for helping him break free from Maximus's control. May we know your name?"
Before Ethan could answer, Gorgon jumped in first.
"This is Ethan Blake," he explained quickly. "He's from Earth. Three other people came here with him. One of them is Pietro… apparently Princess Crystal's boyfriend."
Ethan glanced sideways at Gorgon with a faintly speechless expression.
Black Bolt couldn't even speak, and yet somehow Gorgon had already handled the introductions for everyone. Now Ethan and the king were basically standing there staring at each other like two statues.
Hearing Gorgon's words, Crystal's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.
"Pietro?" she asked eagerly. "Where is he?"
Ethan chuckled.
"He should be here any second."
Just as he finished speaking, the air beside them flickered with crimson energy. Scarlet flames twisted into a circular gateway, forming a glowing portal in midair.
Wanda stepped out first.
Right behind her came Pietro and Tony.
"Pietro?!"
"Crystal!"
The two of them spotted each other immediately. Without hesitation, they ran forward and wrapped each other in a tight embrace, completely forgetting about everyone else present.
Medusa and Gorgon both frowned at the scene.
Wanda crossed her arms and sighed.
"I thought I'd finally get to see Pietro get beaten up for once," she muttered. "What a disappointment."
Tony, meanwhile, walked over to Ethan with curiosity written all over his face.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Care to explain what's going on here?"
Ethan gestured casually toward the group.
"That's King Black Bolt of Attilan," he said. "The woman next to him is Queen Medusa. And that girl hugging Pietro is his girlfriend, Crystal."
Tony immediately straightened up and cleared his throat.
"Tony Stark," he said confidently. "Iron Man. Also the most talented scientist on this planet."
Black Bolt made another series of gestures.
Medusa translated smoothly.
"His Majesty says you are welcome as guests in Attilan."
Tony stared at her for a moment, then looked at Black Bolt again with a puzzled expression.
"The king… can't speak?" he asked.
Seeing the confusion, Medusa calmly explained.
"His Majesty's power makes speech extremely dangerous," she said. "Please forgive the inconvenience."
Tony's curiosity instantly flared.
What kind of ability prevented someone from speaking at all?
Before he could continue questioning, Ethan sighed and cut him off.
"Tony," Ethan said dryly, "I strongly recommend you don't investigate that."
Tony blinked.
Ethan gestured toward the massive ruins surrounding them.
"All of this destruction," he continued, "happened because Black Bolt opened his mouth."
Tony froze.
A second later, he forced out an awkward laugh.
"Come on, Ethan," Tony said defensively. "You're making it sound like I was planning to provoke him."
Even so, Tony had already made his decision. Anyone capable of leveling half a city with a single word definitely fell into the category of people you didn't annoy.
At that moment, Crystal shyly pulled Pietro back toward the group. Her cheeks were bright red with embarrassment.
"Sister," she said nervously, "this is Pietro… the boyfriend I told you about."
Medusa's expression immediately hardened.
"Crystal," she said sternly, "I haven't had the chance to tell you yet. Inhumans are not permitted to intermarry with outsiders. As a member of the royal family, you especially must follow this rule."
Pietro's face changed instantly.
"Your Majesty," he said anxiously, "I truly love Crystal."
"Yes!" Crystal added firmly. "I will never separate from Pietro."
Tony's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding," he said sharply. "You Inhumans are actually practicing racial discrimination?"
Wanda's expression darkened as well.
She might enjoy teasing Pietro, but that didn't mean she would stand by while someone treated her brother like this.
Before either of them could speak further, Ethan moved.
His patience had already reached its limit.
These were people he had brought along. If someone wanted to lecture them, that was one thing. But trying to bully them right after receiving help was another matter entirely.
Ethan raised his hand slowly.
Dark lightning crackled across his fingers.
Heavy thunderclouds gathered almost instantly above Attilan, spreading across the sky like an approaching storm.
Black Bolt and Medusa both stiffened as they sensed the terrifying power building in the air.
Ethan looked at them calmly.
"Since this rule belongs to Attilan," he said lightly, "then if Attilan disappears… there won't be any rules left for you to follow."
....
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