Melee Mage

Garrett shot Ward a look, and without hesitation, Ward pulled the trigger—or at least, he tried to.

But Agent Ward was stunned to find his trigger suddenly frozen solid, as if filled with lead, refusing to budge no matter how hard he pressed.

After a long silence without a gunshot, Garrett glanced at him suspiciously. "Ward?"

Michael shrugged. "Accidents happen, don't they?"

The two seasoned Hydra agents reacted swiftly. Ward tossed aside his pistol and stepped forward, jabbing two fingers straight at Michael's eyes. Garrett drew his gun with one hand while flicking out a knife with the other, sidestepping to Michael's flank and slashing at a vicious angle with a blade that gleamed silver.

Grant Ward was a subordinate Garrett had personally brought into Hydra, trained in every skill by Garrett himself. Both were top-tier hand-to-hand combatants, and their synergy made them a seamless team—attacking together like a single expert with four arms and four legs.

No matter how brilliant Dr. Angus Norton might be, he was ultimately just a researcher. His domain was the lab, not the battlefield. Facing two elite agents alone, he stood no chance.

At least, that's what Ward and Garrett firmly believed.

But to their surprise, Michael simply stepped back and twisted his body, dodging their pincer attack with ease. His spacing was impeccable, his angle of evasion seemingly calculated to the millimeter. Ward's fist brushed past his nose by a hair's breadth, and Garrett's blade sliced through the air just grazing his waist, lightly cutting through his suit jacket.

Just a coincidence.

The two pressed on without pause, unleashing a relentless barrage. Michael moved with effortless grace, weaving through their combined assault while casually counterattacking. His techniques were bizarre, yet strangely devastating. Garrett and Ward prided themselves on knowing combat styles from around the world, but they had never seen anything like his strange martial arts.

Of course they hadn't—most of Michael's moves came from Kamar-Taj. Though he had gone there to study mystic arts, the sorcerers there seemed oddly fond of close-quarters combat.

On his first day at Kamar-Taj, the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, had explained the relationship between soul and body. She believed that training the spirit and soul could transform the body from within. Channeling spatial energy from spellcasting into the flesh could even allow a paraplegic to walk again.

By the same principle, magic could enhance a sorcerer's physical abilities and reflexes, enabling movements impossible for ordinary humans. In practice, it was somewhat similar to superhuman enhancements.

After Michael struck a dramatic pose, leaping into the air to deliver a sweeping kick that sent Ward flying, and then planting a straight kick on Garrett's nose that knocked him flat, the two agents finally had to accept the truth: they were no match for this lab coat-wearing office worker.

Garrett knelt on one knee, looking up at Michael in astonishment. "Impressive. What did you do to yourself? Enhancement serum?"

"Nothing special—just proper training."

"Even after all this time, you still manage to surprise me, Dr. Norton." Garrett panted as he stood up, offering a smile that showed no panic. "But luckily, this operation gave me a bad feeling from the start, so I came prepared. Otherwise, I might have actually lost to you here."

"Oh?"

As Garrett finished speaking, three figures darted out from different directions. Clad in all-black tactical gear, they landed heavily on one knee, forming a triangular formation that surrounded Michael.

Michael's gaze swept slowly over them. "Let me guess—your prized creations, the 'Death Warriors'?"

"You know about that project?" Garrett was slightly surprised.

"Using a half-baked serum like the 'Centipede Serum' to enhance soldiers' bodies, then turning them into cyborgs loaded with light weaponry." Michael's face was expressionless, but his tone dripped with sarcasm. "I can only imagine how desperate you were for a substitute for the 'Super Soldier Serum' to cook up such flawed rejects."

"Maybe so. The Centipede Project isn't perfect yet, but they have their advantages." Garrett waved his hand. "Take him out."

The three Death Warriors raised their arms simultaneously, and miniature rocket launchers deployed from the mechanical devices on their wrists. Three rockets screamed through the air, each trailing a blazing tail as they homed in on Michael from different angles.

The overlapping explosions shook the sky, and the shockwave forced Garrett and Ward back several steps. Hot air churned violently, flames spiraling into a fiery tornado that roared skyward, while red-hot shrapnel sliced through the fire and scattered in all directions.

Garrett watched the blaze light up the sky, a cold smirk spreading across his face. He didn't know how Michael had enhanced his body over the past three years, but in his experience, even the most successful Super Soldier—Captain America—would be torn to shreds under such an assault.

"Goodbye, Doctor," he murmured.

But less than three seconds later, his confident smile froze.

As the flames and black smoke dissipated, a massive, fiery hemisphere came into view. Countless magic circles condensed on its surface, their intricate patterns slowly rotating with the flow of mystical energy. Like an eggshell, it shielded Michael in the center, marking an inviolable domain. Heat and fire licked at the sturdy defense, only to fail time and again.

Ward's expression stiffened as he slowly turned his head, only to find the same look on Garrett's face.

The lines of the magic circles gradually faded. Michael raised his hand and made a small half-circle in the air, opening a new portal. Black metallic components, spitting light and flame, flew in from the other side, piece by piece, attaching themselves to his body. They clicked together with precision, quickly encasing Michael in a sleek, high-tech black armor.

The power source activated, the V-shaped visor lit up, and a faint hum of energy coursed through the entire suit. The black armor slowly raised its head, unleashing an overwhelming, bone-chilling pressure.

"Did you see that?" Ward asked quietly.

"No kidding," Garrett replied in a low voice. "I'm not blind."

(Thanks to reader April~Fish for the 2000 starting point coin tip, and to reader ~~Shi Dou Fa Qiong~~ for the 100 starting point coin tip!)