I Just Want to Kill a Few of You-or Be Killed by You!

Not far from the building, Frank pressed the detonator.

BOOM—!!

A flash of fire, and the dozens-of-stories-tall building instantly collapsed. Thick smoke billowed upward, black dust spreading across a radius of twenty meters.

But that wasn't all. After the building exploded, a series of muffled blasts echoed from deep underground.

"Whew."

Frank waved away the dust in front of him and lifted his finger from the detonator. Drawing on his military experience, he confidently concluded,

"No ordinary human could have survived an explosion that powerful."

With that, Frank leaned against the wall and calmly lit a cigarette.

"Exactly. Even if Fire Cloud Evil God somehow survived the blast, he'd still be buried alive under tons of rubble!"

Matt agreed.

Supporting Danny, Luke chimed in, "Even I couldn't survive that explosion, and defense is my specialty!"

Chun-Li holstered her gun and nodded. "Frank's analysis is logical and convincing!"

The others' responses made Jessica feel she ought to say something, too. She smacked her lips twice and managed to squeeze out a single word.

"Right!"

Everyone turned to look at her, puzzled.

"Perfect. You're all right!"

Awkwardly clapping her hands, Jessica wished a crack would open beneath her feet so she could crawl into it.

This was so embarrassing.

It made her sad to feel so out of place among these people (〒︿〒).

The group leaned against the wall and relaxed, all convinced that Fire Cloud Evil God was done for.

But the reversal hit like a slap in the face—and it came fast and hard!

"HAHAHAHA! I, Fire Cloud Evil God, am coming out!"

With a rumble, the ground not far ahead rapidly caved in, revealing a hole.

Fire Cloud Evil God, flames and black smoke pouring off him, laughed as he kicked his legs and shot out of the hole.

His face was smeared with soot and blood. Large patches of his skin were badly burned, and his shirt hung pitifully from his body in charred, ragged strips.

His pants had burned away, leaving only a ridiculous pair of briefs. Even his slippers were sparking, with less than half of them left.

His cracked lips twitched twice, and he spat out a mouthful of black smoke. Under the Defenders' stunned gazes, he declared,

"Now, I just want to kill a few of you—or be killed by you!"

Matt: "..."

Luke: "..."

Chun-Li: "..."

Jessica: "..."

[Matt Murdock's emotional value +603]

[Luke Cage's emotional value +611]

[Jessica Jones's emotional value +607]

All of them turned to stare at the man who'd just been so utterly confident.

"..."

The cigarette dangling from Frank's lips dropped to the ground. His eyes widened, as if he'd seen a ghost.

[Frank Castle's emotional value +700]

"Hmph."

Fire Cloud Evil God naturally noticed the shock in their eyes.

Honestly, no matter who it was—even if his power had been doubled—no one could have escaped from an explosion like that!

The main reason he'd managed to get out was that he'd used the mysterious energy contained in the Dragon Bone.

This energy was incredibly potent and had remarkable healing properties.

"Too bad. I was at a critical point in absorbing it when the explosion hit."

Not only had most of the energy gone to waste, but he'd also had to release the precious energy to blast a passage through the rubble and escape the crushing weight of the earth and stone.

If the small amount of energy he had left weren't still sustaining him, Fire Cloud Evil God would have collapsed already.

His martial arts had taken a severe hit, and he was covered in injuries. Like a wolf cornered by hunters, he was in the most perilous situation of his life.

"These self-proclaimed heroes ruined everything!"

The thought only added to his bloodlust.

And so, the battle erupted without a moment's hesitation.

Luke charged at the front, with Jessica and Matt flanking him on either side.

Frank provided ranged support with his guns, while Chun-Li stayed out of the fight for the moment, moving Danny and Elektra's bodies to safety.

THUD!

As soon as they clashed, Luke sensed that something was wrong with Fire Cloud Evil God.

His strength had fallen drastically. He'd barely taken one punch from Luke before his arms began to tremble, forcing him to use some technique Luke couldn't understand to redirect the force.

It might have looked impressive, but Luke knew what he was seeing.

"Matt, Jessica! His body's in bad shape—he's badly injured!"

At Luke's warning, Jessica and Matt seized the opportunity and launched a swift assault.

Jessica's punches left far too many openings, and Fire Cloud Evil God gritted his teeth and dodged them. But Matt's billy club struck him squarely on the left side of the face, throwing him off balance and making him stagger backward.

BANG!

From behind, Frank seized the opportunity and fired a follow-up shot, landing a nasty hit on Fire Cloud Evil God's thigh.

Blood sprayed, a bloom of red appearing on his leg. His right foot twisted sideways, and he nearly toppled over.

"Nice shot, Frank!"

"Don't let your guard down. Victory's right in front of us!"

"I'll hold the front line and try to pin him down. You three focus on attacking!"

His eyes bright with excitement, Luke shouted as he threw punches.

Hope shone in their eyes. They could almost see victory within reach.

As he fought off their attacks, Fire Cloud Evil God saw things differently.

His injuries had left him with less than thirty percent of his strength.

But the Dragon Bone's power kept healing his body, slowly restoring his strength.

"No choice."

A flicker of pain crossed his mind as Fire Cloud Evil God frantically circulated the Six Treasury Immortal Thieves, accelerating the consumption of the Dragon Bone's power.

It would boost his strength for a short time, but leave him with serious consequences.

But for now, he had to make sure he killed them!

As the Dragon Bone's power was rapidly drained, his strength surged, and he broke through to another level in a short time.

The tide of the battle shifted just as quickly.

First, he struck Luke squarely in the chest with a palm and sent him flying. Then he kicked Jessica and Matt hard with alternating blows, sending them tumbling away.

Frank kept firing, trying to disrupt Fire Cloud Evil God's movements.

But this time, Fire Cloud Evil God turned his attention to Frank.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

He changed his steps in rapid succession, his figure flashing in a zigzag. Then he leaped hard and reached for Frank's throat.

Frank reacted without hesitation. First, he tossed a flashbang, blinding his opponent. Then he immediately pulled out two grenades, threw them forward, and swiftly retreated.

Hearing something coming at him, Fire Cloud Evil God instinctively thrust out his palm.

But what awaited him wasn't some kind of hidden weapon. It was a pair of grenades with their pins pulled.

The instant his palm made contact, his heart gave a lurch. Fire Cloud Evil God tried to slap the grenades away.

But Frank had already anticipated that move.

Two explosions rang out in midair, and one of Fire Cloud Evil God's arms was blown to pieces.

"Frank—!"

The flashbang had no effect on a blind man. Seeing what had happened, Matt's heart leaped into his throat.

[Matt Murdock's emotional value +631]

"Cough, cough. I miscalculated. I underestimated firearms and overlooked grenades."

With his right hand gripping Frank by the throat and holding him aloft, Fire Cloud Evil God coughed up blood and reflected on his mistake.

After being hit by two grenades, the Dragon Bone's power inside him was almost completely spent. His left arm had also been severed, and blood was pouring from the stump.

"Since I first made a name for myself, I, Fire Cloud Evil God, have never suffered such a serious loss.

"And at the hands of a kid who uses firearms and knows nothing about martial arts, no less!"

The more sincerely he spoke, the more his bloodlust raged.

Watching the Defenders desperately rush toward him from a distance, Fire Cloud Evil God tightened his grip slightly and sneered,

"Time to die."