Archangel Protocol

When Chen Tian and the others stepped out of the Dark Dimension Rift, the stench of blood in the Badong -Liyue Cold Inner Furnace Lower City had not yet dissipated. Countless Arbitrators Robots were shuttling through the ruins, their blue and white mechanical arms precisely clearing away the battlefield debris. The air was filled with a pungent stench of decay and blood.

"My lord~" Leah crushed a charred skull under her foot, "These lumps of iron were cleaned up quite well!"

Chen Tian didn't answer, but 2B's cool voice went straight into his ears. "Master, Stark has encountered some minor trouble in Dewen County, and he hopes you can send some more people over to help."

"Vergil," he said without turning his head, "Thank you for your trouble."

Vergil nodded silently, drew his Yamato and made a cross in the air, opening a spatial portal. Before entering, Vergil paused, turned to Chen Tian, and said, "Kid, don't go too far from here."

Chen Tian smiled and said, "I know."

Vergil nodded, stepped into the portal, and as he disappeared, the portal closed.

Bayonetta's body, supple and boneless, clung to Chen Tian's shoulder. Her slender fingers gently traced Chen Tian chin, and she whispered in his ear, "My dear~ sir~ where shall we go find some fun next?"

Chen Tian did not answer immediately, but spoke to Leah instead.

"Leah."

The girl, who was kicking the mechanical wreckage with her toes, immediately looked up. "Yes, Master."

"You're not suited to appear in the next situation," Chen Tian said with a smile. "Go back to the Summoning Space; I've already updated your tablet."

"Great!" Leah's eyes lit up. "My lord, I'll go back now."

Bayonetta chuckled softly, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. "The little devil is such a child."

"A child?" Hearing Bayonetta's words, Leah grinned wickedly, licking her lips. "Ah, you smell so good, Bayonetta ~ Big~ Sister~"

Bayonetta covered her mouth and giggled, "Big sister knows~ little~ sister~"

Chen Tian rubbed his temples helplessly and snapped his the Snap crisply.

"My lord, remember to send me some cola and potato chips!"

As soon as Leah finished speaking, her figure vanished rapidly from her feet, like a pencil drawing erased by an eraser. Only a wisp of red mist remained, swirling in the air a few times before completely dissipating.

Bayonetta gazed at the lingering red mist after Leah disappeared, a seductive smile curving her lips.

She pressed her entire body against Chen Tian's back again, almost blurring the gap, her red lips brushing against his earlobe. "Little~sister~is gone..." Her warm breath carried the scent of Shira, "Would you like to experience the charm of an older sister, sir~?"

Chen Tian sighed and reached out to hold down her restless fingers, "Bayonetta, we still have somewhere to go."

"Oh?" The witch nimbly moved in front of him, the tips of her high heels touching his boots. "Where are you going to find some fun?"

"Dongjin." Chen Tian suddenly revealed a wicked smile; he was looking forward to causing a ruckus in Dongjin.

Bayonetta's eyes lit up slightly. "Now?" she asked, deliberately brushing her knee against the other woman's leg. "In what capacity?"

"Now," Chen Tian snapped his the Snap, "In the capacity of the Adjudicator."

"Then," she said, taking Chen Tian's arm, "Let's go dance?"

Chen Tian looked at the enchantress who exuded a deadly allure and suddenly smiled, "As you wish."

Let's go back to the beginning.

Inside the Deathwing at an altitude of 50,000 meters.

A holographic map unfolded in the center of the cabin, and a 3D projection of Dewen County appeared. Tony swiped his finger, and the city's outline magnified—streets, buildings, and squares were covered with countless red dots crawling like an ant colony.

"Mephisto's followers," Tony tapped the projector, and the red dots instantly merged into a sea of blood, "The entire city is."

Steve stared at the map, his knuckles pressed against the edge of the Holy Chest: "Commoners?"

"Based on the intelligence gathered from previous investigations," Beast Hank pushed up his glasses, "They've either already become sacrifices, or they're imprisoned, awaiting sacrifice."

Cyclops tightened the bandages around his body. "Just bombard them?"

"No." Banner shook his head. "There are still civilians in Dewen County, about 1,000." Banner zoomed in on the image.

Dante sat cross-legged on an ammo box, tossing a silver coin around. "So? Stealth? Frontal assault? Or—" He suddenly caught the coin, grinned, "—I'll jump down and throw a party?"

"Plan A." Tony tapped the panel, and the bottom hatch of the Deathwing slowly opened, letting in a blast of cold air. "Dante will lead the charge, Banner will prepare the 'Hulk Insurance,' Pietro will be responsible for finding the imprisoned civilians, the 'Valkyrie Array' robots will assist Pietro in rescuing the civilians, and the rest of you—" He glanced at Steve, "—follow the Golden Lion and wreak havoc."

Steve silently put on the helmet, which shimmered with golden light. "Don't destroy the core before finding Bucky."

"Roger that, Captain." Iceman Bobby raised his hand and pointed out the porthole. "But we're at an altitude of 50,000 meters. How are we going to get down?"

Dante had already gotten up and pressed the button to open the hatch. He stood at the edge of the hatch, his coat fluttering in the wind.

He flashed his signature mischievous grin at the crowd, "Of course—jump down!"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly leaned backward, his arms outstretched like a cross, and fell backward toward the Dewen County, 50,000 meters below.

"You heard what Red-Clad Uncle said." Tony's mask closed, and his gold and red armor shifted colors under the hatch lights. "However, I suggest..."

He tapped his wrist, and several storage compartments suddenly opened in the top of the cabin, from which a dozen silver-white jetpacks slid down. "... Wear this modified 'Angel Wings'; after all, not everyone is a monster like Dante."

As he spoke, the mechanical wings on his back suddenly unfolded, emitting photons and propelling Tony out of the cockpit.

Steve took the backpack and looked at the Beast: "Hank, you and Scott stay here—"

"I know." The Beast was already seated at the control panel, his hairy fingers flying across the keyboard. "I'll be feeding you all real-time intelligence." He gestured to his bandaged right leg. "Although I'd love to tear a few demons apart..."

Cyclops gave a wry smile. "That's the only way. Hank and I will provide support from the air."

Pietro was already donning his jetpack and wearing a full-face transparent mask. "I recommend you wear this mask. JARVIS can control the jetpack through it, so we won't stray from our landing spot." He adjusted the mask. "Don't ask me how I know; I landed off course when we were at the York."

"I'm going first!" A flash of silver light appeared, and a cloud of sonic cones exploded at the hatch.

In the air, several figures glided through the clouds, leaving long trails of white ribbons.

Tony's thrusters spewed blue flames. "JARVIS, control 'Valkyrie Array' to coordinate with Pietro."

"Received, Sir."

Several figures broke through the clouds, and the entire Dewen County writhed under the blood-red sky. The believers on the ground looked up at the same time, and thousands of pale faces grinned.

"Party time--!" Dante burst forth with Red Devil, and his Balrog Gauntlets ignited with Hellfire.

He crashed into the crowd like a meteorite, blasting a crater twenty meters wide into the ground, turning the believers in the crater into countless pieces of mud.

Tony's shoulder armor snapped open, and thirty-six miniature missiles, trailing flames, rained down.

He flicked out laser swords from his wrists, cleaving through three attacking aberrations, and then blasted the fourth into mincemeat with a cannon shot from his left palm.

The ground suddenly bulged. Hulk tore through the asphalt and leaped out, his giant green fist slamming three demons into the ground. "Hulk —Smash!" He grabbed a car and swept it across the ground, sending more than a dozen followers flying like bowling pins.

Steve's golden cloak billowed in the rain of blood. A six-armed monster lunged, but Steve dodged it, the gauntlet piercing the monster's chest. "Hank, the location of the core structure?"

"The cathedral at ten o'clock!" came a Beast roar through the earpiece. "Watch out for those glowing things—"

Before he could finish speaking, Pietro transformed into a silver streak, weaving through the crowd. Each time he paused, he precisely slit the throats of his followers, when suddenly a luminous figure grabbed his ankle. "Damn it!" The luminous figure was shot and destroyed.

Dante blew out a puff of gunpowder smoke, and the two guns spun between his fingers as he fired. Bullets traced spiral trajectories, piercing through seven enemies, and the last two shots blasted away the flying demon that lunged at Banner.

Tens of thousands of demon cultists surged in like a tidal wave, their twisted limbs and hideous faces filling the entire street, as if the gates of hell had been completely opened.

Tony suddenly increased the altitude, and the six mechanical wings on his back instantly separated, transforming into Six Paths golden streaks of light that hovered in mid-air.

"[Dragoon] Attack."

The next second, the mechanical wings unfolded, and countless laser beams poured down like a torrential rain, drawing crisscrossing grids on the ground. The believers didn't even have time to scream before they were vaporized into ashes in the intense heat. The entire area was instantly cleared, leaving only scorched ground and rising black smoke.

Steve stood in the center of the battlefield, the Gold Cloth shining brightly against the blood-red sky. He took a deep breath, brought his right fist to his waist, and the runes on his gauntlet suddenly lit up.

"Lightning—Beam Fist!"

With a single punch, the golden fist wind transformed into countless meteor-like shockwaves, erupting forward in a fan shape. The believers' bodies were torn apart the instant they came into contact with the fist light, flesh and limbs exploding like waves, creating a burning vacuum in the enemy tide.

But the most flamboyant of all is Dante.

With his left hand, he fired rapidly from "Ebony," bullets hitting heads with pinpoint accuracy. With his right hand, he swung "Ivory," bullets tracing elegant arcs, piercing the foreheads of three followers. Simultaneously, he flipped backward, drawing the Rebellion from behind, and slashed horizontally—the blade flashing like a blood-red crescent moon, instantly cleaving all enemies within a hundred meters in half!

"Hey, you guys are too slow!"

He grinned, suddenly switching weapons. The magical artifact "Faust Hat" appeared in his hand, and with a fierce flick—countless purple energy blades rained down like a storm, each piercing the enemy's skull with pinning all the believers within a three-hundred-meter radius to the ground!

Immediately after, he slid to the other side, planted the Rebellion in the ground, and used the momentum to leap into the air. He opened fire again with both guns—bullets traced spiral trajectories in the air, each shot precisely eliminating the distant sniper-type demon. Three bullets even collided and split mid-flight, simultaneously piercing the eye sockets of twelve targets!

"Tony, are you done cleaning up over there?"

Dante did a somersault in mid-air, landed steadily, shouldered the Rebellion, and spoke as casually as if he were on vacation.

Tony's mechanical wings returned to their original position, and a slight smile played on his lips beneath his mask, "Three seconds faster than you."

"Ha! That's not necessarily true—"

Before Dante could finish speaking, he suddenly sidestepped, and the Rebellion slashed down—the magic erupting from the Blade instantly cleaved a towering demon that lunged from the shadows, along with hundreds of its followers, in two. The shockwave even split the distant Clock Tower in two!

"--I can kill another three thousand!"

He laughed wildly, his body surging with Red Devil, his Balrog Gauntlets igniting with Hellfire, and he slammed his fist into the ground—the entire street shattered with a roar, hundreds of believers were turned into blood mist, and the shockwave even overturned the houses next to the street.

"Hulk —Get angry!" The Hulk slammed the deformed car wreckage in his hand onto the ground, causing it to tremble.

He stared at the huge blank space blasted out by Dante in the distance, then looked at the scorched earth cleared by Tony's laser, and stomped his foot like a sulking child. "They didn't even include Hulk!"

Suddenly, three four-meter-tall lava demons emerged from the ground. Before they could even spew flames, Hulk's eyes lit up. "This is fun!" He grabbed the horn of the foremost demon and swung it at the other two. The three bodies exploded into burning fragments in the violent collision. Hulk, standing on the still twitching limbs, roared triumphantly to the sky.

In the crypt of the Dewen County Cathedral, the Crystal in William von Klaue's hand trembled violently.

In the scene, Dante is using the Rebellion to send twenty believers flying, and the flash of the blade slices the fountain statue in half.

"This is impossible..." His pale fingers dug into the armrests of the throne. "The hellish power obtained through the sacrifice of nine thousand souls, actually..."

The sound of metal joints grinding came from the shadows. The Devil Armor walked up to him, its visor snapping open to reveal half of Bucky's face covered in crimson keratin. His demonized left eye gleamed darkly. "Release 'that,'" he said. "Perfect for testing the toy you traded for."

William slammed his scepter into the ground, and the blood pool at the center of the altar began to boil. Countless skeletons rose from the bottom, piecing together the outline of a small mountain. "As you wish, Mr. Barnes. Let them see... the true abyss."

The ground in Dewen County suddenly trembled violently, and the asphalt road surface shattered like a fragile eggshell.

Dante dodged the sudden eruption of lava with a backflip, "Wow, finally something decent--"

Before the words were even finished, the ground of the entire city collapsed with a deafening roar! A gigantic demon, three hundred meters tall, slowly rose from the ground. It was entirely crimson, its surface covered with constantly flowing lava patterns. The demon's head had two twisted horns, and it had no eyes; its entire face was a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth.

"Demonic energy is surging." A stream of data flashed across Tony's mask, and his mechanical wings fully deployed. "Guys, it seems we've blasted the Boss out."

Hulk roared and leaped out of the ruins, steam billowing from his body. He charged straight at the demon's ankle, his giant green fist slamming into the demon's knee—but only managed to make the behemoth sway slightly.

The demon casually kicked, Hulk was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through three tall buildings.

"Hulk —I'm annoyed!" came an angry roar from afar.

Dante had already leaped into the air, stepping on the flying rubble, and was firing his twin pistols at the demon's head. "The party's reached its climax!"

Bullets exploded into sparks on the demon's face, creating small craters. He suddenly drew his Rebellion and, using the force of his fall, slashed a ten-meter-long wound on the demon's arm, from which dark purple blood gushed out like a waterfall.

"Tony! I bet five hundred who can take this thing down first!"

"Ha, deal! To deal with the big guy! I have something new!" Tony laughed.

"JARVIS! Activate the Archangel Protocol '!"

Tony's voice boomed across the communication channel.

"Archangel Protocol activated, Sir," JARVIS's electronic voice responded. "Orbital projection system initiated – estimated arrival time: 12 seconds."

Geosynchronous orbit, Stark Industries launch satellite -- [Hephaestus's Forge]

The satellite's outer shell suddenly cracked open, and several massive metal components, each the size of a shipping container and covered with blue-gold energy patterns, were deorbited by the retrorockets. As they fell, they unfolded their folded structures, revealing intricate mechanical joints and photon thrusters inside.

Boom

The thrusters erupted with blinding blue flames, Six Paths meteors streaked through the atmosphere, leaving long plasma trails as they swooped down toward the battlefield of Dewen County!

On the ground battlefield, the demons roared in fury.

Dante, using the demon's shoulders as a springboard, performed a series of backflips, the Rebellion spinning in his hands like a crimson whirlwind. Each strike tore deep, bone-revealing wounds into the scarlet body. The demon roared deafeningly, swinging its massive claws at Dante—

"Too slow!"

Dante laughed loudly, switching magical artifacts the instant the claw struck down. The Faust Hat was flung out as a purple energy barrier, forcefully blocking the attack. At the same time, his right hand Ivory, fired three shots at the demon's gaping maw. The bullets exploded inside the mouth, and sharp teeth flew out!

Steve, holding the demon back on the ground, watched as the light from his Gold Cloth grew ever brighter. He unleashed a barrage of punches, each carrying a lightning-fast golden shockwave that blasted the demon's ankles into a bloody mess. Hulk leaped onto the demon's back, his giant green fist pounding down like a pile driver, each blow causing the behemoth to stagger.

"Tony! If you don't come soon, I'm going to steal your kill!" Dante did a somersault in mid-air, firing his two guns in a cross pattern. The bullets accurately struck the demon's throat, exploding into a cloud of blood mist.

Tony hovered in the distance, a smirk playing on his lips beneath his mask. "That's not necessarily true, Red-Clad Uncle."

The clouds were suddenly torn apart!

Several blue and white meteors tore through the clouds! Each one left a plasma trail hundreds of meters long, piercing the blood-red sky like a sword of Divine Punishment.

They swooped down at supersonic speeds around Tony, hovering abruptly just before impact, their retro-propulsion engines unleashing blue flames that blew away all the debris within a hundred meters.

"Archangel Armament Initiating Docking." JARVIS's electronic voice sounded again.

The first component to be put into place was the leg propulsion assembly—the streamlined armor plates unfolded, revealing the intricate photon conduction bands inside. Layers of armor covered Tony's boots, eventually forming a sharp wing-like structure at the ankle.

Next comes the chest extension armor – two thick composite armor pieces that separate from the back assembly and converge forward like Angel Wings, forming armor on the surface of the battle armor.

Blinding energy patterns lit up at the seams of the armor, and the reactor on the chest was surrounded by three rings of armor, each ring rotating in reverse, emitting terrifying fluctuations.

Armored wings on the back – six 15-meter-long mechanical wings suddenly unfolded! Each wing consisted of dozens of independently movable armor plates with edges as sharp as blades. Blue and white photon torrents flowed across the wing surfaces, and twelve floating cannons hovered at the wingtips, their muzzles already glowing with energy storage.

"Archangel Armament - Docking Complete"

Tony's armor was now painted in a blue and white pattern, with shimmering blue energy patterns flowing along the seams. His mask emitted a blinding white light from where his eyes were positioned. When the six mechanical wings on his back were fully extended, their wingspan exceeded thirty meters, each pointing towards the sky like a sword of judgment.

The entire 'Archangel Armor' reaches a height of 30 meters, truly making it feel like a Gundam Descent.

Dante's eyes lit up. "Wow, this is going to be interesting!"

The demon seemed to sense the threat as well; it abruptly flung Hulk away, and molten blood suddenly gushed from all its wounds. This blood coalesced in the air into countless crimson spears, aimed at Tony—

"The party continues." A blinding white light shone from beneath Tony's mechanical mask where his eyes should be. "JARVIS, all weapon systems unlocked."

"All restrictions have been lifted, Sir."

The next second--

With his mechanical wings fully deployed, thirty-six floating cannons hovered behind Tony like Angel's ring.

The shoulder-mounted particle cannon is fully charged, and a dangerous blue light illuminates its muzzle.

The forearm armor snapped open, revealing two rows of miniature missile launchers;

The chest reactor—the triple energy rings—began to rotate in reverse, and the terrifying energy fluctuations distorted the surrounding air!

The demon's lava spear was finally fired.

Tony simply raised his right hand.

"Photon Shield"

A blue-white energy shield, a hundred meters in diameter, instantly unfolded, and all the lava spears crashed into it, exploding into a rain of fire!

Dante seized the opportunity to leap onto the demon's head, holding the Rebellion upside down, tip pointing downwards—

"It's time to wrap this up!"

He thrust the demonic sword into the demon's skull, the blade completely disappearing into it, all the way to the hilt! The demon let out a shrill howl, its body convulsing violently.

At that moment, all of Tony's Jaeger's weapon systems simultaneously lit up with lock-on lights.

"Full launch."

Boom

Thirty-six floating cannons fired simultaneously, their blue and white photon beams weaving into a network of destruction.

The shoulder-mounted particle cannon fired a beam of light two meters in diameter, piercing directly through the demon's chest;

The miniature missiles on the forearm poured out like a swarm of bees, each one blasting a huge bloody hole in the demon's body;

The final and most fatal blow came from the chest—the triple energy rings reached the synchronization threshold, and a colossal photon cannon with a diameter of ten meters exploded, completely engulfing the demon's upper body!

Dante leaped away at the last moment, flipping in mid-air as he watched the demon engulfed by the beam of light. He laughed and gave Tony a thumbs-up, "You win this round!"

The beam of light lasted for a full five seconds. When the energy dissipated, the 300-meter-tall demon was left standing with only its legs below the waist; its upper body had completely vaporized!

Tony's armor began to disarm, its components separating and hovering behind him. He flew to Dante's side, his visor snapping open. "Remember to transfer the bet to my account."

Steve and Hulk watched this scene from the ground. Hulk scratched his head and said, "Hulk wants a flying metal shell too."