Iron Man took a deep breath and slowly dispersed the orb of light in his palm. Beneath his faceplate, his lips suddenly curled into a sinister smile that sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"Hela!"
His voice rang out through his speakers, cutting through the wind and the crackling embers on the battlefield, reaching everyone's ears with perfect clarity.
"Don't get cocky. You're destined for a miserable end!"
Hela's Sword of Death paused in midair.
She tilted her head, a faint trace of surprise and amusement stirring in her dark green eyes, like a cat toying with its prey only to hear it suddenly speak.
"Oh?"
Tony hovered in midair, grinning as broadly as he could beneath his faceplate.
"Next time, we'll send out Earth's strongest hero, Yongye, the Golden Armor God of War."
"He'll capture you and add you to his harem!"
"Then he'll put you through some serious punishment... I guarantee you'll wish you were dead!"
The entire battlefield fell silent for a beat the moment those words landed.
Thor whipped his head around at the edge of the Quinjet's hatch. The airflow swept his blond hair backward, and his golden eyes filled with utter shock and disbelief.
Steve's shield hand froze in midair. The tension on his face turned to astonishment, then to an expression caught between laughter and tears.
Natasha was carrying Pietro into the cabin when the words made her pause. A fleeting mix of emotions flashed through her light brown eyes.
She understood what Iron Man was trying to do.
Hela's Sword of Death stopped completely.
She tilted her head, her dark green eyes fixed on the red-and-gold armored figure hovering in midair, as though studying a toddler who had just learned to swear.
"The Golden Armor God of War? Yongye?"
Her voice drifted