First Clash

Bang!

The moment the young man appeared, the Punisher raised his hand and pulled the trigger. The Browning pistol erupted in flame with a deafening report. The bullet shattered the window behind him, scattering glass across the floor.

There was no bloody scene as everyone had expected. The young man in the black mask seemed to have anticipated the Punisher's move. With nimble footwork, he dodged in advance and slipped into the darkness.

"Is this how you greet an old friend, Mr. Frank?" the young man's teasing voice echoed through the restaurant. "That seems rather impolite."

The Punisher's expression was grim. The skull on his black T-shirt stood out even more beneath the dim lights. "If you're standing with The Hand, the next shot will blow your head apart!"

The young man moved through the shadows, his tall frame blending into the darkness. He watched the tense street heroes with cold, calm eyes, like a hunter waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Who is he?" Danny Rand turned and asked. "You shouldn't have fired just now. What if you drew The Hand here?"

"A dangerous man." The Punisher tightened his grip on the Browning pistol. Ignoring Danny Rand's complaint, he looked toward Daredevil. "Can you determine his position?"

Daredevil drew two specially made batons. He nodded to the Punisher and gestured in a certain direction. Understanding, the Punisher immediately raised his hand. Flame burst from the dark muzzle, and the powerful metal bullet blasted a folding screen in the restaurant into pieces, sending debris flying. The instant the gunfire stopped, Daredevil sprang into the darkness like a cheetah that had been waiting to pounce.

"...No one?"

Finding no one behind the screen, Daredevil was stunned. He had clearly heard a heartbeat, but following the sound, he found only a delicate, strange little device.

"Sometimes, a person's ears are just like their eyes—they're the easiest things to deceive."

A deep voice suddenly rang out. Startled, Daredevil twisted and swung a baton. Within his superhuman senses, a figure abruptly emerged with ghostlike clarity. A violent heartbeat thundered like war drums, and a blazing life force radiated like a furnace. Countless subtle details beyond ordinary human perception painted the outline of a terrifyingly strong figure.

The figure blocked the heavy baton and threw a savage punch at Daredevil's temple. Sensing the shriek of wind in the air, Matt slightly tilted his head beneath the devil mask. His other baton swept upward in a backhand strike toward his opponent's jaw. If that blow landed, it would probably shatter the entire jawbone!

"Attorney Murdock, you're out," the deep voice said with a trace of laughter.

A warning suddenly rose in Daredevil's heart. The figure shot out a hand like lightning and caught the upward-swinging baton. An overwhelming force surged up the weapon and into his arm. Daredevil, who had never lost to anyone in a contest of strength, let out a muffled grunt as the weapon flew from his hand. Then his chest felt as though it had been struck by a battering ram. The sound of his sternum cracking rang out clearly, and he was sent flying through the air, crushing a table before collapsing onto the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A continuous barrage of gunfire chased the figure moving like a black phantom. After emptying his magazine, the Punisher threw away the Browning pistol and drew a Gerber fighting knife from behind his waist. He knew that guy was fast and possessed inhuman strength. Unless he could limit his opponent's mobility, firearms would be useless.

"He's unconscious. His sternum is cracked—we need to get him to a hospital immediately!" Jessica rushed to Daredevil's side. His injuries were serious.

"Deal with this annoying bastard first!" Luke Cage took off his jacket, muscles bulging all over his body like a humanoid beast.

The Punisher gripped the fighting knife tightly. He held his breath and carefully sensed every subtle movement in the darkness. A faint rush of wind brushed past him, and the Punisher spun around, slashing out with a sharp flash of steel!

"Huh!"

Sean, hidden in the shadows, was slightly surprised. Relying on his exceptional reflexes, he sidestepped the blade as it skimmed past him. A heavy, powerful fist followed immediately and struck Sean's shoulder. The forceful punch felt like it had slammed into a solid steel plate. Both men staggered back several steps, while the Punisher let out a pained groan. Was this guy made of iron?!

"Let me teach him a lesson!"

Luke Cage strode forward and pounced like a tiger. Compared to Daredevil and the Punisher, this muscular Black man's fighting technique was extremely rough, but against Sean, he did not fall behind in the slightest.

This big Black man from Harlem possessed strength beyond ordinary people and skin impervious to blades and bullets. Though he was not proficient in fighting, he relied on his powerful defenses to trade blows with Sean. A relentless series of heavy punches struck Luke Cage from every direction, producing muffled thuds like someone rapidly pounding a sandbag.

Luke Cage kept retreating, trying to catch sight of Sean's figure. Yet whenever he threw a punch, his opponent always dodged first and swiftly counterattacked. After so many fights in Harlem, Luke Cage had never felt so stifled. He could only take blows like a punching bag, unable to fight back at all. Even with defenses capable of stopping bullets, the rain of heavy punches still caused him pain!

"This is my first time meeting someone like you. Your ability to take a beating is incredible. Interested in being my sparring partner? How about hourly pay?"

Sean landed another punch beneath his opponent's ribs. Energy surged through his body like an electric current, sending tremors throughout him. He drew a deep breath, and the boiling energy within him seemed to find an outlet, pouring into his rapidly swinging fists. Luke Cage, enduring the storm of blows, suddenly recoiled like a startled beast!

Crack!

A hard solid pillar was snapped in half by Sean's blow. He charged forward in large strides, grabbed the retreating Luke Cage with both hands, and exerted force through his arms in an instant. He lifted the four-hundred-pound body high into the air and hurled him out the window!

Car alarms pierced the night. The muscular Black man smashed through the window and crashed onto a black Chevrolet sedan. Its roof caved in at once, the windows shattered, and the triggered alarm emitted a piercing wail.

"Three left—" Sean stepped out of the darkness with light footsteps. "I told you, coming at me together would save everyone some trouble."

Jessica crossed her hands and flexed them. She had watched this guy fight just now and discovered that his strength, speed, muscle density, and neural reflexes all far surpassed those of an ordinary person. He also seemed highly skilled at fighting. Overall, he was indeed a very troublesome opponent.

Danny Rand, who had been standing around doing nothing, tried hard to enter a meditative state and summon the "chi" within his body. Although he had earned the title of K'un-Lun's Immortal Iron Fist, he was really only a half-baked fighter and still had not mastered the use of chi.

"Danny Rand, I've actually been very curious about K'un-Lun." Sean rolled his neck, his bones shifting with soft cracking sounds.

Danny Rand, adjusting his breathing, snorted. "Scum like you will never be worthy of setting foot in K'un-Lun!"

"What righteous words."

Before the teasing remark had even faded, Sean shot forward like an arrow. He flashed before Jessica and whipped out a kick from the right, splitting the air like a battle-axe. Jessica raised both arms to shield her head and blocked the powerful strike. Her black hair flew in the fierce wind. This tall, aloof woman radiated a wild aura, like a lioness unleashing a ferocious assault!

The two fought at close quarters, fists and bodies colliding with a constant series of dull impacts. Their swift, violent fighting style left Danny Rand completely unable to intervene. The restaurant's tables and chairs were torn apart as easily as paper by the aftermath of the battle between the two terrifying opponents. Wood chips flew everywhere, leaving the place in ruins.

"How much longer can you hold on?" Jessica said coldly. "After fighting for so long, I don't believe you aren't tired!"

"As a beautiful lady, you shouldn't doubt a man's stamina." Sean threw punches rapidly, his voice carrying a suggestive laugh.

Like Luke Cage, Jessica Jones was not within the bounds of normal humanity. This black-haired woman who ran a private detective agency possessed immense strength and could even fly. Her physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, making her one of the strongest members of the five-person group.

"Men who brag about their stamina usually aren't that impressive in reality," Jessica, bold and uninhibited by nature, retorted.

"Then let's test that. Maybe afterward, you'll become addicted to me."

Sean chuckled softly. In the midst of his fierce exchange with Jessica, his expression abruptly changed. A golden fist came hurtling toward him, carrying surging power and a howling gust as it drove straight for his face!