Black Sky

With a thunderous boom, the Iron Fist arrived in an instant amid roaring winds, smashing into Sean's shoulder like a siege hammer. The surging force crashed down like raging waves, sending the young man who had been unstoppable from the moment he appeared flying through the air. His tall body shattered the antique carved wooden door before crashing heavily into the shadows.

Danny Rand was also startled by that ferocious blow. Although he bore the title of K'un-Lun's guardian, the "Immortal Iron Fist," he was unworthy of it in truth and could not skillfully control the "chi" within him. That was why he had been unable to offer much help in the battle just now.

Jessica's eyes filled with disbelief. She had never expected this reckless-looking kid to throw such a devastating punch out of nowhere. Without his help, defeating Sean on her own would not have been easy.

"Finish him while we have the chance!" The Punisher, hidden nearby, seized the opportunity. As a former soldier, Frank had always excelled at spotting the right moment to strike.

Like a swift cheetah, the Punisher darted into the shadows. He knew full well how terrifying Sean was. If he could not take him down in one go, their side would be the ones in trouble.

"I think he's being too tense." Danny Rand shrugged. He did not believe the man who had suddenly appeared could get back up immediately after taking one of his heavy punches.

Danny Rand shook his clenched fist, his face brimming with confidence. Even though Sean had displayed formidable defenses in the earlier battle, this guardian from K'un-Lun had absolute faith in his Iron Fist. Even a body of incomparably hard steel would have been punched through by that all-out strike!

This was the power of the "chi" passed down from K'un-Lun. Once it was called upon, it was like a trump card, capable of overcoming anything.

"He's a real warrior." Jessica tossed back her disheveled black hair. Who could have imagined that Hell's Kitchen's strongest street heroes had nearly been wiped out by that man tonight?

Danny Rand glanced at Daredevil, lying unconscious on the ground, then turned to look toward Luke Cage, who had been thrown out the window. Helplessly, he said, "I think we should call an ambulance. Maybe one won't even be enough. That guy took my punch—he probably won't be able to use a knife and fork for the rest of his life."

"Oh, looks like I'm going to disappoint you."

A hint of amusement colored the deep voice as Sean slowly stepped out of the shadows. His tall frame stood like a mountain, radiating an intense pressure. Jessica and Danny Rand were especially shocked when they saw his right hand tightly gripping the Punisher by the throat. The burly man, a full six feet tall, dangled from his hand like a chick, making strained, rasping sounds as he struggled to breathe.

The scene abruptly fell silent. Danny Rand's face darkened; he had thought he had turned the tide. By all rights, that punch should have completely robbed Sean of his ability to fight, yet reality had slapped him across the face.

"That punch of yours was indeed heavy. It's the first time I've ever been injured," Sean said blandly. His left arm hung limply at his side, his entire shoulder feeling as though it had been struck by a hammer. "Handing my first time over to a man, honestly, doesn't put me in a very good mood."

Sean's right hand was like cast iron, clamped tightly around the Punisher's neck. If not for the surging, boiling life energy within his body rapidly repairing his injuries, he might already have become the Punisher's captive.

"I made a mistake. Maybe everything has gone too smoothly for me from the very beginning. Every enemy I met fell to their knees at my feet, and I've hardly encountered any setbacks or obstacles... so I became a little arrogant. That isn't a good sign. Even Achilles could be killed by an arrow to the heel. I'll face more and stronger opponents in the future. If I keep this conceited, arrogant mindset, I may one day suffer a disastrous defeat that cannot be undone."

Sean sounded as though he were reflecting on himself, his voice calm and unhurried. His tranquil eyes held no emotion. His right hand gradually tightened like an iron vise, and the Punisher, whose throat was being gripped, was nearly suffocating. His bloodshot eyes bulged, and he could not make even the slightest sound.

With a thud, the two-hundred-pound body crashed onto the floor with a dull impact. Sean rolled his injured left shoulder. Wrapped in golden light, the shattered bones had already returned to normal.

"All right, let's make this quick. Maybe I can still take home a cheese-and-nut pizza before the pizza place closes."

Sean did not even look at the Punisher, who had lost consciousness from lack of oxygen. Golden light flickered in his eyes and vanished as he stared at the wary Jessica and Danny Rand. A dangerous smile blossomed at the corner of his mouth.

A black Passat was parked outside a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Alexandra, one of The Hand's leaders, reclined in the back seat. She had been following the battle from the start. If Sean had not appeared, she had intended to send out the most powerful weapon at her disposal and bring K'un-Lun's Iron Fist before her, according to the original plan.

"Elektra, if Wesley's employer fails, it will be your turn." Alexandra gently stroked the woman seated beside her as though she were a domesticated pet.

The woman called Elektra turned her head woodenly. Her eyes contained no emotion whatsoever. Like an exquisite puppet, she lacked any trace of life.

No one would have imagined that this expressionless, cold beauty was The Hand's most powerful weapon—the legendary humanoid weapon, Black Sky!

"If Wesley's employer does not fail, then you will deal with him. No nameless nobody has ever dared to make demands of The Hand." Alexandra's gaze was icy. Since he had demanded an outrageous price, she would simply make him pay for his greed.

Elektra nodded and gripped the katana in her hand. To Black Sky, any weapon capable of tearing flesh and reaping lives was an extension of her own body. Compared to powerful firearms, these ancient and brutal cold weapons better satisfied the hunger for slaughter and bloodshed in her heart.

Time passed second by second. Just as Alexandra was growing impatient, the doors of the Chinese restaurant were pushed open. A man in a black mask emerged, humming a jaunty tune while dragging a body along the ground.

"Danny Rand, K'un-Lun's Iron Fist. I brought him to you," Sean said casually, flinging the battered Danny Rand onto the black Passat as though tossing out garbage.

Apparently in retaliation for that heavy punch, not a patch of uninjured skin remained on K'un-Lun's Iron Fist's face. His entire face had swollen to at least twice its original size, and at least a dozen bones throughout his body had been broken.

"Don't worry, I know my limits. They're all superficial injuries. Just find him a doctor. He won't be crippled, and his life isn't in danger."

Danny Rand, who was still conscious, nearly wanted to curse out loud upon hearing that. Unfortunately, he could not move so much as a finger, much less make a sound.

"Elektra, kill him." Alexandra gave the order. Now that K'un-Lun's Iron Fist was in her hands, the fellow before them no longer had any reason to exist.

Elektra, dressed in black-and-red ninja garb, stepped out of the car. Her sharp katana slowly slid from its sheath. She stared at Sean, who seemed entirely unaware, as the light of The Beast surged within her pupils.

"What a lack of respect for the contract."

Sean, who had expected this all along, rolled his neck. It felt as though electricity were racing violently beneath his skin, and a faint stimulation filled his body. The successive battles had allowed him to vaguely touch upon the essence of his own power.