What had he just seen?
A former companion from the League of Assassins, a woman long thought dead.
Cross shook his head. It couldn't be—Fox was dead, killed personally by Rock Lee from their organization.
Moreover, their demeanors were completely different. If not for the striking resemblance, he would've thought she was someone else entirely.
As Cross pondered this, he eased off the gas pedal, slowing down.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh was about to say something when suddenly Thena's pupils shifted, her irises consumed by a milky white color.
"Not good!"
Gilgamesh cursed under his breath, recognizing that Thena's mental instability had resurfaced.
"Swish!"
Thena's hand conjured a longsword, which she swung in a wide arc around her.
"Slash!"
In an instant, everything within a 1.5-meter radius of Thena was sliced through at the waist—people and objects alike.
Bodies collapsed to the ground, and a nearby streetlight was severed, toppling into the middle of the road, where a car crashed into it.
"Boom!"
Reacting quickly, Gilgamesh summoned a gauntlet on his arm to deflect Thena's sweeping strike.
"Thena!" he shouted, but she showed no sign of hearing him.
In a trance, she muttered, "Death… all must die! None shall escape!"
The next moment, her sword transformed into a spear, and a shield appeared in her left hand as she continued her relentless assault on everything around her.
"Boom!"
"Aah!"
"Monster! Somebody help!"
As Thena's indiscriminate attacks raged on, the street descended into chaos, with screams and shouts filling the air.
Some residents from nearby buildings, witnessing the carnage, began filming and uploading the footage online.
Cross, who had only driven a short distance away, heard the commotion behind him. He turned back to see Thena wreaking havoc on the street.
"Hell, that's definitely not Fox!"
"Boom!"
A car was flung through the air by Thena, crashing into the vehicle behind Cross, crushing it completely.
Realizing the danger, Cross slammed on the accelerator and sped away.
After two blocks, he pulled over, grabbed his sniper rifle with an 8x scope, and climbed up a nearby skyscraper. He needed a better vantage point to assess the situation.
…
Meanwhile-
Gilgamesh shouted at the crowd to evacuate as he tried to subdue Thena. However, the shockwaves from their clash shattered the glass windows of all the surrounding shops.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters-
The alarm sounded suddenly in the monitoring center, prompting Nick Fury, who was in the hallway, to enter immediately.
"What's going on?"
As soon as the agents saw their director, they quickly pulled up the footage.
"Sir, two superhumans are engaged in a battle in the city center."
Fury's already dark expression grew even more intense as he watched the male and female combatants on screen and the destruction they were causing.
"Are they ninjas?"
The agent zoomed in on the two and checked for distinguishing features.
"Sir, neither has any recognizable ninja headgear, and the chakra detector isn't picking up any corresponding energy fluctuations."
Upon hearing that they weren't ninjas, Fury issued an order, "Notify Fire Squad 1 to assemble, and dispatch a squadron of jets for support."
"Yes, sir!"
…
Top Floor of Stark Tower-
In Tony Stark's lab, Jarvis's voice suddenly chimed in.
"Sir, I've come across a video online that I believe you'll find interesting."
Hearing this, Tony's interest was piqued.
"Play it."
"Yes, sir."
The video of Thena and Gilgamesh fighting in the busy downtown area appeared before Tony.
As he watched them clash in such a crowded public space, his expression darkened, "What's the deal with these two? Do they have no regard for civilians?"
"Jarvis, tap into the nearby cameras and surveillance around the battle site. Are they still fighting?"
"Sir, the battle is ongoing, streamed by a Facebook user… oh, sir, the livestream was just taken down by moderators."
Tony took one last look, then stretched out his arms as a compartment in the lab opened. His armor flew out and assembled itself onto him.
As he flew out the window, Bruce Banner walked in with two cups of coffee, only to find the lab empty.
"Jarvis, where's Tony?"
"Dr. Banner, Tony had an urgent matter to attend to."
Seeing that Tony wasn't around, Banner set down his coffee and continued drafting suggestions for the Mark 48 anti-Hulk armor, asking Jarvis to take notes.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy - Operations Division -
At this time, all agents injected with the physical enhancement serum and the Fire Curse Mark were undergoing intensive training here.
Agents with the physical enhancement serum were pushing forklifts, working on strength and sprinting exercises, while those with the Fire Curse Mark practiced firing flames at targets.
"Beep, beep!"
The whistle sounded, and everyone on the training grounds stopped.
The instructor commanded, "Everyone, assemble!"
In seconds, the agents ran up and formed a neat formation.
"Members of Fire Squad 1, step forward!"
Six people stepped out from the lineup. The instructor looked at them and shouted, "You have an urgent mission. There's an aircraft waiting to pick you up outside, and the mission objectives will be provided. Move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The six agents immediately ran out to where a Quinjet awaited them.