Hearing Maguire, Susan froze.
"Yeah… what do those powerful guys have to do with us? The only one who had anything to do with me—Doctor Doom—died at the hands of the Hellblood Demon."
Thinking of that, an awkward look crossed Susan's face.
Hmph, is this guy mocking me? Hmph!
Annoyed, she decided to tell a little lie.
This guy must know the Hellblood Demon! I'll just say the Hellblood Demon is my friend. Compared to the Hellblood Demon's reputation, that should scare this jerk straight!
With that thought, Susan let out a cold snort. "You've heard of the Hellblood Demon, right, Maguire?"
Maguire's lips curled into a strange smile.
Seeing his look, Susan lifted her chin proudly. "I'm a superhero. How could I not know the Hellblood Demon? And I'll tell you this: I don't just know him—I'm his friend."
Inside, she added, Let's see if you still dare act like that with me. The Hellblood Demon is my friend. Even if I don't dare kill you, that guy does whatever he wants.
Maguire chuckled. "Friends with the Hellblood Demon? Sounds more like you're his girlfriend."
Susan's face showed a flicker of panic. "Idiot—don't joke about that. If the Hellblood Demon hears, he'll kill us both!"
Maguire felt speechless. Am I really that terrifying?
He sighed helplessly. "How could that be? Even if he's strong, how could he hear what we're saying?"
"Shh. Be careful," Susan said, sitting up straight. "The Hellblood Demon isn't a superhero like me—he's a true spirit. Who knows if he has eyes that see a thousand miles and ears that hear the wind?"
Her fear was adorable—round, wide eyes, and those red, pouty lips.
Maguire tapped the brakes and pulled over.
Before Susan could react, his face filled her vision.
Ten minutes later, Susan, cheeks burning, glared at Maguire from up close. "You—you! Hmph! You're infuriating!"
Maguire grinned wickedly. "So… you think that Hellblood Demon can tell what we just did?"
Susan snorted and turned her head away.
Soon, they arrived beneath a high-rise. Looking up at the building, Maguire realized Susan's finances probably weren't great—places like this were what junior white-collar workers rented.
"Not going to invite me up?" he asked.
Susan rolled her eyes. "How about no? You rogue. Who knows what you'd try to do."
She popped the door and stepped out.
Watching her graceful back, Maguire thought, So this is the sour-sweet taste of love?
He had to admit, being with Susan felt completely different from being with Gwen. Gwen was gentle, virtuous, calm. Susan, though, was sweet, cute… even a little silly.
Still, he understood now—Susan had fallen for him. Otherwise she wouldn't have let him get that close just now.
As for why… probably because of that night. Turned out Susan was very conservative.
Washington—
S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
One-eyed Nick Fury stared grimly at the image on the screen.
On it, Maguire was wreathed in thunder, taking on his God of Thunder form.
Natasha, Dr. Banner, Hawkeye, and General Ross all looked on in shock.
"This guy can even wield lightning…"
"And that hammer— it's the legendary Mjolnir."
"That man named Thor is really the God of Thunder. So Asgard truly exists."
"Then the All-Father Odin must be real, too."
Hearing Fury's words, everyone fell silent. Maguire's power was hard to process.
"If none of you have anything to add," Fury said, "then you're dismissed."
Grateful for the reprieve, the group filed out.
"Next—see if Tony Stark can develop armor that can counter Maguire."
New York.
Inside Stark Tower.
Iron Man Tony and Pepper Potts stared at the holographic screen, which was replaying Maguire's God of Thunder form.
Tony shot to his feet. "Geez—this is insane. The guy can use lightning now?"
"How am I supposed to build anti-Maguire armor when he gets new powers faster than I can prototype? How am I supposed to play this game?"
"Don't rush it, Tony," Pepper said. "Honestly, I don't think Director Fury is necessarily right. The Hellblood Demon hasn't gone on a killing spree. That means he isn't some mindless butcher. We don't need to be so paranoid."
Tony exhaled. "I can't afford to rush, but I also don't believe his power is limitless."
The next day.
At the Spider Alliance headquarters, inside the Spider Tower.
Garfield, Holland, and Harry were already gathered there. Maguire's figure approached from afar.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810