Whether facing countless troops or attacks from all directions, Volt could handle the situation with ease.
CRACKLING
As the energy cocoon burst, countless electric arcs flickered throughout the room.
"Creating and controlling lightning? Next time I see Thor, I'll try hitting him with this."
As Marcus spoke, an electric arc spread from his fingertips, suddenly bursting like a bubble.
Several arm rings encircled his limbs, surrounded by dancing electricity, giving him the appearance of a lightning elemental.
Approaching the mirror, he wiped away the condensation and examined his new form carefully.
"Well... this face is really... difficult to describe."
Though he didn't particularly care about his armors' aesthetics, he had to admit that Volt looked rather strange—even weirder than Excalibur [Holy Sword].
The battle armor resembled an ancient island warrior with a bald head and Mediterranean-style ornamentation.
The loincloth-like belt around his waist particularly made him want to facepalm.
"Whatever—ugly is ugly. Besides, there aren't many good-looking armors anyway..."
He had essentially given up on battle armor aesthetics, resigning himself to finding opportunities to modify their appearances in the future.
Setting aside concerns about looks, Marcus focused on Volt's capabilities.
This frame's lethality was impressive, though its effectiveness varied depending on the number of opponents.
The more enemies present, the more powerful Volt became. His electrical attacks weren't simply direct damage.
Struck enemies became similar to Tesla coils, continuously discharging electrical currents to nearby targets.
One or two enemies posed no challenge, but once their numbers grew, these living "Tesla coils" would effectively wipe each other out.
Effortless and efficient—that was Volt's primary advantage.
Other abilities included inducing an accelerated state in himself and nearby allies, increasing movement speed and even boosting destructive power.
He could also generate a defensive current barrier that blocked most enemy attacks while protecting friendly units.
This versatile battle armor offered solutions for numerous combat scenarios.
With a flash of brilliance, Volt gradually disappeared as Marcus prepared to manufacture his third armor.
For his final selection, he needed to choose between Nekros [Soul Master] and Wisp [Will-o'-Wisp].
Both options left Marcus feeling conflicted, as both were highly functional armors.
One was a battle frame that manipulated souls—like a death god controlling spirits and corpses. The other was elusive as a magician, with an ethereal presence and formidable destructive capabilities.
After considerable deliberation, he made his choice.
"It's decided—Wisp [Will-o'-Wisp]!"
No sooner had he decided than he acted, filling the room once more with the light of an energy cocoon.
Shortly after, Marcus emerged, but this time he didn't stand on the ground. Instead, he hovered in the air.
Unlike other Warframes, Wisp had no feet. It moved freely in a suspended state.
Though unable to fly unconstrained, It offered far greater mobility than other armors.
The moment Wisp formed, Marcus felt dimensional fluctuations around him.
Different from Limbo [Rift Prison], Wisp could travel through various dimensions with greater ease, making it more sensitive to surrounding dimensional energies.
Marcus could feel the power contained in each dimension from the wildly fluctuating energies around him.
Some dimensions brimmed with life, others were barren and dead, while some existed in utter chaos.
"Clearly, Wisp's power cannot be used carelessly!"
Reverting to his normal form, Marcus sighed deeply. He knew all too well that recklessly breaking dimensional boundaries would drive the Ancient One to desperate measures against him.
If that happened, not only would the Ancient One target him, but countless dimensional entities coveting Earth would seize the opportunity—a major obstacle to his quest for Aya.
"When I have time, I should visit Kamar-Taj and speak with the Ancient One."
Though Wisp's dimensional powers couldn't be used freely, there was no harm in consulting the Ancient One, whose understanding of dimensions far surpassed his own.
Besides, Odin's promised items should arrive soon—he needed to retrieve them.
With all three Warframe shaped, he only needed to fuse the corresponding amplification crystals. This presented no challenge for Marcus.
During his time at Xavier's school, he had created many foundation-strengthened amplification crystals, specifically to avoid wasting time manufacturing them later.
After fusing crystals for each armor, Marcus finally relaxed and left the damp room.
"JARVIS, help remove the moisture from the room!"
The excessive humidity had forced him outside for fresh air—the dampness had become unbearable.
Stepping into the sunlight, his wet clothes finally began to dry.
"Ah, this feels so much better!"
After this contented sigh, Marcus turned toward the corner of the wall.
"No need to hide, baldy. What do you want from me?"
Enhanced by the Vazarin School, his perception had reached astonishing levels. He had already detected Fury concealed in the corner.
Seeing Marcus point directly at him, Fury abandoned his cover, emerging from behind the bushes.
"How long has it been? From 1996 until now—you've been gone for over ten years."
"Hmm... Is there a problem with that? You should watch your tone. If you keep speaking to me like that, I might just have to beat you."
Marcus leaned against a bench, studying Fury. More than a decade ago, Fury had been a good man, but now he wasn't just bald—he'd grown more portly as well.
His warning had the desired effect. Fury dropped his authoritative tone, sitting directly on the bench before leaning back with a long sigh.
"You know, after you left, Carol departed too. I eventually managed to become Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Fury appeared genuinely relaxed—more than he had been in over a decade. He felt this comfort only in Marcus's presence.
Though he had failed to uncover details about Marcus's background, he wasn't concerned about potential attacks.
To Marcus, neither Fury nor the entire complement of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents posed any real threat.
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