"This… this is just… unbelievable!!"
From a distance, Peter, Gwen, and every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent on site stood frozen in fear as they watched Garuda's raging form tear through the city.
That earth-shattering roar, that overwhelming destructive force—it felt like the end of the world itself. The razor-sharp wind blades had sliced through skyscrapers as though they were paper, leaving mirror-smooth cuts where steel and concrete used to be.
Every single one of them was trembling.
"Hey… guys, have you noticed something weird?"
Peter's voice quivered as he spoke.
"What weird thing?" everyone behind him—Gwen, Coulson, Natasha, and the other agents stationed on the perimeter—asked in unison.
Ever since Garuda's appearance, they'd all been called back for regrouping. At this point, sealing off the area was pointless. With two monsters of that scale rampaging through New York, no lockdown in the world could contain it.
What S.H.I.E.L.D.—or more specifically, Nick Fury—could do now was damage control: suppress all online footage and media reports before the world learned the truth. As for the eyewitnesses talking… well, that was beyond his control.
Peter pointed at the massive winged figure in the sky. "Don't you think that flying one looks like… a female?"
Everyone turned to him.
He'd seen Lucas transform into Garuda himself, right inside that tornado. Lucas was definitely a man—but the being in the sky? The proportions, the voice—it all seemed… different.
It was such a Peter Parker thought to have.
While everyone else was terrified by Garuda's godlike power, Peter was hung up on that.
The agents behind him collectively groaned. Some looked like they were ready to strangle him.
"Can you be normal for once?!" Gwen shouted, smacking him across the head before plastering a web across his face.
"Mmph—hey, I see what you're doing! But jokes on you—I've got a mask, you can't stop me from talking!"
"SHUT UP!!"
Gwen, Coulson, and Natasha all yelled at once.
Peter stiffened like a scolded puppy, instantly clamping his mouth shut.
Coulson gave Peter and Gwen a long, meaningful look. They were both so young—too young for this kind of battlefield. Then his gaze shifted back to Garuda.
There was no longer any doubt.
Lucas's threat level had skyrocketed—far beyond anything they'd ever anticipated.
---
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury sank into his chair, the replay still flickering across the screens.
He'd seen a lot in his career—but that? That had him ready to pull out his old pager again.
"Coulson," he said grimly into his comms, "from now on, I want a full surveillance protocol on Lucas Norman. No gaps, no blind spots. And start preparing diplomatic containment measures. After this, the military's gonna come sniffing around—and if those idiots try to strong-arm him, we'll all be in deep trouble."
His tone was heavy.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had no real authority over the U.S. military. Fury answered to the World Security Council; the military answered to the government. Two entirely separate chains of command.
And if the army provoked Lucas Norman—someone who was essentially a walking, sentient nuclear weapon—then there'd be no containing the fallout.
A mobile nuclear bomb with emotions was the last thing the world needed.
---
Meanwhile, on a quiet rooftop somewhere in New York, a bald man in yellow robes stood gazing toward the battle.
Around his neck hung a pendant shaped like an eye, glowing faintly green as Garuda raged in the distance.
A brief flash of green flickered through the man's own eyes before the pendant slowly closed its "eyelid."
"The timeline's shifted…" he murmured, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Let's hope this turns out for the better."
---
Back at the battlefield—
As Garuda's triumphant roar shook the air, the shattered remains of the Sand Giant began to stir again.
The scattered grains of sand gathered, swirling together into a massive form once more.
"ROOOAARRR!!! You can't kill me! I'm invincible!!"
The Sand Giant slammed both hands together, launching a barrage of sand bullets the size of boulders. To normal eyes, it looked like an endless storm of meteors.
Garuda didn't flinch.
With a single beat of her wings, countless wind blades erupted forward, slicing through the incoming projectiles. Then, cloaked in emerald light, she dove straight at her foe.
The street below exploded in chaos—each boulder that hit the ground struck like a meteor, sending shockwaves through the city blocks. In seconds, the entire street was a wasteland, as though bombarded by artillery.
Every stone, every projectile, every threat—
Garuda's wind blades cut them all down.
By the time she tore through the final rock, she was already face-to-face with the Sand Giant.
"RRAAAHHHH!!"
Garuda's roar split the sky. Emerald energy gathered at her chest, condensing into a flurry of glowing talons.
The talons exploded outward—
hundreds of them.
They tore through the Sand Giant's body like divine spears, rending the colossal form apart. Waves of sand cascaded to the ground like blood from an open wound.
Within mere seconds, the Sand Giant was shredded again—reduced once more to lifeless sand.
But this time, Garuda didn't give him a chance to reform.
Her wings spread wide as she soared high into the sky. Emerald energy converged around her, bright and ethereal, like thousands of stars coalescing.
Though it was broad daylight, the green radiance illuminated the entire horizon.
A gentle breeze swept through the streets below—soft, soothing, like the breath of spring.
But that peace lasted only a heartbeat.
The wind began to snarl.
Its tone sharpened into a scream.
"Atmospheric Burst!"
Garuda's voice thundered through the heavens.
Instantly, half of New York was consumed by a violent tempest. The gale was so intense it was visible to the naked eye. Down by the coast, the ocean itself responded—waves boiled, crashing against the shore in towering bursts of white foam.
Before long, a massive tornado formed before Garuda—vast enough to blot out the sun. Within the swirling vortex, countless emerald talons flashed in and out of sight, glinting with lethal beauty.
Coulson's voice screamed through the comms:
"Everyone evacuate! Get off this street—NOW!"
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents didn't hesitate. They piled into vehicles and sped away as fast as they could.
Peter and Gwen moved even faster—firing webs through the howling winds, swinging to safety in a blur.
They landed on a nearby rooftop, breathless. Gwen stared anxiously at the raging storm in the sky.
"Peter… do you think Lucas will be okay?"
Her voice trembled.
Peter shook his head slowly. Honestly, he had no idea. This kind of fight was way beyond their pay grade.
But he managed a faint smile. "Don't worry. Lucas is strong. He'll be fine. And right now, he's clearly got the upper hand."
Gwen knew he was just trying to comfort her.
But in that moment, she didn't care.
She just needed to believe it.
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