Prelude to Battle, Chu Yang’s Deal with Odin!

Sonic warily stared at the man before him!

Konoha?

What kind of ninja village was that?

He himself was a ninja who had come from a ninja village, yet he had never heard of one like it.

On the other side, Chu Yang realized he had misspoken. He gave an awkward smile, then asked, "Who are you?"

The corners of Sonic’s mouth curled up as he laughed arrogantly. "My name is Sonic, and I am the strongest ninja in the world today. I saw footage of your battle with the giant. Although you used Ninjutsu I’ve never seen before, I’m certain that you’re a ninja."

"I came here to recruit you. Join me, and together we’ll strengthen the name of ninja!"

Before Sonic could finish, Chu Yang had already waved him off, yawned, and walked past him.

"Hey! Don’t leave! I’m not done talking yet! You—"

"Sorry, but I’m not interested in your dream. Go find someone else."

Sonic jogged after him and circled around to block his path again. He raised a hand to signal Chu Yang to stop, took a deep breath, and said, "I didn’t think this through. You haven’t seen my strength, so it’s understandable that you’d think I’m boasting."

Chu Yang froze for a moment. "Uh… that’s not what I meant. I’m simply not interested."

Of course, he knew how strong Sonic was.

Other than the protagonist, Saitama, there were really only a few people in the story who could make Sonic suffer. Most of his opponents were Dragon-level Threats or S-Class Heroes.

There was no doubting Sonic’s strength. In the One-Punch World, he belonged among the strongest of the first tier.

"I’ll make you acknowledge me!"

Sonic pulled out a shuriken and threw it at Chu Yang without another word.

"You’re pretty rude, aren’t you?"

Chu Yang tilted his head to evade the shuriken. Two seconds later, it exploded behind and to his right.

"Your reaction speed is indeed impressive. Compared to me, you’re only a hair behind."

Sonic studied Chu Yang with an admiring gaze. "But I won’t hold back in my next attack!"

As soon as he spoke, Sonic flashed forward, leaving two afterimages where he had stood.

Secret Technique: Two Shadows Burial!

Watching Sonic use a knockoff version of the Shadow Clone Technique made Chu Yang want to laugh.

So he used the Shadow Clone Technique as well.

A Shadow Clone silently appeared behind Sonic and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Sonic shuddered in alarm. When he turned around, his pupils contracted sharply.

When did he get behind me?

Sonic turned back again.

Chu Yang was still standing where he had been, without moving at all!

So Sonic turned back to look at the Shadow Clone behind him…

It was real!

Sonic repeatedly turned his head back and forth, his face filled with disbelief!

"You… you… what is this?"

The shocked Sonic had started stammering.

"A Clone Technique. You call yourself a ninja, yet you don’t even know such basic Ninjutsu?"

Chu Yang looked at him disdainfully.

"Basic… Ninjutsu?"

Sonic felt like his brain was about to overload. After all his years in the ninja village, he had never heard that a Clone Technique could create physical bodies.

"Were you some kind of dead-last student when you were in school? Did you never pay attention in class?"

Chu Yang teased the slightly dazed Sonic with a half-smile.

"Bullshit! We were never taught anything like that! Your ninja village is the weird one!"

The term "dead last" had clearly struck Sonic’s pride, because back when he had been in the ninja village, he really had spent a long time at the bottom of the rankings.

Incidentally, it was precisely because he had spent so long as dead last that Sonic had developed an absurdly powerful digestive system in those harsh living conditions, giving him extremely high resistance to toxins.

The current thirteenth-ranked S-Class Hero, Flashy Flash, had graduated from the ninja village in the same class as Sonic.

On the day of their graduation ceremony, Flashy Flash slaughtered every instructor, classmate, and staff member in the ninja village. As for Sonic, Flashy Flash spared him out of old sentiment and chose poison instead of directly attacking him.

Sonic happened to survive thanks to his high resistance to toxins.

"I suggest you go back and study some more before coming out to talk grandly about strengthening the name of ninja."

Chu Yang kindly warned him, lest he one day encounter Saitama and inevitably become a one-balled wanderer.

Sonic clearly did not take Chu Yang’s goodwill to heart. Humiliated into anger, he launched an attack against the Shadow Clones surrounding him.

Sonic Combination Fist!

Wind Blade Kick!

Sonic moved as fast as lightning. In almost the blink of an eye, dozens of punches rained down upon the Shadow Clone.

Then, with a sweeping kick, he struck at the Shadow Clone’s vital area, the fierce wind from his leg slicing through the air like a blade.

After unleashing those two vicious killing moves, Sonic smiled confidently.

They’re only clones.

But when he tried to chase after Chu Yang, another Shadow Clone blocked his way.

Sonic’s eyes widened.

More?

Behind that Shadow Clone was another one.

Sonic looked around.

The streets, rooftops, and roadside were filled with countless Shadow Clones standing in every direction.

They were packed together in a surging sea of people.

Sonic’s scalp went numb.

Chu Yang’s figure grew farther and farther away. He snapped his fingers and casually said, "Let him kill them."

Then the Shadow Clones swarmed forward, completely drowning Sonic in the sea of people.

"Ahhhhhh!!!"

Over the following days, Sonic repeatedly came to challenge Chu Yang.

Then Chu Yang would torture him with all kinds of Ninjutsu.

With Six Paths Sage Mode, Chu Yang could theoretically use every one of the five elemental releases.

Fire Release, Water Release, Lightning Release, Earth Release, Wind Release.

Having witnessed a vast number of Ninjutsu, Sonic’s eyes shone brilliantly!

For the first time since leaving the ninja village, he clearly felt that he had found the purpose of his life.

This is what a ninja should be!

Everything I learned before was dogshit!

"Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~"

The doorbell rang urgently.

"Again? Are you ever going to stop? I’m going to beat the shit out of you today!"

Having finally managed to get some extra sleep, Chu Yang climbed out of bed in a rage. He opened the door and, unsurprisingly, saw Sonic’s irritating face.

"You like courting death, huh? I’ll make you delete your account and start over!"

Chu Yang rolled up his sleeves, preparing to send Sonic to Western Heaven, but unexpectedly, Sonic dropped to his knees, staring at Chu Yang with bright, eager eyes.

"Master!!!"

With a sincere expression and reverent tone, Sonic said, "Please allow me to call you Master. From today onward, I wish to cultivate by your side, inherit your Ninjutsu, and become the strongest ninja!"

Chu Yang: "…"

Sonic grabbed Chu Yang’s hand and blinked eagerly. "Master, I’m sure you’ll agree. After all, a genius disciple like me isn’t so easy to find…"

Bang!!!

Chu Yang slammed the door shut.

"Get lost!"

After that, Sonic came to his door day after day, insisting on taking Chu Yang as his master. He had already made up his mind to learn the most advanced Ninjutsu from Chu Yang.

Chu Yang was endlessly annoyed, but there was little he could do.

If Sonic had come looking for trouble, Chu Yang could have simply taken him out. But Sonic had come to become his disciple, acting meek and compliant, and Chu Yang really could not bring himself to beat him up too harshly.

One day.

Chu Yang received a mission to eliminate a monster. By the time he arrived at the scene, that Tiger-level Threat had already been taken down by Sonic.

Under the watchful eyes of the curious crowd, Sonic ran eagerly up to Chu Yang and said attentively, "Master, the mission has been completed!"

Chu Yang let out a deep sigh.

Whenever a monster appeared in City D, Sonic would definitely get there before Chu Yang and deal with it, claiming that he was "taking care of things for Master."

At this rate, Chu Yang was about to lose his job.

"Putting everything else aside, you really are fast. Where exactly are you getting your information?"

Chu Yang looked at Sonic in confusion.

"This guy told me."

Sonic pointed at Foster, who was hiding among the crowd. Chu Yang looked over, and Foster gave him an awkward smile.

"Mr. Sonic knew that you were a Hero Association-registered hero. He asked what he could do to help Mr. Chu Yang, so…"

Foster hurried forward to explain, afraid that Chu Yang might be displeased.

He had originally thought Chu Yang had the potential to become an S-Class Hero, but he had underestimated him!

Even his disciple possessed S-Class strength!

Just how powerful was the master?

Damn! I’m about to soar!

Foster was overjoyed inside.

Then he suddenly saw Chu Yang’s indifferent gaze. His entire body jolted, and cold sweat broke out across his back.

"Mr. Foster, do you enjoy finding people to replace me that much?"

At those words, Foster’s heart nearly leaped out of his throat. He hurriedly explained, "No, no, no, that’s not what I meant, Mr. Chu Yang. It’s mainly because Mr. Sonic insisted on helping ease your burdens…"

Chu Yang ignored him and turned to look seriously at Sonic. "What exactly do you want?"

Sonic replied just as solemnly, "I want to become a real ninja under Master’s guidance."

Chu Yang did not want to deceive him, so he said bluntly, "That’s impossible. You don’t have the talent."

Chakra was the combination of spiritual energy and physical energy.

Theoretically, anyone could cultivate this kind of power.

But it was also a special power restricted by the rules of the world.

Just like spiritual power and Magic Power.

Hearing Chu Yang’s unequivocal reply, Sonic’s face turned deathly pale. He gritted his teeth and asked, "There’s no possibility at all?"

Chu Yang decisively shook his head. "None!"

Sonic looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He swayed unsteadily as the light in his eyes swiftly faded, leaving them numb and vacant.

Foster scratched his head, wondering what Sonic, already so strong, still wanted to learn from Chu Yang.

"If you understand, then let this end here. You don’t need to come looking for me anymore." Before leaving, Chu Yang shot Foster a fierce glare. Foster bowed and scraped, hurriedly apologizing.

Sonic simply stood there, staring blankly at Chu Yang’s departing back without moving, from day until night.

Many years ago, when he had been in the ninja village, everyone around him—whether instructors or fellow students—had repeatedly drilled one sentence into him.

"You have no talent, which is why you’re dead last!"

Sonic’s lucky survival at the graduation ceremony did not mean he had gained a new life, nor did it mean those words had vanished from his heart.

On the contrary, he still remembered them to this day.

"Master, I’ve never believed in things like talent…"

The next day.

As usual, the doorbell at Chu Yang’s home rang.

He opened the door.

"Master!"

Sonic was still standing outside, carrying several large plastic bags filled with ingredients.

With a serious expression, he said, "I’ve thought it over carefully. Simply helping eliminate a few monsters cannot fully express my sincerity. From today onward, I will serve you in every possible way until you are satisfied!"

Bang!

Chu Yang forcefully slammed the door shut.

There was definitely something wrong with this guy’s head!

"I already told you that you can’t learn it…"

Chu Yang returned to his room with a headache.

Sonic continued pounding on the door and shouting, "Master, don’t worry. I’ll definitely work hard."

Brother!

This isn’t a matter of whether you work hard or not!

You’d have to break through the dimensional wall!

Chu Yang sighed helplessly, silently returned to the front door, opened it, and said impatiently, "Stop shouting. I’ll give you one chance. If you can’t do it, get the hell out!"

Sonic was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. "Master, don’t worry. I definitely won’t disappoint you."

Chu Yang asked irritably, "Why are you so determined to take me as your master? Do you really like being a ninja that much?"

"Liking being a ninja is one thing. Wanting to learn Ninjutsu from you is another…" Sonic suddenly became a little embarrassed, swaying awkwardly with a flushed face. "Because… it looks really cool."

Chu Yang: "???"

Sonic suddenly copied Chu Yang’s hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"That one!"

"Don’t you think it’s cool?"

Chu Yang: "…"

He suddenly regretted it a little.

Fuck.

Chu Yang snatched the plastic bag from Sonic’s hand and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Master!!!"

Marvel Universe.

Though he had nominally become Thor’s adviser, Chu Yang spent every day buried in Asgard’s magic library, greedily absorbing its magical knowledge.

There was not much he could do to help Thor anyway.

With Odin still alive, there were only a handful of forces in the Nine Realms—or even the entire universe—that dared confront Asgard head-on. As such, Asgard was very peaceful.

At least for now.

For small-scale regional conflicts, Thor could simply charge through them with brute force. Why would he need things like strategies and plans?

And even when Chu Yang occasionally offered advice, Thor quickly forgot it.

Among the Avengers, Thor’s intelligence could only compete with Hulk’s.

Over time, Chu Yang became like a background extra.

Chu Yang liked this state of affairs. As long as he did not do anything out of line, no one would restrain him. He was very free.

One day, several months after staying in Asgard, Thor suddenly came to find Chu Yang in a hurry.

"You look like an elementary school kid whose breakfast was stolen," Chu Yang teased.

Normally, Thor would probably answer with another unfunny joke, but at that moment, his expression was unusually grave.

Chu Yang instinctively sensed that something major had happened.

"Father said Loki went to Earth, and he obtained the Tesseract that Father sealed on Earth long ago!"

"I have to go to Earth and bring Loki and the Tesseract back!"

Chu Yang put down the magic book in his hand and smiled. "So, does that mean my life as an exchange student is over?"

"Yes, my brother."

The Bifrost was still damaged. To return to Earth, they could only rely on Odin’s power.

Odin could teleport Thor to Earth, but doing so would exhaust his strength, and he would not be able to recover for a short time.

If the situation were not urgent, Odin would never take such a risk.

Asgard’s peace rested entirely on his personal deterrence. The moment he revealed even the slightest weakness, the disaster from before would immediately happen again.

It was not only the Frost Giants who coveted Asgard throughout the universe.

No one understood better than Odin what the Tesseract truly was. If it fell into certain hands, it would not only cause problems in the Nine Realms—it might trigger an even greater catastrophe.

That was why Odin had decided to send Thor to Earth.

Chu Yang was merely coming along.

Thor brought Chu Yang to the main hall of the royal palace, where Odin sat high upon his throne. After seeing them, he slowly rose to his feet. He first exchanged a few pleasantries with Chu Yang, then instructed Thor to make sure he brought back the Tesseract.

Queen of Gods Frigga, Thor’s mother, stood nearby, assisting Odin in casting the teleportation magic.

As Asgard’s most powerful mage, Frigga was the true backbone of the teleportation spell. Odin was merely the supplier of energy.

During his long stay in Asgard, the person Chu Yang had interacted with most was not Thor, but the Queen of Gods before him.

Frigga was the one in charge of Asgard’s magic library.

Frigga herself also greatly appreciated the talent Chu Yang had displayed in magic.

In her eyes, Chu Yang’s talent surpassed even that of most gods.

But what impressed her even more than his talent was Chu Yang’s thirst for knowledge.

After Odin and Thor finished speaking, Frigga walked over to Thor and softly reminded him to be careful. She did not doubt her son’s ability; she was simply worried about his reckless style of doing things.

Then Frigga turned to Chu Yang, her expression gentle. "Child, Thor is in your care."

Chu Yang smiled and nodded. "Please rest assured, Queen of Gods."

Frigga sighed softly and said with some reluctance, "I truly wish you could stay longer. In all of Asgard, aside from Loki, you are the only one who can talk with me about magic."

At the mention of Loki, sorrow appeared on Frigga’s face.

"Enough, Frigga. That is enough idle talk. They should be leaving." Odin began casting the spell, preparing to send the two back to Earth.

A colorful glow rose beneath their feet, as though the Bifrost had lit up. Chu Yang silently stared at Odin, trying to memorize the details of his spellcasting.

A trace of exhaustion flashed across Odin’s face, and he frowned slightly. For some reason, the teleportation magic was even more taxing than he had expected.

After a burst of dazzling light, Chu Yang and Thor were still standing where they were.

The two looked at each other.

Odin gave a surprised sound and turned to Frigga, who also looked astonished.

The couple stepped forward and examined Chu Yang.

"Child, there is a power within you that is no weaker than Thor’s. This will increase the energy consumption of the teleportation magic."

Odin gave an awkward smile.

Thor asked anxiously, "We can’t go to Earth?"

Frigga shook her head and explained, "You can. He cannot. Your father and I have no way to teleport two people back in such a short time."

Thor scratched his head and looked at Chu Yang awkwardly.

He had eagerly called someone over, only for them to be disappointed for nothing.

Chu Yang did not mind. He merely thought silently.

Odin cleared his throat. "Prepare to depart."

"Wait a moment." After thinking for a while, Chu Yang made a kunai on the spot and carved a Flying Thunder God formula onto it, then had Thor carry it with him.

The three watched Chu Yang curiously. Frigga asked, "What is this?"

Chu Yang smiled. "It is a coordinate. If it works, I can return to Earth through this coordinate."

In theory, the Flying Thunder God Technique, as a spacetime Ninjutsu, had no distance limit. It could teleport from one space to another.

Chu Yang had already proven this in the Naruto world.

But since the distance from Asgard to Earth was too great, Chu Yang did not know whether that theory would still hold. He could only try it and see.

Odin and Frigga were both somewhat amazed.

Thor did not understand, but after seeing his parents’ expressions, he instinctively felt that the "little spike" in his hand was very impressive.

Odin smiled. "You created a new kind of magic?"

Chu Yang shook his head. "It is merely the wisdom of those who came before."

Frigga had no idea which predecessor had created similar magic. In any case, she had never seen any related books in the library.

"You are a clever child. I believe in your abilities, but are you sure this is safe? I mean, for you."

Frigga still wore that worried expression.

"Please rest assured, Queen of Gods. Even if it fails, it will not affect either Thor or me."

Chu Yang explained softly.

Frigga’s brows relaxed. She nodded to Odin, who cast the spell again and reminded Thor, "Thor, you must bring Loki and the Tesseract back."

With a flash of white light, Thor vanished from the hall.

Chu Yang closed his eyes and sensed the existence of the formula. Not long after, he let out a long breath, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.

The formula’s presence had become extremely faint, but it could still serve as an anchor for Flying Thunder God.

Seeing the smile at the corner of Chu Yang’s lips, Frigga understood that his magic had succeeded. She smiled in relief. "Congratulations, child. You can go home now. Do not forget to give my regards to your family."

Tony, Happy, and Pepper flashed through Chu Yang’s mind. He smiled brightly. "I will, Queen of Gods."

Odin suddenly said, "You could actually leave a coordinate here."

Chu Yang looked at him in surprise.

Odin explained, "Thor and Frigga both like you very much. I hope you can come back to see them from time to time."

Chu Yang only believed half of Odin’s words. As for the other half, he had guessed it as well.

Odin had some ideas about the Flying Thunder God Technique.

As Odin’s wife, Frigga quickly understood and could not help shooting him a fierce glare.

"Child, ignore him."

"No, Queen of Gods. King Odin is right. If I have the time, I would also like to visit you."

Chu Yang readily accepted Odin’s suggestion. It was a win-win proposal, after all. Besides, Asgard still had plenty of good things.

That library alone contained countless profound spells and technologies.

Odin laughed heartily and winked at Frigga, without the slightest trace of the majesty expected of a king of gods.

Frigga shook her head helplessly. Since Chu Yang did not mind, there was no need for her to say anything else.

After leaving behind a kunai, Chu Yang slowly formed hand seals beneath their watchful eyes, and his figure abruptly vanished into thin air.

"He teleported away just like that?"

Odin’s eyes widened. "I didn’t sense even the slightest fluctuation of Magic Power. How did he do it?"

Frigga wore an equally incredulous expression.

Odin lowered his head and looked thoughtfully at the strange-looking kunai in his hand. "I think I have discovered something very interesting…"

Earth.

A bolt of lightning tore across the pitch-black night sky.

Thor descended with that lightning bolt onto an airplane. Sitting in the cockpit was "Black Widow," Natasha Romanoff.

Inside the cabin, "Captain America," Steve Rogers, and "Iron Man," Tony Stark, were arguing fiercely.

Not long ago, the newly formed Avengers had successfully captured Loki, but they had failed to find the Tesseract.

In order to learn the whereabouts of the Tesseract, they planned to transport Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier.

However, during the transport, Steve questioned how easily they had captured Loki, while Tony dismissed his concerns and even mocked him a few times.

That was how the two began arguing.

Until Natasha noticed Thor’s arrival.

"Now isn’t a good time to argue. Open the cabin door. I’m going out to take a look."

Tony put on his helmet and strode outside.

But the instant the cabin door opened, Thor was already standing at the entrance. He revealed a friendly smile. "You must be Tony! I know you. I heard Yang—"

Before he could finish.

Thor was struck by a powerful beam of energy and sent flying.

Steve stared in disbelief and muttered, "It seemed like he knew you…"

"Pah!" Tony cursed furiously. "Who the fuck knows him? That interstellar trafficker—I’m going to beat the shit out of him today!"

With that, the Mark VI suit’s thrusters instantly surged to maximum power. With a boom, Tony shot out of the cabin.

Loki grinned from ear to ear, whistled, and teased, "I’m beginning to like this metal fellow!"

Steve asked in confusion, "Can someone tell me why he is so angry?"

"Captain, you’re new, so you don’t know. Tony had a friend taken away by that ‘god,’ and he still hasn’t returned." Natasha explained through the communications earpiece.

Hearing an inexplicable note of guilt in Natasha’s voice, Steve asked curiously, "You knew that friend too?"

Natasha took a deep breath and gave a bitter smile. "To be precise, I must bear part of the responsibility for this as well."

"I remember Stark refused to join the Avengers Initiative because of that friend, right?" Steve suddenly recalled a time when he had seen Tony cursing furiously at Nick Fury. It seemed they had mentioned someone’s name.

Natasha nodded. "Yes."

"I understand. It seems that was a very important friend." Steve picked up a parachute beside him and slowly walked to the cabin door.

Natasha asked in surprise, "Captain, what are you doing?"

"Stopping Stark from doing something stupid!" Steve’s gaze was deep. "I once had a very important friend too. Losing him made me feel hopeless, so I can understand how Stark feels right now."

"But given the current situation, we cannot add another potential enemy. Even though I still do not know who that person is or what purpose he has in coming to Earth…"

With that, Steve leaped from the cabin door, his figure quickly disappearing into the thick clouds.

Natasha sighed helplessly and activated her comms to send a request for support to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. "The individual codenamed ‘Thor’ has appeared. His intentions are still unclear. Tony Stark initiated an attack, and the Captain went after him to stop him from acting rashly."

After a while, static crackled from the communicator, followed by Nick Fury’s voice. He only asked one question.

"Where is Chu Yang?"

"I haven’t seen him."

A heavy sigh sounded. Nick Fury seemed to have a headache.

Although he had already explained to Tony that Chu Yang would not be in danger, after so long without seeing him, Tony’s patience was gradually running out.

If Chu Yang did not appear soon, it would only be a matter of time before Tony withdrew from the Avengers.

Elsewhere.

Tony and Thor landed in a forest, the atmosphere taut as a drawn bowstring.

Thor raised both hands and hurriedly shouted, "Hey! Relax. I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t be hasty. Listen to my explanation."

Tony raised his hands as well but did not answer. Energy cannons began gathering power in his palms again.

"What a bad temper!" Thor cursed under his breath. The anger he had been holding back for so long finally became too much. He gripped Mjolnir and summoned lightning.

The next moment.

Two beams of energy collided violently!

In an instant, the heavens and earth lit up!

The blinding light made it impossible to keep one’s eyes open. Even Thor instinctively turned his head away.

Tony, clad in the Iron Man suit, feared nothing. He charged straight at Thor and kicked him in the face.

"Fuck!"

Thor cursed in pain. Once he steadied himself, he swung his hammer and sent Tony flying, triggering an immediate warning from the latter’s armor.

Just as the two were locked in an intense fight, Steve dropped from the sky and knocked them apart with his shield.

"I hope you can both calm down." Steve stared at Thor. "Especially you, Tony Stark. I understand how you feel right now, but we shouldn’t make this situation worse. Even if you beat him here, it won’t bring your friend back."

Tony ignored Steve completely. He turned and walked toward Thor, grabbing him by the collar. "I’ll only ask once, so listen carefully, big guy. Where did you take Yang?"

Thor refused to back down, grabbing the Iron Man armor’s mechanical arm and causing sparks to burst from it. Only after pulling the hand away did he say, "For certain special reasons, Asgard’s Bifrost was destroyed, so Yang was stranded there."

"He studied magic every day and was doing well, so you don’t need to worry. He was originally supposed to return with me, but Father had difficulty transporting two people at once, so I came to Earth first."

Tony’s voice immediately darkened. "Why didn’t he come back first?"

Thor replied coldly, "Because I had to come back first to take Loki and the Tesseract away. If I left him alone, that guy would cause a huge disaster!"

Steve interjected at the right moment. "So you came to stop Loki, not to make enemies of us."

Thor shoved Tony aside and said as if it were obvious, "Of course. Why would I be your enemy? This is Chu Yang’s home, and he’s my good friend. My mother likes him too, and taught him a lot of magic."

Steve and Tony exchanged glances. Steve spoke first. "You heard his answer. Stop making trouble."

Tony snorted coldly, activated his armor, and shot into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Steve shook his head helplessly, pressed his communications earpiece, and said quietly, "Natasha, come pick me up."

The next day.

On a grassland somewhere in Africa, a pack of hyenas was attacking a lioness. The lioness seemed to have given birth recently. She was listless, and beneath her emaciated body lay a lion cub no bigger than a kitten.

Chu Yang appeared out of thin air, landing right in the middle of the battlefield.

The hyenas barked wildly at the uninvited guest, while the lioness watched him with equal vigilance.

Chu Yang frowned slightly.

He raised a hand, and lightning crackled through the air, instantly striking more than half the hyenas.

After letting out a few brief cries of pain, the hyenas immediately tucked their tails and fled.

Chu Yang sighed.

The Flying Thunder God truly had no distance limit, but compared to Asgard’s teleportation magic, it still had its drawbacks.

Over extremely long distances, there was a certain delay, or rather, a time cost.

Chu Yang had arrived more than three or four hours later than Thor.

Aside from the time involved, ultra-long-distance teleportation also consumed a terrifying amount of Chakra.

Simply traveling from Asgard to Earth had used up nearly two-thirds of Chu Yang’s Chakra.

Chu Yang’s Chakra reserves were at the level of a Tailed Beast.

Yet compared to Odin’s teleportation magic, the Flying Thunder God Technique was still extremely cost-effective.

"First, I’ll head back to Stark Tower and take a look."

Chu Yang muttered. He was about to use Apparition when he suddenly felt something tugging at his pant leg.

Looking down, he saw the fluffy little lion cub. It seemed hungry, yet it also seemed as if it wanted to tell Chu Yang something.

Holding the cub by the scruff of its neck, Chu Yang walked over to the lioness and discovered that she had quietly died. It seemed she had lost too much blood from the hyenas’ attack.

In fact, even before Chu Yang arrived, the lioness had already been at the end of her strength. Perhaps it was maternal love that had allowed her to hold on for so long.

The cub whimpered and licked Chu Yang’s palm, unaware that its mother was already dead.

Chu Yang stood there for a long time before lifting the little fellow before his eyes and sighing. "I don’t know whether you’re lucky or unlucky to have run into me."

With that, he tucked the cub inside the lining of his clothes and prepared to take it away.

Leaving a lion cub on the grassland was no different from sentencing it to death.

Chu Yang silently recited the Apparition incantation. His body warped along with space, and in the next moment, he returned to the familiar laboratory.

Before he could even catch his breath, the sounds of artillery fire outside made his ears ache.

Opening the window, Chu Yang saw Chitauri everywhere outside, swarming across the city like a plague of locusts.

"Talk about perfect timing…"

Chu Yang complained helplessly. He then opened a compartment made of rare metal, placed the cub inside, and patted its head. "Don’t run around, okay? I don’t want an extra main course for dinner."

Naturally, the cub could not understand Chu Yang’s dark joke. It merely lowered its head and rubbed against his ankle.

"Part cat, part dog. Raising one means double the fun."

Chu Yang chuckled, closed the door, and left the laboratory. He climbed the stairs all the way up, only for a whale-like biomechanical ship to fly right past his face.

When the Chitauri soldiers aboard spotted Chu Yang, they became as excited as monkeys, howling as they leaped down.

Seeing this, Chu Yang used Wood Release to create two wooden swords. With a casual swing, he unleashed a slash over ten meters long, cutting those Chitauri soldiers in half.

The remaining soldiers aboard the ship froze, then silently backed away.

Chu Yang had no intention of letting them go. He stepped outside onto the open-air rooftop and gathered strength before unleashing a slash nearly a hundred meters long, splitting the entire ship in two.

The Avengers fighting below all looked up and saw the enormous biological ship cut in half.

"We have reinforcements?" Tony asked in surprise.

"I don’t know." Steve Rogers was equally confused. Nick Fury had never mentioned any reinforcements.

"Captain, there seems to be someone at Stark Tower…" Hawkeye Clint Barton vaguely spotted a figure on the top floor with his extraordinary eyesight.

Thor, Hulk, and Natasha looked up at the same time.

"Jarvis, who’s standing on the top floor of Stark Tower?"

"Mr. Stark, it’s Yang."

Tony burst into delighted laughter and whistled. "Guys, my little assistant is back. Put some muscle into it and finish this job already. I still need to throw him a welcome party."

The weight in Natasha’s heart finally lifted, and her whole body relaxed.

"If we’re throwing a party, we need to clean up the venue first." Steve looked around. Broken walls and rubble were everywhere, along with Chitauri soldiers and ships.

"At the moment, it’ll be hard for just the few of us to clean this place up," Barton reminded them.

"Don’t worry. If it comes down to numbers, they’re the ones at a disadvantage." Thor suddenly smiled mysteriously. "None of you have seen Yang’s magic, have you?"

Tony sneered. "Thanks to a certain someone, I only found out he was a wizard on the last day before he left home."

Thor coughed awkwardly a few times. "Anyway, Yang can handle all the cannon fodder. We just need to focus on the big ones!"

The moment he finished speaking, a blinding light suddenly erupted from the top of Stark Tower.

Everyone looked up to see Chu Yang floating in midair, his entire body wrapped in golden substance.

It was the Tailed Beast Cloak, marking Chu Yang’s entry into Six Paths Sage Mode.

Then Chu Yang began to use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Shadow Clones also clad in Tailed Beast Cloaks appeared throughout the city like scattered blossoms.

"Whoa! Can someone tell me what kind of magic that thing resembling cell division is?"

Tony turned curiously toward Thor.

"Don’t look at me, I don’t know either. I only saw it a few times in the library. Yang thought he read too slowly, so he made a lot of those things. In his words, they’re called clones."

Thor spoke with a nostalgic expression.

"How many of those… clones can he make?" Steve asked solemnly.

"Yang said he didn’t know either, but definitely more than the Chitauri have soldiers," Thor said.

"Captain, it seems we have enough manpower now." Natasha’s lips curved upward slightly.

"If that’s the case, then it’s time for us to strike back!"

Steve tightened the shield strap around his arm and charged out first.

At the same time.

Nick Fury was arguing fiercely with the higher-ups aboard the Helicarrier. With New York’s situation reaching a critical point, they had decided to deploy a nuclear missile to resolve the problem.

"Nick, this is for the safety of the entire Earth!"

"Then tell me, what are the millions of civilians in New York supposed to do?"

"Billions of people versus millions. You should know how to choose."

"Is this really for everyone’s safety, or just for the sake of you cowards?"

"Nick Fury, watch what you say."

The command room suddenly fell silent.

Just as the higher-ups were about to launch the nuclear missile, Nick Fury’s communicator rang.

"Director, you need to see this."

The computer screen in the command room lit up.

On the screen, Chu Yang’s army of Shadow Clones had completely suppressed the endless stream of Chitauri soldiers.

Nick Fury’s face filled with surprise, followed by uncontrollable delight. He quickly transmitted the footage to the higher-ups.

"They’ve turned the tide and taken control of the battle. Surely you can keep watching for a little longer?"

Nick Fury asked in a low voice.

The higher-ups whispered among themselves before finally nodding in agreement to his request.

The conference feed disconnected.

Nick Fury stood silently beside the computer, his eyes fixed on Chu Yang as he muttered, "You’d better not become a new threat…"