Timely Arrival

Chapter 189: Timely Arrival

".Stay .away .from .my friend."

Melissa suddenly erupted with overwhelming force. A pair of pink wings swiftly spread from behind her, followed by a terrifying sonic wave.

".Get .back!!!"

Although Songbird’s sonic ability had not been innate, the Minotaur, the power broker, Baron Zemo, and others had successively enhanced her powers. Her combat strength had clearly reached an utterly terrifying level.

Even though she had not spoken for a long time, her terrifying sonic waves were still enough to tear apart everything before her.

The Sentinel Robot was knocked off its feet by the sweeping sonic wave. Although it had combat protocols designed specifically for ultrasonic mutants, its somewhat sluggish mechanical brain was utterly incapable of making an effective response against the enraged Songbird.

It crashed heavily onto the ground, its dull rumble echoing through the snowy mountains as the entire valley began to shake.

The Sentinel Robot’s body smashed a huge crater into the ground. Even the distant forest trembled, and snow cascaded from the pine trees, startling several birds and small animals.

"Nicely done, Songbird. Leave the rest to me."

Old Barton rolled away to widen the distance, then drew his bow and aimed at the Sentinel Robot’s head.

For highly intelligent robots with independent consciousness like this, the circuitry in their heads and chests was crucial. However, the steel plating on its chest was too heavily armored, and Barton was not confident he could pierce it, so he chose to attack its head instead.

The arrow shot forth, streaking toward the Sentinel Robot with fierce speed. Yet it passed right by the robot’s head and vanished deep into the forest.

He missed?!

Songbird stared at the scene in disbelief. She had never imagined that Hawkeye, who had once never missed a shot, would one day fail to hit his target.

"Damn it!"

Hawkeye cursed inwardly, then quickly got to his feet and changed positions.

As a ranged fighter, Barton’s greatest strength was undoubtedly his combat experience. He could find his rhythm and seize opportunities with precision. More importantly, when facing terrifying foes, he could keep himself safe without becoming a burden to the other Avengers.

And when he failed to seize the opening Melissa had created for him and eliminate the enemy, Barton understood that he had to retreat. Otherwise, the enemy’s counterattack would deal him severe damage.

It was precisely because of Barton’s seasoned combat instincts that he had a chance to catch his breath. The Sentinel Robot’s retaliation was even fiercer than Barton and Melissa had expected.

It fired its fist straight at them. At the same time, several missiles blazing with fire emerged from the Sentinel Robot’s shoulders and began indiscriminately attacking Hawkeye and Melissa’s positions.

"We need to fall back, Songbird! The big guy’s getting mad!" Hawkeye shouted as he ran in the opposite direction from Songbird.

Standing together with a teammate in battle made it easy for an enemy’s area attacks to cover them both. Even after all these years, Barton and Melissa still shared excellent coordination.

"I’ll hold it off."

Rather than retreating, Songbird advanced. Facing the massive mechanical fist hurtling toward her and the overwhelming barrage of missiles, she stepped forward several paces and let out a piercing shriek.

Under Songbird’s control, the ear-splitting sonic waves became tangible, forming a translucent pink barrier that tightly blocked every avenue of the Sentinel Robot’s assault, attempting to stop all of its attacks.

"No, don’t take it head-on! Get out of there!"

The moment Barton saw Songbird’s actions, he stopped in his tracks.

As an Avenger, Hawkeye understood all too well how terrifying the Sentinel Robot was. At its peak, even mutants had avoided its edge, let alone Hawkeye and Songbird in their current condition.

Old Barton knew how formidable the Sentinel Robot was. Given Songbird’s current physical condition, there was no way she could withstand its attack.

But with the two of them so far apart, Barton could no longer offer her any help. He understood that Melissa was seeking death—or perhaps begging for it. She wanted to use her life to create one more opportunity for Barton.

Without the slightest hesitation, Barton swiftly pulled an arrow from behind his back and aimed unwaveringly at the Sentinel Robot’s damaged eye. That should have been the Sentinel Robot’s weakness.

Rumble!!

The missiles exploded the instant they struck the pink barrier. The violent roar was even more intense than when the Sentinel Robot had fallen. Huge flames and billowing black smoke immediately engulfed Songbird’s position.

At the same time, Barton’s arrow became a streak of light and shot toward the Sentinel Robot.

This time, he did not waste the chance Songbird had created with her life. The arrow struck the Sentinel Robot’s eye squarely, triggering a chain explosion.

Flames burst forth. A dazzling explosion bloomed from the Sentinel Robot’s head, and thick smoke soon poured from half of its head as its enormous body froze in place.

The instant Barton fired that arrow, he turned and ran toward Songbird. He was confident that he would not miss this time, so he did not even look back at his handiwork.

As he sprinted forward, the Sentinel Robot’s colossal body crashed heavily to the ground behind him. With its mechanical core destroyed, it could no longer rise.

But the Sentinel Robot could no longer hold Barton’s attention. All he wanted now was to find Songbird and make sure she was safe.

"Melissa! Melissa, where are you?!"

Barton shouted loudly, but no response came from ahead. Hawkeye’s heart immediately sank.

"Damn it, are you trying to end it all this way?! You’re running from your responsibilities! You promised me we’d atone together! Are you really going to end your life in such a ridiculous way?!"

Roaring madly, Old Barton reached the area ravaged by the missiles.

The snow across the clearing had been completely blown away, leaving only melted ice water behind. The hard soil beneath the snow had been blasted open by the bombardment, leaving behind one blackened crater after another.

Breathing in the smell of gunpowder in the air, Barton collapsed weakly onto the ground.

Clenching his fists, guilt and self-reproach welled up in his heart. This feeling of helplessness filled Old Barton with rage. Not knowing whether he was cursing himself or someone else, he roared.

"Fuck, it’s this again! Damn it.

Why the fuck does it always end like this!!"

And then—

A somewhat flippant voice suddenly came from behind Barton.

"Kid, now I know who you inherited that filthy mouth from."