In the mirror space, a heavy silence settled—so still you could hear a pin drop.

Mages gaped in awe. Even the Black Order agents who had witnessed the fungus armor were left speechless.

Tony, arms spread wide inside the armor, waited eagerly for applause. Nothing came.

Turning around, he noticed the mages staring at him with the reverence of churchgoers before a priest. The agents' expressions mixed admiration and mild disgust.

"Wow, you guys appreciate things even less than Malrick," Tony muttered, shaking his head without offense.

Inwardly, he vowed his next armor would be so spectacular people would gasp when they saw it.

Banner's voice floated over the comm channel. "Tony, is everything okay? Need backup?"

"Backup? Hellspawn are adorable to me. Jarvis and I love them," Tony replied, calm as he walked toward the portal. Demonic creatures kept emerging, only to be shredded instantly by the fungus armor, like fish flinging themselves into a frying pan.

"Banner, I got this. You and the mages should help the other sanctums." Tony added, knowing Banner could no longer monitor all fights on the sanctum screens. Luckily, secret doors maintained communications and strategic retreats.

Banner hesitated. "Are you sure you're not just showing off? Now's not the time for stubbornness."

Tony's expression tightened. "Banner, trust me. I got this."

He then asked Wang, "And you? What about Hong Kong?" Banner repeated.

From Hong Kong came Wang's voice: "No help needed here either. That kid Pietro—remind me, Pietro? He's powerful…"

---

In Hong Kong, hellish beasts appeared and bloodline-enhanced wizards struck first. Dozens of green Avada Kedavra curses hit, but only two demons collapsed. The rest grew enraged.

Wong assessed quickly: these demonic beings were immune to brutal intent magic. Only divine or specially enchanted spells would work efficiently.

He reorganized mages into control, defense, and offense groups for a structured advance.

But then Pietro, wielding a magic dagger, suddenly rushed forward.

Wong was startled. Pietro flickered like a mirage, then reappeared beside him. "King Wong, Malrick asked you to lead us. Right?"

Before Wong could respond, Pietro spun the dagger elegantly in his palm. "All done."

"Done? What did you do?" Wong demanded, confused.

Pietro pointed at the creatures—they had all frozen mid-step, coughing… clutching their necks. A narrow, glowing golden slash line ran across each throat, spilling purple or green ichor. They couldn't heal past the enchanted cut.

"That's Vishanti's energy… You slit their throats with a dagger?!" Wong exclaimed. Pietro had clearly evolved beyond expectations—raised from ordinary to superhuman in mere training.

Wong's jaw dropped—and he found himself wanting to visit Malrick's place and learn directly from him.

"Hey, snap out of it—some demons are recovering, and more keep coming!" Pietro shook Wong's shoulder, breaking his daydream.

Wong sprang into action: "All right! Fight as one! Let's finish them off!"

He formed sacred seals, raised Vishanti's greatsword, and charged. Pietro's clean cuts cut down demons that revived, while mages closed in with sword strikes.

Efficiency surged—like an industrialized beheading line.

The pace left Wong's hands numb. Sword energy blurred with every swing. He beheaded more demons in minutes than an ancient executioner would in a lifetime.

Finally, demonic numbers waned—it was they who hesitated before crossing the portal again.

Banner's voice came in via comms: "No pressure there, Wong?"

"Not at all," Wong replied. "Pietro has me covered. Go support Mordo at London."

Pietro chimed in: "Yes. It's just the king and me here. And you can call me Quicksilver from now on—Malrick says it fits!" He smiled, embracing the nickname as a badge of honor.

He no longer resented Malrick's rigorous training. In fact, he felt grateful—and proud of the name.

Banner turned to Wanda, rubbing his chin. "Quicksilver? Fast enough that Hong Kong doesn't need backup?"

Wanda sighed, hands on her hips. "My naive brother really worships Malrick."

Banner glared playfully. "When Malrick returns, Pietro will hog all the credit."

At that moment he asked about the last temple: "Mordo, how's London? Need support?"

On the line came Mordo's frantic response: "Lord Vishanti—thank you. London needs help! Those octopus monsters cause brutal mental erosion, and there are too many!"

After enduring them for so long, Mordo was forced to ask—but only when Banner checked in.

Stunned, Banner hastily removed his coat. "Got it—I'm on my way!"

Wanda stood ready too. "Let me go. I can handle the mental fight!" Rolling up her sleeves, she asserted herself.

After all, if Pietro could solo Hell creatures, Wanda could help subdue dimensional threats. They had all trained under Malrick—why not prove themselves?

But before Wanda could enter the portal, two crisp slaps sounded behind her.

She turned—Banner had snapped Hulk out of it. Hulk punched over her, lunging into the portal with a roar.

Wanda was left standing dumbly, stunned: „…(｡•́︿•̀｡)" —her momentum halted, Hulk gone.

---