"Alright, noisy mosquito dealt with. Now it's our turn. Tell me your name before I kill you—I'd hate for you to die nameless."

Juggernaut dropped Wade's bisected body with a thud and turned his attention to Kurogai. His expression was grim. He didn't know who this man was, but he wasn't stupid. He had just watched Kurogai unleash a power that leveled an entire base in a single strike.

Juggernaut had always considered himself nearly unstoppable, one of the strongest beings alive. But even he couldn't topple a fortress with one blow. That made Kurogai dangerous—dangerous enough to take seriously.

Kurogai floated a few feet above the ground, his violet eyes glowing faintly. His calm voice carried no fear. "I don't think you need to know who I am. What matters is that you're wasting my time."

His gaze shifted past Juggernaut to the man and woman standing behind him. Ajax and his female associate. Wade's words earlier suggested they knew something important—information about Carbonadium, the rare alloy capable of suppressing regenerative powers. That was what Kurogai sought.

"Yeah, big guy!" Wade piped up, despite being torn in half. He propped his head up with one hand and grinned. "You can't handle Kurogai. Better back off before I recover, or I'll kick your—"

His taunt was cut off when Juggernaut stomped down on his face, flattening his jaw into the dirt. Wade's muffled curses garbled out as his body slowly knit itself back together.

"Hey! Don't kill Wade! I still need him alive!" Ajax shouted nervously from behind.

Juggernaut shot him a glare, voice low and venomous. "Don't give me orders."

Ajax paled and shut his mouth instantly. He might have hired Juggernaut, but that didn't mean he controlled him.

Grinding his teeth, Ajax muttered under his breath. Then he turned to the woman beside him, nodding. She held a small, inconspicuous box and moved quickly toward Wade's mangled body.

Kurogai's sharp eyes tracked the box. Interesting. So Ajax really does have something to counter Wade's healing. Carbonadium?

He considered it carefully. Normal steel, even Carbonadium alloys, weren't usually enough to stop Wade's regenerative ability completely. If Ajax had something experimental—something stronger—then Kurogai needed it. That box could be the key to what he was searching for.

Before he could act, Juggernaut's booming voice cut through the air. "Enough distractions. You and me—let's fight. Don't hold back, or you'll die." His massive frame shook with anticipation.

Kurogai regarded him coldly. "I'm not interested. The outcome is already decided. You don't stand a chance."

Juggernaut's eyes blazed with fury. "I'm the strongest!"

He charged, the ground quaking with each step. He was like a tank, unstoppable momentum barreling forward, dust clouds rising in his wake.

Kurogai raised one hand, his voice calm. "Shinra Tensei."

The air exploded with invisible force. Repulsion surged outward, colliding with Juggernaut's charge in a thunderous crash. The shockwave blasted debris in every direction, shaking the earth and splitting the ground beneath them.

Juggernaut staggered but remained standing, his armor creaking under the impact. His grin widened. "Good… you've got power. I was right about you." His eyes glimmered with madness. "That means killing you will be worth it."

Kurogai hovered effortlessly, unimpressed. The clash had cracked the ground for dozens of feet, but he barely looked winded. His composure unsettled Juggernaut—this was someone who still hadn't shown his full strength.

Juggernaut roared and lunged again, fists like wrecking balls. He wanted a real fight, an opponent who could push him to the edge. Ajax's job had just become secondary. This was personal now.

Kurogai's lips curled into the faintest smirk. He wasn't here to indulge Juggernaut's obsession with battle, but if Juggernaut insisted on throwing himself into the meat grinder, so be it.

As Juggernaut's colossal punch thundered toward him, Kurogai whispered, "Then come."

The battlefield trembled as unstoppable force met immovable will.