CHAPTER 63: CHAPTER 063: TOTAL ANNIHILATION! NATASHA’S CONTRAST!

After receiving Lorien’s order, Jetfire stood up, holding the head of a Deviant, and walked toward another one.

When he was just a short distance away—

Bang!

Jetfire tossed the severed head at the Deviant’s feet, then drew his longsword with a sharp metallic ring.

"Raaagh!"

The Deviant immediately recoiled in fear. Its kin had just been decapitated—what was the point of resisting now?

It began to retreat, step by step, pretending to be cautious. Its gaze swept over Wanda, Lorien, and Jetfire, as if trying to remember every face here. Then, in the next instant, it spun around and bolted for the sea!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jetfire shifted his grip on the sword, gathered power, and hurled it straight at the fleeing Deviant.

Whoosh!

Pshhk!

The blade pierced flesh, halting the Deviant mid-run and nailing it to the deck through its thigh.

"Raaagh!"

Lorien and Wanda turned toward the sound. Jetfire’s throw had pinned the Deviant’s leg to the ground, immobilizing it.

Bang, bang, bang!

Jetfire’s thrusters roared to life at his waist and legs, propelling him forward in a burst of speed. Closing in from behind, he yanked the sword free with a wet sound as he passed, then seized the Deviant’s head mid-stride. The momentum dragged the creature to the ground.

Thud!

Jetfire planted a metal foot on its head and twisted, forcing its neck into view.

"Raaagh!"

The Deviant roared wildly. Jetfire raised his sword, aimed, and swung—like a golfer striking a clean shot.

Shhk!

The head came free from the body. With a smooth motion, Jetfire sheathed his sword and lifted his foot, turning back toward Lorien. The head rolled twice across the deck before coming to a stop.

Lorien nodded in approval.

"Well done."

Jetfire placed a hand over his chest, gave a slight nod, and transformed back into a Ferrari right in front of them.

Wanda smiled and patted the hood.

"Well done."

In response, smiley faces lit up across the car door.

But when Wanda looked back and realized both Deviants had been taken down by Jetfire alone, she pressed her lips together and murmured softly,

"I’m still not working hard enough."

Was Wanda putting in the effort? Absolutely.

Whenever she had no missions and was back home, she would train alone in Chaos Magic. But without formal sorcerer training—or tools like magical artifacts, spell books, crystal orbs, or wands—her practice could never be truly effective. At best, she could use magic to move heavy objects, then repeat basic attacks over and over.

What kind of experience could that build? It was like staying in kindergarten while others had long since advanced through higher grades, learning step by step.

Wanda’s lack of progress wasn’t her fault—it was the absence of a proper learning environment.

Otherwise, why had she improved so rapidly in Westview after learning another witch’s magic and obtaining the Darkhold? Back then, she could overwhelm two Sorcerer Supremes without much trouble. And after visiting the Temple of Darkness, she had advanced even further.

That’s the importance of guidance. Without a path, even great talent struggles to carve out a new one.

Sensing her disappointment, Lorien reached out, ruffled her hair, and smiled.

"It’s okay.

I’ve contacted a sorcerer sanctuary. When you have some free time, I’ll take you there for proper training. There’s a female mage there who’s pretty good—she’ll be the one teaching you."

Pretty good. Compared to a Sky Father–level in Lorien’s eyes, pretty good was already high praise.

"Really?" Wanda immediately threw her arms around Lorien, her face lighting up. "That’s great! You’re my god, Lorien! I love you so much!"

Lorien brushed his hand against her cheek. "Don’t exagger—"

Before he could finish, Wanda pressed her lips to his.

Why was this girl always so forward? He’d have to teach her a lesson for that one of these days.

Sure, Lorien didn’t mind a bit of push and pull, but the same move over and over could get old.

And so, in the now-deserted seaside market, with the corpses of two Deviants nearby and the headlights of a Ferrari casting their glow, Lorien and Wanda kissed for a long time...

Until—

Da-da-da~

Beep-beep~

Helicopters and police cars arrived.

They finally pulled apart, the sounds of tires and rotor blades filling the air. One by one, police cars slowly rolled in, while the helicopter landed on a nearby platform.

Just then, another suit of armor, similar to Tony’s, flew in from the distance. It landed with a heavy thud, and when the faceplate lifted, it revealed a familiar grin.

It was Tony’s other good friend—War Machine, Rhodey.

Natasha stepped down from the helicopter and approached them with a smile.

"Wanda, your video was hilarious. Tony laughed so hard he nearly passed out. But seriously—why is it that every time you two go on a date, you run into a crisis?"

As she spoke, Natasha’s sharp gaze caught the bracelet on Wanda’s wrist. Even if it had been just an ordinary piece, she could tell it would cost a fortune. But knowing it was a gift from Lorien, she also knew that if he gave something, it couldn’t be measured by money.

Her instincts told her the bracelet wasn’t just valuable—it was probably a treasure.

Wanda, however, was focused on something else. She had caught Natasha’s mention of them "always being on dates," and her heart warmed. Hugging Lorien’s arm, she replied sweetly,

"Does this count as overtime? Then I’ll just earn more money so I can buy my Lorien good food and nice clothes."

In that instant—

"Oh no..."

Natasha tilted her head back like she’d just taken a critical hit, her mouth opening slightly before she closed her eyes in mock defeat.

Meanwhile, War Machine had gone over to inspect the two Deviant corpses. After scanning the area, he returned to Sheriff George.

"Dead. Completely. But these things must have been incredibly strong when alive—bullets couldn’t even pierce their skin. We’ll need to run autopsies back at the lab for more data."

George nodded, then watched as Rhodey walked over to join Natasha and Lorien.

Wait—Lorien?

He quickly sent the other officers to handle the scene and glanced back toward that group. Black Widow, War Machine, Scarlet Witch... all chatting and laughing with Lorien as if they’d known him for years?

That could only mean one thing—Lorien’s identity was far more significant than George had originally thought.

Otherwise, why would superheroes treat him as an equal? And from what George could see, Natasha was even showing him a degree of respect. That meant she regarded him at least on par with the heroes themselves.

Which only confirmed—Lorien was far from ordinary.

But... did Gwen know about this?

George’s brow furrowed in thought. He decided he’d have to find a moment to talk to Gwen when he got back.

"Sheriff Stacy, I think you should come take a look at this."

Hearing the officer’s words, George snapped out of his thoughts.

"Alright, I’m coming."

...

On the other side, after hearing Rhodey’s report, Natasha turned to Wanda.

"Wanda, do you have any more detailed information?"

From the look of things, Wanda had clearly been involved in this battle, so naturally Natasha asked her first.

Wanda, however, glanced at Lorien instead, silently asking with her eyes if she could speak.

Lorien nodded.

"Go ahead."

Only then did Wanda explain to Natasha.

"These two creatures are called Deviants. They came out of the sea, and their physical strength is incredible. Even my magic couldn’t precisely kill them. Lorien said their physical abilities are on par with Abomination back in the day, but their combat power is even higher."

Natasha absorbed the information, then suddenly realized something.

"Wait, Wanda—you’re saying you couldn’t kill them? Then who did?"

Rhodey had caught on as well. He tapped his metal chin, looking over at the two Deviant corpses in the distance, and the truth clicked for him.

"Those two monsters died from being decapitated. And I don’t see anyone here with that kind of ability..."

That’s when it hit both Rhodey and Natasha—this crisis wasn’t resolved by Wanda at all. Someone else had joined the fight.

But who?

Both of them turned to Lorien.

Hands in his pockets, Lorien tilted his head toward the Ferrari parked behind him.

Jetfire responded by flashing his headlights twice, as if to say, It was me.

Natasha: !

Rhodey: !

"My God!" Natasha’s eyes widened.

Rhodey, still trying to process it, asked,

"Wait... are you telling me a Ferrari took them out?"

He then made a slashing motion across his throat, meaning—a car cut off the heads of two monsters?

Apparently... it could.

"Ding Ding Ping~"

After getting Lorien’s consent, Jetfire transformed right there under everyone’s gaze.

As the car’s various parts shifted and locked into place, a flawless mechanical form took shape before their eyes.

When the more-than-nine-meter-tall Jetfire finally stood, Natasha and War Machine could only crane their necks to look up at him. At the same time, a heavy pressure settled in Rhodey’s chest.

Jetfire stood with one hand resting loosely at his side and the other gripping the hilt of his sword. Natasha’s eyes followed the weapon—this was the first time they had seen Jetfire up close, and now they knew for certain this was the sword that had cut down the two monsters.

"See clearly?" Lorien asked with a smile.

Natasha and Rhodey both nodded.

Lorien waved his hand.

"Ding Ding Ping~"

Jetfire shifted back into his Ferrari form. Rhodey felt the weight on his chest ease considerably... only for it to be replaced by a thrill only a man could understand.

"This is awesome!" Rhodey stared at the Ferrari in awe. "My God, I’m telling you, this is the best car in the world. No question about it!"

What man doesn’t love cars? Especially in the U.S., where car culture runs deep. Rhodey was so excited he could barely contain himself.

He looked at his hands. "If I could get out of this armor right now, I’d definitely touch it. Hell, I’d even give it a kiss!"

Jetfire: ...

Hearing that, even the Ferrari wanted to back away. If it came to it, better to cut Rhodey down before he tried kissing it—or just ram into him outright.

Lorien had no problem with the idea of a pat. But a kiss? Yeah, no thanks. That was pushing it.

...

Soon after, the police arrived with reporters to interview the superheroes. Wanda glanced at Lorien, but he simply gestured for her to go. He had no interest in playing the Q&A game.

Rhodey, as a military man, naturally had to go as well. Natasha, however, didn’t need to—two people were enough.

But just then, Natasha recalled something she’d been thinking about earlier.

"Are the Deviants an alien race?" she suddenly asked.

Still watching Wanda being interviewed, Lorien nodded. "Mm."

"You know about the Deviants?"

"Mm."

"Then can you tell me more?"

Lorien glanced at her, his expression practically saying: Why should I? Are you prettier than Wanda? More interesting? Hotter?

Seeing he wasn’t inclined to answer, Natasha remembered something Wanda had once told her in confidence: Lorien’s very considerate. If it really comes down to it, as long as it’s within my principles, if I take the initiative, he’ll go along with it.

Take the initiative, huh?

Natasha looked at Wanda’s back, then slowly stepped closer to Lorien until their shoulders brushed. She tipped her head toward his ear, rising slightly on her toes, and whispered, her voice soft and coaxing.

"Please, please This intel is really important to me If we have it, the next time they appear, a lot fewer people will die~"

"Lorien~ please?"

Lorien: ...

Warm breath tickled his ear, and he slowly turned his head to look at her in disbelief.

Well, well... didn’t think you were that type. You’re hot.

...But not the burning things down kind of hot he liked. That was still Wanda’s department, though maybe Wanda could pick up a thing or two.

Still, given Natasha’s sincere effort, Lorien turned back toward Wanda and answered slowly.

"All you need to know is they’re Deviants. The way to deal with them is to use overwhelming firepower to force them back. And yes... there are patterns to their appearance."

"Patterns?" Natasha immediately honed in on the key word.

"Whenever they appear, there’s always someone with superpowers nearby. They hunt powered individuals—it doesn’t have to be a superhero, but the target will always have abilities. People like Wanda and her brother, or sorcerers."

Natasha’s eyes lit up in understanding, quickly committing the information to memory. If that was the case, they could actually track these creatures through the Superhuman Registration Act—where the powered individuals were, the monsters would follow.

"I understand." She nodded, instantly slipping back into her usual sharp, commanding air—the kind that could lead without question.

Lorien shot her a glance. Huh... quite the contrast. I’ll have to test that another day.

...

A short while later, Wanda and Rhodey returned from their interviews. Wanda, however, looked utterly drained.

She walked straight to Lorien and buried herself against him with a dramatic groan.

"Lorien... because this is a new type of monster, there’s going to be another press conference later tonight. I have to leave again..."

Poor thing. Even Natasha felt a flicker of sympathy. Who goes on a date and ends up with this kind of trouble? Just thinking about it was exhausting.

Lorien patted her back.

"It’s fine. If not today, we still have the day after tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that... Unless I’m unlucky enough to die tomorrow, then—"

"Don’t say that!"

Before he could finish, Wanda quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, glaring at him. Then, in front of everyone, she kissed his cheek.

"Don’t say that again. Your punishment is to go home alone—I’m leaving with Natasha first."

...

(80 Chapters Ahead)

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