Thor grasped the Mjolnir, floating in the air as divine power coursed through his body. His damaged armor began to repair itself, and the wounds on his body started to heal at a visible rate.
Watching Thor's body already starting to recover, Charles thought to himself: "Thor's body is truly abnormal, no wonder Hulk couldn't smash him to pieces."
Not only Thor, even Loki's body is resilient; they both weren't killed by Hulk's attacks.
"Since that's the case, as you wish!"
"Raiton: Raikō Jikū!" (Thunder Release: Lightning Strike!)
Charles swiftly formed hand seals, and a bolt of lightning appeared directly above Thor's head, descending upon him.
"Boom!"
The sudden lightning caught Thor off guard, striking him directly and sending him crashing to the ground.
Seeing Thor struck down, Charles's lips curled into a slight smile as he descended from the air.
Thor, seeing Charles descending as well, shouted, "Supreme Merlin, you've gone too far, actually striking down Thor Odinson with lightning!"
"Don't forget, I am the true god of Thunder."
As he spoke, Thor swung his hammer, and a bolt of lightning charged towards Charles, tearing through the earth.
Seeing the incoming lightning from Thor, Charles bit his finger, formed hand seals, and slammed both palms onto the ground. A circular seal with black patterns appeared on the ground.
"Tsūreibutsu no Jutsu: Rashōmon!" (Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon Gate!)
The next moment, a massive gate to Hell appeared in front of Charles.
"Boom!"
The thunder struck the Rashomon Gate, causing the large bells hanging on both sides to sway, but the gate remained unbroken.
"Swish!"
Charles used Body Flicker Technique and appeared above the Rashomon Gate, looking at Thor in the distance.
"Thor, your thunder power seems a bit weak, not even able to break through a gate. That won't do."
Facing Charles's mockery, Thor's expression soured. However, his gaze was fixed on the Rashomon Gate, thinking to himself: "This gate emits an aura similar to that of the dimension of Hell."
Then, Thor forcefully threw Mjolnir, and the hammer shattered the Rashomon Gate.
Although the summoned thunder couldn't break the Rashomon Gate, the hammer itself shattered it with a single blow.
Seeing the gaping hole in the Rashomon Gate, Charles dispelled the summoning, causing the gate to sink into the ground and disappear.
"Suiton: Suichūha!" (Water Release: Water Shockwave!)
As Charles formed hand seals, an enormous wave suddenly appeared, surging towards Thor. The water transformed into waves and rivers, crashing down towards him.
All of Charles's ninjutsu, being chakra-based techniques, were strengthened by the Dragon Ring. While not as terrifying as Sage Art enhancements, his abilities were still boosted significantly.
Thor watched the surging waves approaching, not choosing to flee but instead raising his hammer and smashing it into the ground.
"For the glory of Asgard!"
"Boom!"
As Thor's hammer struck the ground, the earth in front of him instantly shattered.
A massive crevice formed, resembling an abyss.
The surging waves all poured into the abyss in front of Thor. He stood aside, waving the Mjolnir.
"Charles, do you still want to attack me with water and lightning? I've seen this move of yours before," Thor said.
Charles smiled, "Is that so? And what if you've seen it?"
The next moment, Thor found a large tree suddenly appearing behind him. In an instant, the tree bound him tightly.
Thor realized that he couldn't control his body. A small tree and its branches completely restrained him.
Meanwhile, Charles's figure leaped out from the tree and appeared in front of Thor.
"How about this?" he asked.
As Thor looked at Charles, their eyes met. He immediately launched a genjutsu: Mangekyō - Bind.
Appearing in front of Thor, Charles didn't attack him with kunai but instead formed hand seals. The next moment, lightning appeared in his hands.
Lightning Blade!
A blue lightning concentrated in Charles's right hand, resembling a sharp blade with enough power to effortlessly pierce through flesh.
Charles didn't choose to pierce Thor but instead pressed the lighting blade against his chest. The lightning began to traverse through Thor's body.
As the lightning attacked, the tree binding Thor disappeared. He watched as Charles unleashed the lightning as his hammer, Mjolnir, fell beside him.
The paralyzing effect of Charles's lightning attack left Thor unable to defend himself, completely immobilized in the illusion world. Though the paralysis was brief, lasting only a second, Thor found it difficult to accept.
"I've lost."
"I, Thor Odinson, the god of Thunder of Asgard, defeated by lightning?"
At this moment, Thor failed to notice the changes in himself, completely immersed in frustration.
Charles, however, noticed the lightning emanating from Thor's body. He reached out his palm and pressed it against Thor's body, where the lightning attacked his hand.
"Thor, your strength isn't weak; you just haven't awakened your true thunder power yet. When you awaken it, lightning attacks like this won't harm you anymore," Charles explained.
Hearing Charles's words, Thor looked at the man in front of him. "You mean I haven't awakened my thunder power?"
"It's impossible. I am already a thunder god who controls lightning."
Looking at Thor, Charles said, "When you can release thunder without relying on Mjolnir, that's when you awaken the power of the Thunder god."
"What should I do?" Thor asked.
"Train!" Charles replied.
Thor nodded, stood up from the ground, and picked up Mjolnir from the side. "You're right. I should train.
…
Following Charles and Thor's sparring, a week passed.
During this week, Charles obtained rewards from the system sign-in: 30,000 copper coins, 6 secret scrolls of ninjutsu, 300 prestige points x 2 (double rewards for VIP level 3 and above), 50 delicious ramen, 200 ninja pearls x 2 (double rewards for VIP level 4 and above), 200 reincarnation stones, and 300 prestige points.
During this time, the ninja at Charles's agency also completed the tasks they received. As there was an S-rank mission occupying a spot, they could only complete 8 tasks per day.
In the ten days since Charles left, the agency's ninjas completed a total of 80 commission tasks, clearing out all the assassin missions inside the New York Continental Hotel and around New York.
This left many local assassins astonished, as they had to resort to missions outside of New York City.
Unfortunately, all 80 commission tasks had low ratings, with none of them being B-rank.
Among them, there were 30 D-rank tasks, rewarding 200 prestige points and 5,000 copper coins each, and 50 C-rank tasks, rewarding 500 prestige points, 50,000 copper coins, and 1 common treasure chest each.
During this week, besides receiving rewards from the system sign-in and the agency's tasks, Charles practiced chakra manipulation and sparred with Thor.
During this time, Thor not only sparred with Charles but also competed in strength with Gamakichi, tested ground destruction power with Aoda, and even saw Charles summon a Tailed Beast and demonstrate the destructive power of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Watching Charles's endless array of summoning techniques, Thor was envious and expressed his desire to find a battle companion of his own after the rebellion ended.
…
On the other hand-
Inside the Triskelion Building in New York-
Nick Fury looked at Coulson and said, "When you go to the Sand Ninja Puppet Shop to purchase the body-enhancing serum, take Barton with you."
"Now that Vibranium resources are scarce, I feel like someone else is buying up these things. We must be cautious."
"Also, the body-enhancing serum we obtain from the trade are important to us. We can't afford any mistakes in this process."
Hearing this, Coulson asked, "If that's the case, why not bring Kabuto along? With his skills, he's even more powerful than Barton."
Nick Fury shook his head. "He's studying with Ward right now, so he won't be coming with us on this mission."
"In New York, having Barton and a team of SHIELD agents should be enough. Unless we encounter ninjas from other ninja villages, bringing Kabuto along won't serve any purpose."
"Yes, sir!" Coulson nodded.
Nick Fury nodded. "Go to Warehouse No. 2 and pack up."
"Let's go, Barton!" Coulson left Nick Fury's office, taking Barton and a team of SHIELD agents, and went to Warehouse No. 2 to pick up Vibranium before departing.
…
On the other side-
Inside the Hydra base, three activated Winter Soldiers each carried a box containing secondary Adamantium alloy, Vibranium, and raw Adamantium alloy, respectively.
The three of them left the Hydra base earlier than Coulson, heading to the Sand Ninja Puppet Shop in Brooklyn.
Inside the Sand Ninja Puppet Shop-
Two boxes were placed in front of Temari, each containing a vial of body-enhancing serum.
Today was the agreed-upon day, and Temari was waiting for representatives from the two organizations to come for the trade.
Temari looked at her teacher, Pakura, and said, "Teacher, after this trade, there will be a considerable amount of Vibranium and Adamantium alloy in Lord Charles's hands. You can apply for some to create a suitable chakra tool for yourself."
"With your Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai and a suitable chakra tool, you will surely unleash terrifying power."
Pakura smiled and replied, "There are many ninjas under Lord Charles, and I haven't done anything noteworthy yet. There's no rush for the chakra tool. When the time is right, I will apply for it myself."
As Temari was about to say something, the door of the puppet shop suddenly opened, and the automated welcoming puppet at the entrance greeted them.
"Welcome to the Sand Ninja Puppet Shop!"
Three emotionless men emitting a hostile aura approached with a hand-held box each.
Temari swallowed her words, and Pakura frowned slightly. Although these three men didn't seem powerful, their murderous intent was strong, indicating they had killed many people in this world.
The leader of the three men walked up to the counter, glanced at Temari and Pakura, and said coldly, "We are here to trade for body-enhancing serum."
"According to the trade requirements, we have brought 24,000 grams of secondary Adamantium alloy, 2,400 grams of Vibranium, and 240 grams of raw Adamantium alloy."
Upon hearing the familiar quantities, Temari nodded and took out a box from under the counter, opening it to reveal vials containing red liquid.
"This is the body-enhancing serum you requested, same as last time."
"As for the extra $12 million, would you like it refunded in cash or have it credited towards any commission missions?"
The other two men remained silent, while the Winter Soldier who spoke earlier continued, "The extra $12 million worth of materials will be considered our price for the next body-enhancing serum."
Temari nodded, "That's fine. When you gather enough materials, you can come and exchange them for the next body-enhancing serum."
With the deal made, Temari closed the box and handed over the body-enhancing serum to them. In return, they inspected the three boxes handed over by the men and accepted them.
As the three Winter Soldiers pushed open the door to leave, they encountered Coulson and his team just about to enter.
Seeing customers exiting the Sand Ninja Puppet Shop, Coulson glanced curiously at them. However, he had no memory of the three men and simply waited for them to leave before entering the shop.
The three Winter Soldier operatives paid no attention to Coulson's group and left directly. Once they reached a car parked by the roadside, they got in and drove away.
Coulson took note of the three men before entering the Sand Ninja Puppet Shop with curiosity about their purpose there.