" Ex–caliburrr!!!"
As the mecha speakers carried Luke's shouts throughout the venue, the War Lord swung his sword magnificently, shooting out a stream of mean air. No, it was a stream of sword energy.
The sword energy was ten meters wide and shaped like a semi-arc. It resembled a rising crescent moon, slicing straight from the ground to the sky.
The energy was so bright and dazzling that ordinary people couldn't look at it directly—maybe that's how Asura became blind.
The slash was unbelievably fast, cutting through the sky and crossing several hundred meters in an instant.
Its power was soon demonstrated.
Tony, flying toward the venue, suddenly saw a burst of light explode from the ground. A wave of energy surged toward him, and the suit's operating system instantly flashed red.
"Sir, emergency evasion," Jarvis warned.
At the critical moment, Tony hit full throttle and shot upwards at top speed. His armor barely avoided the terrifying energy wave.
But the Hammer Tech Iron Soldiers chasing him weren't so lucky.
The ten-meter-wide sword energy struck them head-on. Those Iron Soldiers had no resistance—one after another, they exploded mid-air, bursting into bright, dazzling fireworks over New York City.
James Rhodes, who should have been the first to get hit, opened his eyes and realized he was still alive.
Looking around, not a single Iron Soldier remained.
Tony climbed to an altitude of two thousand meters before stopping.
He was still shaken. "Jarvis, what the hell was that?"
"Sir, this energy level exceeds my readings. The source is on the ground."
Hearing this, Tony looked down, his expression serious.
At the same time, military and government leaders were watching the live broadcast in shock.
The military of various nations erupted in an uproar.
Luke's attack—his Shura Evil Light Slash—was something they had never seen before.
Military leaders frantically questioned their technology advisors. What kind of weapon is this? Why aren't we aware of it? Is it a new laser weapon secretly developed by the U.S. military?
The Americans had no answers.
Even the U.S. military was completely clueless about this new form of energy attack.
What shocked them most was how it was used.
A sword.
A sword that fired high-intensity energy shockwaves.
It was completely bizarre.
The President of the United States, woken by an emergency phone call, ordered, "Get me the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I want answers!"
On the battlefield, Luke retracted his mecha's giant sword, completely satisfied with the power of Shura Evil Light Slash.
He even gave his performance a 10 out of 10.
The strongest attack from the strongest Noble Phantasm of the strongest Heroic Spirit in the strongest anime in the universe—Fate.
Too bad nobody here knew what the hell he was referencing.
What? You think Gilgamesh is stronger? Does Gilgamesh have aloof hair? No.
So, logically, King Daima is the strongest.
Luke's energy attack, from the buildup to the final swing, had been captured in crystal-clear footage by cameras across the city.
He didn't know it yet, but in the future, this move would become legendary. Fans across the world would call it "Holy Sword."
The British, in particular, would become diehard Apostle fans overnight.
---
Inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. Science Division Dormitory
"Jemma, did you hear that? What did he just shout?"
A young man with short brown hair covered his mouth in shock.
Beside him, a blonde girl around his age smirked.
"Excalibur," she said in a British accent. "A legendary sword, forged by the elves of Avalon. King Arthur received it from the Lady of the Lake."
"Come on, Jemma, I know that. But why did the Apostle shout 'Holy Sword'? Is he British?"
"Oh, Fitz. You don't mean to say—"
"I've decided, Jemma," Fitz said, dead serious. "Whether the Apostle is British or not, from today onward, he is my idol."
Jemma smiled, amused.
As a genius in mechanical and electronic engineering, Fitz had been obsessed with the Apostle from the moment he appeared online.
For weeks, Fitz had been raving about the Apostle's mechanical designs, calling them "strange, mature, yet incredibly harmonious."
And when the Apostle unleashed a six-meter-tall mecha tonight, Fitz nearly lost his mind.
He even wanted to drag Jemma to the battlefield just to witness it in person.
"I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D. will make contact with the Apostle eventually," Jemma teased. "You'll have plenty of chances to meet him."
"You're right!"
Fitz clenched his fists, burning with excitement. When the time came, he was prepared to ask the Apostle at least a thousand questions.
---
Back on the Battlefield
From the sky, Tony stared at the six-meter-tall giant mecha below. His expression was unreadable.
"Jarvis… is today April Fool's?"
"Today is September 32nd, sir."
Tony rolled his eyes. He was too stunned to even be mad.
If not for the energy attack just now—one that nearly blew him out of the sky—Tony would have thought he was looking at Obadiah Stane's Iron Monger all over again.
Rhodes had also spotted Luke's mecha. Though still unable to control War Machine, he asked over the radio, "Tony, is this one of your reinforcements? Damn thing's huge."
Reinforcements?
Tony wanted to scream, "I almost died just now!"
But Rhodes didn't seem the least bit concerned.
A red streak of light shot through the sky as Tony descended, landing in front of Luke.
"Apostle?"
"Good evening." Luke activated his mecha's external speakers.
To avoid exposing himself, he had asked Christina to tweak his voice. For now, he wasn't planning on revealing his identity to Tony.
"Are you trying to kill me too?" Tony demanded.
Luke, of course, knew exactly what Tony was referring to.
That attack just now? Yeah, it was a bit too close for comfort. He was still figuring out how to properly direct his Shura Evil Light Slash.
But hey—it all worked out, didn't it?
Luke refused to admit fault.
"Relax," he said calmly. "Everything was under control."
Ross, the AI, chimed in, "I give you full marks for that move! Haha! I can bump your rating up to a C. Keep going, kid!"
Luke was thrilled.
"From D to C? Hell yeah! Let's keep going—I need those alliance points!"
The real show was just getting started.
Whiplash hadn't even shown up yet.
And as Luke was thinking this, more Iron Soldiers arrived.
At that moment, Christina detected someone in the fleeing crowd and flashed his image on-screen.
Luke stared.
"Peter Parker…?"
The teenager was mixed in with the crowd, wearing some kind of mask.
Christina was confused. "Why is he wearing a mask?"
Right then, an Iron Soldier descended and landed directly in front of Peter.
The robot's shoulder-mounted gun locked onto him.
The barrel started spinning.
Luke's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, hell no—"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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