Chapter Nineteen: I Will Return...

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Just as everyone thought Matt had been injured, Matt suddenly raised his right hand and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "Mother, my vision has returned! Oh heavens, I can see again, look, I can see!"

"Damn it! Give me back my worry," the crowd muttered, utterly speechless.

Loki, realizing he hadn't even touched his opponent, let alone defeated him, was furious. No longer treating the fight as a game, he began to battle with all his might.

Suddenly, Loki caught a flaw in Daredevil Matt's defense and plunged his dagger deep into Matt's chest. Matt cried out in agony, blood spraying like a fountain as he staggered backward and collapsed into Punisher's arms. "Oh, I'm dying now. From now on, you'll be all alone. Promise me you'll eat on time, promise you'll take care of yourself... oh~..."

Matt began to cough up blood dramatically.

"I'm going to slaughter that bastard!" Frank, seeing someone precious to him once again fall in his arms, his eyes reddened, as if witnessing his wife and daughter gunned down by gangsters. Enraged, Frank drew his sword, ready to charge forward.

"Wait, help me find something," Yang Xin said, looking around as if searching for something.

"What are you looking for?" Natasha frowned, puzzled. Matt had just been killed, and yet Yang Xin was still searching for something instead of grabbing a weapon.

"I'm looking for an Oscar statue. We all owe Matt a statuette," Yang Xin replied with utmost seriousness.

"What?" Natasha asked in astonishment.

"Wow, did I scare you all? How moving! Frank, I never knew you loved me so deeply..." Matt somehow produced a handkerchief, dabbing at his tears as he raised a statuette from nowhere.

"Thank you, S.H.I.E.L.D., thank you XX-TV, thank you Frank, thank you to all the friends present, and thank you to my family. I'm so moved. I love you all..."

It was a full-blown awards ceremony.

"Damn it!" Everyone erupted in anger.

Loki was even more furious; his pale face flushed red, blood rushing to his cheeks. He realized that pure hand-to-hand combat was no match for Daredevil Matt, and began to consider retreat.

Daredevil Matt immediately clung to him. Though Matt fought desperately to block Loki, the mask Matt wore only granted him the divinity of the God of Mischief, not that of a warrior. Thus, Matt lacked the power for a decisive strike. The situation became one where Loki could do nothing against Matt, unable to break through his defense.

But Matt also lacked the ability to kill or capture Loki, creating a deadlock. If it were just a duel, Matt would inevitably lose, as Loki could simply wait until dawn, when the mask would lose its effect, and Matt would no longer be his match.

But! As a certain celebrity once said: everything said before "but" is nonsense.

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However, Matt was backed by a large group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

"Comrade Romanoff, it's time to let your charm shine."

Natasha put on the Flower Key, took out a flower, held it up to the bright moonlight, and softly intoned, "Hula~ Hula~ Transform!"

Starlight flashed. A set of gleaming white Cygnus Bronze Cloth appeared on Natasha. Born in Siberia, Natasha's resilience was forged by its harsh climate. After reviewing the entire "Saint Seiya" series, she had determined her path of advancement.

Cygnus Bronze Saint, Crystal Silver Saint, Aquarius Gold Saint.

"Tonight is a good night for battle," Natasha said calmly beneath the moon.

The Cygnus Bronze Cloth, blessed by the stars, radiated intense starlight. A constellation peeked out from the horizon: Cygnus.

Yang Xin and the others could clearly sense that Natasha's combat ability at night was thirty percent higher than during the day. Saints, since mythic times, have shouldered the duty of guarding the earth, wielding techniques powered by the stars. At night, they reach their maximum strength thanks to the starlight.

"Perhaps Natasha should change her Black Widow title," Yang Xin whispered.

"Change it to what?" Hill, beside Yang Xin, asked, and everyone perked up their ears. Black Widow was too specific and targeted.

"The strongest under the stars! How about that?"

"Isn't that a bit exaggerated?" Hill frowned, almost accusing him of boasting.

"We can work toward it. When Natasha dons her divine cloth, that title will be well-earned."

At this moment, Natasha's presence seemed to eclipse the world.

"Snow Blossom!"

Natasha pointed to the sky. The thunder and lightning ceased, the wind and rain stopped, replaced by a sky filled with snowflakes.

"Sir, the air pressure in this town just surged. A cold front has suddenly arrived..." a field agent reported hurriedly.

"We all see it," Nick Fury replied, disgruntled.

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"The weather changed?" Loki's expression darkened. Such anomalies meant trouble. But the change didn't weaken Loki—it invigorated him. The blood of the Frost Giants in his veins began to stir.

"Ice Ring!"

A torrent of snowflakes swept in, tightly encircling Loki. Rings of ice shot from Natasha's fingertips, instantly turning the falling snow into crystals that trapped Loki in place. Natasha moved forward, her body displaying incredible flexibility—a forward lunge slid her past Loki, then a backward bend shaped her like a C, both hands gripping Loki's ankles, her palms radiating intense cold.

Loki's feet were instantly frozen into icy pillars.

"Now, you can't run," Natasha said, standing up and suddenly drawing a pistol, pointing it straight at Loki's brow.

"Beautiful!" Yang Xin praised fiercely—not Natasha's power, but her tactics, especially her dramatic pistol draw. Natasha hadn't lost herself in her newfound strength, nor did she rely solely on her Saint power. She fought using the most efficient, effective methods.

"Using frost against someone with Frost Giant blood—whose courage is this?" Loki blinked, and the ice binding him suddenly shattered, dissolving into powder. At that moment, a rainbow descended from the sky. Loki vanished in an instant, leaving behind a faint message: "I'll be back."

"Rainbow Bridge!" Thor cried, lunging toward it. But alas, the bridge appeared and vanished in a flash, too swift for Thor to catch. He howled at the sky, "No! No! No..."

"Yuan Hua, do you really not know how to solve this problem?" Yang Xin quipped from the side.

"I'm not Yuan Hua, I'm Thor of Asgard!" Thor protested angrily.

"You'll only be Thor when you wield Mjolnir," Yang Xin replied calmly.

"Yes, you're right. Only when I wield Mjolnir am I the Thunder God. Now, I can't lift it. I've been exiled. Father chose Loki. Father abandoned me..." Thor was deeply dejected, helpless as a giant infant.

"Your father hasn't abandoned you. There's still a way for you to lift Mjolnir," Yang Xin suddenly said.

"What way?"