Chapter 46: The Lion's Roar

Facing Luke’s salty little hand coming at her, the Black Widow flipped backward on the spot, dodging gracefully out of reach. Her ballet background gave her an undeniable edge—her movements were fluid, her form lethal yet elegant, every flip accentuating her curves. She landed on the tips of her toes, delivering a kick to Luke’s hand that completely neutralized his punch.

Luke pulled back, then swept out with a low kick.

The Black Widow executed several more backflips in quick succession, opening up a bit of distance. At the same time, Agent May seized Luke’s shoulder from the side—only to feel a sudden surge of strength. In the next instant, Luke shrugged her off with ease.

He struck at May’s chest with a short, sharp punch!

Well, he couldn’t quite reach, so he aimed for her leg instead.

His fist landed solidly on May’s thigh.

May staggered, nearly losing her balance, her eyes wide with shock at Luke’s stance. She recognized that punch—it was a short punch, a technique she herself knew.

What astonished her wasn’t just that Luke knew how to use it, but that his technique seemed even more refined than her own. More than that, she’d just experienced the force behind his blow firsthand—it was unexpectedly immense.

If not for her Kevlar-reinforced tactical suit absorbing most of the impact, her leg might well have been broken.

He was still just a child—how could he possess a punch stronger than a grown man’s?

And the proficiency required for the short punch only came with endless practice, day in and day out. How on earth could someone so young have achieved that?

May’s mind was reeling.

Her attention slipped, and Luke was instantly upon her.

He seized her elbow, performed a swift over-the-shoulder throw, and sent her crashing to the ground.

May lay there, aching and bewildered. She would never have guessed that things like strength serums or skill books even existed in this world.

What she thought of was a martial arts prodigy.

“Could it be that this boy… is a once-in-a-century martial arts genius?”

It was almost too much to believe.

He could pilot a mech and was a martial arts prodigy besides—such talent was simply…

Monstrous.

Having reached that conclusion, May stubbornly pushed herself back up.

She hadn’t earned the nickname “Cavalry” for nothing. This time, she wouldn’t hold back—she was determined to give it her all.

May’s own talent was anything but ordinary. Chosen personally by Peggy Carter, founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., and brought in for training, her most outstanding trait was her unyielding will. Her greatest tenacity was never bowing her head to anyone.

Aside from the incident on Bahrain Island seven years ago, nothing and no one had ever managed to defeat her.

This time, she fought without restraint.

She pressed in on Luke with fists and feet flying, treating him now as a true rival, evenly matched.

Watching this, Hawkeye and Black Widow exchanged glances, slightly stunned. Was May taking this a little too seriously?

Blow after blow landed with a solid thud.

Luke was driven back a few steps by May’s sudden onslaught, but thanks to his “Iron Body,” he barely felt a thing—every hit was no more than a tickle.

“So this skill is that effective!” Luke was secretly delighted, growing bolder, abandoning defense entirely for pure offense.

Short punch!

Diving body blow!

Low kick!

Over-the-shoulder throw!

He cycled through these moves repeatedly, and with the improbable strength hidden in his small frame, he found himself trading blows evenly with the masterful Agent May.

May had expected Luke, like any other child, to collapse after a few hits, but instead, he shrugged off her attacks as if nothing had happened. In fact, it was May whose hands and feet were starting to go numb. She felt as if she were striking not a human, but a steel plate. It was uncanny.

She thought of a legendary martial arts technique.

“Could this really be something as ridiculous as Iron Shirt?” She’d never believed such things existed—until now.

Watching May gradually lose ground to Luke, Black Widow and Hawkeye exchanged a look and, at last, decided to join the fray together.

They still held back a little, mindful that Luke was just a child.

But even so, after several rounds of three-on-one, they couldn’t hide their astonishment.

Was this really a seven-year-old child? He was more like a little monster brimming with endless power, charging through the three of them without restraint. Even working together, they couldn’t bring him down.

Gradually, they began to draw their weapons.

Black Widow produced a pair of short batons, May pulled on her combat gloves, and as for Hawkeye…

Well. As the saying goes, archers have always been proficient at close combat…

Hawkeye, of all people, was now wielding his high-tech composite bow as a melee weapon, swinging it with surprising skill.

Luke’s eyes lit up with excitement. Was this the legendary Bow Combat Technique? He’d have to find a chance to cozy up to Hawkeye and pick up a few tricks.

At last, the three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents realized that if they didn’t get serious, they truly wouldn’t be able to subdue Luke. The three top agents coordinated, converging on Luke from three directions.

Luke was finally forced to bring out his own weapon.

He drew a staff from his storage space.

The three agents saw only a blur in Luke’s hand, and suddenly he was holding a staff. They exchanged bewildered glances, none of them understanding how he’d done it.

Staff in hand, Luke immediately unleashed a combat skill: Whirling Staff!

Suddenly, Hawkeye exclaimed in shock as the staff swept him up into the air in a bizarre arc, then brought him crashing down on the opposite side—right atop Black Widow, who had been poised to ambush Luke from behind.

It was as if the law of gravity had been temporarily suspended.

The two of them landed in a tangled heap, both utterly dumbfounded. What on earth had just happened? How was it possible?

Black Widow found herself recalling that evening she’d tried to test Luke by running him down with her car…

But there was no time to dwell on it—Luke’s staff was already coming at them again: Dragon’s Fang!

Hawkeye recognized the move. He hurriedly shoved Natasha aside and raised his bow to block.

But Luke switched tactics mid-strike, canceling Dragon’s Fang and unleashing another Whirling Staff.

Once again, the melee archer was sent flying by that uncanny staff, in blatant defiance of physics, then slammed back down to the ground. Hawkeye was left dazed and dizzy, eyes glazed.

Black Widow and Agent May were now right behind Luke. Exchanging a nod, they rushed him together with baton and fists.

Luke spun on his heel, eyes sharp as a blade.

Suddenly he opened his mouth and bellowed, “Hah!!”

An invisible shockwave of sound rippled outward, vibrating through the air—

Lion’s Roar!

The signature move of the DNF Qi Master.

It was one of the nineteen skills he’d drawn last time.

As that almost visible wave of sound faded, all three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents slumped to the ground, utterly incapacitated.

“Battle duration: five minutes, twenty-nine seconds,” announced Christina’s voice. “Congratulations, Master. You are victorious.”

It had been quite a challenge, Luke thought.

He straightened his small back and let his little hands fall at his sides, the aura of an ordinary child once more settling over him.