🎊🎊🎊FBI: Chapter 111/116

Chapter 111: Bloody Murder

Dante let out a long breath.

The second the system prompt chimed in, he dispelled his Blood Butcher form without hesitation.

When Butcher emerged from his chest, he looked a little tired but didn't immediately pass out like Ion Shark.

That, of course, was the difference between the Blood Butcher form and Ion Man.

Blood Butcher was all brute stats. Ion Man? Could literally bend time and rewrite reality.

Totally different energy bills.

Looking at it from that angle, yeah—Green and Yellow Lantern Beasts really were the powerhouses of the seven Corps.

[Mission Characters: Hal Jordan, Selina Kyle, Agatha Harkness, Wanda Maximoff, Chthon, Moon Girl]
[Acquired Willpower: Hal Jordan]
[Acquired Passive Bonus: Selina Kyle – Top-Tier Charm]
[Acquired Companion: Agatha Harkness's Demon Cat – Ebony]
[Acquired Magic: Wanda Maximoff's Chaos Magic]
[Acquired Title: Chthon's Old God Status]
[Acquired Ability: Moon Girl's Mental Link]

---

"Dante, why are you zoning out?" Butcher's voice poked into his ear.

"I was thinking of something happy."

He snapped back to reality, habitually patted his head, and tucked hi. back into the Red Lantern Furnace for rest.

Then he started going through his reward panel.

Hal Jordan's willpower? Holy crap.

Good news: Now he had Hal Jordan's willpower and Bruce Wayne's. His Green Lantern stats were basically cracked.

Bad news: He was now officially stuck with a Green Lantern setup.

But once he read the system description more carefully, he got the full picture.

Willpower wasn't just added like 10 + 10 = 20.

It was added, then multiplied by a coefficient, then averaged out.

So the final conclusion?

[Current Willpower Strength: Approximately 1.5x Original Level]

Keyword: "approximately." Because willpower wasn't completely quantifiable, and it fluctuated based on mood swings and how much coffee you've had.

Still, Dante was pleased.

He hadn't expected to get anything useful from Hal Jordan. The guy's real power came from the ring, and the rest was just flying and cheesy monologues.

But then came the next reward and his brain short-circuited.

["Top-tier charm bonus."]

He understood every word.

Together? He had no idea what the hell it meant.

Was it… was this because he joked about Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne hooking up earlier?

Was this… real?

Dante knew his Selina wasn't simple. I mean, she turned the Batman into a helpless simp.

But what was this thing on him now?

Was it compatible with the male body?!

Just as he was wrestling with the metaphysical implications of magical seduction stats, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.

Dante turned to look.

Something black launched straight at his face.

Then—darkness.

A soft thud and—

"Meow!"

"WHAT THE—Whose damn hair clip is this?!"

Dante ripped the creature off his face.

It was a sleek black cat, fluff as dark as a new moon. Four little paws curled pitifully, staring up at him with glimmering golden eyes.

Adorable.

"Is this… Agatha Harkness's demon cat?"

Curious, Dante flipped it over, checked the fur, the paws, the little bell around its neck...

Shouldn't system rewards be, like, skills?

Why was he getting a whole living animal?

Then he felt it.

The moment he made contact, a strange pulse ran through his body.

Symbiosis.

A familiar-style bond.

No wonder it counted as an "ability."

Once bonded, the demon cat shared his magic stats and recovery capabilities. He could even project his consciousness into it.

"Ebony, huh? Lame name, but whatever."

Ebony the Demon Cat perched on his shoulder while Dante returned to skimming through rewards.

Next up? The real power bomb.

[Acquired Magic: Chaos Magic – Scarlet Witch]

What's "terrifying"?

Chaos Magic.

Even without Wanda's mutant gene enhancements, it was already stupidly powerful.

This was Chthon's ace-in-the-hole. His signature move.

Don't get it twisted—Chthon might've gotten bodied by Dante, but that wasn't peak Chthon.

If he'd shown up in top form, Dante still would've won—but only after tapping every last resource, and even then, it would've been a coin toss on who made it out alive.

But a win was a win.

The winner never reflects. The loser? Already digested.

And with Chthon's soul gone, Dante received.

[Acquired Title: Old God Status – Chthon]

"Old God status? Am I a god now?"

Dante examined his hand.

Looked the same.

So this was the only reward he didn't fully understand. Still, deep inside, he had a weird feeling that this one would matter someday.

Then came the last item.

[Acquired Ability: Moon Girl's Mental Link]

No need to explain, this was her Inhuman ability.

But unlike Moon Girl, who was passively soul-linked to Devil Dinosaur from day one, Dante got to choose his link.

Once. Permanent.

He scoffed.

He thought about linking it to Ebony, but since Ebony was already bonded, that'd be a waste.

Better to wait. Who knows? Might come in clutch later.

After collecting everything, Dante flew back toward Storybrooke Town.

There were still loose ends to tie up.

When he passed the old town sign that used to say "Welcome to Storybrooke Town," he noticed it had morphed into a tacky scenic area billboard.

Beer ads. Hotels. Amusement parks. Camping packages.

The reality distortion had fully unraveled.

But inside Storybrooke, he found that the unconscious fairytale characters scattered around hadn't disappeared.

That was... a problem.

Meaning they weren't illusions conjured by Chaos Magic, they were actual workers abducted from some fairytale universe.

These poor souls were literal princes and princesses, dragged into a magical sweatshop.

Dante recalled how obsessed they were with working and honestly, he felt bad.

The only one actually affected by the distortion was Selina Kyle.

She was lying unconscious in Bruce Wayne's arms, expression soft and peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Bruce looked frantic.

Everyone else, including Hal Jordan, was holding back laughter.

Batman, the man who could detect a lie from a half-blink and read a heartbeat at fifty paces… couldn't tell his fiancée was faking unconsciousness.

Even Hal figured it out.

Dante just left them to it. Relationship cringe was not his lane.

"Darkhold, bring me the darkhold."

Out of context, that sounded weird. But in this moment, it made sense.

The darkhold, still possessing Moon Girl's body, stepped forward and picked up the real darkhold, which contained Moon Girl's soul.

It dramatically flicked off some blood and sighed.

"Here. Let's swap back already."

Dante took the book, but the moment he touched it—warmth flooded into his body.

Something entered him.

Something subtle but real.

The darkhold leaned in and whispered:

"Chthon's truly gone, right? Well, since you now hold his Old God position, the divinity that was once stored in me just flowed into you by default.

In simple terms… You're now Chthon's official replacement on the Old God board."

"So, I'm a god now?"

"It's just a title.

If you went back to ancient Earth and declared yourself a god, even the Creator and Gaia would reluctantly let you sit at the lunch table.

Now hurry. You're radiating Black Magic and Aether like a beacon. Swapping our souls will be a breeze."

"Wait. Where is the Aether Particle?"

"Dude. It's in the book. You saw it when Agatha was casting her spell!"

Dante flipped it open.

On the once-blank title page was a vivid image of the Aether Particle.

Except… it was moving.

A still image in dynamic motion, flickering between two and three dimensions.

Classic Aether nonsense.

Enough gawking.

Time to fix the kid.

Dante activated Chaos Magic, infused it into the title page, grabbed the two souls, and shoved them back where they belonged.

From an outsider's perspective?

Scarlet light surged from the book. Moon Girl's eyes snapped open, and she immediately bolted into Devil Dinosaur's arms.

Yeah. That was peak thirteen-year-old energy.

He shut the book.

Just then, Harley Quinn and Hela approached.

Hela pulled Dante into a full embrace.

One word came to mind:

Dainty.

Because standing next to a 2.13-meter goddess will do that.

Harley then casually slipped a communicator into his ear… and gave his stomach a couple friendly taps with her Adamantium bat.

"Agent Dante, I see you're still breathing."

Maria Hill's voice came through.

"Looks like the reality distortion event's been contained."

"Commander Hill, happy to be back."

"We're moving the cleanup team in. You'll meet up with them soon, along with the rest of the Star Team."

"Great. I'll see you there, Maria."

"Right. And after this call, switch to top-secret channel 114514. He's waiting for you."

Dante sighed and swapped frequencies.

[Voiceprint Recognition Required.
Please state internal code name.]

"Goddammit. Fury, really? …Fine. Code name: Immortal."

[Voiceprint matched. Access granted.
Agent Dante Alighieri has joined frequency.]

Busy signal.

Then the voice he'd been dreading.

"YOU SON OF A—WHY DID YOU DUMP THIS MASSIVE MESS ON ME?!"

"Nick Fury, I swear to God—have some shame!"

Dante practically shouted into the mic.

"If YOU didn't lose your car, I wouldn't have had to run halfway across the multiverse chasing it down!"

"…Wait. Who was driving my car?"

"I was! So what?! Even if I'm ninety-nine percent wrong, aren't you still one percent guilty?! The way you're dodging blame is making me furious."

"Wait… what are you even yelling about?"

"You're confused? Then go reflect! Think more! Watch more! Read a damn manual!
Also—reimburse me for that damn trunk deposit!"

Call ended.

Back in Fury's office, Ada and Hunnigan looked at each other in stunned silence.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 112: Famous Scene

As the main force deployed and began flooding into Storybrooke Town from every direction, Dante made arrangements for Moon Girl as well.

Turns out, as a high schooler at Central City High, she'd actually been hiding the Devil Dinosaur in a lake on the outskirts of town...

Yes. A high schooler.

A thirteen-year-old high schooler.

She and Peter Parker were in the same grade, different classes.

What else can you say? Genius kids skipping grades.

"No way. Devil Dinosaur's that huge, and you were hiding him in a public lake? No one ever noticed?"

"Huh? No, he was spotted plenty of times," Moon Girl shrugged with an impish smile. "But when people said they saw a dinosaur in the lake, no one believed them. Except for a bunch of UMA freaks who come on pilgrimages. Devil Dinosaur even leaves them clues to make them more obsessed. But the more obsessed they get, the more regular people think it's just a hoax." She spread her hands. "What can I say!"

Dante's mouth twitched.

This thirteen-year-old was somehow more chaotic than the cursed darkhold.

"And when you awakened your Inhuman powers, why didn't you join the newly reformed FBI Academy?"

"What FBI Academy?" Moon Girl blinked, looking so innocent it was suspicious. "I'm just a regular girl. Why would the FBI Academy want me?"

Yup. That was a no.

Dante didn't press. The New S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy had brought in future heroes and some future villains but not everyone wanted to be part of the system.

Especially genius types who thought the system was beneath them.

Moon Girl was clearly one of those.

Also, she deliberately ignored Dante mentioning the word Inhumans.

That said a lot.

Chances were, she'd already contacted or maybe even joined either Jiaying's "Afterlife" or the Inhuman Royal Family.

If it was the Royal Family? No big deal. Attilan had its own tech tree and social structure. Quasi-feudal, sure, but the royal family didn't hold total power.

Maximus being the only madman exception.

Most of them were in good standing with major governments and hero teams.

Black Bolt was part of the Avengers and the Illuminati.

Queen Medusa once joined the Fantastic Four.

Even Crystal, Marvel's messiest social butterfly, still counted as a legit hero.

But Afterlife? That place was shady.

Compared to Attilan, Afterlife was more like a glorified refugee camp.

They didn't know their history, didn't know their purpose.

Just that they were "different."

In early days, sure, they came off like good people trying to survive.

But with just a little outside push, they'd turn radical fast.

In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., these Afterlife Inhumans even planned to wipe out humanity using diluted Terrigen crystals.

Jiaying herself had once been tortured in Hydra's labs, a literal human test subject under Daniel Whitehall.

But after she snapped?

She had fewer moral boundaries than HYDRA itself.

Dante glanced at Moon Girl again.

Too smart for thirteen. Too dangerous to ignore.

As a senior FBI agent, there's nothing wrong with monitoring superpowered individuals outside the system, right?

"Alright, alright. I'll pretend I didn't say anything." Dante mirrored Moon Girl's posture, hands out, palms up. "But make sure to keep the Devil Dinosaur in check.."

"Don't worry. Those UMA nerds don't have the chops to find him."

She was confident.

Despite his cute-sounding howls, Devil Dinosaur was shockingly intelligent.

Dante nodded but told her she couldn't leave until the FBI finished their cleanup. She agreed grumbling and perched atop Devil Dinosaur's head, glued to her phone.

"Kids are exhausting."

Maria Hill, in full FBI tactical gear, walked over—her figure doing zero favors for the uniform's original design intent.

"No matter how smart, she's still just a kid," Dante said, shaking her hand. "Thanks for leading the support team."

"Honestly, before the distortion collapsed, I hesitated bringing hundreds of agents and truckloads of equipment here." Maria scanned the area. "But now? I think we should've brought more."

"These people... they're all displaced victims pulled from another universe, aren't they?"

"I can understand every word of that sentence, but together... it gives me a headache," Maria muttered. "So all these folks on the ground? No ID. No background."

"Not exactly. If you flip through fairytale books, you'll find them all. Most are just regular storybook characters. Some? Not so regular."

"Any way to send them home?"

"I could send them. But I don't have their universe's coordinates. Who knows where I'd end up sending them…"

Dante was helpless.

Pulling people in was easy. Random universe, random character—done.

It's like a dirtbag hooking up and ghosting.

Sending people back?

That was the honest man's job. You needed coordinates. Timeline sync. Power requirements ten times higher.

Basically, if you didn't own a house, car, and life insurance, don't even try.

Instead of trying to send them back, it was better to manage them properly.

He looked at the surrounding ruins.

They weren't from the battle. This was just how the ghost town already looked—partially collapsed, overgrown. There were even decent campsites nearby.

The FBI's "cleanup" would mean razing everything.

If it weren't so close to major cities, they'd probably have just nuked it and called it a "weapons test."

But...

"Instead of forcing these fairytale folk to integrate into modern America, how about we turn this place into an actual 'Storybrooke Town'?"

Dante's idea wasn't off-the-cuff.

Keeping them together made them easier to manage and monitor.

And, judging from their general vibes, most of them would probably love to stay.

Storybook lands were usually medieval, superstitious, and boring.

"In that case… it's doable." Maria's eyes lit up.

Cleanup and coverups cost money. Building a theme town was cheaper.

After all, a 'town' in the U.S. wasn't much bigger than a village anywhere else.

Plus, labor costs would drop dramatically.

Don't let the title fool you, Maria was not just a field commander.

After Sitwell was outed, she took over as Head of Internal Affairs and Human Resources.

Half the General Bureau's workload sat on her shoulders.

She only escaped from it once J'onzz joined the Bureau and took over HR.

J'onzz: elite on the battlefield and the office. Truly an alien built for every occasion.

…

Once FBI agents were on-site, things sped up.

All fairytale residents were temporarily brought to HQ.

They weren't going to stay isolated in Storybrooke forever, after all.

Once the distortion was fully gone, they'd have free mobility.

Meanwhile, Dante did a quick check-in with the rest of the Star Team.

Bruce Banner: recovering from almost being possessed by Chthon.

Quicksilver: ran off to get food for Banner, got lost.

Captain Carter: got bored, started scraping adult ads off tourist billboards.

Hela: remembered Fenris, missed him, started petting Little Red Riding Hood's wolf ears.

Thor and Loki: surprisingly well-behaved. Except Loki kept whispering to Thor to go fight Hulk again.

Dante facepalmed.

Banner had finally gotten to eat a hot dog with two sausages and now he had to babysit god-tier idiots again.

Surprisingly, Harley and Wanda were doing the best.

Harley, somehow functional, was helping agents assess the mental state of revived fairytale characters.

Some were waking up already. Harley ran a full psych eval on them.

A few field psychologists followed her around, furiously scribbling notes.

If you didn't know better, you'd think she had a PhD from MIT.

"…In a way, the fact that Quinzell is acting normal is more unsettling," Bruce Wayne said, appearing silently beside Dante.

"Jesus! Can you teach me that vanishing act? Could be fun for jump scares."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Bruce replied flatly. He removed the green lantern ring and handed it to Dante. "The crisis is over. This should go back to you."

Dante stared at him.

Classic Bruce. Always ditching anything 'supernatural' unless absolutely necessary.

"I'm not taking it. Keep it. Whether it's that Green Lantern ring or the Red one for Devil Dinosaur, I never planned on taking them back."

Translation: You're already on the team, buddy.

The universe was getting more chaotic by the day. Dante had a gut feeling a major event was coming, something universe-shattering.

Having a Batman on your side with maxed-out loyalty?

+30% survival rate, minimum.

And if Barry ever unlocked full Speed Force mode? They'd have a save/load feature on reality itself.

"I trust you," Dante added. "You'll be the greatest Green Lantern."

Bruce had been about to decline again. But that sentence—"I trust you"—and that mix of sincerity and sarcasm on Dante's face?

He hesitated.

Then slipped the ring back on.

Meanwhile, Catwoman, who'd finally stopped faking unconsciousness, was bandaging her arm nearby.

She suddenly shivered.

Then glanced over at Bruce and Dante, eyes narrowing like a cat seeing someone steal her food bowl.

Dante sensed her emotional state immediately.

She was glowing purple.

In the Emotional Spectrum, purple represented love.

Same tier as Rage. Not evil—but came with a few extra settings: obsession, jealousy, and drama.

Sorry, Selina.

Dante quietly apologized.

Blame the system.

He wasn't into guys, and Bruce Wayne was as straight-laced as they came.

Charm bonus or not, he wasn't switching teams.

Honestly, Catwoman should be more worried about that guy from Kansas.

Clark had succubus energy on weekends.

And he and Bruce? Long-time bromantic tension.

Dante gave her a thumbs-up, patted Bruce's shoulder, and headed toward the old Storybrooke tavern.

Fury's car was still parked there.

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to takeo_vi for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉

Chapter 113: Ten Years

"Here. Your car keys."

Dante flopped down onto Nick Fury's overpriced leather couch, stretched like a cat, then melted into the cushions.

"Nothing you wanna say to me?" Fury tossed the keys aside like a spent cartridge. "You go out to find a car, and end up in the middle of a reality distortion event I've never heard of... Should I say you're lucky? Or cursed?"

"I'm not sure about lucky," Dante muttered, "but I've definitely got main character troublemaker energy."

Putting everything else aside, just having a system like his guaranteed one thing—wherever he went, chaos followed.

"Alright. Enough small talk. After this Storybrooke Town incident, we're adding reality distortion events to our regular threat matrix." Fury sat down beside him. "When I was sunbathing with Dr. Jack Bright, he mentioned events like this once, but I always chalked it up to fringe science. Guess you never really get it till it's knocking on your door."

This whole distortion event had left Fury drenched in cold sweat.

Especially after the distortion lifted and his memory of Dante and Bruce Wayne returned. Only then did the true horror of it hit home.

A reality distortion could completely erase someone or an entire team without leaving a single trace.

Especially Dante.

Don't let the constant bickering fool you, if Dante asked to borrow Fury's car, Fury gave it. If Dante said he wanted to ride Fury to work, Fury would probably say, "Sure, just give me a minute."

That's how whipped he was.

And Dante could feel it.

He wasn't your typical overpowered protagonist and hadn't read enough self-insert power fantasies to lean into the ego trip.

It made things awkward.

So the current vibe between him and Fury came from mutual adaptation.

Honestly? Fury was a good guy once you got past the paranoia. Knew when to pick his battles, and didn't throw his weight around when it wasn't necessary.

Only thing was, he still never gave a straight answer about how he lost the eye.

"Maria already briefed me. Your containment method was clean. The storybook characters don't have anything game-breaking in terms of power sets, so no need to worry about them rampaging."

"But it's a whole town of them," Dante shrugged. "We'll need some admins to help them at first. But after that, they'll be self-sustaining. I mean, they've got princes and princesses who've run kingdoms. As long as nobody gets lost in a 'true love' spiral, we'll be fine. That said, how exactly are they planning to explain a whole fairytale town just popping up?"

"I already gave the government a heads-up," Fury said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "They've dealt with weird zoning requests before."

"Storybrooke Town can be treated like a reservation. They'll get open borders and local governance… but technically, it's still federal land. Gotta maintain appearances."

Even though Fury was American, after years running the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an arm of the World Federation, he could view national issues like an outsider.

That neutral stance was exactly why the Bureau kept getting into pissing matches with the U.S. Government, the military, and the FBI-CIA complex.

The moment the U.S. military sent Hal Jordan to deliver the Aether Particle to the Bureau? It meant they'd run out of moves.

"Say whatever you want. As long as you can manage the government side, I'll bet Storybrooke's up and running in no time."

Dante stood and headed for the nearby workstation.

Ada Wong and Ingrid Hannigan were absolutely buried in data, hands flying across terminals as they processed intel nonstop.

The amount of information from this distortion was absurd. Hundreds of displaced fairytale characters, each needing a full profile...

Meanwhile, Dante and Fury had just been lounging on a sofa.

The dagger stares from Ada and Ingrid? Absolutely earned.

Dante glanced at them, smirked.

Hannigan was a walking flamethrower. And Ada? Cold outside, chaos inside. A walking temptation grenade.

Dante had the sneaking suspicion that if he summoned the Red Lantern Corps right now, he'd end up with two new members.

"Hey Ada. Long time no see."

"We saw each other yesterday."

"A day without you feels like three autumns."

Dante strolled over and, with absolutely no shame, reached over and closed the FBI terminal in front of Ada.

Then, before either Ada or Hannigan could process what was happening, he opened a portal behind Ada, spun her chair around, and rolled her straight into it.

With one last cheeky wave at Fury and Hannigan, he quipped, "If I never see you again, good morning, good afternoon, and good night."

And stepped through.

The portal sealed behind them.

Ingrid Hannigan stood frozen. Completely blanked out.

After a long pause, she turned to Fury, her voice flat.

"Director. Did they just dump everything on me?"

"Uh… probably. Maybe. Yeah." Fury wiped the sudden sweat off his bald dome. "Calm down, Agent Hannigan. I'll pull a few Internal Affairs staff to back you up on paperwork."

Fury had been in this job too long not to recognize a ticking time bomb.

Ingrid closed her eyes. Breathed deep. Once. Twice. Third time.

Then slammed her hand on the desk and rose to her full height.

"You insane jackasses! I swear, you better watch your backs at night! I'll fire both of you one day!"

Hell hath no fury like an overworked fed abandoned mid-paperwork.

Meanwhile, Dante and Ada couldn't hear any of that. They were already thousands of miles away in Finland.

"Lake Inari. Prime aurora-watching spot," Dante said, draping his jacket over Ada.

It wasn't quite winter, but in northern Europe, nights still carried a bite.

Ada blinked once, then just leaned back in the chair, snuggled into the coat.

"Good thing I didn't wear a skirt or qipao today. That'd be less romantic and more sniffly."

Dante didn't reply. Just stood beside her, silently taking in the shared warmth.

They stood in silence for a long while before Dante finally broke it.

"Actually... I've had some questions."

"Questions?" Ada looked up at the calm sky. "You're the most important Captain at the Bureau, a top Agent. What kind of question could possibly stump you, dear Dante?"

"Don't dodge it, Ada."

Something about her had always felt off.

Too familiar.

If it were just her personality? Fine. But Ada was famously cold, even with literal gods. Always warm on the outside, ice inside.

Yet with him? She was different.

She let him know he was different.

And that bugged him.

He never doubted the closeness between him and Harley, he'd helped reconstruct her psyche. Her attachment, while unexpected, made sense.

Same with Hela. He'd broken Odin's seal and stuck by her side since. She'd gradually become more human, less goddess. The "King and Queen"? Started as a misunderstanding. He never corrected it.

But Ada?

He couldn't explain it.

He knew he was good-looking. But he wasn't the kind of overpowered protagonist who made women swoon just by breathing.

And yet...

Every time he remembered the way Ada had ever-so-slightly brushed her pinky across his hand while handing off a file...

Tingles.

"Dante, I get it," Ada said, watching him with something like amusement. "But this time, I'm choosing to be a Riddler."

She said it with a mischievous smirk, then darted off a few steps like a teenage girl.

"Hey! Riddlers are a bad habit!" Dante took two strides and caught her hand, pulling her gently back into his arms. "You vixen. Did you know something from the start? Did we meet before?"

He didn't hold her too tightly. But Ada didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned in closer, adjusting to a more comfortable spot.

Her full weight rested against him.

"You said... we'd meet in the future," she whispered. "And you didn't break that promise. When I saw you walk into the Bureau building, you had no idea how happy I was…"

"Ada, I'm positive I never said that."

"Of course not. You haven't said it yet. That was a promise you'll give me."

Before Dante could even process that, Ada suddenly gasped.

"Aurora! The aurora!"

She dashed to the edge of the lake like an excited kid.

Dante followed her gaze.

Above them, the northern lights painted the sky. Green streams flowed like a celestial river through the stars.

And then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind—boyish, but no longer weak.

"You like the gift?"

"Ion Shark, since when were you this nosy?"

Dante got it now.

Those auroras weren't just natural. They carried Will.

"Hey. I'm part of the Emotional Spectrum, you know. Just because I'm the Will Green Lantern Beast doesn't mean I don't feel other emotions," Ion Shark said, smug. "The violet light around Ada? Please. You'd have to be blind not to notice it."

Dante's lips twitched.

Yeah, he saw it.

And that was exactly why he was even more confused.

Because the level of violet light radiating from Ada could have crowned her as a Star Sapphire Queen.

If she got possessed by the Violet Lantern Beast, the Predator, and became a Raider? He wouldn't even be shocked.

"Ada. What did you really mean by that promise?"

Dante forced himself to stay grounded.

He'd already patched his incomplete memories using the Republic's database.

And he was sure—his past self had never met Ada Wong.

She swore he'd made her that promise.

But she wasn't surprised that he didn't remember.

Which meant...

There was only one possible conclusion.

"Ada. When did you first see me?"

"Don't you know?"

Ada tilted her head with faux innocence, her acting so bad it circled back to being cute.

"Ada. Listen to me." Dante gently grabbed her shoulders, leaned close, and asked again, "I asked when did you first see me, not when I first saw you."

This wasn't nitpicking.

As Sherlock Holmes once told Watson in The Sign of the Four:

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Dante trusted her. Trusted his own skills.

Which left one answer:

His future self had gone back, and met Ada in her past.

Ada looked at him for a long time.

Then, under the light of the aurora shaped by Ion Shark's Will, she stood on tiptoe.

And kissed him.

"I've waited ten years for this kiss."

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to takeo_vi for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉

Chapter 114: A Love Triangle

The next day. Director Fury's office.

Dante had been lounging on the couch for a while before Fury strolled in, humming some lazy West Coast melody like he had nowhere to be.

"Oh, you're here early, Agent Dante. Heard you went on a date yesterday?" Fury's one eye locked on the slightly slouched Dante. "Truly dedicated. Watching the aurora in Finland last night, and back for an 8 a.m. shift this morning."

Dante really wanted to jam Fury's eyepatch somewhere anatomically improbable.

If this one-eyed bastard hadn't called him, he wouldn't even be here for this ungodly early meeting.

And now he was throwing shade?

"So, you stayed out by Lake Inari all night?"

You can take the man out of espionage, but you can't take the gossip out of the man.

"I didn't. Obviously." Dante shot Fury a glare that could cut steel. "I haven't even finished talking, and you're already running background checks? I just wrapped a reality distortion event, and now you've got me back in here for overtime?"

"Cough, cough. Do I look like someone who exploits his own Agents?" Fury cleared his throat, then tried to look official. "This isn't a mission. It's about our Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy's upcoming public welfare event…"

"I understand every word you're saying, but put together like that? I have no idea what the hell you mean."

Dante ran a hand through his hair, still messed up from Ada's overly aggressive fingers the night before, and gave Fury a side-eye like he was re-evaluating the man's sanity.

Right on cue, Goose the Flerken stirred from his corner bed, waddling over like a small fuzzy tank.

He took one look at Fury, one at Dante... then made his choice.

"Meow~"

Goose leapt up beside Dante and let out a groan disguised as a purr.

Dante picked him up without hesitation.

"Morning, you stinky cat."

"What's with the sulky face?"

"Where's your morning spirit?"

After being properly smooshed and manhandled, Goose gave up and settled into Dante's arms, questioning his entire cat life.

Until... he felt something poke near his butt.

He whipped around.

A tiny black cat was halfway out of Dante's waistband, craning its neck to sniff the Flerken's rear.

Of course it was Ebony.

Dante reached down, grabbed the demon cat, and plopped both cats at the far end of the couch.

Let the beasts sort themselves out.

Once the cats began their strange little meowing duel, and Dante seemed to relax, Fury continued:

"So, as you know, when Professor X and I rebuilt the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy, we recruited a bunch of new students through open enrollment. Together with Xavier's own students, they now form the New S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy."

"Yeah, I know that much. So how does that connect to your so-called public welfare event?"

"It's very connected." Fury cleared his throat. "Since we're running a legitimate school now, with official enrollment records and everything, tomorrow's going to be the Academy's Public Welfare Day and Parents' Day. We've invited all the students' parents to attend."

Dante blinked.

"What happened to us being a mysterious Agent organization? We're raising future Superheroes and we're... notifying their parents?"

"Nonsense. We are Agents, sure. But a school is a school. We can't just kidnap kids to the Bureau and not tell their parents. If they go cry to the World Federation, we're screwed."

Fury wasn't even trying to dodge Dante's sarcasm anymore.

This Parents' Day had been cooked up by Professor X, and every branch of the Academy was already on board.

But, as it turned out, Fury and Professor, known for their airtight planning, somehow forgot to notify two key teams.

Coulson's Team. And Dante's Star Team.

"I thought you were handling that," said Fury, rubbing his temple.

"I've been in charge of the Academy side. I assumed you told Coulson and Dante," said Professor X, somehow looking even paler than usual.

These two teams were the Bureau's elite. The closest thing they had to full-on Superheroes. Ideal for making the parents feel safe.

So now? Crisis mode.

"So both the Star Team and Coulson's Team need to show up, right?" Dante asked flatly.

"Exactly. But don't stress. Treat it like a school fair." Fury unrolled a diagram. "Look, the students even designed their own booths and built a temporary commercial street."

He handed the diagram over.

Dante stared at it silently.

"After the HYDRA infiltration," Fury continued, "the Bureau's been under a black cloud. Especially the Academy. Some of these kids lost friends to betrayal overnight. They grew up fast. Too fast. But I'm not trying to raise dead-eyed killers. I want heroes. Okay, I want both, but these kids... not yet."

"So you're staging a school-wide celebration to heal some trauma," Dante said, handing the diagram back. "Fine. I'll do it."

"I knew you'd say yes. But since you're already involved... there's one more thing..."

"Fury, I swear to God—can you say everything at once for once in your damn life?!"

"Cough, cough. It's... a little awkward," Fury said, rubbing his hands together, his smile apologetic and completely unworthy of a high-ranking government official. "You know how teenagers get. Full of hormones and curious about... relationships. And you're kind of the star of the Bureau, so…"

"So?"

Dante was clearly not following the pivot.

Fury winced. Then took a deep breath and blurted:

"So the kids are all shipping your CPs."

"…Come again?"

"The brats! They're shipping your character pairings!" Fury closed his eye like he was bracing for impact. "Not just one, either. They've got entire factions. Fan clubs. Some of them even have posters."

Dante's face was completely blank.

"Hey don't die on my couch!" Fury rushed forward.

But before he could reach him, Dante grabbed him by the collar.

"No. You mean to tell me... this Bureau. This Bureau, which was infiltrated by HYDRA for decades—I forgave that. Everyone has an off day. I even supported founding the New S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy so you could train your own super-powered Agents. I believed in the mission."

Dante's eyes were full of disappointment.

"But now you're telling me the organization's turned into a CP-shipping cult? How are you still functioning?!"

Dante started lecturing him on professionalism and the collapse of moral fiber, while the Internal Affairs Agents dropping off documents quietly acted like nothing was happening.

But Dante's hearing?

Not Kansas-level Big Guy hearing, but still damn good.

He clearly heard the two female Agents whispering the moment they stepped out:

"See?! I told you there was something between Agent Dante and Director Fury!"

"Right?! The way Dante looked at him? So wounded! Fury must've betrayed him! That's why he grabbed his collar like that! Ugh, what a scumbag!"

"Totally. One-eyed scumbag! Come on, the elevator's— Oh! Agent Coulson!"

Dante instinctively turned.

There he was. Phil Coulson. Bald, smiling, and walking in with calm, smug confidence. Like a cello melody with legs.

The two female Agents squealed silently and pretended to fix their clothes, suddenly having no plans to take the elevator after all.

"Coulson's here too! Now it's a full-blown love triangle!"

"Wanna hear the latest fanfic? It's so good."

"What? No, tell me!"

"Okay. So Dante is madly in love with Director Fury. But Fury's obsessed with Coulson. And Coulson? He only has eyes for Dante. It's tragic! A triangle of heartbreak!"

Every word landed like a knife in Dante's eardrums.

He regretted everything.

He regretted having super hearing.

He would pay to have heard none of that.

Fury had understated the situation.

It wasn't just the Academy.

The entire Bureau had become a shipping warzone.

And Dante? He was the main dish.

Coulson was still blissfully unaware, strutting into the office, humming some classical tune like everything was just dandy.

Dante's smile was cold.

Feeling great, aren't you, middle-aged man?

Let's see how long that lasts.

"Morning, Director Fury. Dante? What are you two— Wait, don't move!"

Coulson pulled out his phone, opened the camera, and snapped a photo of Dante gripping Fury's collar.

Click.

"Perfect. So... what's going on? Bonding moment? Or sparring session?"

"Bonding? Bonding my ass." Dante turned to both of them, utterly unimpressed. "You two have any idea the entire Bureau is shipping the three of us?"

"Shipping?" Coulson blinked.

Dante and Fury rolled their eyes in sync.

Who brought this precious, clueless uncle into their nonsense?

"Don't worry about what it means. Just know that, according to some female Agents, the three of us are in some twisted multigenerational love triangle."

Dante gritted his teeth and recited the fan theory he'd overheard.

Coulson's cheery demeanor shattered like glass.

"Me? You? Fury?" He collapsed onto the couch, holding his head. "Let me process this... Wait. They're nuts, right?"

Dante ignored him and turned to the two female Agents pretending to be admiring the scenery outside.

"You two. Drop the act. Get in here."

The Agents flinched and hit the elevator button like their lives depended on it.

But unfortunately for them, the elevator was still stuck on the first floor.

"I know your faces now. Get in here or kiss your bonuses goodbye."

Reluctantly, the two women shuffled back into Fury's office—looking very different from the lively fangirls they'd been moments ago.

Dante stared at them. Both were attractive.

One blonde, tall and slim.

The other dark-haired, curvy.

Both clearly very pretty.

And this was how they spent their talent? Shipping CPs?

Honestly... if they were going to ship him, fine. He was hot.

But why not ship him with Ada Wong, or Harley Quinn, or Hela?

Even a sibling dynamic with Skye. Or a father-daughter vibe with White Canary.

But this? A geriatric love triangle with Fury and Coulson?

"Would you mind introducing yourselves? I don't know such... excellent Agents."

Dante bared his teeth in a grin that didn't reach his eyes.

The women glanced at each other, then stood at attention, resigned.

"Internal Affairs Level Two Agent Caroline Channing, reporting."

"Internal Affairs Level Two Agent Max Black, reporting."

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to takeo_vi for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉

Chapter 115: Is the God of Poverty Showing Off His Power or Is He Being Targeted by External Forces?

No wonder Dante found those two so familiar…

Aren't those the two poverty gods from that popular sitcom?

Dante instantly let go of Fury and set him back down.

"Fury, be honest with me," Dante said, pressing a hand on Fury's shoulder with the most serious look he'd ever had. "Is the Bureau going bankrupt?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Fury looked genuinely thrown off. First he was manhandled, now interrogated? "The Bureau? Going bankrupt? Don't joke. Even if the Government collapses, it wouldn't hit us first."

Dante listened, still half-convinced it was a setup, but slowly relaxed.

That's right. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was backed by the World Federation. As long as they were stable, the five major General Bureaus across the five rogue nations weren't going anywhere.

"Our Bureau isn't at risk of bankruptcy," Max chimed in without a hint of hesitation, slipping into the high-level conversation like she belonged there. "But a lot of our outsourced partners have been hit lately."

Max had that "I'll die when I die" comedic character energy as she rolled out the intel.

"Some companies under Wayne Enterprises are struggling. The Wayne Group's already planning to start a round of industrial integration."

"Stark Industries has similar issues. But they're looking to sell instead of merge."

"The Quinn Group's doing a bit better, but the economic downturn in Star City has made their outlook foggy."

"As for smaller companies, we're still compiling data. But the trend is clear. It's going downhill. Fast. Pathetic."

Dante stared at Max as she rattled this off and watched Caroline nod seriously at each point. His alarm level spiked.

"Hold on. What do you two actually do in Internal Affairs? You're not just communications liaisons for outsourced partners, are you?"

"Yes, we're in the External Liaison Division under Internal Affairs…" Caroline sniffled suddenly and pulled out a tissue. "Oh my God, Agent Dante actually cares about little old us internal Agents."

"Girl, stop it." Max rolled her eyes. "He obviously just remembered your disaster-level luck. Not everyone has resistance to your curse like I do... wait a second. I lost thirty-six bucks last month—was that your fault?!"

Dante rubbed his temples, feeling a migraine coming on, and waved the disaster duo away.

He really hadn't expected that the Internal Affairs Department had two literal sitcom deities in disguise.

As the saying goes, never measure comedic characters by combat power.

Because when you break it down, each of them is basically a conceptual god.

But this time, it didn't feel like just the Poverty Sisters' curse at work.

This felt... deliberate.

There wasn't a major economic crisis going on. No global meltdown.

And yet the Bureau's partners were suddenly all taking hits?

Something stank.

"Haha, that Agent Max is hilarious. Her mouth is almost as sharp as Dante's," Coulson said, chuckling.

"As for Caroline," Fury added, "I don't know why, but when I look at her, I instinctively want to grab my wallet. Like it's about to sprout legs and run away."

Unlike the increasingly grim Dante, Fury and Coulson were just treating the whole thing like a comedy skit.

"Fury. Coulson." Dante stared at the one-eyed spymaster and the balding diplomat like they were idiots. "Could you two maybe stop laughing for one second?"

"Huh?"

They exchanged confused glances. What, did he not enjoy the show?

Dante sighed.

Right. He had the unfair advantage of being a transmigrator.

Fury? He was a top-level strategist, a puppet master. Coulson? Elite special ops and tactical diplomacy.

But neither had experience with economics.

No wonder they missed the signs.

"It's nothing. Go back to your laugh-fest."

Dante waved them off and slipped into thought.

Who the hell was targeting the Bureau this time?

HYDRA had already been broken. Sure, a few leaders had slipped through, but none of them could shake the system.

The most dangerous one, Madame Hydra, the one bonded with Chthon was already neutralized during the Storybrooke Town incident.

As for the only one who could theoretically hit the Bureau's economy hard, Gideon Malick?

He was off chasing Hive through the Kree Monolith and had zero interest in Bureau drama.

Honestly, when HYDRA pulled that whole "change the world" stunt, Gideon's crew probably just phoned it in.

The old-school HYDRA and the Nazi-born World War II version had clearly split paths long ago.

So now Dante was stuck.

The enemies with motive didn't have the means.

The ones with means had no motive.

"Fury, didn't you think what Max said sounded off?" Dante turned to him. "Someone is obviously targeting the Bureau, but they're playing it safe, starting with our outsourced partners."

"The Wayne Group, Stark Industries, even the Quinn Group. These corporations have always had steady growth. How are they suddenly facing minor collapses?"

Fury and Coulson finally sobered up, their faces turning serious.

"You think it's some external force moving in?"

"I can't say for sure. But something about this is off." Dante shook his head. "Tell Internal Affairs to dig deeper. We need to know who's behind this."

It wasn't that Dante feared the Bureau going bankrupt...

He feared something huge was creeping up on them and these were just the first signs.

This universe was getting more unhinged by the day.

Even the comedic characters were becoming key players.

There was no longer any such thing as a predictable plot.

Take Storybrooke Town, for example—who the hell expected an ancient elder god to be behind that mess?

"Yeah, that checks out. I'll have Maria get on it…" Fury nodded, then added with a smirk, "But don't forget. Tomorrow is the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy's Charity Parent Day."

"If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't be thinking about blowing up your office right now!" Dante snapped, yanking Ebony who was currently grinding his lower back on Gus the Flerken off the couch. "If I hear one more insane CP pairing, I'll tear your desk in half!"

He plopped the sulking Ebony on his shoulder. "And you, stop staring at me like that. You're literally a magic-based energy creature. You can't have babies with a physical cat!"

Dante opened a portal, waved at Fury, grabbed Coulson, and warped them both back to base.

Coulson: "What the hell, are you insane?! I just drove here from base!"

Dante shrugged.

"Leave the car. Pick it up later. Right now, what matters is tomorrow's Charity Parent Day."

"...I've been meaning to ask, what is that, exactly?"

"Short version?" Dante sighed. "It's a big celebration Fury cooked up to calm down the parents and boost morale. He called us in today to make sure both our teams show up."

"Makes sense," Coulson nodded, taking it in stride like a proper S.H.I.E.L.D. director-in-the-making.

Some people were just born with that upper-management brainwave.

Dante opened his terminal and accessed the exclusive comm lines of both teams.

"Broadcast full frequency: All members of the Coulson Team and the Star Team, report to the combat briefing room. Immediately."

"Emphasize: Everyone."

"Especially that one shrink and her psych patient girlfriend who likes to oversleep. And that lazy old Captain!" Dante added, then looked at Coulson. "Any slackers on your end?"

"Not really. Just gotta push Barry Allen a little. That kid's great at everything—except he's too slow."

"Good... and Barry Allen! Wake up! Run! Run, Barry, run!"

With the energy of a drill sergeant during finals week, Dante finished his command and headed for the combat briefing room with Coulson, waiting for the grumbling herd of Agents being summoned on their day off.

The first to arrive… was Hulk.

"Hulk, why isn't Banner here?"

"Banner stayed up all night in the lab. Said not even death would make him show. So Hulk came instead."

Ever since Dante had beaten him using the red and green rings, Hulk had been surprisingly obedient.

"But what does "early morning meeting" mean?"

His giant green eyes were wide and innocent.

How was Dante supposed to explain something that cursed?

He sighed.

"It's nothing. Go play."

After Hulk came in, more members started to arrive.

First were the three Asgardian siblings. With their physical stats, sleep was basically optional.

Surprisingly, Hela, who usually didn't give a crap, walked straight over and sat next to Dante.

Her two brothers followed as usual, only to be sent packing with a single glare from her.

Coulson subtly scooted away to a far corner of the room.

He could feel the divine pressure radiating from Hela, Goddess of Death.

Better to live long and stay far.

Next, the Coulson Team arrived, led by Captain America. They came in formation, all present and accounted for.

Even Barry Allen showed up.

Strangely, today, the Star Team was unusually well-behaved.

Everyone showed up within five minutes.

Even J'onzz, who just got transferred to Human Resources, came straight after clocking in.

The only hiccup was Ada and Harley getting into a silent war over who got to sit next to Dante.

Ada whispered something in Harley's ear.

And just like that, Harley sat down beside Ada, grumbling, "Damn it, I lost."

For some reason, Dante turned and looked at Hela.

She was frowning.

The Queen of Death, who's been commanding and ice-cold ever since breaking out of her prison was frowning?

Her green-gray eyes narrowed, hiding something unspoken.

And for a brief second… Dante swore he saw a faint glint of light flash in them.

Gone in a blink.

"All right, Agents," Dante clapped. "Dragging everyone here on a holiday wasn't my idea. You can thank Fury, that Black Egg, and Professor X, that White Egg. If you have complaints, take it up with them."

"But we've got business. Tomorrow is the FBI Academy's Parent Day. And those two eggs told me both our teams have to attend—"

"What's a Parent Day?"

"Oh, Hulk. Don't worry about it. Go play. Just come with us when we leave tomorrow."

"Okay. Hulk wants to play arcade games!"

And off he went, radiating raw gaming bloodlust.

Oliver Queen, watching with a twitching eyebrow, elbowed Deadpool.

"Why does Hulk look like he's about to murder someone over a video game?"

"Bro. If you died 300 times to Malenia, you'd look like that too."

"...That's actually pretty restrained. He didn't even throw the controller."

"He didn't throw the controller. But the console's already on its tenth replacement."

"...I take it back."

Even among all the side chatter, nobody dared argue with Hulk leaving.

They got their answers. No one wanted to push their luck with the toddler-brained rage monster.

"In short," Dante said, "we're attending as the Bureau's top force. Both to provide stability and to reassure the public."

"There will be plenty of civilians from all walks of life. Our job is to make sure tomorrow's Parent Day goes smoothly."

At first, Dante didn't think anything could go wrong.

But after realizing someone might be targeting the Bureau…

Now he wasn't so sure.

Tomorrow…

Was probably going to be a complete disaster.

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to takeo_vi for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉

Chapter 116: Mine, Mine, All Mine

The next day, at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy.

For these young students, today was a huge deal.

Even though it was called "Public Parent Day," what really mattered to the students wasn't the "parent" part, it was the fact that there was no training and they could mess around as much as they wanted.

And more importantly, they got to see their idols in person.

Like the X-Men.

Like the Coulson Team.

Like the Star Team.

Especially the Star Team. The later recruits hadn't interacted with them much, but for the first wave of students from the New S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, they were a legendary obstacle in Dante's short-lived teaching stint.

And yeah, they all got their butts handed to them by Dante.

What was outrageous was… they were proud of it.

Some students who had wavered about staying at the Academy became firm believers after that beatdown.

The Star Team became their ultimate goal.

It wasn't masochism. It was basic reverence for strength kicking in.

But after that incident, the Academy students rarely saw Dante again.

Once in a while, they might run into Professor Harley or catch Dante in the psych counseling room, but otherwise, nothing.

Even during HYDRA's big offensive, Dante was off handling the frontlines.

The New S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, among all HYDRA's targets, was the one that resolved their attack the quickest—and most efficiently.

In the end, the Bureau even used it as a bonus points site for the teacher assessments, with credit directly added to their final exam scores.

Thousands of words could be summed up with one truth…

These little punks missed Dante.

"I really don't get why you all like that bastard of a teacher so much."

Jessica Jones folded her arms, walking along the designated patrol route with Peter Parker and Danny Rand.

All the arrangements for today's Public Parent Day had been decided by a student vote. The Bureau leadership only offered "guidance suggestions."

And funding.

Maintaining security and order for the entire day was also the students' job, patrolling assigned zones and manning fixed posts across campus.

It was all organized into shifts.

Right now, it was Jessica's shift—alongside Peter and Danny.

"Jessica! Don't say 'like' when it comes to Agent Dante. That's too shallow. We worship him! That's right, worship! Since joining the FBI Academy, we've been living off the legendary tales of Agent Dante! Digging Captain America out of the North Pole! Fighting alien starfish! Recruiting the Gods of Asgard into the Star Team! And don't even get me started on the reality-warping event! I still don't know what that felt like, but it sounds epic!"

Jessica and Danny rolled their eyes.

Peter Parker was great—kind, selfless, loyal. Even Jessica, with her moody loner personality, could be friends with him.

But he had two incredibly annoying flaws.

One, he talked too much.

Two, when talking about Dante, he could hit warp-speed.

After about five minutes of Peter's hyper-fanboy chatter, the other two felt their brains starting to boil.

"Okay, okay, shut up already. We get it. You admire Agent Dante. Could you not sound like you run his fan page?" Danny pointed toward a nearby lawn buffet, where Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were casually chatting. "Look, even Tony Stark's here! He's not too bad either, right?"

"Mr. Stark currently ranks third in my Superhero ranking."

"Ah. So number one is obviously Dante," Jessica said, a little annoyed. "Then who's number two?"

"That would be the Asgardian Goddess. Star Team member. Agent Hela. Codename: 'Death.' She and Agent Dante are totally soulmates."

Jessica's eyes immediately narrowed…

"So, Peter, you're on the Hela x Dante ship, huh... Don't you dare run! Heeereeeetic! The one who's clearly meant to be with him is Professor Harley!"

Peter's spider-sense flared hard.

Instant regret.

He knew he'd just said something stupid and possibly fatal.

The second Jessica screamed, Peter fired a webline at a nearby rooftop and zipped out of there like a bat out of Hell.

"Damn it! If I could really fly, I'd catch that Peter punk and fry him with an electric punch! How dare he ship my Goddess of Death with anyone else!"

Jessica threw punches at the air, totally fuming.

A while ago, she had briefly achieved true flight during an ability development session.

Not gliding. Not hovering. Actual, legitimate flight.

But since then, she hadn't been able to do it again.

She'd always felt low-key frustrated about it.

But today, seeing Peter zip away like that, she made up her mind…

She was never skipping Beast's ability development class again.

Danny wiped his forehead, deadpan.

At least most people trained to get stronger because they wanted to be top Agents.

Or to take down a major villain.

But you?

You wanna power up just to beat the crap out of your friend over a fictional ship.

Great priorities.

...

Peter was crouched behind a storefront, panting, relieved Jessica hadn't followed.

"Phew!"

"Phew~"

Wait.

Two people exhaled?

Peter's head snapped around and saw someone with the exact same expression as him.

Also clearly hiding from something.

"Agent Dante?!"

"Hm? Oh hey, Peter Parker. Good afternoon. What are you doing here? Don't tell me... hiding from a girl?"

Dante glanced around nervously, then grinned. "You've definitely got the face of someone hiding from a girl."

"Uh, Agent Dante, aren't you also hiding here? Going by that logic, you're dodging a girl too, right?"

"Pfft, please. I'm not hiding from a girl. I'm hiding from a humanoid, female T-Rex who conquers Nine Realms just because she feels like it."

"Conquers the Nine Realms... You mean Agent Hela? Codename 'Death'?"

"SHHHH! Don't say her name!"

He had hidden himself by completely suppressing his aura with black magic.

But Peter just casually dropped Hela's true name right here?!

That would trigger her divinity. She'd sense it!

And today, Hela was acting...

Off.

"Dante. My Queen…"

"You were hiding here?"

"You are… mine. Everything about you is mine. Mine. Mine!"

Hela appeared mid-air, hovering directly above them, eyes locked on Dante.

The look in her eyes?

Possessive hunger.

(To be continued.)