Natasha dismissed Griffin Todd's ridicule without visible reaction.
Before offering her suggestion, she had mentally prepared for the inevitable mockery. As Todd and his colleagues regarded her with undisguised contempt, she responded evenly:
"Minister Todd, your derision is unnecessary."
"You've witnessed Richard's capabilities firsthand."
"To be candid, even if you, Deputy Minister Lambert, and Operation Director Mayor personally engage him, you stand no realistic chance of subduing Richard."
"Your request for SHIELD's assistance clearly demonstrates your lack of confidence."
"Moreover, you know perfectly well whether Richard and his father truly qualify as dangerous mutants who have committed significant crimes."
"If you're determined to pursue this confrontation to its conclusion, I can only wish you fortune."
Without awaiting Todd's response, Natasha turned to Fury. "I will not participate in this operation."
She moved toward the exit without further comment.
Before she could reach the door, Pasco Mayor, the Department's Operations Director, intercepted her.
"Does Agent Romanoff underestimate the Department?" Mayor asked, his tone frigid.
"Director Mayor," Natasha countered, "rather than wasting time threatening me, perhaps consider how to address Richard, who's currently waiting at your headquarters."
She allowed a slight smile to touch her lips. "Or are you remaining here precisely because you fear confronting him?"
Far from being intimidated by Mayor's implied threat, Natasha deliberately provoked him.
Though she possessed no superhuman abilities, she harbored no concern that Mayor would dare act against her.
This was SHIELD territory, not the Department's jurisdiction. Unless Mayor intended to initiate hostilities between agencies, he would restrain himself regardless of his personal inclinations.
At Natasha's pointed remarks, unmistakable murderous intent flashed across Mayor's features.
As he prepared to act, Banner stepped forward, positioning himself between them.
"Operation Director Mayor, please step aside. Natasha and I are leaving," Banner stated calmly.
"Very well," Mayor responded after glancing at Banner's deceptively harmless appearance. "I've noted Agent Romanoff's... suggestion."
He withdrew to Todd's side.
Under the watchful eyes of those remaining, Natasha and Banner exited the office.
"Captain Rogers," Fury addressed the remaining Avenger, "you and Barton will lead the special forces team to the Department headquarters."
"Understood," Rogers confirmed without hesitation.
He departed with Hawkeye in tow.
Once they had gone, Fury turned to the Department officials.
"Minister Todd, if you require additional resources, don't hesitate to request them."
"SHIELD stands ready to provide any feasible assistance."
"Unnecessary, Director Fury," Todd replied coldly. "We appreciate your consideration."
With that final remark, Todd and his colleagues departed without a backward glance.
Watching them leave, Fury exhaled a resigned sigh.
Though Natasha had expressed her opposition to assisting the Department's capture operation yesterday, her actions today had nevertheless surprised him.
He couldn't predict whether Todd's team would successfully apprehend Richard.
One certainty remained, however: as long as Todd and his colleagues survived this encounter, they would inevitably seek retribution against Natasha.
They might not execute their revenge openly, but they would never simply absorb such humiliation.
Department of Mutant Affairs Headquarters
Richard sat at the edge of the severed building, his expression shifting to confusion.
Nearly ten minutes had passed since he'd taken his position.
He had seen neither SHIELD personnel nor Todd and his Department leadership.
The only activity came from Washington police, who had established a perimeter around the Department complex, preventing reporters and curious onlookers from approaching.
The police cordon extended beyond ground level—even news helicopters approaching the scene were redirected by police aircraft.
Their response time is abysmal, Richard thought impatiently.
When eliminating the final eighteen agents, he had deliberately removed several mind-isolation helmets and extracted information telepathically before terminating them. Through their memories, he had learned that Todd and his leadership team had gone to SHIELD to coordinate the capture plan.
Though SHIELD's Triskelion headquarters stood more than ten kilometers distant, fifteen minutes had elapsed since his Heaven Severance had bisected the building.
Logically, they should have arrived long ago.
Just as Richard contemplated traveling to SHIELD to confront Captain America and Minister Todd directly, three Quinjet aircraft appeared on the horizon.
Finally.
Even without enhanced vision, Richard sensed Captain America, Minister Todd, and their associates aboard the approaching craft.
Upon sighting the Quinjets, Richard rose to his feet and retrieved the Masamune embedded beside him.
Raising his right hand skyward, he summoned his power.
Thundaga!
Immediately, thunder reverberated across the heavens.
The next instant, massive silver-white lightning bolts streaked toward the three Quinjets with devastating speed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under Richard's precise control, the silver-white lightning struck all three aircraft simultaneously.
Though each Quinjet received a direct hit, only two erupted into explosive fireballs. The central Quinjet not only survived intact but somehow absorbed the silver-white lightning, as if the attack had never occurred.
Winston Lambert.
Richard immediately recognized the Deputy Minister's handiwork. Lambert's X-gene mutant power—energy manipulation—allowed him not only to project energy attacks but also to absorb incoming energy and manipulate its form.
Compared to Sebastian Shaw's energy absorption, Lambert's ability focused more on energy projection and transformation rather than pure absorption. Additionally, the energy types Lambert could absorb were more limited than Shaw's capabilities.
Sebastian Shaw could absorb virtually all energy forms except psychic energy, while Lambert's control extended only to conventional energies: thermal, electrical, kinetic, and similar manifestations.
Though his thunder attack hadn't destroyed all three Quinjets, Richard remained unconcerned. If Lambert and his associates could be eliminated so easily, they would scarcely merit his attention.
Under Richard's watchful gaze, the surviving Quinjet rapidly approached the Department headquarters.
The rear hatch opened, and three figures leaped from the aircraft in a maneuver resembling a combat jump.
The trio—none other than Lambert and his colleagues—wore no parachutes. Yet only Pasco Mayor, the Operations Director, plummeted rapidly toward the ground under gravity's influence.
Minister Griffin Todd and Deputy Minister Winston Lambert immediately activated their powers.
Todd employed his flight ability, hovering effortlessly above, regarding Richard from his elevated position.
Lambert converted the electrical energy he had absorbed into aerodynamic force, generating and controlling a localized whirlwind that suspended him aloft.
Mayor, still in freefall, activated his own mutation. His body transformed into a massive red-skinned demon standing three to four meters tall, with curved horns protruding from his skull, his frame rippling with excessive musculature, and arms thicker than an adult's thigh.
BOOM!
Mayor, now fully transformed into a crimson devil, crashed into the plaza before the building with meteor-like impact. He executed a textbook "superhero landing," his impact creating a substantial crater in the concrete.
Shortly after Mayor's dramatic arrival, the remaining Quinjet touched down on the adjacent lawn.
Captain America and Hawkeye immediately emerged from the aircraft.
Just the two of them?
Richard observed them with mild surprise.
Though he harbored no particular grievance against the Avengers collectively, he had anticipated that—with the unlikely exception of Thor—the entire team would participate in this operation.
Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow were, after all, formal SHIELD employees.
Given an order from Director Fury, they would be unlikely to refuse.
Captain America, especially.
After seeing the "Son of the Devil (III)" mission issued by the system, Richard had been certain Rogers would participate in the response.
The representative hero of American justice!
The description alone guaranteed Rogers' involvement.
Unlike Rogers and the others, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner weren't SHIELD employees. However, as Avengers members, Richard had expected they wouldn't object to joining the operation.
Richard had mentally prepared to confront all five Avengers simultaneously.
Unexpectedly, only Rogers and Barton had appeared.
Though this differed from his expectations, Richard didn't dwell on it. His attention shifted to examine the two Avengers more closely.
Mind-isolation helmets!
Both Captain America and Hawkeye wore protective headgear designed to block telepathic intrusion.
Though different in color and design from the silver-white helmets worn by the mutant agents, the black helmets provided similar psychic shielding.
Richard shifted his gaze upward to Todd and Lambert hovering above. Like the Avengers, they too wore black mind-isolation helmets.
SHIELD's own design?
Despite the team's telepathic countermeasures, Richard remained unconcerned. Telepathy represented just one weapon in his extensive arsenal.
Even without psychic abilities, he could eliminate Captain America and the others.
After assessing the four, Richard focused on Mayor in his transformed state.
Though Mayor wore no helmet, his demonic form clearly offered inherent resistance to telepathic invasion.
A brief telepathic probe confirmed Richard's hypothesis.
Upon detecting Richard's mental intrusion, the towering crimson demon roared with bestial fury.
Simultaneously, Mayor raised his massive right hand and made a powerful sweeping motion. A lengthy whip composed of high-temperature magma materialized in his grasp, which he cracked with tremendous force.
Observing Mayor's aggressive movement, Richard locked onto his target and began charging his FS Judgement Cut End.
The charging process required only one to two seconds to complete.
As Mayor prepared to strike with his magma whip, Richard unleashed the fully charged FS Judgement Cut End precisely as Mayor initiated his attack.
The silver-white Masamune moved with lightning speed. With Mayor as the focal point, space within a five-meter diameter distorted unnaturally. Shadow-like manifestations formed by spatial ruptures materialized around Mayor like spectral entities.
FS Judgement Cut End!
Though this marked Richard's first deployment of FS Judgement Cut End in actual combat, the moment he executed the technique, he knew with absolute certainty that Mayor could not withstand its power.
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