Chapter 46: The Star-Spangled Duo · The Weave of Might and Speed
The departure of Galactus left behind a world in ruins, its energy nearly depleted, its physical laws not yet fully stabilized. The remaining heroes lay amidst the wreckage, their very breaths carrying the dust of despair.Yet, within this deathly silence, faint sounds emerged almost simultaneously from two piles of rubble not far apart.Steve Rogers, Captain America, pushed aside a stone slab pinning him down with a trembling arm, struggling to rise to one knee. His uniform was torn and tattered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his blue eyes still burned with an unyielding flame. He saw a glint of red and gold flickering in the dust not far away."Tony…" he rasped, his voice weak but clear.Elsewhere, Tony Stark's Iron Man faceplate snapped open. He coughed violently, spitting out blood-flecked saliva. J.A.R.V.I.S.'s alarms had long since overloaded into silence; the suit's power indicators flashed a frantic red, performance below 20%. Hearing the voice, he looked up and saw the figure who still stood straight-backed even in this apocalypse."Cap…" Stark's voice was distorted by suit damage and sheer exhaustion. "Looks like… our retirement plans… are indefinitely postponed."No further words were exchanged. Not even a shared glance. A默契 (mòqì -默契) forged through countless life-and-death battles, bone-deep and instinctual, led them to the same decision in the same instant.Rogers took a deep breath, mustering all his strength to wrench his Vibranium shield free from where it was embedded in the ground. His arm trembled violently from the effort, but he gripped it firmly.Stark forcibly rebooted all thrusters and weapon systems. The remaining energy hummed unstable. He lifted off unsteadily, hovering obliquely above Rogers."Old rules?" Stark's voice held a note of grimly humorous resolve."Old rules." Rogers' reply was terse and firm.Rogers hurled the shield! Not directly at Sun Wukong, but at a sharp, protruding rock on the ground to Sun Wukong's left, at a precisely calculated angle!The shield ricocheted perfectly, changing trajectory like a red-and-blue streak of lightning, aiming straight for Sun Wukong's face! The intent wasn't to harm, but to distract and test his reaction!Almost simultaneously, Stark channeled 90% of his remaining power into his repulsors and chest-mounted unibeam. Two beams of炽热能量 (chìrè néngliàng -炽热能量) shot out,后发先至 (hòu fā xiān zhì -后发先至), sealing Sun Wukong's potential dodging paths!A basic tactic, but one他们千锤百炼 (tāmen qiān chuí bǎi liàn -他们千锤百炼) through countless battles.Sun Wukong, feeling bored, was mildly intrigued to see these two could still get up. He casually flicked the shield away and let the energy beams strike his body, sparking harmlessly."Tch. Had enough rest?" he chuckled.But in the instant the shield was deflected and the energy beams burst apart—Rogers charged forward like a panther, catching the rebounding shield. Instead of attacking, he slammed it into the ground, using it as a pivot to launch a凌厉的扫堂腿 (línglì de sǎotángtuǐ -凌厉的扫堂腿) at Sun Wukong's lower body! A pure martial arts move aimed at disrupting his balance!At the same exact moment, Stark poured his final 10% of energy into his thrusters. The suit screamed in protest as he dove down in a near-suicidal plunge. Not to attack, but to张开双臂 (zhāngkāi shuāngbì -张开双臂), attempting to lock his arms around Sun Wukong from behind! Even if only for a fraction of a second!This was a desperate gamble! Using their last ounce of strength to create a微不足道的控制间隙 (wēi bù zú dào de kòngzhì jiànxì -微不足道的控制间隙)!Sun Wukong didn't even bother to move his feet. Rogers' sweep kick connected with his ankle as if striking primordial bedrock. The反震力 (fǎnzhènlì -反震力) sent excruciating pain shooting up Rogers' shin! Stark's grapple was even more futile; the suit's arms couldn't even fully encircle Sun Wukong, who merely shrugged his shoulders casually—Rogers was thrown back by a柔韧却无法抗拒 (róurèn què wúfǎ kàngjù -柔韧却无法抗拒) force. Stark felt as if he had hugged a即将爆炸的恒星 (jíjiāng bàozhà de héngxīng -即将爆炸的恒星). His suit instantly fractured in multiple places, spewing black smoke as he was violently thrown off, crashing into a pile of debris, motionless."Coordination's not bad. Pity the strength is too weak," Sun Wukong remarked flatly, brushing non-existent dust from his shoulder.The classic interplay of might and speed became a brief, tragic footnote before the absolute disparity in power.But their action seemed to serve as a signal.In the distance, another pair of partners struggled to their feet.