Chapter 116: Bucky Is Here!

Time moved on, indifferent as always. For a brief moment, the chaotic Marvel Universe settled into an unusual calm. In the golden realm of Asgard, the fury of the gods was palpable. Odin the Allfather had mobilized the entire realm, commanding his soldiers to comb every corner of the Nine Realms in search of clues, clues that might point to the mysterious force responsible for the sudden destruction of the royal palace. Yet, their efforts were in vain. There was no trace. No signs of battle. No magical residue. Nothing to suggest that it had even been an attack. It was as if the palace had collapsed... on its own. This infuriated Odin to no end. But as the days passed and the trail remained cold, his wrath dulled into quiet frustration. Even the Allfather could not remain enraged forever. Eventually, Asgard returned to its usual majestic order. Thor, who had been imprisoned under charges of negligence and recklessness, was finally released, though not without a few stern words from his father. Odin had briefly considered descending to Midgard to retrieve Mjölnir himself. After all, the enchanted hammer now belonged to a mortal boy, Luke Yale, and that left a sour taste in his mouth. But he hesitated. The hammer had been traded away by Thor himself. To take it back would be an affront to his own son's judgment and pride. Besides, Odin still hadn't identified the emerald giant who had single-handedly stopped the Chitauri invasion. That green monster radiated power ancient even to him. So he reconsidered. Still, he couldn't stand the sight of Thor's melted scrap of an axe, the one the boy had tricked his son into trading with Mjölnir. The absurd thing had become Thor's favorite toy. Grumbling, he sent Thor to Nidavellir. There, the dwarves were commissioned to forge a real weapon, modeled after the same axe Thor had grown so fond of. It would be called Stormbreaker, again. Odin had to admit... the name wasn't half bad. Thor, elated, accepted the new weapon without complaint. He didn't even realize the blessing he'd received. With that weapon in hand, years before he should've had it, he'd become a force Asgard had never seen. All thanks to Luke's trickery. As Asgard turned its focus to rebuilding its palace, their gaze shifted away from Earth... for now. ... Back on Midgard, more specifically in Luke Yale's small but thriving grocery store, the days were comfortable, almost too comfortable. Luke had unintentionally become something of a stock market genius, even though he barely checked his phone. His secret? He let the phone trade on its own, guided mysteriously by the system. After the Battle of New York, his system had gone all-in on a tiny gaming company: Storm Games. The reason? A strange coincidence, one of the monsters in Storm Games' latest title bore a shocking resemblance to a creature seen fighting during the battle over Manhattan. Viral videos and conspiracy theories flooded the internet. People began speculating that the company had predicted the invasion... or had helped stop it, or maybe everything was just an expectacular piece of publicity. Storm Games rode the wave to fame, and their stock skyrocketed, twenty times its original value. Luke's fortune ballooned overnight. Even his grocery store was booming. People from all over town visited daily, lining up outside like it was a tourist attraction. Part of it was the good service. But part of it... was the aura around the place. After all, more than one person swore they saw Tony Stark shop there once. Despite the earnings, Luke found himself unable to splurge. Wanda refused to let him buy cars or hire help. "We don't need a guard," she insisted. "We already have Doggo." To be fair, Luke didn't really mind. Wanda and Sharon were so efficient that he barely had to do anything at all. And even if he bought those cars he wouldn't have where to store them, so he would also need to buy a place for that and honestly, it sounded like too much work. His days consisted of walking Doggo, playing games, and lounging on the sofa. It was heaven. Until, one evening, that peace shattered. ... It was closing time. Wanda was counting receipts when she heard the bell above the door jingle. She glanced up, instinctively putting on her customer-service smile. A man in black entered. He said nothing. His steps were soft but deliberate. Wanda's smile faltered the moment she saw his face, or rather, the lack of one. He wore a sleek black mask that obscured his features, and his left arm was unmistakably metal, gleaming faintly under the store lights. Her heart tightened. This wasn't a shopper. "Brother," she called toward the back. Her voice was calm, but just a little too sharp. "There's a... customer." Luke paused his game, one finger still hovering over the keyboard. Something was wrong, Wanda never asks for help in dealing with customers. Then he saw the man. A chill slid down his spine, not from fear, but from recognition. Long black hair. Cold, empty eyes. The metal arm. Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier. [Ding! Core supporting character "Winter Soldier" has appeared. One plot point acquired.] Luke stood up slowly, a grin forming on his face. "I'll be damned..." he muttered. The Soldier's gaze locked on him. No hesitation. No emotion whatsoever. Just one mission. Kill Luke Yale. ... With lightning speed, the Winter Soldier lunged at him. Wanda's body glowed crimson in an instant. Energy pulsed around her, warping the air. Sharon, descending the stairs, immediately summoned Mjölnir into her hand with a crack of thunder. But before either could react. "Stop!" Luke yelled, voice brimming with excitement. "Let me handle this!" The two women froze mid-action. "What?!" "Luke, are you insane?" Sharon shouted. But Luke was already moving, giddy as a child unwrapping a new toy. "I finally get to test out this Extremis body! Come on, Bucky, let's see what you've got!" His smile widened as he dashed forward to meet the assassin head-on. Bucky swung his metal arm in a vicious arc, aiming for Luke's skull. [Ding! Winter Soldier attacked the host. His metal arm disapproves and has decided to go on strike for one day.] Suddenly, the arm dropped limp to Bucky's side. He stumbled, momentum gone, and crashed to the floor like a sack of bricks. Luke blinked. "Wait, what?" He had raised his fists, ready to parry or counter. But now he stood over a dazed assassin who had... tripped. 'System!' Luke complained in his mind. 'Stop cheating! I wanted to actually fight!' Bucky looked confused too. He tried to rise, but his mechanical arm refused to respond. He glanced at it, then back at Luke, expression unreadable beneath the mask. But he wasn't done. He used his other arm to lift himself and as soon as he was on his feet threw a sharp jab, targeting Luke's jaw. Luke smiled and stepped in. He mirrored the gesture, raising only his right hand to meet the strike. "One hand each," he said, "seems fair." Their fists had almost collided when... [Ding! The Winter Soldier attacked the host again. His metal arm is furious and has decided to teach him a lesson.] Suddenly, WHAM~! The metal arm jerked upward like it had a mind of its own and punched Bucky in the face. Hard. The blow sent him flying backwards into the canned goods shelf. Cans of soup rained down like iron hailstones. He didn't get up this time. Luke stood still, blinking. "...Okay, that wasn't me." Sharon slowly lowered Mjölnir, stunned. Wanda looked at Bucky's unconscious body, then at Luke. "...You sure you didn't do something?" she asked suspiciously. Luke raised both hands. "I swear! The guy knocked himself out!" "...Because his own arm betrayed him?" Wanda narrowed her eyes. "Yes!" Sharon walked over, poked Bucky with her foot. "He's really out cold." Luke sighed, deflating. "I just wanted to test my powers... is that so much to ask?" Wanda folded her arms. "Next time, maybe test them on a treadmill, if it wasn't for his arm's malfunction it seemed like he was about to whoop your ass." Luke scratched the back of his head sheepishly. ...