This time, the number of meteorites Richard summoned far exceeded before.
Hundreds filled the sky.
But individually, they were smaller.
The largest were barely half a meter in diameter.
The smallest were no bigger than a fist.
Individually weak. Collectively overwhelming.
In the game, Black Materia summoned a single meteor.
Before reaching level three, Richard had been limited to that same restriction.
One meteor.
One strike.
Now, with the skill fully upgraded, output was adjustable.
As long as he had the magic, he could call down thousands.
Shaw looked up at the burning sky without fear.
He understood the principle.
Smaller mass meant less destructive force per impact.
Quantity did not matter if absorption remained total.
As long as he maintained full-body coverage, none of it could harm him.
If anything, it would empower him.
"You think this will defeat me?" Shaw called out, voice steady. "You're being naïve."
"Maybe," Richard replied lightly. "Enjoy the meteor shower."
Green light enveloped Shaw.
The sky answered.
The first wave descended.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Meteor after meteor shattered against the invisible energy barrier around Shaw's body, disintegrating half a meter from contact.
Each explosion converted into raw energy.
Each fragment dissolved into power.
Shaw absorbed everything.
Within seconds, the bombardment ended.
He stood untouched.
Stronger.
He looked at Richard with open contempt.
"That's it?" Shaw sneered. "You'll never kill me like this."
Richard's expression didn't change.
"Opening champagne at halftime is a bad habit."
He raised his hand again.
Another wave formed instantly overhead.
Hundreds more.
They fell.
More explosions.
More absorption.
Shaw spread his arms slightly, fully confident now.
Then—
A flicker.
A subtle shift.
His instincts screamed.
The psychic isolation helmet lifted from his head.
Not blasted away.
Not ripped violently.
It simply rose.
Behind it, thin copper wires extended—exposed strands from damaged yacht cabling, manipulated quietly.
Like metal tentacles.
They gripped the helmet.
Shaw spun, reaching—
Too late.
Telepathy.
Richard's mind slammed into his unprotected consciousness.
Total immobilization.
The moment psychic paralysis took hold, Shaw's energy absorption ceased.
The falling meteorites halted midair.
Frozen.
A surreal tableau formed.
On the destroyed dock stood Shaw in a perfect suit, frozen like a wax statue, staring upward at his drifting helmet.
Hundreds of burning meteorites hung suspended around him.
Copper wires hovered like mechanical vines.
From a distance, it looked like a paused film frame.
Emma watched from her rooftop vantage point.
Even without close detail, she could see it.
The stillness.
The helplessness.
The fear in Shaw's final movement.
Richard had never intended to kill Shaw with raw force.
Conventional attacks were pointless.
He had studied the movie.
Magneto and Professor X had already demonstrated the method.
Step one: remove the helmet.
Step two: telepathic lock.
Step three: execution.
He possessed telepathy.
He now possessed magnetic control.
All conditions satisfied.
The meteor barrage had been distraction.
While Shaw absorbed impact after impact, Richard had manipulated severed yacht wiring, inching it closer at minimal kinetic output.
Airflow kinetic energy still existed around Shaw.
That meant absorption had a threshold.
If even microscopic movement were absorbed fully, surrounding air would stop flowing entirely.
He would suffocate himself.
That hadn't happened.
Which meant small motion could bypass detection if carefully regulated.
The wires closed.
The helmet lifted.
Checkmate.
Richard walked forward slowly, Masamune resting at his side.
At the same time, he searched Shaw's immobilized mind.
Location of Wanda and Pietro.
Reason for capture.
Financial accounts.
Offshore assets.
Hidden facilities.
Within seconds, everything was mapped.
When he reached Shaw, the information retrieval was complete.
"I told you," Richard said softly. "Opening champagne at halftime is unwise."
He raised Masamune.
Then—
A roar of engines.
A Quinjet descended over the marina.
"Stop!"
A voice boomed through external speakers.
"Richard Wesley! Stop killing innocent people!"
Richard didn't need super hearing to recognize the tone.
But he used Super Vision anyway.
The cockpit glass revealed two figures.
Clint Barton in the pilot seat.
And beside him—
Steve Rogers.
Captain America.
Shield resting at his side.
Expression firm.
Disapproval unmistakable.
For a brief second, Richard's expression shifted.
Mild annoyance.
Nothing more.
He exhaled.
Timing.
Always timing.
Under Captain America's gaze, Masamune flashed.
Clean.
Precise.
Shaw's head separated from his body.
The immobilization ended simultaneously.
The suspended meteorites dissipated into harmless energy.
Shaw's body collapsed.
Blood stained the broken dock.
System prompt appeared.
[New ability acquired: Energy Absorption.]
[Ability rank: Alpha.]
Richard didn't look at the full panel yet.
Above him, the Quinjet hovered.
Captain America's voice came again, colder now.
"You just made a very big mistake."
Richard looked up calmly.
"Depends," he said quietly.
"From whose perspective."
.....
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