"This, this…"
Hearing Tohka's urgent plea, Nick Fury was drenched in cold sweat. He immediately shouted to those around him, "Hurry up! Get me all the information we have on Professor Charles!"
"Aaahhh!"
As they were discussing countermeasures, Miku was still clutching her head in agony. Suddenly, with a scream, a powerful shockwave burst out from her body, spreading in all directions. All the nearby street windows shattered on impact.
"Tohka, are you okay? What's happening?"
Tohka had been caught off guard by the shockwave and was blasted backward. But after flipping a few times in the air, she stabilized herself and quickly returned, grabbing Miku's shoulders despite the intense energy still pouring out of her.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on? This girl… she's not like Charles, who controls people with his brain—she's likely controlling them with her voice!"
After observing the situation and the shockwave, Nick Fury had a new theory.
"Aaahhh!"
Just as Tohka grabbed her again, another wave of energy knocked her back. Even Tohka was stunned. Miku's energy output was far more powerful than she had expected. In her memory, Miku Izayoi's combat power wasn't supposed to be this high—so what was going on now?
"This, this..." Looking at Miku before her, Tohka was panicking and spinning in circles, unsure of what to do. But at that moment...
"You better calm down. The little girl's situation isn't as bad as it looks." A mysterious voice suddenly echoed in Tohka's ear.
"Huh? Who are you?" Tohka jumped in surprise and looked around. No one was there.
"Don't worry about that. The girl obviously just became a Spirit and was dragged here by you. Plus, she used her powers right after arriving—no wonder her energy is going berserk." The voice didn't bother answering her and continued explaining.
"Then what do I do? Tell me what to do!" Tohka didn't care who the voice belonged to. She could tell it meant no harm.
"It's simple. Inject your own spirit energy into her to stabilize the runaway energy. Just be aware she won't be able to use her powers for a while afterward." The voice quickly offered a solution.
"Got it."
Without hesitation, Tohka pushed through the shockwaves radiating from Miku and reached her. She grabbed her shoulders and injected her spirit energy. Soon, she located the source of the rampaging power and enveloped it with her own.
"Huff… huff…"
As Tohka's power poured into her, her internal Kabbalah Tree of Life also began releasing its energy. Elsewhere, a girl clad in black armor looked on with interest. Meanwhile, Miku gradually calmed down, collapsing into Tohka's arms, panting softly.
"Whew, finally it's over."
Back on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, Nick Fury let out a sigh of relief. Since Tohka had contained the disturbance, he could finally relax.
Thankfully, Miku hadn't harmed anyone on purpose—just shattered every glass window in a few blocks. That would make the cleanup a lot easier.
"Alright, bring the girl back to the helicarrier for a full examination."
"Understood. Let's leave here quickly."
Glancing around at the devastated street, Tohka carried the exhausted Miku and flew into the sky.
"Mm."
Even in her weakened state, nestled in Tohka's arms, Miku kept her gaze fixed on Tohka. Her wide eyes blinked repeatedly, as if something deep within her had awakened.
"Hmph, did you really think you could leave that easily?"
Just as Tohka rose into the air, a voice full of barely suppressed rage boomed in her ears. In an instant, her body felt like it had been weighed down by a mountain. Before she could adjust her energy, she plummeted from the sky.
"Ah!"
She crashed hard into the ground. Blood spurted from her mouth as pain surged through her body. Still, she had shielded Miku completely, using her own body and powers to absorb the full impact. As a result, only Tohka was injured—Miku remained unharmed.
"Damn it, Tohka! That's the Graviton! Someone broke him out of prison not long ago, and now he's already here?!"
Fury could no longer stay composed. Panic filled his voice as he shouted toward Tohka, clearly recognizing the foe.
So, this is the Graviton you were talking about... Seems I can't just sit back anymore."
Seeing what had happened, Tony Stark stood up. He had held back during the Miku situation to avoid being mind-controlled, but this time he had no such reservations. Without delay, he donned his armor and shot out of the helicarrier.
"....."
Fury silently watched Tony leave but didn't stop him this time. Instead, he grabbed the intercom.
"Deploy emergency response teams to support Tohka immediately. And Nova Squad—you four be extremely careful. And Agent Hill, call Captain America. We need him back in action!"
"Understood."
Tohka didn't know what was happening back at S.H.I.E.L.D., because she was now face-to-face with the Graviton. What drew her attention most were his eyes—there were no pupils or whites, only a terrifying glow. And this glow didn't feel comforting—just looking at it made one uneasy.
"Die."
Without caring how Tohka saw him, the Graviton began tearing apart nearby buildings with his power. A massive chunk of earth rose in the air and was hurled straight down at the grounded Tohka, who hadn't had time to escape.
For a moment, the entire city of New York trembled.