"It's over. How's this guy doing?"
Just then, a few figures also ran out of the building. It was Spider-Man and the others—they were just a step behind Iron Man and Thor.
"This guy..."
Looking at the near-dead Graviton lying on the ground, Spider-Man frowned. Honestly, he was still quite averse to killing. But even so, he had no complaints about Tohka directly killing this guy—after all, he'd witnessed the entire battle.
There was no helping it. The scale of this battle had been enormous—even more so than the previous fights with Abomination or Whiplash. He didn't even want to count how many innocent people had lost their lives. Maybe hundreds, maybe thousands...
Either way, he could already imagine the global media frenzy tomorrow, and the damage would be massive. So, even if he disapproved a bit, he wouldn't say anything more about Tohka finishing Graviton off.
"All right, for now this incident is over. Please return to the Helicarrier for debriefing. Oh, and Spider-Man, you too."
Just then, Nick Fury's voice came through with a tone of relief. Clearly, the guy had been monitoring the battlefield the whole time.
"By the way, where are your people? I don't see them anywhere. Were they wiped out by the shockwaves?"
At that moment, Tony looked around. Not seeing any of Fury's agents, especially that sexy redhead, he raised an eyebrow. Okay, maybe he only had eyes for redheads—the others, he completely ignored.
"They're fine. Currently handling post-battle cleanup."
Although he didn't know what Tony was really thinking, Fury still answered his question.
At that moment, a plane descended and landed in front of them. As it opened, Coulson led a group of agents out. They immediately approached the Graviton, who was now completely lifeless—no trace of his former might remained.
"Target confirmed. Graviton is dead."
The operatives immediately reported their findings.
"We're now proceeding with emergency cleanup and rescue."
"All right, everyone come with me. There's still a lot of post-incident work to do. Please join us on the Helicarrier, heroes."
Watching as the team began clearing the wreckage, Coulson gave his trademark smile. His charisma was even greater than Fury's. Even Spider-Man, who normally didn't like dealing with government people, didn't refuse.
"There's nothing left for me to do here. I'll head up first."
Tohka glanced around and saw that there was no more work for her to do. After all, the aftermath was not her responsibility. And since Miku was still on the Helicarrier, Tohka didn't wait for anyone else—she immediately flew toward the ship.
"Huh, why is Tohka in such a hurry?"
Spider-Man tilted his head, puzzled by her behavior. In his memory, she usually gave off a lazy and laid-back vibe.
"Kid, you just don't get it. All right, Coulson, let's go too."
Patting Spider-Man on the shoulder, Tony was the first to board the plane. Tohka was just a girl—acting a little brash from time to time was forgivable. For himself? Better to behave.
Leaving aside what was happening below, Tohka soon arrived back on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. But instead of going to Nick Fury, she headed straight to where Miku was. None of the agents tried to stop her.
"Are you okay? How's your body?"
As soon as she entered, Tohka spotted Miku surrounded by medical staff. She immediately ran over, pushed through the crowd, and went in.
"I'm fine. Just a bit of a headache."
Looking at the concerned Tohka in front of her, Miku finally showed a gentle expression. Ever since she rejected those so-called 'unspoken rules,' she'd been ostracized. It had been a long time since someone looked at her this way.
"Good. Right, her body's fine, isn't it?"
Tohka nodded at Miku's answer, then glanced around at the medical personnel. Damn Nick Fury, she knew he probably wanted to study Miku. Otherwise, why send so many people? Just one or two should've sufficed.
"Her body's fine. But we were surprised—Miss Miku is just an ordinary human. No signs of any mutant gene. Physically she's healthy, but mentally... not so much."
Hearing Tohka's question, the medics didn't refuse to answer and reported the findings directly.
"I see... Huh? What are you doing?"
Just as Tohka finally relaxed, a squad of soldiers entered. And from the looks of it, quite a few of them.
"Apologies, Advisor Tohka. Based on previous events, Miss Miku caused a disturbance by mentally controlling several districts of New York. This constitutes a violation of U.S. law. Since she's physically fine, we are authorized to arrest her."
The squad leader's tone was strictly professional as he responded to Tohka.
"Huh? What did you say?!"
Tohka instantly stood up. She blocked the soldiers' line of sight, isolating them—and even the doctors—from Miku. Are you kidding me?
She knew full well that even though S.H.I.E.L.D. was powerful under Nick Fury, it was infiltrated with Hydra agents. No way was she going to let them take Miku.
"Apologies, Miss Tohka. We are just following orders."
Seeing Tohka's stance, the soldiers didn't back down in the slightest. Clearly, they were determined to take Miku no matter what.
"Um, Tohka... they're not wrong. What I did tonight was kind of extreme. Don't make trouble for yourself on my account."
Seeing Tohka shielding her, Miku looked touched. But as someone who'd been an ordinary person until recently, she instinctively didn't want to oppose government forces—nor cause trouble for Tohka.
"Hmph. Don't worry, this isn't trouble. I'd like to see who dares try taking you while I'm here."
Glancing back at Miku, Tohka said with an incredibly domineering tone to the soldiers in front of her.
"Tohka..."
Looking at Tohka standing before her, Miku was clearly moved—but the squad of soldiers didn't share that sentiment.
"So, you're saying you're going to use force to obstruct official duties?"