"What is this thing?"
Artoria's mouth twitched as she stared at the 'food'; both mind and body rejected the so-called meal. Even a competitive eater prefers tasty dishes—she wasn't about to eat just anything.
"Jarvis found the most famous burrito nearby, but it doesn't look very appealing."
Tony glanced at Artoria, then around at Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha, and the other fighters. To celebrate, he'd invited everyone to a well-reviewed restaurant. Starving, they had been delighted—until the plates arrived. One bite and they all fell silent, contemplating life. What the heck? It looked edible, yet every flavor—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty—hit at once, catapulting them into sage mode.
Luckily Artoria's intuition saved her; she couldn't accept it mentally, and judging by everyone's faces, the stuff rivaled anime-level catastrophe cooking.
"Time you experienced real China cuisine."
She pushed the 'food' aside and stood, declaring with irresistible force,
"…XN."
The Avengers' lively party drew a curtain on the New York battle, but the crisis hadn't left the world—dangers still lurked in the dark, especially deadly ones out in Space.
"Nick Fury."
The jubilant cheers were fading for our scowling Director Egg. On the screen a woman's voice chilled the air: Maria Stark, usually gentle, now terrifying as a devil. Nick dared not retort, while the normally brash Howard stood silent beside her, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
"You forgot the conditions you promised us. Did you think we're blind, Mr. Nick Fury?"
Maria's barrage left Nick without excuse; he had indeed intended to recruit Artoria into the Avengers by underhanded means, but the result—New York saved, Earth rescued—proved her worth.
Then those bastards launched a nuke at the end, crossing every line. Game over. His prepared excuses crumbled before Maria—terrifying.
"Those guys will pay."
She shot Nick a look that said he was only a secondary problem; the main culprits were the reckless fools. The Starks hadn't been idle in retirement—using dummy identities they could plunge the U.S. into chaos with life model decoys.
"I'll arrange it at once."
Howard, delighted by his wife's decision, prepared to mobilize his network. His mind was still sharp; Tony's armor couldn't match his 'protect-daughter' series. In this, Tony had to admit: Father will always be Father.
"I won't oppose that, madam. Need any help?"
Nick grinned—his first smile in ages—showing every tooth. As a fellow 'Avenger' he had scores to settle and wouldn't mind sending foes to meet Lucifer.
In this secret call, some fates were sealed, yet vengeful, well-prepared, camera-wielding, sky-carrier-tapping, sound-editing enemies now possessed their own 'weapon'—a bomb to ignite public opinion.
"Saturday, upload the battle footage first."
"Yes, master."
China's cuisine conquered all. Even dainty Gwen tore into beggar's chicken; Natasha teased Spider-Man; Pepper fumed over Tony's antics, nearly leaving him for Artoria, but Tony's charm soon rekindled their warmth, flinging dog-food at everyone.
Thor eyed the red mapo tofu with dread; a shiver ran through him though he couldn't recall tasting it—only a black-clad stranger's smile. Thinking of him made Thor's head ache and lips burn; his limited CPU threatened to overload.
After dismissing the crew, Artoria had Saturday tally her losses—just walls and glass, easily fixed. She hired a construction firm and began plotting revenge.
She deployed every asset: edited battle clips, uploaded via sock-puppets, boosted views, and prepared the audio bomb. Released at the right moment, it would ensure the targets' ruin—Artoria's bonus to the world.
"Let me see the haul from this round."
She held the file until things settled, then struck. Next, she turned her attention to the spoils within her mind—something to anticipate.
A tiny face-sized Nine-Tails chirped and tilted its head at Artoria.
Artoria scooped the little creature into her arms and stroked its fluffy Tails.
The baby Beast nuzzled her palm.
Artoria's heart melted.
She rubbed her cheek against the Little guy. Sensing Artoria's affection, Little Nine-Tails answered by giving her face a gentle lick. The Little guy liked Artoria very much, but the presence of someone nearby made it uneasy; the Beast's instincts warned that a creature who could snuff out its life at any moment sat right across from them.
"All right, Artoria, this Little guy is no ordinary thing. When it's fully grown it will be extremely powerful."
Just as Little Nine-Tails was settling into its Master's gentle embrace, a mysterious force seized the scruff of its neck and hauled it out of those comforting arms. Yet the sense of danger kept it from struggling or crying out, afraid the other party might decide to finish it off.
With a soft laugh, Ancient One pinched the back of Little Nine-Tails' neck, her movements practiced. She studied the adorable creature and told Artoria she had never seen anything like it, though she could sense its potential—this Little guy would be formidable one day. The surprises brought by Artoria, this anomaly, kept multiplying.
"Of course I knew that."
When it finally grew into a towering colossus, Nine-Tails might be able to brawl with Godzilla; a Tailed Beast Bomb carried terrifying destructive force, capable of sinking an entire island in one shot. Speaking of islands, maybe she should buy a bigger one. Touka and Second Fatty wouldn't grow too large as adults, but Nine-Tails wouldn't stay small. It had only just been born; even a juvenile Nine-Tails stood three or four times the height of a person, let alone an adult one. An underground Base definitely wouldn't do. An island would be best for raising Tailed Beasts. This time it was Nine-Tails; next time it might be Eight-Tails. If the space was too cramped, things would get messy.
"Good that you understand. Guide the Little guy properly."
Hearing Artoria's reply, Ancient One asked no further; everyone had secrets, and she had more than she could count. She offered a few parting words as an elder and handed Little Nine-Tails back. The Little guy nuzzled against Artoria, feeling a bit wronged.
"The third matter, Artoria—do you like magic?"
Ignoring Little Nine-Tails' hostility, Ancient One spoke to the fox-petting Artoria. With a flip of her hand a complex magic shield appeared, and she asked in a joking tone.
"What?"
Startled from her fox-petting trance, Artoria looked at Ancient One in confusion, as if she hadn't caught the question. What exactly did this big shot want?
"During the battle in New York, that tremendous mana came from you, didn't it?"
Without repeating herself, Ancient One kept her gentle smile, studying Artoria's eyes. Those emerald irises were like top-grade gems, soothing to behold, yet within them she saw a crimson behemoth roaring skyward. The vast mana belonged to Artoria's bloodline, unlike the power she herself borrowed from the dark god Dormammu. With proper guidance, this girl's achievements would be formidable—especially since she was an anomaly.
"Yes, that was the first time I released all my mana at once."
Recalling the hollow feeling of mana exhaustion, Artoria's expression soured. She had nearly lost loved ones because of that blunder; she counted it a disgrace. Yet she had no better solution at the time and could only charge ahead with raw mana. Rune magic didn't suit her, and training couldn't make her a professional magus without a proper teacher to show her how to wield mana.
How to use her power efficiently she had pieced together bit by bit. She knew how to cultivate Chakra, but mana was a headache; lacking a teacher was her biggest problem right now.
"Exactly. The way you handle mana is reckless. Though that weapon is powerful, it remains sealed. Real strength in battle isn't just about the weapon; you must be strong yourself. However mighty a weapon is, it's still the weapon's strength. Your own strength is the true strength."
"It's a mindset for becoming strong. If your power is only brute force, Artoria, you still have much to learn."
Ancient One watched Artoria while reshaping the mana shield in her hand with masterful control, a display that filled Artoria with envy. Yet Ancient One's words forced her to think. A centuries-old archmage saw far more clearly than she did, and her advice must have its reasons.
"What you're studying now is a hodgepodge. I can see you're earnest about every subject, but there's a saying: 'Biting off more than you can chew.' I'm not telling you to focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else—your power is yours alone—"
"—but right now you're mixing everything together without managing it. So far it's fine, but once something goes wrong, Artoria, you understand better than I: it could very well cost you your life."
Ancient One delivered the whole speech without pausing for breath, then simply looked at Artoria. She couldn't see Artoria's future path, but she knew someone had to step in and teach her properly; if not, the girl would suffer for it later.
"What should I do, Master Ancient One?"
Artoria knew Ancient One was right: her studies were too scattered, and without a renowned mentor she could hit bottlenecks she couldn't break. Power was inert; how a person used it to grow stronger depended on insight and opportunity. She asked with steady eyes.
"So, want to study magic—ahem—cooking with me?"
Ancient One answered with a smile.
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