" from the looks of it he is pushing Thor to display more and more power, it seem he was really provoking Thor into fighting" Captain said as others nodded.
"...Which means he wants to see the limits of what Thor can do," Bruce added, eyes glued to the readout. "And if that's true, then we're dealing with someone who doesn't just have power—he is an battle maniac too."
Fury's voice crackled over the comms. "Then let's pray this is true. Because if it's not, and Michael's working up to something bigger... we're already ten steps behind."
Above them, another blinding flash lit the sky as Michael raised both hands. The dawn-colored energy spiraled outward, forming a massive sigil in the air—celestial in design, unreadable, but pulsing with terrifying precision.
Tony's HUD went haywire. "Okay, what the hell is that—Cap, Bruce, do you see this?"
"Reading a dimensional anomaly forming," Bruce said, tapping through the data. "Localized, but extremely dense. That's not a power we've seen from him before."
"He's opening something," Natasha said, eyes narrowing.
The energy coalesced and slammed down on Thor like a tidal wave. The God of Thunder raised Mjolnir and shouted, "I AM THE STORM!" before vanishing in the light.
For a moment, silence.
Then, Thor came roaring out of the explosion, lightning surrounding him in a fully awakened state—his eyes glowing with raw power, hair wild, thunder crackling around him like a living creature. His armor shimmered with divine energy.
"Whoa," Clint muttered. "Okay, that's new."
Michael hovered opposite him, seemingly unfazed. "There it is," he said softly, almost admiringly. "The full might of Asgard's heir."
Thor didn't answer. He simply charged—and this time, the sky didn't just flash. It cracked.
"You seeing this?" Tony said sharply.
"Yeah," Bruce responded. "Michael wanted this level. He pushed Thor into unlocking it."
"But why?" Steve asked. "What's the point?"
Tony's voice was quiet. "To see if he can match it. Or maybe… surpass it."
The battle now escalated into something more than a fight—it was a clash of myth and anomaly, thunder and mystery. Every strike tore the sky, every block echoed like a god's heartbeat across the planet. The Avengers hovered, powerless to intervene but unable to look away.
And back on Earth, deep in SHIELD's base, Fury watched the feed with a grim face.
"Update the world threat index," he said to the agent beside him. "Michael just moved to Level One."
The agent hesitated. "Sir, that's for planetary threats like 'Her' or—"
"I know what it's for," Fury snapped. "Do it."
Then, more quietly, almost to himself, he muttered: "Let's just hope he's on our side… or at least, that he stays curious—not angry."
As the battle surged in the skies, Michael's eyes suddenly flicked downward.
He saw them.
Five figures hovering at the edge of the storm, trying to remain unseen but failing—Avengers in stealth suits, cloaked in blue light, watching from a distance.
Michael's expression shifted. Not anger. Not surprise. Curiosity... then a flicker of amusement.
"I see you…" he murmured.
He lifted a single hand—and five slivers of dawn-colored energy split from the aura around him, streaking down through the clouds like spears of light.
"Incoming!" Tony shouted. "Everyone move!"
The Avengers scattered instantly, the aura streaks narrowly missing them—but they weren't attacks. The energy spears halted mid-air just feet from the team and hovered menacingly, crackling with unstable power, as if watching.
"What the hell was that?" Clint snapped.
"Message," Natasha said coldly. "A warning."
Then Michael's voice echoed—not through the comms, but into their minds. Clear. Calm. And terrifyingly close.
"What are you waiting for?"
"You're already here. Suiting up. Watching. Whispering like shadows."
"If you're going to fight me—fight me."
The Avengers froze. Even Thor hesitated mid-clash, glancing over at them with a mix of surprise and alarm.
Michael turned his gaze directly to the group—his aura flaring like a dawn star behind him.
Tony's AI pinged: "Unidentified telepathic projection. Origin: Michael. Range: Global."
Bruce exhaled. "He's not just calling us out. He's challenging us."
"He's testing us, now?" Steve muttered, jaw tightening.
"Sounds like he's inviting the whole class to spar," Clint said grimly.
Tony hovered slightly ahead of the group, arms at his sides, watching Michael with unreadable eyes.
"It's more important that he just showed another power," he said, his voice low.
"Yeah—telepathy, was it?" Bruce said, tapping his temple thoughtfully. Natasha nodded, eyes narrowed.
"He reached inside our heads like it was nothing," she said. "No tech, no spell signs. Just willpower. That's not a trick. That's control."
Tony's visor flickered as he adjusted the suit's sensors. "And if he can broadcast that wide, at that clarity… he's leveled up again."
Michael stood in the air between them and Thor, his aura pulsing gently, arms crossed—waiting.
"Well," Clint muttered, raising his bow as his suit adjusted to combat mode, "if he wants a fight, we give it to him."
Without waiting, he loosed an explosive-tipped arrow—directly at Michael's chest.
Michael didn't move.
The arrow froze mid-air, caught inches from his body by a tendril of dawnlight. It hung there, ticking faintly, before being gently disassembled atom by atom, the pieces falling apart like grains of sand in the breeze.
Michael turned to Clint. "That was… rude."
Before the others could react, Clint suddenly jolted backward—an invisible force slamming into him, sending him crashing into a building roof behind the team. His suit took most of the hit, but he grunted, stunned.
"Clint!" Natasha called, moving to help him—but Tony held a hand out.
"Wait," Tony said.
"He's alright,"
Clint groaned, steadying himself as his suit sparked slightly. "My suit can take a Hulk punch—I've tested it under three hulk's punches pressure. That hit wasn't even close to Hulk-level." Tony said as they watched Clint flying back up.
He winced as he floated back to the others, adjusting his stance.
"This suit's holding. You should have made things earlier"Clint said looking at Tony.
Tony nodded slightly, still analyzing data. "I made these suits for threats like Michael, actually."
*******
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