{Chapter: 264 A Wonderful Encounter}
Boom!
The Lamborghini, which William had transformed into, tore through the oncoming vehicle like a hot knife slicing through butter. The sleek front of the supercar, reinforced with unfathomable power, drilled into the opposing car's engine block and burst out the rear in a spectacular eruption of shattered metal and fire.
Boom! Boom!
Almost immediately after, two compact missiles launched from hidden compartments on either side of the Lamborghini's chassis. They streaked through the air with deadly precision, slamming into the remaining two vehicles in a synchronized strike. Explosions erupted like volcanic bursts, engulfing the cars in twin infernos of smoke and flame. Within seconds, nothing but twisted wreckage remained, scattered across the road like confetti after a war parade.
Natasha raised an eyebrow, her voice calm but edged with awe. "You certainly don't hold back, do you?"
William's voice echoed with satisfaction, amused and sinister. "That? That was nothing more than a warm-up. Just child's play, really. I've always had a fondness for explosions. There's something soothing about utter destruction, don't you think?"
Natasha scoffed lightly, her tone now tinged with ice. "So you're the one who dropped an atomic bomb on Tokyo. Just to watch it burn."
William chuckled, without the slightest hint of remorse. "Correct. And after thinking it over, I decided it's time to put on a new show. I'm planning a grand fireworks display—this time over New York City. Let the whole world bear witness."
"You're absolutely insane," Natasha said flatly, her eyes narrowing.
"In a world full of sheep, madness is the only thing that sets a wolf apart," William replied. "What is life, Natasha, if not a fleeting opportunity to leave an unforgettable scar on the world? Most people live like salted fish—dull, gray, rotting in obscurity. I chose differently."
"Congratulations," Natasha said sarcastically. "The world remembers you. Children cry when they hear your name. Entire nations tremble. You've outdone yourself. Bin Laden looks tame compared to you."
William gave a low laugh. "Mock me all you want. It changes nothing. Do you think God listens to the squeaks of ants when he walks across the earth?"
"Oh, so you're God now?"
"No, not a God. The Killing God," William said with deliberate emphasis. "I hope that title doesn't make you uncomfortable."
Natasha gave him a deadpan look. "On the contrary. I think it suits you perfectly. If mass murder and psychopathy had a patron saint, you'd be it."
"Well, what do you know! For once, we agree. It's rare that we have the same ideas. I also think it suits me." William's voice lit up with twisted amusement. "I'll keep working at it. More blood. More fear. I want the world to whisper my name in nightmares. Killing God, they'll say. And I'll laugh."
"There it is," Natasha muttered. "They say madmen behave differently from the rest of us. You're living proof."
"And proud of it, Thank you for the compliment. I am so different." William said, unfazed. "I don't want to be like the rest of you. I'm something new, something beyond morality, beyond rules."
As the road began to curve into the woods, William slowed the car and pulled to a halt beside a dense thicket of trees. A quiet, isolated stretch of forest unfolded ahead, shrouded in morning mist.
Natasha looked around cautiously through the tinted windows. "This is where you're hiding out? Some forest in the middle of nowhere?"
"I'm not hiding, Natasha," William said, a smirk playing in his voice. "You're inside me, remember? You're riding in my body. Sounds intimate, doesn't it?"
Natasha gave him a withering stare. "That twisted metaphor again? You really think I'm stupid enough to believe you are the car?"
William responded smoothly, "The Lamborghini is just one of my forms. A shell. A vessel. You've barely scratched the surface of what I can do."
Natasha chuckled, but her eyes remained cold. "You're certainly full of surprises, William. I'll give you that. You're playing a game I've never seen before."
"You haven't seen anything yet."
"That really broadened my horizons. You are worthy of being William. You are so good at playing."
Natasha said with a smile, but the information revealed in her eyes was that she didn't believe it at all.
Then, William's tone shifted as he dropped a bomb of a different kind.
"You're not very good at hiding secrets either. You took my fucking Tesseract and started using it to develop weapons. Quite bold of your agency."
Natasha's face changed instantly, her composed expression cracking for just a moment. Her eyes narrowed sharply. "How do you know that?"
Only a handful of individuals within SHIELD knew that the Tesseract—also known as the Cosmic Cube—was being reverse-engineered for advanced weapon development.
"I see everything," William said coldly. "Every whisper, every hidden file. SHIELD may think it operates in the shadows, but those shadows belong to me now. I let you hold onto the Cube, for now. But for them to dare to lay their hands on my belongings."
He paused, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper.
"I'll sink a hundred thousand of your people into the sea."
Natasha's heart clenched. For the first time, she fully understood the scale of the threat sitting beside her.
William didn't just talk madness—he embodied it.
And his madness was backed by power.
Real power.
Unrelenting, untouchable power.
"You said the Tesseract belongs to you—I already know. Back in World War II, you stole it from humanity. And more than eight months ago, those space-energy fluctuations at the southern tip of South America... that was you, wasn't it?" Natasha's voice sharpened with realization.
William chuckled, his tone smooth like polished steel. "Correct. At that time, I had just returned from another dimension with the Tesseract in my possession. Unfortunately, my body was still unstable from dimensional transit. I lost control midair and plunged into the ocean. It was swallowed by a shark. If it weren't for that beast, I'd be rotting in one of your SHIELD cells right now. A tragedy for you, I imagine."
Natasha narrowed her eyes. "That's really unfortunate—for us. Coulson should've dredged the entire ocean floor. Maybe even interrogated every shark."
"But it's that very twist of fate," William said smoothly, "that allowed us this little rendezvous. Don't you think this is... poetic?"
"Poetic?" Natasha scoffed, her voice edged with sarcasm. "Being trapped in a car with a megalomaniac voice—this is your idea of a romantic encounter? Open the door. Now."
"Of course. I always show some mercy to beautiful women." William's voice had a touch of amusement, and with a soft hiss, the Lamborghini's door swung open.
Natasha stepped out cautiously, eyes scanning the area. Trees lined the edge of the roadside, casting long shadows across the forest floor. She kept her voice steady. "You can come out now, William. I assume you still want that 'conversation' face to face?"
"I'm already here," William said, almost gently. "What's the point of pretending otherwise?"
"You… you mean you're really this car?" Natasha looked toward the Lamborghini, frowning. "This entire time?"
"Do I strike you as someone who needs to lie?"
The Lamborghini quickly disintegrated into three strands of golden deformed elemental particles. After landing, they combined together —and reformed into a tall, human figure. William.
Natasha's eyes widened. Her usual calm faltered for a heartbeat as shock surged through her. "What the hell…?"
"Surprise," William said, smiling. With a flicker of light, he vanished and reappeared behind her in the blink of an eye.
Natasha whipped around, gun drawn, and fired point-blank at his head.
But William raised a hand and caught the bullet effortlessly. "So cold. I reveal my face, and you greet me with bullets. How very Natasha of you."
With a low growl, Natasha lunged, delivering a sharp punch to his jaw.
William caught her wrist mid-strike, spun her around, and yanked her into his chest. One arm locked firmly around her waist, pinning her in place. "Tsk tsk. Still resisting?"
"Let. Me. Go," she said through gritted teeth, glaring up at him.
William leaned down, his breath warm against her ear. "You made the first move. Now why would I let go of something so... captivating?"
His grip tightened just slightly, drawing her closer until her chest was pressed against his. The heat of their bodies mingled, and their breaths synced unintentionally.
For a brief, tense moment, the forest fell silent. Their gazes locked. To an outsider, it might've looked like the tension between lovers rather than enemies.
"Do you know what I feel like saying right now?" William's voice dropped an octave.
"I don't care," Natasha snapped.
He smirked, undeterred. "You're not exactly cooperative, are you? But I'll say it anyway. I like to speak my mind."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."
"Your body…" William said with a wicked grin, "is incredible. That chest—soft, generous, and unexpectedly cute big breasts."
Before she could react, he deliberately shifted his torso, brushing against her in a way that made it clear he was trying to provoke.
William smiled meanly, and deliberately twisted his chest and rubbed Natasha's big breasts.
Natasha's eyes darkened like a brewing storm. Her voice turned to ice. "William… are you actually this disgusting? I thought the man who declared war on the world would at least have some dignity. But you're just another pervert with power. William, are you such a bitch? I thought the public enemy of mankind was so cruel and heartless. "
William's expression didn't falter. "Cruelty, madness, desire—it's all part of the same divine dance. I never claimed to be noble. Only inevitable."
*****
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