Superman's Saiyan little brother

The members of the meeting, including Nick Fury, were naturally displeased with Tony Stark's attitude. However, there was nothing they could do. The Avengers, unlike SHIELD or the Watchtower, were completely self-funded by Tony Stark and managed by him and Steve. They didn't rely on external support, making it difficult to pressure them.

Moreover, targeting Steve and Tony was pointless. Their combined resources and connections in both the business and political worlds were top-tier. America wasn't entirely controlled by the people in this meeting.

So, despite their frustration, they had no practical solution. They could only wait for the Clown Car to appear again and relay the information to the Avengers, hoping they would handle it.

It's not that SHIELD and the other factions were completely powerless against the Clown Car. They could potentially use nuclear-level weapons, but such actions were too extreme. After their failure to use nuclear weapons against Robert, their confidence in these ultimate weapons had waned.

Nuclear weapons were humanity's last resort, believed to solve any problem. But failing once had made the higher-ups lose faith. If they failed again, these ultimate weapons would become a laughingstock, rendered useless.

Thus, they hesitated to use nuclear weapons against supernatural beings, especially without another developed method.

"What's the deal with this guy? If heavy weapons don't work, can mech attacks really be effective?" On the other side, Tony Stark and Steve were analyzing the Clown Car's information.

With JARVIS's help, they reviewed footage of the Clown Car's actions, taken from SHIELD, the Watchtower, and other sources that JARVIS had hacked into. Tony Stark trusted only information he found himself.

Despite this, they couldn't find a way to deal with the Clown Car, leading to a stalemate.

"The Clown Car isn't bulletproof, but it has self-healing capabilities similar to my concept of nanotech armor, though it's clearly using mystical energy..." Tony observed the footage.

"And the clown inside seems to be the source of this power. Those he kills are burned by his flames..."

"From the current data, the flames don't seem to burn material strongly. The bodies have minor injuries. Either the flames have abilities we don't understand, or these people were simply cooked alive..."

Tony wasn't unfamiliar with flame abilities, given that Johnny Storm was an ally. But the Clown's flames were different from Johnny's. Johnny's flames were about high heat and destruction, while the Clown's flames were cold and eerie, like ghost fire.

"I'll give it a shot. We won't get useful info just by watching," Steve frowned, watching the footage, and finally spoke up.

"No, it's too dangerous. If necessary, we can contact the Saiyans..." Tony hesitated, shaking his head. Though Steve was in good shape, he was still getting old. Besides, Steve's combat power, though significant, wasn't the highest even among super soldiers. From pure data, Bucky was stronger.

Even if Steve seemed stronger in real combat, facing the Clown posed a considerable risk.

"It's fine. You upgraded my gear, and I've gotten familiar with it. Even if Bucky isn't a match for me, your mech can't gauge the flame's true power. I'm the safest bet," Steve smiled, shaking his head.

"As for the Saiyans, it's not necessary. The Clown's abilities aren't world-ending. If we call the Saiyans for everything, what's the point of the Avengers? Are we just their intel collectors and support staff?"

"Uh..." Tony fell silent, realizing Steve had a point. Maybe Robert's limited contact was for the same reason.

Experiencing supernatural events was essential for growth. If Robert handled everything, they'd just be spectators. They might as well be a pure intel organization, collecting cases for Robert to deal with. There'd be no need for the Avengers.

"Alright, be careful. I'll have the mechs support you," Tony nodded. Among the three of them, Steve was the most capable in a fight. The goal was to gather intel, not defeat the Clown. Steve was well-versed in such missions.

"We found him. He's surfaced again. Time to move!" That night, even before Nick Fury's forces spotted the Clown Car, Tony's team had already located it, and Steve set off immediately.

Steve wasn't alone. He was accompanied by a mech army and a jet piloted by Bucky. Although heavy weapons couldn't harm the Clown Car, they could still slow it down and give Steve a chance to escape if needed.

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Mephisto, occupying the Joker's body, clicked his tongue in interest, looking up at the sky with a smile.

"The Earth isn't like I remember. People used to flee from supernatural events and hellfire, but now there's a surge of technological methods. Earth's civilization has progressed quite quickly!"

As Mephisto watched, a jet hovered in the sky, with Bucky inside looking worriedly at Steve. Before Bucky could speak, Steve nodded and leaped out.

"Parachute!" Bucky called out reflexively, spotting the unused parachute. But it was too late.

"An old man still doing this..." Bucky murmured, feeling a tinge of envy. Despite his super-soldier serum, his combat skills and flair were still behind Steve's.

Bucky watched the footage from the airborne mechs. Steve landed with the grace of a diving fish, shield first, performing a perfect roll before standing up smoothly.

John Walker had tried this move before, but it lacked Steve's finesse. Even though Walker's physical stats were theoretically better, Steve's execution was unparalleled.

With a "bang," Steve landed, shield ready, and faced the flaming Clown Car. The car didn't slow down, and Steve felt as if he saw eyes filled with hellish malice and mockery.

Frozen in place, Steve didn't react as the Clown Car approached. Bucky and Tony, watching, immediately sprang into action to assist Steve.

But it seemed too late. As the Clown Car sped up, Mephisto's mocking smile grew. The car accelerated past recorded speeds, barreling towards Steve.

In the nick of time, Steve snapped out of it, instinctively raising his shield and crouching. The Clown Car's long hood hit the shield, lifting the car off the ground. It flew over Steve, leaving scorch marks on the shield but not harming him.

"Whoo!" Tony and Bucky sighed in relief. They didn't know what Steve had experienced but were glad he was safe.

"Such a strange ability!" Steve muttered, eyes narrowing at the slowing Clown Car. He had seen a glimpse of hell in Mephisto's eyes, momentarily losing focus. If not for his strong will, he would have been crushed.

"Interesting. Earth has another strong-willed individual. Is the environment here conducive to creating people like you? Shouldn't hell be more hostile?" Mephisto said, stepping out of the Clown Car. In his control, he appeared as a pure Ghost Rider, not the Joker.

Mephisto was intrigued. He favored souls like Steve's, either extremely evil or incredibly resolute.

Realizing Steve's potential, Mephisto considered keeping his soul...

"Hell? So, you're from hell? Are you a hell lord?" Steve asked, frowning. He wasn't unfamiliar with hellish demons, having fought many during interdimensional incursions. The information on hell lords came from Robert's battles.

Seeing the destruction a hell lord could cause, Steve knew Mephisto was more dangerous than anticipated.

"Hell lord? What rubbish. I'm a great hell lord!" Mephisto laughed. "But if you want to become a hell lord, it's possible. Serve under me, and I can make you a hell lord with a mere thought. You'll gain eternal life. Interested?"

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