When Tony Stark pierced through Luke's body, he didn't feel much at first. From Tony's perspective, he was rescuing Jocelyn. Despite Jocelyn appearing somewhat deranged, Tony arrived too late to understand the relationships between the people here.
Thus, Tony's heart remained calm, and he even felt a bit proud of himself for saving a woman in distress once again. Even if she didn't thank him, Tony wouldn't mind.
Meanwhile, the Martian Manhunter watched the scene unfold. As Clara's distraction caused her flames to dissipate, the Martian Manhunter's abilities returned. However, he didn't fly up again, choosing instead to crouch there, watching Luke and Jocelyn, afraid that drawing attention to himself might disrupt the scene between them.
Clara was also in shock. She hadn't expected that the Luke she and Jocelyn had been chasing for so long would die like this. Even though she had no feelings for Luke after learning of his crimes, Clara was worried about Jocelyn, fearing she might do something irrational.
"No!" Jocelyn, who had been in a daze, finally snapped back to reality as Luke lay in a pool of blood. She let out a sorrowful cry, hugging Luke's blood-soaked, weakening body.
"Did I really aim wrong?" It was only then that Tony Stark began to realize something might be amiss. He glanced hesitantly towards the Martian Manhunter, asking softly, while a hint of guilt flashed in his heart.
Even though Luke was in werewolf form, what if he had killed the wrong person? Jocelyn seemed to have a close relationship with Luke, and Tony had shot under a misunderstanding. Did he really make a mistake?
Various thoughts flashed through Tony's mind until the Martian Manhunter's voice reassured him telepathically. Tony then relaxed.
"It's alright, you didn't aim wrong. Their relationship is indeed complicated, but this werewolf has committed numerous crimes recently, especially leading his gang in group crimes, making his guilt undeniable."
"Good, then I'm relieved..." Knowing he hadn't killed an innocent, Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He signaled the Martian Manhunter with his eyes, asking if they should leave now.
"No rush, let's wait a bit longer," the Martian Manhunter shook his head slowly, silently giving Tony his response.
"No! Luke! You can't leave me like this. How will I live without you?" While Tony and the Martian Manhunter were quietly communicating, Jocelyn was already crying out in grief, her sorrowful voice echoing around, making Tony feel uneasy even though he knew he hadn't killed the wrong person.
"It's okay, Jocelyn. Without me, you must live well, carrying on for both of us..." Luke, now barely breathing, looked tenderly at Jocelyn, reaching out with his claw to touch her face, though he lacked the strength.
To be honest, the scene should have been sad. But seeing Luke's claw, Tony Stark felt a strong sense of incongruity. Luke's werewolf form was far from handsome, and even in his dying moments, he looked terrifying, especially with his injuries and blood.
Tony couldn't help but admire Jocelyn. Despite Luke's frightening appearance, she gazed at him with deep affection.
"No! I can't! Do you know how hard it has been without you? I can't bear this any longer!" Jocelyn, unaware of how odd the scene looked to outsiders, held Luke's claw to her face, her voice firm.
"Don't be silly. Listen to me, don't dwell on it. Find a real ordinary person and live an ordinary life..." Luke's wolf face showed a bitter smile as he continued to comfort Jocelyn. His voice grew weaker, his claw heavier, and his eyes started to lose focus.
"No! Wait for me, Luke!" Jocelyn cried out as she noticed this, rushing to Luke's side. Clara instinctively felt something was wrong.
However, Clara's reaction, though quick, wasn't fast enough to stop Jocelyn, especially in her weakened state.
With a "thud," Jocelyn dragged Luke's heavy claw from her face to her neck, using its sharpness to slit her throat, then collapsed onto Luke.
"No!" Clara's pupils constricted as she rushed towards Jocelyn, shouting to Tony Stark, "Contact the Saiyan! Quickly, contact the Saiyan!"
"Huh? Wait, you? The one with the portal... Oh! Oh! Wait, I'll contact them right away..." Tony Stark, recognizing Clara's identity, quickly contacted Robert. But just as he started, he stopped, looking awkwardly at Clara. "Uh, the Saiyan isn't in the normal Earth dimension right now. He's fighting a powerful enemy from another dimension. Even if we contact him, he won't be able to come."
"No..." Clara, examining Jocelyn's wounds, froze, unable to make a sound. She just stared at Jocelyn lying on Luke, bloodied but with an unusual happiness.
"Why... why didn't you choose to live?" Luke, near death, saw Jocelyn use his claw to commit suicide. His pupils regained focus slightly, looking at her unwillingly.
"I'm here with you. We'll be together forever..." Jocelyn, unable to speak, conveyed her message through her lips. Luke understood, then slowly closed his eyes.
As Luke stopped breathing and his heart ceased beating, Jocelyn used her last bit of strength to hold him tighter before closing her eyes.
From the moment Luke was shot to her death, Jocelyn never looked back at anyone else, not at Tony Stark who killed Luke nor at her daughter Clara. Her heart seemed to have no room for anyone else.
"You just left like that?" Clara, seeing Jocelyn's lifeless body, was dazed. She couldn't accept what had happened, never expecting her mother to choose to die with Luke.
Tony Stark and the Martian Manhunter, looking at the lifeless bodies and Clara who seemed just as lifeless, exchanged glances, unsure how to break the silence.
Things seemed more complicated now. Luke and Jocelyn's relationship was already messy, and now Clara was involved with Robert, making it even more tangled.
"What a mess, how do we handle this?" Tony Stark mouthed to the Martian Manhunter, hoping for his intellect to find a solution.
But the Martian Manhunter's response was unexpected. "Don't ask me, I'm just an innocent bystander..."
"This was your mission! You found them!" Tony Stark retorted.
"But I didn't kill the werewolf..." The Martian Manhunter shrugged, standing firm in his stance.
"I came to save you. Without me, you'd be in danger!" Tony Stark argued.
"But I didn't kill the werewolf..." The Martian Manhunter's telepathic reply was calm.
"You!" Tony Stark was left speechless, realizing the Martian Manhunter was using his intellect to avoid responsibility.
In the end, Tony gave up on relying on the Martian Manhunter. He turned to Clara, hoping she could resolve the situation.
After a while, Clara regained her composure, looking at Jocelyn's body. "I see you loved him deeply. Even in death, you had no regrets. There's not much I can do except bury you together. I hope you can continue to be together in the next life."
"Do you two have any objections if I take their bodies?"
Clara's gaze fell on Tony Stark and the Martian Manhunter as she spoke, though it seemed she already had their answer.
"No objections. He has paid his due. Do as you wish," Tony Stark nodded earnestly.
"Guardian! Open the portal!" Clara looked up and spoke to the air.
With a hum, a portal opened, enveloping Clara, Jocelyn, and Luke.
"Need a ride?" a polite voice from the air offered Tony Stark and the Martian Manhunter.
"No, thanks. We have another mission..." Tony Stark shook his head with a smile. "By the way, if you have any superhumans who could help us deal with the werewolves and vampires, we can pay for their services."
"I won't leave the base, but I'll inform them. I'm sure someone, especially Constantine, will be interested," the Guardian's voice responded before the portal closed.
Tony Stark sighed in relief, though he still felt uneasy about the events and complex relationships.
"Since the Saiyan is in battle, there's no need to inform him of today's events. No need to trouble him with guilt for not being here..." Tony Stark started to say to the Martian Manhunter when he noticed the latter looking upwards. Clara's voice then echoed.
"Alright, we understand," the Martian Manhunter replied, easing Tony's discomfort.
"Alright, let's move on. Jarvis, send in the cleanup bots. Let's continue dealing with the werewolves and vampires. Hopefully, the next place won't be as complicated..." Tony Stark sighed, ordering Jarvis as he and the Martian Manhunter left.
The Avengers continued their efforts, significantly reducing the number of vampires and werewolves. External allies like Wade and Constantine also contributed greatly, earning substantial rewards.
Though the Avengers didn't completely eradicate the vampires and werewolves, they eliminated most of them. Only a few, without blood on their hands, survived, as mentioned by the Martian Manhunter.
Unfortunately, such vampires and werewolves were too few, almost insignificant compared to the entire vampire and werewolf communities.
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