Needing to act in the darkness, Su Ming used his cloak for cover, quietly taking a helmet from his backpack and putting it on. Strangulation once again covered his mask, making his head appear larger.
The night vision function made him as comfortable as a fish in water, so immersed in the darkness it felt like returning home.
However, in this pure darkness caused by the disappearance of the stars, Gin could act freely due to his Divine Race physique, but the Mage couldn't. His eyes were still those of an ordinary human, making him as blind as a bat.
Wait for the battle to start before using the Lighting Technique. For now, the Magic Prince simply closed his eyes to rest.
Su Ming analyzed the various data on his visor, such as the components of the air and wind speed, preparing for the battle while searching for the location of Zemo's group.
He saw them.
On a distant shore, in a wetland area resembling mangroves, a large group of people in iron-gray uniforms stood out distinctly in Su Ming's visor.
"Don't move, I see some acquaintances."
With a burst of speed, Su Ming rushed down. The reason he told Gin and the Mage not to act was that he discovered not only Zemo in the group but also a NAZI special squad.
This team, called the Super Axis Squad, was an old enemy of Steve's Invasion Team, consisting of seven people.
They included Master Man, Axis Agent, Braille, Blood Baron, Iron Cross, Lady Lotus, and Warrior Woman.
Master Man was an enhanced version of Captain America. The NAZI's Super Soldier Serum, regardless of how many types they had, was largely used on him, and he was mechanically modified, with everything below the waist replaced with machinery.
Having lost certain capabilities, he became eerie, with extremely twisted thoughts and behavior. Combined with Hydra's brainwashing, he was practically a man-made psychopath.
The Axis Agent was a clone, wearing a false face at all times. Few knew his true appearance. His specialty was stealth infiltration and assassination, not very strong, considered a male version of Black Widow, but the clones were endless, almost impossible to kill entirely.
Braille was an alien, a brain transplanted onto a mechanical body. He was once Brynhild's enemy. After being beaten by Valkyrie, he fled on a spacecraft, crashing in Germany, with everything destroyed except his brain. He was an expert in Rune Runes and a genius physicist.
Blood Baron was easy to explain, an old vampire. Having a title meant being ancient, and the older vampires were stronger. He possessed abilities akin to those of an Ancestor-level Vampire.
Iron Cross was another genius physicist, having developed advanced exoskeleton technology, seen as a preliminary version of Iron Armor, though powered by a Cosmic Cube Energy Block instead of an Ark Reactor.
Of course, he was a mobile arsenal, responsible for Germany's miniaturized missile technology.
Warrior Woman was a modified individual, a Super Soldier created by the Primitive Infinite Prescription, proficient with whips, wearing SM queen-like leather attire, exposing her white thighs and arms.
Unfortunately, the original prescription had side effects, causing her to gigantify, standing over two meters tall, with a thigh as thick as Baki's waist. She once fought Steve and Baki, making them howl, her whip unsuitable against shields.
Lady Lotus was why Su Ming had Gin and the Mage maintain their distance. This Japanese woman was suspected to be a mutant.
Her ability was a weaker version of Professor X, simply put, Mind Hypnosis.
Not as strong as the Professor but more widespread, affecting not only humans but even Torchbearers like artificial beings.
Unlike Poison Ivy, who needed to kiss and poison to enchant, Lady Lotus could control others with her gaze, mouth movements, or gestures.
The only one immune to her abilities was Steve, relying solely on sheer willpower.
Lady Lotus was exceptionally beautiful, not only in appearance but also embodying the elegant demeanor of a Yamato Nadeshiko, even captivating Red Skull.
Therefore, her presence explained why Zemo could move freely earlier. It wasn't the Stone of Destiny granting him invisibility; it was the doing of Lady Lotus's Mind Hypnosis.
A single hypnotic spell, and wavering guards wandered like sleepwalkers, naturally turning a blind eye to the group.
Su Ming's willpower was no issue, having once possessed the Green Lantern Ring. However, he couldn't let Gin and Monac take risks.
If they were controlled by Lady Lotus, attacking Su Ming would become troublesome.
Thus, Su Ming decided to go himself.
The primary target was, of course, Zemo, then the Frost Giant beside him, followed by the Super Axis Squad.
Immune to mind control, Lady Lotus posed the least threat to Su Ming. She was utterly powerless, a complete weakling; Su Ming only needed to watch Blood Baron, as vampires had a variety of spell-like abilities.
As Su Ming dove down, Zemo naturally noticed him too, though what he saw was Odin.
"The fixed star is ours, retreat."
He ordered the Frost Giant without hesitation, and the giant obediently began arranging the Stones of Destiny, activating their teleportation abilities.
No need for Zemo to say it; the giant assessed himself and realized he stood no chance against Odin.
Although they were numerous here, in the past millennia, Frost Giants had long proven with life and blood that numbers were never a barrier to Odin.
However, arranging the runes took time, and in the chaos, the Frost Giant's limited intellect became apparent as he jumbled the sequence.
Thankfully, Braille swiftly corrected him, using his mechanical claws to assist him in adjusting correctly.
But this time was enough — Su Ming braved the dense energy attacks, landing directly among the crowd.
Not knowing the nature of their teleportation gate, unsure if it was a trap, he didn't approach the blue wormhole but kept a distance, targeting Zemo for his attacks.
As Su Ming landed, a large group of Hydra members surged forward to buy their leader time to escape, their eyes filled with madness.
Su Ming swung his Godslayer spear, cutting many of them in half, with the blood appearing particularly viscous in the darkness.
Among them were giants and humans, but all dressed in Hydra uniforms, completely assimilated into Hydra, utterly reckless.
"Hail Hydra!!!"
The halved individuals even managed to shout slogans before exploding.
Blue flames rose instantly; even Su Ming dared not withstand the Cosmic Cube energy directly and could only take a few steps back, using his cloak to fend off the flames.
When the explosion subsided, Zemo, already protected, had slipped into the teleportation gate and escaped.
"Godslayer!"
Su Ming thought quickly, and his knock-off Eternal Spear lengthened instantly, with the spearhead bending like a giant itch-scratching claw reaching into the teleportation gate.
Before the gate closed, Su Ming managed to hook someone out.
Unfortunately, the blind grab was a gamble, and he didn't catch Zemo but Iron Cross, whose armor had too many edges for the spearhead to catch him.
Dragged by one leg, like a rabbit caught in a trap, he was yanked out of the teleportation gate, the wormhole closing instantly before him, restoring darkness around.
"Tsk..." Su Ming sighed regretfully.
None of Iron Cross's companions saved him. If they were righteous heroes, now would be the time to grab Iron Cross's arm and play tug-of-war with Su Ming.
No matter the outcome, it would highlight a spirit of not abandoning or giving up.
But Zemo didn't even look back, and the others didn't bother either.
Su Ming delivered a blow to Iron Cross's head, knocking him out on the spot. The primitive iron armor couldn't withstand such force, leaving a shallow groove atop the helmet, like a reverse Mohawk.
However, the mercenary didn't plan to kill him. This guy would become an opponent of Hydra and later have a good daughter, who would grow up to execute justice over kin, defeating her father and sending him to an international court.
His daughter would also be a genius physicist, her abilities comparable to a German Iron Man, possessing a character like Captain America, and having a rather convoluted relationship with Baki.
Su Ming had witnessed Baki's heartache when watching Steve and Peggy; love triangles were tedious — best add another person...