The giant sword, constructed of pure energy, erupted with immense acceleration amidst the gushing flames. The reason it appeared slow was simply a visual illusion caused by the different frame of reference from the distant perspective.
The flaming sword sliced through the sky, its golden brilliance blooming with a dazzling light. In this instant, the sun hanging high in the heavens seemed to lose its luster. Every eye was drawn to the giant blade in the sky. Hearts climbed into throats as the sword neared the Helicarrier; people instinctively held their breath, not daring to blink for fear of missing a crucial moment.
Wherever the blade passed, the air ignited instantly. It was like a raging meteor falling from the heavens, slashing toward the Helicarrier with an unstoppable force, leaving a wide, bright trail of fire behind it—a scar torn into the sky.
Before the sword even arrived, the intense heat had already transferred to the surface of the Helicarrier's deck. The wide, cold deck instantly began to steam with a pungent odor. Personnel exposed to the air wailed in agony as their hair began to spontaneously combust, quickly turning into screaming torches.
Ear-piercing alarms echoed throughout the entire mothership, sounding like the wail of a wounded beast. Red warning lights flashed frantically, illuminating the terrified faces of the crew in a grotesque, flickering light.
The crew inside the ship felt as if they were standing on the precipice of the apocalypse. They stopped their work, staring blankly at the terrifying flaming sword that was gradually closing in.
Inside the command deck, commanders of all levels were as pale as ghosts. Watching the flaming sword grow larger on the screen until it occupied their entire field of vision, beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, though it was unclear whether it was from the heat or the tension.
"How is this possible... Is this really something a human can achieve...?"
The captain clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms. Blood seeped out, yet he remained oblivious. Hydra's decades of effort felt like a mockery. Their branch had hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D. for seventy years just to scrape together three Helicarriers—a foundation they thought would allow them to rule the world again—only to have it dismantled by an unknown entity.
Rumble!
The moment the flaming sword made contact with the Helicarrier's deck, a deafening explosion accompanied by a visible shockwave spread rapidly. The terrifying impact caused the Helicarrier to shudder violently as the hard, heavy deck attempted to halt the giant sword, resisting stubbornly amidst the raging flames.
However, the golden flames, imbued with extraordinary power, continuously radiated an terrifyingly high temperature. The dispersing fire spread like a surging tide, causing the Quinjets stationed on the deck to explode one after another. These secondary explosions relentlessly eroded the ship's hull.
Even with the special materials recently developed by S.H.I.E.L.D., the mothership's deck could not withstand Makiya's continuous output. The heat gradually penetrated the thick plating, and the silver-gray metal turned red before the naked eye, beginning to soften and deform.
Chakra erupted outward. It was as if an invisible giant gripped the hilt of the flaming sword and thrust it down with immense strength. The mothership's deck was instantly pierced, and terrifying cracks spread rapidly along the central axis toward both sides.
The scorching flames flooded into the interior of the Helicarrier like a burst dam, instantly igniting everything flammable. The inside of the mothership was suddenly plunged into a sea of fire. Alarms blared incessantly, and flashing red lights flickered through the thick smoke as crew members fled in a panic, desperately searching for an escape route.
The battlefield had transformed into a divine dining table, with a golden knife plunging into a cake shaped like an aircraft carrier, sinking deeper and deeper.
The retreating news helicopter slowly stabilized its posture. The female reporter's mouth hung open unconsciously, and even the pilot, who had just steadied the aircraft, stared with wide eyes. Watching the spectacular yet cruel scene in the distance, he kept muttering, "Oh my God... Oh my God!"
There were many viewers sitting in front of their televisions muttering 'Oh my God' as well, but the Lord Himself was destined not to reply. Instead, Makiya, who continued to vent his energy, more closely resembled the characteristics of a deity.
Fire raged inside the hull, destroying instruments, equipment, and pipelines, and melting vast amounts of metal support structures. The ammunition depot detonated, and a continuous chain of explosions occurred within the mothership. Firelight pierced through the hull as a massive amount of debris fell from the sky.
As the flaming sword continued to sink deeper, the bottom of the mothership glowed bright red before erupting into boundless flames. The tip of the blade pierced through the molten metal, impaling the entire mothership in one stroke.
Makiya clenched his hand. Golden flames burst from the surface of the blade, and the all-pervading fire quickly consumed the entire mothership. The propulsion systems stalled completely, and the energy core suffered its most violent explosion yet. The mothership finally succumbed to the destruction, breaking apart at the massive hole pierced by the flaming sword, splitting into four pieces.
With engines dead and the hull shattered, the four-part Helicarrier looked like a giant beast being butchered alive, slowly falling toward the ground amidst its death throes. After making intimate contact with the facilities on the ground, another round of explosions was triggered, with billowing smoke rising straight into the sky.
In the command centers of the other two motherships, there was a dead silence. Everyone was rendered speechless by the battlefield footage on the large screens. The employees looked at each other, asking themselves: could they really defeat such an enemy? Perhaps it would be better to just surrender.
Pierce was the first to snap back to reality. Surrender was impossible. He knew that his previous attempt to kidnap Makiya had completely enraged the man. The opponent was clearly coming for him. Having fought to this point, the enemy would never stop until he reached his goal.
Now, the only way to gain a glimmer of hope was to bind all the combat personnel of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. together.
"Don't panic!" Pierce's voice rang in everyone's earpieces. "There's only one of him. No matter how much energy he has, it will eventually run out! As long as the motherships can fully ascend and launch enough escort wings, no one can defeat the steel fortresses beneath our feet!"
"But... he won't give us the chance to take off," a junior leader instinctively replied, voicing the thoughts of many.
The opponent wasn't an idiot who would stand by and wait for the protagonist to finish transforming before attacking. The fate of the first mothership was a perfect example; during the process of just taking off, the Helicarrier was a sitting duck.
"Don't worry." Pierce glared at the junior leader and spoke in a mysterious tone, "Someone will buy us time."
With that, he immediately cut the communication and pulled out his phone to dial a number. "Hello? What stage is Plan B at? Is Blonsky in position yet?"
"Damn you, Pierce!" The voice on the other end was extremely agitated, letting out a string of curses before calming down, panting. "You didn't say our target was a god! It's impossible for Blonsky to defeat him. Are you insane?"
After the other party finished yelling, Pierce's icy voice transmitted through the receiver. "We're in the same boat now... Also, I'll pay more!"
"Fine, fine. You'll see Blonsky. He's been ready for a long time, though his mood isn't great."
Hanging up the phone, a cold sneer played on Pierce's lips. Defeat him? He didn't expect that military failure to defeat Makiya at all. As long as Blonsky could stall for a few minutes, he would achieve his strategic goal.
Pierce believed that no one could survive the full-power strike of a Helicarrier. The energy and kinetic weapons scattered across the hull were his trump cards. Once they achieved total fire coverage, Makiya would have no chance to breathe, exhausting the last of his energy in the continuous explosions.
This was the solution provided by the battleship's onboard AI system, and Pierce agreed with it completely.
In the television station, the program director took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat constantly beading on his forehead, instructing his subordinates in a trembling voice, "Quickly! Change the news headline!"
"Chief, what should we change it to?" The subordinate threw the difficult question back. The previous two headlines were personally set by the boss, having nothing to do with the workers. He just hoped that when the powerful being came to silence them, he wouldn't get splashed with blood.
The director then realized he still didn't know the real identity of the... Asian person on the screen. It was truly a failure on his part.
"Just call it: Mysterious Asian Super-powered Individual Engaged in Massive Battle with Unknown Force over Washington Skies!"
"Got it, you're the boss." The subordinate had an 'it's not my problem' expression as he took the headline and left the office.
The director wiped his sweat again and hurriedly pulled out his phone to make call after call, utilizing his network to its fullest.
On both banks of the Potomac River, large numbers of troops stood ready. However, the hands of the soldiers holding their rifles were shaking violently. No one planned to fire at that monster standing in the sky; even if superiors gave the order, it would be useless. It was sheer suicide!
They were soldiers, not a suicide squad. If the leaders were so brave, they could grab a gun and go up themselves! Whoever wanted to fight this battle could go ahead!
Parked behind the tank array was a modified heavy truck. The massive trailer seemed to be carrying something incredibly heavy, pressing the tires down until they were nearly flat.
Inside the trailer, a certain puke-green figure sat casually, looking at the large screen before him with a solemn expression. The image of Makiya floating in the sky was magnified, and a voice came through the loudspeaker: "Blonsky, I know what you're thinking. Now your chance has come. Kill this man, and I'll give you your freedom."
"My brain didn't mutate. Don't think you can send me to my death." Blonsky—or rather, the Abomination—spoke with a sneer. He had seen Makiya's power. He stood no chance against him. Compared to freedom, death was far more terrifying.
The military brass was going too far. He had only mutated, not had his brain stem removed. Did he really look like someone who was that easy to fool?
"Is that so... Never mind then. Get some rest..." The man's regretful voice came through the speaker, then gradually faded, leaving only the screen displaying Makiya's figure.
Suddenly, the Abomination heard a faint mechanical click. Before he could even turn his head toward the sound, the wall of the trailer behind him suddenly slid open, revealing four modified... cannon muzzles?
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four armor-piercing rounds were fired almost simultaneously from the black muzzles. At close range, the oddly shaped needle-like sabot rounds instantly pierced the skin on the Abomination's back. A large amount of an unknown chemical at the center of the projectiles was violently injected into his body by the force of the impact.
It was a massive dose of Super Soldier Serum and the Hulk's blood!
The Abomination growled in pain and hurried to stand up. But as the drugs were continuously injected into his body, his eyes gradually turned blood-red. His jagged teeth gnashed together, and saliva dripped to the floor. He looked like a mindless beast.
"Kill him... Kill this man... Kill him and you'll be free... Kill him..."
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