Several agents quickly approached the seaside villa. Among them was a leader whose face was quite familiar to Aurelius Viremont—the elite operative who had appeared several times in the Marvel films: Crossbones (Brock Rumlow).
There was no doubt these agents belonged to HYDRA. Aurelius Viremont wondered what exactly they wanted from him this time.
As Crossbones led his team toward the villa, his heart hammered against his ribs. Even his years of rigorous elite training couldn't suppress the trepidation. After all, the man living in the villa ahead was the White Demon—the man who had provoked the entire world, spat in the face of the military, and slaughtered tens of thousands only to emerge completely unscathed.
His superiors had told him that if the White Demon wished, he could easily destroy the world—or rule it, fulfilling the dream HYDRA had chased for decades. Thus, even though this mission felt like a one-way trip, he had to go. If they could successfully recruit the White Demon, there would be no force left on Earth to stop HYDRA's reign.
They traveled light, carrying only essential gear and no firearms. They knew that weapons lethal to ordinary men were nothing more than children's toys to the White Demon.
The villa's front door wasn't locked. The group walked in and saw the White Demon sitting lazily in a chair, staring at them with an air of detached boredom. He let out a long yawn, looked at them with a hint of amusement, and spoke softly:
"HYDRA? Oh, sorry... I mean 'SHIELD.' What do you want with me?"
Crossbones was internally shaken. He hadn't expected the White Demon to know his true identity, let alone the secret relationship between HYDRA and SHIELD. HYDRA hadn't even been exposed yet!
Relying on his iron-clad psychological discipline, the elite agent forced himself to remain calm. He bowed slightly to Aurelius Viremont. "Honorable White Demon, I have come on behalf of HYDRA to invite you to join us."
Looking at the agents before him—men whose hearts were racing despite their masks of composure—Aurelius Viremont broke into a smile. "I want the Tesseract and the Obelisk. Give them to me, and perhaps I'll join HYDRA."
Faced with this demand, Crossbones looked troubled. Both items were far beyond his pay grade to negotiate. "I need to consult with my superiors," he said.
He immediately patched a communication line through to Alexander Pierce. "Sir, Mr. Aurelius Viremont is willing to join us, but he demands the Tesseract and the Obelisk!"
"The Tesseract and the Obelisk?!"
Alexander Pierce's expression darkened. Since World War II, the Tesseract had been HYDRA's cornerstone. Its infinite energy had powered the weapons that nearly won them the war. Even though it was currently under "SHIELD" custody, SHIELD was HYDRA's plaything. They would never hand it over; it was HYDRA's most private treasure.
Just as Pierce was about to refuse, he thought of the Obelisk. That artifact was a double-edged sword; anyone who touched it—save for a select few—would be turned to stone and die instantly. To HYDRA, it was far less useful than the Tesseract.
Perhaps giving it to him was a stroke of genius. If the White Demon touched it and survived, HYDRA would gain a peerless ally. If he touched it and turned to stone like everyone else, the world would lose its most unstable terrorist, and HYDRA would lose its greatest obstacle to global domination.
He instructed Crossbones: "Tell the White Demon that we can give him the Obelisk now. The Tesseract will be his only after HYDRA has taken control of the world."
In reality, Pierce had no intention of ever handing over the Tesseract. This was merely a stalling tactic.
Crossbones relayed the message. Aurelius Viremont's smile became even more "kind" as he replied, "Of course. That works."
He had never intended to actually work with HYDRA anyway. Being able to secure the Obelisk—a new source of energy—was an unexpected windfall. Why would he say no? As for the Tesseract, Loki's "express delivery" was due any day now.
Crossbones beamed, thinking the recruitment had actually succeeded. With the White Demon's help, HYDRA's victory was within reach!
However, in the next heartbeat, the smile on his face froze.
The White Demon had vanished from the chair and reappeared right in front of him. Crossbones suddenly realized that his entire body—save for his mouth—was paralyzed! He questioned him sharply: "Mr. Aurelius Viremont, what is the meaning of this? We are allies now, aren't we?"
The smile on the White Demon's face had turned predatory. "We are allies, yes. But allies must respect one another. You entered my home without my permission. You must pay a price for that."
"But... isn't this Tony Stark's house?" Crossbones asked, confused.
"I said it's mine, so it's mine," the White Demon replied indifferently.
Crossbones wanted to argue, but he could no longer speak. A searing light erupted from the White Demon's hand as a billiard-ball-sized orb manifested and drifted slowly toward his face.
Under his terrified gaze, the orb entered his mouth. Infinite, scorching energy bloomed inside him, incinerating him from the inside out. Glowing cracks appeared on his skin, spreading across his entire body until the light reached its zenith. His body dissolved into ash, bit by bit.
The entire process took mere seconds. The other HYDRA agents didn't even have time to process what had happened before they tried to flee. But it was too late. An endless barrage of Spatial Slashes erupted within a five-meter radius of Aurelius Viremont.
Every agent was instantly pulverized into a red mist. Not even a drop of blood was left behind.
Using gravity to pull the only surviving communicator into his hand, Aurelius Viremont spoke to Alexander Pierce: "Sir, remember to send another team with the Obelisk. Be on time. You wouldn't want to see me get angry, would you?"
Alexander Pierce's face was livid. He gripped his own communicator so hard his knuckles turned white, his heart burning with rage, yet he dared not voice it.
Then, the White Demon's lazy, nonchalant voice crackled through the speaker once more: "Oh, and one more thing, Director Pierce... next time, remember to knock."
Aurelius Viremont ended the call. Ignoring Pierce's fury, he looked out the villa window.
A man wearing high-tech, strange armor was floating in the air, looking down at him with disdain. Searing cosmic rays were already charging in his eyes!
Aurelius Viremont's grin widened. Things were getting interesting.
....
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