aron Helmut Zemo's grip tightened on his scepter the moment Black Devil appeared before him. The unease gnawing at his gut all this time had
aron Helmut Zemo's grip tightened on his scepter the moment Black Devil appeared before him. The unease gnawing at his gut all this time had
aron Helmut Zemo's grip tightened on his scepter the moment Black Devil appeared before him. The unease gnawing at his gut all this time had finally been justified. And yet, to his own surprise, he felt no panic—almost as if he had already accepted this outcome.
Surrounding Gene were Winter Soldier, Wanda, Captain Supreme, Quicksilver, Daisy, and the freshly defected Venom. They formed a tight perimeter, sealing off Zemo and what remained of his faction in a ring of grim inevitability.
"Helmut Zemo," Gene said calmly, his red V-shaped visor glowing ominously, "I thought losing your father would make you understand the futility of your delusions. But clearly, you inherited more than just his name."
"Lies!" Zemo's eyes burned with fury. "Black Devil, HYDRA has always belonged to the Zemo bloodline. That's been true since World War II. Alexander Pierce was nothing but a clown in a borrowed crown. The real intruder here is you."
Gene didn't flinch. Zemo, however, knew his position was precarious. The so-called Taskmaster had bailed, choosing neutrality over defeat. Lizard was down, unconscious, maybe dead. All that remained on his side were Living Laser, Abomination, Amora, and Executioner. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't hopeless.
He raised his scepter and barked, "Abomination, attack!"
The hulking brute roared and thundered toward the nearest target—Daisy.
"Oh, you picked the right one," Daisy smirked, eyes gleaming with excitement. "You must be Frankenstein's lesser cousin."
She stomped the ground—and reality seemed to shiver. A massive, low-frequency shockwave erupted from her, the air visibly warping with every pulse. The concrete beneath her feet cracked and crumbled. Her sonic quake sent Abomination flying like a green missile, slamming him into a reinforced metal wall with a crash that dented steel.
With a bestial roar, he pulled himself out of the wall and charged again—just in time for the floor beneath him to erupt like a rising earth dragon, shattered by another of Daisy's tremors.
Meanwhile, Amora attempted to reinforce the attack—but her spell fizzled, blocked by a field of chaotic red energy.
"Your opponent is me, Asgardian witch," Wanda said coldly, her voice like ice over fire.
Amora sneered. "Let's see if you've got the spine to back up those words."
Without another word, Wanda conjured a glowing red blade of condensed chaos magic and lunged at Amora like a crimson storm.
Amora's eyes widened. What kind of sorcerer charges into melee? She raised a green magical shield and began retreating under the assault.
Wanda was relentless. Like a phantom of the scarlet realm, she danced through her own crimson mist, her coat billowing violently as chaos surged around her. Each strike of her dagger aimed straight for the heart.
Amora grit her teeth. In all her long life across the Nine Realms, she had faced countless sorcerers—but none who fought like this. She cursed under her breath. Clearly, she'd never dueled a Midgard sorcerer before.
"Executioner! Executioner!" she cried out in desperation.
But Executioner had his hands full.
Captain Supreme, Quicksilver, and Winter Soldier had him in their sights and were exploiting his biggest flaw—his sheer bulk.
Captain Supreme's shield slammed into Executioner with a crack, staggering him. Quicksilver blurred around him, delivering dizzying jabs to his legs, arms, and sides. His speed turned the Executioner in circles. Winter Soldier followed up with expertly aimed shots from a modified energy rifle. Each burst stung—not enough to drop him, but enough to drive him into a rage.
Then he heard Amora's call.
He turned, exposing his flank.
Crack!
Captain Supreme's shield smacked him upside the head. He stumbled. Quicksilver zipped under his legs and delivered a flurry of blows to his knees. Executioner dropped to the ground with a crash.
Boom!
Winter Soldier stepped in and fired a point-blank shot to the back of Executioner's skull.
He slumped forward.
Unconscious.
One by one, Zemo's forces were falling.
The so-called unstoppable tide of HYDRA had just run into the immovable will of Gene Mason and his team of Earth's new defenders.
And this battle… was far from over.
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