The moment Pierce gave the order, the pilots froze in disbelief.
"Sir, you're too close! If we fire now, you'll be caught in the blast!"
"That is an order!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing his command, Bismarck only gave a faint smile.
Threaten her with missiles? How laughable. Ants wielding toys dared to think they could intimidate her?
She ignored their efforts and continued walking toward Pierce.
His face twisted in frustration. With a snarl, he shouted, "Fire, now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Dozens of Quinjets roared to life.
Missiles streaked across the sky, fiery trails lighting the heavens as they sped toward their target.
Natasha's blood ran cold. Her eyes widened with dread.
Bismarck might not fear missiles, but she did. Against such overwhelming force, she had no chance. Her fate would be nothing but ash.
The sound of engines and shrieking warheads filled the air. Bismarck stopped in her tracks.
Pierce saw this and allowed himself a cruel smile.
So, she was not fearless after all. If she were, she would not have even looked up. The fact she paused meant she had weaknesses. And if she had weaknesses, then she was not invincible. If she was not invincible, then she could be defeated.
For the first time, confidence stirred in his heart.
But Natasha, watching her closely, knew otherwise. Bismarck was not hesitating out of fear. She was preparing something far worse.
Sure enough, Bismarck raised her head to meet the oncoming missiles, her expression glacial.
"Missiles? That is your trump card? You overestimate yourself. Pathetic."
She clenched her fist.
Rotting Poison surged in her palm, thick and heavy. A gray mist erupted from her body, spreading outward in a wave.
The elite agents surrounding Pierce were the first to be touched.
"No, not that again!"
They had seen this gray mist before, the same power that reduced their comrades into dust. Terror filled their eyes. But fear could not save them.
Wherever the mist touched, bodies shriveled and collapsed into black powder.
The scene was pure nightmare.
Bismarck's voice rang out like judgment itself. "Supreme of all poisons, all things decay!"
She thrust her fist toward the sky.
A tidal wave of poisonous energy exploded upward. The roiling cloud tore through the air like a hurricane, carrying with it a dreadful howling, as though countless vengeful spirits screamed in chorus.
In a single instant, the wall of poison collided with the squadron of Quinjets.
Sparks hissed.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone on the ground, dozens of aircraft dissolved into ash. The pilots inside perished with them, their bodies crumbling to dust as easily as their machines.
It was as if the sky itself had been erased.
"This... impossible..." Pierce's voice cracked. His face went ghostly pale. Despair hollowed out his eyes.
She was no longer a woman to him. Not even human.
Could she be a god?
And if she was, then what was Roland Phils, the master she served? A king among gods?
He dared not think further.
Regret swallowed him whole. If he had known Phils possessed such terrifying power, he would never have provoked him. Not for all the wealth in the world.
But regret meant nothing now.
Bismarck stood before him, closing the final steps between them.
"My body... I can't move!" Pierce's voice shook with horror.
The few elite agents left standing gritted their teeth, wanting to fight. But the crushing pressure weighed them down like mountains. Their legs trembled, bodies shivering uncontrollably. Standing was already a miracle.
Bismarck's cold gaze locked onto Pierce. "Do you have any last words?"
"No! You cannot kill me. I am a senior leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., a figure of power in America. If you kill me, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the entire nation will come after you!" Pierce screamed, his voice raw with desperation.
She tilted her head slightly and shook it.
"That is all you have to say? How boring. Very well. I won't waste time. You can go to hell now."
Her finger pressed lightly against his brow.
"In your next life, remember this. Never provoke those you cannot afford to offend. And above all, never offend my master. Anyone who dares shall meet only one fate, destruction, no matter what forces they command."
A surge of Rotting Poison seeped into his body.
Pierce's scream tore through the air, agony burning through every nerve, every fiber of his soul.
"Ahhhhhh!"
The torment consumed him. His body shriveled, crumbled, and finally disintegrated into black powder. The wind carried his remains away, erasing him from existence.
Not even a trace was left behind.
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