Even though Eddie had lost half of his body, he didn't die immediately. The Symbiote Venom living in him kept him alive. His body twitched very slightly as the black liquid tendrils scattered all over him in frantic attempts to bandage the wounds and stop the flow of blood, but it was in vain.
The injuries were too severe— a normal man would have been dead by now.
"Quick, quick, run..."
Lying in the palm of Giant Ant-Man's hand, Eddie, with half his body missing, gritted his teeth and spoke labored words from deep in his throat. With his remaining hand, he pointed to the side.
The giant Ant-Man and Deadpool followed his gesture and looked toward the Fountain Park. There, Hellfire stood tall and unyielding, wrapped in iron chains.
His body was engulfed in green flames. In his right hand he held a badly damaged axe, stained with crimson blood, while his left hand dragged the other half of Eddie's body along the ground as he walked toward them.
He looked like a demon god.
Hellfire's cold, merciless gaze fell on Ant-Man and Deadpool, sending shivers down their spines. Even the strongest of them, Agent Venom, had lasted only a few minutes before being sliced in half. The sheer power of Hellfire was enough to crush their spirits.
"I know we have to escape, but where can we run? This map is so small." The giant Ant-Man said with a bitter smile, checking the countdown - five minutes left.
"There is no escape. We have to face him head on. Agent Venom, you stopped him before; now it's our turn."
Deadpool said, picking up two Carbonadium Swords from the ground and clutching them tightly.
"You're right. Just stay here." The giant Ant-Man nodded in agreement. He lowered his head and gently placed the injured Eddie on the grass behind him.
He took a deep breath and turned to face Hellfire, who was slowly approaching, with Deadpool by his side. The two of them, one tall and one short, stood together, ready to face the approaching threat.
"Now you're up against us!"
"You won't take another step forward..."
Ant-Man and Deadpool made their threats, trying to provoke Hellfire. However, Hellfire completely ignored them. He dropped the half-body of Eddie from his left hand and continued walking toward them, still holding his axe.
"It's useless." Eddie barely managed to speak, feeling helpless. Ant-Man and the others still didn't understand how powerful Hellfire really was.
It was a true god-slaying weapon!
"I'll take the lead. Wait for the right moment to deliver the fatal blow." Giant Ant-Man whispered to Deadpool.
"No problem." Deadpool, holding his dual blades, was ready to charge forward. He knew this fight would involve many "deaths" for his body.
"Let's go!"
With a sudden step, the Giant Ant-Man moved forward, dragging his petrified right hand behind him while his left hand clenched into a fist.
In just a few steps, Ant-Man reached Hellfire, which was now only a few dozen meters away.
"Take this!"
Giant Ant-Man roared, swinging his left fist with all his might. The force of the punch created a powerful gust of wind, sending flowers, plants, and debris flying through the air.
Hellfire's hollow eyes flickered with a faint flame. He showed no sign of dodging. Instead, he stopped and quickly raised his hand, seemingly in haste.
Ant-Man's gigantic fist, like a meteor, collided with Hellfire's left palm, which was surrounded by green flames. The difference in size between the two was stark.
In the next instant, the garden floor beneath Hellfire cracked open, the cracks spreading like a spider's web. Countless stones and dust were thrown into the air from the shockwave.
No matter how hard Giant Ant-Man pushed, his left fist couldn't push Hellfire's palm down. Instead, it was slowly lifted. At the same time, a searing pain started from the tip of his fist.
The green flames seemed to burn through his uniform, his skin, and even his soul, bypassing all defenses.
"Ahhhhhh!!" Despite being the one to initiate the attack, Giant Ant-Man screamed in agony. He was forced to retract his left fist, which was burning with unbearable pain, and swung his petrified right fist toward Hellfire.
Hellfire raised his right hand, swinging the broken, aged axe with immense force. The axe struck Ant-Man's petrified right fist, shattering it into pieces!
Only two exchanges.
Giant Ant-Man, clutching the remains of his right arm, howled in pain as he staggered back and collapsed.
Hellfire was about to continue his pursuit when two cold flashes appeared from the blind spots behind him— one aimed at his neck and the other at his lower body.
"Now's the time! Die!" Deadpool channeled all his strength and resolve into the strike of his sword.
Hellfire made no attempt to dodge or defend, letting the Carbonadium Swords pierce what appeared to be weak spots on his body.
Clang! Clang!
The tips of the two swords struck Hellfire's body, making a sharp, metallic sound, like striking the hardest metal.
There was no breach in his defense— this was the crushing reality of despair.
Hellfire turned his emotionless gaze sideways, his hollow, fire-filled eye sockets staring at Deadpool, whose smile had frozen on his face.
Deadpool forced a grin, releasing the swords from his hands as though casually greeting an acquaintance, "Hellfire, right? Hello..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Hellfire's axe swung in a horizontal arc, decapitating Deadpool in one swift motion. His headless body fell stiffly to the ground.
Hellfire, with disinterest, withdrew his gaze from Deadpool's corpse and looked ahead at the heavily injured Giant Ant-Man and Agent Venom.
He lifted his foot, but before it could move, it was tightly grasped by a pair of hands.
Looking back, Hellfire saw Deadpool— whose head had just been severed— back on the ground, seemingly unscathed, clutching Hellfire's large foot with both hands, ignoring the scorched blackness of his palms.
"I told you. As long as I'm here, you won't take another step forward. By the way, I'm one of the most annoying people around."
Deadpool gave a sly grin, his healing factor kicking in as his broken body parts slowly began to regenerate. His recovery speed was faster than even Wolverine's.
Hellfire seemed intrigued. He crouched down, using his empty right hand to grab Deadpool by the neck and lift him off the ground.
"Up close, you're really quite ugly." Deadpool managed to speak, still making jokes, locking eyes with Hellfire as they faced each other.
Suddenly, Hellfire grinned, using the chains wrapped around his body to lock Deadpool in place. The green flames also engulfed him.
"Useless. Even if you turn to charcoal, I can still..." Deadpool's words stopped abruptly as he realized in horror that the green flames weren't just burning away his body— they were also slowly eroding his healing factor.
"No!!" Soon, Deadpool's body was reduced to a skeleton, his bones barely holding on as he continued to struggle in Hellfire's grip.
"Damn it, I have to save him." Giant Ant-Man, lying on the ground, heard Deadpool's agonized screams and struggled to rise. But with both of his hands seriously injured, he couldn't get up.
Eddie, whose remaining half-body was wrapped by Venom, struggled to breathe, using his mind to communicate his thoughts: "Venom, it's up to you now. You're the only one who can help Deadpool."
"If I leave your body, you will die instantly," Venom responded simply.
"I don't care. Hurry, if you hesitate any longer, it'll be too late!"
"Then, as you wish!"
Countless black tendrils detached from Eddie's body, shooting past Giant Ant-Man and speeding toward Deadpool in Hellfire's grip!
"(End of Chapter)"
I have finished translating this fanfic, IMUC (I Am In Marvel With Unlimited Cards) and have posted all the advanced chapters on Patreon (Last Chapter -- 706). (https://www.patreon.com/c/marvel6395). You can read all the advanced chapters there.