Chapter 91: Even a Man-Made Captain Will Be Obliterated by a Single Punch from Marvel's Superman
Everyone was at their wits' end over the great battle that had suddenly erupted in New York.
The most frustrated and tormented of all was undoubtedly Nick Fury. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the more chaotic the era became, the more it highlighted his incompetence and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s failings.
"Here we go again. It's happening again. Another battle that S.H.I.E.L.D. can't intervene in..."
Fury was so angry he could have gnashed his teeth to dust.
Logically speaking, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power was not weak, but the frustrating reality was that it was helpless when it came to battles of this caliber.
Whether it was The Avengers, the Howling Commandos, or any other hero team, rashly participating in a battle of this level would only result in them being obliterated by the shockwaves, becoming nothing but a pathetic backdrop.
What's more, Du Wa's people were on one of the warring sides.
"I think, after this incident, we need to have a good talk. Many people are questioning whether S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global dominance under your leadership is in sharp decline. They suspect you don't actually have the ability to handle today's events."
The call was from the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and current Secretary-General, Pierce.
Fury sneered, "What qualification? My qualification to lead S.H.I.E.L.D. in maintaining global order?"
Pierce said gravely, "I know you're not happy, but there's nothing I can do. I can't hold back the pressure on my end anymore. Lately, we've watched New York descend into chaos, and the global situation is tilting in a direction we never imagined. Look at it now, even cultists are running rampant everywhere. Do you know how many reports I receive daily about the activities of those Xenomorph worshippers? They don't worship humanity; they delude a large number of humans into worshipping Xenomorphs! What's the difference between that and worshipping a demon and holding a sacrificial ritual for it!"
"Don't worry, there will be a way. Those four guys fighting can't keep it up forever. They'll soon understand who the master here is," Fury said with his hands behind his back.
A glint flashed in Pierce's eyes. "Oh? What can you do? Or should I say, have you found someone who can bolster your strength?"
"Yes, I have... Captain America, it's time for you to make an appearance," Fury called out.
Pierce was stunned. Captain America? What kind of joke was this? That guy was clearly just...
But he quickly fell silent.
Through the screen, he saw the gate behind Fury open, and a figure bathed in blue light flew in.
"Steve? Aren't you... What on Earth is going on?" Pierce was flabbergasted.
Captain America had obtained new power, allowing him to fly? How on Earth did Nick Fury manage that?
"Nick, you never told me that you had used some unknown means to grant Steve such immense power. Even without observing him in person, I can feel how dangerous the blue energy radiating from him is."
"It's the Cosmic Cube. I organized a professional research team, analyzed the data left behind by Red Skull's group, and developed the power of this divine artifact, transferring it to Captain America. Fortunately, I succeeded. I personally created an extremely powerful hero." Fury looked at Pierce on the screen, a thought crossing his mind, but he didn't let it show.
"This is truly wonderful. I think our enemies will be very discouraged... But is the power Steve now wields enough to deal with those four?" Pierce changed the subject.
Fury's brow furrowed slightly. "I'm not sure, but at least we now have enough ability to participate in a battle of this level."
Captain America clenched his fists, feeling the blue light surging from within his body. A broad smile spread across his face, completely devoid of worry, showing only a fighting spirit always at its peak and the resolve to carry out justice.
If nothing unexpected happened, Captain America would no longer be the one holding the team back, as Tony often put it. He could now act as a powerful heroic asset, fighting against the fiercest of enemies.
It was a far cry from the past, where, as the symbol of this nation, the most he could do was swing his shield and desperately smash it against enemies a few times, doing practically no damage.
Anyone of a slightly higher caliber could completely ignore Captain America's full-force attacks.
"Of the few people fighting in New York right now, we have intelligence on three of them. But this last one, we know nothing about him. Considering he flew in with Ikaris to attack Du Wa, I suspect he's also an Eternal, not an Earthling."
Fury turned to converse with Captain America, placing great hopes on him.
Earth was too chaotic now. One powerful being after another was freely displaying their ultimate power, scorning the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The battle between Du Wa and Atlantis had yet to conclude, and now Du Wa was immediately facing this new group. The two fierce battles erupting simultaneously made Fury feel a deep sense of powerlessness.
Fury felt that if he could get both Captain Marvel and Captain America in his grasp, the planet would instantly become much more stable, and all ill-intentioned Villains would have to die.
Since Captain Marvel wasn't around, he would just have to grab hold of Captain America for now.
"Captain, we're counting on you."
"I understand. I will give it my all." Captain America smiled, vowing not to let the enemy wreak havoc on this land.
He grabbed his shield and flew swiftly towards the battlefield.
"Alexander, look at the opponents we're facing now. This proves one thing: continuing to operate along the old lines will be greatly restrictive and increasingly difficult in dealing with this drastically changing reality. What do you think?" Fury said with his hands behind his back, gazing at the departing Captain America, but the corner of his eye was fixed on every micro-expression of Pierce on the screen.
"You're right. You truly are more suited to be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. than I was. My recommendation of you back then was correct."
"It's great that you think so."
The two ended the communication.
The doubt in Fury's eyes grew deeper. He knew Pierce had left people behind in S.H.I.E.L.D. to report to him.
But what truly made Fury wary was the clear trend of dissension and betrayal emerging within S.H.I.E.L.D. He now only hoped that Pierce was not involved.
Given his level of control over S.H.I.E.L.D., for such a strong centrifugal force to emerge that even he couldn't immediately grasp its source, this group must have long been an established faction. If this were Pierce's handiwork, Fury felt that would be overestimating Pierce. There had to be something amiss here.
"After this event is over, I still need to find a way to quell the war between Du Wa and Atlantis... Ikaris and the other suspected Eternal might have been invited by the Atlanteans. In this respect, they did the right thing. No matter what, we can't let Du Wa become the sole dominant power, ruling over the entire Earth."
Fury had already made up his mind. After stabilizing the global situation, he would immediately free up his hands to clean up the various factions within the agency, and then rapidly build up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s overall strength.
The world was so unstable; it was a time that required gathering all possible power to respond.
"I just hope these rats in the agency don't give me too many frights. I'd rather not have to chop off too many hands and feet." The coldness in Fury's eyes grew ever more intense.
...
By the time Captain America flew to the battlefield, the four of them were already fighting with true fire.
Sunspot and Ikaris were one thing; both knew they were supporting characters in this battle. So, although the fighting was getting more and more intense, they ultimately retained a shred of sanity.
But Sentry and Hyperion were different. These two highly similar Supermen desperately increased their power, their roars turning into terrifying sonic waves as they hysterically beat each other.
The two had even destroyed each other's energy shields, relying on absolute strength to pierce through their respective defenses.
Both strongmen had beaten each other to a bloody pulp.
"Die, lower lifeform! You bastard are clearly no match for me, so why are you getting stronger the more we fight?"
Hyperion was starting to break down. The situation on Earth was completely different from what he had imagined.
According to his plan, he would follow Ikaris, eliminate all enemies, make short work of the problem, and ultimately, after some effort, kill Du Wa and cleanse the globe of Xenomorphs. Then, like a deity, he would reorganize the world order and leave this remote place.
But now? He had fought until now, his body covered in wounds large and small, and despite his rapid self-healing, he hadn't even seen Du Wa's face! In his first official battle, against the renowned Sentry, he was unable to secure a victory.
Hyperion watched as Sentry's power steadily grew, wielding the energy of even more stars.
This power made him burn with envy. One had to know, his own method of increasing his strength was to absorb the power of a Yellow Sun—that is, a sun in its prime—with super-high efficiency.
"Although I don't know how you obtained this strength, it's a real waste on you! If it were given to me, I'd be a hundred, a thousand times stronger than I am now! I could kill you with a single finger!" Hyperion cursed with jealousy. The Reynolds before him was like the sum total of countless stars. But before he could finish, a fist from Reynolds smashed into his face.
The punch immediately left cracks across half of Hyperion's face.
But of course, Hyperion wouldn't just take the hits. With a combination of punches, he slammed Reynolds into a building, beating him until his head was broken and bleeding.
These two Supermen were giving it their all. Sometimes they had to gasp for breath for a moment as a buffer period. It was foreseeable that they would have to continue fighting to determine a winner.
"Hmm, beyond my expectations. Reynolds, with the help of the Xenomorph, managed to display this level of combat power through his own efforts. It shows he's growing fast... It's also because this universe's Hyperion doesn't possess that kind of overwhelming strength, which gave Reynolds enough time to improve himself."
Du Wa commented with continuous praise as he watched the battle.
In some universes, Hyperion truly possessed the strength to tear Sentry apart by hand, but clearly, it was different in this universe.
That was until Du Wa saw the arrival of Captain America.
He saw Captain America fly over, clutching that shield of his.
"Captain America? No, something's different." Du Wa glanced from afar, and just by sensing the energy fluctuations from Captain America's body, he could guess most of the story.
One must understand that Du Wa's knowledge and experience were growing madly with every passing moment.
Furthermore, a large number of Xenomorphs were permanently stationed in Kamar-Taj and Asgard, madly absorbing vast amounts of knowledge like sponges.
Although Du Wa couldn't instantly convert this learned knowledge into corresponding strength, it was only a matter of time.
But Du Wa still felt that this Captain America was a bit strange.
"Even to bear the power of the Cosmic Cube and replicate a miracle similar to Captain Marvel's, it's impossible to succeed so casually with just a hot-blooded attitude... How did Fury do it? Something must have happened that I don't know about."
Du Wa observed this Captain America's every move. His initial suspicion was that Fury had secretly shattered the Cosmic Cube, or at least broken off a small fragment and implanted it into Captain America's body.
This was the simplest, most effective, and highest-success-rate method.
But he still needed to observe to be sure.
"That's enough, gentlemen! Your actions have severely disrupted the stability of Earth. It doesn't matter if you are Human, Xenomorph, Mutant, or even an Extraterrestrial, you will all be brought to justice!"
Captain America flew before them and declared righteously.
His entrance stunned everyone, from the other members of the Avengers waiting in the wings to every hero and villain watching this scene.
"Another one?"
Hyperion flew into a rage. He immediately fired an Atomic Vision blast at Reynolds, forcing Sentry to dodge. The moment he did, Hyperion turned and threw a vicious punch at Captain America.
With a loud bang, the heavy punch, capable of pulverizing mountains, was steadily caught by Captain America's shield.
A massive shockwave spread out, then quickly contracted, coalescing into a brief energy vortex that brewed with the might to disintegrate matter into atoms.
Captain America gripped his weapon tightly, feeling every cell in his body screaming under the immense pressure. He firmly believed that regardless of whether his opponent was a Deity or a Demon, all their attacks would be stopped by his shield.
Soon, Captain America pushed back, forcefully shoving Hyperion's fist away with his shield. He then pivoted his body and, gripping the shield with both hands, slammed it heavily into Hyperion's face.
"Hehehe, is that all you've got? I don't know where you stole that power from, but with such feeble strength, you should just hurry up and die. Don't get in my way."
"You can't just kill every enemy you meet! You're not from Earth, are you? No matter where you come from, I will not allow you to do as you please in this world!"
"Then try and stop me!"
Hyperion attacked continuously, unleashing a violent output over several seconds, forcing Captain America to do nothing but hold up his shield and desperately defend.
The current Captain America was strong, but having just gained his power, he wasn't yet equipped to fight an enemy of Hyperion's level head-on. However, by relying on his indestructible equipment, he could stall for a while.
Yes, just like Lady Deathstrike. His raw power was insufficient, but he could hold on thanks to his equipment, creating a passive, even-match situation.
In the eyes of the uninformed, the Captain, having gained immense power, was engaged in a heated battle with an enemy who was slaughtering with abandon. They became excited, and frenzied shouts spread wildly across the internet.
As if doing so would allow the Captain to defeat Hyperion, who knew no fatigue and was, under certain conditions, a perpetual motion machine.
"This guy isn't qualified yet. Once his shield is broken, he's lost."
Reynolds crossed his arms and made his conclusion after a brief observation.
He observed with his super-vision, his sight piercing directly to the atomic structure. He saw that under Hyperion's countless punches per second, the atomic structure within the shield was beginning to deform.
Finally, with a roar from Hyperion, there was a loud crack, and the shield shattered.
Captain America himself was then struck by Hyperion's follow-up Atomic Vision, which pierced right through his chest. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, tumbling precariously from the sky.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, Tony appeared in time, catching and shouldering him.
"Looks like you're not dead yet. I approve of you. You're like Banner; you can be useful at times."
The moment Tony caught Captain America, he immediately scanned him. He too was curious about what Fury had done to this guy. How did he become so strong in such a short time?
"Stark, thank you for saving me... But it would have been better if you had abandoned me and attacked the enemy instead. My life is not important; defeating the enemy is what matters most."
"No can do. If no one stood up to stop this enemy, I would have. But since Du Wa has already stepped up, the most important thing for me to do is to organize a rescue for the civilians, not join the battlefield. Du Wa doesn't need me to do that," Tony said, thinking this Captain America's style was very off, that he'd become more paranoid. The real Steve would know he lacked the strength to defeat Hyperion. Tony himself would have armor on that level soon, but he didn't have it yet.
Captain America struggled to turn his head. His astonishing vision precisely saw every fragment of the shield falling from the sky.
These pieces should have been a part of him, a symbol of a certain spirit, but now they were shattered like trash, scattering in the wind.
Tony said, "The fact that you're so persistent is more surprising to me than the fact that you gained so much power in an instant."
Tony looked at the massive amount of data J.A.R.V.I.S. was transmitting to his faceplate, and his brow slowly furrowed.
"Even your body structure has changed? Cell count, bone structure, muscle density... These unknown energy clusters are scattered in every corner of your body, rapidly repairing your injuries. Pal, how did you do it? To gain power in such a short time that others couldn't obtain in a lifetime."
"Courage and will allowed me to succeed," Captain America answered, floating in the air after breaking free from Tony, his chest wound already fully healed.
"It's the Cosmic Cube, isn't it? Fury used it to enhance your power, right? But something still feels off..."
Tony carefully examined all the data on the Captain America before him. His super brain recalled all his past conversations with Captain America, and combined with his expressions, the sense of incongruity grew stronger and stronger.
There was definitely something he had missed, something very important, but what was it?
Fury, observing this scene via satellite, had a complicated expression but also breathed a sigh of relief. "This proves my project was a success. Add to that the project Stark and Banner are jointly pushing forward, and the Mother Mold as a backup plan, it won't be long before this world is back on the right track."
These destroyers of the existing order, these guys beyond his control, every single one of them, the best they could hope for was to spend the rest of their lives in prison, never to see the light of day again.
Du Wa's thoughts were similar to Fury's, in a way.
"Hmm, Captain America still failed. To face an opponent of Hyperion's level right after his life level was elevated, both Fury and Captain America underestimated Hyperion... However, I don't see any fragments of the Cube on him for now. I roughly know what's going on... That guy Fury is truly a crazy Agent. But first, the most important thing is to deal with Hyperion."
Du Wa's gaze shifted to Reynolds.
Reynolds himself was thinking hard, using the brief ten-plus seconds bought by Captain America to rack his brainpower, imagining all possibilities.
"Du Wa didn't send anyone else, which means he believes I can defeat Hyperion. But that's not the reality. If I continue to fight him, I don't know what the outcome will be. But Du Wa can't be wrong. What on earth is going on..."
"The method to defeat him is not as hard as you think. Have you forgotten the Cloak of Levitation behind you?" Du Wa's voice came through.
"The Cloak of Levitation? Could it be that Hyperion is afraid of magic...? I... I understand."
Reynolds suddenly raised his head, the golden light in his eyes brighter than ever before. Under Hyperion's savage gaze, he abruptly grabbed the red Cloak of Levitation behind him and flung it toward the sky.
"Are you crazy? What are you doing throwing a piece of clothing out at a time like this?"
Hyperion sneered, flew in abruptly, and punched Reynolds in the stomach. He then changed his fist to a palm, viciously tearing a large piece of flesh from Reynolds' body.
But Hyperion's smile didn't last long, even though he seemingly had the upper hand after the fierce battle.
*Swish!*
The Cloak of Levitation expanded crazily, obscuring the entire city and continuing to spread, blocking the sunlight from shining down and plunging everything into darkness.
Hyperion's expression finally changed.
"Damn it, you actually blocked the sun, you bastard!!"
Hyperion roared in disbelief and fury. Deprived of the sun's radiation, his body began to weaken at a visible rate.
If he hadn't been in a battle, Hyperion could have lasted a long time even without sunlight, relying solely on the energy within his body. It would have been enough time for him to fly to other regions of Earth, or even fly directly towards the Sun to replenish his energy in time.
But not now. He had lost his energy source and had to maintain a high-intensity energy output. This combination of factors caused Hyperion to weaken rapidly.
Reynolds' eyes gleamed. He first fired a blast of Heat Vision, striking the now significantly slower Hyperion and sending him tumbling dozens of times in the air.
"You should be glad I haven't learned magic. Otherwise, I would have used this magic equipment to wrap up the entire Sun and starve you to death, you scumbag!!"
*BOOM!*
Reynolds was ecstatic. He felt a huge sense of accomplishment. This was the first time he had desperately developed the power within his own body. Even though he was just mimicking Du Wa's example, he had ultimately achieved significant growth. And he had used this power to defeat a powerful enemy who was identical to him in many respects and was even a notch above him in current strength!
Was there anything that could make one feel more proud and honored than sensing one's own tremendous growth? There was not.
His only regret was that since receiving this red Cloak of Levitation from the Ancient One, he had never been able to truly unleash the full might of this weapon. He had not yet earned the Cloak of Levitation's recognition and was currently cooperating with it in a strained manner.
But even just weakening Hyperion this severely was enough for him to achieve final victory.
"You inferior being! I never told anyone what my abilities were, so how did you know!"
Hyperion was hit by a Golden Heat Vision, suffering a major injury. His self-healing ability was declining at an astonishing rate. If this dragged on, and his regeneration became even worse, taking another hit like that could kill him on the spot.
But Hyperion still couldn't understand. How could these backwater Earthlings possibly know his abilities? And how could they so quickly launch a targeted suppression?
Yes, Hyperion was very strong. He hadn't even grown to the absolute peak he was theoretically capable of reaching.
But similarly, Hyperion had many weaknesses.
The Superman in the other universe feared Kryptonite and a Red Sun—that is, a star in the final stage of its life cycle.
Of course, this applied to most Supermen in the DC Comics Universe. Those like Ultraman, who specifically basked under red suns and ate Kryptonite to strengthen themselves, were a different matter.
And Hyperion's weaknesses were even more numerous. He could only grow stronger by basking under a Yellow Sun. If he basked under other suns, like Red Giant or Blue Giant stars, his body would only weaken rapidly.
And there was a substance called Aragonite that could neutralize him.
Now, Reynolds had merely used a magic cloak to block the light from the Yellow Sun.
Reynolds struck out with heavy punches, erupting with even greater power. Punch after punch, he made it increasingly difficult for Hyperion to resist. Hyperion coughed up large mouthfuls of blood as his body disintegrated, large chunks of flesh and blood scattering in the wind.
Under Du Wa's instruction, Reynolds expanded his energy field, destroying all of Hyperion's scattered flesh and blood to prevent it from falling into the hands of dangerous individuals.
In the blink of an eye, they exchanged dozens more rounds. This time, Hyperion was utterly defeated.
"Hmph, you can't take it after just one sun is covered. You should know, I have a million suns inside my body! Whatever type of sun you want, I have it here, but not a single one belongs to you!" Reynolds laughed heartily. Along with his soaring confidence and will, even more stellar energy began to surge from within him.
This nearly drove Hyperion insane.
If he had a million yellow suns supplying him with energy, forget about continuing to work for Arishem; he'd dare to turn around and slap Arishem, letting that Celestial know who the real master is!
He wouldn't be like Reynolds, who, despite his smug look of success, was also just a follower to someone as unfathomable as Du Wa.
But no matter how much Hyperion cursed, he could not change the outcome.
He knew it himself, and all the spectators could see it too. He had already lost.
Hyperion wanted to escape, but wherever he flew, the Cloak of Levitation extended rapidly, always obscuring the sky above him. This made it even more impossible for the already slowing Hyperion to escape.
Finally, after another brutal collision of countless afterimages, nearly every bone in Hyperion's body was shattered. Utterly defeated, he was smashed into the ground by a heavy punch from Reynolds.
Countless surrounding buildings were reduced to rubble, providing a tragic backdrop to the end of this battle.
But Reynolds clearly had no mind to care about such things. He was fighting an extraterrestrial invading Earth. In a fight, some deaths were an inevitable result. Why would he care about that?
Amidst the billowing dust, Reynolds, like a golden deity, held Hyperion by the neck with one hand and lifted him into the sky, announcing the result of this battle to all.
"In the end, Sentry still won..."
"I originally thought Du Wa would send out more experts to besiege this unknown character, but I didn't expect Sentry alone to win the battle..."
"Du Wa didn't even use much of his power... He didn't send out the Laufey Xenomorph, Female Thor didn't make a move, and that Skurge who went on a killing spree in The Hand, who is ridiculously strong, didn't come either..."
The leaders of the various factions on Earth sighed with emotion.
They only needed to do a quick calculation of the power under Du Wa's command to be left speechless.
They then began to grow curious about Hyperion's identity. Since he stood with Ikaris, could he also be an Eternal?
The 12th Eternal?
Or perhaps... an Eternal from a different branch, from beyond Earth?
"Counting this guy, Du Wa will gain another powerful Xenomorph hero. He might even become stronger than Sentry after he grows..."
"Sentry's strength is a bit strange. He was clearly able to defeat an otherworld Demon God with the Sorcerer Supreme and kill Laufey in Jotunheim, yet now he's struggling so much against this Eternal. He didn't display that extremely oppressive level of power... It seems the power he can stimulate varies, and it must be related to Du Wa."
"Defeating this strange Eternal just by using a strange cloak to cover the sky? Record this immediately. It might be useful in the future, perhaps after this Eternal becomes a Xenomorph."
In every battle, as long as Du Wa was victorious, he could reap all the fruits, converting them entirely into his own power.
This growth trajectory, like a snowball rolling downhill, was both step-by-step and yet advanced in leaps and bounds. It was too terrifying.
As for the Captain America who had appeared like a meteor only to fall at light speed, few people of status would publicly discuss him anymore.
"Nick Fury, I need an explanation! There is definitely something wrong with this Captain America. His words and actions have subtle differences from the Steve recorded in my archives. Did you brainwash him? Or clone him?"
Tony flew directly to the deck of the Helicarrier with Captain America and questioned him loudly.
Dr. Banner also stopped his work and hurried over, looking coldly at Fury. He already held deep-seated hostility and resentment towards these agents. It was only through great restraint that he didn't turn into the Hulk and go on a rampage.
Fury slowly turned, looking at the righteous-faced Captain America with a complex expression, then said, "Even if you didn't ask, I would have told you sooner or later... This Captain America is indeed not the Captain America you know. He was created by me using the Cosmic Cube. He is a Captain who exists only in our imagination, born from our most beautiful visions for Captain America."
(end of chapter)