"Be careful," William warned in a low voice. "Something's wrong."
Just then.
The black figure, who had been looking down, slowly, slowly raised his head.
He didn't "look" at anyone.
The face covered by the black mask still showed no expression.
But a completely different aura emanated from him.
No longer the cold, paranoid order of Matt Murdock.
Nor the chaotic, pure destruction of the black sky.
But a... more ancient, deeper, pure evil.
"An interesting sideshow."
A voice came from Matt's throat.
That wasn't Matt's voice.
It was deep, hoarse, filled with a condescending, inhuman majesty.
As if from some ancient abyss.
"Human emotions... love, hate, sacrifice..."
"Truly... fragile yet delicious seasoning."
"You're not Matt!" Danny Rand yelled in horror, clutching his injured ribs.
"Matt Murdock?" The voice chuckled, full of disdain. "He is just a vessel. A sufficiently resilient, sufficiently capacious... mortal shell for me."
"And now, this vessel is finally perfect."
The Beast!
The ultimate being worshipped by The Hand!
It had completely taken over this body!
William's heart sank to rock bottom.
The worst had happened.
Elektra's suicidal attack, far from awakening Matt, had instead acted like a catalyst, pouring the black sky's primal power into the Beast, allowing it to complete its complete usurpation of this body ahead of schedule.
"Thanks to that woman." The Beast moved its neck, which was bound by nanocarbon cables, emitting a "cracking" sound of bones rubbing together.
"She sacrificed herself to me, allowing my power to reach an unprecedented peak."
"As a reward, I will make this city my first perfect sacrifice upon my awakening."
"Screech... screech..."
The nanocarbon cables wrapped around the Beast's limbs let out an earsplitting groan.
The cable tension readings in William's Tactical Vision soared madly!
Ninety percent!
Ninety-five percent!
Ninety-eight percent!
"He's breaking free!" Tony's energy cannon aimed at the target again.
"Don't fire!" William roared. "Energy attacks will only feed him!"
The Beast slowly stood up.
The four nanocarbon cables, strong enough to hoist a truck, were pulled taut, straightened inch by inch by his Superhuman Strength, almost embedding themselves into his flesh.
But he seemed to feel no pain.
"It's over, mortals."
The Beast spread his arms, and a pure dark energy erupted from him in a deafening roar!
"Boom—!"
Luke Cage and Danny Rand were directly blown away by the shockwave.
Tony's armor barely stabilized itself in mid-air.
And William, bore the brunt!
He felt as if he had been hit head-on by a high-speed train.
With his Superhuman Strength fully unleashed, his feet plowed two deep furrows in the ground, and he slid uncontrollably backward for more than ten meters.
The cables in his hands were almost torn free!
"Warning! Cable integrity reduced to thirty percent! Imminent breakage!"
It's over.
Only these two words remained in William's mind.
This monster had already exceeded the scope of what any of them could handle.
Just at this desperate moment.
The Beast's movement, on the verge of completely breaking free, suddenly stiffened.
On his arrogant and indifferent face, for the first time, a trace of... struggle appeared.
"No..."
A faint, broken, yet incredibly familiar voice squeezed out from deep within that body.
It was Matt!
Matt Murdock!
His consciousness had not been completely devoured!
"Get... out... of... my... body..."
Matt's voice was intermittent, filled with endless pain.
"Oh?" A cruel smile appeared on the Beast's face. "Still not giving up? Stubborn little bug."
"You saw with your own eyes, your weakness, your emotions, will only bring destruction."
"Let her go... let Elektra go..." Matt's consciousness seemed to still be lingering on that kiss from earlier.
"She's dead," the Beast said coldly. "Just like those ridiculous principles you once held, they've all been crushed by me."
"No..."
"Accept it, Matt. Your era is over."
"I am the future."
The Beast's power surged again, preparing to completely crush that last trace of resisting consciousness.
However.
At this very moment.
Matt's eyes, shrouded in crimson and darkness, suddenly regained a trace of clarity.
His "gaze" pierced through everyone, through the chaotic battlefield, and precisely "looked" at the man who was still standing, holding tightly to the cables.
William Rodriguez.
His lips moved silently.
William's Tactical Vision caught the shape of his mouth.
"...Thank... you..."
William was stunned.
Thank me?
Thank me for what?
The next second.
He understood.
The figure, bound in place, used his last, most resolute strength to make a move that no one could have imagined.
He didn't try to break free.
Instead, he suddenly twisted his head.
He actively, fiercely wrapped his own neck around the gleaming metallic nanocarbon cable that was binding his arms!
Then.
He used all his strength and leaned back!
"No!"
"Matt!"
Danny and Luke's exclamations, and Tony's incredulous curses, rang out simultaneously.
But it was too late.
The cold chain that was originally meant to bind him, at this moment, became his self-inflicted noose.
The nanocarbon cable instantly tightened, deeply cutting into his neck.
"Ugh..."
A muffled sound of pain.
The Beast's arrogant expression froze on his face, replaced by extreme shock and rage.
It hadn't expected.
This mortal would actually resist in such a way!
By destroying the vessel, to destroy it!
William stood stunned in place.
He could clearly feel the insane, struggling life force coming from the other end of the cable, rapidly fading at a terrifying speed.
Matt Murdock.
Daredevil of Hell's Kitchen.
The stubborn, principled lawyer.
The fallen, dark king.
In the last moments of his life, he chose the most tragic way to reclaim control of his body.
He didn't win.
But he didn't lose either.
He simply... chose to end it.
"Thud."
The body finally lost all strength and fell heavily to its knees.
The cable remained tightly cinched around his neck.
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