Although he hadn't expected Todd and the other two to die so quickly, Captain America reacted the instant Richard's gaze shifted toward him. He raised his vibranium shield and settled into a combat stance, his jaw tight and eyes sharp. There was no hesitation in his posture, only resolve.
Hawkeye stood a few steps behind him, fingers brushing over the arrows in his multifunction quiver. After several seconds of visible hesitation, he pulled out a specially modified arrow, but he didn't nock it. Nor did he aim at Richard. Instead, he spoke quietly, his voice low but steady.
"Our mission was to assist the Department of Mutant Affairs in capturing Richard. Everyone from that department is dead now. Even if we withdraw, no one's going to question it."
He wasn't afraid to admit reality. As a member of the Avengers, he understood his own limits clearly. Against ordinary criminals or low-tier superhumans, he was more than enough. But Richard's combat power had long surpassed that category. No matter how advanced his arrows were, he was still human.
Captain America didn't take his eyes off Richard.
"This isn't about whether we should retreat," he replied calmly. "It's about whether he'll let us leave."
He paused for a fraction of a second.
"My gut says he doesn't intend to let us walk away."
Richard showed no obvious killing intent. In fact, there wasn't even a trace of emotional fluctuation in him. The reason was simple. Captain America didn't warrant hatred. No one harbors intense murderous rage toward an ant they can crush at will.
Still, Rogers wasn't entirely wrong. Whether Hawkeye lived or died depended on his next decision.
From a personal standpoint, Richard didn't dislike Barton. If the man made the sensible choice, Richard had no issue letting him return home to his wife and children.
Just as Hawkeye opened his mouth to continue, Richard spoke first.
"Let me ask you something. Do you think I'm some kind of perverted murderer with no mercy?"
Captain America answered without hesitation.
"You know exactly what you are. In just a few months, hundreds of people have died at your hands."
Richard smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Yes, many people have died by my hand," he admitted evenly. "I haven't counted them precisely. But I can guarantee one thing. The Department of Mutant Affairs has killed far more than I have. And the U.S. military has killed far more than both of us combined in foreign operations."
His gaze sharpened.
"You're so righteous. Why don't you stop them?"
"They were carrying out legitimate missions," Captain America shot back. "You're killing innocent people."
"Legitimate?" Richard repeated slowly. "Do you even know what law is?"
Neither Captain America nor Hawkeye could follow the direction of the conversation. Before they could respond, Richard continued.
"Since you dropped out of high school, I'll give you a free lesson. Law is a tool created by the ruling class to reflect its will and maintain its rule. It doesn't represent justice. It represents power."
He stepped forward slightly, voice steady and controlled.
"If I killed you right now, I could make it legal afterward. I wouldn't even need to do much. Your president and officials would find a way to justify it for me."
He tilted his head.
"You call me a murderer because my actions don't align with your values."
Then his tone shifted.
"Speaking of values. Your good friend Bucky Barnes has killed as many people as I have. Why didn't you arrest him?"
Hawkeye's eyes flicked toward Rogers.
"Don't pretend you didn't know he was alive," Richard continued. "You knew. You also knew he murdered Howard and Maria Stark."
Captain America's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
"You became Captain America because of Howard. His machine stabilized the serum. His vibranium shield saved your life against the Red Skull and Hydra. Without him, you would have died decades ago."
Richard's voice grew colder.
"And how did you repay him? You let his wife's killer walk free. You befriended Tony Stark while hiding the truth."
He let that linger.
"Tony considers you a friend. That's unfortunate."
Silence stretched between them.
"I'm not a good person," Richard said plainly. "But at least I don't pretend otherwise. I don't forgive friends who murder my benefactors. I don't hold double standards."
Hawkeye didn't want to believe it. As a seasoned agent, he was trained to doubt psychological tactics. But the look on Rogers' face told him everything he needed to know.
How did Richard know?
Before anyone could speak again, Richard turned to Hawkeye.
"Agent Barton. I don't dislike you. And I know you're not a hypocrite like Rogers. If you stand aside, I'll let you go home to your family."
His eyes hardened.
"If you insist on opposing me, don't blame me for what happens next."
Hawkeye fell silent. Richard waited patiently. Ten seconds passed.
Finally, Barton looked up.
"Rogers is my friend. I won't—"
Boom.
A massive green figure dropped from the sky like a meteor, slamming into the ground between them. Dust and debris exploded outward from the impact crater.
Hulk stood there.
More precisely, Hulk holding Natasha Romanoff.
As the dust settled, Richard looked at the towering figure calmly.
"Big guy. You're not here to stop me too, are you? Because if you are, you'd better be ready to die here."
"Hulk doesn't want to fight you," Hulk rumbled. "Hulk just brought Natasha."
Richard's gaze shifted.
Natasha wore a tight black tactical suit that accentuated every line of her figure. The zipper at her chest sat lower than necessary, revealing a striking contrast of pale skin against dark fabric.
She met his eyes without flinching.
"I'm here to propose a truce on behalf of SHIELD," she said directly. "We were cooperating with the Department of Mutant Affairs. Arresting you wasn't SHIELD's independent decision."
After watching Richard slaughter Todd and the others through drone feeds, Nick Fury had immediately ordered Natasha and Banner to intervene before Captain America escalated the situation.
"There's no need for a truce," Richard replied. "I'm killing Rogers. If you want to stop me, try."
He vanished.
Teleportation placed him instantly in front of Captain America.
Eight flashes of steel erupted in a single breath.
Sephiroth's signature technique—Eight Blades Flash.
The authentic blade moved like lightning, striking the vibranium shield in rapid succession.
Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.
Eight strikes landed in the blink of an eye. When the final blade fell, eight clear gouges scarred the surface of the shield.
But it hadn't broken.
Richard frowned slightly.
Without hesitation, he tripled the magic output.
The air trembled.
Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.
Bang!
Before the final three strikes could even fall, the vibranium shield shattered explosively, fragments scattering in every direction.
Richard didn't stop.
The remaining three slashes continued forward.
Chi. Chi. Chi.
The final blade swept cleanly across Rogers' neck.
For a fraction of a second, nothing happened.
Then Captain America's head separated smoothly from his body. It flew upward like a basketball, blood erupting in a violent arc from the severed neck.
Richard used flight to push the headless corpse and the spray of blood away from himself.
Under Natasha's and Hulk's stunned gaze, the body flew backward more than ten meters before collapsing onto the pavement.
[Mission "Son of the Devil (III)" completed!]
[Mission reward Yama Knife delivered!]
[New weapon obtained: Yama Knife!]
[Yama Knife: A weapon from Vergil. It contains the immense demonic power bestowed by the legendary swordsman Sparda. It possesses the power of "Separation" and cuts through demons as if slicing paper.]
Richard studied the information panel with quiet satisfaction.
He liked the authentic blade. But that didn't mean he wouldn't want the Yama Knife.
It was like owning a Ferrari and still wanting a Lamborghini. Or having Wanda… and still wanting Lorna.
.....
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