Rogers was dead.
The reality of it hung in the air like smoke after an explosion. Natasha and Hawkeye both stared at the spot where Captain America's headless body had fallen, disbelief written plainly across their faces. They had heard Richard say he would kill him, but some part of them had still clung to the hope that it was intimidation, a warning meant to pressure SHIELD and the government.
They had been wrong.
Of all the founding Avengers, the one Richard despised most had always been the self-righteous, double-standard patriot with the shield. Even without a mission from the system, even without rewards attached, if Captain America stood as his enemy, Richard would not hesitate. He had meant every word.
Hulk, however, showed no particular reaction.
Though technically an Avenger, he had never truly considered Rogers a friend. In his mind, there was only one person in that team he genuinely acknowledged—Natasha. The others were Banner's acquaintances, not his.
From Hulk's perspective, a man he occasionally saw had just been killed. That was all.
Richard paid no attention to the shock on Natasha's face or the tight silence from Hawkeye. Instead, he calmly reviewed the description of the newly obtained Yama Knife in his mind. The system's explanation was brief, but he didn't need more detail. He already knew exactly what it could do.
He did not summon it immediately. Instead, he closed the interface and looked at Natasha and Hawkeye.
"Go back and tell Nick Fury this," he said evenly. "If SHIELD doesn't want to end up like the Department of Mutant Affairs, they'd better stop meddling."
His tone remained calm, almost conversational.
"Tell the White House that if they want me to stop, they need to agree to three conditions."
He raised one finger.
"First, remove every wanted order and charge against me."
A second finger followed.
"Second, return all property that belonged to the Wesley family, with interest. Including emotional damages, I want three times the value. Cash or equivalent assets. I don't care."
Then the third.
"Third, release my father."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"They have twenty-four hours. If they refuse, I'll make the Department of Mutant Affairs and every lawmaker who supported the Mutant Restriction Bill disappear."
The air felt heavier as he continued.
"They can also try to eliminate me. But if they choose to be my enemy, I won't mind becoming the terrorist they label me as. I'll destroy American cities one by one."
The words were not shouted. They were delivered with steady clarity.
After that, he stepped toward Hulk and lightly patted his massive arm.
"Don't hang around SHIELD too much. They don't have a future."
"Hulk doesn't belong to SHIELD," Hulk replied immediately. "Hulk only helps Natasha."
Richard smiled faintly at that.
Then, using telekinesis layered with fine control, he lifted the shattered fragments of the vibranium shield along with scattered debris around Rogers' body. A sphere of water formed in midair, roughly a meter in diameter, enveloping the broken pieces.
The water spun violently for more than ten seconds, washing away blood and dirt. When the fragments were clean, he collected the larger half of the shield into his system space, leaving only part of it intact as a trophy. The smaller fragments would serve another purpose.
Just as he prepared to teleport away, Hulk suddenly spoke.
"Aren't you going to spar with Hulk?"
Richard blinked, genuinely surprised. Natasha and Hawkeye looked equally confused.
Then he remembered.
During their last fight, he had told Hulk he expected improvement next time. Clearly, Hulk had taken that promise seriously.
"Not today," Richard replied. "It's only been a few days. Train more. When you've improved noticeably, we'll spar again."
Hulk's expression showed obvious disappointment.
"Oh."
"See you next time."
Richard vanished in an instant. As he disappeared, the suspended water sphere collapsed, splashing to the ground.
Moments later, he reappeared not in Manhattan, but in a quiet forest on the outskirts of New York.
He retrieved several fragments of vibranium from his system space.
"Crush."
The moment he activated the ability, the supposedly indestructible metal disintegrated into ultra-fine powder. He studied the dust briefly before activating the power again, this time destroying atomic bonds completely.
The powder vanished like smoke.
Satisfied, he summoned the Yama Knife.
The blade appeared with its sheath in his hand—white handle, black base, paired hexagonal blade, gold infinity-shaped pattern coiling around a golden dragon motif. It matched the version from Devil May Cry 5 precisely.
He gripped the sheath in his left hand, katana-style, and drew with his right.
Dimension Slash.
A thick tree dozens of meters away was instantly severed into over ten sections. But this time, he felt the difference. With the authentic blade, there had been no re-sheathing motion. With the Yama Knife, the motion was instinctive.
To outside observers, it would look like he barely drew the blade at all.
In reality, he had fully drawn and re-sheathed it at speeds beyond human vision.
He liked it.
It wasn't just powerful.
It was cool.
He performed Continuous Dimension Slash next. The already falling tree trunk was shredded into hundreds of fragments by successive flashes.
Only after finishing did he return the Yama Knife to the system space.
Then he teleported to the White Queen's luxurious Manhattan apartment.
Without waiting for her to speak, he swept her up from the sofa where she sat in a white dress, her long legs perfectly framed against the cushions. Carrying her toward the bedroom, he was in a distinctly good mood.
Soon, the sounds of heated argument—of a very different kind—filled the room.
…
SHIELD Triskelion Headquarters.
Director's Office.
Nick Fury stood before Natasha, Banner, and Hawkeye, his expression grave.
Captain America's body had already been sent to the lab. While alive, Rogers had never agreed to invasive experimentation. In death, that courtesy no longer applied. Fury had ordered maximum analysis, hoping to reverse-engineer the super soldier serum from his remains.
After a long silence, Fury finally spoke.
"I just spoke with the White House. They can meet two of Richard's three conditions."
"Which one can't they meet?" Natasha asked immediately.
"The third. They can't release Roy Wesley."
"Why not?" she pressed. "He's just a Beta-class mutant with enhanced strength and durability. Releasing him wouldn't destabilize anything."
Fury's jaw tightened.
"Because he's dead."
The room went silent.
"He died in custody," Fury continued. "And his body has already been cremated."
Natasha and Hawkeye immediately understood the severity of the situation. From their perspective, everything Richard had done was to save his father. If Roy Wesley was dead, then the situation could spiral far beyond control.
They imagined cities burning.
They imagined Richard acting on his threats.
But the truth was more nuanced. Saving Roy Wesley had never been Richard's core objective. It had been a gesture, a matter of principle. If rescue was possible, he would do it. If not, it was unfortunate—but not worth derailing his greater ambitions.
Still, perception mattered.
"How are they planning to tell him?" Natasha asked.
"Directly," Fury replied. "They're prepared to offer additional compensation."
He hesitated.
"They also believe you're the best person to approach him."
Natasha narrowed her eyes.
"You've interacted with him twice. You weren't harmed either time. They think he might… have a favorable impression."
The implication was obvious.
Honey trap.
Natasha glanced at Banner, relieved that he hadn't caught the subtext. In her earlier career, she had used her appearance strategically countless times. But things were different now.
"Are they idiots?" she snapped. "Which part of that man suggests he has a crush on me?"
Her voice hardened.
"I'm not volunteering to die for their mistake. They want to explain it? They can explain it themselves."
.....
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