Captain America's Passive 50/50 Split

Chapter 35: Captain America's Even Match

Thousands of American soldiers sat in the central area of the plaza, observing the scene.

Kyle and Steve had been in a silent standoff one moment, and the next, both stomped and charged at each other.

From a third-party perspective, it was just a blink of an eye before they were locked in fierce close-quarters combat.

"Be careful."

As if realizing he couldn't let Kyle get the first strike, Steve proactively applied pressure.

As soon as he entered striking range, he pulled his left arm back, then whipped it forward viciously towards Kyle's face.

Bro, don't hit the face!

Kyle suppressed his urge to complain. His backhand reaction was incredibly fast, raising his right arm, which wasn't equipped with the Vibranium Bracer, to block it.

Bang!

His attack unsuccessful, Steve bent his left leg backward, pulling it up, and drove his knee forward in an angular motion.

He clearly intended to offer no reprieve, aiming to overwhelm his opponent with a sustained, high-intensity offensive.

As if anticipating this, Kyle raised his left foot. Arriving first, he kicked the side of Steve's powering leg, narrowly stopping the knee strike that was about to hit his stomach.

"Hmm?" Steve frowned, surprised that he had already suffered a disadvantage due to the experience gap so quickly.

He gritted his teeth, advancing instead of retreating, and continued his aggressive offense with fists and feet, engaging in close-quarters combat with Kyle.

Bang, bang, bang!

Though it was merely a clash of fists and feet, the air was filled with powerful, explosive sounds!

"As expected of a Super Soldier..."

"So strong, they could probably beat a normal person to death with one punch."

"Cough, cough, can the guys in the back move back a bit? I'm getting a little nervous."

The surrounding soldiers watched, dumbfounded. The soldiers seated in the innermost ring swallowed nervously, instinctively shuffling backward, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of their fight.

Kyle blocked another punch. Although he was handling it with ease, purely defending against the relentless offensive pressure was starting to make him feel a bit breathless.

Steve felt a surge of secret delight, believing his persistent offense had paid off. However, as they brushed past each other during a brief exchange, he suddenly saw a hint of a smile appear on Kyle's cold face.

He was actually smiling.

Cold sweat beaded on Steve's forehead. But now, locked in close combat, it was impossible to stop their attacks. He could only grit his teeth and see it through.

"You finally realize it?"

Kyle's smile persisted. Steve understood him well, knowing his offensive capabilities far surpassed his defense. That's why he had relentlessly intensified his attacks from the beginning, not wanting Kyle to initiate.

"What a pity, you don't understand. Have you really given up your natural defensive advantage like this?" Kyle shook his head gently. His defensive posture with his hands and feet suddenly shifted, and he forcefully turned the tables, becoming the aggressor—

Counter-Attack Combat!

Endurance Combat!

Military Boxing Combat! Grappling Technique!

He seamlessly switched between over a dozen offensive combat styles, pressing the attack!

Steve's expression changed drastically. Kyle's combat technique was changing too rapidly.

He tried to shift from offense to defense on the fly, but he was hit by a barrage of punches and kicks, completely unable to muster the strength for a counter or defense.

"Let me teach you what offense truly is!" Kyle sneered coldly, suppressing Steve completely. His fists landed with a slight gust of wind, giving Steve no room to resist.

Steve offered a wry smile. Forced into a passive position, he could only cover his face with his hands, being beaten like a sandbag.

"Wh-what in the world happened?"

"Lieutenant Kyle was being suppressed earlier, and in the blink of an eye, he's completely dominating Captain Steve?"

"I don't understand either..."

The watching American soldiers erupted in a clamor, their gazes complex as they took in the dramatic turn of events in the center of the arena.

"You brats, this is what happens when you don't practice your combat skills diligently." A voice called out from beyond the crowd of soldiers. Some soldiers turned to see Captain Joseph, clad in his officer's uniform, had also joined the audience.

Captain Joseph watched the two fight and said, "Steve's combat skills are far inferior to Kyle's. If Steve has about five types of combat skills, then Kyle's exceed fifteen."

At this point, Captain Joseph chuckled, sighing in admiration. "This kid is truly a monster among monsters!"

"Get down!"

In the center of the arena, Kyle's full-power straight punch landed cleanly on Steve's lower abdomen, sending him flying backward.

Steve grunted in pain. His shield, strapped to his back, scraped against the ground as it slid, only stopping when it lodged itself among the watching soldiers.

"Surrender, Steve. There's still a clear gap between us. If you were an enemy, you'd be dead within fifty rounds," Kyle said, breathing heavily, his gaze fixed on the fallen Steve.

In terms of physical constitution alone, they were practically equal.

However, even without using lethal combat techniques, Kyle's strength still crushed Steve. As Captain Joseph had said, their combat skills were vastly different!

Kyle knew the same combat skills as Steve, but Steve didn't necessarily know all the combat skills Kyle did.

This wasn't Steve's fault, of course. Even with his rapid learning ability, he still needed a lot of energy to learn and master them, not to mention practical combat experience.

Kyle, on the other hand, didn't need to learn. He could just read and draw cards. It was like a player in an online game facing a hacker when they were just a regular member.

"Not yet..." Steve struggled to get up from the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He said resolutely, "I haven't surrendered yet! I can fight like this for another day!"

"Whatever you say." Kyle shrugged. Just as he was about to attack again, Steve's next move made him show a hint of surprise.

Steve had taken the Adamantium Shield from his back and put it on his left hand.

"That's more like it, otherwise it's too boring," Kyle said with a smile, suddenly accelerating and diving forward.

This time, Steve didn't charge forward blindly. Seeing Kyle charging at him, he calmly raised his shield and suddenly swung his left hand forward forcefully, throwing the shield—

He was using the shield as a projectile weapon!

Kyle's pupils constricted. Seeing the shield hurtling towards him, he quickly raised his right fist to collide with it.

The shield was blocked, but with a swoosh, it returned like a boomerang in the direction it was thrown.

"This shield—oh no!"

Kyle realized something and tried to retreat. But it was too late. Steve had already leaped in front of him and above him, catching the returning shield with his left hand and smashing it down from above.

Kyle, in his haste, could only use an elbow strike against the shield. The moment his elbow landed on the shield's surface, the force of the elbow strike was completely absorbed.

At the same time, Steve's shield bash continued to fall powerfully, instantly forcing Kyle's body down, making him kneel on one knee for support. The compacted dirt beneath him even formed a clear indentation.

This was Kyle's first time facing the properties of the Adamantium Shield, and he had suffered a great disadvantage.

The Vibranium component in this shield had clearly absorbed all the kinetic energy! Any attack that landed on the shield's surface would be forcibly missed!