The Shield is a Causality Weapon

"Boom! Rumble—"

Explosions continued in the direction of the concentration camp, smoke and flames filled the air, and the raging fire turned half of the night sky red.

The town's tranquility was shattered as residents, hearing the sounds of gunfire, hid in their homes, too afraid to show their faces. The battle was taking place in a concentration camp, where German Army prisoners were held; they assumed it was Riot caused by the prisoners' unbearable torture.

Many people packed up their belongings and hid in cellars, hoping that the stationed US troops would suppress the Riot as soon as possible and not let the German mad dogs out.

Although the American troops stationed there were no saints either, often coming to the town in groups of three or five to cause trouble, at least they wouldn't kill people. But it wouldn't be surprising if thousands of the German Army who had escaped from the concentration camp did something utterly depraved.

The residents were unaware of what was happening in the concentration camp, but Bucky knew perfectly well that Hydra's base had been attacked. According to Russell's deduction, his dear friend had participated in the battle, and he had to get there as soon as possible.

Can...

Bucky sat in the driver's seat, started the car, and looked at the empty passenger seat, trembling with rage. "What a load of crap! When are these two going to stop messing around like this?!"

Three days have passed, a full three days.

They call it "reporting on work," but what kind of bullshit work needs to be reported in bed!

Thinking of this, Bucky's aloof face twitched involuntarily. If Natasha hadn't been so irresponsible and neglected intelligence gathering, how could they have only realized it was too late when the battle began?

"Snap!"

The car door opened, Russell rubbed his back as he sat in the passenger seat, while Natasha got into the back of the SUV. The two remained silent, as if they were complete strangers, quietly tidying their disheveled clothes. Natasha even pulled out a mirror from the ditch and fixed her hair.

Bucky, his face ashen, slammed the accelerator to the floor, smashed open the wooden door, and sped toward the concentration camp.

Sensing his subordinates' dissatisfaction, Russell realized he had gone a bit too far these past two days. He adjusted his collar to cover the hickey on his neck and said seriously, "Bucky, don't misunderstand, we were just attacked by Hydra agents, so we were delayed a bit."

Bucky said coldly, "I know, no need to explain. Also, please call me Barnes, sir."

"Okay, Bucky!" Russell nodded and smoothly changed the subject, bringing up the topic Bucky was concerned about. "You're in such a hurry, you must be worried about the outcome of the battle, but in my opinion there's no need for that. Schmidt is bound to lose."

Steve is a man who could easily defeat Thanos with just a hammer. Who is Schmidt? He's just an NPC guarding the gems. What makes him think he can take down Steve?

It's at most a 50/50 chance, and that's only because of Steve's passive skill!

While the off-road vehicles were heading to the concentration camp, the Howling Commandos had already infiltrated the underground base and were engaged in a thrilling and desperate battle with Hydra soldiers.

The nighttime attack came without warning, catching Hydra completely off guard like a divine intervention. The soldiers at the base were working overtime, following Schmidt's orders, to manufacture energy bombs, so much so that they didn't even have their combat weapons with them.

Gunfire erupted, and in the initial stages it was almost a one-sided Carnage. The Howling Commandos showed no mercy, slaughtering the unarmed Hydra soldiers and quickly erasing the numerical disadvantage between the two sides.

After suffering heavy losses, the Hydra soldiers finally managed to get their weapons back and fight back, but their formation had already been broken and the base was in complete chaos. The Hydra soldiers were fighting each other, and it was only a matter of time before they were defeated.

Enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum and honed on the battlefield for over two years, Steve's combat skills and experience are incredibly formidable. He can single-handedly charge into Hydra soldiers as if they were nothing.

The Energy Gun struck the Vibranium Shield without even producing a spark. The Hydra soldiers were helpless against Steve and could only watch as he wreaked havoc on the battlefield.

Steve used his shield, which defies the laws of physics, to mow down the grass, worried about where Schmidt was hiding in the base, fearing that the other side might abandon his troops to save his king and once again sneak away with the Tesseract.

Steve was lucky; the enraged Schmidt didn't run away, or rather, he chose to kill Steve first and then retreat alone.

Logically speaking, with the base breached and Hydra's forces annihilated, it was a foregone conclusion. If Schmidt had any sense, he shouldn't have stayed behind to fight to the death.

But enemies are bound to clash, and Schmidt had opposed Steve more than once, repeatedly thwarting his grand plans to conquer the world. The arrogant Schmidt, who considered himself a god among men, could not tolerate this insult. Today, he was determined to avenge himself and, incidentally, eliminate Steve, this potential threat.

"You persistent bastard, I'll kill you right here today."

Schmidt looked at Steve, who was wreaking havoc, with intense hatred in his eyes. He had already run to the godforsaken Siberia, but Steve was still clinging to him.

When the Alpine base was destroyed, Schmidt could have easily returned to Little Mustache Führer's side and gone into hiding, with the two joining forces to fight against the Anglo-American forces. But he ultimately didn't do so. He had excellent strategic vision and could see that the Führer was already in dire straits and could hardly protect himself.

Schmidt's prediction was correct. 2.8 million Allied troops, including Americans and British, landed in Norman, opening World War II in Europe. Meanwhile, the Soviet army launched an even more intense offensive against the German Army on the Eastern Front. With the Allies attacking from two sides, Berlin was on the verge of collapse. Had he wavered even slightly, he would have been buried with them.

But things aren't looking good now either. He finally managed to recover some strength in Siberia, only to have it all destroyed by Steve.

With old and new grudges erupting, Schmidt drew his energy pistol from his waist, and a blue beam struck the Star-Spangled Shield squarely.

"Bang!"

Ten Rings!

This is the Vibranium Shield's hidden skill: passively drawing aggro and guaranteeing 100% protection against projectiles hitting other parts of the body. Steve has wielded the shield for years, participating in hundreds of battles large and small, and has never been hit in the thigh or knee, not even by stray bullets—truly Causality Weapon.

"Schmidt!"

Some people are born to clash, yet somehow they can sense each other clearly, even amidst the chaos of a battlefield. Steve was shot in the back, and instinctively turned around to see Schmidt lurking behind a wall. Without a word, he raised his shield and charged.

Schmidt fired repeatedly, his marksmanship impeccable, each shot hitting the center of the shield. Even a slight downward tilt of the muzzle would have broken Steve's leg, but he refused, determined to yell "Die!" as he aimed and fired at the shield.

As the distance between the two gradually closed, Steve rushed in front of Schmidt, raised his shield and shoved it horizontally, knocking the energy pistol out of Schmidt's hand.

Schmidt didn't pick up the pistol. Taking advantage of Steve's wide-open front, he punched him in the face. "Foolish guy, no matter how you look at it, you're full of weaknesses. I really don't know what Erskine saw in you."

Steve wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face cold. "At least I won't go crazy!"

"Madman!?" Schmidt scoffed. "Erskine is only saying this because he's jealous of my talent. He's just a mortal, how could he understand the thoughts of a god? You're even more foolish than him, possessing divine power yet content with mediocrity. Only I am the most perfect."

"Ha, is your definition of perfection as something as ugly as a monster?" Steve looked at Schmidt's face and mocked him mercilessly.

Schmidt's face darkened; his sore spot had been hit, and he grinned furiously, lunging at Steve like an arrow released from a bow.

Faced with Schmidt's attack, Steve raised his shield to block, but Schmidt only feinted with a punch, then ducked down and swept his leg behind Steve's knee, knocking him to the ground.

Steve hurriedly retaliated, but he was a step too slow. Schmidt straddled him, took his shield and threw it aside. He could only use his hands to parry the rain of punches.

"Fool, you have Superman strength, and your weapon is just a shield? Do you want to be God?" Schmidt mocked repeatedly, throwing a powerful punch like a tidal wave, slamming into Steve.

Both being products of the Super Soldier Serum, their physical abilities were roughly equal, neither able to overpower the other, and once one fell behind, it was difficult to recover. Steve hastily parried, feeling as if his two arms in front of him were about to be broken. A knee struck Schmidt in the back, and then his feet hooked Schmidt's head, sending him flying.

"Bang!!"

Schmidt slammed into the wall, grinned maliciously as he stood up. "That's all you've got, that's all the strength you've got."

"Yes, that's all the strength I have. Try taking it again!"

Steve yelled and sprinted forward, his figure as fast as lightning, rushing to Schmidt's front in the blink of an eye. Then, he kicked Schmidt in the chest mid-air, sending him flying and crashing into the wall.

"Bang!!!"

Schmidt gasped; even with his exceptional physical abilities, taking that kick was still painful. He slid off the wall, staggered, and dodged Steve's punch several times before regaining some strength. Then, he swung his elbow horizontally and began to grapple with Steve.

Just then, a faint light appeared in the shadows, and a metal arm picked up the Vibranium Shield that had fallen to the ground and threw it violently, hitting Schmidt squarely in the back of the head.

Schmidt was completely focused on fighting Steve when he felt a sharp pain in his back and spat out a mouthful of sweet blood. His body went out of control, as if he had been hit by a speeding car, and he screamed as he was sent flying.

Steve was startled. He asked himself if he could swing the shield with such force. He quickly looked into the shadows.

Bucky stepped out of the shadows, his Mechanical Left Arm gleaming with metallic light. He sneered, "Steve, you still got beaten up without my help."

Steve's pupils contracted sharply, and he stammered, "You... you are..."

Bucky tossed his hair. "Yes, it's me. I'm back."

Who are you?

"..."