The Hydra Captain Position Was Still Vacant

Malekith: I am the leader of the Dark Elves, and my people need me to lead them in their revenge against Asgard. I cannot die!

Algrim: I am the second-in-command of the Dark Elves. The leader needs my assistance to lead his people in revenge against Asgard. I cannot die!

Dark Elves Soldier: I... there are currently 115 Dark Elves, my rank is 114+.

The chosen Dark Elves soldier held the Stone of Curses in his palm, and the moment he crushed it, an ominous aura emanated from his hand.

A violent energy surged through his veins, overwhelming the soldier and turning his entire body a blazing red, like a branding iron. The molten, scorching energy flowed rapidly through his blood vessels, burning his flesh and causing his body to emit billowing, acrid black smoke.

In the final second before his body collapsed, the energy within the Stone of Curses reconstituted the soldier's body, elevating him to a height of 2.5 meters, with thick limbs and powerful strength.

"Roar roar roar————"

The intense pain lasted only a moment, but it was unbearable for the Dark Elves soldier. He slammed his fist into the ground in a fit of rage, the powerful impact causing the ground to tremble and black mist to sweep outwards.

After the pain subsided, he felt great, successfully transforming into Curse Warrior and gaining the powerful strength he had always dreamed of.

"It looks pretty good..."

Russell squinted and examined them. He didn't know much about the Curse Warrior, but they were said to be 2-4 times the power of Thor.

That sounds impressive, but this refers to Thor without his hammer!

Can he still be called Thor without a hammer?

No, without his hammer, Thor spends his days binge-watching TV shows and is a carefree, lazy bum.

In other words, the Curse Warrior has 2-4 times the fighting power of a fat otaku!

Once you calculate it that way, it's not a big deal after all!

What Russell didn't know was that the stone that transformed the Curse Warrior was not Dark Elves's magic, but was made of Aether Shard.

The power of the Curse Warrior actually originates from the Reality Stone. Malekith created a large number of Curse Warrior, forming the invincible 'Cursed Army,' which was once the nightmare of the Asgard army.

Since the Asgardians stole the Aether using the Bifrost, the number of Stone of Curses has dwindled with each use. Therefore, Malekith, despite being humiliated by Russell, had to swallow his anger because he didn't have many trump cards left.

"Your Excellency, this is the most powerful Curse Warrior of the Dark Elves. You should have heard of him. Now, can I earn your respect?" Malekith's heart bled, but his face remained as cold as ice. He emphasized the word 'respect'.

"It just looks good. We'll have to test it to see if it's actually strong or not. What if it's just an empty shell?"

"You are welcome to give it a try!"

Russell nodded. "Bucky, you go up and give it a try."

"Yes, sir."

Bucky nodded solemnly. He could sense a terrifying energy emanating from the Curse Warrior, but he also had great confidence in his Vibranium arm.

"Be careful not to get touched by him. Curse Warrior have the ability to drain the life force of others," Russell whispered a warning as Bucky passed by.

The Chitauri soldiers retreated, leaving ample space for the two to fight. The Curse Warrior fought bare-handed, for his fists were his only weapon due to his unparalleled strength.

Bucky was dressed in a black combat suit, his left Vibranium arm completely covered by the sleeve and glove— Russell's idea. Leaving the metal arm exposed all day was a clear warning to the enemy that something was wrong with it.

In addition, Bucky holds a Vibranium Shield in his right hand, forged by Hydra's Wakanda base. Captain America Steve's shield is carried on his back; Bucky believes he will meet good friends on this cosmic journey and has brought it with him.

Russell scoffed at this, saying that the universe is so vast that finding someone without any clues is countless times more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack, so how could anyone possibly encounter such a person?

If they really run into each other, Russell will... cough, the position of Hydra Captain is still vacant, it's not a bad idea!

In the arena, the two faced off. The Curse Warrior's hands displayed magma patterns as he roared and charged at Bucky. Although he had retained his sanity, the sudden surge of power made him impatient, and he raised his fist and slammed it down.

Bang!

Bucky raised his shield to block the heavy punch, using the fact that Vibranium conducts almost no heat or kinetic energy to block the attack without moving an inch.

The Curse Warrior was slightly stunned, while the Dark Elves beside him stared in disbelief, especially Malekith and Algrim, whose shock was hard to conceal.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Curse Warrior rained down punches, slamming them against the shield. His immense power was no match for the thin metal shield, and he realized that this shield was no ordinary object. He immediately swung his other arm and delivered a powerful punch to Bucky's face.

Snap!

Bucky raised his left hand and took the punch head-on. The mechanical arm, made by Russell himself, was terrifyingly destructive. Its Five Fingers contracted and crushed the Curse Warrior's fist.

With bones cracking and flesh mangled, the Curse Warrior's fist was shapeless, but he grinned maliciously, and magma patterns appeared from his wrist to his fist, attempting to drain Bucky's life force.

Three seconds later!

Curse Warrior: (._.)

Bucky sneered, Vibranium blade shot from his wrist, piercing the Curse Warrior's wrist, and then swung it sharply towards his neck.

Clang!

A huge head rolled off, and the headless body of the Curse Warrior staggered back, groping his empty neck for a while before collapsing with a thud.

Malekith: "..."

"Bucky, good job. I'll give you a promotion and a raise when we get back. You won't have to wash dishes every day anymore."

Russell stepped over the corpse of the Curse Warrior and approached Malekith, whose face was ashen. "The strongest warrior of the Dark Elves is nothing more than this. He can't even beat the dishwasher in my kitchen. Leader of the Dark Elves, do you have anything else to say?"

Malekith's face twitched. "Don't talk nonsense, how could he... possibly just be a dishwasher?"

"Yes, he's not a dishwasher. He was recently promoted. He used to be in charge of cleaning toilets."

"..."

Seeing that Bucky remained unfazed despite being ridiculed and mocked, Malekith was utterly shocked. A powerful warrior who didn't care about honor and dignity could only mean that the opponent's power was far greater than he had imagined.

"I, Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, am willing to surrender and offer you the loyalty of the Dark Elves!" Malekith was quick-witted; the Dark Elves had nothing to lose, so siding with Russell was a good option.

"Idiot, what do you think this place is, a garbage dump? Hand over the money and get out!"

Russell scoffed. Accepting over a hundred Dark Elves would get him blacklisted by Asgard; only an idiot would do that.

Besides, he's Hydra, and he's taken the Chitauri as his underlings, and now he's even recruited the Dark Elves... wouldn't that make him a true villain?

How can they possibly clear their name now?!