An Opportunity to Shout Hydra's Slogan

A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Russell strode toward Thor, dodging arrows and small missiles fired from behind, then abruptly stopped, turned around, and threw a punch in mid-air.

With a powerful punch, Russell used the air as a projectile, knocking down Stark, who was employing a kite-flying tactic.

Whoosh!

A deafening roar swept in, and Russell caught a glimpse of silver out of the corner of his eye. He clenched his fist with the Infinity Gauntlet and, with a crisp clang of metal against metal, blasted Mjolnir into the distance.

Thor was completely dumbfounded; this was the first time he had ever seen someone take Mjolnir head-on.

Ultimately, it's because they're young. Once they've seen more of the world and learned to get used to it, they won't be so surprised.

"Parents' hearts are always full of love and concern! Young Thor, Odin gave you Mjolnir, not for you to use like this."

Thor paused, staring at Russell in astonishment. "Who exactly are you?"

Russell sneered, his body crackling with Electric Arc, and raised one hand high, drawing down clusters of lightning from the still-lingering dark clouds in the sky.

Violent lightning energy swirled around the block, releasing a cacophony of crackling sounds as it danced in Russell's hands before coalescing into two Silver-white Giant Wolves that stood obediently on either side of him.

Russell placed his hands on the giant wolves' necks, his fingertips brushing against the glaring, bristling fur, and the two wolves' fierce eyes immediately softened.

"Gulp!"

Thor was extremely familiar with thunder and could tell that the two giant wolves were materialized from pure thunder element. Even though he was unwilling, he had to admit that Russell was more like Thor than him. At least Russell could make thunder obey him.

Rumble!!

In the blink of an eye, the two giant wolves pounced on Thor, lightning and quicksilver spilled onto the ground, spreading outwards like liquid, creating a large crater in the spot.

Thor lay stiffly on the ground, not dead, but incapacitated. His limbs were outstretched, his neck stiff, and his wide-open eyes could not close, like a fish struggling helplessly in the mud.

"Here's a joke: Thor is afraid of electricity."

Russell turned to look at the remaining Avengers, and once again used lightning to knock down Thor, but still couldn't help but mention this reference.

"..."

An awkward silence!

The remaining Avengers were sweating profusely, but they didn't think it was a joke.

Russell, having made a fool of himself, shrugged and chose his next opponent. Thor and Hulk were defeated, and Natasha and Steve were acquaintances, so he decided to leave them for last.

Oh, and there's also Hawkeye. This guy looks very sharp with his bow and arrow, but surprisingly, he's not very noticeable, to the point that Russell almost overlooked him.

"Dude, I'm starting to believe what you said before."

Stark rose from the ruins, now wearing the experimental MK7 suit, far inferior to the later MK50 nanotech suit against an insurmountable enemy. His thrusters were damaged in the battle, robbing him of his mobility and significantly reducing his combat effectiveness.

"Which sentence?" Russell raised an eyebrow, wanting to hear what Stark was going to say.

"You said you're a good person, and I think that makes a lot of sense... So, this is a misunderstanding, and I sincerely apologize."

"Heh, too late!" Russell strode toward Stark, his next target Iron Man.

"No, no, no, I surrender..."

Stark raised his hand and, as Russell approached, suddenly fired a single beam of light from his chest.

Bang!

Russell raised his hand, using the Infinity Gauntlet to block the laser cannon. Under Stark's shocked gaze, an even more powerful purple beam of light erupted, shattering the single beam and striking his Iron Man Suit.

Splash!

The MK7 experimental suit disintegrated, a cold wind blew by, and Stark, who had closed his eyes to await death but failed, awkwardly raised his hands. Even more awkward was that he desperately needed protection; without the Iron Man Suit, he couldn't even defeat his bodyguard Happy.

Stark knelt too quickly, and Steve, who was preparing to attack in coordination with him, was caught halfway through his sprint and couldn't move forward or backward. He swung his shield at Russell and then lowered his body to kick Russell in the calf.

Russell caught the Stars and Stripes shield with one hand, took a kick but didn't budge, and didn't give Steve a chance for a second strike. He then slammed the shield down and pinned Steve to the ground.

Russell knew that Steve could go toe-to-toe with anyone, so he took out his Adamantium Blade and went all out to finish the fight quickly, leaving him no room to maneuver.

Holding the Infinity Gauntlet upside down, the purple light of the Power Stone danced across the blade as it thrust down at the Stars and Stripes shield, piercing through it as easily as a hot knife through butter.

The Blade grazed Steve's neck, the Adamantium Blade reaching the hilt, its sharp edge piercing the cold concrete floor, pinning him firmly to the ground.

With the Big Three and the Hulk defeated, the Avengers are basically out of the running!

Russell looked down at Steve, squinting at Natasha and Hawkeye who dared not make a move, and threatened in a gloomy voice. "Steve Rogers, you are too weak. You can defeat Hydra led by Red Skull, but you cannot defeat me and the new Hydra."

"Nonsense! Hydra has been destroyed!"

"Believe it or not!" Russell pointed at Natasha and Hawkeye, threatening them in his standard villainous tone, "I'm giving you one chance to shout out Hydra's slogan, or I'll kill them both."

Steve gritted his teeth. "Impossible!"

"Don't do that, it'll make me lose face. Tell me, I have a surprise for you."

"..."

"Think it over again. It's rare for me to show such mercy. You know, killing them both is a piece of cake for me. Just like you can save two lives by shouting a slogan and moving your lips. What's there to hesitate about?" Russell said with a smile, perfectly immersing himself in the role with his superb acting skills, playing a successful villain.

Looking at his two comrades, Steve felt incredibly frustrated, but ultimately couldn't abandon the two lives. He whispered, "Hail Hydra!"

"Well said, Hydra Captain!"

Every time Russell heard this, he felt a sense of relief and suddenly drew his Desert Eagle, aiming it at Natasha and pulling the trigger.

"No!!"

Steve's eyes widened in fury, and the next second he realized that Russell wasn't aiming at Natasha, but at the shadow lurking behind her.

Are there still people on the battlefield?

Steve instantly realized that this was Loki's invisibility magic, and that Loki had been there all along.

The Mana Bullet exploded, and Loki, holding his scepter, dispelled the magic, smiling at Russell, "You've done everything I wanted to do. If possible, could you give me Thor? Don't get me wrong, I just want to kill him with my own hands."

Russell didn't believe it and joked, "Hmph, what a touching display of brotherhood!"

Loki's expression changed slightly, but he maintained his smile, "What? I didn't understand what you meant. Have you misunderstood something?"

"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, you can prove it to me!" Russell drew his Adamantium Blade, kicked Steve away, and walked toward Thor with murderous intent.

Damn it!

Loki could no longer remain calm. His figure vanished like a bubble, and when he reappeared, he was already standing in front of Thor, raising his Mind Scepter and firing a beam attack at Russell.

With his long sword held across his chest, Russell deflected the beam of light through Loki's chest, causing the latter to vanish as a phantom once more. Then, he used his clone magic, and twenty Loki surrounded Russell.

Crackling sounds!

Electric Arc flashed, and all twenty phantoms vanished. Russell stood quietly in place, and three seconds later, he suddenly reached out to his right and pulled Loki out of the transparent void with his fingers interlocked.

With his neck caught, Loki's face turned red. Russell didn't make things difficult for him, snatched the Mind Scepter, and casually threw it onto Thor, then added a giant silver wolf to the two of them.

Crackling sounds!

The two brothers stood upright, stacked on top of each other, convulsing violently.

With the Mind Scepter in hand and the second Infinity Stones within reach, Russell raised his left hand and violently dismantled the scepter, prying the blue Crystal off.

Steve raised his shield, protecting Stark, with Natasha and Hawkeye standing on either side. The four of them stared silently at Russell, wondering what he was doing.

Click!

With a crisp snap, Russell crushed the blue Crystal, revealing its golden true form— the Mind Stone.

The gem hovered in mid-air. Russell raised the Infinity Gauntlet and approached, and an inexplicable attraction caused the Mind Stone to automatically fit together.

A mesmerizing power surged through his body, and Russell swayed his head comfortably, humming softly twice. He turned to the wary group of four and smiled at Steve, saying, "Don't worry, I'm a gentleman. I never hit women. I was just kidding. I just wanted to hear you shout that slogan."

Steve's face turned ashen, but he had no choice but to swallow his anger as circumstances forced him to submit.

Hawkeye, standing nearby, fell into deep thought. The Hydra leader had beaten everyone except him and Natasha. Natasha was spared because he considered himself a gentleman and unwilling to hit women. But then the question arose...

What is the reason for letting him go?

Handsome?