The holding action in Siberia, Hydra's last trump card strikes back

The moment the spatial rift closed, the deathly stillness emanating from Helheim was completely dispelled by the extreme cold and snow of Siberia.

The blizzard was like a knife, scraping against our faces with a physical sting that could freeze our souls. Hela and Wanda's figures suddenly appeared on this boundless white wasteland. This was the end of the world, the air thin and frigid, with nothing but the sound of the wind.

Hela's dark green War Armor stood out starkly against the pale sky and earth. Ignoring the oncoming wind and snow, she simply raised her chin slightly, her gaze piercing through the layers of snow, precisely locking onto the massive, metallic silhouette beneath the distant ice.

That was their target— Hydra's last Bastion.

Wanda stood beside her, a layer of visible Chaos Magic distorting the surrounding light beneath her Scarlet leather coat, keeping out the biting cold wind. Her gaze was also fixed on the distant base, but a more complex emotion flickered deep within her eyes.

They were "colleagues" sent on orders, but also mortal rivals. Lynn's balancing act was brilliant: one focused on clearing out the enemy, the other on sealing them off. While their roles seemed clearly defined, the pressure of performance was actually spread evenly between them. Whoever performed their "job" better would win the next round of favors.

"Before we begin, I'll first secure the space," Wanda spoke first, breaking the silence. Her tone was calm, sounding like she was stating a procedure, but a glance out of the corner of her eye met Hela's, carrying a barely perceptible hint of probing. "Make sure nothing slips off the master's plate."

The word "plate" is used with great tact. It not only points out the fate of Hydra, but also subtly emphasizes that this is Lynn's spoils of war, and they are merely the executors.

Hela's lips curled into a contemptuous smile. She didn't even glance at Wanda, simply scoffing, "Stop with your fancy tricks, Wanda. Dealing with a bunch of mortals hiding in tin cans, I only need fifteen minutes to turn this place into an outpost of Helheim. Your 'cage' better not get in the way."

Before she could finish speaking, an aura far colder and more deathly than the Siberia cold front erupted from her body.

Just then, the ice in the distance suddenly trembled.

"Buzz--"

A piercing alarm sounded from deep underground, clearly audible even through the thick ice sheet. Immediately afterwards, on the massive steel base, dozens of missile silos hidden beneath the ice and snow suddenly opened, and rows of menacing anti-aircraft turrets and energy weapons rapidly rose, their muzzles flashing with a dangerous, eerie blue light, all locking onto two figures in the sky.

Hydra's automated defense system has been activated.

"Looks like we've been discovered." Wanda's Scarlet eyes flashed with magic as she raised her hands, preparing to first get rid of these annoying flies.

"No need." Hela raised her hand to stop her, her dark green eyes flashing with a cruel and playful glint, like a cat hunting a mouse. "Make them reveal all their cards. I need a sufficiently 'spectacular' battle report to prove to my master how pleasing art is to watch mortals struggle in their death throes."

Her words, like a needle, pierced Wanda precisely.

Jean Grey earned the highest reward of "serving the Throne" with just her words and Mental Scan. Hela, the Asgard Goddess of Death, had to prove her worth far surpassed that of the Mind Stone- manipulating Mutants through an impeccable, aesthetically pleasing conquest.

What she wanted was not a simple victory, but a crushing, overwhelming Carnage, a performance of dimensional Dimensionality-Reduction Strike.

As if in response to her expectations, the tremors emanating from the underground base intensified. Accompanied by a sickening metallic scraping sound, the massive ice cap in the center of the base began to slowly crack open to both sides, revealing a giant elevator platform with a diameter of over a hundred meters that was slowly rising from the Abyss.

That was not any known weapon.

It resembled a colossal Abomination pieced together from countless fragments. Its main body was a rough, Titanium Alloy skeleton, savagely grafted with writhing biological tissue covered in purple veins. Dozens of thick, seemingly magnified insect limbs supported its enormous body, the ends of which were gleaming alloy blades. On its torso, traces of at least three different Mutants abilities could be seen—a huge, disproportionate eyeball emitting unstable, intermittent crimson Impact; several tentacles covered in organic metal lashing the air wildly; and even a pair of tattered wings made of flesh and bone growing from its back.

This is Hydra's most insane creation, a "Beast Weapon" forcibly fused together using the Genes of countless Mutants. It is their last trump card in their fight against the Deity.

"Roar--!"

The Beast Weapon let out a roar that sounded unlike any living being, a mixture of machinery and flesh. Its Energy Core on its back lit up as if overloaded, and the next second, all the surrounding anti-aircraft turrets opened fire at full power. Dense energy beams and live ammunition rained down on Hela and Wanda like a net.

Wanda frowned slightly, Scarlet Chaos Energy gathered in front of her to form a twisted shield, disintegrating and Oblivion all incoming attacks.

"This is their trump card?" Wanda's tone was tinged with disdain. "A stitched-together Beast and a pile of scrap metal."

"No, this is a good offering." Hela finally smiled with satisfaction. She took a step forward, hovering in the air, and the Night Sky Sword appeared in her hand, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.

"Wanda, watch closely." Her voice was haughty and cold. "This is the difference in 'business acumen.' Seal off your space and don't let even a trace of blood taint the spoils your master is about to enjoy."

Having said that, she raised the Night Sky Sword high.

In an instant, the sky over Siberia darkened.

It wasn't dark clouds obscuring the sun, but rather a "concept" from a higher level covering everything. The divine realm of death overlapped with the Real World at this moment. Centered on Hela, the dark green Death Force swept out like a tsunami, freezing the wind and snow and time wherever it passed.

The earth began to tremble, and beneath the thick layers of ice and permafrost, something was awakening.

"In the name of me, Hela..."

"Awaken, my slumbering soul!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

One after another, pale, skeletal arms burst forth from beneath the ice and snow! Then came the second, the third, and thousands upon thousands more!

Undead Warriors clad in tattered Asgard War Armor, wielding rusty battleaxes and longswords, their empty eye sockets burning with green soul fire; colossal Bone Direwolf, with heavy steps, crawled out of the ground, letting out silent howls to the sky; and even more ancient and terrifying beings, enormous war Beast composed of countless corpses, slowly took shape behind the undead army.

In just a dozen or so breaths, a massive, menacing Undead Legion had assembled. They stood silently behind Hela, making her appear like a true ruler of the Underworld.

Wanda watched quietly from the side, a hint of solemnity flashing deep in her Scarlet eyes. She had to admit that, in terms of pure destructive power and the scale of war, Hela's death priesthood did indeed have an unparalleled advantage.

On the ground, the once invincible Beast Weapon seemed to sense the absolute suppression from its natural enemy. It nervously pawed at its limbs, and the beam of light shooting from its enormous single eye became erratic.

Hela slowly lowered the Night Sky Sword, its tip pointing towards the colossal Beast.

"Offer its lament for your queen."

At a command.

A massive army, charging forward in an instant!

It was an apocalyptic scene beyond the imagination of mortals. The tide of the undead, silent and swift, engulfed the white snowfield, colliding violently with the steel Defense Line of Hydra. Energy cannons exploded within the Undead Legion, scattering countless bones, but those shattered skeletons rapidly reformed under the Death Force, fearlessly continuing their advance.

The Beast Weapon roared and swung its alloy blades, easily cleaving a Bone Direwolf in two. But the next second, dozens of Undead Warriors climbed up its limbs, frantically hacking at its biological tissues with battle axes and longswords.

This was a crushing defeat with no suspense whatsoever. The combination of technology and mutated creatures was as fragile as a paper toy in the face of true Deity.

Hela hovered in the air, not even glancing at the battlefield again. She had already proven her "professional skills" in the most magnificent and awe-inspiring way. This battle report was enough to satisfy her master.

Meanwhile, Wanda maintained the Scarlet canopy covering the entire area to ensure that no information or matter could escape, while also sensing the interior of the base in her own way.

Hela's performance was indeed brilliant, but Wanda's mind wasn't on that. What she wanted wasn't this one-off achievement. What she wanted was... sustainable "assets" that could increase her leverage.

Just then, her Chaos senses touched upon an extremely faint yet incredibly familiar energy fluctuation in a certain isolated area deep within the base.

That wasn't Hydra technology, nor were those experimental subjects transformed into weapons.

It was a pure, highly potent, rapidly fluctuating Mutants Psychic Fluctuation.

It's like a heart buried deep beneath the ice, weak yet beating wildly at an unusually high frequency.

Wanda's Scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and a subtle, meaningful smile curved her lips.