You want to attack me with that scepter?
Richard observed zombie Captain America with clinical detachment. Though telepathy proved useless against the infected hero's mind, Richard felt no concern about the threat posed by the Mind Gem scepter clutched in Rogers' decaying hand.
The Mind Stone was unquestionably powerful—one of the universe's most formidable artifacts—but it was evident that zombie Captain America couldn't possibly harness its full potential. Given the infected super-soldier's deteriorated state, the fact that he could channel the scepter's energy attacks at all was remarkable.
After raising the Mind Gem scepter, zombie Captain America unleashed a primal, bestial roar. The gem at the scepter's tip began to glow with brilliant golden light.
Whoosh!
Under Richard's watchful gaze, a sphere of golden energy erupted from the Mind Gem scepter like a cannonball, hurtling toward him and Black Widow with devastating speed.
The golden projectile moved with impressive velocity, yet it posed no genuine threat to Richard's enhanced reflexes. As the energy sphere closed in on him and Natasha, he raised Masamune with casual confidence and executed a fluid swing.
Swoosh!
As Masamune cut through the air, a crescent-shaped energy slash—purple on the outside with a brilliant white core—surged forward to intercept the golden projectile.
BOOM!
Zanshin Slash's crescent energy projection collided perfectly with the Mind Gem's golden sphere, triggering an explosion that resembled a small detonation. The thunderous sound instantly reverberated throughout the underground facility, drawing the attention of every zombie within the compound. The infected who heard the explosion didn't hesitate, immediately rushing toward the source of the disturbance.
After Richard effortlessly neutralized his attack, zombie Captain America released another feral roar. Under Richard's steady gaze, the infected hero raised the Mind Gem scepter once more, launching another volley of golden energy projectiles.
Though the question of how an infected Rogers retained enough cognitive function to operate the Mind Gem scepter was intriguing, Richard didn't waste mental resources contemplating the mystery. While zombie Captain America continued his barrage against Richard and Natasha, Richard channeled the mana flowing through his body.
This time, he bypassed Zanshin in favor of Octoslash.
Eight immaculate slashes manifested in a single instant, systematically shattering each incoming golden sphere. Unlike Zanshin Slash's crescent projections, Octoslash didn't cause the golden energy to detonate—instead, it completely disintegrated the cannonball-like projectiles.
After neutralizing all the golden energy spheres with Octoslash at Super Speed, Richard decided to end the confrontation without further delay.
Swift Slash!
Richard refused to grant zombie Captain America any opportunity for counterattack, activating Swift Slash with deadly intent.
Slice!
In less than a heartbeat, he materialized behind zombie Captain America, who stood more than ten meters away. Masamune flashed across the infected hero's neck like lightning, its edge impossibly sharp.
Though his neck had been cleanly severed by Masamune's blade, zombie Captain America's head remained momentarily attached to his body, giving the illusion that he'd sustained no injury. However, after a few seconds, the infected super-soldier collapsed as if all strength had instantaneously abandoned his form.
Thud!
Zombie Captain America crashed heavily to the ground, his severed head rolling across the floor like a macabre football.
Vulnerable! Not challenging at all! Even though it evolved, it is still pathetically weak!
Watching Rogers' head tumble across the concrete, Richard sighed inwardly before activating his Matter Manipulation ability.
Under his telekinetic control, the Mind Gem scepter immediately levitated from zombie Captain America's lifeless grasp and floated toward him. Though the weapon hovered within reach, Richard didn't immediately take possession of it. Instead, he utilized his mutant powers to conjure a rotating sphere of water over a meter in diameter.
After thoroughly immersing the Mind Gem scepter in the purifying vortex, Richard telekinetically extracted the weapon from the water sphere. Even then, he refrained from touching it, instead employing Firaga to engulf the scepter in high-temperature flames. Only after every water droplet had evaporated and the entire artifact had been thoroughly sterilized by extreme heat did Richard finally store the scepter in his system space.
Although zombie Captain America's infected blood hadn't visibly contaminated the Mind Gem scepter, Richard still dedicated time to meticulously cleanse and disinfect the artifact. He wouldn't risk storing potentially contaminated objects in his system space without verification.
While the zombie virus could only transmit through blood and saliva, excessive caution was never wasted when dealing with such catastrophic contagions.
After securing the Mind Gem, Richard returned Masamune to his system space as well. Then, with casual confidence, he teleported to where Natasha and Sharon waited, slipping his arms around their slender waists.
An instant later, all three vanished completely, rematerializing on the Triskelion building's rooftop.
"Is there anything else at headquarters you'd like to retrieve?" Richard asked. "If not, we should return to the New York base immediately."
Upon hearing his question, Natasha promptly replied: "I want to check the underground hangar to see if we can salvage a Quinjet."
Despite the abundance of valuable resources remaining at SHIELD headquarters—weapons in the armory, vehicles in the garages, and numerous technological assets—Black Widow understood their limitations. Unless they eliminated every zombie infesting the facility, securing even a single Quinjet would represent a significant victory.
"No problem," Richard said, turning toward Sharon. "What about you?"
"I'll pilot another Quinjet back," Sharon replied without hesitation.
"Perfect. Let's secure two Quinjets and head home," Richard confirmed.
Several minutes later, the hangar door adjacent to the Triskelion building exploded with a thunderous blast. The tremendous noise immediately attracted surrounding zombies. Before the infected could reach the breached hangar, two Quinjets bearing the SHIELD insignia rocketed from the opening, banking sharply toward New York hundreds of kilometers distant.
Inside one of the aircraft, Natasha glanced sideways at Richard seated beside her. Her brow furrowed slightly as she asked, "In your world, was your relationship with Rogers particularly strained?"
"Why do you ask?" Richard countered.
"No particular reason. I just sense you harbor significant animosity toward him," she observed. "Despite Rogers becoming infected, he clearly differs from other zombies. Not only did he somehow return to headquarters from New Orleans, but he demonstrated the ability to wield the Mind Gem scepter."
She paused, choosing her next words carefully. "He represented considerable research potential. We might have discovered valuable information by studying him. Yet you showed absolutely no interest beyond eliminating him." Black Widow's penetrating gaze fixed on Richard as she concluded, "Or rather, your sole focus seemed to be his termination."
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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