Volume 9: Fate of Destiny Chapter 34: Did you know that you are really stupid when you swear?
The final attack of the Dark Phoenix caused the entire planet to begin to collapse. Ciri could feel that the blocked time and space were disintegrating through her spatial perception granted by the revived blood of the elders.
The moment of escape that Madeline had mentioned was about to arrive. She rushed forward and looked at Mason, who was half-kneeling in front of the pile of black embers as if saying goodbye. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to persuade her little Valentine to surrender.
She knew what kind of person Mason was. Even though Madeline had caused him a lot of trouble, the passing of a life was not something to be happy about for Mason.
But before the hunter could say anything to comfort her, he was shocked to see Mason push aside the remaining ashes of Madeline's "ashes" with his hands and pick up a crying baby from the warm black ashes.
This is like a miracle!
But Mason was not surprised.
Satisfied, he stood up and reached out to gently brush away the ashes on the baby's skin. Then, amid the flying black embers, he turned back to look at Ciri, who had her eyes wide open.
He said:
"Look, the resurrection potion experiment was successful... This proves that what you just drank is indeed effective, and my last worries have disappeared."
Ciri looked at the baby in Mason's arms, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a moment.
Then, out of some unknown state of mind, she blurted out:
"Does that mean I will be reborn as a baby? No! That's not what I want. It means I have to grow another sixteen years before I can be with you..."
"It's eighteen years. I'm a normal person and I don't have any interest in minors."
The captain corrected Ciri's statement seriously, and was satisfied after seeing the wonderful change in the hunter's expression. Then he explained to her with a wicked smile:
"But you drank the enhanced version, so I guess you will be transported back to your eighteenth birthday, which is what I specifically requested when I ordered the potion."
"Gulu! (Is this Madeline? You saved her!)"
The iron-blooded queen, who was heartbroken over the death of her best friend, rushed over crawling. She looked at the white and clean baby in Mason's arms and didn't know what to say for a moment.
The captain understood the confusion in Guru's mind at the moment.
He didn't intend to explain, so he turned around and stuffed the crying child into Guru's arms.
The former queen who could hunt a dragon without batting an eyelid now hurriedly took the human cub, tore off her protective cloak to wrap her up properly, and clumsily tied it around her chest.
It can be seen that Gollum does not intend to let the young Madeline out of his sight until it is really safe.
"She is dead, that is a definite fact. Madeleine Prior had to die for the sins she committed, and there is no sin in this age that goes unpunished."
Mason glanced at the world around him that was unable to stop the catastrophe, winked at Ciri and told her to prepare to tear the space and jump out, and then said to Gollum:
“The Madeline you knew is no longer here, but the resurrection potion has restored her vitality back to that of a baby, and she is no longer connected to the darkness and misery of the past.
She can continue to be called Madeline, but if you don't want your best friend to grow up to be that terrible person in the future, you have to learn to take care of her from now on.
Of course, I’m sure Emma would be happy to help.”
After saying that, Mason reached out and grabbed the hilt of the Black Death Sword that was stuck in the black ashes. After Madeline, the sword holder, died, the thing became quiet.
The captain pulled it out of the ground, flicked the blade, and asked:
"Hey, funny guy, are you dead?"
"It's... it's okay... although I made a mistake... but believe me, it's not much better! It's just holding on."
The fragment of the Black Death Sword belonging to Mason was still trying to explain why he failed, but the captain no longer cared. He said:
"So will holding it now have any effect on me?"
"Won't!"
The Black Death Sword replied:
"Although I failed, my sword bearer won! This also means that I have won the final victory in this battle of the will of the Black Death Sword.
I will control the will of this sword until you fail or die."
It vibrated the sword body to make it "melt", just like a parasitic black symbiote, melting into Mason's palm and then reattaching itself to the Spear of Ragnarok while crawling flexibly.
It says:
"The crazy battle has made me...very hungry now, understand?"
"Understand!"
Mason pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the sky, then fired several shots at the gods who were trying to escape, emptying the magazine.
Seizing the complete Black Death Sword greatly increased the power of this pistol. No longer limited to three rounds of ammunition, the black bullets shot into the shattered clouds, and amid the opponent's screams and the spilling of the blood of gods, the final death was dedicated to this land that was about to collapse.
A few seconds later, Ciri struggled to tear open a silver arc of light leading to the outside world, and Mason blew a whistle, signaling Azu and his companions to leave.
Although they only met by chance, these guys finally made their choice and followed through with their actions, so they should be given some sweetness and rewards.
"There's another person!"
Ciri looked at Mason and said:
"Steve is still down there..."
"That was his farewell to Old A."
Mason took Ciri's hand, and as they walked into the dancing silver arc of light, he said:
"Let's go and give him the last bit of dignity."
“They are the stubborn remnants of the old era who are unwilling to embark on the ship of the new era.”
…
"puff"
The sound of blood spilling rang out in the darkness underground. In the Super Mutant base that had been destroyed beyond recognition, the third commander loosened his hand, and the clone whose eye was pierced by a dagger fell to the ground.
At this moment when there was no need to fight anymore, Steve Rogers still did not stop fighting.
He single-handedly blocked the continuous birth of super mutants in the entire underground base to prevent them from stepping onto the ground and intervening in the confrontation between Mason and Old A.
This action could be called cruel, but for these monsters who were not infused with complete consciousness and were born only as cannon fodder for killing, giving them a quick death might be the real mercy.
The third commander, who had fought from the beginning to the end, was covered in blood, but not much of it belonged to him.
As Old A's close friend and his operational commander, the captain, who has undergone many enhancements, has greatly improved his combat effectiveness. With such strength, if he also joins in the obstruction and assassination of Mason, the captain will definitely encounter terrible trouble today.
Of course, the third commander was indeed sent by Old A as a part of this death trap, but he had no intention of completing his job from the beginning.
When he sent that text message to Mason saying "Don't come", he had actually made up his mind about his actions today.
"Snap"
The round shield covered with blood and flesh fell to the ground. In the dark battlefield full of corpses, the third commander moved his sore wrist.
When he looked up, he could see the surrounding ground floor collapsing and the terrain being madly squeezed as the star core shattered. The world was going to end, and if he didn't plan to leave, he would see the end of this place in a few minutes.
At this moment, Steve turned on the communicator hanging on his shoulder.
While waiting for the beeping communication, he reached out and took off his classic helmet and threw it on the bloody ground without any nostalgia.
His combat boots moved forward, leaving behind one bloody footprint after another. When he approached the ejection device in front of him, the communication was finally connected.
The optical projection was displayed in front of the third commander in a pixelated manner, quickly forming the gloomy and angry face of Old A and the bright background of the office behind him.
"The operation failed."
Steve boarded the catapult and set the target to the surface. While removing his bloodstained armor, he reported to Old A in a very formulaic manner:
"An unexpected strong man with a conscience intervened in the operation. He single-handedly stopped all the super mutants and directly led to Xilia's escape.
Your plan went wrong at the beginning. Mason didn't have to go deep underground to find his lover, which allowed him to arrange his network-breaking operation more flexibly.
It turns out that your elaborate assassination plan was a complete failure compared to Mason's rebellion plan.
Seriously, when you set Madeline Prior as the core of your plan, didn’t you think that she might betray you? After all, she is her nominal family and brother. "
"Shut up, Steve!"
Old A was already tired of listening to these damn reports. He said in a gloomy tone:
"I trusted you and sent you to take charge of all this, but you really let me down! You ruthlessly abandoned our previous vows, and when I needed help the most, you stood on the side of my opponent."
"You make me feel ridiculous when you say these things!"
During the countdown to the catapult launch, the third commander sneered:
"I am a witness to the agreement between you and Mason, and I am also a member of this three-person agreement. We made a promise to him. After he came up with a plan and executed it perfectly, shouldn't it be my duty to fulfill the agreement?
Or did you never intend to fulfill this bet from the beginning?
From the very beginning, you viewed all this as a joke to appease your subordinates, a pie in the air.
Fury, we have known each other for more than thirty years.
Even in the vanilla era before the impact, I trusted you very much. You said we needed a plan, so I was willing to do my best.
You said the Council had become corrupt and needed a new organization, so I risked execution and joined you without hesitation.
You said that the forging of the Star of the End requires the essence of countless worlds to create this refuge leading to the next era, so I will delve my hands into the dirty land, and would rather let my heart be covered in dust than not help you complete this plan.
I am helping you not because you are trustworthy, nor because of our past relationship. In a situation like this, personal emotions are no longer sufficient reason for action.
I'm helping you because I believe you can get through this with everyone!
But how did you give me back?
I realized when you made the bet with Mason that you didn't care about whether we could win. You cared more about who would win than the result...
You no longer focus on the outcome that is good for everyone, you are just angry that the person who is going to win is not you!
You put your own honor and interests above the survival of trillions of people.
You're trying to get me to continue on the path you've chosen, but I'm not your dog! Fury, I have my morals and my ideas.
I gave you the chance to turn back, more than once."
As the seven-second countdown sounded, the third commander tied himself to the fully charged catapult. He closed his eyes and said to his former best friend with anger and loss that he could no longer suppress:
"There are only a few outsiders who can leave their permissions in Utopia's visitor system. How did Doom paralyze Utopia's Sentinel Corps and directly trigger the massacre and destruction of a world?
Do you really think I don't notice what you're doing in secret?
Professor Supreme is not only your friend, he is also my friend! And when you needed him to die, you didn't even give him a chance to choose.
You are no longer the Nick Fury I knew.
The spy chief who always messes up, but all his operations are done to prevent crises and protect the people.
Everyone realized this, but I was the only one who was unwilling to believe the truth. I had been deceiving myself that these were necessary sacrifices.
I also became the person I hated the most. I became the Red Skull... No, I became a monster that is more hateful and crazier than the Red Skull.
And all of this today is my answer to you!
I quit, asshole! "
"boom"
The catapult was launched, and the flying seat carrying the third commander went up along the broken rails and leaped out against the backdrop of the earth crumbling and all things dying.
The moment he saw the light, the world behind him quietly shattered.
The bodies of the killed gods were swallowed up by the magma that erupted from beneath the earth, and all the sins that had ever happened here were swallowed up and wiped out by this extinction-like destruction.
In the sea of stars in front of the third commander who was still advancing into the sky, the neutron killing cannon that had locked onto the target and entered the launch program was already spewing out a dark blue plume.
It was like an oversized sniper rifle was aimed at the ground, and the third commander was flying towards the muzzle.
"I don't want to be an accomplice to evil anymore, Fury. We no longer represent justice, order, and the future. We are no longer what we remember.
Along the way, we have allowed the end of the world to shape us into the most terrible monsters. When we give up our original intentions, we deserve to die.
I don't think there's anything wrong with this day.
Its only problem is that it came too late.”
Sitting on the mechanical chair, the third commander opened his arms and raised his head, as if embracing the entire sky.
His hair was rustling in the wind, and the scar on his eye was bleeding due to the outburst of emotions, staining his cheek like drops of blood and tears.
He closed his eyes and said to Fury:
"Give up gracefully. We have lost. Don't struggle any more. Don't make any more mistakes to make Mason and his army of justice laugh at us. Keep the last bit of dignity as an echo of who you were when you were at the end of your rope.
There is no paradise left for us.
You and I will meet in Hell, where a judgment has long awaited, and those who died because of us are our judges.
I'm just going to go first, Fury."
"Launch sequence terminated! Damn it! Stop it! Asshole! Don't run away! It's not over yet, come back here! Steve!
I command you, come back!
Mazefak!
Give me back..."
Old A's distorted roar came from the communication at another moment.
But his shouting could not change the outcome. The dark blue killing plume shot out from the star track, like a waterfall of light pouring out from heaven or hell.
In the last second of communication, he said to Old A:
"I've been wanting to tell you a long time ago, the way you swear ... is so stupid."
Steve Rogers, sitting in the mechanical ejection chair, was enveloped by this deadly object of destruction, like a stone swimming upstream, which flashed a few times before being completely swallowed up.
"beep"
The communication signal was disconnected, and the projection in front of Old A collapsed. He grabbed the instrument at hand and took a look. It showed that Steve Rogers' life signal had been extinguished.
That meant the departure of the last friend who had accompanied him till now.
He did not die in war or attack, but chose to commit suicide in an indescribable way.
Old A felt dizzy.
He stepped back and fell into his chair.
He knew that everything was out of control, his assassination plan had failed, and there was nothing left to stop Mason Cooper and his cause from being pushed to the final step.
His fingers began to spasm, followed by his stomach and heart, as if an invisible hand was strangling his neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He knows the feeling.
This feeling is called fear...
He was seized with a fear he had never felt before.
He finally woke up from the illusion of being in control of everything, and then he sadly discovered that he was still just the mortal who was helpless in the face of the impact.
In order to survive or something else, he did a lot of bad things.
Now, retribution has come.
The name of this retribution is Old K...
