Colonel Bucky Barnes, killed in action on the Siberian ice fields.
In truth, from the moment they first set foot on the battlefield, everyone had already prepared themselves mentally for death.
But ever since choosing to join the Howling Commandos and follow Steve Rogers, it was as if death had slowly begun to drift away from them. No matter how dire the situation, it always felt like as long as Steve Rogers was there, they would somehow win.
But clearly… God would not bless them every single time.
Even Steve Rogers, a super soldier, could not withstand these terrifying mutated monsters.
So for an ordinary man, for the deputy leader of the Howling Commandos, for… Steve's closest friend, there was only one thing he could do,
Use his own life to buy Steve even a single second to escape.
BOOM!
The moment the monster swallowed Bucky whole, the energy grenade in his hand detonated inside its mouth, bursting with a blinding flash.
The terrifying shockwave swept through like a plow clearing snow, blasting away the surrounding blizzard. The searing heat even melted through the thick ice beneath, and Steve, who was closest, felt his chest tighten from the blast, coughing up a spurt of blood as dizziness and ringing filled his head.
It took him nearly two or three seconds to shake off the disorientation.
Struggling on all fours like a toddler learning to walk, forcing himself through the vertigo and nausea left by the explosion, Steve crawled up from the shattered ice and looked toward the monster, only for the sight to stab straight into his heart.
The monster, in an almost human-like motion, was using its sharp claws to pick bits of meat from between its teeth. Behind its bony mask, those scarlet eyes still held the usual ferocity, but now also carried a mocking, almost amused glint.
Just how tough was this thing's body structure?
Even fifty millimeters of solid steel plate couldn't withstand the blast of that energy grenade.
In tests, a single grenade could melt the frontal armor of a Tiger tank, yet this unknown, terrifying creature had let it explode inside its mouth and didn't suffer the slightest injury.
With the weapons humanity currently possessed, it was impossible to harm a Hollow in the slightest.
The retreating Hydra soldiers had tried counterattacks, but without exception, nothing worked. Bullets striking these creatures' skin were like hitting a slab of hardened steel, shattering the rounds while leaving the monsters completely unfazed.
Even Hydra's newest weapon, firing bright blue energy beams, could at best leave a few charred marks on their pale skin. Killing them was nothing short of a fantasy.
"BUCKY!!!"
His only true friend, swallowed alive right before his eyes.
An overwhelming surge of fury erupted inside Steve, like a powder keg ignited. Bloodshot veins spread across his eyes, cords of muscle and veins bulged along his neck, and faint traces of spiritual pressure began to stir.
BOOM!
Gusts of wind roared, shards of ice spraying out like arrows.
A roar filled with rage ripped through the snowstorm like a spring thunderclap. Steve's speed suddenly broke past his limits, skimming the edge of the sound barrier, a rushing gale spiraling behind him like a dragon as he charged, killing intent carried by the biting cold wind.
The monster locked eyes on Steve, the mockery in its crimson gaze deepening.
At the instant Steve closed in, an overwhelming pressure surged toward him, the gale tearing at his face. The monster's fist, broad as a door, smashed down like a meteor plummeting from the sky!
One punch swept the air clean, the force so great that the winds themselves howled in agony, twisting into violent turbulence.
Steve's pupils shrank, he raised his vibranium shield.
CLANG!
A deafening impact of metal on metal rang out, the shockwave visible to the naked eye rippling outward for dozens of meters.
Cracks split the ice in every direction, shards shooting out with bullet-like whistling, riddling the nearby cliff face with holes.
Steve was sent flying, shield and all, for dozens of meters, carving a deep trench across the ice.
Even with a super soldier's body, he could not match a Hollow, not even one barely born for a few minutes. The gap between them was a chasm on the very level of biology itself.
"Shattered upon contact", there could be no better description.
In the past, with his superior physique, Steve had always mowed down ordinary foes with ease, crushing the weak like nothing. But now… he was once again reminded of the days when he was frail, when a stronger force simply ground him beneath its heel.
Pain… unbearable pain…
It felt like being run over by a train, there wasn't a single part of his body that wasn't screaming in agony.
If not for the powerful defense of vibranium, that earlier strike would have killed him outright. Even though it blocked the vast majority of the damage, the follow-up impact still left him severely injured, at least seven or eight ribs were broken.
The monster did not continue its pursuit, instead letting out a mocking, ear-piercing roar.
Especially beneath that bony mask, those blood-red, violent eyes gleamed with a deep, mocking scorn, just like some powerful predator deliberately toying with its weaker prey, much like an old cat playing with a mouse.
At this moment, in its eyes, Steve was that toyed-with prey.
"Ughhh.."
Steve spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of internal organs, bracing himself on his shield in the snow. Bit by bit, he pushed himself back to his feet, his fierce gaze locked firmly on the enemy, without a trace of hesitation or fear.
After several breaths, he launched another charge.
"Ahhhhh!"
Steve's roar was so fierce it even drew the attention of other Hollows.
That intense killing intent and rage seemed to make his soul all the more delicious, radiating an enticing, savory aroma.
The Hollow seemed to notice its companions' covetous stares and gave a low, threatening growl before swinging its massive fist down at Steve. This time, it seemed to be going all out, a dense, ominous spiritual pressure coiling around its blow.
Step forward, bend low, raise the shield.
Three movements, perfectly fluid, Steve took the standard anti-impact stance, raising his star-spangled shield high.
BOOM!
The fist slammed into the metal shield, producing an explosion like tons of TNT going off.
A terrifying shockwave blasted outward, sweeping up shards of ice and snow, clearing the blizzard for dozens of meters around. The displaced air rose like a pillar of clouds piercing the sky, resembling the mushroom cloud of a tactical missile strike.
When the dust, ice, and snow settled,
Steve Rogers was still standing exactly where he had been, arms crossed behind that round metal shield.
The Hollow's fist was a mangled mess of blood and flesh, the vibranium having absorbed the impact and reflected it back with multiplied force, injuring the creature instead.
It was the first injury the Hollow had suffered since its birth, and it came from a "plaything" it had considered mere food.
"ROAR!"
The wound only drove the Hollow into greater fury, its blood-red eyes blazing with murderous intent.
It went berserk, hammering down with both fists in a torrential barrage. The massive blows crashed against the vibranium shield one after another, each strike ringing louder than the last, the sound of clashing metal echoing across half the empty frozen plains.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Under the violent onslaught, Steve had no room to relax his focus for even a second.
Every moment, his mind and body were stretched to the absolute limit, wringing every ounce of power from each cell. A single instant of slackening, and he would be pounded into pulp.
His muscles screamed, tearing under the strain!
His blood boiled, roaring through his veins!
The shackles binding his soul cracked apart, one by one, under the pounding blows.
"I'll… I'll kill you!!!"
His rage became a blade, driven by the fire of vengeance.
The world before Steve turned red, as though some hidden limiter in his mind had been released. Power surged endlessly into his limbs, his heart pounding like a racing engine, drowning out even the howling wind around him.
At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind,
To kill the monster before him, to avenge Bucky's death!
A familiar, violent aura began to rise in his eyes, spiritual pressure surging out of him like molten lava, boiling the air, the intense heat melting the snow and ice beneath his feet.
His bare right arm was wrapped in a layer of black-and-red, malevolent spiritual pressure.
Black with crimson streaks ran along the whole arm, tracing out a demonic, grinning pattern. Just looking at it made one feel a deep unease, the sinister aura radiating from it eerily similar to that of the Hollows.
BANG!
Steve threw a punch, colliding with the Hollow's incoming fist.
The power that had been building inside him erupted like a volcano, channeled through that arm and striking with enough force to split the earth.
In the next instant,
A Hollow's scream rang out as its arm bent grotesquely backward, bone stabbing out through the elbow, blood splattering across the icy plain.
"GIANT'S… STRIKE!!!"
Steve's eyes were filled with savagery as he stepped forward and unleashed his full power.
RUMBLE!
The surging force of his punch roared like a dragon breaking the void, tearing apart the thick ice for hundreds of meters, the air screaming in protest as an almost vacuum-like zone formed from the blast.
And that Hollow… was utterly erased into nothingness.