At a critical moment, Chen Haoran's body was enveloped in fiery wings, burning away the spider webs and shielding him from the attack. Though he was thrown back, he wasn't seriously injured.
In the command center, Hill watched the monitors with a grave expression. The situation was even more dire than the last attack by the mysterious Hidan.
Tayuya continued to play her flute, summoning ghosts to attack the locked doors. While these alloy doors could withstand physical attacks, they were powerless against spiritual ones.
The fully armed SHIELD agents behind the doors fell unconscious before they could even fire a single shot.
After dealing with the SHIELD agents in this area, Tayuya moved on to the next target.
Meanwhile, in another video feed, Sakon and Ukon were seen using taijutsu to eliminate SHIELD agents. Despite the agents deploying high-explosive grenades and timed bombs, Sakon and Ukon avoided all damage.
Jirōbō crashed through walls as if they were paper, smashing through SHIELD's defenses and killing the agents hiding behind them. Their counterattacks were easily neutralized.
On the monitors, six identical women were also shown wreaking havoc in different areas.
Hill's heart ached as she watched the continuous deaths of SHIELD agents. With 120 seconds remaining on the countdown display, Hill considered detonating the base to take the Sound Ninja with her.
However, the unknown method the Sound Ninja used to avoid missile attacks made her hesitant to use such a drastic measure. Destroying the base and failing to eliminate the enemy would be a disaster.
Three minutes had passed since SHIELD requested assistance, and a SHIELD base in New York had dispatched F-22 fighters to the battlefield.
Pilot: "Sir, the headquarters is surrounded by a red crystal barrier."
"Fire the missiles and see if we can breach it."
"Yes, sir!"
The pilot aimed at the barrier and pressed the red launch button. Two air-to-ground missiles were fired.
"Whoosh!"
"Boom! Boom!"
The missiles exploded on impact with the barrier, but there was no sign of any crack.
"Sir, the surface-to-air missiles cannot breach the barrier. Requesting larger-caliber missiles."
At that moment, Guren appeared above the barrier. She glanced at the fighter jets in the sky but dismissed them, as such attacks could not penetrate her barrier.
…
In the hall, Kidōmaru shook off debris and surveyed the surroundings.
He soon spotted Steve Rogers, who had just gotten back up.
Kidōmaru's eyes gleamed with greed as he observed Steve's shield. It was an impressive artifact capable of withstanding his arrows and reflecting attacks.
Such a valuable item should rightfully belong to the Sound Ninja.
Chen Haoran looked at Steve and made a tactical move to attack Kidōmaru first. He smashed his fists into the ground, causing it to crack and surge towards Kidōmaru. Kidōmaru leaped into the air to avoid the attack.
"Boom!"
The ground where Kidōmaru had just stood erupted in flames.
Meanwhile, Steve accelerated and launched a flying kick towards the airborne Kidōmaru.
With his determination, Steve aimed to strike Kidōmaru, knowing that the ninja couldn't brace himself in mid-air and would have to endure the kick. With 20 tons of force plus the momentum, even a ninja would suffer.
Kidōmaru, however, smiled at Steve's approach. He unleashed his chakra, drawing out sticky gold shurikens and throwing them at Steve.
"Die!"
With six arms, Kidōmaru had a considerable number of shurikens. If Steve didn't change his strategy, he would be overwhelmed by them.
Realizing the danger, Steve quickly twisted his body and rolled aside. His flying kick turned into a roll and crashed into the nearby debris.
Meanwhile, Chen Haoran spread his arms and roared.
"Ah!"
As Chen Haoran roared, his fiery wings flared out again, and a barrage of fiery attacks rained down on Kidōmaru.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The numerous fiery attacks struck Kidōmaru driving him into the nearby stone pillars. Chen Haoran continued his attacks until the pillars shattered into pieces.
Chen Haoran, having retracted his wings, staggered slightly. The attack, while powerful, had drained him significantly.
Gasping for breath, Chen Haoran asked, "Is he dead?"
At that moment, Steve, who had just emerged from the debris, replied, "He should be dead."
Suddenly, a thick arrow shot out from the rubble, piercing Chen Haoran's abdomen and pinning him to the ground, creating a large crater.
Steve, witnessing this, shouted in pain, "Chen—"
"Bang!"
The stones crushing Kidōmaru were blown away, revealing him underneath.
Kidōmaru, now fully transformed, looked like a demonic figure. Having barely survived Chen Haoran's earlier attack, he had already activated his second state.
"Fire Guy, your previous attack was indeed powerful. I almost met my end. You're the first person in this world I acknowledge. Die knowing that."
"Hahaha!"
Kidōmaru laughed maniacally, confident that the two opponents before him could not inflict any real harm. In his second state, he had even defeated jonin-level ninjas from Konoha.
Chen Haoran, looking at the gaping wound in his abdomen, knew he would not survive. He turned to Steve and yelled, "Run, Steve. You can't die here."