From his hands and feet, Marcus ignited torrents of bloodflame, propelling himself upward in a burst of searing crimson light — like Iron Man's flight thrusters, only far more raw and primal. In fact, Marcus had used his metal manipulation ability to forge miniature propulsion systems modeled after Stark's own design, with his bloodflame serving as the volatile fuel source.
He was faster than Iron Man — much faster — but the cost was steep. Every second in the air drained his bioenergy at an alarming rate. Half an hour of sustained flight would leave him completely depleted.
The Sandman, towering like a living mountain, despised such nimble prey. With a furious snarl, he raised one colossal hand — a hand large enough to crush a car like a tin toy — and swung with hurricane force.
The blow connected.
Marcus was slammed into the prison's steel wall so hard that the impact carved a long crater into the metal. But before the Sandman could pull his hand away, crimson light began to leak from between his sandy fingers.
A wave of bloodfire surged outward, the heat so intense it fused the sand into glittering sheets of glass. The transformation spread rapidly up the Sandman's arm, devouring layer after layer of his body until half his limb had crystallized into a fragile, translucent mass.
Through the gleaming glass, Marcus's silhouette moved — his adamantium katana slicing through the air. The strike shattered the crystallized arm, sending shards of molten glass raining down like a storm.
The Sandman recoiled, his severed limb dissolving into dust. For an immortal body made of sand, the loss was minor, but even he needed a few precious seconds to reform it.
And that brief window was all Marcus needed.
"Killian — now!"
At Marcus's command, Killian shot forward on the Green Goblin's hoverboard, looping behind the Sandman's massive body. The mechanical arm on his shoulder hummed at full capacity before unleashing a blazing stream of orange-red plasma — a death ray so hot it cut into the ground like molten sunlight.
Simultaneously, Marcus descended, skimming inches above the floor, his katana blazing with bloodflame. He plunged the blade into the steel beneath him, dragging it along the ground to carve a matching semicircle of molten metal.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
Even in his half-feral state, the Sandman could sense their intent. He raised his remaining arm to strike — only for three of Doctor Octopus's mechanical tentacles, controlled by Thunder, to lash out and coil tightly around him.
The tentacles groaned under the pressure of the Sandman's strength, warping and bending like lead under a hammer, but they held just long enough.
Marcus and Killian completed their circle.
A massive, glowing ring of molten red surrounded the Sandman's feet. The superheated ground groaned, cracked, and finally collapsed under the monster's immense weight. The metal floor caved inward with a thunderous roar, and the Sandman — all twenty meters of him — plummeted into the churning sea below.
A towering column of water erupted upward, crashing over everyone nearby. The entire prison shook as the wave drenched soldiers, debris, and blood alike.
Water — the Sandman's eternal nemesis.
Once his sandy body was soaked, he lost control of its shape entirely. His form crumbled, collapsing into a heavy, shapeless slurry that the ocean greedily absorbed. For now, the mighty Sand Giant was nothing more than scattered grains sinking into the depths.
But just before the fall could drag him completely beneath the surface, his massive left hand clamped down on the prison's edge. The limb, half-dissolved by the water, held fast — preventing his total descent. Still, the soaked sand hardened into mud, and until it dried, he could not reform.
For the first time, the Sandman was truly vulnerable.
The massive disturbance caught the attention of the Lizard, who had been holding his own against the Winter Soldier and Crossbones. When he saw that every other member of the Cannon Fodder Squad had fallen, his reptilian eyes flickered with panic.
He lashed his tail to create distance and turned to flee — only to find Marcus standing behind him, katana already raised.
The Lizard froze. His body shrank rapidly, scales receding as he reverted to his human form — the trembling scientist Dr. Curt Connors.
"M–Maybe we can talk about this," he stammered.
Marcus didn't even blink. The blade flashed once.
A clean cut. A wet sound.
Connors's head flew into the air and hit the ground with a dull thud. Marcus flicked the blood from his blade, tracing a scarlet line across the floor before sheathing it — the silver edge spotless once more.
The Cannon Fodder Squad was no more.
Inside the sealed nuclear bunker, General Ross watched the slaughter unfold on the monitors. He closed his eyes, exhaling a long, weary breath. There was no rage left in him — only resignation.
Reaching for the communicator, he spoke with the solemn authority of a man signing his own death warrant.
"August 1st, 2009, New York time. The Raft Prison has fallen. Attackers: Hydra and the AIM organization. Requesting authorization for emergency protocol Thunder Plan SC-000."
There was a long pause. Then, through the static, came the President's voice — steady, but trembling faintly beneath the composure.
"Approved."
In the United States military, only weapons of nuclear magnitude required presidential authorization.
And within the Raft, there existed precisely one being of such destructive potential.
Abomination.
The adamantium chains binding the monstrous creature began to unwind, one by one, clattering to the ground like the death toll of a thousand bells.
From the shadows stepped the beast — skin a mottled gray-green, spines jutting from his back like jagged fins, muscles coiled with unnatural power. His very presence radiated violence, every breath vibrating with hatred.
"Ross," Abomination growled, his voice a guttural rumble that shook the walls, "you finally decided to let me out. I told you this day would come!"
Ross stared at him from behind the safety glass of the bunker, eyes cold but heavy with something close to regret. "I didn't release you to fight for me," he said quietly. "I released you so you wouldn't fall into their hands. You were a soldier once — one of my best. I made you what you are, and I know exactly how dangerous that makes you."
"I'm done taking orders!" Abomination roared, pounding his chest with thunderous force. "No one controls me anymore!"
With a single punch, he struck the bunker's reinforced door — the same door that had withstood Juggernaut's unstoppable charge.
This time, it didn't hold.
The door crumpled inward like foil, flattened into a molten slab of twisted metal. The ground quaked.
Abomination stepped forward, each stride shaking the prison to its core. His jagged grin spread wide as his blazing yellow eyes locked onto Marcus.
A monster had been unleashed.
__
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $3 — a perfect opportunity to access 60+ advanced chapters and support.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon