Steve watched solemnly as the Mushroom Grongi was reduced by Omega's terrifying freezing aura into a scattering of icy crystal powder across the ground. Although the one destroyed was his enemy, Omega's casual display of overwhelming power—effortlessly eliminating a foe Steve himself had struggled against—made Steve instinctively heighten his guard against the suddenly appearing Omega.
Nearby, Coulson was equally tense. He waved his hand, signaling the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to lower their weapons so as not to provoke Omega.
As a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent personally assigned by Nick Fury to cooperate with Steve in combating the Grongi, Coulson was well aware of the recent S.H.I.E.L.D. operation that had attempted to capture the special Grongi known as Omega by force.
An elite squad of the most highly trained agents, fully armed with the most advanced weaponry, had laid an ambush in advance—yet in front of Omega, they had been completely helpless. Even a Quinjet sent as support had been shot down. The result of the operation was clear: total failure.
From the lesson of that failed mission, it was evident that conventional weapons—jets, missiles, and the like—were utterly ineffective against Omega, this unfathomable Grongi with unknown motives.
Coulson therefore understood very clearly that the agents he had with him now, armed only with firearms, stood absolutely no chance against Omega. If a fight broke out, the only possible outcome would be total annihilation.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strongest field operative, Crossbones—Brock Rumlow—had been crippled in that previous operation, losing one arm and one leg, with severe frostbite across much of his body that still had not fully healed.
It was said that in order to restore his severed limbs, he had voluntarily signed up for a highly dangerous and uncertain special biochemical experiment using collected Grongi cells as samples.
Since Omega showed no intention of attacking, it was better to restrain hostility and avoid conflict—after all, the weapons in their hands posed no threat to Omega anyway.
"Kuuga, we meet again," Omega said, completely ignoring the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and greeting Steve directly.
Steve asked with confusion heavy in his voice, "What exactly are you trying to do? Why did you kill that Grongi just now?"
He genuinely could not understand Omega's motives—why he would attack one of his own kind.
Hearing this, Coulson's heart stirred. He pricked up his ears, intent on memorizing Omega's answer. It wasn't just curiosity; he believed Omega's response might serve as valuable reference material for analyzing and researching the Grongi.
Omega looked at Steve and smiled faintly, his tone matter-of-fact. "Didn't you already hear what I said? He violated the game rules, so he had to be eliminated."
"Game rules…" Steve murmured, recalling what Omega had said to the Mushroom Grongi.
"The belt and the Amadam Spirit Stone were destroyed?" Steve asked uncertainly, looking at Omega.
Omega nodded. "The belts of us Grongi, like yours, are the source of our power. They are also the credentials for participating in the Gigiru Game.
"For Grongi who take part in the game, successfully completing it allows the belt to be promoted, granting greater power and elevating one's status.
"If the game is failed, there is only one outcome—the belt will automatically detonate, killing the participant."
Steve seemed to grasp something. He recalled that after reviving, the Mushroom Grongi indeed no longer had a belt. "So because I destroyed the Mushroom Grongi's belt, even if he revived, it still counted as a game failure?"
Omega nodded, speaking as if it were obvious. "Correct. He should have been destroyed along with his belt. But by relying on his own traits, he regenerated a new body from shattered limbs and fragments.
"That already violated the game rules. As the supervisor and enforcer of those rules, it was only natural that I intervened to give him the ending he deserved."
Coulson instinctively shrank his neck. It seemed the Grongi placed extreme importance on these so-called game rules—even their own kind would be purged without hesitation if they violated them.
Omega appeared to function as something like an executor of the game's rules.
"So you came this time solely to eliminate the Grongi who violated your rules?" Steve probed.
"There's no need to worry," Omega said, casually scanning Steve from head to toe with a relaxed smile. "My responsibility is only to ensure the game proceeds and that the rules are enforced. I'm not interested in anything else.
"Nor will I indiscriminately slaughter Rinto. You don't need to be so wary of me. I have no reason—and no interest—in being your enemy."
Steve neither agreed nor refuted him, remaining silent.
"Forget it. Think whatever you like. I only care about completing my assigned duties; everything else has nothing to do with me," Omega said, noticing Steve's continued vigilance. He then reverted to an ordinary human form, signaling his stance.
"Oh, right. Since we've met, let me give you a reminder," Omega added, suddenly turning back to Steve. His gaze was deep, as though seeing straight through him. "You'd better learn to master that awakened golden power as soon as possible. Otherwise, the next participants in the game will be very difficult for you to handle."
Steve was startled. After the Amadam Spirit Stone absorbed electricity and Kent's divine lightning power, it had indeed awakened a completely new force—but he hadn't had the chance to use it in front of anyone. Yet Omega had noticed it!?
Omega glanced sidelong at Steve with a half-smile and continued, "The reason the Mushroom Grongi was able to revive after his belt was destroyed wasn't just his powerful regenerative and proliferative traits. It was also because your sealing energy wasn't sufficient to completely erase his life.
"In other words, the next game participants will possess the ability to resist the sealing energy you currently wield. If you can't further strengthen yourself, you'll have a hard time stopping them."
As he finished speaking, white mist suddenly surged forth, enveloping Omega. Moments later, the mist dissipated—and Omega's figure vanished with it.
Seeing Omega disappear, Steve undid his transformation, his eyes filled with contemplation.
What exactly was the stance of this mysterious Grongi? Why did it seem as though he wanted Steve to grow stronger?
But wouldn't that also mean more Grongi would be destroyed by Steve? Why did it feel like he didn't care at all?
It was simply…
"It's almost like how we treat characters in video games or movies," Kent said thoughtfully from the side. "I get the feeling this guy just wants to see interesting… battle performances?"
"You mean he really treats everything as nothing more than a game?" Coulson asked, his lips twitching, his tone laden with complicated emotion.
"Maybe…" Steve let out a long sigh. "The Grongi have always treated their hunting of humans as a game."
Coulson's expression shifted repeatedly. It didn't align with normal human logic—but seen this way, it did explain the Grongi's seemingly illogical behavior.
And after all, whether the Grongi could even be considered human was still up for debate. Human societal rules and logic clearly couldn't be directly applied to them.
(End of Chapter)