"Too impulsive, killing their leader outright—but it doesn't matter. There are still others I can interrogate."
Kurogai stared coldly at the remaining men, his voice low and even.
Conjuring a magic sword to kill the squad leader hadn't been his usual approach. Normally, he would've kept the man alive, extracting information carefully. But this time, the rage inside him had overridden logic. They had dared to touch someone under his protection—an unforgivable act.
Kurogai stepped forward. "Who sent you?"
Without warning, his purple-gold heterochromatic eyes shifted. They glowed crimson, a Geass symbol flaring into view.
Though he rarely used this power anymore, the Geass ability remained unmatched for interrogation. The symbol reflected in the eyes of the remaining Hydra agents, and in an instant, their resistance collapsed.
"We... we're soldiers of Hydra!" one of them stammered.
"Hydra," Kurogai muttered, his voice full of contempt. "Back from your holes again. I didn't finish the job last time, it seems."
Years ago, he'd torn through Hydra's ranks and decapitated one of its key leaders, Daniel Whitehall. But clearly, the organization hadn't been destroyed completely. Now, like a parasite, it had resurfaced.
"You still believe that cutting off one head means two more will grow? Then I'll cut every single one of them, until nothing is left to grow back."
His killing intent surged, chilling the very air. Without a flicker of hesitation, Kurogai conjured another magic blade and hurled it toward the Hydra operatives. The blast of light consumed them instantly.
He didn't need them alive. His knowledge from a previous life, combined with what he knew now, gave him more than enough leads to track Hydra's network. And today, he wasn't looking for prisoners—he was out for blood.
Just as Kurogai finished eliminating the agents, outside the factory, a figure silently lifted a rocket launcher. A metal arm gleamed in the light. Bucky Barnes—the Winter Soldier—locked on to the abandoned building and pulled the trigger.
Boom!
The factory erupted into flames. The explosion roared through the air, tearing through concrete and steel in a wave of heat and destruction.
Inside, every explosive Hydra had hidden was detonated at once. It was a brutal, calculated ambush.
Hydra's upper officers weren't ignorant. They knew Kurogai had mind-control abilities. SHIELD's files on him had been leaked, and SHIELD was riddled with Hydra agents. They expected their operatives to fall under his control.
This wasn't just a rescue mission gone wrong—it was a trap.
Hydra's plan was simple: lure Kurogai into the factory, and let Bucky bury him beneath rubble and fire. The agents were expendable. They never even realized they'd been sent to die.
Bucky turned to leave, mission complete—until a golden light flared within the inferno. A shimmering dome of magic stood untouched by the flames, and inside it stood Kurogai, holding Skye protectively in his arms.
Kurogai had shielded them at the exact moment the bombs detonated. His magical barrier held firm against the inferno.
The Winter Soldier paused, then turned back, expressionless. His mission wasn't over. Kurogai was still alive, and that meant the job wasn't finished.
"Mechanical arm," Kurogai said, his tone sharpening. "You're Bucky—the Winter Soldier. So... Pierce is behind this."
One look at that vibranium arm was all it took. Kurogai didn't need confirmation. Bucky Barnes, Captain America's former friend, had been used as Hydra's assassin for years.
And the only one with control over him now was Alexander Pierce, one of Hydra's highest-ranking officers within SHIELD.
"Pierce," Kurogai whispered, his voice like frost, "You've just declared war."
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