"Take them down! Kill them!" Natasha barked. Alexandra didn't hesitate, lashing out with a palm strike mid-sentence. Natasha and Barton, recalling the devastation from before, dove in opposite directions. The wall behind them erupted with a deafening crash, leaving a perfect palm-shaped hole in its wake.
The two scrambled to their feet, guns and bow aimed, retreating toward the gaping hole. Bakuto tensed to pursue, then froze. His eyes widened as he leapt aside just in time. A massive, spike-covered mace smashed into the floor where he'd stood, shattering tiles and sending debris flying.
He glanced out the window and saw the Abomination lunging toward them from the opposite building. His grip tightened on his blade. Without a second thought, he abandoned Alexandra and Madame Gao, bolting for the exit. No way was he taking on that monstrosity. Alexandra, meanwhile, charged after Natasha and Barton through the hole.
Madame Gao snarled, "Bakuto, you coward—"
The Abomination crashed through the window in a shower of glass. Before Madame Gao could react, she was hurled across the room. Her small frame slammed into the wall and crumpled to the floor. She gasped, blood spraying from her mouth as she struggled to lift her head.
Her heart dropped at the sight of the Abomination looming over her. It yanked the mace from the floor, grabbed her head in its massive hand, and dragged her limp body into the next room. On the other side, Natasha and Barton backed toward a floor-to-ceiling window, cornered and with nowhere to run.
Just as they braced for a final stand, five figures appeared behind them. Tap. Tap. Hong Fei rapped on the glass, gesturing for Natasha. Alexandra froze, her eyes darting to Frank as he leveled a six-barreled machine gun at her.
A burst of gunfire sent her scrambling like a cornered animal. She twisted and dodged until Frank abruptly stopped firing. The five figures flew in through the broken window. Natasha and Barton stood back-to-back, weapons ready. The Abomination's cold, menacing laughter echoed through the room. Their expressions darkened as they glanced toward the chaos downstairs.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounding the Rand Building spotted movement. Before they could identify the six figures, the Abomination charged into the building. Sitwell turned to Hill in shock. "Is that the Hulk?"
Hill frowned, shaking her head. "No. It's the other one."
"Abomination?!" Sitwell's eyes widened.
He and Coulson had once been tasked with recruiting the Abomination for the Avengers initiative. He never imagined Ross's elusive target would resurface in New York. Then, as the five flying figures appeared, Sitwell and Hill exchanged startled glances.
"Is Tony here?" Sitwell asked.
"No," Hill replied, rewinding the footage and zooming in. "It's the guy who declared war on Tony at Liberty Island. Get the Director on the line—and Stark, now!"
Natasha and Barton found themselves loosely encircled by the six figures. Hong Fei stepped forward, and the two immediately retreated.
"Relax, Natasha," he said with a grin. "I'm here to save you. Brought some friends too. Touched?"
Barton shot Natasha a questioning look. She kept her pistol raised but tilted her head, a sly smile spreading across her face.
"Very moved. But are you really here just for me?"
"What do you think?"
Hong Fei took a step forward, and the two of them abruptly took a large step back.
Hong Fei smirked as he plucked the earpiece from Natasha's ear. Hill's frantic voice crackled through: "Natasha! Status report! Who are these people? Natasha—" He pressed the device back into place. "Answer her."
Natasha's brow furrowed, but at Hong Fei's nod, she turned away. "Hill, we're unharmed. The targets are the ones we've been tracking."
Silence. Then Hill's voice snapped back, sharp as a blade: "Hold position. Reinforcements inbound." She whirled in the command vehicle. "Where the hell is our backup? Coulson! Rumlow!"
Coulson's reply came strained: "Heavy resistance. We need time."
Rumlow growled: "These bastards move like ghosts. Still regrouping."
Another voice cut in: "Support team en route at full speed!"
Hill snatched up a secure line. "Director, we need heavier firepower. Now."
Upstairs, Hong Fei's gaze lingered on Natasha before he strode toward the shattered windows. "Alexandra," he called, voice echoing through the ruined penthouse. "Come out. If you escape today, I'll eat my own name."
No response.
He kept walking. "Last chance. Show yourself, or I start shooting."
A blur of motion—a palm streaked up from below, qi condensed to a killing edge aimed at his gut. The power behind it dwarfed his own, coiled tight as a spring. One hit would detonate like a bomb.
Too bad it'd never land.
Hong Fei pivoted. Steel flashed.
The Hand hit the ground screaming, her severed wrist gushing blood. "Ah—!"
He yanked Alexandra from her hiding spot by the hair, tossed her aside like garbage, and turned to Madame Gao. The Abomination's massive foot pinned the old woman's chest. Blood bubbled at her lips with each shallow breath. Her eyes burned with raw desperation—the look of someone who'd sell the world for one more day.
Hong Fei tilted his head. "Pathetic."
The gunshot cracked like thunder.
The Abomination kicked the corpse away. Natasha and Barton flinched. Jessica jerked like she'd been shocked, barely stifling a cry—thank God the helmet hid her face.
Ivan's voice murmured through their private channel: "Breathe. This is just how he operates."
Hong Fei didn't pause. Two more shots—Natasha's pistol and Barton's bow clattered to the floor.
"Abomination," he said, holstering his weapon. "Clear those helicopters off my roof." "Big Head, guard these three. Arm the city charges and monitor all exits." "Frank, take Ivan and Jessica—north stairwell. I'll handle south." "Kill every Hand agent. S.H.I.E.L.D. gets one surrender offer. Refuse? Put them down. Understood?"
A chorus of "Yes!"—Jessica's a beat late.
The team scattered. The Abomination went first, launching himself through the broken glass like a missile. His fist connected with the nearest chopper's rotor.
Seconds later, the helicopter turned into a ball of fire and plummeted, the Abomination already twisting midair to lunge at the next.
As Hong Fei turned to leave, Natasha called after him: "Wait! What do you—"
He didn't look back. Big Head stepped in, pressing a device to her neck. A sharp click—then darkness.
A flash of blue light froze her in place. She crumpled to the floor, rigid and motionless, her eyes darting wildly. Barton and Alexandra met the same fate, though Alexandra's severed wrist stopped bleeding. Big Head sighed, his voice tinged with exasperation. "Stay still, or I'll have to kill you and then off myself to make amends." He couldn't resist flexing a little.
Despite being a scientist, he'd always harbored fantasies of charging into battle. But when Hong Fei assigned roles, he hadn't dared to protest. Hong Fei had chosen the south side for a reason—Bakuto was there, disguised as one of The Hand's ordinary ninja assassins.
If not for his Psychic Power, Bakuto might have slipped away. Hong Fei raced downstairs, bursting through a door to find over fifty ninja assassins waiting. On the other side, Frank and Ivan had already begun their assault, gunfire and explosions echoing through the building. Without hesitation, Hong Fei drew his blade and sword, kicked the door open, and charged in.
His weapons moved like a crashing tide, their edges gleaming like the first light of dawn. The ninjas' shouts were deafening, but as their cries turned to screams, the noise transformed into a grim symphony—rising, falling, perfectly orchestrated.
Broken katanas flew into the air, embedding themselves in the ceiling. Severed limbs tumbled to the floor, gravity claiming them swiftly. Hong Fei's blade and sword danced, arcs of blood splattering across every surface—ceiling, walls, floor. The crimson spray flowed and dripped, painting the room in vivid red.
The pierced, the slashed, the throat-slit—all became companions on the path to Death. Blood splashed onto his armor but didn't linger. Hong Fei moved through the crowd and their blades with precision—no strike missed, no effort wasted. The shimmering light of his weapons swirled around him, deflecting an attack before his sword flashed out in a deadly slash.
A brilliant silver blade of energy shot through the air, crossing the room in an instant. It pierced the far wall with a sharp whistle. The ninjas charging at Hong Fei collapsed, their heads tumbling to the ground in a macabre heap.
The remaining ninjas froze, some already retreating. Hong Fei turned, lunging forward like a predator. Moments later, he exited the room, casually closing the door behind him. The Dual Wielding skill card lived up to its name—the blade and sword felt like extensions of his own body.
Not only did they not feel like a burden, but it felt as if this was how it was meant to be—double the weapons, double the edge! His strength grew with every move. Downward he pressed. Meanwhile, Tony took off from Long Island Villa in a flash. In Washington, Fury's quinjet soared into the sky. Near New York City, General Ross rallied his troops, leading them forward with fierce determination.