"Who's there!?"
Hearing the faintly mocking voice, Alexander Pierce paused for a brief moment—then, without looking back, continued walking toward the ornate crucifix embedded in the ground.
Meanwhile, the surrounding Hydra soldiers, who had just holstered their weapons, instantly drew them again.
Forming a tight circle around Pierce as the center, they cautiously scanned for the source of the voice.
Suddenly—a shadow flickered just outside the villa's massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
The moment they saw it, the Hydra soldiers raised their rifles and opened fire without hesitation.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat…
The barrage was thunderous.
In an instant, the flickering silhouette was riddled with bullets.
When the shooting subsided, a Hydra soldier nearest the window cautiously peered out—only to see a tattered cloak fluttering slowly to the ground.
"It's just a coat!" he cried, eyes wide in alarm.
He turned to warn the others—
Bang!
A single orange-glow bullet arced through the air and struck him squarely in the forehead.
He froze.
Then collapsed like a sack of meat.
Bang! Bang!
Two more gunshots followed in perfect unison.
Two more Hydra soldiers—those standing by the window—were taken out cleanly.
"Retract formation!"
The Hydra squad leader's face darkened.
Though grim, his tone remained calm as he issued new orders.
Their enemy hadn't even shown his face, and three of his best men were already down.
But this assassin—no matter how deadly—was still human.
Unlike the vengeful spirit from earlier that was immune to bullets, this one could be killed.
And killing was what Hydra specialized in.
Within seconds, the squad tightened its defenses. Soldiers fell back to cover points with practiced precision.
The leader signaled—three soldiers pulled fragmentation grenades from their belts and lobbed them into the courtyard.
Boom—boom—BOOM!
Explosions rocked the estate grounds.
Shrapnel sprayed in wide arcs, covering the entire yard.
If the enemy was still out there, he was either torn to shreds—or forced out of hiding.
But just as the soldiers focused all attention on the courtyard…
Eren, now wearing a blank-faced mask, had silently slipped in from the second floor during the chaos.
"Stairwell, near the TV, behind the sofa…"
With Spiritual Sight, he could see the Hydra soldiers clearly despite their hiding spots.
Bang!
Curved Trajectory Bullet Technique!
With a flick of his wrist, three orange-glow bullets arced through the air—snaking past obstacles to find their marks.
Bang!
The first slammed into the temple of the soldier guarding the stairwell.
A blood flower bloomed on the white wall behind him.
The other two bullets weaved past corners and tore through the heads of the soldiers behind the TV and the sofa.
Three more Hydra soldiers down.
Now only five remained—including the squad leader.
Pierce, calm amidst the chaos, had already retrieved the gemmed crucifix from the ground.
Though the shooter hadn't revealed himself, the Hydra squad leader had triangulated the shots.
"Second floor, left of the stairwell—open fire!"
Ratatatatat!
Bullets screamed upward from the first floor.
Other soldiers followed suit, sweeping the ceiling with hot lead.
Bang bang bang!
Bullets tore through the floor. Wood splinters flew. Paintings and chandeliers shattered.
Though weakened by the flooring, the bullets were still lethal.
Despite multiple enhancements, Eren wasn't bulletproof.
"Phew, they've got bite," he smirked.
Thanks to the Joker's battle instincts, he twisted and weaved through the floor, narrowly avoiding death.
Then—he reached into his coat.
Three high-explosive grenades appeared between his fingers.
"Since you're so enthusiastic, let me return the favor!"
He rolled the grenades down the stairs with practiced grace.
Thunk thunk thunk…
They scattered across the grand hall.
"Grenades!" the Hydra squad leader roared. "Take cover!"
He dove behind a couch.
Other soldiers panicked, seeking shelter.
But—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before the grenades even hit the ground, three more bullets shot down from above, each precisely striking the airborne grenades mid-flight.
"Time's up."
Eren blocked his ears with a smirk and whispered:
"Boom."
BOOOOOOM!
Flames erupted.
The hall turned into a blazing hellscape.
Hydra soldiers who hadn't made it to cover were instantly incinerated.
[Flame Blink]
Eren didn't wait.
As the fire roared, he teleported into the flames.
Bang! Bang!
Two bullets.
Two more Hydra soldiers down.
Only the Hydra squad leader remained.
With a battle cry, he charged toward Eren—grenades already primed in his vest.
"Not interested in dying with you."
Bang!
Eren shot him in the head.
The moment his body hit the ground—
The unpinned grenades fell and…
KABOOOOOOM!
The explosion was massive.
The entire first floor collapsed—ceiling, walls, stairs. The upper level caved in with it.
In just 30 seconds—
Alexander Pierce's multimillion-dollar villa was a pile of rubble.
And all his elite Hydra soldiers had died in fire and steel.
············
Amidst the ruin—
Pierce alone survived.
Aside from soot and ash blackening his skin, he was completely unscathed.
From the fire, Eren emerged—mask still on—staring at Pierce with narrowed eyes.
"So it wasn't just luck that saved you all these years."
············
Meanwhile, Pierce stood holding the crucifix, calmly studying Eren.
Despite losing every guard, he didn't show panic.
Looking at Eren's faceless mask, he remarked:
"I'd heard Nick Fury had been secretly recruiting powerful agents with S.H.I.E.L.D. funds. I didn't expect one of them to be this strong."
He had seen it all—the flame teleportation, the precision, the power.
He thought back to the helicopter explosion meant to kill Nick Fury. No body was ever found.
He knew—
Retribution was coming.
Which was why he had surrounded himself with guards.
Still, he never expected it to come this fast…
Or this bizarre.
First came a vengeful spirit immune to bullets. Then a superhuman assassin massacring his elite squad.
To him, both were Fury's revenge.
With a bitter smile, Pierce muttered:
"All these theatrics. And yet Fury still makes you hide behind a mask. If you were with us, you wouldn't have to."
"How about it? Join us. We can make you the next Tony Stark."
"You'll walk proudly in daylight, bask in praise, revel in wealth, and wield power without limits—"
"Wow."
Eren clapped mockingly.
"Hell of a speech. I bet that old man you just murdered would've loved to hear it."
At those words, Pierce's heart sank slightly.
But his expression didn't falter.
He scoffed.
"You mean Canterbury? Please."
"If you knew the things he's done, you'd be thanking me."
"For decades, he climbed the ranks through blackmail, bribery, betrayal—even murder."
"Dozens of families were destroyed because of him. And that's just what we know."
"Letting him live would've only brought more harm to the world."
(End of Chapter)
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