Justice from above.
A downpour of red light rained upon Hydra's forces, unleashing a series of explosions and flames that engulfed the battlefield.
The air was filled with the cacophony of screams and the deafening roar of destruction.
One by one, Hydra's vehicles were effortlessly pierced by the electromagnetic railguns, erupting into fiery debris that sent charred wreckage flying through the air.
The unfortunate infantry caught in the blast were sent tumbling like ragdolls, their bodies consumed by the raging inferno.
Most who were struck directly by the railguns never even had the chance to react—vaporized in an instant before they could feel a shred of pain.
But for those caught in the aftermath of explosions and searing heat, their fates were far crueler.
Light and fire intertwined, forming a breathtaking symphony of destruction upon the battlefield.
The relentless orbital bombardment played the percussion, the synchronized explosions provided the harmony, and the final agonized screams of Hydra soldiers became the tragic melody of war itself.
"Wow... With firepower like that raining from the sky, what the hell am I even here for?" Hawkeye muttered with a wry smile.
"Would've been a lot simpler if we just started with this, don't you think?"
"The precision of orbital strikes still needs improvement," Kagura reminded him over the comms.
"Besides, long-range bombardment alone can't fully eliminate scattered infantry taking cover behind obstacles."
"Some of their vehicles are also equipped with countermeasures to deflect electromagnetic attacks."
She paused, then added playfully, "I can thin their numbers for you, but until reinforcements arrive, holding this warehouse district is still your job, Mr. Barton!"
"Got it." Hawkeye sighed before raising his bow once more. "Alright, activating... Wait a minute—what the hell is this move called again? 'Dragon' something? Who the hell came up with such a weird name?"
Even as he complained, he activated the energy capacitor embedded in his bow, triggering the special attack mode Kagura had meticulously designed for him—Ryū.
"Does it even matter?" Kagura huffed through the comms. "It works, doesn't it? This is called 'staying true to the original setting'!"
"The original what now? Stop spouting nonsense I don't understand."
Hawkeye sighed but didn't hesitate as he pulled back the bowstring.
A luminous blue mist emanated from the capacitor, swirling around his arrow.
"Target lock complete. Two armored vehicles, seventeen infantry with standard equipment, nine combat drones. Final safety release—disengaged."
"Wait! Wait! Mr. Barton! You have to say the line when you use this move!"
Kagura's excited voice rang through the comms. "Come on! Say it! Say it!"
"You've got to be kidding me..." Hawkeye frowned, exhaling deeply. "Fine."
The air shimmered as energy surged through his bow, crackling and coiling like a living entity.
"竜が我が敵を喰らう!"
In an instant, the swirling energy coalesced into a majestic, spectral dragon that roared as it shot forward, tearing through the air toward the enemy ranks.
A thunderous, draconic cry echoed across the battlefield as the embodiment of cutting-edge science and technology manifested like an arcane miracle, bringing an otherworldly spectacle to life.
"What the hell is that?!"
Hydra soldiers gawked in disbelief as the ethereal dragon surged toward them.
" Is this some kind of movie CGI?!"
'BOOM—!'
The dragon barreled through the Hydra forces, obliterating everything in its path.
Infantry and equipment alike were swept away by its relentless energy, while armored vehicles collapsed under the sheer force of the attack.
In mere moments, the enemy's formation was shattered as if a hurricane had torn through them.
But this was no visual effect. Nor was it some kind of holographic projection.
It was Rhodes Island Industries' pinnacle achievement—an intricate fusion of swarm micro-drones and advanced capacitor technology.
Everyone has their quirks.
And Kagura's particular quirk was her relentless pursuit of recreating weapons and techniques from her favorite works of fiction—down to the finest detail.
In fact, most of Rhodes Island Industries' advanced equipment had been designed with this philosophy in mind.
So, once she had the idea of making Hawkeye fire Hanzo's ultimate from Overwatch, she never stopped working toward it.
Magic? Supernatural forces? The mystical power of dragons? Those were off the table.
But technology? Technology could achieve almost anything. That was the power of science.
To bring this vision to life, Kagura installed a specialized energy capacitor in Hawkeye's bow and modified it with meticulous precision.
When activated, a swarm of microscopic drones—each no bigger than a grain of rice—would be released from the capacitor.
Each drone carried its own miniature capacitor, allowing it to generate tiny bursts of radiant energy.
Originally, these drones were developed for medical applications, designed for internal diagnostics and minimally invasive procedures.
But after extensive modifications, they could now merge into a cohesive structure, forming an awe-inspiring construct that amplified their destructive potential.
To perfect the Ryū technique, Kagura drew inspiration from firefly biology, pushing micro-drone technology to its absolute limits.
"Damn! That worked even better than I expected!" Kagura cheered as she monitored the battlefield. "Great job! As expected of me! Ehehe!"
"As expected of... you?" Hawkeye scoffed. "I'm the one firing the shots, taking out enemies, and defending this warehouse. And yet you're patting yourself on the back?"
"Obviously!" Kagura retorted playfully. "After all, I designed and built your equipment!"
She then sighed. "Unfortunately, you can only use Ryū once per battle. And there are still plenty of enemies left. Hold the line!"
"Relax. I've got this," Hawkeye assured her, drawing another arrow as the battle raged on.
Hydra had suffered heavy losses in their assault on Rhodes Island's warehouse district.
But this operation was critical—it would determine their future, and possibly grant them control over the world itself. Retreat was not an option.
From behind Rhodes Island's temporary barricades, 20mm automatic cannons continued to fire, keeping Hydra's infantry pinned down and even managing to take out a few light armored vehicles.
But despite their setbacks, Hydra's forces still possessed main battle tank-class vehicles, equipped with 120mm smoothbore cannons capable of obliterating defensive gun emplacements with a single shot.
Hawkeye was strong. His arrows were deadly against any Hydra vehicle within his sights. But even he was just one man.
Even with near-unlimited ammo from the warehouse, his rate of fire was too slow to singlehandedly stop Hydra's relentless advance.
Then, a streak of orange light blazed across the sky.
A split second later, one of Rhodes Island's automated defense turrets exploded.
'BOOM—!'
A silver-gray power suit landed heavily at the frontlines of Hydra's formation.
"Assault Squad, attack!"
"This is Brock Rumlow! Assault Squad, acknowledged! Forward strike team, commence attack!"
"Oh, great. Kagura, did you see that? The enemy keeps bringing out more and more fun toys," Hawkeye sighed. "Can I request backup now?"