He was going to kill Sebastian Shaw.
It didn't matter that only Captain America and Hawkeye were present. Even if the entire Avengers roster showed up at once, it wouldn't change the outcome. No one here could stop him from taking Shaw's life.
The blade swept cleanly across Shaw's neck. In the next instant, Shaw's head launched into the air like a volleyball struck too hard, inertia carrying it upward before gravity claimed it. A fountain of blood erupted from the severed artery, spraying outward in a violent arc.
To avoid being splattered, Richard calmly circulated his magic power and shaped it into a thin barrier over his body. The blood struck the invisible shield and slid harmlessly away. At the same time, the meteorites that had been frozen in midair dissolved under his control, breaking apart into streams of pure energy that flowed back into him.
The sky cleared as if nothing had happened.
With the battlefield reset, Richard activated his plunder ability without hesitation.
[New ability acquired: Energy Absorption!]
[Identical ability detected. Initiating fusion!]
[Energy Absorption strengthened!]
[Energy Absorption level increased. Current level: Alpha.]
[Energy Absorption: Absorb all forms of energy except spiritual energy. Stored energy may be released or used to enhance the body. Current level: Alpha.]
[Updated X-Gene Ability List]
[Alpha Level: Plunder, Super Strength, Super Physique, Super Regeneration, Teleportation, Immortality, Magnetic Field Control, Energy Absorption]
[Beta Level: Invisibility, Super Vision, Telepathy, Giant Form, Gravity Bind, Heat Vision, Air Burst, Flight, Attack Redirection, Telekinesis, Force Field Creation, Energy Manifestation, Hydrokinesis, Water Elementalization]
[Delta Level: Beast Instinct, Bone Claws]
…
Just as he had predicted, Shaw's version of energy absorption merged seamlessly with his own. His former Beta-level absorption and energy release fused together and evolved. Though the system still classified it as Alpha, Richard could already tell it surpassed Shaw's original ability.
He couldn't quantify the increase precisely. But one fact was obvious. His energy absorption was now stronger than Sebastian Shaw's had ever been.
Richard dismissed the information panel with a satisfied smile.
Before encountering the Hellfire Club, he had possessed only five Alpha-level abilities. In less than half a day, that number had grown to eight. Immortality. Magnetic Field Control. Energy Absorption. The returns had exceeded expectations.
And Shaw hadn't just contributed powers.
While searching Shaw's mind earlier, Richard had obtained something equally valuable: account numbers and passwords. Shaw's overseas private deposits alone amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. Combined with the Hellfire Club's operational funds, the total exceeded five hundred million in cash.
That wasn't theoretical wealth. That was liquid capital.
Plenty of American billionaires existed on paper, their net worth tied up in stock and assets. But very few could produce half a billion dollars in immediate cash flow. Shaw could. And now, so could Richard.
That was what real harvesting looked like.
He removed the mind-shielding helmet suspended by copper wire and tossed it into his system space as a trophy. The battle had ended cleanly, decisively, and profitably.
Inside the Quinjet hovering offshore, the mood was far less triumphant.
Steve Rogers stared at the scene below, his jaw tight. He knew Shaw was no saint. He knew the Hellfire Club operated in legal gray zones at best. But neither SHIELD nor the Avengers had designated Shaw as a target.
The reason was simple.
Shaw maintained deep relationships with high-ranking officials in Washington. The Mutant Affairs Department had even collaborated with the Hellfire Club on enhanced clone research, facilitated by those same officials. Compared to openly aggressive groups like the Brotherhood of Mutants, the Hellfire Club operated quietly and stayed technically within legal boundaries.
At least on the surface.
"What do we do?" Hawkeye asked from the cockpit. "Do we bring him in?"
Rogers didn't hesitate. "Of course."
He unbuckled, rose, and walked toward the equipment rack. His hand closed around his vibranium shield. If Richard had crossed a line in front of him, then justice demanded a response.
Before he could step into the rear hatch, a gravel-edged voice filled the cabin speakers.
"Rogers. Barton. Return to headquarters immediately."
"Richard Wesley will be handled by the Mutant Affairs Department. He is not a SHIELD target."
Nick Fury.
Though physically located at the Triskelion in Washington, Fury had already been briefed by the Miami branch director after the Quinjet departed. The moment he learned Rogers and Barton intended to confront Richard, he intervened.
Fury disliked Richard. That much was true.
But dislike did not override calculation.
In Fury's assessment, apprehending Richard would require the full Avengers lineup at minimum. Even then, they would need a sealed battlefield designed to prevent teleportation escape. Engaging him casually over open water at night was not strategy. It was suicide.
Rogers stepped back into the cockpit and grabbed the intercom. "He killed someone. Right in front of us."
"He also killed someone in front of Natasha and Banner earlier today," Fury replied without pause. "If you believe you can accomplish what the Hulk could not, I authorize you to proceed."
Silence filled the cockpit.
Several seconds passed before Rogers spoke again, his voice measured.
"Understood. We're returning."
The transmission cut. Rogers set the shield aside and strapped himself back into his seat.
Without another word, Hawkeye banked the Quinjet away from the docks. Within moments, its engines faded into the night sky.
Richard watched it go through enhanced vision.
He hadn't heard the conversation, but he had seen Rogers lift the shield. He knew exactly what that gesture meant. For a brief moment, he had expected a confrontation.
Instead, they left.
A pity.
He had been curious how many consecutive Eightfold Flash slashes it would take to carve through vibranium. Thanos had dented Captain America's shield in the cinematic timeline. It would have been interesting to see whether his own blade technique could achieve something more decisive.
Plans rarely unfolded exactly as imagined.
He stored the blade back into the system space and glanced once more at Shaw's headless corpse sprawled across the dock. The blood had already begun pooling around it, dark and glossy under the artificial lights.
Then he vanished.
Teleportation carried him from the harbor to the rooftop of a nearby building in an instant. The White Queen stood there, watching events unfold from above, her posture elegant and composed despite everything that had just occurred.
Richard appeared directly in front of her.
He smiled.
"Have you thought about what other positions might make things more enjoyable for everyone?"
Do you like this personality?
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