Marvel With Zanpakutou

"Domination? It’s better called... control!"

Cold sweat dripped from Steve’s forehead, blue veins bulging.

He exhausted all his strength trying to control his left foot, but the result did not go as he wished. The left foot marked with the eyeball symbol seemed to possess its own consciousness, completely breaking free from his control, and stepped forward another half step.

"Give up resisting, Steve Rogers."

Hive was extremely confident in his ability and said: "From the moment you were dominated by me, your left foot no longer belonged to you. No matter how stubbornly your will resists, it cannot fight against my domination. Come a little closer... left foot."

An absolutely irresistible command could be called... domination!

Under Steve’s horrified gaze, his left foot once again moved out of control, stepping forward half a step.

"A little closer..."

Hive crooked his finger, controlling that foot to continue walking toward him.

"Dream on!"

The moment his left foot showed signs of movement, a ruthless glint flashed through Steve’s eyes.

He raised his fist and smashed it hard onto his own knee, splashing a glaring burst of blood.

Crack!

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

A crisp bone-cracking sound rang out. His knee was directly smashed apart by one punch.

Without the support of his knee, his entire left leg became paralyzed. Steve staggered and nearly fell, but in the end he barely steadied himself, stubbornly raising his head and staring straight at Hive: "It’s just one leg. So what if I give it to you?"

"Do you know what you’re doing?"

Hive’s face instantly darkened. Killing intent rolled out like something tangible as he gnashed his teeth and said: "Who allowed you to damage your own body? That is something I have taken a liking to!"

"Your thing? Ptui!"

Steve spat and endured the intense pain of broken bones, coldly mocking him: "Stop being so damn shameless. This is my own body. What I do with it is my freedom. What does it have to do with you?"

"Looks like you still haven’t recognized reality."

Hive coldly stared at him, changing into a grim and savage expression as he said word by word: "From the moment I set my eyes on your body, your body no longer belonged to you. It became my property!"

An energy Steve was extremely familiar with continuously surged around Hive.

One tightly closed vertical line after another slowly appeared across Hive’s chest. Immediately afterward, more than a dozen slits were forced open, revealing one cold amber vertical pupil after another, their eerie purple light rippling like water.

"Accept the domination of God... Steve Rogers!"

Accompanied by Hive’s fanatical voice, the dozen or so amber pupils printed across his chest released dense purple light.

Steve, who had already witnessed Hive’s ability, reacted almost instantly. He half-crouched on the ground, tightly hiding behind that round shield, not leaving even the slightest part of himself exposed to the pupils’ line of sight.

The purple light gradually faded, and that heart-palpitating feeling slowly calmed.

Steve tried moving a little and found no sign of being controlled, then let out a long breath of relief.

Although it was only a guess and he had not been one hundred percent certain, he had undoubtedly bet correctly. Hive’s domination targets were limited to living things. It had no effect on metals made of inorganic matter!

"You found the weakness so quickly after only seeing it once."

A trace of surprise flashed through Hive’s eyes. After a moment, he returned to calm and praised: "You are among the most talented people I have ever seen."

"Stop talking big here."

Steve slowly stood up on one leg and said: "From your birth until now, how many people have you actually seen? There are many people like me in the outside world!"

It was just a casual compliment, yet he was slapped in the face on the spot.

Even if Hive prided himself on having superior blood and standing above humans, he still could not withstand being mocked again and again. His eyes immediately darkened as he said: "You really want to die. I originally wanted to protect this body a little, but now... it seems there is no need."

"Then let’s see if you have that ability!"

Steve gripped the shield tightly in his right hand, his eyes fixed firmly on Hive, his focus raised to the limit.

He knew very clearly that he only had one chance. With his left leg completely crippled, he could only patiently wait for Hive to reveal an opening, and when Hive主动 approached, he would gather all his energy in his left hand and gamble everything on one lethal strike.

Before that, he had to be careful of those amber pupils. He absolutely could not be hit again!

Just as he was calculating and analyzing the situation he would have to face next, Hive’s face revealed a trace of mockery, as if laughing at his overestimation of himself, or watching a monkey play.

"You are deliberately luring me over, aren’t you?"

Hive said with a half-smile: "Let me guess. After I主动 come over for close combat, you’ll seize my opening, then use that left hand to launch the same strike as before and completely destroy my body, correct?"

"So what if it is? Don’t you dare?"

Steve’s eyes shrank slightly. Although his thoughts had been guessed, he showed no panic at all and instead provoked him: "You don’t even dare approach a man with a broken leg. What right do you have to call yourself a god?"

"How unfortunate. I’ve already seen through your thoughts."

Cruel light surged in Hive’s eyes as he coldly said: "My favorite thing is slowly torturing prey and admiring their expressions of despair before death."

Suddenly, a burst of chaotic footsteps sounded in the metal corridor.

Figures moved one after another, then stepped into the laboratory. With the faint light outside, Steve saw their faces clearly. His expression instantly changed, rage uncontrollably surging upward, his pupils nearly spitting fire.

"Hive——!!!"

A near-beastlike hysterical roar erupted along with violent spiritual power waves rising from Steve.

"How does it feel to see your former teammates?"

Hive’s expression was savage and cruel. Within his trembling voice, which he could hardly suppress, was a trace of变态 desire after satisfaction: "You really should thank me. If not for my help, these teammates of yours would have died long ago in the ruins."

"Jack, Hans, Robert, Wells..."

Steve’s trembling teeth bit hard into his lips.

Thin streams of blood from the broken skin flowed into his mouth. The metallic taste mixed with bitterness and was swallowed down. Even the pain of having his knee shattered a thousand times could not compare to one ten-thousandth of his current heartache.

Those people... were all members of the Howling Commandos.

Or to be more precise, they had once been members of the Howling Commandos. Now, they had been reduced to puppets.

"Then next, let me enjoy this properly."

Hive stepped back two steps with the posture of someone watching a show and playfully said: "Facing your once closest comrades-in-arms, do you still have the courage to smash their heads apart like you smashed your own knee?"

"You... bastard!!!"

Steve nearly crushed his teeth. His terrifying gaze was like a blade, wishing to tear Hive into pieces.

"I almost forgot. Let me remind you."

Hive’s smile was full of malice as he reminded him: "The parasites controlling their movements are all inside the central nerves of their brains. The only way to save them is to use that fist of yours to blow their heads apart."