boom!
Steve Rogers raised his shield to block the attack, but the blood shadow collided with the shield, causing a powerful energy explosion. Even though Captain America was prepared for the collision, he was still blown away by the unexpected explosion.
Fortunately, the golden energy suit was like a solid and stable barrier, blocking the damage caused by the explosion. So although Captain America looked like he was blown away in a mess, he actually did not suffer the damage he deserved.
"Steve?" Nick, who was agile and dodged outside the door at the first moment, saw the captain who was guarding his rear being blown away in the blink of an eye. He shouted in worry.
"I'm fine." Steve, who was still flying in the air, controlled the energy of the ring, flipped in the air, and hung in the air. At the same time, he turned his hand back, took off the alloy shield hanging on his back, held it in his hand, and covered it with the energy of the ring.
A blood-red shadow left a long blood-red afterimage in Nick's one eye, and rushed out of the warehouse with a fierce and desperate momentum. The gun in his hand had now turned into two energy daggers, which slashed towards Captain America's neck with lightning speed.
Steve, who had also been amplified by the ring, subconsciously raised his arm holding the shield, hiding his neck and head under the shield. At the same time, he also lost his vision in front of him.
During this period of familiarization, Steve had discovered that the ring's energy suit wasn't simply a protective shield; it was more like a layer of highly protective energy skin! Like skin, it felt the same as any object it touched. The only difference was that it insulated the wearer from any potential damage.
So when Steve didn't feel the opponent's weapon hitting his shield, he immediately realized that something was wrong. According to the needs of the battle, the danger perception was suddenly amplified and strengthened, and it instantly spread throughout his body.
A blood-red knife tip suddenly pierced Captain America's lower abdomen and made contact with the energy suit on his body.
The energy suit's density had almost crystallized at the place where the blood-red knife tip pierced. In just a moment, the knife tip pierced the American team, and before their muscles could react and fight back, there was another violent and intense explosion at the place where the knife tip touched.
To Nick, who was watching from the sidelines, it was as if Frank, transformed into a bloody shadow, had just darted out to get close when Captain America was blown away by the energy explosion. The whole process was incredibly fast and swift.
Nick gripped the communicator tightly in his hand and silently used the equipment he was wearing while Blood Shadow Frank and Captain America were entangled. In the darkness, his figure was assimilated as quickly as a chameleon.
While S.H.I.E.L.D. may not excel in weaponry and high-tech research like the supernatural, it nonetheless possesses its own unique set of technologies. In this branch of technology, S.H.I.E.L.D. has forged a unique path in agent weaponry, encompassing infiltration, identity modification, and micro-weapons for various situations.
Just like now, he could use technology to gradually weaken his presence, his voice, his scent, his presence. He had no intention of intervening in the battle between two monsters with excessive combat power, because such a battlefield did not need a dispensable combat force like him! He needed to leave the battlefield immediately and call Luke to deal with and stop this trouble! Preferably as soon as possible!
Nick couldn't afford to lose either Captain America, Steve, or his old buddy, Frank! Even the money he had to pay for his custom-made Mind Ring was part loan, part credit from Luke. Only by selling some of the first batch of selected items could he make up for the shortfall. If either of them were to be damaged, Nick would be tempted to self-destruct.
…
Luke received a call from Nick, and after listening to the other party describe the situation at the scene in as brief words as possible, he was speechless.
"I understand that you kept it a secret from everyone in order to hide a trump card that you could use to turn the tables at a critical moment, but before that, why couldn't you ask for my opinion? Are you afraid that I will infer something from your few words?" Luke bluntly exposed Nick's thoughts.
"I thought it was the same as all your previous weapons. You know, little Luke, the weapons you make are very powerful and safe." Although Nick, who was hiding in a corner, did not get embarrassed, he was still a little embarrassed when Luke showed him his thoughts without any mercy.
"Of course, the power and safety of the weapons I manufacture are guaranteed, but only if you use them correctly according to my instructions. The problems with the Beast Series equipment were caused by unauthorized modifications, and the problems with the Mind Ring were caused by you, for some reason, being too self-righteous and thus concealing them."
Luke shifted the communicator in his hand and continued, "I'll repeat, this new energy is as dangerous as the power of the demon. It resonates with a person's intense and persistent emotions, and can also resonate and fuse with them, amplifying those emotions! Conversely, the more the wearer's emotions are amplified, the greater the erosion and influence on their spirit will be, and their power will continue to grow. During this period, if they endlessly squeeze themselves and climb the energy, when they reach a certain limit, they will completely become part of the energy, becoming a puppet representing this energy and emotion. The rings I gave you were all castrated and filtered by me. They may easily touch the barrier of rising energy, but they are relatively safe.
I wonder if the mass-produced rings and the Captain's successful experiment have led you to mistakenly believe the Mind Ring is harmless. The custom ring I'm giving you is completely different from the mass-produced version. The mass-produced version filters energy in a uniform way—stable, safe, and less stressful, but lacks any unique characteristics. This custom version, also known as the Discernment Ring, can discern and amplify certain emotions. Similarly, its power and characteristics are unmatched by the mass-produced version.
"The situation is urgent now, little Luke. You can say these things later. I need help now." Nick said with a dark face.
"I can't help you."
As soon as Luke said that, Nick's heart suddenly sank. It was like when his most valued and trusted subordinate was seriously injured and sent to the hospital, and the doctor told him in front of him, "There's no way to save him, just wait for death."
"I can sell you some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s core dangerous items!" Nick gritted his teeth. He firmly believed that Luke must have the means and methods to solve the problem.
"I've heard of the Tesseract," Luke ventured.
"That's impossible!" Nick's face suddenly changed color upon hearing this, and he refused with an extremely firm tone. "Listen, I don't know where you learned about the existence of the Tesseract, but that kind of thing can't be sold! It's something that SHIELD truly doesn't sell!"
"I haven't said what I want to do yet." Luke shook his head, somewhat disapproving of Nick's sensitivity.
"It's dangerous, Luke."
"The new energy is also dangerous."
boom!
Another violent explosion was heard over there.
"You really need to come and help solve this problem, otherwise the situation may get out of control."
"That's your problem."
"I know. But the Tesseract is impossible."
"The incident was caused because you didn't follow the instructions and the manufacturer's reminders. I can help. But remember what you promised me and the favor you owe me." Luke said.
The test report on the Gold of Tolerance is already in hand, and the seemingly excellent sample of the Red of Rage could also be retrieved for testing. Even with the captain present, the situation could still be brought to this point. Nick's candidate for the second ring appears to possess exceptional combat experience and emotional fortitude.
Nick finally breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up the phone. The short conversation of a few minutes was simply a torture for him.
…
Steve marveled at Blood Shadow Frank's fighting skills. His combat experience and skills were among the best he had ever seen! He finally understood why Nick favored and trusted this man.
But Steve's physical fitness and mental will are far superior! If Frank is the most powerful individual soldier among human soldiers, then Captain America is undoubtedly superior to them.
The Super Soldier Potion not only boosted his physique, but also his emotions and will! Furthermore, he had obtained the ring earlier than Frank and had become familiar with its functions under Luke's guidance. Therefore, after being initially suppressed, the captain was able to quickly adjust his form and fight Blood Shadow Frank back and forth.
A golden energy beam and a blood-red beast-like shadow darted back and forth between the two men. As Nick, who was hiding in the distance, watched, it looked like two balls of light, one golden and one red, constantly colliding.
After a fight, the captain is now more or less familiar with the characteristics of this blood-red energy, and has summarized some of the opponent's attack techniques and methods.
The blood-red energy was violent and unstable, far more lethal and destructive than his own energy. Even more problematic, each attack emanating from this energy inflicted a Hunting Mark on the opponent. The next attack, no matter how you evaded, would inevitably be hit. And no matter how you dodged, or even slipped into the opponent's blind spot, it was useless. As long as you carried the Hunting Mark, your position and movements were practically under the opponent's observation.
There is nowhere to hide and no way to escape.
Captain America once launched into the air at full speed, creating a great distance, and the mark remained unchanged. Meanwhile, the enemy's attacks would bombard him with incredible, flash-like speed. As for attack routines and methods, aside from the convenience of the common energy and plasticity of various weapons, and the high-intensity increase in physical fitness, Blood Shadow Frank currently only displayed two. One is that every attack will cause a powerful explosion. The other is that the mark is stored on the marked target, and it will be superimposed. Currently, Frank is supposed to be able to superimpose it twice, and then detonate it with the next attack.
The lethality would instantly increase several times. If he hadn't had this energy suit on him, relying solely on his shield, he might not have been able to withstand the enemy's attack for long. However, during the most thrilling attack, his energy suit was blown into a ball of energy ripples, but he gritted his teeth and increased his energy output, and managed to hold on.
According to Luke's theory, the stronger the will and the more powerful the emotion, the more instantaneous energy can be mobilized through the ring, but it is best not to increase the energy indefinitely. Some negative emotional energy, while possessing more threatening and lethal power, also makes it easier for the wearer to become a part of it.
Blood Shadow Frank was on this path of no return. His power was constantly rising. As long as the Captain blocked his attacks, his next wave would inevitably become even more powerful. And since his attack was impossible to dodge once struck, the Captain was forced to increase his energy output accordingly. What was particularly terrifying was that after reaching a certain level, the Blood Shadow's energy gained a new property besides explosion: erosion and contamination!
In other words, it is the infectiousness and resonance of emotions!
Yes, the opponent's attack can not only explode, but also erode and pollute people's spirits, arousing their anger and desire to fight.
The captain was able to perceive this change because his own psychic energy was somewhat incompatible with Blood Shadow's fanatical, violent, and chaotic nature. Therefore, after being affected, he quickly felt the subtle influence from the changes in his own energy. He couldn't imagine how horrific the scene would be if he didn't have a psychic ring, and if Blood Shadow Frank had faced other soldiers!
Steve was able to use the properties of energy to re-strengthen his will and stabilize his emotions, but others without the corresponding ring would find it difficult to do so. Especially now, not only did he have to increase his energy to deal with Frank's unavoidable attacks, but he also needed to allocate some energy to deal with the infectious fanaticism and maintain his composure.
Now Steve could only pray that, in this intense battle, the opponent's mental strength would hold out until Luke arrived. Or, he could pray that he could smother the mad-dog Blood Shadow Frank and restore his consciousness before Luke arrived. However, the latter was difficult to achieve in such a short time.
Even though their fight was thrilling and the aftermath of the golden and red energy explosion was powerful and brilliant, both of them were still almost unharmed. Steve did use some technique to penetrate the blood-colored energy shirt and injured Blood Shadow Frank, but soon, the wound on the opponent's body recovered as the blood covered it.
This method, however, was ineffective the second time it was used against Blood Shadow Frank. His opponent's combat experience was simply too vast. Given the current intensity of the battle, Captain America felt they could easily fight for three days and three nights.
A ball of energy sparked in the air before Nick, swirling and expanding into a portal. Luke and the Mage King stepped out. Seeing them arrive, Nick's face finally revealed a look of relief. While he hadn't expected Luke to actually have the mages use the portal to transport him, he was pleased with the efficiency of their support, and even envious.
"The fight is fierce." Luke didn't speak to Nick after coming out. Instead, he looked up and saw the two lights, one gold and one red, colliding and fighting in the distant sky, and said with emotion.
"Let's get down to business first." The Mage King shook his head. Although mages were reluctant to get involved in such matters, strictly speaking, the out-of-control new energy was indeed worth his while to resolve. After all, mages were also one of the managers of the new energy.
"What are you going to do?" Nick came up and asked.
"Of course, we need to pull them into a space that won't affect reality. Also," the Mage King looked at Nick and sighed, "Next time, please read the instructions carefully."
Upon hearing this, Nick immediately turned his gaze to Luke, who was looking intently at the sky above his head. It seemed that the two intertwined lights and shadows particularly attracted his attention.
"Do you want to join in too?" The Mage King asked Nick before taking action.
"Of course." Nick nodded. He had spent all his money to buy those two fighting forces. How could he feel at ease if he didn't see with his own eyes how they were dealt with?
"Then remember to stand behind me." The Mage King opened his hands, and the air seemed to ripple, covering the ground under the feet of the three people and the two entangled figures in the air.
The mirror space of the Supreme Mage lineage.