Marvel: Death Knight

After an intense battle and significant exhaustion, Garus found himself unable to summon the Death Gate due to his depleted strength. With no other option, he moved toward the staircase, completely ignoring the security guards who watched him warily.

Wanda paid no mind to Garus as he left. She remained focused on healing herself, using her chaos magic to disintegrate the bullets lodged in her body. Her indifference was palpable.

The base's security personnel, who had witnessed the earlier battle in its entirety, kept retreating as Garus approached. Against someone of his caliber, they knew numbers alone were meaningless. In the end, no one dared to stop him.

Inside the elevator, Garus let out a sigh of relief. He had finally escaped. The Scarlet Witch's chaos magic was truly troublesome. If not for the system's enhancements granting him immunity to psychic and soul-based attacks, he might have been defeated.

"Crack! Crack!"

The sound of something shattering drew his attention downward. His sword, riddled with cracks, finally gave out, breaking into pieces that scattered on the floor.

Garus stared regretfully at the fragments. His only usable weapon was now gone.

Stepping out of the elevator, he found the world bathed in the crimson hues of sunset. The desolate scenery around him brought a rare sense of peace to his thoughts.

As he felt the slow recovery of his internal energy, Garus estimated it would take about two hours to reopen the Death Gate. He hoped the mutants back at his base wouldn't wake up before he returned—he didn't want to imagine what chaos might ensue.

A sudden whirring sound overhead interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, Garus spotted a dozen helicopters approaching his location. Their trajectory made it clear: they were heading straight for him. Judging by their formation, it had to be Hydra.

His strength was still too weak. Without the powers of a Death Knight, Garus felt a twinge of apprehension. Hydra's millennia-old legacy was daunting, especially since a single branch base could field someone as formidable as the Scarlet Witch.

Escape wasn't an option either. The helicopters were surrounding him in a tightening perimeter.

"What rotten luck," he muttered.

Since running was futile, Garus decided to stay put and await their arrival while formulating a plan. Opening the system store, he scrolled through the available items.

Goblin Rocket Boots: Too short in duration to be of any use. Worse, if the boots exploded mid-run, it'd be an embarrassing disaster.

Goblin Wormhole Generator: Risky. There was a chance it could teleport him underground or into the sky.

Fel Mech Reaver Riftus: This seemed promising. Equipped with various auxiliary functions, it was a powerful option. However, the exchange cost was steep, and he wasn't sure about its combat effectiveness.

Before he could deliberate further, the helicopters landed, encircling Garus. From one of the aircraft stepped a man wearing a peculiar metallic mask: Baron Helmut Zemo, one of Hydra's top operatives.

Zemo had no superpowers but possessed an exceptional intellect. The mutant suppression serum developed at this base was one of his creations.

"Who are you?" Zemo asked, his tone measured. With a wave of his hand, he signaled his men to apprehend Garus.

But Garus wasn't about to surrender.

Without hesitation, he exchanged his points for the Fel Mech Reaver Riftus. In an instant, a gust of wind swept the area as a towering, three-meter-tall mech, painted in deep green hues, materialized before him. The machine gleamed with a faint, otherworldly glow, loaded with combat modules and a fault detection system.

The system's announcement was bittersweet: from his hard-earned 10,000 points, only 1,000 remained.

Hydra's agents, initially composed, were startled by the sudden appearance of the mech. They quickly raised their weapons and opened fire on Garus.

Though his Death Energy was drained, Garus' physical strength was unscathed. With agile movements, he leapt into the mech's cockpit and sealed the hatch.

A symphony of gears turning echoed as the Fel Mech Riftus came to life.

True to its origin—modified from a Burning Legion mech—its controls were intuitive. Instead of a maze of buttons, there was only a single green fel crystal that projected a holographic interface before him. The system had already uploaded the mech's operation instructions directly into his mind.

Gripping the crystal, Garus synchronized his thoughts with the mech. Its exterior lit up with green energy, and its right arm leveled a fel cannon at the approaching Hydra agents.

"Boom!"

A blazing green flame erupted, striking the ground and scattering in all directions. The fire clung to anything it touched, consuming it until only ash remained. The scene descended into chaos.

"What is that thing?" Zemo shouted as he retreated, leaving his men to handle the situation. Back on the helicopter, he retrieved a weapon—a gun loaded with industrial-strength adhesive.

Inside the mech, Garus felt a surge of exhilaration. The Hydra agents were powerless against him. As he advanced, firing relentlessly, no one could stand in his way. The mech's only flaw was its lack of flight capabilities—he didn't have enough points left to exchange for the flight module.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Fel fireballs rained down, engulfing the helicopters in fiery explosions. Shrapnel flew everywhere, cutting down Hydra agents by the dozen.

"Damn it!" Zemo roared in frustration. His adhesive gun unleashed a stream of white liquid, coating the mech and causing its movements to seize up as though it were rusting.

The mech's fault detection system activated, igniting the affected areas with cleansing flames. Within moments, the mech's mobility was restored.

"What the hell is this stuff?!" Garus muttered, dodging another blast from Zemo's weapon.

Suddenly, an alarm blared inside the cockpit: "System energy depleted. Please replace the Riftus battery."

Startled, Garus realized the mech's energy reserves were nearly exhausted. With Hydra agents regrouping, he decided not to press his luck. Turning the mech around, he fled the battlefield.

Watching the mech retreat, Zemo exhaled in relief. In just a few minutes, they had suffered heavy casualties. Even his strongest adhesive had failed to stop the machine.

The mech reminded Zemo of the Iron Man suits. Could this be another of Tony Stark's creations?

Zemo was left baffled as to how he had provoked such a formidable opponent. For now, he resolved to assess the damage to the base before making his next move.

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