Chapter 244: Making HYDRA Despair

George took out a box and stored the wooden piece inside.

The production of nuclear bombs relies on metal, and as long as something is metal, it falls under his control.

After all, in X-Men: First Class, Magneto was able to stop all incoming missiles instantly using his abilities.

So, as long as a nuclear bomb entered the range of George’s powers, it was essentially rendered useless.

Finally, he used the Transformation Charm to maintain the bomb in its launch-ready state. With the effects of his new wand, he could preserve this state for an extended period.

According to the history of this world, nuclear bombs on Earth were created by the Eternals, who were engineered by the Celestials. They were granted to humanity as the ultimate weapon to end wars.

Even in the vast universe, their destructive power is formidable.

A single nuclear bomb was enough to wipe out the Chitauri fleet’s mothership, making it seem even more devastating than many of the advanced weapons used by civilizations in Guardians of the Galaxy.

By preserving it with the Transformation Charm, George now had another hidden trump card—one he could restore to its original state and detonate whenever needed.

After dealing with the nuke, he turned to face the three airborne Helicarriers.

“Despair, HYDRA!”

He clapped his hands together and pulled them apart:

“Plasma Electromagnetic Cannon!”

A massive plasma beam burst from George’s hands, piercing straight through one of the Helicarriers.

He then shifted his aim to the right, slicing the massive warship in half before sweeping the attack toward the remaining two.

Realizing the imminent threat, the two remaining Helicarriers quickly adjusted their cannons to fire at George.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Light Magic: Trinity Barrier!”

A golden magic array rose behind him, forming a radiant defensive barrier that absorbed all incoming energy blasts.

Even while defending, George maintained his plasma cannon, sweeping through the sky and bisecting the remaining Helicarriers. The wreckage plunged into the lake below.

In less than ten seconds, the three Helicarriers—HYDRA’s last hope for world domination—were utterly annihilated by a single man.

To him, massive warships without energy shields were nothing more than oversized targets.

And not only did they lack shields, but they were also incredibly fragile. Even in The Avengers, one of them was almost taken down by Hawkeye’s explosive arrows.

—

“Oh my God, who is he? Is he the Archangel Michael?!”

“This is insane!”

“Was that a nuclear bomb? Who launched it? Is the government trying to destroy Washington?!”

“He stopped the nuke! He just saved all of Washington!”

“He saved our lives!”

Viewers watching the live broadcast were completely stunned. The scene was beyond anything they had ever imagined.

They could comprehend superheroes like Captain America, Wolverine, and Iron Man.

Captain America was a result of the Super Soldier Serum—essentially a biological experiment.

Wolverine was a mutant—a genetic anomaly.

Iron Man’s power came from technological innovation.

But George was different.

He appeared out of nowhere.

He spread his wings.

He fired a plasma cannon from his hands.

He summoned a golden magic barrier for defense.

All of these combined to create one overwhelming impression—

He was a god.

Of course, while many were awe-struck, most remained rational. Once they snapped out of their shock, their reaction was one of gratitude—especially the citizens of Washington.

Had George not intervened, they had no idea what kind of devastation HYDRA’s Helicarriers would have caused.

But they did know the kind of destruction a nuclear explosion would bring.

—

Meanwhile, the Security Council, watching the event unfold, was just as shaken.

“Who the hell is this guy? Is he a mutant? Why didn’t Nick Fury ever mention him before?!”

Fury had informed them about the reconstruction of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, briefly mentioning Wolverine and some mutant children. He had assured them everything was under control, so they hadn’t paid much attention.

But now they realized—among those mutants, there was someone this dangerous.

A nuclear bomb—stopped with a mere gesture and turned into wood.

Three state-of-the-art warships, capable of wiping out the world’s most elite military forces, reduced to scrap in seconds.

Compared to HYDRA, this guy was a far greater threat.

Because if he ever decided to turn against them—how could they possibly stop him?

“Damn it, how much has Fury been hiding from us?!”

“Looks like I need to upgrade my Golden Legend armor,” Tony muttered.

Watching George obliterate the Helicarriers with his plasma cannon, Tony suddenly felt self-conscious about the time he had proudly shown off his chest-mounted repulsor to Steve and Logan.

At least George hadn’t been around to witness it.

—

"Still the same headmaster as always. No wonder we barely see him—he’s always off developing new abilities!"

Logan sighed, though he wasn’t particularly surprised.

He’d seen it all before.

George had a habit of unveiling new powers every so often. Logan was used to it. This time, the only difference was that the scale of destruction was even bigger.

“The enhanced individuals are escaping! We need to get inside and rescue Bucky!”

Despite his shock, Steve remained focused. His priority was his best friend’s safety.

He saw the eyeless man and several enhanced individuals teleport away and immediately sprinted toward the Triskelion.

Tony and Logan followed close behind.

Without the aid of the Inhumans, the remaining HYDRA soldiers and robots stood no chance against the three of them. They quickly broke through the defenses and stormed into the building.

—

Inside the Triskelion, in the director’s office, Alexander Pierce stared at the sinking remains of his dream—his years of planning and ambition—reduced to nothing in moments.

He felt utterly broken. His faith in everything he believed in was crumbling.

How could a single mutant possess such overwhelming power?

Had he been following the wrong path all along?

Was Strucker’s enhanced individuals project the true way forward?

“Kill them all! Kill them now!”

With everything falling apart, Pierce issued a desperate command.

If he couldn’t win, then he would make them suffer.

If he was going to fall, he would drag others down with him.

If nothing else, this could buy him time to escape.

This wasn’t over.

He would return.

However—

No one responded to his orders.

A finger pressed against his forehead.

“Binding Curse! Legilimens!”

He turned around in shock.

“You—how did you—”

“Sectumsempra!”

A moment later, George withdrew his hand.

Pierce’s head separated from his body.