Chapter 70: The One Who Originated the Return

If one were to describe it in the simplest terms, the [Mercy] in Josse’s hand was a massive chainsaw sword, one and a half meters long and weighing nearly two hundred kilograms.

"High-frequency oscillating cut!"

As Josse pressed the button on the hilt, the already rapidly spinning chainsaw sword began to vibrate at an extremely high frequency and minuscule amplitude, blurring its outline. With a forward-striding slash—one of the most common techniques in the Gale Sword Style—he cleaved a bestial warrior, encased in sleek, glossy exoskeleton, cleanly in two.

Yes, as long as it's a sword, the Gale Sword Style can be performed. There was never any rule against using a greatsword or a chainsaw sword!

"Constant-temperature incineration!"

With a slight movement of his fingers, the enormous blade took on a glowing red, superheated state in less than a second. A single strike was enough to cut down another bestial warrior, one renowned for his extraordinary regenerative powers. Immediately after, the blade emitted arcs of visible high-voltage electricity, reducing the still-twitching chunks of flesh to cinders.

Beyond these bizarre functions, the sword Mercy was equipped with several jet ports along the spine. With a pull of the specialized trigger, Josse could unleash a torrent of energy, multiplying the speed and force of his strikes several times over.

When Josse first found the blueprints for this weapon mixed among a pile of tech documents, he’d written down every insane melee weapon function he’d ever encountered. Even Tony could only realize less than half of them. As for the barbecue, hairdryer, or flashlight modes—those weren’t impossible, but Tony had simply ignored them.

Normally, a weapon of this size could never accommodate so many features: the energy requirements alone would be impossible, and no ordinary person could ever wield its weight.

But this was crafted by Tony Stark. Naturally, the power source was nothing less than a miniature nuclear reactor—a truly mad invention.

Now, with Josse’s own strength, swinging several hundred pounds was as easy as an ordinary man wielding a sword. Only this allowed such a weapon to be used in actual combat.

For Josse, replicating that miniature nuclear battery wasn’t difficult. It was just that, under normal circumstances, few would ever need one, and his own ambitions were set on even more powerful energy sources. This marvel had simply been neglected.

Josse, however, had simple, brutal requirements: on the foundation of nuclear power, attach every conceivable function to this chainsaw sword—even a self-destruct mechanism, in true madman fashion.

Even Tony Stark had to admit that, compared to the mechanical wings still being brainstormed by military arms experts, Josse’s weapon had a much higher cost-performance ratio. Mimicking a biological form was far less efficient than simply strapping on a jetpack, which was not only cheaper but also allowed for a much greater variety of weapon systems.

Perhaps even Josse himself would never know why, when he eventually met Sam Wilson, the man’s hero name would be “The Universal Backpacker” instead of “Falcon”—but the true origin of this peculiarity was forever lost to time.

Even so, it didn’t stop Tony from shredding Josse’s article on the “Personal Nuclear Rifle” and banishing that bizarre concept to the deepest recesses of his mind, never to be pondered again.

“In short… what you see is what you get. For now, just rest easy and wait for the final moment. Leave the rest to him.” Tony shrugged, closed the projection, and began a meticulous inspection of his suit.

Steve and the others fell silent for a long moment before reaching an unspoken consensus—no one brought up the recent unpleasantness again.

“But… the final moment is near, isn’t it?” Steve turned to confirm with Tony.

“Yes. According to my calculations, the energy to activate the portal is almost at capacity. We can’t stop it, but if it has to be triggered, better with Hydra lives than innocent civilians.”

“Make your final preparations, everyone. No one knows what kind of enemy will come through, but we must give it everything we’ve got.”

Steve and his team gazed from afar at the portal shimmering above the city’s highest point. Its glow was now dazzling—the energy within had reached its peak!

…

“Is it starting…?” whispered a Hydra soldier, staring at the brilliant portal in the distance.

“No. It’s already over.” A cold voice sounded in his ear. Before he could realize this was not a comrade’s voice, his body had already been sliced in two—one half charred, the other sliced clean.

“Hah… That should be the last of Hydra in this district, I suppose?” Josse wiped the sweat from his brow and turned his gaze upward to the portal.

Everything until now was mere prelude. The real calamity had yet to make its entrance.

Catching his breath, Josse glanced at his system panel. As expected, a new mission had appeared.

[Main Mission: Defeat ‘Hydra’]
[Reward for Success: 5,000 Source Points]
[Failure Penalty: Deduct ten times the reward in Source Points]
[Side Mission 1—Slay the Hundred Heads: Since the legend is about slaying a hundred-headed beast, let’s see what happens if we turn Hydra into a hundred-headed one.]
[Success Reward: At least 30,000 Source Points]
[Side Mission 2—Actually, I’m an Undercover Agent: March into Hydra and shout ‘Actually, I’m undercover!’ then join Hydra.]
[Success Reward: 200,000 Source Points]
[Hidden Mission: Not yet activated]

By Josse’s old reckoning, this was the kind of situation where he’d be the first to flee. But now, sword in hand, he stepped steadily toward the portal.

If asked why, one could say it was the new mission from the system. After all, running now would cost him fifty thousand points—a loss he simply couldn’t accept.

But that wasn’t the whole truth. Deep down, Josse wanted to know if his current strength could truly contend with a monster capable of destroying a city.

No matter how much he tinkered, no matter how much the Avengers came to respect him, Josse was still, in the eyes of true powerhouses, nothing but a minor figure.

To survive the coming apocalypse, beyond stabbing Star-Lord in the kidney ahead of time, the most important thing was strength—only overwhelming power could stop Thanos from collecting all the stones, perhaps even defeat that terrifying monster completely.

And to reach that goal, Josse knew he could never run from any battle.