Did he just completely digest the 'Assassin' potion?
It had barely been ten minutes since Bucky drank the potion.
Ten minutes!
In such a short time, he had fully assimilated the effects of the Assassin potion?
Was this guy born to be an assassin?
Wait a minute—
Bucky wasn't a natural-born assassin, but for decades, the Winter Soldier had been following Hydra's orders, doing nothing but assassination work.
He didn't need to 'play a role'—he was an assassin, through and through.
Decades of training had already prepared him for the exact state of mind needed to digest the potion completely.
That's why he absorbed it so fast.
Realizing this, Eren finally understood why Bucky had adapted to the potion with such supernatural speed.
Watching Bucky's near-miraculous digestion of the potion, Eren couldn't help but recall his own experience—how he had to go through various struggles, even pretending to be a wandering fortune teller, just to speed up his own potion digestion.
Eren shook his head.
Thankfully, my Clown path digested quickly as well. Otherwise, I'd be so jealous I'd die.
...
Whether it was intentional misdirection or a means of concealment, Hydra's New York headquarters wasn't actually in New York.
Instead, it was across the river in New Jersey.
As the golden hues of sunset painted the George Washington Bridge, Eren arrived at Hydra's hidden base—an ancient castle nestled away from prying eyes.
The fortress was massive, overgrown with ivy and ferns, its exposed stone walls bearing the wear of centuries.
The whole place reeked of history.
Looking at the imposing structure, Eren sighed.
"Wow, another castle. Hydra sure is rich."
This wasn't Manhattan, where every inch of land cost a fortune, but even so, an estate of this size wasn't cheap.
The fact that Hydra had transformed it into their base spoke volumes about their deep pockets.
"Why do so many organizations love using castles as their bases?"
Eren mused silently.
The Assassin Brotherhood had done it for centuries.
Baron Strucker's faction had a castle of their own.
Even Alexander Pierce's Hydra faction, which infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., had set up a fortress here in New Jersey.
It was almost a tradition at this point.
Before Eren could drive closer, several Hydra guards emerged from the castle gates, blocking his car.
"Stop! This is private property. No unauthorized entry!"
At the same time, Eren's keen intuition picked up the presence of at least three sniper rifles trained on his vehicle.
Before he could speak, Bucky rolled down the window.
His icy gaze swept over the rookie Hydra guards.
Under Bucky's cold stare, the young Hydra recruits involuntarily shuddered, an instinctive fear creeping into their hearts.
But as they registered his face, they quickly lowered their weapons.
They recognized him.
As Hydra's top assassin, the unstoppable Winter Soldier, Bucky was well-known.
And more importantly—
He had just left the base this morning.
Even if they were just trainees, they had enough awareness to recognize one of Hydra's deadliest operatives.
One of the smarter recruits glanced at Bucky's missing arm and the bloodstained wound he was covering.
Seizing the moment, he asked, "Sir, do you need medical attention?"
Before he could finish, Bucky silenced him with another icy glare.
Realizing his mistake, the rookie immediately shut up and swallowed his words.
Bucky then pulled out a Hydra identification card from his coat pocket.
"Open the gate."
"Y-yes, sir!"
The recruit quickly scanned the card, and with a loud beep, the castle gates slowly creaked open.
The moment the doors parted, Eren noticed the hidden snipers lowering their rifles.
Bucky retrieved his card and rolled up the window.
Meanwhile, behind the wheel, Eren smirked as he gently drove the black sedan into the castle grounds.
By all logic, Hydra's main base should have been under tight security.
Yet no one had questioned Eren's identity.
In fact, the guards barely even glanced at him.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Eren chuckled.
"Hypnosis is more useful than I expected."
...
Inside the Castle
Bucky surveyed their surroundings, then whispered from the backseat.
"We need to take control of the command center before they realize what's happening. From there, we can activate the base's self-destruct system and wipe this place out."
"If word gets out that I've returned, Hydra's leaders will react quickly. If that happens, destroying this base will become much harder."
At the wheel, Eren's eyes darkened slightly as he gazed toward a particular spot in the castle.
"It seems… that won't be necessary."
The moment he stepped into the castle grounds, he had felt it—
A barrier.
Like he had crossed a boundary between reality and something else.
Sensing something amiss, Eren immediately activated his spiritual vision.
And the moment he did—
The castle transformed before his eyes.
What had once appeared as an old fortress now seemed shrouded in malevolent energy.
Then—
A bone-chilling wind swept through the castle, as if warning intruders to stay away.
Reaching into his coat, Eren pulled out the 'Crystal Eye' and placed it over his right eye.
Through its enhanced vision, the world became even clearer.
Taking another look at the castle, Eren casually parked the car, stepped out, and turned to Bucky.
"Follow me."
...
Eren led Bucky into the castle's courtyard.
Unlike the well-maintained front entrance, the backyard held the remnants of ancient ruins.
Among the collapsed pillars and crumbling stonework, one structure stood out.
A towering knight statue, clad in full armor, gripping an impossibly large sword.
Bathed in the golden light of sunset, it radiated a faint divine glow.
However—
That glow flickered like a dying candle.
And in the unseen world, golden energy from the sunlight was being absorbed into the statue's sword, keeping a dark force at bay.
"An interesting seal… but it won't last much longer."
The moment Eren spoke—
A ghostly, ear-piercing shriek echoed through the air.
Dark mist began pouring out from the statue's base, wrapping around the knight in thick, swirling shadows.
The mist writhed against the divine glow, attempting to consume the statue.
Eren didn't even need to guess.
Something was sealed beneath this statue.
And whatever it was—
It was powerful.
At that moment—
Two blazing red lights flared within the mist, glaring at Eren and Bucky with a malevolent gaze.
"You… can… see… me…?"
The voice echoed directly into their minds.
"Release… me… and I shall grant you… eternal life!"
Hearing this, Bucky's pupils contracted.
This thing…
What the hell was it?!
(End of Chapter)
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