Ch.170 Troublesome Enemy

Ronan remembered very clearly.

In his previous life, while watching a certain anime with a blonde protagonist, there was a character who looked very similar to the giant in front of him.

Of course, it wasn't about the appearance, nor was it Kimimaro.

After all, Kimimaro's frail and sickly physique, compared to this nearly three-meter-tall giant, was like a tiny chick.

The only similarity was the spine that had been pulled out.

Facing Ronan's question, the giant remained silent, only swinging the spine whip in his hand once again.

Boom!

A crack immediately appeared on the ground.

Seeing this, Falcon couldn't help but gulp.

If he got hit by that, he might really have to join those ghosts and live with them, right?

Meanwhile, Steve Rogers was on high alert. He raised his shield and took a step forward.

That kick earlier had already made him realize that the opponent's strength was not only on par with his but possibly even greater.

Facing such a monster reminded him of the Hulk.

"Steve, you should be able to handle this little monster, right?"

"If I step in, it's not going to be for just $50,000."

Ronan glanced at the giant across from him, not really wanting to get involved.

He had just gotten his money and was planning to go out and enjoy himself. Plus, the Winter Soldier incident had given him a reason to upgrade his ride.

He was planning to switch to an electric car.

Ever since Tony Stark developed the Arc Reactor, new energy had taken over a huge portion of the market.

For example, equipment that used to require coal for power generation had been replaced by the new energy from the Arc Reactor.

And of course, the automotive industry too.

Not to mention, if Tony Stark's Iron Man suit could last so long, what if the Arc Reactor was installed in a car?

Of course, it wasn't that exaggerated.

Not every car would have an Arc Reactor installed, but the new energy would replace traditional gasoline.

Now, the big players in the automotive industry either had to collaborate with Tony Stark or curse him behind his back, hoping he'd die early.

Although the cost of replenishing this new energy was high, it was still far cheaper than gasoline or diesel.

You could say that after abandoning his identity as a weapons manufacturer, Tony Stark not only didn't suffer losses but made a huge profit.

The Arc Reactor was his greatest achievement.

As for Ronan, he had a VIP card from Stark Industries.

At any energy replenishment station, as long as he showed the VIP card, he didn't have to pay.

So why would Ronan still buy a gas-powered car?

Therefore, on his way to the bank earlier, Ronan had already been fantasizing about driving his new car.

As for the Winter Soldier, that was just some extra cash he made on the side.

With that extra $50,000, his car budget could go up quite a bit.

However, Steve Rogers took a moment to shrug and pointed at the Winter Soldier, who had just gotten up.

The meaning was clear.

Hey, what about that "knock out and free delivery" you promised?

Ronan twitched his lips.

Since when did the honest and straightforward Captain America become so cunning?

Whoosh!

While the two were talking, the giant across from them finally couldn't hold back and made his move.

He charged forward, swinging the bone whip in his hand with full force, aiming straight for Falcon!

The bone whip moved so fast that Falcon didn't even have time to react!

Thud!

A sharp, ear-piercing sound rang out as the bone whip slammed heavily into Steve Rogers' shield.

Falcon was sent crashing into the alley wall, completely dazed.

It turned out that just as Falcon was about to be hit by the bone whip, Steve Rogers had pushed him out of the way and raised his shield in an instant.

Thus, the crisis was averted.

However, the giant remained expressionless.

After Steve Rogers blocked the first attack, he pulled back the bone whip and swung it down again.

This time, Steve Rogers reacted quickly.

He didn't try to go head-to-head with the giant because that first strike had already left his arm slightly numb.

If this continued, he would soon lose his fighting ability.

So, he chose a move that was very common in combat.

The donkey roll.

He dodged the attack.

However, what made Steve Rogers secretly groan was that the giant seemed to have fixated on him and was relentless.

After one attack was dodged, another whip strike quickly followed.

Steve Rogers had to abandon his usual strategy of facing his opponents head-on and kept dodging.

It wasn't that he didn't want to fight directly, but he couldn't find an opportunity to close the distance!

Boom!

After dodging another whip strike, Steve Rogers was starting to breathe heavily.

But the giant across from him looked as if nothing had happened.

Clearly, the giant's stamina was even better than his!

If this continued, in less than ten minutes, he wouldn't be able to maintain his current speed!

And the result would be...

Where's Ronan?

Help!

At this moment, Steve Rogers also remembered Ronan.

Unfortunately, after the earlier "devastation," the alley was almost completely flattened.

And Ronan had already disappeared.

"Captain, I'll help you!"

At this moment, Falcon, who had been invisible for a while, finally took to the air.

As soon as he finished speaking, Falcon flew out from behind the giant and delivered a powerful kick to the back of the giant's head!

Thud!

The giant's head was kicked downward at almost a 180-degree angle!

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone breaking echoed.

Hearing this, Falcon, who had just flown past, couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

If it were an ordinary person, a kick like that to the back of the head would only have one outcome.

Instant death!

Because both the cervical spine and the cerebellum are located there.

It's a very fragile and fatal spot for humans.

The crisp sound of bone breaking earlier meant that Falcon's attack had been effective!

However, what Falcon never expected happened next!

The familiar crisp sound came again.

Crack, crack...

But this time, it wasn't the sound of bones breaking. Instead, it was the sound of the giant lifting his head and cracking his neck.

A few seconds later, as the sounds stopped, the giant stood there as if nothing had happened.

It was as if the person whose head had been kicked at a 180-degree angle wasn't him at all!

"Heh..."

The giant let out his first sound since appearing.

But that one sound was enough to break Falcon's composure.

This guy was outright mocking him!

"F***!"

Falcon roared and took to the air again.

He had no idea how many times he had shouted this American expletive today.

He raised his arms, and the armor on them opened up, revealing several familiar "turrets."

That's right, these "turrets" were loaded with small bombs, just like the ones on the Winter Soldier's arm.

Of course, the technology in Falcon's armor was almost all outdated stuff from Tony Stark.

That's why it looked so familiar.

Boom!

As a large amount of white smoke sprayed out, a dozen micro-missiles shot straight at the giant.

It was clear that Falcon had been provoked, otherwise he wouldn't have unleashed all his ammunition at once.

Because once it was used up, there was no way to replenish it mid-battle!

Boom!

The dozen micro-missiles hit the giant directly, causing a massive explosion.

The flames from the explosion engulfed the giant.

Thick smoke immediately filled the area, and the nearby alley finally completely collapsed.

Steve Rogers raised his shield and quickly retreated, only stopping once he was out of the smoke.

However, he still didn't let his guard down, his eyes tightly fixed on the spot where the explosion had occurred.

Normally, for an ordinary person, even one micro-missile exploding on them would reduce them to pieces, let alone a dozen.

But this giant was completely different.

From their earlier fight, it was clear that this giant wasn't just different in size—his stamina and strength were on a completely different level.

You could even say that Steve Rogers himself couldn't match that level.

What surprised Steve Rogers even more was that Falcon's kick earlier had been incredibly powerful.

If the giant's defense was that strong, the sound of bones breaking shouldn't have been heard.

Since it was heard, it meant the giant had taken damage from that attack.

But if he had taken damage, yet fully recovered in just a few seconds...

This kind of ability was something Steve Rogers had never heard of before.

Where's Ronan?

Help!

Steve Rogers looked around but still couldn't find any trace of Ronan.

Also missing was the Winter Soldier, who had just recovered from his unconscious state.

"Captain, are you okay?"

At this moment, Falcon landed from the air and came to Steve Rogers' side.

"I'm fine."

"How about you?"

Steve Rogers shook his head.

His slightly numb arm had now returned to normal, and his stamina had recovered somewhat.

"I'm fine, but I used up all my micro-missiles in one go."

"With an explosion of that magnitude, there's no way he could've survived."

Falcon glanced at the explosion site, speaking with certainty.

However, Steve Rogers wasn't as optimistic.

"No, I don't think it's that simple."

"I have a feeling he didn't take any fatal damage from that."

Steve Rogers stared intently at the explosion site, his grip on his round shield tightening.

Because the smoke was clearing.

They could gradually see what was at the explosion site.

A shield-like object appeared in the smoke.

"What is that?"

Falcon couldn't help but widen his eyes.

As their vision cleared, Steve Rogers finally saw what was in the smoke!

A shield made of bone!!!

This shield wasn't large, about the same size as the one Steve Rogers was holding.

But the difference was that one was square, and the other was round.

The giant's figure also appeared behind the shield, his body covered in wounds!

His legs, face—anywhere the shield hadn't protected—were exposed, revealing white bone and bloody flesh.

But the vital areas protected by the shield were completely unharmed!

"Heh..."

The giant grinned, letting out his second sound of the day.

This sound was exactly the same as the first, with no change in tone.

But this time, Falcon couldn't angrily throw any more bombs.

The reason was simple: the right side of the giant's face was more than half gone.

From their perspective, they could clearly see the exposed skull grinning at them!

"This guy isn't human!"

Falcon instinctively cursed.

What kind of person could survive being blown up like that?

And even use his skull to smile? That's just bullsh*t!

It wasn't that Falcon hadn't seen dead people before. In fact, he had seen plenty on the battlefield.

He had seen all kinds of deaths.

Some were killed with a single headshot, losing their heads.

Others were riddled with bullets, their bodies torn apart.

Some were even burned alive by Molotov cocktails, leaving behind the smell of roasted meat in the trenches.

He had seen it all, but a scene like this was more terrifying than anything he had ever witnessed!

Steve Rogers, on the other hand, took a deep breath. He wasn't as shaken as Falcon.

Because he had seen it all before.

Whether it was Red Skull, who turned his face into a skull through experiments,

Or aliens with even more bizarre appearances.

Or even mind control and mirror dimensions.

A scene like this couldn't scare him.

The only thing that made him uneasy was that he could clearly see, with his own eyes, the giant's shattered flesh and skin slowly repairing itself!

And the speed of recovery was incredibly fast!

Because just as Falcon shouted those words, the exposed white bone on the giant's left leg had already been covered with fresh flesh.

It looked as if it had never been injured at all!

"Captain, this doesn't look good."

Falcon gulped, clearly having noticed this too!

Such terrifying regenerative abilities were far worse than anything he had seen before!

Incredible strength, decent speed, and now this horrifying regenerative ability!

How were they supposed to fight this?

Steve Rogers took a deep breath and raised his shield once again.

He had faced countless insurmountable challenges before, but he had always overcome them.

Now, he was facing an opponent stronger than any he had encountered before.

This opponent was, without a doubt, the most difficult he had ever faced.

Not only was he incredibly strong, but his speed was also on par with Steve's.

And then there was that bizarre bone ability and terrifying regenerative power.

No matter how he looked at it, Steve Rogers was at a disadvantage.

However, he simply smiled, took a few light steps in place, and tilted his head slightly.

He raised his shield and faced the giant.

"I can do this all day!"