Chapter 53: Severe Ingrown Toenail Spell
After interrogating the Invisible woman, she confessed everything.
She wasn't some specially trained agent—just a mutant recruited by the Axis powers from various places.
It was a mercenary arrangement, with no loyalty involved.
Mutants were rare and difficult to find, making them one of the research projects initiated after the Führer came to power.
Since raising them from childhood would take too long, it was more cost-effective to recruit adult mutants.
Besides, they could just print as many British pounds as needed to pay them.
"I'm the Invisible Man now."
Allen smiled slightly and vanished into thin air.
The real Invisible Woman was so shocked that tears streamed down her face—her eyes had been burning with pain, making it impossible to control her tear glands.
"Bucky, keep an eye on her. If anything happens, shoot immediately—don't worry about her survival."
Mutants weren't opponents Bucky was suited to fight.
Steve and the rest of the team were enough for the job.
Bucky wisely raised his submachine gun, fully aware that, as an ordinary human, he'd only slow things down when dealing with a group of superpowered beings.
At the same time, he put on the goggles. Sure enough, he could see an orange-red thermal image, and the sight left him stunned.
He tried putting on the arm guard—it had a solid alloy shell encasing a complex mechanical structure. It wasn't just a shield but also packed a powerful punch.
This made Bucky even more convinced of Allen's abilities.
What Bucky couldn't have guessed was that, thanks to Allen's reckless antics, he would later experience a near-death ordeal. Hydra would recover him, study the arm guard, and design a brand-new mechanical arm for him.
At that moment, Steve, wearing a sensor device, was tracking Allen's movements.
The closer he got, the more bars appeared on the signal display.
His goal was to take out the mutant squad in one decisive strike, sending a strong warning to the enemy.
If they had to constantly be on guard against superpowered individuals, the strike teams wouldn't be able to carry out any other missions.
Tap, tap, tap...
A floating dagger knocked against the wall, producing a soft, dull clinking sound.
It was their agreed-upon contact signal.
The other mutants hiding behind cover emerged—five in total, unarmed and without any gear, clearly confident in their abilities.
The leader spoke softly, "Mission complete. Time to withdraw."
They swiftly followed their escape route toward a hidden vehicle stash outside the city.
Because of the invisibility, they didn't realize their companion had been replaced.
Upon arrival, they pulled aside some branches, revealing snowmobiles buried beneath. The team immediately mounted their vehicles.
Allen's sly little eyes darted toward the backseat of the blonde woman with the best figure.
After all, men shouldn't be too close—but men and women? That was fair game.
The woman glanced back at the empty seat. Though she saw no one, she could feel a pair of arms wrap around her waist and someone leaning against her back. Since she thought the Invisible Man was female, she didn't overthink it.
The snowmobiles sped across the icy terrain, bouncing over bumps now and then.
Allen leaned against the woman's back, grinning brightly, biting his lower lip to stop himself from laughing aloud.
"What the hell is poking me?"
The blonde woman felt something hard and hot pressing against her backside—extremely uncomfortable.
"Don't turn around. I'm the Invisible Man."
The snowmobile screeched to a halt as its tires skidded on the snow, flipping over instantly.
She had clearly heard a man's voice—it wasn't her teammate at all! Without hesitation, she bailed, rolling away from the unseen intruder.
"What's going on?"
The other four slowed down and turned back, seeing the blonde woman rising from the snow in shock.
She exclaimed in horror, "He's not the Invisible Woman—he's a man!"
Her words sent a shockwave through the group.
They had considered many possibilities—but never an opponent with invisibility.
"Show yourself."
The leader's voice was cold as he raised both hands, summoning flames that crackled and flickered. His eyes scanned the surroundings.
One man conjured a longsword of ice.
Another's eyes crackled with electricity.
The blonde woman's body was now surrounded by swirling black mist.
The last person wasn't a mutant at all—he was a mage, hands circling an array of runes.
"Relax, I just wet myself and caught a cold. My voice is a bit hoarse."
…Wetting himself? Catching a cold?
Couldn't he come up with a better excuse?
"Come out now!"
The fire-wielding mutant spread his arms, unleashing waves of flame in all directions.
Immediately, a human-shaped outline appeared in the snow—it was Allen, lying flat to avoid the flames.
"According to the rules of the underworld, surrendering means splitting the winnings fifty-fifty."
Allen raised his hands in surrender, as his invisibility failed under the attack.
"Looks like the mission's failed. Cindy must have given everything up." The leader sighed.
"Cindy was a great woman," Allen said with a serious expression. "I'm neither as delicate nor as seductive as she was."
"This guy's an idiot. Just kill him."
The leader frowned at Allen's nonsense.
"Heh heh heh…" Allen let out a sinister laugh, pointing to the sky. "When in doubt, Leodoro."
At some point, Namor had appeared, hovering above and observing the scene below.
At the same time, in the distance, Steve rode toward them on Nanaue, rapidly closing in.
Within moments, the standoff was in full swing.
"Kill them!"
At the enemy leader's command, he thrust his hands forward, spewing pillars of flame.
Steve raised his shield, blocking the fire, then sidestepped and hurled his shield, striking the man.
The next second, a bolt of lightning shot toward him.
Steve couldn't dodge in time and collapsed, convulsing on the ground.
Another lightning bolt struck Nanaue—but with its thick skin and raw resilience, it didn't even flinch, seemingly immune to electricity.
Boom!
Namor swooped down and delivered a devastating punch, splitting the lightning wielder apart on the spot.
"Hurricane."
The wind-controlling mutant summoned a howling blizzard.
Seizing the opportunity, the blonde woman's black mist slithered toward their opponents, transforming into dark serpents that bound Steve and the others.
Smack!
Allen delivered a powerful backhand slap, sending the blonde woman flying. She spun three and a half times midair before crashing into the snow, unconscious.
"Do you think you can ignore me, the righteous judge?"
Allen's gaze swept over the wind user and the mage. He smugly pulled out an iron chain from his waist. "Wanna taste true pleasure?"
"Hah! You think you've won?"
The mage chuckled. "I am a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj."
"The Sorcerer Supreme sided with the Nazis?"
Allen's expression changed—was the Ancient One working with the Axis powers? Otherwise, why would a mage be helping them?
"Impossible."
The mage explained, "I was exiled for stealing forbidden spells."
"A rogue mage, huh? Stop wasting my time."
Allen scoffed, showing zero respect for an outcast without backing.
"Very well. Let's see if you can keep that attitude."
The mage's runes glowed as he raised his hand. "Severe Ingrown Toenail Spell."
"…?"
Allen was dumbfounded. He checked himself but found nothing wrong, his confusion deepening.
"No way it failed—Severe Ingrown Toenail Spell!"
The mage cast it on Steve.
"Oh no! My toes! It hurts so much!"
Steve immediately grabbed his foot, rolling on the ground in agony.
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