Chapter 371: The Avengers 1: Split (Part 1)_1

'Bucky? How are you here?!' Steve asked aloud in bewilderment, his brow furrowed, only to react suddenly and do a roll on the spot to evade the attack from Bucky. Peter took flight again, warning from mid-air, 'He's being controlled! Captain, keep your distance from him!'

'Snap out of it! Bucky Barnes, you're not Hydra!' Steve yelled with gritted teeth, tossing his shield out forcefully. The round shield whistled by Bucky's ear narrowly missing him, brushing past his hair as it went by.

Stark, flying over the south-eastern part of the battlefield, saw all this unfold. He let out a mocking sigh, then directed his words at Steve, 'Remember when you lectured me about how you handle Hydra types? How come when it comes to your friend here, you suddenly forget all the rules?'

Steve offered a complex expression but finally said, 'Collaborate with me to restrain him, we'll talk about the rest later.'

Stark responded with a grunt, launching two missiles that tracked Bucky across the field. With thick smoke trailing them, they spiraled aerially. Steve reached out, calling to halt him, 'No! Wait! Don't use missiles! You...you could kill him!'

'He's a criminal and part of Hydra—look at his actions right now, he's out to murder you and all of us! Are you suggesting that I should not give it my all against him, and watch us all be slaughtered?' Stark asked coldly.

'No, I certainly don't...' Steve's arm started to tremble, and an expression of immense pain crossed his face. Everything had happened so suddenly.

Even though he knew from Hydra's computer in their base that Bucky had become a guinea pig for their experiment, he had expected a victim suppressed and in unbearable agony, not this hale and hearty Hydra assassin who could leap and attack with daggers.

His sensibility told him that Stark was correct. If he held back now, everyone else could also be in danger.

Let's not forget, there are two other possible Hydra members on this field. If they united, it would take a lot of effort for the Avengers to tackle them. And if they still didn't do their best, the situation could quickly spiral out of control.

Steve, who had learned of this on the battlefield, did not have much time to ponder. His Adam's apple throbbed, and with it, his upper body trembled. He still seemed to be trying to persuade Bucky.

Upon seeing Steve's dreadful state, Stark became furiously worked up. He bombarded the ground where Bucky was with his lethal weapons, with smoke and the blaze of explosions rising at once.

Stark discarded all tactics; he was merely venting his rage. His Iron Armor was the dominant force on the battlefield, even without his Mecha Army. Even Strange was forced to dodge Stark's bombardment using evasive spells, unable to confront it head-on.

Steve swung his arm in the air a few times, choking in the dust. As the smoke dispersed in front of him, he saw a massive crater appear. Bucky was on the rim of it trying to evade the situation, but a missile caught up with him. 'No!!' Steve cried out.

'No? Do you just say "No" to the death of Hydra—your lifelong adversary?' Stark's voice turned increasingly cold, his emotions became unstable. The human aspect in his tone was fading, being replaced by a mechanical sound.

'Stop arguing! We should be uniting! This conflict can't be solved by bickering!' Peter shouted from the side.

But no one paid any attention to him. Matt and the mutants were already chased out of the center of the battlefield by Stark's bombardment. The only ones left on the field were Stark, Steve, Strange, Grant, Peter, and Bucky, who were comparatively stronger.

Bucky, sent flying by the missile, landed heavily on the ground. The intense pain seemed to bring him back to his senses for a moment—he coughed out blood.

Observing his movements, scenes from countless previous battles surfaced in Steve's mind. In a burnt, smoke-filled trench, Bucky and he, covered in wounds and drenched in blood, would knock their fists together in celebration of surviving yet another brutal skirmish.

His chest heaved, and his arm trembled uncontrollably. His sense of touch heightened. The texture of his shield, from the mere grains to intricate details, transmitted signals up his arm to his brain. The overwhelming input tormented him, trapping him in a nightmare.

The bright sunlight reflected off the metallic red and gold suit floating mid-air, blinding him like a sun. For the first time, Steve felt the sorrow and hardship of standing in the defendant's position.

Inside his suit, Stark shook his head too. He was trying to regain his composure, but each glimpse of Bucky rekindled his fury. No matter what, he couldn't stand watching the perpetrator who had murdered his parents live a peaceful life.