Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

"Then you might not get the chance."

Steve felt like his internal organs had been rearranged.

Even with his body enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum, he couldn't withstand that kind of brute force.

This monster was too powerful.

He couldn't fight back.

No!

"You… ah… why… ah… aren't you running… ah!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Run… ah… don't let me… ah… die in vain… ah… here… ah!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

At that moment, Captain America's voice was filled with tragic heroism.

But paired with the rhythm of repeated bang bang bang and his agonized ah ah ahs, the scene somehow felt… comedic.

Then, just as he was being smashed like a ragdoll, he heard a strange voice call out nearby:

"Why are you running?"

"This guy's just a low-level mob. If you weren't trying to protect me, this would've been over already."

What the hell?

Mob?

Is… is he talking about me?

Before Steve could react, he suddenly realized he had stopped moving.

He was no longer being flung around.

Lying dazed on the ground, he lifted his head and saw—

The Mutant was now suspended in midair, held by some invisible force.

All of his intestines had been forcibly pulled out and were scattered across the floor.

Then a calm voice rang out.

"First one."

A small flame suddenly ignited on one of the intestines—out of thin air.

It burned slowly, steadily.

The Mutant let out a scream completely unlike the roars from before—sharper, more tortured.

After more than ten seconds, the flames extinguished.

The intestine—previously incredibly durable—crumbled into ash.

"Second one."

The voice sounded again.

Another intestine caught fire. Another tortured scream followed.

Finally, Captain America fully processed what was happening.

He pushed himself up with difficulty and looked back.

Black Widow stood still, stunned, as if frozen.

A few feet away stood the man—hands calmly folded behind his back, watching as if this was just entertainment.

What… happened here?

Then came the third calm voice.

"Third one."

Steve clearly saw Russell speak the words this time.

Another intestine ignited. Another tortured scream rang out.

Captain America's jaw dropped. He turned around, shocked.

"You… you… you did this!?"

Russell gave him a side glance.

"Or did you do it?"

"If you don't move, those intestines might fall into your mouth."

Steve's expression changed instantly.

He was terrified there might actually be something inside those intestines.

He staggered to grab his shield, limped back toward Black Widow, and whispered:

"What the hell is going on?"

He glanced at the Mutant—still suspended in the air, unmoving, his intestines writhing and burning as the screams continued.

Just watching it made his scalp go numb.

He'd been burned before. He knew pain.

But this was something else.

Natasha looked pale and whispered back:

"I… don't know."

"I tried to pull him back earlier, but Russell just looked at me—and for some reason, I couldn't move."

She swallowed, her voice trembling.

"Then the Mutant suddenly froze, like he was encased in amber."

"I could see it in his eyes—confusion, surprise… then panic. And finally, pure fear."

"He struggled, but it was useless."

"Then it was like he was made of rubber. All his intestines just got pulled out—like someone was unraveling him."

Steve gulped hard.

But the shock in his eyes was even stronger than hers.

He'd been on the receiving end of that Mutant's attacks.

He knew just how powerful those intestines were.

Even the edge of his Vibranium shield couldn't slice through them.

They moved with speed, power, flexibility—total dominance.

If that Mutant hadn't been toying with him, he could've easily snapped his neck.

But now?

Now, that terrifying monster was completely immobilized in midair. And Russell hadn't even moved.

Not once.

Steve couldn't even figure out how he was doing it.

And those flames… They didn't look like they were burning flesh.

They looked like they were burning his soul.

The screams were beyond physical pain—they sent shivers down his spine.

This wasn't just power.

It was something far, far beyond human.

At this moment, Steve finally understood what Nick Fury meant.

If this big shot actually needed someone like him for protection, then whatever enemy they'd be facing could kill him in an instant.

Super Soldiers? In front of that kind of power, they're no different from ordinary foot soldiers.

Dead in a flash.

"The ninth one."

The voice was still casual.

But the Mutant suspended in mid-air could no longer scream.

His vocal cords had already been destroyed when the fifth intestine was burned.

Now, his face was twisted in agony, drenched in sweat, pupils trembling uncontrollably—and he couldn't even move a muscle.

"Alright. You should be more cooperative now."

Russell nodded in satisfaction.

With a mere thought, the Mutant's body was dragged over to him.

Captain America and Black Widow tensed up. Then, to their shock, they saw a strand of white energy surge from Russell's palm into the Mutant's mouth—

which immediately caused the Mutant to start screaming again.

But a cold voice followed:

"If you scream again, I'll keep burning you."

The Mutant shut up immediately.

But sweat streamed down his face like a waterfall.

Seeing this, even Steve and Natasha fell silent.

Russell turned back and sighed lightly.

"Relax. You two can speak freely."

The two stood up quickly, forced strained smiles, nodded furiously—but still said nothing.

Russell sighed and muttered,

"Suit yourselves…"

Then he turned back to the Mutant and began questioning:

"Where does your power come from?"

He had just tried reading the Mutant's mind—but both direct probing and psychic intrusion had failed.

Some unknown force was protecting this one's mind.

Upon hearing the question, the Mutant's terrified eyes suddenly glowed with fanatic devotion. He opened his mouth and shouted:

"It was granted to me by the great @#¥@*!"

Russell glanced at the two beside him.

"Did either of you hear what he just said?"

Natasha and Steve both shook their heads, confused.

They couldn't even hear the Mutant's god's name.

Russell raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face.

"Interesting… You're both unaffected by the name-sealing curse."

Natasha couldn't help but ask,

"Mr. Russell… what's a name-sealing curse? Some kind of magic?"

Russell shook his head slightly.

"It's a type of witchcraft. Different from traditional magic."

"There are many kinds. The one on this guy hides the entity's name automatically—keeps it from being spoken or remembered."

Steve didn't quite grasp the distinction between magic and witchcraft—but the fact Russell spoke of it so casually was alarming enough.

Russell pondered a bit, then asked:

"Who are your companions?"

The Mutant's face twisted. His soul was torn between faith and pain.

In the end, trembling, he looked fearfully at Russell—and opened his mouth.

But before any sound could come out—

WHOOSH!

A jet-black flame burst out from his facial features—eyes, nose, mouth, and ears!

Natasha and Steve's expressions changed dramatically.

They could feel it clearly: death was near.

That black fire wasn't normal flame—it would consume everything, body and soul.

They instinctively stepped back.

But the flame was too fast. It was almost upon them—its reflection burning in their widening eyes.

Then—

BANG!

A burst of milky white light exploded outward!

The black flames, so lethal just moments ago, melted away like spring snow under the sun. They vanished in an instant.

A few seconds later, the cave's visibility returned.

And the flaming Mutant—was gone.

No ashes, no bones—not even dust.

Just... gone.

Steve and Natasha stared blankly. They weren't stupid—they knew exactly what had saved them.

That milky white light.

That power—came from him.

Russell didn't even glance at them. His attention turned inward, as the system in his ears chimed:

[ Plunder complete. ]

[ Gained: X-Ability – Limbs (Green) ]

Allows user to graft and control other organic limbs without rejection.

Note: Energy and autonomy of grafted limbs are not controlled by the host.

Russell frowned slightly.

No doubt—the intestines the Mutant used had been taken from the corpses and grafted onto his body using this ability.

But the strength they displayed clearly exceeded the base form of that power.

And the final black flame? The system hadn't plundered anything from that.

Which could only mean one thing—

That power wasn't his.

It came from the entity behind him. That man was just a disposable pawn.

If the X-Men had responded to this instead of them, they might have won the fight—

only to be wiped out in the aftermath by that same black flame.

Mephisto?

Flesh-and-blood sacrifice, hellfire—

It all felt like his signature style.

The Ancient One had warned him.

This timeline has drawn the devil's attention.

Russell's eyes narrowed. A faint white light flickered across his pupils.

Then, after a moment's thought, he turned to Natasha and said:

"When we get back, tell Nick Fury to prepare a—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

His voice dropped.

"...You dared to peek?"

BOOM!

A terrifying aura exploded from his body!

Natasha and Steve watched in horror as the calm man suddenly looked up—

and twin bolts of purple lightning surged out of his eyes!

CRACK—!!!

The deafening thunder didn't just echo in the air—it exploded inside their chests.

The lightning roared upward, piercing straight through the dozens of meters of rock above them—tearing through the ceiling of the church—

and struck a black figure hiding in the night sky!

BOOOOM!

The air shook. Earth shattered.

Dust and debris rained down like ash.

When the chaos finally cleared—

Steve and Natasha were collapsed on the ground, dazed, staring blankly upward.

Above their heads, the stone ceiling had been completely blown apart.

The ground above them had been incinerated—burnt earth still smoldering, green smoke curling upward.

The church?

Gone.

Nothing but ruin.

Above their heads now…

was the open, starry sky.

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