American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

194. Don’t Bother.

The hidden settlement near the Canadian border. This was a small sanctuary personally established by Moonstone.

Years ago, after choosing to betray Baron Zemo, Moonstone attempted to assassinate him. She sought to kill Zemo and take over everything he had, aiming to become someone as significant as Red Skull.

But the result was obvious. Although Zemo was an ordinary man, his abilities were no less impressive than those of the superhumans. Perhaps he had long noticed Moonstone's treacherous intentions. In any case, Moonstone's assassination attempt ultimately failed.

The failure resulted in Moonstone being relentlessly hunted by Zemo, who didn't stop even after driving her out of the country. Over the years, Zemo had continually used programmed Sentinel robots to target Moonstone, forcing her into a life on the run.

During this time of being hunted, Moonstone never regretted her attempt on Zemo's life. Instead, she was constantly plotting how to strike back, to finally kill Zemo and prove herself to Red Skull. To this end, Moonstone established a cult and gathered a group of destitute followers, quietly amassing power in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike back at Zemo.

It might seem somewhat impressive, but in reality, most of the people she gathered were old, sick, and weak. Even the strong young men among them gradually became disfigured by the radiation from the Moonstone she carried.

It wasn't just ordinary people who suffered; as the bearer of the Moonstone, Sofen herself had developed pustules all over her body due to prolonged use of this cosmic energy. Moreover, she had become emaciated to the point where she hardly looked human.

To avoid anyone seeing her pitiful state and to instill fear of the unknown among her followers, Moonstone usually draped herself in a long robe, hiding her disgusting appearance.

"...Are you sure you really saw an old man and Melissa?" Moonstone asked harshly as they walked towards the settlement.

"Yes, yes, esteemed Goddess. The guards on the frontline did see your old friend, but they moved too quickly, and we lost track of them," a man whose skin was covered in pustules and blisters answered obsequiously.

Hearing her follower's words, Moonstone's expression darkened.

When she first heard about Melissa appearing in her territory, Moonstone was extremely excited, thrilled that Melissa had finally left that broken church and was coming to join her. But when she hurriedly led her followers out to find Melissa's trail, she found nothing. Moonstone knew that there were seven or eight Sentinel robots searching for her nearby, so she couldn't expand her search area.

She was also very concerned that Melissa might be attacked by the Sentinels.

Of course, Moonstone wasn't worried about Melissa's safety or that they had any particularly good relationship. Rather, she felt that if she lost a potential ally so quickly, it would be a huge waste.

As they walked, they returned to the settlement.

After pondering for a while, Moonstone sighed. "Never mind. Send some people out later to expand the search area. Melissa is important to me. I need her alive, or at least I need her body."

"As you command, Goddess. And what about the old man in the intel?" her follower cautiously asked again.

"The old man? Ah, it should be Mach—no, the Beetle. He must have come with Melissa. That's wonderful; the visit of old friends always brings me joy."

Moonstone's face twisted into a frightening grin as she gently ordered, "We must find that man as well. Whether they are dead or alive, the Beetle's armor can still be very useful to us."

At this moment, Moonstone didn't know that Beetle had long since died at the hands of Hawkeye. She still thought that Melissa was planning to bring her old lover to join her.

"Yes," the accompanying followers responded.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Moonstone stopped.

Hearing the goddess's voice, the other followers also stopped in their tracks, gazing at her with reverence, curious about why she had halted them and what she would say next.

Moonstone furrowed her brows, her eyes scanning the area. The familiar houses and streets around her were places she had seen countless times, as she had led the construction of this place. Every blade of grass and tree was well-known to her. But for some reason, the settlement felt eerily quiet, sending chills down her spine.

Normally, whenever she returned, there would be a large crowd of cultists bowing in reverence, welcoming her presence. But now, the entire settlement was shrouded in an eerie silence.

Thinking back, she realized that she hadn't seen any of her followers on the way back, not even the guards at the main gate.

After a brief pause, Moonstone quickly made a decision.

"Let's go."

With that, Moonstone turned and headed towards the settlement's main gate. But before she could take more than two steps, a flash of eerie green fire appeared ahead, and two figures, a man and a woman, suddenly materialized not far in front of her. Moonstone froze in her tracks, startled by the bizarre scene.

After carefully observing the two people, Moonstone suddenly felt a surge of terror. She didn't recognize the short-haired girl, but the silver-haired man beside her seemed to be Quicksilver.

Sofen was genuinely panicked at that moment. She had never expected to see the long-dead Quicksilver standing before her. What terrified her even more was the overwhelming pressure she felt from these two people.

She only took a second to think before immediately turning around, trying to find another exit from the settlement. But as she turned, the eerie green flames flared up again.

This time, the fire spread wider, and more figures appeared at various points, blocking all of Moonstone's possible escape routes, encircling her and her few followers.

Moonstone saw a girl in a spider suit, a figure in a trench coat wearing a hat with a face hidden behind a bird-beaked mask, and also the Melissa she had been so concerned about, along with Clint Barton, holding his bow.

"Who...who are you!?" Moonstone immediately recognized that the leader of these people was probably the man in the trench coat. So instead of greeting Melissa, she turned to question Alex.

"You dare to trespass on my territory? You've got some nerve!"

Hearing the faint threat in Moonstone's tone, Alex shook his head slightly.

"Don't bother, Sofen. While you were out searching for Songbird, we've already dealt with all of your followers."

...…..

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195. The Death of Moonstone.
196. Red Skull.
197. Heroes from Another Universe.
198. Visitors from Another World.
199. Images of the Justice League.