Chapter 70: Battle with the Monster

Steve and his group were astonished to see the surviving man’s face light up with wild joy—even though, as he continued his desperate sprint, that joy twisted into a fierce, almost feral expression. Still, they understood; such an emotional reaction was only natural, so they didn’t dwell on it.

After confirming the man could clearly hear him, Steve immediately shouted, “Don’t worry, sir! We’re here to rescue you. Just keep running toward the entrance—our teammates will cover you from behind.”

Hearing Steve’s words, William felt himself relax for a fleeting moment, only for anxiety to seize him again. He was well aware of his predicament: the monster still pursued him relentlessly, and though dozens of meters separated them, if a confrontation broke out, he—just a minor pawn—would almost certainly be killed in an instant.

So he had no choice but to keep running, daring not to pause for even a moment. As he passed Steve and the others, he nodded in grateful acknowledgment, then continued his desperate escape.

With the “hostage” now rescued, Steve’s team was left to confront the “terrorist” directly.

After Natasha realized Barton’s attack was ineffective, she decided against joining the fray herself; her handgun packed even less punch than Barton’s arrows, and would likely be ignored by their foe. After receiving the survivor, she nodded at Steve and turned to accompany the man in his flight.

That left Steve and Qu Yi-zhi to hold off the monstrous creature that had destroyed an entire civilization. Although Qu Yi-zhi’s memories had not fully returned, her abilities already placed her among the elite. As for Steve—Captain America’s shield remained as indestructible as ever.

Thus, the two of them were tasked with stopping the Shoggoth. As they drew closer, Steve explained their new tactical plan to Qu Yi-zhi.

Because Shoggoths could absorb weapons, Steve dared not hurl his shield or engage in close combat, diminishing his own advantage. This time, Qu Yi-zhi would take the lead.

From his time in Avengers Tower, Steve knew Qu Yi-zhi’s combat instincts were not especially sharp, so he accompanied her to provide tactical guidance. His shield would also serve as a defense against any threats that broke through her walls of ice—a key part of his plan.

He instructed Qu Yi-zhi to see if she could imprison the Shoggoth in ice, sealing it in a coffin. Gazing at the monster’s immense, blurred form, Qu Yi-zhi swallowed nervously. That would be one enormous coffin.

Still, she was eager to try. She was unsure if she could pull it off, yet something in her memories suggested she could.

As they approached the Shoggoth, Qu Yi-zhi quickly conjured a wall of ice to halt it. The creature’s massive body slammed into the barrier, and a bead of cold sweat formed on Qu Yi-zhi’s brow—she could sense its terrifying strength.

To Steve’s astonishment, the towering wall lasted only three seconds before cracks began to spider across its surface. It looked as though it would collapse at any moment.

Steve immediately shifted tactics. It was clear they were no match for the Shoggoth, so he and Qu Yi-zhi began a tactical retreat.

Without her control, the already weakened ice wall crumbled even faster under the Shoggoth’s assault. Two seconds later, it crashed down in ruin, but by then Steve and Qu Yi-zhi were already sprinting toward the exit.

Blocked by the ice wall, the Shoggoth seemed only more enraged, its immense bulk surging after them with terrifying speed.

But Qu Yi-zhi and Steve weren’t about to wait for it to catch up. As they fled, Qu Yi-zhi conjured a new ice wall every meter, each one lasting only a second, but together, they significantly slowed the Shoggoth’s advance. Hearing its impotent, furious roars, and feeling her own exhaustion, Qu Yi-zhi couldn’t help but allow a faint smile to curl her lips.

Thanks to Qu Yi-zhi’s ice barriers, the five of them successfully escaped the mysterious valley, the pitch-black tunnel, and the towering mountain that loomed like a pillar to the sky.

Glancing back at the mountain that pierced the heavens, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. They had escaped the peak, and the Shoggoth was far behind them. Only one final task remained before they could make their escape complete.

But just as they relaxed, the Shoggoth’s furious roar echoed through the entire space, sending a chill through the group. In that instant, they understood: not only had the Shoggoth not abandoned the chase—it had already left the cave and was descending the mountain.

There was no time for discussion or analysis. They could only run, retracing their steps as fast as they could. At that moment, a message from Tony gave them a much-needed boost.

“I’ve found the weak point in the dimensional barrier. I can start opening a way out soon. What’s your situation?” Tony was analyzing data with one hand while speaking with Steve over the phone.

“Thank goodness,” Steve panted, struggling to catch his breath as he ran for his life. “We ran into a Shoggoth, Tony. We need to get out of here immediately.” Out in the open, Qu Yi-zhi’s ice walls could no longer hinder the Shoggoth, so they had to pick up the pace and reach Tony’s position before it overtook them.

“A Shoggoth? That’s not good news. Does that mean this is an Elder’s base?” Tony knew full well what a Shoggoth was. As a scientist, he was even more aware of the terror posed by this artificially created monster.

Though Odin’s notes only briefly mentioned the Shoggoths, Tony quickly seized on the key points: the Elders were technologically advanced, and Shoggoths were their creations.

Why would an advanced civilization create an entirely new species? Much as humans invented robots, they must have wanted utterly obedient servants—a scientist’s intuition.

That’s why Tony had always regarded this species with extreme caution, and Steve’s report did nothing to reassure him.

“Did you find any weaknesses?” Tony couldn’t help but ask. With a team consisting of Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and a newly joined sorceress, they should have been more than a match for a Chitauri squad.

“Not good,” Steve replied, still breathing heavily. “Shoggoths are immune to many attacks, and they carry psychic contamination. We can’t risk a prolonged fight.”

Tony frowned deeply at the mention of immunity to attacks. In his mind, nothing should be truly immune to attack in this world.