Marvel With Zanpakutou

Chapter 831: Schmidt and the Massacre

1942, early spring.

The brutal Second World War had engulfed every nation on Earth.

The Axis Alliance, formed with Germany at its center, spread the flames of war to every corner of the globe. One after another, countless countries across the European continent fell under the crushing iron tread of the German army, as Hitler’s banner of racial supremacy was swiftly planted across the world.

France’s rapid defeat in the early stages of the war, and the Dunkirk evacuation, hung over the heads of countless Europeans like a dark cloud.

The German army’s powerful armored divisions, with tactics as swift as the wind and as fast as lightning, left devastation wherever they passed. In a matter of months, they stormed through cities and fortresses without resistance. Under Guderian’s command, the armored corps was unmatched, finding no worthy opponent on the horizon.

Hitler had won, and not just won, but won big, reaping rewards in abundance.

Germany swept away all previous humiliations, forcing the nations that had once dared to look down on them to bow their noble heads, casting upon them the fearful, hateful, desperate, and submissive gaze of stray dogs by the roadside.

The disgrace of being driven out with sticks, forced to beg with tails between legs, and having their wealth plundered vanished in just a few short years.

Having achieved everything he wanted, Hitler, satisfied, considered ending the fight and making peace with his final opponent. He admired the empire upon which the sun had once never set, and believed this to be an act of mercy, giving this old-fashioned power a chance.

But... he forgot one thing.

His opponent was like a rabid dog, tearing at him with no regard for cost, binding victory and survival tightly together, determined to drag him to remain at the gambling table in this high-stakes game for humanity’s fate.

Hitler was a madman, but Churchill was also a madman.

Only a madman could fight another madman. So Hitler turned his gaze to another country, planning to obtain resources there to sustain the massive capital needed to continue the gamble.

What awaited him, however, was an unforeseen... Waterloo.

The once-invincible German army seemed to slam into a steel wall when facing the crazed Russian bear.

To break the deadlock of war, Hitler ordered the secretly established HYDRA unit to seek "miracles" at any cost, to search for myths that might have once existed in the world, and from them, find a weapon to end the stalemate.

Under the leadership of Supreme Leader Johann Schmidt, a powerful armored force broke through the Norwegian border, slaughtering countless villages and towns along the way, all in search of the legendary treasure Odin had left on Earth, the Tesseract!

Eventually, they locked onto one place, Tønsberg, in southeastern Norway.

This small town was one of Norway’s oldest, existing since the Viking Age. According to HYDRA’s observations, unusual weather phenomena had occurred there recently, with all signs pointing to this location.

The mighty armored force rumbled into the mountains, crushing tree trunks used as roadblocks, the deafening roar of steel beasts echoing through every inch of the valley. Soldiers in black uniforms surrounded the entire town.

The villagers were dragged from their homes and herded into the central square.

A vintage convertible rolled forward slowly, the serpent-and-skull emblem on its hood stirring unrest among the already fearful villagers, unrest quickly crushed by the brutal suppression of nearby German soldiers.

Shiny black boots struck the ground, the hard leather soles making crisp sounds.

A man in a black leather trench coat stepped slowly from the car, his gloomy gaze as sharp as a knife sweeping over each face until it settled on an old man in the crowd.

The old man was the only one who dared meet his eyes.

"I don’t like wasting words, so I’ll only say this once."

Schmidt fixed his cold stare on the old man, leaning against the hood as he spoke lightly,

"You must be the leader here. Odin once left his most precious treasure on Earth. I searched for a long time before confirming it’s here. Can you hand it over to me?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

The old man’s firm tone drew the displeasure of a soldier beside him, who swung the butt of his rifle hard against the man’s head.

The blow was heavy, almost making the old man stumble and fall. But he held his ground, staring fiercely at Schmidt, as if flames of anger were brewing in his eyes.

"Good eyes, full of hatred. I like that."

Schmidt narrowed his eyes, casting a faint glance toward the little girl beside the old man. His mouth curled into a grin,

"If I’m not mistaken, she should be your granddaughter. She’s as cute as an angel. What’s her name?"

"You’ll never lay a hand on her!"

The old man’s gaze instantly turned sharp, like a raging lion, exuding an aura of extreme danger.

Rumble!

Dozens of tank barrels swiveled, locking on to the old man’s position.

At the same time, hundreds of dark gun barrels aimed at him and the rest of the villagers in the square.

"Calm down. There’s no need to get so agitated."

Schmidt waved his hand calmly to those around him and said,

"And you’d better not make any suspicious moves. If these tanks were to fire by accident, all of you would be blown to pieces. I really don’t want to see such a bloody scene. Don’t you agree?"

The old man’s eyes blazed with fury, his teeth grinding audibly.

"If you don’t obey... there will be punishment."

Schmidt leaned sideways against the hood of the car, casually shaking his index finger.

Several soldiers understood the gesture instantly. They raised their rifles toward the terrified crowd and, without a word, opened fire.

Rat-a-tat-tat...

Spent shells clattered crisply onto the ground.

Blood burst through the crowd in a spray of crimson. In an instant, dozens of people fell screaming like wheat being cut down, their blood flowing freely to stain the ground red.

The rest of the villagers had no time to panic before being brutally suppressed by the soldiers. Even crying was forbidden, anyone who dared make a sound would meet with a bullet. These soldiers did not see them as human at all, slaughtering them like livestock.

"Bastards, stop!"

The old man’s eyes widened to the point of tearing as he roared in fury.

"That’s enough. Stop."

A cruel glint flashed in Schmidt’s cold eyes, his face twisting into a demonic grin.

"I told you already, I hate trouble. I only ask once. If you answer wrong, someone will pay the price."

"Yvette! The girl’s name is Yvette!"

Under the crushing weight of death, someone finally broke, shouting out the girl’s name and pointing at the old man,

"His name is John, we call him Old John! He’s the oldest man in town, and that lightning storm a few days ago was connected to him!"

"I forgot to mention..."

Schmidt’s gaze grew icy, dripping with killing intent.

"What I hate even more... is people interrupting. I wasn’t asking you."

Bang!

A hole appeared in the young man’s forehead, and he fell with a look of disbelief frozen on his face.

"Stop! Don’t kill any more!"

Old John’s voice trembled as he shouted,

"My name is John. She is my granddaughter Yvette. What exactly do you want to know?!"

"Good. I believe every deep friendship begins with a pleasant conversation."

Though Schmidt was smiling, it sent chills down spines, like a cold viper coiling around one’s neck.

"Since we’re now friends, the most basic courtesy is to speak openly. Can you tell me where Odin’s treasure, the Tesseract, is hidden?"

"I... I don’t know!"

Old John bit his lip hard, his voice shaking,

"I’ve never heard of the Tesseract, nor of any treasure of Odin’s. You’ve come to the wrong place. What you’re looking for isn’t here!"

"Answer... wrong."

Schmidt bared his teeth in a grin, the white glinting coldly as he waved his hand lightly.

"Dear John, you’ve betrayed my trust. For that, you must pay a price. I hope this will help you remember something... about the Tesseract."

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

Deadly fire spat from the gun barrels, streaking hot lines of death through the air.

The innocent crowd screamed and wailed in agony. Hundreds were mowed down under the soldiers’ gunfire. Blood flowed in rivulets, turning the mottled blue stones of the square into a vast crimson hellscape.

...

...

...

In a remote town far away

A man with no past suddenly felt a pang in his heart. His eyes turned toward the southeast.

In that very instant, he sensed the girl’s fear, as if she were under the threat of death itself.

"Yvette... is in danger?"

A surging gale erupted around him, a power unlike anything before awakening within him like a dormant volcano.

Boom!

In the next moment, the man took a mighty stride forward.

The ground within dozens of meters collapsed instantly, dust and snow swirling into the sky like a rising dragon.

A brilliant blue figure shot into the heavens, trailing violent shockwaves in its wake. Like a roaring dragon, he tore through the curtain of endless snow in the blink of an eye, and vanished into the farthest edge of the horizon.

"Oh my god... am I still dreaming?"

"Pfft, damn, there’s a Superman!"

"Wife! Come out and see God!"

Everyone who witnessed the scene wore the same expression, utter shock, jaws agape.