Kagura's plan was a resounding success.
Thanks to Captain America's bold infiltration—essentially inviting the enemy in—the heroes managed to storm the headquarters of the Snake Shield Bureau.
This Trojan Horse strategy played out like a textbook example of turning an enemy stronghold against itself.
With Bucky Barnes joining the battle, the tide turned decisively in their favor.
Kagura had a clear objective:
if they were going to infiltrate the enemy's headquarters and take down Hydra's leadership, they needed to end the battle swiftly and overwhelmingly.
After War Machine was taken down, Captain America—Hydra's strongest combat asset—had to be dealt with. Bucky Barnes' timely arrival filled this gap perfectly.
Of course, Tony Stark piloting War Machine against Cap was an option, but considering the events of Civil War, there was no guarantee that the infamous "50/50 fighter" wouldn't somehow end up giving Stark another beating.
After weighing her options, Kagura decided calling in Bucky was the safest bet.
'Ah, the perfect tool for the job!'
Ahem, not that this beautiful young lady said anything like that!
Snapping back to the present, Kagura continued cleaning up Hydra's mess.
Using the intelligence analysis system in the "Queen" command center, she processed the reconnaissance data sent by Barton from the other side of the globe.
Then, utilizing the Halo weapons platform in low Earth orbit, she locked onto the airborne Helicarriers preparing for launch.
Sorry, Eggman—I mean, Director Fury, but these Helicarriers have got to go.
Sure, keeping them operational might have some advantages, but an undetectable aerial strike force capable of attacking anywhere on the planet?
That's a disaster waiting to happen.
One orbital strike force is more than enough.
That way, if anything goes against its original purpose, I can take full responsibility. I trust myself to manage my own firepower.
On the other hand, I have zero interest in cleaning up other people's messes.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark both start launching their own weapons into orbit, we'll have a situation where everyone's floating in space pointing guns at the ground.
And when something inevitably goes wrong, guess who they'll call to fix it? Ugh, no thanks!
———————————————————————
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, with Alexander Pierce—the leader of Hydra—and combat commander Steve Rogers both taken down, the remaining Hydra operatives were in complete disarray.
Although key personnel like Brock Rumlow continued to resist, even if they managed to evade the Iron Legion's pursuit, they still had to contend with loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who refused to let Hydra claim victory.
Yes, despite S.H.I.E.L.D. being largely infiltrated by Hydra, there were still those who genuinely wanted to protect the world.
And now, faced with life-or-death stakes, they made their stand, turning their weapons against their former colleagues—now mortal enemies.
"Impressive strategy… I… respect you… Kagura…"
Alexander Pierce, gravely wounded by a repulsor blast to the chest, somehow managed to speak. "But… what's the point…? You're no different… from us…"
He shook his phone weakly. "Too late… Project Insight… has already begun… A new world… is coming…"
"Wow, you sure talk a lot."
Kagura looked down at him with an unimpressed expression. "Do you really think a few Helicarriers are something I can't handle?"
"Heh… heh heh… and you think… a few orbital strikes… are something we can't handle?"
Pierce smirked weakly. "Kagura… you call what we bring to the world 'evil'… but what have you done? Freedom? Peace? Ha… you're just another Hydra in disguise…"
"You're no hero… you're just a dictator… pretending to be one… In the end… Hydra… is the true… protector of civilization…"
"Only through unity… through absolute control… can humanity… reach the stars…"
"Hail Hydra!"
'Boom! Boom! Boom!'
A series of repulsor blasts from Tony Stark's palm cannons reduced Pierce to a charred mess. "Man, that guy sure loved to hear himself talk."
Kagura stood still, reflecting on Pierce's final words.
"Hitomi, don't listen to his nonsense," Tony Stark reassured her. "There's a fundamental difference between us and Hydra. We fight for humanity's freedom—they strip it away and replace it with oppression."
"Yeah… though, as twisted as his words were, I can't deny that there was a certain dream behind them."
Kagura looked up at the sky.
"What kind of world did Hydra want to create?"
"A world of absolute order, no freedom… In a way, could that kind of world truly be more suited for a species reaching toward the stars?"
She narrowed her eyes. "But I don't accept that kind of world. A world without freedom, without joy, is a dead world. A world that cannot give birth to creativity, laughter, or inspiration."
"Maybe if every human became a mere cog in the grand machine of civilization, it would run more efficiently. It might even grow stronger, expanding and conquering the cosmos… But what would be the point of such a civilization?"
"You're absolutely right, Hitomi." Tony nodded. "Survival and progress are needs of civilization—but they are not its purpose."
"Hydra's vision of absolute order might make humanity more united and efficient, but it strips away the very essence of what makes civilization worth preserving."
"We don't exist just to advance civilization to some theoretical peak. Every person has the right to live a peaceful life."
"To pursue their dreams, to enjoy, to relax, to love. And that—that is what we call freedom."
"Freedom isn't lawlessness. It isn't chaos. It's the power to choose."
Kagura nodded. "Hydra's ideals are flawed. They deny people their most basic right—to choose."
"They prioritize a vague idea of 'civilization's survival' while completely ignoring the individual. All they do is accelerate civilization's rise and its inevitable fall. It's pointless."
"There's an old saying from the East: Give time to civilization, not civilization to time."
A weight seemed to lift from Kagura's heart. "Conquering the stars and reaching the galaxy was never the goal. It was always meant to be a means—a means to help people live better lives. That's the true purpose and motivation of civilization."
"Well, that all sounds nice… but can you actually achieve it?!"
A distorted voice echoed from the speakers—Alexander Pierce's voice.
"Hydra is eternal. We will fight for our ideals until the very end. The old world will crumble, and our new world will rise!"
"Tch, this guy is still alive?!" Kagura groaned. "Seriously, how hard is he to kill?"
"Cortana, analyze Pierce's signal. I have a feeling that corpse was just a decoy. Find out where his real body is. Is he in a data network? A hidden bunker?"
"Master, I've detected the launch signals of 17 Helicarriers worldwide… Additionally, there's an unusual transmission originating from deep space—approximately 70,000 kilometers from Earth."
"That's also where Pierce's communications are coming from."
"Wait—70,000 kilometers?! He's in space?"
Kagura's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh-hoh… well now, this just got interesting."
"Master, incoming transmission from Natasha Romanoff: 'Mission accomplished. Uploading report now…'"