Superman's Saiyan little brother

The shadow soldiers soon arrived at Tohru's former base, only to find it in ruins. The inside had long been cleared out. Thor's men had checked it after leaving, but a compromised base held no value.

The location, however, was still advantageous and might attract other factions in the future, but for now, the base remained unused.

"Empty? Where did they go? Were they wiped out or did they escape to another base?" Tohru quickly assessed the situation. He knew how dangerous it had been when he was forcibly taken by Barry Allen, realizing that no one in the base, not even Thor at the time, could have withstood Barry Allen and Peter Parker.

Thus, his men either seized the opportunity to escape or were killed by Barry Allen and Peter Parker.

"I hope they escaped. If they were all killed, I'd truly be alone..." Tohru mused, his eyes flickering with a mix of emotions.

Though Tohru had no deep attachment to his subordinates, losing them and his position as the Hydra leader left him uncertain about his future.

Before becoming the Hydra leader, Tohru didn't care much for the position. But after experiencing the taste of power, relinquishing his role was unthinkable.

If Tohru had been willing to give up, he would have left Hydra long ago, like his former companion Tru and others, to live an ordinary life.

"I'll search. There are still a few other bases. If they all turn up empty, then it's likely they were wiped out..." After a moment, Tohru refocused and ordered the shadow soldiers to search the remaining bases.

"If they were indeed wiped out, I'll have to start over. But Hydra isn't my creation; I'm just a successor. Even with the help of these shadow soldiers, it's not easy to establish a new faction!"

"Should I contact other Hydra branches and take over one of them? Though my own capable men would be few, it seems like the only option..."

With that thought, Tohru directed the shadow soldiers to not only search for his subordinates but also locate other Hydra branches.

Finding the leaders of these branches would be ideal. If his men were dead, Tohru planned to target one of these leaders. Which one would depend on the shadow soldiers' investigation of their strengths and resources.

"Found them? They're alive? And stronger than before?" After an indeterminate amount of time, the shadow soldiers located Thor's base. Tohru frowned, puzzled by the information.

When Tohru was last there, some of the strong members had been killed. He didn't think those left could withstand Peter Parker and Barry Allen, yet it seemed they did.

"Wait! Why is Thor leading? Not only is he unharmed, but he's also the Hydra leader? Did the brainwashing fail? What are my men doing?" Tohru quickly realized something was off, seeing Thor through the shadow soldiers.

"Who goes there?!" At that moment, Thor sensed something amiss. With a shout, Mjolnir flew from the ground, smashing into the source of the disturbance. The shadow soldier didn't have time to escape into the darkness and was obliterated by the combined force of lightning and Mjolnir, disappearing into black smoke.

"What is it, Thor?" The Asgardian Four, hearing the commotion, rushed over. Though their personalities hadn't changed much post-brainwashing, their loyalty to Thor had skyrocketed. They were now willing to lay down their lives for him.

Seeing nothing unusual upon arrival, the Four were puzzled.

"Strange power! Strange life form!" Thor saw the black smoke left by the destroyed shadow soldier. Though quickly dispersed by lightning, Thor had caught a glimpse.

"An enemy? A strange one?" The Asgardian Four were taken aback, examining their surroundings more closely as Hydra soldiers, drawn by the noise, hurried over.

Though Thor and the Asgardian Four were far stronger, the Hydra soldiers couldn't ignore the disturbance. They had to prove their worth to Thor.

Since seeing Thor's current strength, the Hydra soldiers believed no one could match him, not even the previous leader, Tohru.

This shift in allegiance prompted Franal, who had been waiting for Tohru's return, to fully commit to Thor, handing over previously hidden treasures and information to secure a higher position.

Franal was the first to respond, eager to impress Thor and find the strange life form he mentioned.

However, if the Asgardian Four and Thor couldn't find anything, how could Franal?

"There really is an enemy, a strange one. Their life form seems to be composed of black gas. When struck by Mjolnir, they turned into black smoke and vanished..." Thor explained to Sif, hoping she might recognize the creature.

Thor hadn't erased the Asgardian Four's memories because their extensive battle experience and knowledge were invaluable, more so than Thor's singular focus on combat over the centuries.

"I've seen some black life forms, but none composed of black gas..." Sif admitted, disappointing Thor.

"Wait! I might know!" Franal's eyes sparkled as he heard Thor's description. As one of Tohru's longtime subordinates, Franal had knowledge from the era of the Saint Lord and Valmont. He saw this as a chance to shine.

"Before Lord Thor, our Hydra branch was led by Valmont, who acquired a statue called the Saint Lord. It was said that collecting twelve talismans would revive the statue, granting immense power and wealth..."

"And this Saint Lord controlled beings called Shadow Ninjas, which match your description of life forms made of black gas, disappearing into smoke when killed."

"What happened to Valmont and the Saint Lord?" Thor frowned. He had expected trouble with Tohru, but not a prior leader.

"Valmont is dead. Tohru succeeded him as leader, but the Saint Lord vanished when Valmont died, along with all information about the talismans..." Franal quickly explained.

"So, is this Saint Lord returning?" Thor squinted, sensing an opportunity for a worthy battle.

"I don't know..." Franal shook his head respectfully.

"Strengthen defenses, enhance the lighting system so every corner is illuminated. Let's see how these Shadow Ninjas appear then!" Thor ordered.

"Yes!" Soon, the entire Hydra base was brightly lit, brighter than daylight, leaving no shadows.

"Well, well. I never expected my former dog to overthrow me!" Meanwhile, Tohru learned of the base's condition and Thor's usurpation, feeling intense anger.

"Since you all betrayed me, you deserve to die!" Tohru's eyes flashed with cold light, his dark aura intensifying.

Under Tohru's control, more shadow soldiers moved towards the base, and Tohru himself headed there, determined to reclaim his position personally.

"Wait, they figured out the shadow soldiers' nature?" Tohru soon noticed the base's bright lights, complicating his plans.

Shadow soldiers could still appear in the light, as where there is light, there are shadows. But such attacks would be too obvious, revealing their presence, especially the shadow-consuming ability Tohru wanted to save for Thor.

Realizing a direct approach might alert Thor, Tohru decided to use shadow soldiers openly, avoiding shadow consumption for now to keep their full power hidden.

In their base form, shadow soldiers were the weakest of the Shadow Legion, unlikely to defeat super soldiers or even regular ones. However, their sheer numbers could create chaos.

Under Tohru's command, shadow soldiers began attacking, creating immediate turmoil in the base.

Thor frowned as he saw the chaos. Though weak, the shadow soldiers' numbers were problematic, and Hydra soldiers were dying quickly, prompting Thor to intervene.

As Hydra's leader, every soldier was valuable to Thor, who didn't want to end up with only a handful of loyalists.

With a surge of lightning from Mjolnir, Thor displayed remarkable control, targeting tiny shadow soldiers without harming nearby Hydra soldiers, a significant improvement in his abilities.

Admired by Hydra soldiers, Thor quickly cleared the base of shadow soldiers, making Tohru's face darken...

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