Shen He's enhancement of his followers was not limited to just physical reinforcement.
Every attribute—magical, mental, strategic, or combative—was amplified according to their innate strengths.
Violet had transformed killing into an art form. Her fluidity on the battlefield was poetic, each motion precise, each kill clean. She was terrifying in her elegance.
The same could be said of the swordsmanship of Ryougi Shiki—the Two Rites. Her blade danced like a whisper of death, her movement impossible to follow.
Their arrival had turned the tide of battle, but it was Lelouch who made the biggest impact. Though this was his first time fighting on a Marvel battlefield, he adapted with alarming speed. In mere minutes, he had seized control of over half the Helicarrier.
"It's nearly over," Shen He said, eyes turned to the sky.
"Lelouch, attack the internal control room. Take command of any remaining personnel and bring them to the escape pods. We're preparing to evacuate."
"Evacuate?" Lelouch echoed, startled.
Then he looked up—and understood.
Fighter jets were swarming toward them, trailing smoke, moving in attack formation.
Missiles detached and accelerated, flames burning white-hot.
BOOM!
Explosions rocked the deck. The massive vessel shuddered, metal screaming beneath the blast pressure.
"Get inside, now!" Jeanne yelled at Lelouch, waving her tattered banner to deflect a second barrage.
But her Noble Phantasm wouldn't last forever. The banner weakened with prolonged use.
"If Hydra realizes they can't retake the carrier, they'll destroy it," Lelouch growled, sprinting into the Helicarrier's lower levels. "And it's not just Hydra anymore. This battle's dragged on too long. Other countries must've noticed by now. Leaders unfamiliar with the situation will all make the same choice…"
To destroy any weapon they can't control.
Lelouch didn't yet grasp all the nuances of this world—but Shen He did.
Hydra pilots had already received new orders: obliterate the Helicarrier before it fell into enemy hands.
Missiles rained down. Not even the specialized armored plating of a Helicarrier could withstand that kind of punishment.
Shen He checked his watch, then turned to Ryougi. "Help me open a path."
With a nod, she sliced through a blocked hatch with one stroke. Shen He followed, blasting it open, allowing Lelouch and his controlled forces to sweep in and secure the remaining compartments.
The interior was nearly overrun by Hydra.
Though their numbers had thinned, Hydra's strength wasn't in quantity—but subterfuge. No one knew when a trusted ally would suddenly turn on them, compromised by brainwashing or psychic control.
"Gather everyone," Lelouch ordered.
He already grasped Shen He's intentions. There was no place more hidden than the ruins of something the world assumed destroyed.
The Helicarrier groaned as repeated impacts tore into the hull. Decks collapsed. Bulkheads buckled. Water surged in, shorting out circuits and breaking energy links.
Still, Shen He and his team continued to search for survivors.
Most were Hydra. But under Lelouch's Geass, they became unwaveringly loyal pawns.
Then, high-speed missile signatures flared on the distant horizon.
Within seconds, explosions engulfed the entire vessel. Fire consumed the sky. Shockwaves launched debris hundreds of meters.
The Helicarrier—once worth tens of billions—was reduced to floating wreckage.
The world had taken notice.
The United States military launched full-scale operations, striking not just the Helicarrier but Hydra's headquarters, branches, and covert facilities.
The chaos inside S.H.I.E.L.D.—the disappearance of both Fury and Alexander Pierce—was now public. Government agents, alarmed by the participation of non-Earth entities, finally acted.
They couldn't distinguish friend from foe—so they decided to eliminate them all.
Faced with overwhelming force, Hydra splintered.
Some agents fled.
Others, posing as S.H.I.E.L.D. members, surrendered.
The tide was turning.
And through it all, Captain America fought at the frontlines, shield in hand. His battles were broadcast live, thanks to embedded war reporters risking their lives.
His defiance, his courage—it stirred something in people.
They feared for their safety. But they were moved by his return.
Public support swelled. Under such heavy scrutiny, even the U.S. government dared not detain Steve Rogers again.
Shen He's virtual reality company, already integrated into several sectors, had dispatched a legal battalion to the battlefield. They arrived with military clearance.
Meanwhile, the pink-haired psychic known as Saiki Kusuo had been careful to remain hidden throughout.
But now, unseen, he stood on the ocean floor.
Following Shen He's mental signal, he approached the sunken remains of the Helicarrier.
"I have three minutes," Shen He said, checking his watch. "Can you manage it?"
Saiki nodded, raising one hand.
Light radiated.
In seconds, the shattered metal, burning wreckage, and twisted steel began to reassemble.
The Helicarrier restored itself—structurally, not functionally—to its state one hour prior.
Though Saiki's powers were greatly diminished in this dimension, at level 17 he could still reverse the damage of localized events.
What he couldn't do… was bring back the dead.
"Lelouch," Shen He ordered. "Reorganize your forces. This Helicarrier should still have a submersion function."
Lelouch's Geass still held firm. He nodded, commanding his units to prepare the vessel for underwater concealment.
Though his influence worked only on ordinary people for now, it was more than enough.
Hydra was now retreating, melting into the shadows once more.
S.H.I.E.L.D., shattered by betrayal, saw most of its staff absorbed by the government or vanished into the underground.
The collapse of the old order came nearly six months earlier than it had in the original timeline—due to Shen He's interference.
But this was only the beginning.
With Captain America now fully returned to the public eye and Shen He's virtual reality empire taking center stage, new power dynamics were forming.
Back at the company's main headquarters, Steve Rogers stood on the landing pad, surrounded by dozens of military personnel.
Shen He didn't meet him personally.
Instead, the company's CEO—an executive on loan from Stark Industries—handled the public-facing duties. The man was a media master, skilled in navigating both law and public relations.
In this country, all one needed was justification… and money.
And the virtual reality company had both.
It was said that in the right circumstances, even the U.S. President could be scolded to his face by someone who had the right paperwork.
The company had even secured military contracts.
A government envoy stepped forward, face tight with frustration.
"Mr. Rogers, Congress requires you to attend a formal hearing the day after tomorrow regarding your involvement in recent events. Until then, you are not permitted to leave New York."
He turned on his heel and departed.
Steve exhaled sharply.
The war wasn't over.
But for the first time in a long time—he wasn't fighting it alone.