Chapter 326 : Dark Phoenix

"What did we do? What we did is very simple. When someone tries to beat us, we pick up a shield and resist."

In response to Iron Man's question, Tony sneered, "Banner, from a legal standpoint, are we guilty?"

"Probably not, since it's self-defense," Dr. Banner solemnly replied. Before they went out, Bert had set up mental protection for them.

In his thoughts about the future, Tony pondered, "The Blood God knows more things than we could have imagined."

"You'll meet your end."

Tony and Banner's singing and reconciliation enraged Wolverine. He raised his sharp blade and charged fiercely at Tony. Tony snorted coldly, raised his hand to target Wolverine, and Cyclops, seeing this, prepared to fire a laser, holding his glasses.

Future Steve swung his shield at Cyclops for the first time, causing Cyclops to quickly dodge. Then Tony unleashed a pulse blast at Wolverine, slamming him into the wall, creating a large crater.

"There's something wrong with your body," Tony remarked, slightly taken aback. At that moment, Jarvis warned of danger, prompting Tony to quickly use Nano to form a shield, blocking the energy shock from Iron Man.

Realizing the attack was ineffective, Iron Man snorted coldly. Numerous unmanned armors flew toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, aiming energy weapons at everyone inside.

Iron Man declared, "Surrender, or we won't hesitate to get rough."

"What a joke," Tony sneered, communicating through the channel, "Thor, I'm handing over those unmanned battle armor to you. Hulk, demolish this building for me. Don't worry, there are no civilians inside."

"Leave it to me," Fat Thor responded.

The Stormbreaker materialized in Thor's hand out of thin air. Then, lightning flashed, and the armor automatically adorned his body.

"Thor is here!" Fat Thor shouted loudly, his sturdy frame crashing through the floor-to-ceiling windows, unleashing a torrent of lightning upon the unmanned battle armors.

"I've been wanting to demolish Stark Building for a long time," Banner transformed into Hulk, excitedly stomping his feet, causing the ground to shatter. The mutants all fell down, and Jean quickly shielded everyone with her telekinetic powers.

Spider-Man, clinging to the wall, anxiously pleaded, "Everyone, let's talk it out. There's no need for violence."

"Spider-Man, this matter concerns the safety of the entire world. We cannot be lenient," Iron Man retorted, hovering in the air. "Don't think that Hulk is your only opponent."

As Iron Man spoke, a massive green figure burst through the wall, charging at Hulk like a wild beast. It was this world's version of the Hulk.

Instead of being taken aback, Hulk leaped and tumbled downstairs with the Hulk from the other world. Then, he landed a punch on the other Hulk and shouted with excitement, "I hope you won't disappoint me like the previous Hulk."

"Hulk, invincible!" declared the Hulk from the other world as he roared and charged, engaging in a violent battle with Hulk. Walls constantly crumbled, and their clashes resembled a demolition team causing earthquakes.

"Iron Man, you fool! Take the fight outside. The streets have been cleared. Do you want to destroy my mansion?" Iron Man bellowed.

The two Hulks glanced at each other and burst into laughter simultaneously, finding joy in demolishing the building. They had long desired to bring it down.

Meanwhile, five figures appeared in the corridor. It was the Avengers. The leader was the bearded Captain America. He looked at the future Steve and smiled, saying, "You don't have a beard."

"I left it in the past. I shaved it off. Everyone said it didn't armor me," Future Steve replied. "Why did you agree with Iron Man's plan?" Captain America asked.

"I didn't agree, but S.H.I.E.L.D. issued the order, and I had to follow it," Future Steve explained.

Captain America raised his shield and said, "Well, let's settle this. I'll take you down."

"It won't be that easy to take us down," Future Steve replied.

Without further ado, Future Steve swung his shield at his opponent. Captain America did the same, and both shields flew simultaneously.

Witnessing this, the two Captain Americas leaped towards each other. Their fists collided with equal force, striking each other in the face, before they both crashed to the floor below.

Captain America got up from the ground, retracted his shield with the device, and smiled, saying, "I could do this all day."

"I know, I know. In fact, I'm nothing compared to Steve from another world. Not only did he become the director of S.W.O.R.D., but he also married Carter. Either one of them could beat me three times over," Future Steve sighed.

Captain America chuckled and remarked, "I must admit, I also have the urge to take him down."

The two locked eyes, and with a battle cry, they rushed at each other, resuming their fight.

Simultaneously, chaos erupted above them. Iron Man led Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Barton, and others in a relentless assault against the two Tonys. Various energy attacks bloomed, shattering office desks and documents into pieces that scattered in the air.

Although the two Tonys possessed considerable strength, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents and slowly began to falter.

"Deploy the unmanned battle armors!" Tony angrily commanded. Future Steve and Future Tony immediately threw five compact unmanned armors, which targeted Iron Man and the others.

The firepower of the unmanned armors was formidable, prompting Iron Man and the rest to hastily dodge. Wolverine, on the verge of a reckless onslaught, was forcefully propelled away by an energy cannon blast.

As the unmanned armors displayed their power, Tony released four clusters of nanoparticles that transformed into small spiders. Quietly, the spiders crawled towards Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the others. Suddenly, the spiders enlarged in size and seized Hawkeye and the rest.

"Don't struggle, Barton, Natasha. My spiders will explode," Tony warned. "You all just stay put."

"Depend on it," Hawkeye and the others replied. Black Widow added, "Iron Man, you're much more impressive than your counterpart in this world."

"Naturally," Tony proudly responded. "Actually, I'm not even using my full strength right now. Otherwise, that heartless Iron Man would have been defeated by me."

"That's not your ability. It's Dr. Pym's ability. By the way, how did you acquire so many Pym particles? I asked Dr. Pym several times, and he didn't even give me a single strand of hair," Black Widow complained.

While cursing, Iron Man gestured to instruct Storm to go outside and engage Thor, thereby creating an opportunity for the unmanned armors to provide support.

Storm nodded and flew outside, carried by a gust of wind. She extended her arms, her eyes turned white, and the sky swiftly darkened.

Then, a lightning bolt descended from the darkened sky, striking Fat Thor.

"How dare you attack Thor with lightning?" Fat Thor roared, controlling the thunderbolt to retaliate against Storm. However, Storm skillfully evaded the attack and swiftly retreated to the right. Fat Thor, foolishly deceived, pursued her.

With Fat Thor lured away, the unmanned armors promptly returned to the battlefield, engaging in combat with Tony's unmanned armors.

Without the hindrance of the unmanned armors, Wolverine and Iron Man immediately rushed forward. However, Barton and the others remained motionless due to the spiders' grip.

Just as Wolverine was about to pounce on Tony, a massive green figure plummeted from below like a meteor. Wolverine couldn't dodge in time and was carried away by the green figure, crashing through three walls.

Following closely, Hulk leaped up from below and expressed his disappointment, saying, "The Hulk in this world isn't very impressive, Tony. Mind if I tear your Iron Man apart?"

Tony responded in dissatisfaction, "Can you not be so ruthless? Just tearing off an arm would be enough."

"I appreciate that," Hulk replied.

Iron Man scolded and stepped back obediently. Truth be told, he was greatly taken aback. These individuals were incredibly powerful, they made extensive preparations, and yet they still couldn't overcome each other.

"This further confirms that my idea is correct. If this group of people is allowed to cause havoc in this world, it will lead to catastrophe within minutes," Iron Man contemplated. "They must be driven away."

At that moment, a portal illuminated, and Doctor Strange, accompanied by the Fantastic Four, rushed in with his white temples.

Doctor Strange seemed to be aware of the situation and waved to open a new portal, through which Wolverine and Hulk angrily arrived.

Both Wolverine and Hulk bore injuries, especially Wolverine, whose chest was caved in. However, they paid no mind as their injuries visibly healed before their eyes.

Tony expressed his dissatisfaction, asking, "Strange, don't you agree with Iron Man?"

Strange replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, people from other worlds should not come to ours."

"I never thought this guy was a decent person from the start," Future Tony chimed in, finding agreement from the others. Tony glanced at the large group of superheroes surrounding them and sighed, "Call for backup."

"What's the point of calling for backup? I can handle all of these fools by myself," Hulk grumbled. "You just watch from the sidelines while I unleash the power of the God of Wrath."

"They're superheroes too. Do you really want to kill them? Besides, if a real fight breaks out, innocent civilians might get hurt accidentally," Tony angrily retorted. Future Tony also added, "Yes, a minor lesson is fine, not a full-blown battle."

Hulk muttered discontentedly, "If I had known, I would have started without mercy. Forget it, call for reinforcements."

"You truly are superheroes," Captain America interjected, halting the ongoing argument. He appeared somewhat ashamed as he continued, "In contrast, we haven't been very heroic."

Future Steve let out a sigh, "We just don't want to see any more deaths. There have been far too many."

"What good will reinforcements do? Hmph, even if there are reinforcements, you won't leave today, and we'll wipe your memories clean," Iron Man declared coldly. "The supercollider must be destroyed as well."

"Mr. Stark, you don't seem like a villain at all anymore," Spider-Man expressed his dissatisfaction, finding Iron Man's demeanor different from the other two versions of Mr. Stark, whom he associated with being more like Iron Man.

"You wouldn't understand," Iron Man sneered. Spider-Man shook his head and replied, "You don't understand. Your luck is about to run out."

"Who can make my Tony Stark unlucky?" Iron Man disdainfully retorted. Just then, a portal materialized out of thin air, and Bert emerged with a displeased expression.

Bert complained, "What's going on? I just found the whereabouts of the Infinity Stones, and now there's trouble."

"You found the whereabouts of the Infinity Stones?" Future Tony's face lit up with joy, and Tony added, "It's not my fault. The superheroes in this world want to erase our memories and destroy our supercollider."

"People are inherently selfish, and superheroes are no exception," Bert's eyes flickered. He glanced at the superheroes who were staring at him and said, "Never mind. The Infinity Stones aren't on Earth anyway. Since these superheroes don't welcome us, let's leave."

As the group exchanged glances, they were about to nod in agreement when Iron Man spoke up, "That won't do. Leave behind your memories and the supercollider."

Strange also asserted, "As the Sorcerer Supreme, I cannot allow you to remain in this universe."

Bert laughed in anger. "Why do some people mistake kindness for weakness? Since you want to play, I will indulge you."

Spider-Man exclaimed in horror, "Mr. Wang, don't!"

Iron Man arrogantly retorted, "Are we supposed to be afraid of you?"

"You should fear me. Only the ignorant would not fear me. Spider-Man, this time I'll go easy on you, a small punishment. But there won't be a next time."

As Bert spoke, his gaze fell upon Jean Grey, who was attending to Professor X.

Jean met Bert's gaze, and something seemed to explode in her mind. A violent force surged from her body, causing everything and everyone around her, including Professor X, to levitate.

Then, Jean's eyes rapidly turned blood-red, filled with brutality, madness, and destruction.

Professor X was shocked and hastily employed his telepathic powers to restrain Jean's second personality. He shouted, "Jean, that's not you. Control yourself."

Jean Grey, the Phoenix girl, possessed the power of the Phoenix within her. Due to the immense power, Professor X had sealed it away when she was young, resulting in the emergence of Jean's second personality.

Tony asked in surprise, "Wow, Bert, what have you done? How did a beautiful woman turn into a world-destroying devil?"

"Don't you always talk about wanting to protect the world?" Bert coldly snorted. "Jean Grey is sealed with the power of the Phoenix, which can bring about the destruction of the world. What's worse, her second personality is filled with negative energy and a constant desire to annihilate the world."

"What? Capable of destroying the world?" Everyone couldn't help but be astonished, and the expressions of Doctor Strange and Iron Man turned even more serious. Such a dangerous entity couldn't be ignored.

Sensing the thoughts of Doctor Strange and Iron Man, Jean's eyes turned red, and the pressure emanating from her suddenly surged.

Wolverine glared at Doctor Strange and Iron Man and shouted, "Jean, control yourself!"

Bert smiled contemptuously and, along with everyone, exited through the portal, leaving behind their battle attire and even Fat Thor, who had just returned.

"Wait, you can't go!" Iron Man shouted, but Bert casually grabbed him, and the Stark Building rapidly shrank until it fit into Bert's hand. As for the people within the building, they naturally fell to the ground. Witnessing this, Storm, who had recently arrived, quickly supported them with a strong gust of wind.

Then, Bert hurled the shrunken Stark Building toward Iron Man. Iron Man's expression changed drastically as he tried to dodge, but the surrounding space suddenly solidified. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move and could only watch as the Stark Building grew closer and larger.

"What incredible spatial magic," Doctor Strange exclaimed, quickly using his magic to open a portal to the desert in front of Tony.

The building soared into the portal and instantly expanded, crashing into the ground with a loud bang, stirring up clouds of sand.

Iron Man breathed a sigh of relief, looking up at Bert and the others, only to find that they had vanished.