C232
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Over the city of Washington, two figures darted through the air, weaving between towering buildings as if the cityscape were their personal playground.
Explosions from brilliant shells lit up the sky, eliciting gasps and cheers from citizens below. It was a spectacle far more thrilling than any fireworks display.
Although the battlefield between cyborg and Tony Stark spanned all of downtown Washington, both combatants made deliberate efforts to avoid harming the crowd during their exchanges.
Unbeknownst to them, their battle was being broadcast live to the entire city. Live text updates, video streams, and even call-ins flooded the airwaves.
"They're heading toward Washington Square!"
"Someone stop this madness!"
"It looks like cyborg and Iron Man are about to settle things in Washington Square!"
The radio host's voice crackled with excitement, his words sharp and captivating. As he juggled a phone call with a reporter on the scene, he kept his audience riveted with his rapid-fire updates and magnetic delivery.
The station's ratings soared, reaching an all-time high. Within ten minutes, nearly one in ten Americans had tuned in to follow the battle, clinging to every word of the broadcast.
On highways and streets across the country, drivers pulled over, cranking up the volume in their cars, their faces tense as they listened intently.
For many, it felt like witnessing an epic clash akin to the World Cup final—only this time, the stakes were far greater.
Washington Square.
Cyborg and Tony Stark hovered in the air, facing each other from a distance.
"This will do," cyborg said coldly, his eyes locked on Tony. "You're the only one left, Stark."
"So fast?!"
Tony's heart sank as he grasped cyborg's meaning. The entire Avengers team had been defeated—he was the last one standing. Beneath his helmet, his expression darkened.
Cyborg raised his arm, energy gathering in his palm. "No need for more talk. Since you're the only one left, let's end this!"
Boom!
A devastating energy beam tore through the air, streaking toward Tony like a meteor.
Tony raised his hand, firing back with a beam of his own.
BOOM!
The clash of their attacks created a massive explosion. The fountain below them shattered instantly, sending water and debris flying in all directions.
The pool and the surrounding ground erupted, with shards of the fountain scattering like shrapnel.
The onlookers—a mix of thrill-seekers and curious citizens—watched in awe from a distance. But as stray energy beams ricocheted from the clash, mixed with shards of debris and rubble, the danger became all too real.
Chunks of concrete and wild energy flew hundreds of meters, smashing into the ground and piercing a nearby fire hydrant.
A geyser of water erupted, drenching the unfortunate spectators standing nearby.
Panic set in. Faces turned pale as they screamed, shielding their heads before bolting from the scene.
In that moment, they understood the true scale of the battle. Even being near the fight, let alone directly involved, was a risk of unimaginable proportions.
The only people who could safely watch the duel between cyborg and Iron Man were those perched in the tall buildings nearby.
Cyborg and Tony had avoided causing serious damage to these structures, focusing their fight on open areas. The aftermath of their collisions did little more than shatter glass.
In short, many of these people, seemingly unafraid of danger, decided to take a calculated risk.
They pulled out their phones and began snapping photos, their faces a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Among them were radio reporters who had hurried to the scene to cover the story.
Rumble!
In their view, cyborg and Iron Man were technological titans, superheroes clad in advanced armor. The sky was filled with missiles and weaponry, streaking through the air in every direction.
Yet, the projectiles seemed to have minds of their own, carefully avoiding the towering buildings. The violent collisions in the air unleashed bursts of fire and shockwaves, which crashed into the ground with ferocious force.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The pavement of Washington Square split apart. Every tile crumbled into dust, and fissures as wide as a fist spread outward, carving deep into the earth as if piercing straight to its core.
Thick black smoke billowed from the explosions, consuming Washington Square entirely.
Whoosh!
A silver figure suddenly shot through the smoke, its massive hand gripping the red figure by the neck. Cyborg had seized Iron Man. Without hesitation, he slammed Tony into the ground with incredible force.
Boom!
The impact created another massive crater, tens of meters in diameter, merging with the network of cracks in the square. Washington Square was now a war zone, torn apart and unrecognizable.
Crunch!
Everyone watching saw it—the instant defeat of Iron Man. He was pinned to the ground by cyborg , his armor groaning under the strain. Joints buckled, and the metallic creaking sounded like the armor might give way at any moment.
"Tony, it's over," cyborg said, his voice calm yet firm.
"It's still too early for that, cyborg !" Tony gritted his teeth, struggling to move beneath the powerful grip. "Coulson, haven't you arrived yet?"
Boom!
Cyborg suddenly lifted his head, sensing something above.
Those watching from afar followed his gaze to the sky, where the smoke had cleared, revealing the blue heavens rippling with strange distortions. The sky seemed to fold like waves on a pond.
A massive warship emerged from stealth, its colossal frame materializing overhead. It loomed above cyborg and Iron Man, casting a shadow that swallowed the square below.
"The Helicarrier!"
Cyborg murmured, his eyes locked on the massive S.H.I.E.L.D. warship.
"I told you," Tony said with a hint of triumph, his voice trembling slightly with exhaustion but carrying a smile beneath his helmet. "It's not over yet. Checkmate!"
But Tony quickly noticed something strange. Cyborg remained calm—eerily calm. There was no panic, no surprise. It was as if the sight of the Helicarrier had been anticipated all along.
"Tony," cyborg said, standing up and releasing him. "If this is your ace, I'm afraid I'm disappointed."
"What?" Tony froze, startled by the cyborg's words. There was a note of disdain in cyborg's tone, as if the Helicarrier wasn't a threat at all.
Could the Justice League still have a hidden trump card?
As the thought crossed Tony's mind, the sky opposite the Helicarrier began to ripple, distorting sunlight in the same way the warship had done when it appeared.
"W-what is this…?"
Tony's voice quivered as his helmet HUD registered the disturbance.
Then it appeared.
A sleek black-and-white aircraft emerged from invisibility, its shape reminiscent of the Batplane. It hovered menacingly in the air, directly facing the Helicarrier.
While the Batplane was only a fraction of the Helicarrier's size—perhaps one-tenth—it commanded undeniable presence.
It wasn't its size that struck fear, but its design and the legacy of the one who piloted it.
The crowd immediately recognized it. This was Batman's plane.
Just as Batman's Batmobile and Batcycle had left their mark on Gotham's criminals, the Batplane exuded the same ominous authority, a chilling counterpart to the Helicarrier's dominating presence.
"Gulp!"
Tony finally understood why cyborg had remained so calm. The Justice League had been meticulously prepared.
Click!
Tony's gaze snapped to the Batplane as its hatch opened. A tall figure leaped out, clutching a golden rope.
Boom!
The figure landed with a thunderous impact, leaving a deep crater in the ground. Despite the force of her descent, the golden rope she wielded kept its captives safely restrained.
"Wonder Woman!"
Tony's teeth clenched as he watched her in disbelief. She ignored him entirely, her focus on the individuals bound by her golden lasso.
His heart sank when he recognized them: Rumlow, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Otto, Captain America.
Cyborg hadn't been bluffing. Everyone else had already been defeated.
No—he corrected himself bitterly—even he was as good as defeated now.
Tony glanced at the virtual screen displayed in his helmet. His suit had 29% energy remaining, but most of his weapon systems were damaged beyond use. The only functional weapon left was his palm repulsor.
But even that...
Given his energy reserves, the power of a palm blast would be no more effective against cyborg than throwing a rock.
The Avengers had fallen. All of them.
Meanwhile, the radio waves buzzed with frenzied excitement.
"Iron Man is defeated!" the host announced breathlessly. "Cyborg has unsurprisingly triumphed over Tony Stark.
At the same time, Batman has arrived on the scene, armed with brand-new equipment! His Batplane now hovers over Washington, marking the debut of this advanced fighter.
"All of the Avengers have been captured! Wonder Woman has used her Lasso of Truth to bind the entire team at the ruins of Washington Square. It's an unbelievable sight!"
The host's tone grew even more intense.
"However, this confrontation isn't over yet. The Avengers seem to have activated their final weapon—a super battleship, a colossal sky aircraft carrier that dwarfs anything we've seen before!"
He paused briefly for dramatic effect, then exclaimed, "Batman's fighter is barely one-tenth the size of this monstrous ship. The sheer scale of it is incredible!"
Then his voice trembled with a mixture of awe and fear.
"Wait... could this warship be alien technology?"
…
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