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After the arrival of Wonder Woman and cyborg , the members of the special forces exhaled in relief.

The crushing oppression brought by the enemy eased slightly, but their nerves remained taut.

"You guys step back."

Cyborg gestured with a wave of his hand.

"Clear the battlefield. Leave this to us."

"Be careful."

Duke nodded, then commanded his team:

"Fall back! Everyone, move!"

The Washington office of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't located in a densely populated area, so there were few civilians nearby.

As the special forces withdrew, they maintained vigilance, scanning the surroundings to prevent any innocent casualties.

They were experienced in handling post-battle fallout.

Ever since the Battle of New York, the World Security Council had cracked down on S.H.I.E.L.D., deploying special forces to replace them.

Because of this, Duke and his team had been responsible for many cleanup operations in New York.

Now, even as Duke ensured civilians were out of harm's way, his eyes remained locked on the battlefield—

Where two Justice League superheroes stood against an unknown enemy.

"Alien?"

Duke frowned.

He replayed the woman's face in his mind.

Something about her felt off.

She didn't look like an alien—she looked human.

But before he could think further—

BOOM!

The fight erupted.

Captain Marvel-Carol Danvers, raised her hand.

A blazing energy beam tore through the air—

It moved so fast it felt like it pierced space itself.

There was no delay.

No reaction time.

In an instant, the beam struck Wonder Woman and cyborg directly.

But—

They were ready.

The moment Wonder Woman arrived, she had already activated her divine power shield.

The transparent barrier—an extension of her divine energy—absorbed the full force of Carol's attack.

Meanwhile, cyborg counterattacked.

Whoosh!

A high-powered projectile fired from his arm-mounted cannon—

A streak of fire and smoke trailed behind it as it raced toward Carol.

Neither side held back.

With the special forces evacuated, there were no restrictions on their fight.

Even Carol, who had come to rescue Taylor Hayward, seemed to have abandoned him.

Seeing the battle escalate, Hayward's face turned pale.

He scrambled for cover, diving behind an obstacle—terrified that he'd be caught in the crossfire.

"This power level..."

Cyborg narrowed his eyes.

His expression remained unreadable, but his mind was racing.

The way Carol fought—her power output, her movement patterns—

It only made him more certain.

This wasn't the real Captain Marvel.

Cyborg 's thoughts snapped back to an old comic book scenario.

The Skrulls once created the Super-Skrull, K'lrt.

After the Fantastic Four thwarted the Skrull Empire's attempt to invade Earth, the Skrull Emperor chose a soldier named K'lrt.

Through extreme genetic engineering, K'lrt was granted enhanced versions of all four Fantastic Four members' abilities:

Greater strength than The Thing More powerful fire control than The Human Torch Superior invisibility and telepathy compared to The Invisible Woman More advanced elasticity than Mr. Fantastic

And on top of all that, he retained the Skrulls' natural shapeshifting and hypnotic skills.

Once transformed, he was given a new identity—

Super-Skrull.

He was sent to Earth with one mission:

Defeat the Fantastic Four and pave the way for a second Skrull invasion.

That was the comic book version.

But in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The first human superhero to ever encounter the Skrulls wasn't the Fantastic Four—

It was Captain Marvel.

Carol Danvers had fought against the Skrulls, defeating their enemies, the Kree Empire, and saving the Skrulls from annihilation.

And now—

This imposter had appeared.

Cyborg 's eyes narrowed further.

Was this a new Super-Skrull?

Or something far worse?

It was only natural.

The Skrulls, having witnessed Captain Marvel's immense power, would covet it.

So instead of the Fantastic Four, their Super-Skrull had been engineered to wield Captain Marvel's abilities instead.

And when you think about it—

It makes perfect sense.

The cyborg projectile hurtled toward Carol—

Or rather, the Super-Skrull impersonating her.

Yet—

She showed no panic.

She didn't even attempt to dodge.

Instead—

WHOOSH!

With a sharp wave of her hand, her entire body flared with energy.

A blinding radiance burst forth—

Forcing Wonder Woman and cyborg to instinctively narrow their eyes.

The air itself seemed to ignite.

A powerful force surged outward from her body—

The surrounding buildings trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

The ground shook, making it difficult to stand.

BOOM!

The cannonball never reached her—

It slammed into an invisible force field, detonating harmlessly in midair.

Outside the battlefield, the special forces watched in disbelief.

They exchanged glances, expressions torn between shock and fear.

"Again?"

"Damn it… why are there more and more superpowered beings in the world?"

"Maybe we should start upgrading our gear."

They gritted their teeth.

Then—

RUMBLE!

The entire building—its structure destabilized by the overwhelming energy shockwaves—

Collapsed.

A massive plume of dust exploded outward as the structure gave way, sending debris crashing down.

"Is Taylor Hayward dead?"

One of the special forces muttered.

Another shrugged.

"We can only hope for the best."

As the dust cloud spread, three figures shot skyward.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Ignoring the raining debris, they launched into Washington's open skies.

There—

Under the gaze of the entire city—

The battle continued.

Across Washington, civilians stopped in their tracks.

Heads tilted upward, eyes wide with astonishment.

"What is that?!"

"Wait... that's cyborg ! And Wonder Woman!"

"Who the hell are they fighting?"

Confused murmurs filled the streets.

Some pulled out their phones, eager to capture the spectacle.

Excitement flickered in their eyes—

A realization settling in.

Another major event was unfolding.

BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions rocked the sky.

Fiery shockwaves rippled outward like blossoming fireworks.

Three figures—

Locked in furious combat—

Collided repeatedly, their impacts echoing across the city.

And to everyone's shock—

Despite fighting two-on-one—

The blonde woman, whose identity remained a mystery, was holding her own.

The people watching below tensed.

Even though they didn't know who she was, one thing was clear:

She was fighting against the Justice League.

And that meant—

She wasn't a good guy.

Fists clenched.

Hearts pounded.

The public didn't want the Justice League to lose.

Meanwhile—

High above, a jet streaked toward Washington at top speed.

Inside—

Anton, Tony, and the rest of their group watched the battle unfold through live footage streamed from the special forces' body cams.

Their expressions were grim.

But Anton—

Anton was especially serious.

He analyzed the Super-Skrull's movements.

Her power output.

Her reaction speed.

Her adaptability.

And he came to a chilling realization.

This imposter wasn't just copying Captain Marvel.

She was stronger.

Anton's brow furrowed.

If this Super-Skrull was anything like its comic counterpart—

Not only could it mimic powers, but it could also surpass the originals.

Which meant—

The fake Captain Marvel in front of them might actually be stronger than the real Carol Danvers.

If that was true—

Then relying on Wonder Woman and cyborg to take her down...

Might not be enough.

Anton's fingers tightened into a fist.

They needed a new plan.

Fast.

….

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