Chapter 185: Arrival of the Ultimate Strike Team

"Looks like they got here fast," Reed said to Bruce with a grin as he watched Nick Fury leading the Howling Commandos toward them.

Nick Fury, however, wanted answers more than anything.

"Reed, you'd better explain what's going on," Fury warned, his gaze decidedly menacing.

He did admire Reed, after all.To transform an entire planet in record time—unifying it into a peaceful whole—took real brilliance.But that didn't mean Fury believed everything the man said.He never trusted anyone, even supposed allies.A person's stance today meant nothing about tomorrow—just like with Batman.

"You seriously think I pulled this off?" Reed asked, genuinely astonished, as though Fury had cracked a joke.

He rose slowly into the air, forcing everyone to tilt their heads back to look at the so-called Creator.

"We're facing the greatest crisis this world has ever known," the Creator said, voice calm but words enough to keep Fury on edge.Fury had always known Reed wasn't normal, yet hearing this now made him want to shoot the man out of the sky.

"Our universe is about to be destroyed," Reed added with a smile—a smile that sent chills through the Commandos and Spider-Woman alike.

Gwen glanced at Bruce, but he only stared grimly at Reed above.

Now he understood why Reed had dragged in the Howling Commandos.

"Oh, and do you know who found out first?" Reed suddenly asked.

Fury needed no time to guess.Who else but the Bat—standing right here—could learn something before them and keep it hidden so well?

"Seems you've figured it out," Reed chuckled. "Yes, our illustrious Bat already knows. We just… disagree a little.He's fine with me destroying this blue planet—but apparently not with me doing it again elsewhere."

Reed looked at Bruce. Though Reed's face was unreadable, everyone could sense his confusion.

"It's true, isn't it?" Fury asked Bruce—not really a question so much as a statement. He already grasped the gist: Reed wanted something that sounded monstrous—perhaps immoral—and Bruce was trying to stop him, all for their universe's survival.

Bruce nodded. Hiding it now was pointless; Reed would spill everything anyway.

"So we blow up that planet in the sky to save our world, correct?" Fury summed up in an instant.

Reed smiled—classic Fury, the veteran spy who grasped things at once.

"But you don't even know if people live on that other planet," Gwen protested. "You're deciding their fate—how is that right?"

Fury understood, of course, yet to him it was irrelevant."I only know I live on this planet, kid," he replied, eyes still locked on Batman. The two Spider-Women and one Bat might oppose them, but Fury trusted the Commandos could handle it.

"Give me your decision, Bat," Fury demanded, hoping for an answer that would satisfy at least someone.

Gwen nervously looked at Bruce. She believed he wouldn't choose that path—but worry lingered.

Batman stared at the Creator above, whose lips had curled in satisfaction. With Fury and his Commandos here, Reed felt unbeatable; Bruce could never sway them. Spies cared only for what they protected—never the lives of strangers on some other Earth.

Fury's gaze turned dangerous. If Bruce insisted on interference, Fury wouldn't harm him—but until the crisis ended, Batman would vanish from public view.

Before Bruce could speak, the Commandos noticed countless figures leaping from the blue planet.

"Look up! What is that?" Blonsky shouted to Fury.

Everyone craned their necks. The sky teemed with swarming shapes like locusts—enough to make one's skin crawl.

Reed now fixed his eyes on Bruce. Perhaps he understood why Batman had agreed to destroy that blue world.

"So this is why you consented, isn't it, Batman?" Reed asked calmly, unfazed by the sudden turn of events.

Because he had already prepared before arriving, his aircraft instantly deployed countless weapons aimed at the figures still descending from the sky—and immediately opened fire.

Nick Fury no longer pressed Bruce for answers. Instead, he directed the Roaring Commando squad to coordinate with the Creator's firepower and attack the figures still in the air.

Even though they had reacted swiftly, the Bridge Builders' mechanical bodies still managed to land on the ground and launched their offensive against the living beings present.

"Damn it, what are these things?" Danny Ketch shouted angrily while scorching the mechanical bodies with his flames.

Bruce and Spider-Woman, who had been standing aside, also joined the battlefield. No matter what, these things had to be taken down—otherwise, they would be the ones wiped out.

"Why didn't you call in the Ultimates?" Jessica shouted at Nick Fury and the others. After all, bringing in the Ultimates would definitely be a huge help in a situation like this.

Nick Fury completely ignored Jessica's suggestion. If the Ultimates were brought in, the situation might truly become unpredictable.

At first, Nick Fury had assumed this was just some covert operation, so he naturally hadn't thought about calling the Ultimates.

But now, this was clearly not some shady operation—it was an event that could decide the fate of all human life on Earth.

"I already contacted the Ultimates," Bruce's voice came through at that moment. As soon as the Bridge Builders started falling from that planet, Bruce had already decided to alert them.

Although Nick Fury didn't want the Ultimates involved, what Bruce had already done couldn't be undone. They couldn't travel back in time to stop him.

All they could do was hope that the Ultimates would stand with them—to help destroy what could pose a threat to their universe.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Ultimates had already set out for Africa after receiving Bruce's message.

"What kind of situation would make that bat actually contact us?" Stark asked curiously. The fact that the bat had taken the initiative to reach out was baffling.

As Stark's friend, Thor quickly chimed in, "Maybe he finally realized that a bat is meant to lurk in the dark, and going to a place like Africa left him disoriented."

Captain America, however, took the matter more seriously. Based on what he knew about the bat, if it was something he could handle alone, he would never have bothered them.

"We can't let our guard down. I have a feeling what we're about to face is going to be very tricky."

Captain America's voice came through the comms. After hearing his warning, the team became more serious—after all, the veteran's instincts were often spot on.

"If the bat came to us for help, it definitely isn't something simple," Stark said with a chuckle.

But in the next moment, Stark, who had been leading the way, vanished from the team's view.

"What happened?"

"Where's Stark?"

"Are we under attack?"

A sudden burst of noise filled the comms as everyone speculated on where Stark had gone.

"Stark, are you okay?" Captain America urgently contacted him, trying to determine whether he'd been attacked by an unknown force or if something ahead had obstructed their view.

At the same time, Captain America hovered the aircraft in place.

"I think you'd better get in here, fast," Stark's voice came through, a little tense and rushed, accompanied by static and energy blasts in the background.

Clearly, Stark was already engaged in combat.

Hearing this, Captain America made a snap decision and piloted the aircraft straight into the anomaly.

The moment they entered, the dramatic shift in the surrounding environment's color stunned them. Even more shocking was the massive planet floating in the sky above.

"I never knew Earth had a view like this," Susan said, staring in shock at the enormous planet above.

Having once ventured into space to gain their powers, they had a solid understanding of the cosmos.

But what they were witnessing now shattered all of their astronomical knowledge.

Clang!!

Before they could even react, a Bridge Builder crashed onto their aircraft. The sound of metal smashing against metal rang in their ears.

"Prepare for battle," Captain America ordered decisively and began directing the Ultimates to counterattack the mechanical invaders.

Susan immediately deployed a protective field, shielding everyone inside.

Their aircraft was already on the verge of collapse from the damage, and as the only one who could protect the group, Susan didn't hesitate.

The mechanical entities tried to break through her field—but all their efforts were in vain.

Stark's voice returned over the comms.

"I thought you'd never find the way."

He was blasting the mechanical bodies with his repulsors. Despite his casual tone, everyone could sense the urgency behind his words.

"So can someone tell us what exactly is going on here?" Hawkeye asked, having spotted the Roaring Commando squad and the bat figures fighting on the ground.

Captain America's eyes locked onto Reed—the Creator—hovering midair.

"If the Creator is here, maybe this is all his doing," Captain America said, immediately placing suspicion on Reed, given his dark history.

It was only natural they'd view him as a prime suspect.

However, Susan saw Reed actively fighting back against the mechanical invaders with his powers. That alone proved he wasn't the one who started this chaos.

Of course, that didn't rule out the possibility that the Creator was staging everything for effect.

At that moment, the Creator turned to face the Ultimates. As soon as Stark arrived, Reed had connected to their communications.

But they didn't exchange any words.

"This isn't something I could pull off. After all, what's floating above us isn't just a planet—it's an entire universe," Reed said, his words leaving the Ultimates stunned.

"Did he just say… an entire universe?" The Thing asked, incredulous.

Captain America took a deep breath and gave another command: "Focus on taking down the mechanical bodies first."

As his words fell, the Ultimates unleashed their full strength on the mechanical enemies.

Down on the ground, Nick Fury frowned slightly.

The arrival of the Ultimates might just change everything.

(End of Chapter)

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