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New York, Manhattan.
The sky was no longer the sky, but a massive, oppressive black iron plate.
Malekith had no patience for cat-and-mouse games.
Once he confirmed that the woman with the Aether Particle's aura was in this concrete jungle, he issued a single command—
"Eradicate."
Tens of thousands of scythe fighters no longer attacked dispersedly; they gathered from all directions like a swarm of killer bees answering the queen's call.
They didn't dive, nor did they dogfight.
They simply hovered silently in every corner of the Manhattan sky.
This stillness was more suffocating than the previous bombardment.
From Central Park to Wall Street, from the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty.
Layer upon layer, obscuring the sky and sun.
The entire New York City was shrouded in gloom, with only the low-frequency hum of the fighter jet engines.
"Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle—"
"Buzz—buzz—buzz—"
The deep resonance of energy was like a rusty saw, repeatedly tearing at the nerves of every New Yorker.
That was the sound of charging.
Thousands of dark muzzles simultaneously lit up with a dark red glow. That was not the starlight of hope; it was the eyes of the God of Death.
"They're going to... wipe New York off the map."
On the ground, Tony Stark looked up, his faceplate open, revealing a face with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Jarvis... transfer all power to the chest unibeam."
"Sir, the reactor temperature is currently too high. If you fire forcibly, the reactor may explode due to overload."
"Then let it explode." Tony looked at the destructive light about to pour down from above, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "Let's fight to the last moment."
Steve Rogers stood on top of an overturned school bus, his shield's paint already covered in scorch marks.
He looked at the sky, clenching his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.
Helplessness.
This was an emotion Captain America rarely experienced.
He could charge HYDRA tanks, he could punch alien armies, but against such devastating saturation bombardment, a mortal's courage seemed so pale.
"Kids, get behind me."
These "superhero trainees," who had just been full of vigor, finally understood the cruelty of war.
"As long as you're still standing, you haven't lost." Steve tightened the straps of his shield, speaking to the trembling superhero trainees behind him.
"If this is the end, let's face it like warriors."
This was all he could do.
Jessica Jones knelt in the ruins, the Aether Particle within her on the verge of berserking due to emotional fluctuations.
The intense pain almost made her lose consciousness, but she still desperately clutched the ground, refusing to fall.
"That... bastard... isn't he coming yet..." she squeezed out through gritted teeth.
Meanwhile, Wade Wilson was picking his teeth with half a broken sword.
"Woah, what a grand spectacle."
Wade looked at the sky, even whistling.
"These special effects are much better than that crew with the lightsabers chopping up fathers everywhere. But... shouldn't the director cut the scene now? At a time like this, shouldn't some guy in red underwear come out to save the World? Oh, no, the one on our side doesn't wear underwear, he likes to go commando."
Despair spread through the city like a plague.
In every street and alley, whether civilians hiding in air-raid shelters or streamers broadcasting with their phones, everyone looked up at the destructive light about to descend.
No one cried out.
Because extreme fear leads to speechlessness.
Until... a dust-covered boy, Peter Parker, stood on the lawn of Hunter's Point South Park in Queens, tightly clutching the 'Homelander Adventures' comic signed by Anthony.
He looked at the sky, his small body trembling, but his eyes held a stubborn belief.
"Homelander..."
The boy murmured.
His voice was very small, drowned out by the hum of energy charging.
"Homelander!"
The boy raised his voice.
A homeless man nearby heard him and, as if grabbing a lifeline, echoed: "Homelander?"
"Homelander!!"
"Homelander!!!"
These three words seemed to possess a magical power.
In this World shrouded in darkness, it was the only light.
Voices began to converge.
Spreading from Central Park to Fifth Avenue, from Brooklyn to Queens.
In the live stream chat, bullet comments exploded instantly.
No other words, just rows upon rows of neat, dazzling—
[Homelander!]
[Homelander!]
[Homelander!!]
It was the roar of millions, a torrent of faith...
Vought Headquarters, control room.
Ashley stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the apocalyptic scene outside, her legs trembling violently.
But her hand was pressed firmly on the control panel.
She was waiting.
Waiting for the time that man had given her.
"5..."
She looked at the watch on her wrist, a countdown set by Anthony before he left.
"4..."
The red light in the sky was already blindingly bright.
"3..."
The air began to scorch from energy overload.
"2..."
Ashley closed her eyes, and with all her strength, pressed the red play button.
"1!!"
"Sizzle—"
The current connected.
On the top floor of Starr Tower, the sonar speaker array covering the entire city activated at full power at this moment.
At the same time, background music cut into all U.S. Vought live channels.
The prelude began.
The stirring, magnificent, hope- and power-filled "Theme From Superman" echoed throughout the New York sky!
"Deng deng deng—deng deng—deng!!"
At the highest crescendo of the music.
"Boom—!!!!!"
The atmosphere was torn apart.
No one saw what happened.
People only saw a red and blue stream of light, like the Spear of Longinus shot from the depths of hell to heaven!
Speed.
Extreme speed.
After the team assembly activated, his speed reached Mach 450.
Anthony flew around the Earth once, accumulating his kinetic energy to a terrifying critical point.
At this moment, he was a super warhead with the body of a god!
"Puff puff puff puff puff puff—!!!"
In that instant, the sky became a sea of fire.
Anthony's figure transformed into streaks of death rays, crashing unimpeded into the dense swarm of fighters!
Wherever he passed, the fighters instantly disintegrated, exploded, and turned into a sky full of flying fire rain.
In those few short seconds, the dark clouds shrouding New York were forcibly "wiped" away by a large chunk!
The sky brightened.
That was the light of destruction.
And also... the most expensive fireworks Homelander gave to all humanity.
"Hiss—"
The shockwave created by the high-speed movement slowly dissipated.
Against the backdrop of the sky full of fire rain.
A figure slowly came to a halt in mid-air.
The tricolored cape flapped in the heatwave of the explosion.
His golden hair was immaculate, his uniform spotless.
He hovered there, with burning wreckage beneath his feet and the dissipating gloom above his head.
Vought's "Hummingbird" drone swarm, as if premeditated, flew behind him at this perfect moment.
The camera zoomed in.
A back.
That broad, sturdy back, as if it could bear the weight of the entire World.
Anthony slowly turned his head, his azure eyes looking into the camera, as if looking at everyone in front of the screen.
He smiled slightly and said softly:
"As long as I'm here..."
"...no one can take away your tomorrow."