"I believe you, Colonel Rhodes," Zemo said calmly, "but if you do that, all of you will die with me."
As he spoke, he pulled out a remote control and pressed one of the buttons.
Beep… beep… beep…
A faint sound echoed through the fortress.
Everyone's expressions immediately changed.
"Bombs!"
Steve frowned deeply and quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for the explosives, but found nothing.
"No need to look," Zemo said as he waved the remote in his hand. "I've already planted bombs at every structural node throughout the fortress."
"The moment I release this button, everything here will be reduced to dust."
"You killed all those people in Vienna just to lure us here?" Tony seemed to realize something as he slowly floated into the air, meeting Zemo's gaze through the glass.
"For over a year now, the Avengers have consumed my every thought. I studied each and every one of you obsessively—all for the sake of avenging my family."
"You already know who I am, don't you? That's right. I'm Sokovian."
Zemo's eyes gradually turned cold as he pointed downward at Karl.
"It was him. He destroyed all of Sokovia. I lost everything—my family, my friends, my wife, my daughter. And now, all of you will suffer the same fate."
Zemo stared at Karl.
Even now, he still remembered that colossal figure that blotted out the sky—the giant that resembled an ancient demon god.
That monster had absorbed the entirety of Sokovia… along with everyone still on it.
Karl merely sneered before slowly floating up beside Tony, directly facing Zemo.
And Zemo returned the stare without fear.
Karl raised a finger.
A white light slowly gathered at the tip, violent and overwhelming magical power surging outward.
In an instant, the entire control room was engulfed in a raging magical storm.
Million Flare—the weakened version of Bahamut's Billion Flare.
More than enough to blast through mere bulletproof glass.
"Wait! We need him alive!"
Tony immediately tried to stop Karl.
If Karl killed Zemo now, they'd lose all leverage with the United Nations.
Karl flicked his finger.
The white light erupted instantly.
The supposedly missile-proof glass melted open in a massive hole, and along with it, Zemo's arm holding the detonator vanished completely.
"AAARGH!!!"
Zemo crashed to the floor, clutching his charred shoulder and screaming in agony.
His entire arm had disappeared.
The wound at his shoulder was completely blackened from cauterization.
Tony immediately flew inside and injected him with a sedative.
Zemo's head tilted to the side as he passed out cold.
"There. Done and dusted."
Karl clapped his hands.
He had no interest in wasting words with someone like Zemo.
If violence could solve the problem, then there was no point arguing.
Because the detonator had been vaporized along with Zemo's arm, the bombs never exploded.
The group exited the fortress and boarded the Quinjet.
"What about this place?" Sam asked as the jet lifted off, looking down at the fortress below. "Someone's bound to discover it eventually. It's a potential threat."
"Simple," Tony said as he nudged the unconscious Zemo with his foot. "Didn't he already come up with the solution for us?"
"JARVIS, did you find the signal?"
"Yes, sir. Detonation is available at any time."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Tony looked down at the fortress through the holographic display.
BOOM!!!
A towering explosion erupted below.
The location of the HYDRA fortress was swallowed by a gigantic fireball.
Moments later, an avalanche thundered down from the surrounding mountains, burying the flames beneath endless white snow, leaving only thick black smoke curling into the sky.
---
After more than a month of endless negotiations and political wrangling, the Avengers finally broke free from United Nations control.
They became a completely neutral organization once more.
Subject to global oversight—but oversight only.
Including the Security Council, the UN retained only the right to supervise and make recommendations. They possessed no actual authority or control over the Avengers whatsoever.
No one really knew how Nick Fury managed to convince the entire world to agree to such terms.
But in the end, the Avengers once again became an independent organization dedicated solely to protecting the world, free from the control of any nation or individual.
As for the former Avengers facility established by the United States, it officially became the new Avengers Headquarters.
After all, free was free.
True to his philosophy of never wasting free resources, Nick Fury shamelessly declared himself the new owner.
Likewise, the agents previously stationed at the base were reassigned and resumed intelligence operations across the globe.
---
At the very top floor of the base, Nick Fury sat leisurely in the enormous office, quietly admiring the view outside the window.
Then suddenly—
A black dot appeared in the sky.
And rapidly grew larger.
At the same time, shrill alarms blared throughout the entire Avengers base.
"Motherf—! Which bastard is causing trouble now?!"
Fury's good mood instantly vanished.
He slammed a hand onto the communicator.
"What happened?"
His voice was cold and harsh. Anyone would be furious after having their peace interrupted.
"Director, we've detected a spacecraft entering low Earth orbit. It's rapidly approaching Earth."
An agent's voice came through the communicator.
"A spacecraft? What spacecraft? Are the Chitauri back?"
The memory of the Chitauri invasion immediately surfaced in Fury's mind.
He practically launched himself out of his chair and hurried to the window.
Thankfully, there was no giant portal in the sky.
"No, Director. This appears to be a small spacecraft. These are the images returned by the satellites."
A projection appeared on Fury's communicator.
The ship resembled a giant bird of prey, colored in bright orange and blue.
"Patch me through to their signal. I want to know why they've come to Earth."
Fury spoke immediately.
The ship's signal was unusually open and easy to locate. The agents connected to it almost effortlessly.
The moment the connection went through—
LOUD ROCK MUSIC exploded through the entire Avengers base, nearly causing Fury to throw off his headset.
"This is Earth's Avengers Base. Unknown spacecraft, state your purpose. Repeat, state your purpose."
Fury's voice was low and icy, devoid of emotion.
"Wooow~! Quill, Earthlings can actually connect to your ship's signal? Looks like your junk heap needs an upgrade."
A snarky voice came through the speakers.
If Karl were here, he would instantly recognize Rocket's voice.
"Oh, shove it! Stop messing with my ship! I'm the captain here! Rocket, put those wires down right now!!"
Another voice immediately followed, accompanied by a chaotic barrage of banging noises and loud laughter.
On Fury's side, his face darkened completely.
So the aliens on the other side were all idiots.
"Oh right! Hey there, Earth people! You can call me Quill. Haven't talked to Earthlings in ages. I'm from Earth too, actually—got kidnapped by aliens as a kid. Man, coming back here feels really weird…"
Quill rambled nonstop, his mouth never stopping for even a second.
Fury was speechless.
What the hell was this group?
Was there not a single normal person among them capable of having a proper conversation?
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